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The Bright Sessions
The Bright Sessions
Arts
9
9.5 (4 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
I don't listen to a lot of podcast and I only checked this out because I had heard in a book review that the characters in the Infinite noise had started on this podcast as patients of Dr. Bright. I was so not disappointed I listened to this at every chance I could get and was through most of the podcast up to season 3 in matter of days. I love most things about atypicals or extraordinary people this was so well done.
  
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
2020 | Crime, Documentary
Tigers (1 more)
Insane
The narrative (0 more)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I sort of enjoyed this! Sometimes Netflix documentaries stress me out and this one did a bit. I get that Joe Exotic's life was chaotic but I'm still not entirely sure of the order in which things happened. I might have to go watch it again but I have more questions now than when I started. I know a lot of people love this documentary and it is good I just think it could have been told better.
  
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Joe Mantegna recommended The Producers (1967) in Movies (curated)

 
The Producers (1967)
The Producers (1967)
1967 | Classics, Comedy

"The Producers is one of my favorite movies, and I don’t mean the musical. I mean the original one that Mel Brooks directed, with Zero Mostel. I saw it when it first came out. I saw it in the movie theaters, back in the ’60s. I just think as a comedy, and also being in the business as I am, and coming from theater, it just had that much more impact for me. That’s a movie I like very much."

Source
  
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Blake Griffin recommended Moonlight (2016) in Movies (curated)

 
Moonlight (2016)
Moonlight (2016)
2016 | Drama

"My last one is actually Moonlight. Kinda mix it up. That was one that I was super excited to watch, and I heard such good things about it. A friend of mine had a screener and he gave it to me, and I just… I probably watched it, I would say, like five times within two weeks. I just thought everybody’s performance in that was awesome, and it was shot so beautifully. From top to bottom, I really, really liked it."

Source
  
OM
Open Minds (Mindjack Series, #1)
8
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This was part of a young adult dystopian box set and I have to say that I am glad that I started with this book. I really enjoyed it.

This was an extremely quick read that kept me captivated for hours. I found myself invested in the characters. This novel is not your typical dystopian book. It deals with mind readers and a society that is scared of evolution. The fact that this was not a stereotypical dystopian really surprised me. I liked the characters and I liked the content. I'm glad that I was able to sit down and take time to read this young adult novel.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this novel. I will definitely continue on in the series and I am excited to read the rest of the box set.
  
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
2001 | Action, Drama
10
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I really enjoyed this film. I think the plot was great, the fact that it was based on a true story is always a plus for me and that it was done well? Honestly, I can't really think of anything that I hated about this film. I thought that Owen Wilson was phenomenal. It's definitely a different type of role for him, as he is known for his more comedic characters, but I thought he was great and believable and I was rooting for him throughout the whole movie. I really loved the action sequences, the fact that Wilson's character isn't your typical main hero in most military films - again, I just really enjoyed this film. I was going to say that I was surprised that critics hated it as much as they did, but really am I?
  
The Atlas Paradox
The Atlas Paradox
Olivie Blake | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Science Fiction/Fantasy
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I should lead with the fact that everything I write about books is my own opinion, and you’ll see why.

The second instalment of anything creative seems to be the hard one: the difficult second album, and in this case, the second in a book trilogy.

When you’re building a new, different world, I should imagine that there’s so much to think about. Every aspect has a new perspective. People have different life choices, new rules, new laws, and I can see why in many books in this genre (fantasy, in this case) there’s a need for more than the average amount of description. As a reader though, I feel there needs to be a sweet spot, because I do enjoy the interactions between the characters as much as the more descriptive passages. For me, it’s a large part of what propels the story forward. I like to hear the characters.

Ok, I’ll just say it: I found The Atlas Paradox really hard work. It has taken me nearly three weeks to read, which is a long time for me. I would pick it up, start reading, find myself skipping pages and trying to find something to grab me, feel guilty and backtrack.

I still love the Libby/ Nico/ Gideon story arc, and Callum and Reina seem to be a bit of a revelation. I think Libby could be very interesting in the next book, in particular.

But I think that as a whole it felt like The Atlas Paradox had lost its way somewhat. There was a lot of sitting around and thinking, and not enough action related to the thinking. I actually believe that this book was killing time for book 3 - which incidentally, I will read.

I know that seems crazy after what I’ve just written, but I do believe this trilogy still has something interesting to say, and I really hope it says it in book 3 (The Atlas Complex). And really, the character Atlas did seem to building himself up to something - it’s just taken him about 900 pages to do it. There’s so much promise here, and ever the optimist (with a healthy dash of realism!) I want to see what happens in The Atlas Complex.
  
The Hunting Moon
The Hunting Moon
Susan Dennard | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry, Paranormal, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When will I learn to check that books are a one off or the second in a series? I mean, it was a couple of chapters in before I realised something was off, but I have to admit that I quickly filled in the gaps, and it didn’t spoil my listening pleasure. I really enjoyed this.

The world of Hemlock Falls is an interesting one - shut off from the non-magical, they look down on them somewhat, but still feel compelled to keep them (and themselves) safe from the nightmares in the forest separating the two peoples.

We join Winnie Wednesday after she has passed the hunter trials, her family has been welcomed back into the Luminaries after being cast aside by them for some reason (in book 1, I believe!), and Winnie is now a local celebrity. Not that she’s enjoying it very much. She’s worried that everyone is passing her attacker off as a werewolf, and she’s pretty certain that it’s another creature called a Whisperer. And the Whisperer is still killing hunters every night.

There’s a bit of romance as well - Jay Friday, who seems to have his own problems that he doesn’t want anyone to know about, is making advances to Winnie, and she doesn’t mind one bit. He’s a nice boy (I sound like a mum here, I cannot deny I am one).

I listened to this on Bolinda Audio through NetGalley, and the narrator, Caitlin Davies reads the story so well. There’s nothing quite like a good narrator, adding value to a story and bringing a world to life. The feelings of the characters were conveyed so effectively that I felt fully involved.

I think this opens up a whole argument as to whether books should be sectioned off into age groups. I mean, this is YA, so aimed at 12-18, and I can’t for the life of me understand why? Perhaps I’m a simple soul. OK, there’s no sex, but I’ll be honest - I don’t want to read about sex all the time. It can get a bit boring (controversial, perhaps, but there’s my opinion!). And YA seems to do fantasy and science fiction SO WELL!!

So I’m off to read The Luminaries and fill in some gaps, because I loved this second in what I assume will be a trilogy.
  
Killing Floor: (Jack Reacher 1)
Killing Floor: (Jack Reacher 1)
Lee Child | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.2 (17 Ratings)
Book Rating
OK characterisation (1 more)
Good mystery build up
A slow burn, didn't exactly leave me with a desire to run out to get the next book, but enough to give it a go. (0 more)
Intriguiging lead character.
I wasn't sure about this book when I first started it. I had heard great things about it, but I like to make my own mind up. Although it had some action from the start, it was still quite slow but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. A really good read, I passed onto my mum to read too! We quite like reading the same books sometimes so we can discuss it after reading. Its quite a nice mum/daughter activity.

I know the Jack Reacher series is quite old, and now has to movies but I guess I was quite late to the party. I have managed to avoid hearing much about the series, other than lots of positive comments about the books. So I was quite excited to get started.

The debut Jack Reacher novel kicks off with a good mystery and an intriguing character. I did find it was quite slow, and even though Jack is meant to be a bit of a mystery, I finished the book still not really feeling connected to the character, and for me, when reading its about feeling connected to the characters and the books which makes me carry on reading a series.
Although, I didn't fully connected with Jack Reacher, I did like the story and some of the background characters.

I like fiction, and I am a fan of Harry Potter and sci-fi and lots of things that dispel belief, but I like it in that context when you are expecting magic and some things to not make sense. The idea of why Jack was in Margate, Georgia and his connection the dead body felt a little strange. It added a level of something to the story but I am not sure why. This was my only issue with it, and I have only read the first book, so maybe more will be explained as the series goes on. I am giving it the benefit of the doubt, as overall I did really enjoy the book.

It's an 'ok' start to a series, and Jack Reachers mysterious life kept me intrigued enough to want to carry on with the series and pass it onto my mum. I am excited to move onto book 2.