Way Better Than the Day After Tomorrow

The Dark Gravity Sequence: The Arctic Code by Matthew J Kirby

This book takes takes place in not so distance future when half the world is covered in ice and snow. It starts in Phoenix, with a young girl named Eleanor. Most of her friends are refugees, who fled to Phoenix from the rest of the United States when it became too cold for people to live, and live in cramped, underpowered apartment towers but because her mother works for one of the biggest oil companies in the world she and her uncle Jack have their own house. Eleanor never feels like she fits in, so when she receives a strange message from her mother, who then goes missing in the Arctic, Eleanor doesn’t overthink going north to look for her mom. But her mother is involved in something much bigger than anyone ever realized and nothing less than the fate of the world is at stake.

This is a really great book. Eleanor is a plucky, lovable hero who’s impulsive decisions regularly cause problems but it makes her more real, more interesting and more relatable. One of my favourite things about her is she has no father – her mother wanted a child, didn’t have a spouse and used a sperm bank. The reality of the world is that there are lots of children with families that look a little different, and it’s great to see them represented in a casual, realistic way. The group of adults who support and protect Eleanor and later the other kids do a good job of not showing up being all knowing vestals of wisdom, just slightly older people who don’t know how to protect what they love, exactly the same as the kids.

It’s a great children’s adventure book, it moves quickly and builds towards a very exciting climax that sets up the next books pretty well. I’m excited to read them.

Also there’s a mammoth. You can’t really go wrong with a mammoth.

Conclusion: recommend. Also love.

Last movie I watched:

Might still be Victor Frankenstein. Ugh.

Last TV show I watched:

Touch! It’s getting more Heroes-esk every episode but I’m already on the 2nd session and it’s not notably worse than the first, so it’s better than Heroes in a lot of ways.

A rerun

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling

These books will always be ones I come back to again and again and again and even if there was anything I could do about it, I wouldn’t.

Instead of a lengthy post though I will just list a few thoughts and go about my day.

1. Technically I listened to the Sorcerer’s Stone, but I kind of reject that title on principle. I found the number of Americanism in it very jarring.
2. The world building is amazing. I’d forgotten how much of the story takes place before the plot really picks up and it’s all world building and setting out a few clues for later.
3. The movies are good, the books are better.

Last movie I watched:

Victor Frankenstien. Skip it.

Last TV show I watched:

Touched. AMAZING. I didn’t expect the season finale to be so small. It’s a good thing, season 2 flowed into it very easily.

Ninja Turtles aren’t as fun as I remember

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures: Vol 3 by Justin Eisnger and Alonzo Simon plus 23 other artists

It’s not that the Ninja Turtles aren’t awesome, they are, but this book wasn’t a great example. For  book that’s no more than 150 pages, 8 short stories in there means that the quality of the stories isn’t great. Some of them are cute and fun, and they all do a great job of displaying the Ninja Turtles different personalities, but there’s no time to build a story or a villain or really any readers investment

Having said that, this book really is targeted at young readers. I don’t like dumbed down stories to make them more appealing to kids because kids are smart and shouldn’t be talked down to. But particularly for kids who are having trouble with comprehension reading really short stories is a good way to practice developing that skill.

Final report: As an adult looking for a fun, kid’s graphic novel experience, it kind of failed. But as a story for kids who love Ninja Turtles and could use a little light reading, it’s probably great.

Last movie I watched:

Probably still Victor Frankenstein. As previously mentioned, it didn’t do a lot for me.

Last TV episode I watched:

Touch, which I love in all possible ways. But I wonder why they never say “autism” to describe Jake and whether this is part of a failure to recognize autistic people or not and what an autistic viewer would think.

 

The other book with vampires Edward and Alice

Greywalker by Kat Richardson

In a rare moment of adult book reading, I started this series about a young PI named Harper. In the first chapter she’s brutally beaten to death by a disgruntled client. She’s resuscitated at the hospital but when she wakes up in the hospital the world is different for her. She sees a grey mist everywhere, something only she can see, and cross into. Harper is now a Greywalker, a human who can step  into the Grey, an in-between place where the living, the dead and the monsters can all exist. Side effect: suddenly the living, the dead and the monsters want her help solving their cases.

I really enjoyed this book. Harper is a fun heroine, and has a pet ferret, with a balance of realist traits like denial, a ton of courage but also compassion. She does a great job of being the strong female lead, but also having character traits that aren’t being a strong female lead. The supporting cast is delightful too, from the eccentric computer genius who helps with alarm systems, the mentoring witch who’s husband studies magic academically and their baby son to  politically driven vampire group she gets involved in.

This book is classed adult, probably for the amount of sex in it, or possible for violence, so I’d probably think twice about recommending it to teens, mostly because their parents can get really bent out of shape, but for any readers who enjoy paranormal mystery, a dash or romance and a bit of horror, I strongly recommend. That’s all I got for now.

The last movie I watched:

Victor Frankenstien. I love James McAvoy, and certainly he was amazing in the movie, but it really wasn’t an amazing movie.

Daniel Radcliffe was great too.

Last TV episode I watched:

I have no idea but I’m guessing it was How To Get Away with Murder. Great show. Seriously great.