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Tamsin Clark (15 KP) rated The Ancient Magus' Bride (2017) in Movies
Jan 20, 2018
Beautiful Animation (5 more)
Beautiful soundtrack
Well chosen cast
Emotional storyline
Fantasy/horror/action/comedy/drama
Excellent adaptation from the manga
What makes us....us?
I've never been a religious follower of anime in the past. I've delved into it, mostly Studio Ghibli's work and a few others but I never really found a reason to regularly want to tune in and watch an Anime every week. Until Magus' Bride.
From the time of writing this, there have been 14 episodes and every single one has retained consistent high quality of voice acting, storyline and musical score. Not once can I ever say I have been bored or impatient with an episode. Each one will have you questioning your own humanity as you question theirs. You can't help but become attached emotionally to all the characters as they each progress through their own heartbreaking lifelines and each episode brings new and riveting challenges. All the while you're accompanied by amazing scores and haunting singing which strays from the usual cringe-worthy singing in a lot of anime, and stunningly drawn animation.
I could not recommend this any higher. It deserves a 10 and I have no shame giving it that.
From the time of writing this, there have been 14 episodes and every single one has retained consistent high quality of voice acting, storyline and musical score. Not once can I ever say I have been bored or impatient with an episode. Each one will have you questioning your own humanity as you question theirs. You can't help but become attached emotionally to all the characters as they each progress through their own heartbreaking lifelines and each episode brings new and riveting challenges. All the while you're accompanied by amazing scores and haunting singing which strays from the usual cringe-worthy singing in a lot of anime, and stunningly drawn animation.
I could not recommend this any higher. It deserves a 10 and I have no shame giving it that.

Lee (2222 KP) rated The Red Turtle (2016) in Movies
Mar 19, 2018
Mesmerisingly Beautiful
I'd not heard a great deal about this Studio Ghibli movie, other than some fairly positive buzz online, so when it hit Amazon Prime at Christmas last year, I quickly added it to my watch list. It's taken all this time, until a cold and wintry Sunday afternoon in March, for me to finally sit down and watch it.
A man is washed up on a deserted island and after exploring his surroundings, sets about trying to escape. He builds a number of rafts from the trees but each time his escape is thwarted by an unknown force breaking his raft apart from beneath. On the third time this happens, the man discovers the cause of the destruction to be a large red turtle and when he later sees the turtle shuffling up the beach, he seeks revenge, overturning it and leaving it to suffer in the heat of the sun as it fails to correct itself.
Eventually the man feels remorse, but it appears to be too late...
Not a single word is spoken throughout the whole movie (other than the occasional 'Hey!'). It's a simple, beautiful tale that drew me in and left me feeling totally mesmerised and emotional with it's profound ideas and messages. Simply wonderful.
A man is washed up on a deserted island and after exploring his surroundings, sets about trying to escape. He builds a number of rafts from the trees but each time his escape is thwarted by an unknown force breaking his raft apart from beneath. On the third time this happens, the man discovers the cause of the destruction to be a large red turtle and when he later sees the turtle shuffling up the beach, he seeks revenge, overturning it and leaving it to suffer in the heat of the sun as it fails to correct itself.
Eventually the man feels remorse, but it appears to be too late...
Not a single word is spoken throughout the whole movie (other than the occasional 'Hey!'). It's a simple, beautiful tale that drew me in and left me feeling totally mesmerised and emotional with it's profound ideas and messages. Simply wonderful.
The Heart-Shaped Life Daily Devotional: Choosing a Life of Steadfast Love One Day at a Time by Karen Moore is a wonderful devotion book. One page is specific to each day of the year. I have found this book to be a beautiful love centered reflection of God and His will for our lives.
This is a 365 day devotional, plus it has one for Leap Year, February 29. Each day has a title, a Scripture verse, then the devotional, and ending with a short prayer. Each devotional is centered around love how God fits into our lives and our hearts.
The colors of the cover and the inside are beautiful and eye-catching. There is a ribbon bookmark as well, which is a nice touch. In the back of the devotional is a scripture index for the texts used in the devotional. I felt the devotions did a great job having thought provoking devotions that can be read quickly for the busy individual, but leave the reader thinking about them throughout the day. Each devotion is relevant and inspiring.
Thank you to Barbour Publishing and Shiloh Run Press via NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a 365 day devotional, plus it has one for Leap Year, February 29. Each day has a title, a Scripture verse, then the devotional, and ending with a short prayer. Each devotional is centered around love how God fits into our lives and our hearts.
The colors of the cover and the inside are beautiful and eye-catching. There is a ribbon bookmark as well, which is a nice touch. In the back of the devotional is a scripture index for the texts used in the devotional. I felt the devotions did a great job having thought provoking devotions that can be read quickly for the busy individual, but leave the reader thinking about them throughout the day. Each devotion is relevant and inspiring.
Thank you to Barbour Publishing and Shiloh Run Press via NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Smashed, Mashed, Boiled, Baked - and Fried, Too! by Ragavan Iyer is a beautiful. It has wonderful pictures, beautiful fonts. It has section at the end that lists the recipes out by categories including entrees vs sides, apps etc as well as by allergens.
This cookbook outlines potato appetizers, soup, main entrees, side dishes, and desserts from a full spectrum of cuisines and cultures, plus each recipe is beset with 'Tater Tips' or details pertinent to the history, procurement, variety, storage, and perishability of the potato being used. Iyer is cheeky, yet endearing and incredibly informative, like a friend that you adore grocery shopping with after a hearty cafe lunch.
Overall, I want to make everything in this cookbook, and I also think that by making Iyer's, "ultimate mashed potatoes" I will become everyone's favourite person over the holiday season (they look SO yummy!). Unfortunately, I worry that with so many people on strict diets, or low-carb diets, this cookbook may not sell as as much as it should. However, if you have a potato lover or carb queen in your life, get this cookbook for them - they will love you for it!
I received this book from Workman Publishing Company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This cookbook outlines potato appetizers, soup, main entrees, side dishes, and desserts from a full spectrum of cuisines and cultures, plus each recipe is beset with 'Tater Tips' or details pertinent to the history, procurement, variety, storage, and perishability of the potato being used. Iyer is cheeky, yet endearing and incredibly informative, like a friend that you adore grocery shopping with after a hearty cafe lunch.
Overall, I want to make everything in this cookbook, and I also think that by making Iyer's, "ultimate mashed potatoes" I will become everyone's favourite person over the holiday season (they look SO yummy!). Unfortunately, I worry that with so many people on strict diets, or low-carb diets, this cookbook may not sell as as much as it should. However, if you have a potato lover or carb queen in your life, get this cookbook for them - they will love you for it!
I received this book from Workman Publishing Company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kevin Wilson (179 KP) rated Ready Player One (2018) in Movies
Jul 17, 2018
So many references to games and movies (2 more)
Great story
Visually beautiful
Perfect movie for gamers and movie buffs!
I want to start off by saying I've never read the book so I can't make comparisons like so many have. For the movie it's self it's incredible.
Visually it's beautiful. So much action and set pieces. It felt like a video game most times but as it kept going back to the real world, the CGI ended up being a little distracting at times but it never put me off. They did an amazing job with it. It was probably even intended to keep reminding you it wasn't real. To differentiate between was was real and what was not.
So much references and it's fun to spot them. I saw the back to the future delorian, iron giant, tracer from overwatch, master chief.....I can keep going. I was quite surprised at a lot of them though, especially of the shining.
The cast is great, the plot was great, the environments were great. It makes you want this world to be real.
I really hope a sequel is considered. I'd be happy with the same cast as long as the story is right. I had a lot of fun with this movie.
Visually it's beautiful. So much action and set pieces. It felt like a video game most times but as it kept going back to the real world, the CGI ended up being a little distracting at times but it never put me off. They did an amazing job with it. It was probably even intended to keep reminding you it wasn't real. To differentiate between was was real and what was not.
So much references and it's fun to spot them. I saw the back to the future delorian, iron giant, tracer from overwatch, master chief.....I can keep going. I was quite surprised at a lot of them though, especially of the shining.
The cast is great, the plot was great, the environments were great. It makes you want this world to be real.
I really hope a sequel is considered. I'd be happy with the same cast as long as the story is right. I had a lot of fun with this movie.

justmissash (21 KP) rated Emma in the Night in Books
Aug 23, 2018
Suspenseful, twisty, cannot put down
Emma and Cassandra were missing for 3 years. Some believed they were dead. Were the kidnapped? Murdered? Did they run away?
It starts out with a young Cassandra, Cass for short, telling about her mother and her older sister Emma. Her mother loved Cass more, and would often brush her hair and tell her how beautiful she was, while Emma was often denied love from her mother. Their mother would also ask them to tell her how beautiful she was. She needed to hear it frequently. They had a routine. When their parents split up, Emma told Cass to tell the courts they should live with their father and when she did, Emma did the opposite. Emma stood by her mother as a sort of betrayal to her sister. Now their mother loves Emma more and Cass is off to the side.
Cass tells about the day she disappeared, when she was 15, and her sister who also disappeared.
She was with Emma then, but now she's home. Alone. How is she going to tell people what really happened. She is very nervous. Has to get her story straight. What will people think? So where was Cass and What Happened To Emma?
It starts out with a young Cassandra, Cass for short, telling about her mother and her older sister Emma. Her mother loved Cass more, and would often brush her hair and tell her how beautiful she was, while Emma was often denied love from her mother. Their mother would also ask them to tell her how beautiful she was. She needed to hear it frequently. They had a routine. When their parents split up, Emma told Cass to tell the courts they should live with their father and when she did, Emma did the opposite. Emma stood by her mother as a sort of betrayal to her sister. Now their mother loves Emma more and Cass is off to the side.
Cass tells about the day she disappeared, when she was 15, and her sister who also disappeared.
She was with Emma then, but now she's home. Alone. How is she going to tell people what really happened. She is very nervous. Has to get her story straight. What will people think? So where was Cass and What Happened To Emma?

BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Choosing (Seer, #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
I am finding it difficult to write a review without giving too much of the story away! This book is filled with so many aspects that left my mind reeling, my heart aching, and my stomach churning. But through it all, the message is clear. The Father has chosen us, chosen me. I am beautiful, I have worth. There is freedom in the truth.
With multiple viewpoints and storylines to follow, this book is intense and pretty heavy at times. But LIFE and TRUTH bleed through in even the most dreadful moments. Rachelle has created a brilliant dystopian world with intriguing characters. Reading this book kept me up late and had me biting my nails. I even had a dream or two about the story. It gets inside your head for sure! Watching Carrington develop and grow and become a seer of truth was beautiful.
The Choosing is the first book of a series and definitely leaves you wanting more. However, it does end with a fairly satisfying conclusion...for now. I enjoyed Rachelle Dekker's debut novel and look forward to continuing this series.
I received The Choosing as a gift. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
With multiple viewpoints and storylines to follow, this book is intense and pretty heavy at times. But LIFE and TRUTH bleed through in even the most dreadful moments. Rachelle has created a brilliant dystopian world with intriguing characters. Reading this book kept me up late and had me biting my nails. I even had a dream or two about the story. It gets inside your head for sure! Watching Carrington develop and grow and become a seer of truth was beautiful.
The Choosing is the first book of a series and definitely leaves you wanting more. However, it does end with a fairly satisfying conclusion...for now. I enjoyed Rachelle Dekker's debut novel and look forward to continuing this series.
I received The Choosing as a gift. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

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