Real US History that hits close to home

 

I had went to go see the film adaptation of this with my boyfriend and we both found it amazing. Hard hitting, intense, but also funny, it was a great movie and one which taught me more about the struggles African Americans have gone through (which as a white Brit, I don’t have much knowledge about from education, and I’m slowly teaching myself). When we saw this book in a discount bookshop in the UK (The Works), my bf decided to grab it for me as a little gift and I read it not too long afterwards.

This is a memoir about the first black police officer in the CSPD and his infiltration of a local chapter of the KKK, his eventual “friendship” with David Duke, and the impact of his investigation throughout the state and also across the US.

Sadly, I preferred the film. I know, I know. I ended up giving the book 3 stars, and I did speed through it and find it really interesting, but there were too many flaws which could have been fixed with a proof-reader. There was one instance of precise repetition, almost word for word, and there were many other instances where Stallworth repeats information unnecessarily as he only mentioned it ~20 pages prior.

Personally, I was fine with the writing style, but I know that it won’t suit everyone’s taste. I thought it was personal, and given the style of the book, the best choice of portrayal. However, I did feel the detachment of years as Stallworth wrote this many years after the incidents took place.

Despite all this, however, I still urge you to pick up the book and see the film. The memoir gives so much depth and information about this major event in US history. Not just a black man infiltrating the KKK, but also the first black man in the CSPD. It is incredibly interesting. The film adds another layer to the knowledge, with Spielberg taking initiative in some aspects and adding in additional sectors which weren’t in the book but could easily have happened and were happening around the country in this time period. As well as some harrowing scenes at the end of the film.

Overall, this is an important book in my opinion. It keeps fresh in the public’s eye the atrocities which were committed in the name of the US, the racism prevalent throughout societies highest powers, and what can be done to show clowns the true extent of their ridiculous makeup.

A little bit of Stardust

So many people wanted me to read this book, so I felt that I had to oblige! I have seen the movie adaptation before, and I really enjoyed it, so I was anticipating enjoying this book. However, I’d heard from many people that the ending was not the same as the movie and that it was darker. I will say that, personally, I don’t really understand where these people were coming from. The ending is a little different, and there’s one section of the movie that is missing that I enjoyed, however, it didn’t “ruin” the movie for me and I loved having the cinematic depiction in my minds eye as I read.

This is such a fantastical and beautiful read, with the world being so amazingly fleshed out despite the short length of the book. I adored Tristan’s quick realisation that he was being an arse and his efforts to change this, as well as all the sparks of magic throughout the story that never quite let you forget that he wasn’t in England anymore.

If you enjoy fantasy reads, this is a must try. It’s very short (especially when some fantasy books can reach a thousand pages) and I think it’s such a charming and enjoyable read with so many gorgeous plot points and moments. One of my favourite reads of the year by far!

Delving back into the world of Artemis Fowl!

So I read the other 6 books in this series many years ago, my mum bought me the first 3 in a charity shop and then I just kept reading them! I ended up with the DS cartridge that had the first 6 books on! (yes they were a thing, and I bloody loved it!) I never went past that though, by the time that I would’ve been buying book #7 I was in a giant reading slump that would last years. But I’m not in that slump anymore and I found this book in The Works (a cheap book outlet store in the UK) and just had to pick it up!

I’m so glad that I delved back into this world, the timing is just right considering that there is a movie adaptation coming out sometime soon and having fun by being in this weird, magical world is exactly the break I needed from my masters. Obviously, these are children’s books, middle grade as North America calls them, but they’re so much fun to read as an adult too!

We follow Artemis after he’s been hit on the head and suddenly is…. nice? Captain Holly Short is very concerned and is doing what she can to get the old Artemis back, before it’s too late! A very fun book and one I recommend for all, especially those who read the books back in the day and are excited for the film adaptation!

Hidden Figures, exposing the amazing women who changed the world

This book is a tough read, or at least I found it to be. The language is technical, and it takes a surprisingly long time to actually reach the space race part of the book. I’ve heard that the movie starts straight there, so this is something to be aware of if you’ve watched the film before reading the book. I am looking forward to finally being able to get to the film as it looks really good.

You will really learn about the history of NASA and the women behind their success through reading this book. It is really sad that the contribution from white and black women has been pushed down in history, but this book starts to make up for some of that. It focuses mainly on the black computers (the name for the women working at NACA and NASA) and their fight for equality to the white women and also to the white men. I loved learning about the amazing women behind NACA and NASA in both the East and West sides and finding out about their contributions and how they were a driving force for many of the achievements of NASA.

I previously had no knowledge of NASA’s past, or that they even had “computers” or the racism which was present, as it was in the whole “western” world in this time period. Learning how they evolved from a department formed for aviation developments to help with WWII to launching astronauts into space was incredibly interesting and I wouldn’t say no to reading more about this topic area.

From what others have told me, this seems to be pretty different from the film that was based on the book. But if you are interested in learning more about the women behind many of the USA’s greatest achievements then definitely pick up this book and give it a go.

 

Ready Player One

I definitely did not expect to love this book as much as I did, as I am not a huge gamer (although I do play a little), and a lot of the games referenced are from before my time. Despite not growing up in the 80s (’96 so I didn’t really grow up in the 90s either) I loved all the references to old videos games, having heard about around half of them and enjoying learning about others. For me, the explanations of the games weren’t overboard and didn’t interrupt the flow of the plot, but I don’t know how someone who is very familiar with the games would feel. I absolutely loved how they mixed the old with the new in terms of technology from the beginning of video games to current technological levels to even further into the future with realistic but futuristic technologies which add so much to the plot. The world outside the OASIS (the VR world which most of the book is based in and is seemingly never-ending and filled with amazing wonders) seems to be pretty accurate to what is likely to happen with how the world is currently progressing, with accommodation issues with overpopulation and corporations taking over everyday life and having major impacts on the general populous.

The interactions between the characters within OASIS are written very well, as most people are anonymised within the virtual world so there is an aspect of not fully knowing who you are talking to or what they’re like. However, there are still true friendships formed and perceived hurdles are tackled with skill.

Overall I would struggle to say much more about this novel without spoilers, but I really really enjoyed this book and recommend it to gamers and non-gamers alike. Definitely a really interesting look into the future and the past, as well as just an interesting plot line which is fun and absorbing. I 100% will be both reading the sequel and watching the film, I just hope they both live up to the original book!