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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated The Hound of the Baskervilles in Books
Mar 9, 2018
There is a legend of a monstrous hound that haunts and hunts the members of the Baskerville family. But when legend looks to be real, Holmes is brought in to find out how Charles Baskerville really died. And is the latest heir in danger?
My knowledge of the Holmes cannon is embarrassingly lacking, but I took a step toward fixing that with this book. I found Holmes a little hard to take due to his arrogance early on, but as the book progressed, I grew to like him better. The rest of the characters were great. The mystery is wonderful, and the atmosphere almost gothic. A wonderful read during October.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/10/book-review-hound-of-baskervilles-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
My knowledge of the Holmes cannon is embarrassingly lacking, but I took a step toward fixing that with this book. I found Holmes a little hard to take due to his arrogance early on, but as the book progressed, I grew to like him better. The rest of the characters were great. The mystery is wonderful, and the atmosphere almost gothic. A wonderful read during October.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/10/book-review-hound-of-baskervilles-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Pat Healy recommended The Night of the Hunter (1955) in Movies (curated)
BeRad89 (48 KP) rated The Mountain Between Us in Books
Mar 23, 2018 (Updated Mar 23, 2018)
Two successful strangers, Ben Payne the doctor and Ashley the Columnist, end up plane crashed in Utah. As they struggle to survive, Ben pushes all the odds to get them rescued. Is this the end or the beginning?
Let me begin by saying, I liked this book. It was an easy read; and with all the hype around it, I really wanted to read it. I pushed it to the front of my pile and have read it in between official review books. I liked how you get to know Ben, his strength and character through his recordings to his his wife. Sadly, that was about the only thing I truly enjoyed in this book.
With all the recommendations to read this book, I was excited. I thought I was in for an exciting, thriller. I was disappointed. I kept waiting for moments that made my heart pound, my breath catch, fear, anything. It was flat , in my opinion. The book focuses on Ben. You do not learn anything about Ashley other than she is one hell of a strong woman. I feel like that was a missed opportunity. She may have well been a log dragged around.
Charles Martin's writing style feels generic. I kept having to check the front of the book to make sure it was a book churned out by Nicholas Sparks. I did like the way he told Ben's past. It was touching, and the emotions got through to me.
Overall, I gave The Mountain Between Us 3 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it as an easy read to anyone who loves Nicholas Sparks type books. If you are looking for an action-packed thriller, let this one pass you by.
Let me begin by saying, I liked this book. It was an easy read; and with all the hype around it, I really wanted to read it. I pushed it to the front of my pile and have read it in between official review books. I liked how you get to know Ben, his strength and character through his recordings to his his wife. Sadly, that was about the only thing I truly enjoyed in this book.
With all the recommendations to read this book, I was excited. I thought I was in for an exciting, thriller. I was disappointed. I kept waiting for moments that made my heart pound, my breath catch, fear, anything. It was flat , in my opinion. The book focuses on Ben. You do not learn anything about Ashley other than she is one hell of a strong woman. I feel like that was a missed opportunity. She may have well been a log dragged around.
Charles Martin's writing style feels generic. I kept having to check the front of the book to make sure it was a book churned out by Nicholas Sparks. I did like the way he told Ben's past. It was touching, and the emotions got through to me.
Overall, I gave The Mountain Between Us 3 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it as an easy read to anyone who loves Nicholas Sparks type books. If you are looking for an action-packed thriller, let this one pass you by.
Mark Arm recommended Journey in Satchidananda by Alice Coltrane in Music (curated)
Merissa (12919 KP) rated The Mating (Law of the Lycans #2) in Books
Mar 26, 2018
The Mating (Law of the Lycans #2) by Nicky Charles
In The Mating we meet Kane and Elise. Kane we have heard mentioned in Bonded, but Elise is a new character. They get together for political reasons, although Elise had a boyfriend. However, once she spends time with Kane, she finds she is thinking less of Bryan than she thought she would. Mix into the story a woman who wants what Elisa has, an oil company who wants to drill, a half-brother with murder on his mind, and you get a great story.
I found The Mating to be very well-written, with plenty of characters to like and dislike. Although at times, I really REALLY wanted the other characters to catch onto what was going on, it still played a part of the story, and I just had to wait until they caught up. With a steady pace, and some steamy times too, this book was thoroughly enjoyable, and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
* Verified Purchase ~ April 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I found The Mating to be very well-written, with plenty of characters to like and dislike. Although at times, I really REALLY wanted the other characters to catch onto what was going on, it still played a part of the story, and I just had to wait until they caught up. With a steady pace, and some steamy times too, this book was thoroughly enjoyable, and I have no hesitation in recommending it.
* Verified Purchase ~ April 2013 *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Caitlin Ann Cherniak (85 KP) rated Like Vanessa in Books
Nov 28, 2018
From Goodreads: 13-year-old girl from the '80s sees the first black woman win Miss America, which inspires her middle school to throw a pageant to boost moral. What could possibly go wrong?
Normally, I would say everything.
This book, nothing went wrong. In fact, Tami Charles did everything right.
You get an interesting main character. You have her going through real problems. You have this story take a look at a real problem with young black girls when it comes to what level of black skin is beautiful. You have major plot twists at every turn (And I don't take that sentence lightly.) And I actually don't hate the parental character this time (Because seriously, a lot of them try to make these characters awful for no reason at all). And you have the main character drop their walls to tell their vulnerable story to the audience.
In short, I love this book. One of the best middle grade and young adult novels I have ever read.
Normally, I would say everything.
This book, nothing went wrong. In fact, Tami Charles did everything right.
You get an interesting main character. You have her going through real problems. You have this story take a look at a real problem with young black girls when it comes to what level of black skin is beautiful. You have major plot twists at every turn (And I don't take that sentence lightly.) And I actually don't hate the parental character this time (Because seriously, a lot of them try to make these characters awful for no reason at all). And you have the main character drop their walls to tell their vulnerable story to the audience.
In short, I love this book. One of the best middle grade and young adult novels I have ever read.
R.L. Stine recommended Island of Lost Souls (1933) in Movies (curated)
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated Blithe Spirit (2020) in Movies
Mar 31, 2021 (Updated Mar 31, 2021)
The women act like shrews. (6 more)
Cheap jokes.
Lack of class and style.
Poor character development.
No depth to the characters at all.
Unsophisticated.
Would have been funnier without the sex jokes.
No! No! No! This is not the way Noel Coward is meant to be seen. Avoid this!
Contains spoilers, click to show
I am a HUGE fan of Noel Coward and absolutely adore the original Blithe Spirit. I had high hopes for this version as I like all of the actors involved in the movie. Unfortunately, it was a complete disappointment. Judi Dench's Madame Arcati paled in the memory of Margaret Rutherford, though much of the dialogue and actions during the seance scene were the same. She tried her best but the script just wasn't any good. I did appreciate the backstory of her losing her husband in the Boer War and that being the reason she was interested in the occult. The significance of the song Always was not mentioned, though it was very important to the plot in the original and made the movie relatable. Gone was the ethereal, sweet, mischievous little minx Elvira, played by Kay Hammond in the original. Enter the selfish, unlovable shrew of a first wife, played by the usually lovable Leslie Mann in the remake. The relationship between Charles and Elvira does not make any sense to the viewer and there was no point for them to have been together or for her to have thought of her and to bring her forth in the present. This is a missed plot point. In the original, it is actually the maid who was thinking of Elvira, not Charles, but the maid is merely a go-between for props in this movie and has no reason for being there, nor the chef. The relationship between Ruth and Charles is also not a good one and they have no reason to be together in this remake, though in the original, they at least have a few things in common. They seem to have nothing but derision toward each other. Again, I don't see the point of them being together. All of them are miserable together. Even when Elvira and Charles are intimate, it is not for romance and love but for mere hatred, jealousy, and spite. There is even a cheap crotch shot joke that I was appalled to see in this work. And the ending of the movie makes little sense. It's hardly the charming farce Noel Coward intended. Oh, the horrors. Skip this version. Watch the original. Trust me on this. This movie is not the way Noel Coward is meant to be seen.
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Summer Flash Burn (Worthington Investigations, #2) in Books
Feb 23, 2021
This was an interesting story!
I love the cover of this book. It becomes more intriguing the longer I look at it. Summer Flash Burn is the second book in Erin Unger’s Worthington Agency series. The stories (so far) follow a group of friends in a detective agency, kind of reminds me of Charles Angels . I had not read the first book in the series before this one. I would definitely say this book can be read as a stand-alone, it does make reference to the first book but not in a way that makes you feel lost.
Based on the description I thought I knew what I was getting in to with this book. However, it took me on some unique twists and turns leading to an ending that was a good surprise. The main characters Christopher and Shauna deal with issues of self-worth, body image, grief, decision making, reliance on God… So many different emotions in this book. They all flow together quite seamlessly to make a good storyline. I loved Shauna’s military backround and her struggles with civilian life, they made her really come to life. I also liked how Christopher worked for the railroad! I have never met anyone who does that. The only thing I didn’t particularly care for was that the characters seemed to be overdramatized in their reactions to the things that happen. Otherwise, it was a fun read and I will definitely be going back to read the first book in the series. Thank you, Erin Unger, for being another new to me author .
I love the cover of this book. It becomes more intriguing the longer I look at it. Summer Flash Burn is the second book in Erin Unger’s Worthington Agency series. The stories (so far) follow a group of friends in a detective agency, kind of reminds me of Charles Angels . I had not read the first book in the series before this one. I would definitely say this book can be read as a stand-alone, it does make reference to the first book but not in a way that makes you feel lost.
Based on the description I thought I knew what I was getting in to with this book. However, it took me on some unique twists and turns leading to an ending that was a good surprise. The main characters Christopher and Shauna deal with issues of self-worth, body image, grief, decision making, reliance on God… So many different emotions in this book. They all flow together quite seamlessly to make a good storyline. I loved Shauna’s military backround and her struggles with civilian life, they made her really come to life. I also liked how Christopher worked for the railroad! I have never met anyone who does that. The only thing I didn’t particularly care for was that the characters seemed to be overdramatized in their reactions to the things that happen. Otherwise, it was a fun read and I will definitely be going back to read the first book in the series. Thank you, Erin Unger, for being another new to me author .
Erika (17789 KP) rated The Oracle Year in Books
Apr 22, 2018
This book was a selection for Book of the Month this April. I chose it because Charles Soule has written some of my favorite comics.
This book is about Will Dando, who receives several predictions from one dream. He posts select predictions on 'the Site' and he is known as 'The Oracle'. The government is after him, and religious sects are calling his the devil/blasphemer. It was impulsively readable.
But, it was just good. It wasn't great. Which, was a bummer. Because though it was readable, there was nothing new about it.
This book is about Will Dando, who receives several predictions from one dream. He posts select predictions on 'the Site' and he is known as 'The Oracle'. The government is after him, and religious sects are calling his the devil/blasphemer. It was impulsively readable.
But, it was just good. It wasn't great. Which, was a bummer. Because though it was readable, there was nothing new about it.