Thomas Lennon (2) (1970–)

This book is my brand, my spirit animal, my current fave among 2019 releases. It pushes all the buttons on what I look for in a read aloud. Plus, it is a perfect read aloud for this St. Patrick's Day week! Ronan Boyle, a smallish kid, lives in Ireland. His parents are in prison for a crime that they didn’t commit, and he is basically on his own. At fourteen he is the youngest recruit in the secret Garda, an Irish police force that handles the misdeeds of many magical creatures. Let that show more sink in. Magical creatures are so real that humans have a secret army to control them. Squee! In the telling of this original tale, we get introduced to Leprechauns, Trolls, Unicorns, The Land of Tir Na Nog and all the rules governing these creatures (and more). Some of it seems glaringly obvious, like the fact that of course, leprechauns would have long fancy names.
Other tidbits made sense but didn’t occur to me. (Trolls can eat bad children if they have caused- seems legit)Ronan himself is a delight and takes all of this news in and manages to thrive at work. You’ve never seen me happier to see a (#1 designation in a title) I can’t wait to see what Ronan, his parents, and coworkers are up to next. show less

Though there are a couple of chapters about what you need to include in your screenplay, this isn't a book about how to write movies. Instead, it's a terrific behind-the-scenes look at the often baffling business of making movies in Hollywood. If you're at all interested in becoming a professional screenwriter in Hollywood, this is a fantastic place to learn what's in store for you, and how to really make a living writing screenplays. The irreverent humor gave me a few laugh out loud show more moments, but make no mistake--this is chock full of really useful insider information. I was very impressed. show less

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Ronan Boyle and the Bridge of Riddles is a fun, imaginative fantasy that explores the concept of Irish mythology through the adventures of a bumbling young man named Ronan Boyle. I read somewhere that this is an Artemis-Fowl-esque series, and while the fantasy and mythology certain remind me of this series, I love that the main character is a relatable, awkward teen rather than a show more criminal mastermind.

I really enjoyed this book; the characters are all incredibly quirky and there are moments in here that made me laugh out loud. Lennon does an amazing job in twisting Irish mythology to fit this world he’s created; I have read quite a lot of fantasy based on Irish mythology, and this had a different flavor of fae than I’ve ever experienced.

My only complaint is that not much really happened in this book aside from setting up the world. While that in itself was enjoyable, the plot was rather thin and just when I thought some progress was finally going to be made on the Boyle intrigue, the book ended. Of course, this makes me VERY excited for the next book, I just hope that is actually paid off at some point. Readers who like more action-packed novels might not love this book, but I’m hoping the sequel is more exciting.

This book packs some of my favorite tropes into one book: an awkward teen main character, a boarding-schoolish feel with Boyle training to be a Garda, and a young man in search of redeeming his family. It’s all put together with a wink and a sly smile; this is a book that is pure entertainment and fun that you’re really not supposed to take very seriously. Overall, I enjoyed it, even if I felt it dragged in bits because of the overarching plot not advancing very much.

Also posted on Purple People Readers. show less

I should start by mentioning that I have no interest in writing a screenplay. I do however love The State, Viva Variety, and Reno 911!, so I was very familiar with the authors of this book. Naturally I was dying to read it. It was everything I expected and more. There was tons of humor mixed with some really useful information. My favorite section was probably the chapter on determining if you had made it in Hollywood by where the different studios sent you to park.

Through all the humor, show more you get a real sense of passion for writing. They don't just do this for money; they write because they feel compelled to. They go through their process of writing an outline, pitching to studios, and then writing the screenplay. There is also a lot of useful information about how the studio system works and what to expect from the entire movie making process. I also learned a lot about all the different writing and production credits and the arbitration system with the writing guild. It's all very complex and fascinating.

Clearly if you are interested in writing screenplays, there is a lot of useful information here. Even for us non-writers though, there is so much stuff to learn from this book. Naturally, it's all relayed with tons of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in movies. It is sure to entertain!

Galley provided by publisher for review. show less