The Most Disappointing of 2016

Last week I went through a list of best books, movies and TV- shows that I had the pleasure of discovering in 2016. This week, I'm going in the opposite direction. But rather than making a list of the worst books etc, I want to list all the pop culture stuff that left me disappointed. For instance, there's only one book on this list that I gave a one star rating. It's also why you won't find the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie on this list. Sure, the movie was a piece of bubble gum garbage, but I didn't expect it to be anything else. The titles featured on this list I did have high hopes for.

Books

1. Dawn of Rebellion, by Michelle Lynn

Here's an example of a great premise that has been poorly executed.

2. Hurricane Moon, by Alexis Glynn Latner

And here's another one.

3. Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor

Here's an example of when a book doesn't live up to its hype.

4. Lords of the Sith, by Paul S. Kemp

Who knew that a book about Darth Vader could be so boring?

5. Red Rising, by Pierce Brown

For a bestselling book with a 4,25 star rating on Goodreads, this sure was a disappointment.

6. Daughter of Deaths, by Christopher Mannino

The first book in this series ended up on the Best list. Unfortunately, the final chapter in this epic saga was a letdown.

Movies

Suicide Squad

So much hype. So many expectations. Some of them were met (Jared Leto), others weren't (a coherent story, a good villain, character development etc).

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

A Tim Burton movie about X-men children that are stuck in a time loop? This movie had no excuse to be a snooze fest.

Doctor Strange

The most disappointing MCU movie since Iron Man 3 for me. Maybe someday I'll review it. But that means that I have to watch it again.

Stranger Things

Good acting and interesting characters didn't make up for the total lack of originality in this Netflix production.

Comments

Summer Reading

Schoolz out for the summer! For the next two months, I won't have to learn anything new about odontology, medicine, or the physical properties of dental cements. Also, I can finally read for fun again . I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I have fallen out of love with reading, and at that time it really did feel that way. Now, I feel like I'm getting my bookworm mojo back, and I'm already working on my next book review. I have also assembled a short and preliminary list of books I want to read this summer. Some of them are new to me, but there are a few re-reads as well. I bought my copy of The House of Binding Thorns on a whim because I loved the cover. Also, I almost never read anything by French authors, and I'd like to change that. Endymion is, of course, the third book in the Hyperion Cantos series. The first two books completely blew me away. Honestly, not a day goes by that I don't think about those stories. The two re-r

Book Review: The Silent Steppe: The Memoir of a Kazakh Nomad Under Stalin

Title: The Silent Steppe: The Memoir of a Kazakh Nomad Under Stalin Author: Mukhamet Shayakhmetov Translated by: Jan Butler Year of publishing: 2007 Publisher: The Overlook Press Source: Purchased Genre: historical nonfiction This is a first-hand account of the genocide of the Kazakh nomads in the 1920s and 30s. Nominally Muslim, the Kazakhs and their culture owed as much to shamanism and paganism as they did to Islam. Their ancient traditions and economy depended on the breeding and herding of stock across the vast steppes of central Asia, and their independent, nomadic way of life was anathema to the Soviets. Seven-year-old Shayakhmetov and his mother and sisters were left to fend for themselves after his father was branded a "kulak" (well-off peasant and thus class enemy), stripped of his possessions, and sent to a prison camp where he died. In the following years the family travelled thousands of miles across Kazakhstan by foot, surviving on the charity of rel

Big Site News (I'm Moving!)

What's up guys! It's been over a week since I got back from Montreal and I can't believe it's all over now. But life goes on, and I sure have a lot of stuff to cross off my list before the end of summer. First, there's Campnanowrimo, which I do every July (and April). I took this opportunity to finish the first draft of my new novel. I'm also moving! No, I don't mean like to a new city (or Canada). I'm moving this blog to Wordpress. I've been wanting and planning to switch to Wordpress for a long time, and now finally seems like the right time. Nothing will change. I will be posting book reviews, discussions, and an occasional Top Ten- list. But I will be doing it on a platform that will allow me to be more creative, and to grow as a writer. I want this to eventually become an author website, with that author being... well, me. The official date for the move will be announced as soon as I'll finish building my Wordpress site and transport

Dinara Tengri

Search This Blog