When I picked this title up on sale from Bookoutlet.ca, I was mainly attracted to the beautiful cover art and the idea of a cute and funny ghost story. I'm not sure what I expected from a book with a phrase like 'Rest in Popularity' on the cover, but this book definitely surprised me with it's take on how the system of life, death, and the afterlife might work. Because it's a middle grade sort of book, it didn't take long to read, and having read it, I don't regret picking it up. But if you're looking for anything more than a little humor and a cute take on a serious topic, this might not be the book for you. Let's discuss further the thoughts and opinions I have regarding the Tonya Hurley novel, Ghostgirl.
The first thing I noticed was that this book wasn't particularly well written, which some people might put down to the age group this book was aimed at, but I'd have to disagree with that. There are some extremely well written books that were meant for teens and children upon their release, such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, so that isn't a good reason in my books. And even though this book is clearly not meant to take itself too seriously, I would have liked to see characters with more dimension, and a plot with more emotion attached to it, than what we got in this book. One thing that was redeeming about this read was the author's take on what happens in the afterlife, which I found to be quite interesting. It was fun exploring the idea that someone who dies in high school has to stay in high school until they complete their unfinished business. It was very Casper the Friendly ghost, and I appreciated that aspect entirely, as a fan of Casper and ghost stories in general. However, I do think that it would have been a more effective story had the rest of the book; the characters, story line, relationships; been as developed as the world building seemed to be. After I decided to overlook the fact that this book was written in a somewhat underwhelming fashion, I was able to see a lot more of the good things that this story had to offer. For example, there was some excellent dark humor, which I found to be quite amusing. I hardly ever laugh out loud at something I am reading, but this book had me chuckling along with it quite nicely. One thing I'd like to point out is that the humor, while obviously dark, edges on young adult, so keep that in mind. A few of the jokes definitely struck me as being aimed at a more mature audience, and so make sure that your child is mature before you hand them this book. Otherwise, I thought the humor was one of the best parts of this novel, and I'd pick up the next one just to see if there were any more good jokes inside. At the end of the day, this book was only okay, and it didn't leave a lasting impression on my emotions or my memory. It was a fun and quick read that cleansed my palette and prepared me for my next emotionally tumultuous read, so I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in a comedic bit of fluff between their serious literary excursions. Storytelling: 3/10 Characters: 5/10 Themes: 6/10 Entertainment: 4/10 Overall: 4.5/10 Thanks for reading, blog lovers, and don't forget to leave a comment and share this article with a book loving friend. Read on! Tru~xoxoxo
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Hey Gamer! So, we just got an awesome trailer for Fallout 4’s final DLC (dropping August 30th) and I could not be more excited to finally play through this content. How awesome is it going to be to adventure through a Nuka-Cola theme park? I can’t wait to find out what this DLC has in store for us. Let's jump right into the anlysis. The first thing I noticed was that it was in true, classic Bethesda style; they’ve combined something bright and happy with a dark and sinister, dangerous vibe. This is part of what I love about the Fallout world, I am so happy with the aesthetic and mood that this trailer has shown us. You can see that Nuka-World would have been an awesome place, filled to the brim with happy families and park goers before the war. Now it's a serious bad-land where raiders and mutated animals will attack you at every turn, there are weapons and dangers as far as the eye can see. As far as visuals go, I was also really enjoying all the Nuka-Cola themed decorations. Not to mention the Nuka Quantum River and the fantastic Nuka theme Mr. Handys and Protectrons. Speaking of Nuka themed stuff, we get a glimpse of the awesome Nuka Cola Power Armor, which I can’t wait to get into. It makes me wonder what sort of protective powers and possible benefits this suit will give the wearer. Later on in the trailer we also see a wicked cool blue set of Power Armor that looks like Enclave Armor, which I love. I’m wondering if that was supposed to be the Quantum Armor, or something of that nature. But whatever it’s called, I can’t wait to see what it can do. Nearer the end they showed us a scene where a man in large, caged red Power Armor is standing in a bumper car arena being electrocuted. This is a really great teaser because it doesn’t explain itself very well and it gets people excited to see what it means. I have to wonder; is this raider Power Armor; who was that guy wearing it in the trailer; what are the stats for it; how do you use the Bumper Car Arena to shock people? This DLC is going to have a tonne of cool armor and power armor for us to collect, that much is clear. After the Armor we’re greeted with a scene on a roller coaster, which is incredibly awesome because it was in first person view. This could be teasing the idea that there will be rides that we can actually get on and enjoy for ourselves in the park. Functioning roller coasters and theme park rides! I hope that means we’re able to get on them and go from place to place to reach new areas; that would be such a cool usage of the ride-able rides feature. It looks like there might even be a number of rides, not just roller coasters, and I can’t wait to see what sorts of fun games and activities you can do in the park. They showed ski ball and a shooting range, that might mean there are a number of different carnival games to enjoy. Maybe there’s even a prize system, like there was with the slots in New Vegas. Speaking of New Vegas, there were a lot of things about this Nuka World content that made me reminisce about the days of New Vegas. The first thing that made me feel the feels for NV was the appearance of a robot with a screen for a face, showing us an advertisement for Nuka-World Theme Park. This immediately made me think about Yes Man and Victor from NV, and I loved that, because NV was one of my favorite games of all time. Could we get some new robo-friends; maybe even some new parts to use in building robots at the Robot Workbench? After that we get a glimpse of an Old Western looking town with a Cowgirl moseying on through. That just screams New Vegas to me and makes me excited for the new clothes, weapons, NPCs, and side quests that might be out there. We also get a good glimpse of a broken down looking roller coaster that definitely reminds me of the one circling Primm in NV. There are a number of things that get me reall excited, as New Vegas fan, and I am glad they're going back to some of that NV style. Because it's really hard for me to go back to playing New Vegas now that we've got Fallout 4. Another bit of excitement that made me think about New Vegas was the appearance of what looked to be a new Raider Gang. This gang seems to enjoy wearing masks with their armor, which definitely gave me some White Glove Society vibes. (Was that a reach?) These masked Raiders appear to be some kind of slaver group, so I am interested to see if there is some side quest action regarding this new group. There were many different mask styles to see on the Raiders in this trailer, from blank metal masks to bird beak masks, and I can’t wait to see how many there are that I can collect and wear myself. Not only did they show us a new possible Raider Gang, there were a few new character styles that could potentially be representing new factions. They showed us some Cave Men, some Old Western style NPCs, and even a couple of people that were giving me Gun Runner vibes. I am beyond excited to see all the new and different enemies we’ll encounter and perhaps even partner up with. On top of that, it appeared there were new hairstyles and colours out here in Nuka-World, and I for one am happy they've added some funky colours and mohawks back into the game. They can be seen here adorning the Raider's heads, which I hope means we're able to wear them ourselves. There really isn't any good reason why we shouldn't be able to wear them. That paragraph is a great segue into speaking about the new creature type enemies we could be encountering in this DLC. We were shown a new and badass looking lizard beast; something that looks like a male version of Brahmin; a crazy, creepy looking tunnel worm with a quad-pronged mouth; some sort of jumping spider; and even some flying ants. Not to mention the appearance of some angry looking green aliens with blaster guns - which is so cool - I love when they add in cheesy sci-fi elements. This even ties into the whole New Vegas vibe with its sci-fi DLC; this is reminding me of the Old World Blues New Vegas DLC. On top of that, we might've been given a glimpse of the major baddy in this trailer – or at least I hope we were – because we were shown an awesome looking ghoul that I thought was a clown at first. He disappears into a cloud of black smoke before you get a good look at his face and I was so hoping he'd be a creepy clown. On closer inspection it looks like he's a special Glowing Ghoul, which is also cool, but has been done before. On the topic of ghouls, I want to point out an interesting few that we were able to see in the trailer. They appear to be covered in paint splatter, which gives me a very evil clown kind of feeling, and I'm wondering if that will be a running theme in this game. I hope it is. It’s unclear how far the clown theme might go in this game, but we did get to see a colourfully painted gun in the trailer. Which gives me hope that there might be a number of evil clown references and items in the DLC. There were actually a few more awesome weapons shown, most of which seemed like they could belong to a clown, and that feeds my theory that there is a clown theme there. Maybe you get the colourful rifle, wicked cool electric paddle ball, and dangerous rocket bat from defeating the Big Bad; or even from some side quests. All I know is, I don’t know how much longer I can wait to see all the epic new items that have been given to us inside this content. Including the items they have added to the settlement building part of the game. Apparently we’re going to get a bunch of new items to build Nuka-Themed Settlements and I do admit to being curious about them. It looks like there are actually a good number of items being added and a lot of them look really fun. It’s this gamer’s desire that they give us some new settlements to build on inside the Nuka Theme Park, because I definitely want to take over some land in that area. It would be such a good use of the settlement mechanic to allow us to take over areas for the possible new factions that might be introduced. How cool would it be to help whichever faction you’ve chosen to take over and build up the settlements inside Nuka World? This DLC should be at least the size of Far Harbor and so I’m thoroughly anticipating it. It has been a long time since I’ve been this excited for a piece of DLC from Bethesda, and 15 days from the writing of this article is much too long to wait - or at least that’s how it feels. The trailer did exactly what it was supposed to, it encouraged me to pre-order the game and secure my copy now. Because I want to be playing this game the minute it drops, filming every moment of it so I can watch the magic back later and swoon over the awesomeness. Until then, let’s keep our spirits high and count down the hours ‘til it will finally be available. Haven't seen the trailer yet? Check it out below. Thanks for reading, blog lovers, don't forget to comment down below and share this article with a friend.
Tru~xoxoxo The first time I wrote this review, I had just seen the movie and I was still utterly jazzed by the whole experience. Later I realized that Suicide Squad wasn’t quite the movie I felt it was when I was watching it, and my opinions have since become less positive. This film has a way of drawing you in when you’re watching it that is quite bewitching. It makes effective use of great performances, superb casting and exciting visuals, especially in 3-D; so despite abysmal reviews, I really enjoyed watching this film on the big screen. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it added up to be only okay for me. The controversy and promotion of the movie was actually a lot more satisfying than the film itself. And because of the hype it received - which it did not live up to - I felt disappointed with the end result when it ended up feeling like an underdeveloped story. But what was it exactly that made this movie entertaining to watch - and what was it that caused it to fall flat? This reviewer intends to explore those very questions in this review of 2016’s Suicide Squad.
Suicide Squad is writer and director David Ayer’s 11th film, and arguably his most ambitious film to date. In interviews it has been said that it was clear Ayer wanted to create something new, interesting and special, that he had a true vision for what he wanted to show us. He desired to paint a dark and gritty, more serious picture of the Suicide Squad, with a focus on getting the most authentic performances possible from his cast. Due to Ayer’s dark, character-centric vision for the film, and the great team involved with the cinematography, this film was incredibly engaging to watch. The music was contemporary, the visuals and CGI were like a moving comic book, and the costumes and sets were stunning. Unfortunately, it was almost impossible to distract from the plot holes and choppy editing that removed pieces of story line to accommodate pacing and gear down the darker feeling of the movie. So even though there were some great scenes, an excellent premise, and wonderful acting, it was difficult not to get bored of constantly questioning the continuity of the plot. Not to mention the amalgamated pieces of DC comic cannon that created the main plot points for this film. Most of which I felt were teetering on the verge between well represented and completely off the mark. I feel this movie does some justice to the DC Comic Universe, and for that I’m grateful, but most of the accurately portrayed comic conformity in this film falls in line more so with The New 52 concept. It’s clear to see that the writers for New 52 have been trying to create something that would be more coherent with DC Cinematic Universe. So perhaps this film wasn’t intended to be 100% true to the older comics, maybe it was meant to follow closer to New 52. Comic Book comparions aside, this film just seemed like one that suffered from too much input by the studio. It was toned down to appeal to a wider audience, which muffled the true spirit of what Ayer was aiming to create. Luckily, Ayer’s vision did manage to permeate most of the cracks in this film, and so we still get a good feel for what he was attempting to show us. Because of that directorial magic, he was able to create a movie that was still passable, even with all the meddling the studio ended up doing in post. When Ayer came to the table, WB had already started developing their concept of a Suicide Squad movie. So when Ayer took the reins, he thought he was being handed an opportunity to create something special, in reality the studio probably already knew what they wanted to see. When it came time to film, Ayer made sure to use unconventional and borderline invasive methods to extract the darkest and most authentic performances he could. In the end, he managed to coax amazing performances out of every cast member on that set. But when the scenes went to posts, a disturbing amount of them were left on the cutting room floor. It seems like the studio wasn’t interested in producing a picture that was so dark and which might only appeal to a cult audience. They wanted to make sure that as many people as possible would be able to see this film and enjoy it, so they cut a lot of the more disturbing scenes from the movie. This meant that a majority of the scenes featuring The Joker never ended up seeing the light of day. This is probably because Jared Leto’s eerily committed performance was deemed too edgy for mainstream audiences. Which was disappointing because The Joker was used quite heavily to promote the film before its release, and many Joker fans were sad to see that he was absent for most of the actual film. I for one would love to see the film that Ayer intended Suicide Squad to be. Something more serious and heavy, with less focus on action and more focus on creating layered characters and a dark and disturbing, slow boiling plot. Because of the potential this film has, this reviewer still enjoyed watching it and would still love to see the sequel. But if you do go see this film in theaters, as a record breaking number of people already have, try not to think too deeply about it. Because when you dig a little deeper, the flaws are pretty glaring. It will be interesting to see what the sequels have in store, let’s hope they’re given a little more slack on the leash now that the first film has grossed so well at the box office. Rating: 7/10 The month of July was so crazy for me; with so much change and so many new ideas and developments, I felt completely exhausted mentally and physically. That’s why it was so important to find time to enjoy myself and do things that I love; reading, playing video games, writing, creating art; these were the things that kept me afloat this month. So now it’s time to share the nerdy things that kept me going strong all July 2016 in this month’s faves post. GAMESPokemon GoFirst up for the games I was playing this month, it’s everyone’s new favorite topic and activity, Pokemon Go! Pokemon Go has attracted old Pokefans, new Pokefans, and even fans that have no idea what Pokemon is. It’s made an impact and sent a ripple into our world the likes of which hasn’t been seen from a video game in this generation. It’s brought people together, ripped them apart, caused political scandal, and even blipped the radar for hacking rings. But all of that drama aside, Pokemon Go has impacted individual lives with its ability to get people moving, get them active in their community, and even encourage people to make new friendships and strengthen old ones. It’s even got autistic or socially anxious people outside and doing things they would never normally be able to do. Any game that can help people in that capacity automatically makes a favorites list in my books. These are the real reasons Pokemon Go is important; not because it’s Pokemon theme, and not because it’s a new way to game, but because it changes lives and makes a positive impact on otherwise potentially unreachable demographics. Pokemon Go isn’t that well-developed yet, seeing as it’s still incomplete, but I see its potential, and I’ve been really enjoying everything that it has to offer so far. It’s enjoyable to go out and – after waiting my whole life for this moment – feel like a real Pokemon trainer. It’s helped encourage me to get outside, it’s given me something to do with my time that is healthier than playing video games indoors, and it’s allowed me to speak to strangers, when normally that would make me extremely uncomfortable. So even though it’s caused accidents, scandal, and outrage in some places, it’s done nothing but improve my life, and so it was a favorite for me this month. Check out Pokemon Go on the Google Play app store - only for Android and iOS. Pokemon XI’ve loved Pokemon X forever, I loved it when it first came out, and I love it now. It was a whole new generation and era for Pokemon games when it dropped, and I haven’t anything bad to say about it. I love that you can catch so many different kinds of Pokemon, from new ones to the first 151. I enjoyed the story line, and most of all I enjoyed the online play. All this while also appreciating that the main story can be completed very quickly, so I could get fully into breeding and battling online as soon as possible. The interactions with your Pokemon in Pokemon-amie made me so happy, the EV battles were great fun, and I really love the idea of becoming closer with my Pokemon and feeling as though you’re building a real relationship with them. So this month, when I picked this game back up, it sucked me in for days on end. I fell back in love with this game in the month of July, and I am so geared up for the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon later this year. Check this title out at your local game store, or on Amazon by clicking here. NitromeI’ve been playing Nitrome games for so long that it feels like forever, but this month I rediscovered it and it has become a favorite of mine once again. Not only is it a wonderful way to pass a bit of time on your own, it’s a great site to play some multiplayer browser games with a friend. Some of my favorite titles are definitely the Bad Ice Cream series, Mutiny, and the Test Subject series, among many others. I definitely recommend you check it out if you’re looking for some cool games with a 32-bit look and a retro feel. Any classic gamer would be happy to play through these games both alone and with a friend, I am sure of it. Play some awesome games yourself by searching Nitrome on google or clicking here. COMICSX-Men: First Class - ComicsI really loved this series this month; I read the first two anthology volumes and enjoyed each one so incredibly much that I already want to re-read them both. The humor and the light heartedness of it was a nice shift away from the darker comic content that I normally read. Regarding the art style, I immediately noticed how bright, vivid and eye-catching it was, and I loved that. The stories ranged from your average X-Men, bad-guy hunting scenario to some more personal stories that went more in-depth with the characters and their personalities. All-in-all I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the X-Men, and even those who aren’t, because the comedic writing and awesome visuals were an excellent experience for me. 10/10. Head on down to your friendly neighborhood comic book store, or click here to get your hands on these stories yourself. Comicsexplained - YouTube ChannelA comic book YouTube channel I loved in the month of July was Comicsexplained, a great channel that dispenses content that is true to the channel name. It’s a channel where the creator explains comic characters, story lines and concepts so that we, as readers, can have a deeper understanding of the Marvel and DC universes and their complex and sometimes convoluted plots and arcs. The man who does these videos has a great voice which is easy to listen to, and he’s extremely knowledgeable and easy to trust as a source for comic book information. Not only is it helpful, it’s really fun to watch as well, and it has given me days on days of entertainment this month. This channel is definitely going to be a go-to for both passing free-time and finding answers to some of my burning comic book questions. Check out his channel on YouTube, or click here to go straight there. EDITING/RECORDINGOBS - (Open Broadcaster Software)Open Broadcasting System has been a favorite of mine for more than just one reason this month. It’s a free program that allows you to stream and record game-play, internet windows, and activities on your monitor. It has allowed me, as someone without the income to purchase a paid broadcasting program, to start my YouTube channel for free, and easily upload the content that I want to share with the world. It has been incredibly empowering to start my channel this month, and a large part of that was the idea that I could start right away, for free, without any barrier between myself and the goal of uploading. As long as you have a functioning computer, you can create content that you love for the world as well with this awesome program. Download OBS free by clicking here. Blue Snowball MicrophoneRecording software and hardware can actually be pretty pricey in today’s market. With all the bells and whistles you can imagine available to those of us with recording needs, it can be difficult to make a choice as to what mic will be right for your project. Thankfully, I was able to get advice from friends and the people at my local electronics shop, and they steered me toward this bad boy. The Snowball is an inexpensive beginner’s mic that allows me to record in a sound quality that is high enough to be functional for YouTube. Although I would definitely like to upgrade my recording mic and software at some point in the future, when you’re just starting out, it’s not about being perfect. Creating content is about the passion and the drive to do what you love, and I won’t let a low budget stand in the way of that. As inexpensive as this mic is, the audio quality is quite good, and I’m extremely happy with this product and its price point. Head down to Best Buy or another electronics store to get your hands on this one, or check out Amazon here to buy online. BOOKSThe Darkest Part of the Forest - Holly BlackI was in love with this book before I ever read it, but when I finally did read it, I knew my love was not misplaced. When I read Holly Black’s other book, The Coldest Girl in Cold Town, I read the excerpt for this book in the back. As soon as I finished that first chapter, I was hooked and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even months later, when I finally got my hands on a copy, I was just as excited as I had been when I first got a taste of what this story had to offer. Not only was I not disappointed, this book exceeded my expectations. Holly Black does a lovely job of creating characters that people who are on the fringe of society can relate to and fall in love with. I can always see myself in Holly’s writing because she caters to people who are different and who dance to the beat of their own drum. This book had that and more, as it explores what the world would be like if we lived side by side with fantasy creatures and the stuff of fairy tales. She makes fantasy come to life for the modern age and never fails to take me on a ride I won’t soon forget. If you read only one book this summer, make it The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black. Take a look at this title on Amazon by clicking here, or check out the synopsis by visiting the Goodreads page here. Well, that’s all I have for you guys today, thanks so much for reading this months’ Nerdy Faves here on the blog and taking some time to hang out with me. It was so much fun to select my most used and most enjoyed stuff from the month of July and share them with the world. All of these awesome choices which I have shared today honestly enhanced my life so much this month, I was grateful to have access to these awesome products, games, and experiences.
Let me know what your favorites were for the month of July, or leave a comment telling me any experiences you’ve had with the stuff I’ve mentioned today. Your comments and feedback really help me out and I love to hear about your favorite things and talk about what you enjoy. As always – read on, play as much as you work, and come back and hang out with me again soon. Bye for now! Tru~xoxoxo p.s. Check me out on Goodreads here | Follow me on Insagram here | Keep up with me on Twitter here |
What?Blog posts, articles, reviews, lists and more. When?
July 2019
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All
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