4 posts tagged “review”
I wasn't particularly impressed with this CD. Aside from a few tracks, everything sounds kind of the same if you aren't paying attention. (Or perhaps I don't have an ear for this genre.) What is strong is strong, but everything else is sort of meh, which weakens to overall presentation. The album is enjoyable, but doesn't quite catch my attention in casual listening, although most of these songs are probably more dance worthy.
Recommended Tracks: Deja Vu, Sugar Mama, Freakum Dress
Incredibly cute and fun album with upbeat and hyper songs to cheer you up. Her voice is oddly good in both light happy songs and deep ballads and this album provides a good variety to sample.
Recommended Tracks: Jie Mao Wan Wan, Tai Yang Wan Sui, Meng De Guan Dian
*resists urge to fangirl*
I'd say this album wasn't as good as November's Chopin, but it does grow on you after a while. Many of the songs are kind of formula Jay Chou songs which reduces how ground breaking it is. Otherwise, there are songs on here that you can't help but love.
A delightful surprise was the videos that Jay Chou directed himself that were great in cinematics and relation to the music. It's hard to believe that he's adding film directing to his resume of singing, song-writing, composing, and *cough* acting.
Recommended Tracks: Faraway, Twilight's Chapter Seven, Chrysanthemum Flower Bed
I find that I continue to read a series out of love for the first book, but I'm not sure I like where this one is going. I just saw that there's a fourth book and I'll probably only read it if I get bored.
After forging a shaky peace in the last book, the new ruler of Wyvren Court faces the big question of whether to marry an Avian or a Serpiente. The book focuses on Nicias, the head of her personal guard and son to exiled Falcons, who begins to grow into his powers. He travels back to the land his parents fled to find understanding of his new abilities and the majority of the book is spent painting this sort of deadly paradise. Eventually he is made to choose between his responsibilities in both kingdoms and I got very depressed reading this because it seemed too hopeless in the eternal suckiness of his life. Everything good that's ever happened has a dark side. I also began to tire of the characters because they weren't seemlessly crafted. Each flaw and trait seemed too planned to be natural. I understand fantasy, but the way characters are written can usually be measured by the same standard and I'm increasingly finding that Atwater-Rhodes' people are very flat.
I never remember why I tend to dislike anthologies until I read one. I hate reading long extended sagas, but I like development of background and context. Falling into the middle of a story doesn't give me time to like the characters or to feel involved.
However, I did find all the stories themselves to be cleverly written and as complete as they could be for a short story. I loved that not all the tales contained obvious accounts of courage, but often more subtle and down to earth examples. If only I could express myself that well in such a small amount of space, brevity is admirable in this case.
Again, I wonder why I keep picking series in which the books get less interesting to read as it goes. I very much enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl and kind of liked The Queen's Fool, but this one was just...
Firstly, the protagonist is none other than Robert Dudley who was a reasonably believeable social climber attempted to gain the thone through Queen Elizabeth in her first year of reign, but I think my biggest issue is with him and the other major characters. Since we know Dudley's thoughts, he comes off as annoyingly smug and selfish. I found it more forgivable when Anne Boleyn was doing it because manipulating her way to power was just about the only option and she obviously suffered in doing so. But something about Dudley just rubs me the wrong way.
Elizabeth was portrayed as completely smitten and stubbornly in love with him. It was horribly frustrating watching her be indecisive in her leadership. Like, she was pretty much emotionally unstable half the time and apparently a passionate/manipulative/ambitious female the rest of the time. I guess it could be considered more realistic, but it was just stupid to have her change her mind so much through the book.
Amy Dudley was just so childishly in love with Robert that it actually came to the point where I thought she deserved the neglect. She did practically walk into every conflict. I think him being an asshole is enough reason for her to stop loving him, but noooo. *eyeroll*
I did love Cecil and his sarcastic barbs and his smooth diplomacy. Laetitia was also another enjoyable character only because the both of them were probably the only two not being manipulated and tricked the whole time by one party or another. These were the two that I could relate to, yay for cynical people. I guess overall it was a mindless borderline chicklit read with historical background.
Shanghai is an incredibly interesting city with an interesting history of imperialism and foreign influence, but it is hard to capture it all in a book. This one does a wonderful job, but I find it a bit sensationalist in always drawing back to the seedy underbelly of society and things like gang warfare and opium. But I'm not saying these aren't fascinating things to read about.
I liked the switch between rich and poor and foreign and native, in describing both lives of people from both sides. Generally, I found the transitions to be too subtle, or nonexistant. Often I would be reading about the growth of industry and suddenly find myself reading about prostitution. But I think the book does a wonderful job of presenting a lot of detail about very broad subjects.
Another weakness was that most of the pingying was in an unfamiliar style. For example Hangzhou and Suzhou were written as Hongchow and Suchow. I had a difficult time trying to discuss what I had read with any actual Chinese people because they couldn't decipher the ping ying.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare (4 Stars)
I am/eternally will be amused at how emo Hamlet is. Is this play really a tragedy? I keep laughing. All the characters are so caught up in their own problems that they completely ignore the secret things going on with everyone else and their own problems.
I love the sillioquies in this one, there are a lot of good lines and things to learn.
I know everyone is always on Hamlet's case for overthinking and procrastinating, but I think I would do the same thing because I constantly let thought paralyze my actions. Plus he's witty, although I will admit I wouldn't get half of it without help. *dense*
The Light of the Oracle by Victoria Hanley (4 Stars)
Ok...I don't know why I'm suddenly reading the third book in three book series, but I finally have one that I wasn't disappointed it. Hanley manages to create insanely interesting fantasy worlds and powers with the most natural of characters who can find a way to kick ass on an adventure.
Byrn is plucked from obscurity and taken to train as a novice at the Temple of the Oracle, where those chosen by a bird (symbolic of their personality and one which grants them a secret & unique power) go on to provide predictions for royalty. I think that alone is fascinating enough to keep someone reading, but the cast of characters is another plus.
My favorite YUI songs. Like you will not believe.
The childlike quality in her music is more that it is very open and expressive. At first, I found her voice to be very weird, but later it grew on me where I could see how people found her style to be unique enough to stand out in their mind. It just leaves you completely entranced sometimes.
sotto tsubuyaita kimi no kotoba you say it
ugokidase mienai kedo michi wa hirakareteru
Your words that were softly whispered, you say it
I begin to move, unseen, but the path is being shined on
I feel my soul Take me your way sou mogakinagara mo
kitto kono mama zutto aruite yukeru
I feel my soul Take me your way even while I struggle,
I'm sure that I can go on walking forever as I
doro darake yo najimenai tokai de
onaji you ni waraenai utsumuite aruita no
isogiashi de surechigau hitotachi
"yume wa kanaimashita ka?" atashi mada mogaiteru
In the city I'm not used to that's full of dirt,
I can't laugh the same and I walked with my head down
People pass by in a quick pace
I ask "has their dreams come true?" But I'm still struggling
suminareta kono heya wo dete yuku hi ga kita
atarashii tabidachi ni mada tomadotteru
eki made mukau BASU no naka
tomodachi ni ME-RU shita
asa no HO-MU de denwa mo shite mita
demo nanka chigau ki ga shita
furui GITA- wo hitotsu motte kita
shashin wa zenbu oite kita
Ayumi Hamasaki - Beautiful Fighters [Blue Bird Single] (4 Stars)
I know that a big star like Ayumi probably has like a bajillion dollar budget to do these things, and it is very apparent in videos like this one.I actually didn't like this song when I first heard it. I brushed it off as another upbeat happy song, but videos do a lot of change my mind when it comes to music.
Normally people trying to be overly cute or hilarious doesn't amuse me, but through the shenanigans of her and the rest of the girls I really began to appreciate the meaning (of the video at least) more. Even though people can be complete screw ups, everyone is secretly a beautiful fighter on the inside.
"We are Beautiful Fighters
To be honest
There are some terrible days
But the girls who live
Without stopping nor giving up are
Beautiful Fighters"
Ayaka 絢香- Real Voice [Real Voice Single] (4 Stars)
Real Voice presents a lot of opposites back and forth, but more or less gives a good performance view of Ayaka and her trademark vocals which I highly recommend.
Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics (4 Stars)
Possibly my favorite Christina album to date and a rare indulgence in American music. It is definitely good for getting work done because it has a beautiful subtle way of getting you absorbed without being completely distracting. The lyrics are very today, but the feel is completely old style tribute periods like the 1930s. Anything that can draw inspiration from the past while still being modern doesn't have a hard time finding it's way onto my like list.
Recommended tracks: Ain't No Other Man, Still Dirrty, Nasty Naughty Boy
Paris Hilton - Paris (3 Stars)
Ugh kind of embarassing, but I have honestly heard worse. Although the vocals are not bad, something about the sound seems kind of artificial. Most of the songs are quite catchy and dance-y if you don't mind their shallow nature and content. I'm also not much a fan of the double meanings in her lyrics, but overall the album is relatively solid and goes with how she presents herself. I don't think it's the travesty to humanity that people make it out to be, but neither am I particularly impressed.
Recommended tracks: Turn It Up, Stars Are Blind, I Want You
Gym Class Heroes - As Cruel As School Children (3 Stars)
Very humorous in it's presentation of everyday school related subjects, going though 1st Period, Lunch, and Detention. Where Linkin Park was rock with a smattering of rap, this is a sort of rap style with interspersed rock elements. But what I think I like most about it is that it makes me laugh and it is a style that isn't tiresome as it is different with each track and not a rap style with the usual subject matters.
Recommened tracks: 1st Period: The Queen and I; 4th Period: Clothes Off!; 6th Period: Viva La White Girl; 12th Period: Sacndalous Scholastics
Snakecharm by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (3 Stars)
Second book of what I assume to be a three part series which I began reading back in middle school. The protagonists are back at trying to maintain a stable peace between the two races of snake shapeshifters and the avian shapeshifters. It sounds a bit absurd, but I love the fantasy worlds she creates which make it a complete guilty pleasure book. I find her style to be that of really good fiction/fanfiction so it is very creative. At the same time, I dislike that all the characters are very fanservice/Mary Sue/Gary Stu who are beautiful, strong, mysterious, with magic powers etc etc all at the same time without major personality flaws. And resolution to problems can sometimes magically show up. I often expect much more resistance, obstacles, and plot twists, so I suppose in a way I'm always surprised that things end perfectly sometimes. But if I had to read something frivolous, the I couldn't imagine anything else really.
The Third Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares (2 Stars)
I seem to be trying to catch up with all the easy reads I've been meaning to do this past year but never had time to do.
I am stilll completely lost on the appeal of these books, but I do find the writing style to be good for a teen novel, simply because it is able to express some observations that I mean to say but fail to communicate.
Overall, I am not one for the story of relationships and interaction, nor for self-discovery of others in areas that I am not particularly concerned with at this point in life. I find these types of stories better heard aloud than read on paper where I am prone to roll my eyes at how cheesy that love scene came together, or that lesson one of the girls learned through the experience.
I've discovered in reading this book that I am quite bad at appreciating things for their thematic value or their symbolism. At most I may be able to spot a moral or intended message, but I tend to take everything I read quite literally and forget that the content of books are molded to better express the author's intention.
Beginning slowly, I found the book went much faster after you could tell the characters apart. Initially I believed the book to be a tracking of the history of one family as The Good Earth was, but upon pondering the events and the title, it finally connected in me. The experiences portrayed were not a means of showing members of the family, but in how they each had their issues with solitude from both each other and what they wanted.
I really wish I figured that out earlier when I still thought I was reading a book about a lineage of backwoods incestuous crazy people.
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