Tag / Gone Girl

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Book 29 (of 52) – The Good Girl

The Good Girl - Mary Kubica

The Good Girl – Mary Kubica

Another in a seemingly long line of books christened as the next Gone Girl, The Good Girl, Chicago-based author Mary Kubica’s debut novel, tells the tale of a kidnapped girl, the man who took her, the family left behind, and the cop assigned to find her.  As each chapter switches viewpoints, we slowly learn how and why Mia was kidnapped and why she had taken on a fake activity once she was rescued.

Going in to this, I didn’t know this was Mary Kubica’s first novel and nothing about it would lead you to that distinction.  I was engrossed from the get go and, though I guessed the surprise twist about 100 pages before the end, I was entertained.  This, along with its follow-up, were both on sale in the Kindle bookstore and I’m glad I picked up both.  I’m looking forward to diving in to the next one early next year.

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Book 24 (of 52) – The Grownup

The Grownup - Gillian Flynn

The Grownup – Gillian Flynn

A few weeks back, I got an email telling me that a new book from Gillian Flynn was about to be released.  After initial confusion and excitement, I learned the truth: a reprinting of a short story she wrote last year for an anthology edited by George R. R. Martin was being released.  Still, a small amount of Gillian Flynn is better than no Gillian Flynn, so I put in the order and, last weekend, sat down to enjoy the 62-page tome.

The tale concerns a scam artist, who goes from providing hand manipulation to reading auras in order to make a living.  She meets a woman seemingly haunted, but things may not be all that they seem.  Flynn sets up an interesting premise in very little time, but the limitations of the short story forum means that the story ends just as it is getting interesting.

It’s been 3 years since the release of Gone Girl and I’m ready for the next work from Flynn.  This is a nice little holdover, but I hope we get something more substantial sooner rather than later.

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Book 10 (of 52) – The Girl On The Train

The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins

The Girl On The Train – Paula Hawkins

When a depressed alcoholic involves herself in the disappearance of a woman who just happens to live near her ex-husband and his new wife, she finds purpose for the first time since her divorce and learns that her life may not have unfolded the way she had been led to believe.

The debut novel from Paula Hawkins, The Girl On The Train has become a best seller.  It is the latest novel to be dubbed the next Gone Girl, and, for the most part, it holds up its end of the bargain.  Hawkins puts together a suspenseful tale, with a few twists and turns along the way that leads to an entertaining ride.

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The Academy Award Goes To…

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’s awards ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions, which are based on not having seen any of the nominated films, with a look at the acting categories and the big one:

Best Picture

American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

The race seems to be coming down to either Boyhood or Birdman.  My guess is that the innovative storytelling in Boyhood will put it over the top.

Best Actor

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Michael Keaton seems like the obvious choice to win here.  A one-time box office star who faded away and is making a comeback seems like a guaranteed Oscar success story.

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alive
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Well, at least there is a performance here that I have actually seen.  But, I’m not going to go with Rosamund Pike’s work in Gone Girl, but instead will be putting my vote behind Reese Witherspoon.

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2014: The Year In Movies

Movie_Reel_222014 was a bit of an improvement over recent years in movie watching for me.  I managed to watch 78 movies last year, 16 more than 2012 and 2013 and my highest total since 2011, although it was my third consecutive year under 100.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching and the awful amount of time I spend either at work or getting to and from work.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I did manage to watch last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

Repeaters (2010)
If Groundhog Day took place in a rehab and affected 3 people more messed up than Bill Murray.

Smashed (2012)
I have very little recollection of this film.

Your Sister’s Sister (2012)
2 messed up sisters and a mourning man share tequila and secrets.

Lovelace (2013)
Amanda Seyfried portrays the first lady of porn, Linda Lovelace.

Columbus Circle (2012)
A thriller about a shut-in who witnesses a murder and needs to leave her comfort zone.

A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)
The latest installment brings Bruce Willis to Russia.

The Five-Year Engagement (2012)
Jason Segel and Emily Blunt are engaged forever as life keeps getting in the way of them actually getting married.

Hell Baby (2013)
A comedy about a possessed woman who is about to give birth to Satan’s spawn.

Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World (2012)
2 lost souls find each other as the world is literally coming to an end.

Would You Rather (2012)
A sadistic host tortures his dinner guests for his own pleasure.

The World’s End (2013)
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by jim

Book 11 (of 52) – Reconstructing Amelia

Kimberly McCreight - Reconstructing Amelia

Kimberly McCreight – Reconstructing Amelia

I first heard of Kimberly McCreight’s debut novel when the review in Entertainment Weekly called it this year’s Gone Girl, which I very much enjoyed last year.  Given their stellar review, I decided to buy the book and give it a shot, and I am glad I did.  While the comparison to Gone Girl may have been a bit of an oversell, it was an enjoyable read which I finished in less than a week.

Reconstructing Amelia is the tale of a girl whose death has been ruled a suicide and the working mother who pieces together the remains of her life, using texts, Facebook posts, and tweets to find out the truth of what really happened to her daughter.  McCreight does a good job of bringing the reader into 2 different worlds: one of a grieving mother who finds out that her daughter may not have been who she thought she was and the other of a high school girl finding herself out of her element and trying to negotiate her first love and her first exposure to bullying.

Considering this was McCreight’s first published novel, I’ll certainly be interested in seeing what she comes up with next.  If she improves her craft with more experience, it is certainly possible that she may ultimately surpass the bar set by Gillian Flynn and Gone Girl.

by jim

30 Day Picture Challenge Day 23 – A Picture Of Your Favorite Book

A picture of my favorite book?  That means I would have to decide on what my favorite book was.  For a while, it was The Stand, by Stephen King.  Then, it might have been The Black Dahlia, by James Ellroy.  More recent favorites have included Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, 11/22/63 by Stephen King, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  At the end of the day, I guess it doesn’t matter which is my favorite, since they are all represented in the photo.  Oh, and in case you couldn’t tell, I am in desperate need of a new bookshelf.  If only I had room for one.

by jim

Book 11 (of 52) – Gone Girl

Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn’s first two books dealt with solitary women trying to deal with a world that seemed to be fighting against them.  In Gone Girl, her third novel, she spreads her wings a bit by dealing with dueling protagonists, a wife who has gone missing on her 5th anniversary and the husband accused of murdering her.

Flynn expertly keeps the story twisting and turning, making you both root for and despise Nick Dunne as he both searches for his missing wife while lying to the police about his whereabouts the morning his wife disappeared.  With each outing, Flynn seems to grow as an author and has certainly moved to the top of the must-read list whenever she has a new offering.