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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Better Than I Know Myself in Books
May 10, 2018
Did you ever have a friend who was more like family? For Regina Foster, Jewel Prescott, and Carmen Webb this is exactly true. Better Than I Know Myself starts in the late 70's when the girls are seniors in high school and making the decision on where to go to college. Three different girls from three very different backgrounds. Jewel, a former child star. Regina, the daughter of two college educated parents and little sister to older brothers who had all attended and graduated from college. And Carmen whose parents had left her at a young age.
The story progresses through their meeting in New York at Barnard and continues through their graduation. Regina and Jewel were already roommates when they met Carmen at the university library. They all got stuck in an elevator together and as they say, "The rest is history." They lived together through the early 80's as they grew into women and started to become independent.
The book covers twenty years of friendship and sisterhood and all the trials and tribulations that entails.
This book made me laugh out loud and brought a tear or two to my eyes. It also made me want to get together with my closest girlfriends. This is a book that you have to read until the end.
The story progresses through their meeting in New York at Barnard and continues through their graduation. Regina and Jewel were already roommates when they met Carmen at the university library. They all got stuck in an elevator together and as they say, "The rest is history." They lived together through the early 80's as they grew into women and started to become independent.
The book covers twenty years of friendship and sisterhood and all the trials and tribulations that entails.
This book made me laugh out loud and brought a tear or two to my eyes. It also made me want to get together with my closest girlfriends. This is a book that you have to read until the end.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Better Than I Know Myself in Books
Apr 3, 2019
Did you ever have a friend who was more like family? For Regina Foster, Jewel Prescott, and Carmen Webb this is exactly true. Better Than I Know Myself starts in the late 70's when the girls are seniors in high school and making the decision on where to go to college. Three different girls from three very different backgrounds. Jewel, a former child star. Regina, the daughter of two college educated parents and little sister to older brothers who had all attended and graduated from college. And Carmen whose parents had left her at a young age.
The story progresses through their meeting in New York at Barnard and continues through their graduation. Regina and Jewel were already roommates when they met Carmen at the university library. They all got stuck in an elevator together and as they say, "The rest is history." They lived together through the early 80's as they grew into women and started to become independent.
The book covers twenty years of friendship and sisterhood and all the trials and tribulations that entails.
This book made me laugh out loud and brought a tear or two to my eyes. It also made me want to get together with my closest girlfriends. This is a book that you have to read until the end.
I listened to this book through the iPod and Overdrive. The audio was read by Lisa Renee Pitts.
The story progresses through their meeting in New York at Barnard and continues through their graduation. Regina and Jewel were already roommates when they met Carmen at the university library. They all got stuck in an elevator together and as they say, "The rest is history." They lived together through the early 80's as they grew into women and started to become independent.
The book covers twenty years of friendship and sisterhood and all the trials and tribulations that entails.
This book made me laugh out loud and brought a tear or two to my eyes. It also made me want to get together with my closest girlfriends. This is a book that you have to read until the end.
I listened to this book through the iPod and Overdrive. The audio was read by Lisa Renee Pitts.
#Wordsareourgreatestweapon (32 KP) rated RuPaul's Drag Race in TV
Dec 19, 2018 (Updated Dec 19, 2018)
Contains spoilers, click to show
so if no one minds i'm gonna go season by season...
Season 1 - Not the best season for me... it had some good players but it not one that stands out for me...
Season 2 - I'm one of those who didn't really connect with Tyra... I connected more with Raven and her no bulls**t appraoch to it all..
Season 3 - RAJA! Need I say more? oh and how Yara Sofia KILLED the stage at the comedy.... and am I the only one who cried when Michelle did when Carmen was eliminated?
Season 1 - Not the best season for me... it had some good players but it not one that stands out for me...
Season 2 - I'm one of those who didn't really connect with Tyra... I connected more with Raven and her no bulls**t appraoch to it all..
Season 3 - RAJA! Need I say more? oh and how Yara Sofia KILLED the stage at the comedy.... and am I the only one who cried when Michelle did when Carmen was eliminated?
Awix (3310 KP) rated La Ley del Deseo (Law of Desire) (1987) in Movies
Apr 2, 2020 (Updated Apr 2, 2020)
Almodovar's sixth movie is the one that brought him properly to international attention, but it's clear that his distinctive style was already well-developed by this point: there is the same skilful combination of suspense-movie tropes with sometimes-outrageous melodrama, and a sense of narrative playfulness.
Very strong performances from Antonio Banderas and Carmen Maura in particular, although the script seems to lack some of the deftness and confidence Almodovar would show in later movies - the shift from relationship drama to thriller isn't quite as well handled as one could hope for, and some elements of the story really do strain credibility. Nevertheless, an accomplished and engaging movie.
Very strong performances from Antonio Banderas and Carmen Maura in particular, although the script seems to lack some of the deftness and confidence Almodovar would show in later movies - the shift from relationship drama to thriller isn't quite as well handled as one could hope for, and some elements of the story really do strain credibility. Nevertheless, an accomplished and engaging movie.
Robert Pattinson recommended First Name: Carmen (1983) in Movies (curated)
Darren (1599 KP) rated Starship Troopers (1997) in Movies
Jul 7, 2019 (Updated Nov 25, 2019)
Verdict: Instant Classic
Story: Starship Troopers starts in a world where humans are not at war with a bug planet across the galaxy, students and young people are expected to join the federal service to become citizens. Johnny Rico (Can Dien), Dizzy (Meyer), Carl (Harris) and Carmen (Richards) all have their sights set on enlisting, Johnny and Dizzy are mobile infantry, while Carmen has bigger sights of being a pilot and Carl has his sights set on military intelligence, with his mind reading ability.
While Rico is going through his training and constant battles with the flashy Ace (Busey) battling for squad leader, Carmen is flourishing in the flight academy, but this is just training, now they must go into combat against the giant deadly bugs.
Thoughts on Starship Troopers
Characters – Johnny Rico comes from a wealthy family that want to send him to Harvard, but he has other plans, he wants to become a citizen, which means he must join the military, here he excels in training until a mistakes sees him disgraced. He loses his family and will remaining fighting under a new squad leader, proving himself as one of the best soldiers in the infantry. Dizzy has spent her school life crushing over Rico, she follows him to mobile infantry, proving herself as one of the best soldiers. Carmen is the girlfriend of Johnny’s through school, she has set her sights on becoming a pilot in the Starfleet, something her grades could make easy for her, she proves an asset to the fleet rising up the ranks with ease. Ace is the rival of Rico’s in training, they both want squad leader and with the rivalry they become brothers in arms.
Performances – Casper Van Dien in the leading role makes himself remember forever with his character, this will define his career without question. Dina Meyer shines too, while this cast is fantastic and understands just what movie they are in. Denise Richard has been criticised before, but here she works in the modern future world and Jake Busey add more comedy as times to his role.
Story – The story here takes us to the future where humans are waged in a war with bugs from across the galaxy, we see how the soldiers and pilots are dealing with the increasing threat they are going to be facing. This story does present itself in a satirical look at the military behaviour and how it can become a propaganda machine forcing young people into joining under false promises, it also shows how humans will always look to conquer another area no matter how outnumbered or out of place they are in their invasion behaviour. Plenty of this story over accentuates the idea of what is going on, which will add moments of comedy.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action in the film is war style military attacks with laser bullets flying literally everywhere and the bugs ripping bodies apart. The sci-fi side of the film shows us just how far the human race has come with transportation across the galaxy, despite not giving them the brains when it comes to war.
Settings – The world created is fantastic with Earth looking futuristic without being all that different, while the bug planet feels like a battleground.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are also flawless, with a mix of practical and CGI which barely look like they have dated even after being over 20 years old.
Scene of the Movie – The first battle shows the scale of the war.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing really.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best sci-fi films you will see, it is wildly over the top and doesn’t miss a beat with style that knows just what the film is meant to be.
Overall: Fun, Brilliant and Entertaining.
Story: Starship Troopers starts in a world where humans are not at war with a bug planet across the galaxy, students and young people are expected to join the federal service to become citizens. Johnny Rico (Can Dien), Dizzy (Meyer), Carl (Harris) and Carmen (Richards) all have their sights set on enlisting, Johnny and Dizzy are mobile infantry, while Carmen has bigger sights of being a pilot and Carl has his sights set on military intelligence, with his mind reading ability.
While Rico is going through his training and constant battles with the flashy Ace (Busey) battling for squad leader, Carmen is flourishing in the flight academy, but this is just training, now they must go into combat against the giant deadly bugs.
Thoughts on Starship Troopers
Characters – Johnny Rico comes from a wealthy family that want to send him to Harvard, but he has other plans, he wants to become a citizen, which means he must join the military, here he excels in training until a mistakes sees him disgraced. He loses his family and will remaining fighting under a new squad leader, proving himself as one of the best soldiers in the infantry. Dizzy has spent her school life crushing over Rico, she follows him to mobile infantry, proving herself as one of the best soldiers. Carmen is the girlfriend of Johnny’s through school, she has set her sights on becoming a pilot in the Starfleet, something her grades could make easy for her, she proves an asset to the fleet rising up the ranks with ease. Ace is the rival of Rico’s in training, they both want squad leader and with the rivalry they become brothers in arms.
Performances – Casper Van Dien in the leading role makes himself remember forever with his character, this will define his career without question. Dina Meyer shines too, while this cast is fantastic and understands just what movie they are in. Denise Richard has been criticised before, but here she works in the modern future world and Jake Busey add more comedy as times to his role.
Story – The story here takes us to the future where humans are waged in a war with bugs from across the galaxy, we see how the soldiers and pilots are dealing with the increasing threat they are going to be facing. This story does present itself in a satirical look at the military behaviour and how it can become a propaganda machine forcing young people into joining under false promises, it also shows how humans will always look to conquer another area no matter how outnumbered or out of place they are in their invasion behaviour. Plenty of this story over accentuates the idea of what is going on, which will add moments of comedy.
Action/Sci-Fi – The action in the film is war style military attacks with laser bullets flying literally everywhere and the bugs ripping bodies apart. The sci-fi side of the film shows us just how far the human race has come with transportation across the galaxy, despite not giving them the brains when it comes to war.
Settings – The world created is fantastic with Earth looking futuristic without being all that different, while the bug planet feels like a battleground.
Special Effects – The effects in the film are also flawless, with a mix of practical and CGI which barely look like they have dated even after being over 20 years old.
Scene of the Movie – The first battle shows the scale of the war.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing really.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best sci-fi films you will see, it is wildly over the top and doesn’t miss a beat with style that knows just what the film is meant to be.
Overall: Fun, Brilliant and Entertaining.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2069 KP) rated Without a Doubt in Books
May 18, 2018
Jewelry Robbery at Christmas
Reporter Carol Childs is in the right place at the wrong time when she witnesses a jewelry store robbery. Since it is the start of awards season in Los Angeles, the store had plenty of jewels on hand. With Eric, her FBI agent boyfriend, working the case, it creates issues in their relationship. Carol is certain that socialite Carmen Montague is involved in some fashion. Is she correct?
The book starts off quickly, and the pace never lags as the story continues. I was turning pages as quickly as I could to keep up with the twists and turns of the plot. The characters are strong, which includes the new characters. I would have liked to see a bit more of the series regulars, but that’s a minor complaint overall. There were a few minor editing issues in the book, but again they are minor and didn’t impact the story at all.
The book starts off quickly, and the pace never lags as the story continues. I was turning pages as quickly as I could to keep up with the twists and turns of the plot. The characters are strong, which includes the new characters. I would have liked to see a bit more of the series regulars, but that’s a minor complaint overall. There were a few minor editing issues in the book, but again they are minor and didn’t impact the story at all.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Virtuosity in Books
Sep 6, 2019
2.5 stars.
Erm...where to start?
Well, when I bought this I didn't realise it was about classical music, the synopsis was very vague but I guess the "prestigious Guarneri music prize" should have given it away. Classical is not my favourite genre of music so hearing them talking about all these famous pieces of music and composers just flew right over my head. I wasn't even tempted to listen, unlike in some other books I've read.
Then the romance. I can't say I felt it. It was two, maybe three, maybe even four, dates where they spent probably 24 hours together in total and they're in love all of a sudden. Nah, I didn't buy it.
The best bit for me was probably the chapter before the end where Carmen stands up to her controlling mother and her actions.
It was an easy read since it isn't very descriptive but it didn't do it for me.
Erm...where to start?
Well, when I bought this I didn't realise it was about classical music, the synopsis was very vague but I guess the "prestigious Guarneri music prize" should have given it away. Classical is not my favourite genre of music so hearing them talking about all these famous pieces of music and composers just flew right over my head. I wasn't even tempted to listen, unlike in some other books I've read.
Then the romance. I can't say I felt it. It was two, maybe three, maybe even four, dates where they spent probably 24 hours together in total and they're in love all of a sudden. Nah, I didn't buy it.
The best bit for me was probably the chapter before the end where Carmen stands up to her controlling mother and her actions.
It was an easy read since it isn't very descriptive but it didn't do it for me.
Awix (3310 KP) rated What Have I Done to Deserve This?! (¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto?) (1984) in Movies
Apr 14, 2020 (Updated Apr 14, 2020)
Almodovar claims his fourth film is a homage to Italian neorealism, but as the wildly silly plot involves teenage drug dealers, the Madrid kendo club, a plot to forge Hitler's diaries, a blood-stained lizard and a telekinetic schoolgirl we'll have to take his word for that. Every bit as camp and provocative as it sounds, if not moreso; possibly trying a bit too hard to be shocking in places (some jokes about a character who's a paedophile orthodontist feel very misjudged these days), but for the most part engaging and very funny.
You'd expect this would all be much too ridiculous to take seriously, but even this early in his career Almodovar is able to find the reality in his characters and make you care about them. Carmen Maura is at the centre of the film and does a terrific job of giving it all some unexpected emotional heft. In the end it's still an absurd black comedy, but one with some warmth and compassion to it. A very entertaining movie.
You'd expect this would all be much too ridiculous to take seriously, but even this early in his career Almodovar is able to find the reality in his characters and make you care about them. Carmen Maura is at the centre of the film and does a terrific job of giving it all some unexpected emotional heft. In the end it's still an absurd black comedy, but one with some warmth and compassion to it. A very entertaining movie.
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Sisterhood Everlasting (Sisterhood, #5) in Books
Jan 15, 2018
I won this book from First Reads, failing to realize that it was another book in the series of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I have not read any of the books in this series nor have a I seen the movies so I was worried that I would be totally lost. I was undeterred however & plunged in with fingers crossed.
I have to say it didn't really matter that I knew nothing about the series prior to this book. It was able to stand on its own. There was back story, but not knowing it didn't seem to effect my enjoyment of this book. It was a bit difficult to get into at first, but once I was in, I was in & invested in Lena, Carmen, TIbby, & Bee.
The book seems to be a final installment in the series. It opens with the 4 friends hardly speaking to each other as life has gotten in the way. 3 of them recieve letters from Tibby who is currently living in Australia. They contain requests to meet her in Greece & also the plane tickets to allow them to do so. The 3 head off, meet up in JFK airport, & fly off to Greece to get there. They mysetery begins when they arrive & Tibby is not there waiting for them as she said she would be.
This is a sad read, but it is also very real. The characters jump off the page & the writing plunges you deep into their lives. I love that in a book.
I have to say it didn't really matter that I knew nothing about the series prior to this book. It was able to stand on its own. There was back story, but not knowing it didn't seem to effect my enjoyment of this book. It was a bit difficult to get into at first, but once I was in, I was in & invested in Lena, Carmen, TIbby, & Bee.
The book seems to be a final installment in the series. It opens with the 4 friends hardly speaking to each other as life has gotten in the way. 3 of them recieve letters from Tibby who is currently living in Australia. They contain requests to meet her in Greece & also the plane tickets to allow them to do so. The 3 head off, meet up in JFK airport, & fly off to Greece to get there. They mysetery begins when they arrive & Tibby is not there waiting for them as she said she would be.
This is a sad read, but it is also very real. The characters jump off the page & the writing plunges you deep into their lives. I love that in a book.