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SeaConditions
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SeaConditions is a unique and fully integrated access point to the meteorological and oceanographic...
Fatherland by Kele Okereke
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On his third solo effort, Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke made a sharp turn away from the...
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The Midnight Peacock: The Sinclair's Mysteries
9.0
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A fast-paced historical mystery adventure for readers aged 9+ years, with gorgeous Edwardian period...
young adult crime
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Under the Southern Sky in Books
Aug 12, 2021
A heartfelt romance set in North Carolina
Amelia Saxton, a journalist, has just published a personal story in "Modern Love" discussing her own modern marriage with her husband Thad, talking about how happy they are in their life filled with travel and their decision not to have children. That same day she discovers Thad is cheating on her--with another man. Devastated, Amelia's life is completely upended and she wonders if she can ever trust again. While researching another story, she finds out that some embryos belonging to her childhood friend Parker and his late wife, Greer, have been deemed "abandoned." Parker had a love for the ages with Greer, but Amelia--the literal girl next door--was his first love. He had forgotten about the embryos, but once he hears Amelia's news, he wants to become a single father via surrogate. As Amelia and Parker each return home to Cape Carolina to deal with their own grief, they find comfort in their friendship.
"People always think being loved will change them. But that's not true. It's really, truly loving--with the kind of love you couldn't take away even if you wanted to--that turns you inside out."
This book had an interesting plot idea--the whole embryo idea has the possibility to become icky, but overall Woodson Harvey pulls it off. I have been through IVF and dealt with frozen embryo decisions myself, so the book certainly hit home. The story is told via Parker and Amelia's present-day perspectives and interspersed with excerpts from Greer's journals. The North Carolina setting is atmospheric and takes on a life of its own.
At times, this tale is kind of silly and all over the place, but it's a very easy read. The characters are also easy-to-like, and I grew to care a lot about both Parker and Amelia. It's a fun and romantic tale, with just about everyone tied together in various ways. There are meddling moms, family secrets, and drama with Parker's brother. All of this makes the book quite a page-turner, which is at turns sweet and heartbreaking. 3.75 stars.
"People always think being loved will change them. But that's not true. It's really, truly loving--with the kind of love you couldn't take away even if you wanted to--that turns you inside out."
This book had an interesting plot idea--the whole embryo idea has the possibility to become icky, but overall Woodson Harvey pulls it off. I have been through IVF and dealt with frozen embryo decisions myself, so the book certainly hit home. The story is told via Parker and Amelia's present-day perspectives and interspersed with excerpts from Greer's journals. The North Carolina setting is atmospheric and takes on a life of its own.
At times, this tale is kind of silly and all over the place, but it's a very easy read. The characters are also easy-to-like, and I grew to care a lot about both Parker and Amelia. It's a fun and romantic tale, with just about everyone tied together in various ways. There are meddling moms, family secrets, and drama with Parker's brother. All of this makes the book quite a page-turner, which is at turns sweet and heartbreaking. 3.75 stars.
The Meadows
10.0
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"A story of pain, injustice, love, resistance, and hope, this glorious book will lodge inside you...
YA Dystopian LGBTQ+ Science Fiction
Kaz (232 KP) rated Pet Sematary in Books
May 15, 2019 (Updated May 15, 2019)
Contains spoilers, click to show
What the 'Blurb' says:
When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Despite Ludlow’s tranquility, an undercurrent of danger exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift graveyard in the nearby woods where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard where another burial ground lures with seductive promises and ungodly temptations. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. As Louis is about to discover for himself sometimes, dead is better…-
My Thoughts:
I've just finished 'Pet Sematary' and have mixed thoughts on this.
On the positive, I liked the creepy, macabre writing. This book is full of dark atmosphere and some parts of this book gave me the chills just reading them. The characters are believable, even if some of their actions were a bit questionable and I liked how the story flowed.
However, what I wasn't too keen on, was the fact that during the book, a couple of the characters, particularly the family's cat Winston Churchill and Ellie,the daughter, were built up to be important characters and in the end, were forgotten about. Whilst reading this, I spent a lot of the time wondering what had happened to them, when I should have been focusing on what was actually going on in the story at that time. Churchill does get rediscovered at the end of this book, but I'm still unsure what happened to Ellie. So I don't think all of the strands of story were tied up as well as they should have been and for me, the ending of this book was just ok, if slightly frustrating, due to the actions of certain characters.
I haven't seen the original film adaptation of this novel, but I'd be interested in watching the adaptation, to see how this translates into film.
If you want a creepy tale to read for Halloween, you might want to consider this book.
My Rating *** ½
When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Despite Ludlow’s tranquility, an undercurrent of danger exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift graveyard in the nearby woods where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard where another burial ground lures with seductive promises and ungodly temptations. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. As Louis is about to discover for himself sometimes, dead is better…-
My Thoughts:
I've just finished 'Pet Sematary' and have mixed thoughts on this.
On the positive, I liked the creepy, macabre writing. This book is full of dark atmosphere and some parts of this book gave me the chills just reading them. The characters are believable, even if some of their actions were a bit questionable and I liked how the story flowed.
However, what I wasn't too keen on, was the fact that during the book, a couple of the characters, particularly the family's cat Winston Churchill and Ellie,the daughter, were built up to be important characters and in the end, were forgotten about. Whilst reading this, I spent a lot of the time wondering what had happened to them, when I should have been focusing on what was actually going on in the story at that time. Churchill does get rediscovered at the end of this book, but I'm still unsure what happened to Ellie. So I don't think all of the strands of story were tied up as well as they should have been and for me, the ending of this book was just ok, if slightly frustrating, due to the actions of certain characters.
I haven't seen the original film adaptation of this novel, but I'd be interested in watching the adaptation, to see how this translates into film.
If you want a creepy tale to read for Halloween, you might want to consider this book.
My Rating *** ½
Darren (1599 KP) rated REC (2007) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: [Rec] starts as reporter Angela Vidal (Velasco) is cover the local firefighter department for her latest report on While You’re Sleeping. The first incident the team gets called to is a domestic disturbance case inside an apartment building.
What seems like a simple and even boring story to cover quickly turns into a battle of life and death when the woman causing the disturbance attacks the police officer sent to help. The make the matters worse the people find themselves trapped inside the building which has been locked down by the authorities refusing to let anybody out. When the infection continues to spread, Angela must find a way to survive the terror inside the building and learn the truth about the source of the virus.
Thoughts on [Rec]
Characters/Performance – Angela is the reporter that is covering a simple story but finds herself fighting for her life but wanting to report every single part of the story for her audience. The rest of the characters are cops, firefighters, residents of the apartment and the cameraman.
Performance wise, Velasco is good as the main screen attraction for this film, with everyone else all doing a great job with their roles through the film.
Story – The story is simple to follow, people get trapped in a building as a virus is spreading through the people inside making them killing machines and the ones not infected need to find a way to survive. This all works and the added found footage keeps us believe this could be a breaking story unfolding.
REPORT THIS AD
Horror/Mystery – The horror is very good with each corner potentially having a threat as well as each character not knowing what is happening which I think adds to any horror element.
Settings – The whole film is set within the apartment complex which adds to the tension and horror unfolding through the film.
Special Effects – The special effects all great to with most being practical effects when it comes to the gore required.
Final Thoughts – This is a great atmospheric horror that is short, sweet and hits all the marks for found footage horror needs.
Overall: One for all the horror fans out there.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/03/10/original-v-remake-rec-2007/
What seems like a simple and even boring story to cover quickly turns into a battle of life and death when the woman causing the disturbance attacks the police officer sent to help. The make the matters worse the people find themselves trapped inside the building which has been locked down by the authorities refusing to let anybody out. When the infection continues to spread, Angela must find a way to survive the terror inside the building and learn the truth about the source of the virus.
Thoughts on [Rec]
Characters/Performance – Angela is the reporter that is covering a simple story but finds herself fighting for her life but wanting to report every single part of the story for her audience. The rest of the characters are cops, firefighters, residents of the apartment and the cameraman.
Performance wise, Velasco is good as the main screen attraction for this film, with everyone else all doing a great job with their roles through the film.
Story – The story is simple to follow, people get trapped in a building as a virus is spreading through the people inside making them killing machines and the ones not infected need to find a way to survive. This all works and the added found footage keeps us believe this could be a breaking story unfolding.
REPORT THIS AD
Horror/Mystery – The horror is very good with each corner potentially having a threat as well as each character not knowing what is happening which I think adds to any horror element.
Settings – The whole film is set within the apartment complex which adds to the tension and horror unfolding through the film.
Special Effects – The special effects all great to with most being practical effects when it comes to the gore required.
Final Thoughts – This is a great atmospheric horror that is short, sweet and hits all the marks for found footage horror needs.
Overall: One for all the horror fans out there.
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/03/10/original-v-remake-rec-2007/
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