Monday 30 September 2013

What are YOU reading? #186




What are you reading on Monday? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where you post books completed last week and plans for upcoming books. Jump over to her blog and see who else is participating.


Read


Have A Little Faith by Candy Harper
Young Adult
9/10
(Faith leads an entertaining life, she is what I call high-spirited.)







Watched


AKB0048
REWATCH! - Anime, Japanese version
10/10E
(As well as watching the series [nearly at Mimori's succession concert!] I've started listening to it at work instead of music - I know it so well it's good to have in the background as I work. Keeps me happy!) 




Winx: Season 5
REWATCH! - Anime, English version
10/10E
(The next episode is the fun one where Stella is transformed into a toddler! It's hilarious as she can act bratty normally, let alone when bewitched!) 




Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream
Anime, Japanese version
10/10
(With the elements of friendship that are looked at, the cool costumes and fun jumps I forgive the show for the love driven lyrics [not really sending a positive message out, unlike most of Lilpri songs]. Mega plot twists have happened - although I knew what they were once the hints began. Still fun!)




Holby City
Drama, English version
10/10
(It was a double-episode as I hadn't seen last week's, so watched literally the hour before this week's episode. I adored Jack & Jonny's banter, once Jack didn't go through with the termination [their child could be really ill] at the parenting class - they won't be going back there again!) 




Motorway Cops
Documentary, English version
10/10
(I was in tears because there were two incidents where horses died - so tragic. Probably didn't help my pet bird Snow died last Friday - more on that in a meme very shortly...) 




Great British Bake-Off
Documentary, English version
10/10
(This show always makes me want to eat cake! Or sweet buns, which was the theme for this week.) 




Vets 24/7
Documentary, English version
10/10
(It was sad to discover that it was only a 4 episode series - boo! An animal died every week, so again not the best show for me to watch after losing Snow, but the cute animals were worth it...)







Craft
I have done a little this week, but not enough for pictures. I'm truly hoping to get some gaming in this week, now that family will be back and taking some of the household chores for me which can be tiring and lead to a lack of energy for crafting.


Saturday 28 September 2013

Come to School Too, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark (Children's, Picture book, 10/10E)



 April 2013, Harper Collins Children's Books, 32 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Themes: first day at school, getting school supplies, dealing with nerves, compassionate teacher, playing with new friends, painting, colouring, leaving something behind, what toys get up to without humans, incredible artwork,

Content: lots to smile about

Lily and Blue Kangaroo - a friendship forever! The eighth title in this hugely popular series featuring Lily and her loveable soft toy sees the inseparable duo starting at a new school with surprising results.

When Lily starts at a new school she asks Blue Kangaroo to come too. Lily thinks Blue Kangaroo is worried about going but, secretly, he can’t wait to explore and try new things – which is just as well, because the fun lasts even longer than he expected…

Nayuleska's thoughts 
You can see from the cover how much fun Lily has with Blue Kangaroo. This is the first book I've read of the duo. I loved how everything that Lily had Blue Kangaroo had too. Lily is able to channel her nerves through her favourite toy, and understandable gets anxious when she leaves him behind. Lily loves her cat as much as I did because she paints it in class. I loved the bright colours, especially the vast array of patterns on everyone's clothes. The positive vibe is bouncing off the page - as her family explain, Lily and Blue Kangaroo have nothing to be worried about.

Hop over to Emma's website to find out more about Blue Kangeroo & her other books! 

Suggested read
Another tale about starting school is Welcome to Alien School by Caryl Heart & Ed Eaves (Children's, Picture book, 10/10)

Thursday 26 September 2013

Kamori, Mystery of the Paui by P. A. Mundi (Children's, 11 years +, Fantasy, 9/10)

 
April 2013, 4th Floor Press, 522 pages, Ebook, Review ocpy


Themes: being different, unethical inhumane experiments on so-called broken children, orphans, kind hearts, evil doctor, compassion, exploding things, fire, a circus, betrayal, bullying, punishment, unlikely friends, deception, fugitives, strange flora and fauna, being naieve, learning hard life lessons, broken heart

Content: some strong scenes of torture, weird things, human experiment, humiliation, tissues needed

Book summary from Amazon (I don't receive anything by mentioning Amazon)
 Kamori are the chameleon-people of planet B’hu. Their color-morphing skin is a natural wonder of the universe. But in kamori society color-morphing is shunned. Adults must display fixed, National Colors on their skin, like a uniform.

Meyu, a kamori orphan, knows nothing of social norms. He was raised by animal friends in the wilderness. He learned to color-morph in order to survive.

In civilization, Meyu is seen a freak who must be rehabilitated or sacrificed to science. Nobody realizes that Meyu’s skin holds the key to ancient secrets of the Pau’i. An ancient kamori civilization, the Pau’i discovered hidden powers in their color-morphing skin—powers that allowed them to speak without words, move objects with their thoughts, and transform the very fabric of reality.

Will Meyu rediscover the esoteric secrets of the Pau’i? Or will dark forces prevent him from uncovering his destiny? Join Meyu’s epic quest for self-discovery, through adventure and tribulation, through friendship and heartbreak, facing good and evil while growing up in his wondrous and complex world.
 
Nayuleska's thoughts
In truth this isn't a good read for me at the moment as it is extremely un-lighthearted, delves into obscene behaviour which is beyond cruel, is a little epic in nature so there are long descriptions that suit the genre. However, I started reading and what happens to Meyu is so traumatic that I couldn't not know what happened next. To say I was appalled by what happened to him was an understatement. I wanted to pluck him out of the book and save him.

I love Anna's compassion to Meyu - she is the reason he becomes a decent, if extremely naieve and not that competant boy. The imagination behind the all the species broached in the book is vast: I was fascinated by the different communication methods, how seemingly dumb creatures who don't speak are able to communicate with Meyu what they want and need. Meyu has to grow up fast, in the midst of the enemy who he doesn't have a clue about. 

The things the enemy does are extremely gross and freaky. The sad thing is some of what Meyu suffers and sees happening really happens in real life, that's what touched me so deeply. I won't be reading any more in the series - it's overwhelming for me at the moment, but I hope you check them out as is this a fantastic story, one for stronger stomachs than mine (Reading gross things when ill is not a good idea!)

Find out more on the dedicated website.

Suggested read
I have two. The first is Acorna by Anne McCaffrey (Science Fiction, 10/10) as Meyu's upbringing by Anna reminded me so much of Acorna's upbringing by Gill, Rafik and Calum (hopefully I've remembered their names correctly!) 


The second is Spirit Gate by Kate Elliott (Fantasy, 10/10) whose epic nature is like Kamori in style and diversity of the creatures 


Monday 23 September 2013

What are YOU reading? #185



What are you reading on Monday? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where you post books completed last week and plans for upcoming books. Jump over to her blog and see who else is participating.



Read 


Growing Up For Girls by Felicity Brooks
Children's, Non-Fiction
9/10
(Lots of important info that girls growing up need...)




The Forever Whale by Sarah Lean
Children's, 9 years +
10/10
(A heart moving story about a girl and her beloved grandfather who has Alzheimer's.)




Just Peachy by Jean Ure
Children's, 9 years +
10/10
(Considering what her family are like, Peaches manages to speak her mind!)




Koala Calamity Surf's Up by Jonathan Meres and Neal Layton
Children's, 7 years +
10/10E
(There's a laugh to be had on every page with these crazy koala siblings!)




 Olive & Moss: Louis the Lion, Margot and Mo, Michael the Monkey, Colette the Cow
Children's, Picture book
9/10
(Stunning colour coordination in these books perfect for those with little hands.) 







Watched 


Winx: Season 1
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10/10E
(I'm nearly at the episode of Musa's concert which I have a tendency to play at least 3 times in a row....) 




Winx: Season 4
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10/10E
(I'm eagerly awaiting Stella's not quite appropriate dismissal of Roxy being the last fairy on Earth - squee! love this season!) 




Winx:  Season 5
REWATCH! - Anime, English version
10/10E
(More squeesome fairy fun from my favourite show.)




Pop Pixie
REWATCH! - Anime, French version
10/10E
(just seen the one where the elves put a spell on the gnomes, who then hate the pixies and try to run them out of town!) 




Angel's Friends
REWATCH! - Anime, English version
9/10
(Attempting to rewatch this show to get to the point where they are episodes I haven't seen before in this angel based show. Might be on hiatus til Spring as it isn't the lightest of watches...) 




H20: Just Add Water:  Season 1
REWATCH! - Drama, English version
10/10E
(This is the light-hearted type of show which I need during the Winter months where the cold increases my pain. There is danger, but there is always something postive in the show.)




Care Bears
Anime, English version
10/10
(This newest version is so adorable! I love the bright colours.) 




My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic: Season 1
REWATCH! - Anime, English version
10/10E
(A colleague's daughter was saying how she's learning stuff by watching this show - I told my colleague she's right, and I highly recommend this for everyone to watch with a focus on friendship, good manners, & what to do in tricky situations.) 




Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream
Anime, Japanese version
10/10
(This is an extremely happy & bubbly anime, with some quite deep moments but always with a lot of fun inbetween. It's my new favourite anime!) 




A Little Sugar Snow Fairy
Anime, English version
10/10E
(I couldn't find a subbed version, so watched the dubbed which is really good. Graphics are adorable and the heroiine is a girl I've been using in my blog pics! More on that in the next Nayu's News!) 




AKB0048
Anime, Japanese version
10/10E
(Ah, such a good show. Yes I cried during the 2 election episodes because the speeches are moving - as are the reactions to them. Not long until Mimori becomes a successor!) 







Craft & other things
Nothing this week - been tired, and relaxing! If my body cooperates I hope to do some of my jigsaw puzzle this weekend. Until Spring comes I will be resting a bit more as the colder weather doesn't agree with me.


The fox and It by Beanie Lei (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)

 July 2013, Amazon, 26 pages, ebook, Review copy


Themes: examining your surroundings, having siblings, disobeying your parents, getting into trouble, kind people lending a hand, being laughed at

Content: lots of humour

Book summary from Beanie's website
Runty, a curious little fox cub who lives in the English countryside, stumbles across It one day. Find out why, and what happens next in this rhyming poem for very young children, complete with bright, colourful pictures.

Nayuleska's thoughts 
I laughed so much reading this funny tale - the illustrations are spot on with the hilarity - it's the expressions of the characters which makes me feel as if I'm watching a cartoon in slow motion. There are positive messages of not being too nosy, helping others and picking up any rubbish to keep everywhere looking nice. I confess to rereading this straight away for the sheer fun of it!

Check out more on Beanie's website

Suggested read
Another animal who gets up to funny antics is Mr Tiddles in The Diabolical Mr Tiddles by Tom McLaughlin (Children's, Picture book, 10/10)

Sunday 22 September 2013

Competition CLOSED Win a copy of Anagranimals and the Wishing Tree by Leith Moghli & Ian King (Children's, 5 years +)


Here's a fun book which you can win a signed first edition of! I find animals/people/even objects mixed up with different things a little freaky, which is why I'm not reviewing Anagranimals and the Wishing Tree (or paying too much attention to the cover as I read it). However, I do like the style of illustrations and think it's a clever idea, so that's why I'm featuring it on NRC today - and holding the competition which is pretty cool! Here are the all important details: 

This competition is now closed

If you live outside the UK - don't despair! There is an opportunity to view the book via iTunes for FREE! (If you have an apple product) Just go here to find out more. 

You can also hear it being read by Leith on Youtube.

Saturday 21 September 2013

Bing! Get Dressed by Ted Dewan (Children's, Picture book,10/10E)

August 2013, HarperCollins Children's, 32 pages (I think...) Paperback, Review copy

Themes: mega cute bunny, what is involved in getting dressed, encouragement, positivity, unexpected surprises
 
Content: lots of laughter

Summary from HarperCollins
 The first in an exciting new relaunch of Ted Dewan’s Bing books – resized and beautifully produced for the next generation of toddlers – paving the way for Bing’s TV debut in 2014.

Ted Dewan has created a series that focuses on the dynamic between toddler and parent, and that speaks to them both equally, about life as a toddler and life with a toddler. With short, repetitive texts, bold, bright artwork and appealing characters, Bing offers both parent and child an enjoyable reading experience and a simple, reassuring guiding principle – that, whatever happens, it’s just a Bing thing, a normal occurrence, and nothing to get upset about. 


Nayuleska's thoughts 
Bing is a mega adorable bunny - just look at him! I liked how his animated toy Flip, who looks as if you can feel fabric if you touch him ,(you can't), is the one giving the instructions. Bing is encouraged with praise for each step completed. He gets dressed and then an accident happens. I hadn't expected it at all, and found it funny. I was pleased at how a big deal wasn't made about it, that Bing wasn't made to feel ashamed of what he'd done. All in all a positive read for younger and older readers alike.

Find out more on Ted's website
 
Suggested read
Another book about daily activities is Lunchtime by Rebecca Cobb (Children's, Picture book, 10/10) 

Friday 20 September 2013

Trouble in Toadpool by Anne Fine (Children's, 9 years +, 9/10)

July 2013, Corgi, 224 pages, Paperback, Review copy


Themes: families, jokes, fairs, getting roped in to helping out, gruesome pumpkin, bunny slippers, trapeze artist, predictable fortune teller, wobbly tents, Chinese whispers, roast beef sandwich, crochet, saying sorry and meaning it,

Content: lots of laughs

Bliss! A lovely, quiet, nothing-to-do and nothing-on-the-calendar Sunday . . .

Well, that's until bossy Aunt Susan - an unstoppable force - is on the phone insisting that Harry and his family come down to help her a local event she's promised to organise: the Great Toadpool Show.

It means swinging from a trapeze. Or walking on stilts. Or riding a unicycle . . . And that's not counting the fortune-telling tent, the tombola, or the choir singalong.

Aunt Susan has no idea of the mayhem she's about to unleash.

Nayuleska's thoughts 
The characters within Harry's family are ones every reader can probably relate too, although hopefully they don't have as many as Harry does! His Aunt Susan is a woman to be reckoned with, as is his Great Granny who likes poking things with her cane. I adored Harry's bunny slippers, and was fairly impressed at his fashion choice when he and Tatiana were sorting out his costume. I thought it was a shame that Harry encountered issues with his planned act, but he did manage to have fun all the same. There's nothing in particular that makes this a 9/10 read, it's just not quite my favourite kind of book.

Find out more on Anne's website.

Suggested read
Check out Anne Fine's other books which include Eating Things On Sticks (Children's, 9 years +, 10/10)

Thursday 19 September 2013

Llama Drama: In It To Win It! by Rose Impey and Ali Pye (Children's, 7 years +, 10/10E)

 August 2013, HarperCollins Children's, 208 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Themes: sheep-like sheep, dynamic sheep, escaping llama, guard llama, show-off lama, being shorn, dangers for sheep at night,  county fair tricksters, stupid villains, clever sheet, bump in the night,


Content: lots of laughs, minor peril

Summary from HarperCollins
The seventh animal in the hilarious AWESOME ANIMALS series – awesome adventures with the wildest wildlife.

Lewie the llama and his flock of lambs are off to the County Fair!

Farmer Palmer hopes that Lewie and the lambs will win Best in Show with their amazing acrobatic display! But then Lewie and his flock go missing…

Have they run away? Have they been kidnapped? And can they be found in time to bring home a medal?

Nayuleska's thoughts 
This is the first book I've read in this series and it is awesome! I will definitely keep an eye out for the other books. It is written in a very light hearted tale, is full of love and compassion, and plenty of team spirit. It shows how a little encouragement goes a long way, and that you don't mess with a llama! My favourite wasn't Lewis, it was Liberty. Her skill of escaping made me like her from the start because I easily imagined her escaping from everywhere. I love the realisation she has at the end about her life, it shows that maturing and stopping some behaviour doesn't mean the end of enjoying life, a great message for readers.

Suggested read
For other escaping animals on a mission check out these intelligent guinea pics: Guinea Pigs Online: Viking Victory by Jennifer Gray and Amanda Swift (Children's, 5 years +, 10/10)

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Nayu's News #93 A Whoohoo, a mini-anime review of Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream including the essence of a good review

A slightly different post, one which Holo from the anime Spice and Wolf would approve of since I'm stating my opinion, something she enjoys doing.

Today's post was going to be a whoohoo post, as I've finished my latest round of edits on my wip! I've got another 3 or so to go before it goes to be shredded by my writerly friends. Whoohoo! 
"Whoohoo!"

The reason this isn't about my week is all because I've started watching a new anime, Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream. 
A story of friendship, aspirations, and self-discovery
 Watching anime is extremely exciting, especially when there are 3 series each with 51 episodes apiece (I think, I know 2 of them are that long...) So, although I rarely read reviews for books (that's a story for another day, if I remember!) I do read reviews for anime. I find reviews useful to discover what level of mature content is in an anime - some sweet looking anime's are anything but sweet. 
Yeah, I leave that type of anime well alone.
I went and read about 6-10 reviews of Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream which I came across on an internet search and I was a bit put out by them. I know reviews are only opinions, but sometimes what people read or watch isn't a genre that they like and thus their view is slanted into the dislike area. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, it's good to say what you don't like about something. However, the impressions I got from the Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream reviews were that it's an anime style the reviewers weren't keen on, therefore they missed the subtleties of the show by a long way. Once I've finished the anime I will give a full review, but after reading the reviews I simply have to do a short one now to demonstrate my points. 
Here on NRC I write what I have an opinion on, even when I'm not sure of the reception I'll get

Realism 
Anime can be realistic, but more often than not it's the opposite. It's accepted that it isn't realistic - I'd love to be a fairy like the girls in Winx and gain Sirenix and move freely underwater using magic. 
Here's my current favourite fairy, Stella, in Sirenix form
That's only going to happen in my head! (Which it has....but my dream about fighting the Trix can wait for another time). Obviously shows which include school are realistic to the extent that studying for exams and completing homework on time is a good thing - as Rhythm discovers in Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream. 
Aira and Rhythm studying together when Rhythm needs to pass a test

What made me sad was the way some reviews of this anime said that the magical-ish skating jumps weren't realistic. Um, they aren't meant to be. At least I don't think so. If it was an anime that set about being realistic, then yes I do see a point in saying it's not realistic. But since so often anime isn't realistic, I felt sad for the anime being critiqued like this because in my view the reviewer didn't understand the anime at all. I'm not sure how clear I'm being (writing this at the end of the day probably wasn't the best decision I've made today), but I felt it's like me reviewing a gruesome horror book. I don't like most horror, and if there were lots of elements that were mega scary to me, I'd probably say that they should have been toned down in the book, whereas a horror enthusiastic would explain how clever all the individual scare elements are. 
I prefer cute to scary!

 Cliches
While I appreciate that cliches are overused in every medium, books & anime, and they can irriate some people, cliches are also liked. Take Aira in Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream. She is extraordinarily clumsy - a bit like Ichigo in Yumeiro Patissiere,
Like Aira, Ichigo's clumsiness is shown in episode 1 when she falls down the stairs
but this by no means makes the anime dull. Being able to relate to a character is really important - that's why people get interested in anime, books, etc. Aira's clumsiness makes her achievements on the ice all that more incredible. They give her confidence. 
Aira's enthusiasm is catching
  They help her grow as a person. Her growth gives others courage. I was just sad that this kind of cliche was dismissed as a cliche, without thinking about why the cliche was used and the effect it has on the audience. 

We don't all like the same thing 
We are not robots. We all like different things, which is why some people like the same anime/book and others dislike it. I totally accept that. However, again using Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream as an example I felt sad when reviews for this anime didn't see the point in all the costume changes. Fashion is a key part for Aira in the show. She loves figuring out new outfits, she has a sense of style which others appreciate and it's an important part of the Prism show to get to know clothes. 
The Prism store which is heaven to Aira
I feel that the reviewers didn't understand why fashion is used in anime like this (more girl-focused anime). The target audience love fashion, love to try out new styles and I'm sure that like me they'll adore the idea of clothes being put into little gems, 
Clothes gems look like this..
...and here's a close up with the clothes inside!
 so you can mix and match them in the special Prism wardrobe before the Prism show!
The first time Aira & Rhythm see the magical wardrobe
Aira stands on the pod thing which transforms her outfit with the chosen clothes gems
It's an amazing idea which I'd like to have - dressing each day would be heaps of fun & fast! And it also fits in a little with the magical girl anime genre, where the girl (often ordinary) has a magical object to help her achieve whatever the show is about. 


This leads onto my next point. Some of the reviews thought that the 'animated toys' were pointless in the show. The creatures which help Aira & her friends become a stronger Prism star, are more than animated toys. 
Not toys or pointless!
 They encourage the girls to better themselves. They are pivotal to improving Aira's balance and coordination - I loved the episode where she was made to waitress at a local Chinese restaurant. At the time I didn't know what the point of that lesson was, but at the end all was revealed; by going back and forth to the kitchen with orders Aira did a lot of sharp turns which are needed in skating on the Prism show. 
Aira on the show floor skating into a Prism jump
 Not only that, she had to avoid spilling all the soups/noodles, which took concentration and even more balance. Because of all those things her routine for the Prism Show improved tremendously - which increased her confidence which in turn helped improve her technique. All because of a pointless animated toy. 

At least one reviewer didn't seem to realise why the Prism jump had to happen in every episode. It's part of the show. Yes, some of them are the same songs, and the same techniques, but Aira & the other girls learn so much which affect how they do the Prism jumps. Plus they are pretty, sometimes wacky - there's the one where Rhythm has loads of large macaroons flying about her, 
Yummy macaroons!
or the one where Aira skates upside down in the area as she creates a rainbow. 
Pretty!
 The Prism jumps are there to wow the audience, they are cute, fun, and represent so much more than just being something the girls must do. 

Sure, there are parts of Pretty Rhythm Aurora Dream that I'd like to change, like lengthening the outfits and getting rid of the mild romance but I appreciate that's part of the anime, and it's there for a reason. It may or may not bring the anime down a grade, because all the parts I do love about the anime, the friendship, the learning to improve yourself, the road to self-discovery, self-confidence and finding your talent (as well as the cute toy-like guides and the funky jumps) they cancel out the parts I'm not so keen on. 
One way or another everything evens out!

The same is true for any book you love, any movie/tv series you enjoy watching. Quite often the awesomeness of the squeeful parts eclipses the not so brilliant parts. I know that reviews are only opinions, and it is important to explain what you weren't keen on, but I really feel that for a good review a reviewer needs to understand the genre they are reading about, appreciating that certain elements are in the anime/book/movie because that's what interests the intended audience. The reviewer may not like the elements, but that's not to say they are pointless - far from it. 

*steps off soapbox* 
Random cute pic!

Hopefully this has made some sort of sense (I am now at the yawning stage of the evening). To use a storyline from AKB0048, where Orine gets upset by her very first hater,
Orine gets to meet her hater
I'd like to say that although I was saddened by the reviews I saw, I'm glad that I saw them. They've helped me to realise that the elements I look for in anime sometimes aren't obvious to others, and can all too easily be dismissed as trivial. It's made me more determined to review the anime that I watch (once I've seen the entire series), and to share my thoughts and feelings on the anime with all of you here on NRC. 

All thoughts/opinions on this post are very welcome! As usual, all pictures taken from internet searches.
Thank you for reading today's post!