![]() ![]() ![]() In "The Expeditions," the first of three 98-minute episodes, Col. The miniseries mostly adapts material from the book, but unimaginatively so. As Bradbury called it, a "half-cousin to a novel." The structure of the book, with loosely connected stories of varying length, was inspired by Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio particularly. On Blu-ray those lousy special effects look both worse and better, but overall the show has some good points.īradbury's 1950 book was not a novel, but rather a short story "fixup," a collection of previously published short pieces, some revised, some new with additional linking material. Worst of all, it was boring, so boring in fact that Bradbury himself declared it so publicly, at a press conference, essentially dooming the production before it had even aired, and compelling NBC to reschedule it from a planned high-profile September 1979 premiere to January 1980, effectively burying it.Īll these years later, The Martian Chronicles is still pretty weak. ![]() The futuristic sets looked cheap, and though adapted by another great fantasist, Richard Matheson, the teleplay was clumsy and illogical and its execution poor. Even by television standards of the time its special effects were mostly awful. In an era of outstanding television miniseries ( Roots, Shogun, etc.), the three-part adaptation of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles (1980) was a colossal disappointment. ![]()
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![]() I came back to search for this audiobook so many times after reading the original on my Kindle and was ridiculously happy to finally discover it was here. She needed to ask for more pay for the oxygen and time in her life she waisted. I feel bad for Amy Landon who had to read this. Don't expect much else though there is plot wholes you could sail a Viking long boat through. If you like the whole school girl in love and lust fantasizing about a Viking this books for you. Also when she again finally decides she needs to go back to the Vikings she is unable to think about bringing back anything other than a few seeds. ![]() When she finally does go back to the future she does very little to explain how it all happened. She get her feeling hurt and several times almost returns to the future but pulls back. ![]() On and on we are told what, where and how she wants to do this guy. She spends her whole time in heat for the head of the Viking group she lives with. ![]() ![]() Here you have a woman who without any explanation about being thrown over 1000 years in the past and has no knowledge or understanding that would help the people who took her in. ![]() ![]() Pick up Part of Your World if you’re looking for an uplifting, feel-good, romantic read-and for a beautiful reminder that we should always try to live the life that makes us the happiest." -Ali Hazelwood, New York Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis they sprinkled humor and warmth all over my life. ![]() "Abby Jimenez’s words are like fairy dust. With so many differences between them, how can Alexis possibly choose between her world and his? Yet letting their relationship become anything more than a short-term fling would mean turning her back on her family and giving up the opportunity to help thousands of people.īringing Daniel into her world is impossible, and yet she can’t just give up the joy she’s found with him either. ![]() ![]() And every minute she spends with Daniel and the tight-knit town where he lives, she’s discovering just what’s really important. She’s fine with being a “mere” ER doctor. While her ultra-wealthy parents want her to carry on the family legacy of world-renowned surgeons, Alexis doesn’t need glory or fame. The cause: Daniel Grant, a ridiculously hot carpenter who’s ten years younger than her and as casual as they come-the complete opposite of sophisticated city-girl Alexis. ![]() A refreshingly modern fairy tale and instant New York Times bestseller that Love Hypothesis author Ali Hazelwood hails as "an uplifting, feel-good, romantic read."Īfter a wild bet, gourmet grilled-cheese sandwich, and cuddle with a baby goat, Alexis Montgomery has had her world turned upside down. ![]() ![]() Probably the most famous story and movie of Kenya is Karen Blixen’s (a.k.a. Not going to Africa any time soon? These books will take you there anyway. You can’t top the excitement, drama and tragedy of real life there. Yet, in my pre-trip reading I found stories of people through their memoirs provided amazing adventure, along with historical context of the British colonial era versus the modern-day politics of Kenya. This was a shooting-only-photos sort of safari, of course, and promised mind-blowing close-up experiences with the animals. That’s why I read a huge assortment of books-both fiction and non-fiction-before going on a safari in Kenya. When it comes to travel, anticipation is half the fun. ![]() ![]() ![]() Not only does this dude look like Alec, his personality is an exact match. He is too flippin’ adorable and his cover tunes on iTunes are melt worthy. You must check out his youtube channel to see what I mean. Yes, the American Idol contestant who got trashed at nearly every turn, but is actually very talented, in case you don’t know. I’m like, yes, that is Derek all the way.Īlec: Tim Urban. There were some pics of him already in IMBD and I was nodding and nodding. ![]() I didn’t know his name and had never seen him before, so I had to hunt down the episode and I finally found his name. Back when I was still editing the book, I saw him on this episode of CSI, and that was way before his more notable roles in 90210 and Vampires Suck, and I was like, uh, Oh! My! Gosh! That’s him! That is totally Derek. ![]() She’s so pretty and she’s usually glammed up on Pretty Little Liars, but I’ll bet she can also rock a more low-maintenance style too and look really girl-next-door.ĭerek: So easy. I could see her in a more kick-butt, tomboy role, just to break out of the type she normally plays. Majesty: It’s hard to pick Majesty, but on my website I picked Lucy Hale. Today, Courtney shares her dream cast if Kings & Queens becomes a movie. I’d like to welcome author Courtney Vail, who will guest post over the next few days about her latest novel, Kings & Queens. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Ten Trends to Seduce Your Bestfriend is a full-length, complete stand-alone adult contemporary romantic comedy. Sometimes, it takes a public audience to reveal the truth of private feelings, and rarely-very rarely-you should believe what you see online. When a simple case of tit-for-tat trends between non-friends leads to a wholly unexpected kind of pretend, nothing is simple. So why are they faking a #bestfriend relationship for millions of online spectators? She’s looking for a side hustle to help pay down a mountain of student debt, and his financial portfolio is the stuff of fiduciary wet dreams. She loves sharing her passion for promulgating women in STEM careers and building community via social media, and he eschews all socialization, virtual or otherwise. She’s a public school science teacher with stars in her eyes, and he’s a pretentious, joyless double PhD turned world-famous best-selling fiction author. The truth is, they have nothing in common. ![]() Winnie considers them more like casual, distant acquaintances who find each other barely tolerable, especially when he’s being condescending (which is all the time). Yes, they’ve known each other for years, but they’re not even friendly. Winnifred Gobaldi and Byron Visser are not best friends. ![]() ![]() It wasn't until she woke up behind a Dumpster one morning, half-dressed and more than half-dead, that she admitted she needed help. Before long she was a "trash-can junkie," taking anything and everything. A boyfriend taught her to freebase, but then there was crack, which was easier. Almost 16, having barely survived a shooting, she decided to quit gangbanging. Eventually she went to live with a great-aunt in South Central L.A., where she joined a gang. Her next foster father traded her LSD and cocaine for oral sex. A prostitute taught her to drink, smoke marijuana and charge for sex. Brown got better and better at running away. He then left them with an abusive foster mother who encouraged her nephew to rape Brown repeatedly. ![]() ![]() Custody of Brown and her brother was given to a stranger-their birth father-who only wanted their social security checks. Cupcake Brown (that's her real name) was 11 in 1976 when her mother died. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I had to reread three different chapters to figure out was what was happening on the next page. THEN the plot kept twisting around until you couldn’t follow it anymore. At the start, I thought it was set in a sort of medieval time, then a modern setting, and then kept jumping around in timelines. My main opinion on this book was that it was confusing. My favourite part of the book was the detailed writing and good narration in the first person, with the main character being relatable to a lot of teens. I didn’t like the boy, since he seemed too overly distant, even at the end, when he had no reason to be. The romance part of the book was well thought out and believable, but was a little cheesy. The author clearly liked flowers, because by the end, I could practically touch them in my mind. The way it was depicted in the first person was nice, and there was good descriptive writing. For one thing, I really liked the magic fortune telling. As the web of lies and betrayal grows thicker, Wren begins to wonder if she could pull herself out if she wanted to. She is sent to spy on the Judges, but it turns out that they aren’t all that the Augurs have made them out to be. Wren is Augur, a race of magic people driven into hiding by the Judges. The Wren Hunt is a book about a girl named Wren, who once a year is chased through the forest in a twisted version of a game. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Only Ollie and two of her classmates heed these warnings. At nightfall they'll come for the rest of you." Nightfall is, indeed, fast descending when Ollie's previously broken digital wristwatch begins a startling countdown and delivers a terrifying message: RUN. Then, later, when her school bus breaks down on the ride home, the strange bus driver tells Ollie and her classmates: "Best get moving. Captivated by the tale, Ollie begins to wonder if the smiling man might be real when she stumbles upon the graves of the very people she's been reading about on a school trip to a nearby farm. After suffering a tragic loss, eleven-year-old Ollie who only finds solace in books discovers a chilling ghost story about a girl named Beth, the two brothers who loved her, and a peculiar deal made with "the smiling man"-a sinister specter who grants your most tightly held wish, but only for the ultimate price. New York Times bestselling adult author of The Bear and the Nightingale makes her middle grade debut with a creepy, spellbinding ghost story destined to become a classic. ![]() ![]() ![]() The third section, “The Global Awakening,” focuses on the cultural and economic triumphs of the empire under Khubilai. The empire reaches its “high water mark” under Mongke, who is succeeded in turn by his brother, Khubilai. Ogodei dies in 1241 and is succeeded by his son, Guyuk, and, after Guyuk’s death, by Mongke. Genghis’s other sons and generals conquer large portions of Eastern Europe and the Near East. Genghis dies in 1226 and is succeeded by his son, Ogodei, who departs from tradition by building a permanent capital city. He defeats the Jurched and the vast Central Asian empire of Khwarizm but is unable to subdue the Sung dynasty of China. The book’s second section, “The Mongol World War,” begins with Genghis Khan’s conquest of the Jurched kingdom of Manchuria. The section concludes with Genghis’s resolve to expand Mongol power beyond its traditional borders. As Temujin consolidates his power and takes the name of Genghis Khan, he both adheres to traditional Mongol customs as well as reforms them in radical ways. Weatherford then details Temujin’s early life in a family outcast from its tribe, his marriage, his wife’s abduction and rescue, his friendships and rivalries, and his forging of alliances with powerful warlords. ![]() ![]() ![]() The book’s first section, “The Reign of Terror on the Steppe,” describes the political and cultural situation in Mongolia prior to the birth of Temujin. ![]() |