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Dark Soul Vol. 1 (Dark Soul, #1)
Dark Soul Vol. 1 (Dark Soul, #1)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I finished this about two hours ago on my break at work and wanted to scream because I didn't have the other volumes to finish the series.

I'd been wanting to read a book by this author for a while now after seeing all my Goodreads friends giving his books good rating so when I saw this free on Amazon I got a little giddy.

I wasn't sure at the start whether I'd like it but boy did I get drawn in quick! I really need to see what happens next with these two!

Off to check the price right now :-)
  
The Unexpected Everything
The Unexpected Everything
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I dunno about this one

I liked some aspects of it and others not so much. Andies need to plan everything almost ruined her relationship and I do believe that Clarke forgave her a little too easily.

The friend bust up towards the end was guaranteed. Lying about something like that was such a bad idea but I do believe that they could all be really close again.

This is my third book by the author and I don't know if I have a favourite but I do look forward to reading more of the authors work.
  
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Toni Collette recommended Olive, Again in Books (curated)

 
Olive, Again
Olive, Again
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I can tell you a recent book I read that I was incredibly moved by: I read Olive Kitteridge when I was making United States of Tara, and it was my introduction to Elizabeth Strout's writing, who I think is so incredibly talented," the Unbelievable actress told OprahMag.com. "She knows and understands humanity on a level that very few people can express. So I was given an advanced copy of the sequel, Olive, Again—and man, I couldn't put it down! It moved me to tears. I laughed out loud, and I just love everything that Elizabeth Strout writes"

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Chasing the Dime
Chasing the Dime
Michael Connelly | 2002 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
2
6.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
I woke up, and rubbed my eyes. I pushed myself up. my shoulders hurt. Probably from all the hard work I did yesterday, sitting in front of a computer and debating about a review I wrote. I rolled my neck. Slowly I pushed myself up, swung my legs over the side of my bed, and stood up. I was cold. I decided it was a good idea to grab a bath-robe or something.

Pointless jabber. That’s what that feels like. Tons of stupid little details that I don’t really need to know and really don’t care about.

The whole book so far has read like the above paragraph. I don’t want to know the details behind setting up your voicemail. I felt like this whole section so far could have been done in one or two chapters rather than te several that I’ve listened to so far. It was boring, slow, and redundant. I’ll always give a book a chance, but I don’thave time to waste on walking into the office, signing into the log, and noticing all the little details about old coffee cups and ugly posters on the wall, and the memories associated with them.

Which is really too bad, because there’s a great story in there. But the execution was poor.
  
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Andy K (10823 KP) rated The Exorcist (1973) in Movies

Oct 14, 2018 (Updated Oct 15, 2018)  
The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist (1973)
1973 | Horror
The best ever!
I remember when I was a kid sneaking into the living room and watching 10 minutes of The Exorcist from behind my mother's recliner when I was like 8. Even that 10 minutes messed me up for a long time as a kid. I would have dreams of my bed shaking and wake up sweaty and exhausted.

Not until I was an adult in my 30s did I truly appreciate the perfection masterpiece craft of the film.

Simple, slow burn storytelling. Not the scariest or goriest film ever made. More the idea of the film, how it transforms a young innocent girl into a satanic, cruel, vulgar monster which is the most visceral.

When it was released in 2000 with the "Version you've never seen" I happened to be working as a projectionist at the local theatre when I lived in Oregon. I always used to go into the theatre itself or turn the volume up while in the projector room so I could listen to it while I was doing other work.

It truly is one of my favorite films and is a tradition now I watch it every single October 31st.


  
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Allan Arkush recommended If.... (1968) in Movies (curated)

 
If.... (1968)
If.... (1968)
1968 | Drama
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I was at NYU film school when I first saw If…. The second time was the very next day, when I brought friends and classmates to share this extraordinary movie experience. I have always harbored fantasies of blowing up my high school, but until If…. I never realized that I was not the only one. Obviously If…. was a huge influence on Rock ’n’ Roll High School. In the mid-1980s, I wrote an article about high school movies for American Film magazine in which I opined that If…. was the greatest of them all. A month later, I received a lovely letter from Lindsay Anderson, my hero (I also love O Lucky Man!). We corresponded for several years, finally meeting at the Telluride Film Festival. He called me “a movie brat typical of my generation” for preferring The Searchers to She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. (I treasure his criticism.) Wrapped in a scarf, Malcolm McDowell is as riveting and charismatic as ever in his screen debut. I showed the movie to my teenage daughters, who only know Malcolm as Linderman on Heroes, and it impressed a whole new generation of rebellious teens. If….’s DVD extras, especially “O Lucky Malcolm,” really capture the spirit of the man and the movie."

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Shifter Woods: Growl (Esposito County Shifters #3)
Shifter Woods: Growl (Esposito County Shifters #3)
Nicola M. Cameron | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
its only short but packs quite the punch!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.


This is a short, slotting into the series after book 3, I think. (I'm a little puzzled by the listings on some sites about the order!) I've not read those, and I'll come back to that shortly. I didn't think I missed anything by not reading them, though, and so I would say this can be read as a stand alone.


I liked this, a lot. It gives you an insight into Esposito County, and the people who live in it.


It;s steamy and smexy. It's dark and dangerous. It's only short but packs a punch! I loved the twist with the magic spell that was shielding Marco, and what that was doing just a tad too well!


Going back to not reading the other books. I didn't feel I missed anything, and you know I'm all about sharing my book feelings, but what I am left with is a NEED to read those books. Not because I missed anything, but because I want to read everyone else's story!


So, my KU shelf needs clearing for those books 🙂


4 solid stars


*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Un-put-downable! Yes, yes, I did go there. How could I not? This book is just that! Very hard to put down! I loved Ms. Barratt's captivating writing style and her historically rich plot line. I was up long into the night reading this novel and didn't want it to end. I could feel myself following the characters' journeys, seeing Niagra Falls come to life before me.

Getting to know Adele and Drew was refreshing. I loved their characters each equally. Drew's character really reminded me of a tender hearted guy that I could fall hard for. The love he had for his sister was evident and really made for a swoonworthy man. Adele, bless her, I loved how I could "hear" her English accent when she spoke to Drew. I loved that, since my mom's best friend is from England and I love to listen to her talk. Seeing Adele and Drew together.....well, I rooted for them until the end!

The journey that Adele takes isn't an easy one. It's a long, bumpy ride for sure. But, Ms. Barratt throws in the perfect amount of twists, and a whole lot of love and understanding from God and creates a wonderful, soul stealing story.

This is definitely a book I would recommend to all with a 4 star, two thumbs up, hats off praise! Ms. Barratt did a phenomenal job with her addition to the MY HEART BELONGS series, and I can't wait to add more of her books to my shelves. She's truly talented and definitely knows what to give readers who are looking for a "up all night, page turning, heart capturing" novel. Bravo, Ms. Barratt, bravo!
 
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Publisher and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
  
The Labyrinth of the Spirits
The Labyrinth of the Spirits
Carlos Ruiz Zafón | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Mystery
10
9.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A beautiful and deserving ending to a wonderful series
This is the fourth and final instalment in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. I have to be honest - I have read the first book in the series, and I have the second and third books on my bookshelf, unread. I thought I had actually read them, but as I read this book, it became blatantly obvious that I hadn't. I WILL be rectifying that! However, it isn't actually necessary to read these in order. I don't feel I've missed any of the plot, although I have a sneaking suspicion I would have 'cottoned on' a lot quicker with some of the story lines.
I loved this book - the characters are so well developed, the story had me reading through my fingers (if you see what I mean!). I wanted the best for the Sempere's for Alicia and Fermin, and they all got the ending they deserved (and that's all I'll say!).
Parts of the book are toe-curlingly graphic. Alicia's life is not a pleasant one, and one of the other characters has a very bad experience. We get to see the corruptness of government officials in fascist Spain, and the depths they go to for money and power.
And underlying it all is a love of books that we book lovers all understand: "This is a place of mystery...a sanctuary. Every book, every volume you see here has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and loved and dreamed with it."
Yes, I cried. It's a gorgeous book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
  
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Frank Carter recommended Coral Fang by The Distillers in Music (curated)

 
Coral Fang by The Distillers
Coral Fang by The Distillers
2003 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I picked this album up shortly after it came out, and at the time I was in a teenage band, who were awful, and I wanted to scream and I wanted to sing but I didn't know how to do both, and I heard this record and I just kinda gave up on the idea. I remember thinking 'Brody Dalle's doing this better than I ever will, and it's a girl,' and immediately I just loved everything about it. When you're a young teenage boy in the suburbs at some point you've got to get by on testosterone alone just to survive in that field of football games you don't want to play in. I just loved Brody fiercely, unapologetically being herself, and it just sounded like a glass of fucking acid in your face. I really like every record they've made, but Coral Fang specifically is as close to acid in the face as music gets. Every now and then you'll get a band that works purely on chemistry, and then sometimes there's a person in the band that's just magnetic, and for whatever reason you just can't get away from them. I think it's got a lot to do with that open sense of self and the confidence that comes from knowing who you are as an artist. It doesn't really matter if you've got no idea who you are as a person – I've just become a dad and that's turned everything I thought I knew about myself on my head – and she's definitely a role model in that respect, in regards to just unashamedly being herself. She sings and there's a sound, it's like an extra instrument. It's rare you can have someone who can put so much style into every word."

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