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The Real Lady Detective Agency: A True Story
Book
'It's not me then?' she says. A little bit of my heart breaks, and I struggle to swallow down the...
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Ghost in the Shell (2017) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
Dumb as fuck, sheds the vast majority of the source's intelligence - even speaking as someone with only a cursory knowledge of it - for something a lot more nonsensical, westernized, and generic. But it doesn't sacrifice even an ounce of its visual pizzazz - if we've learned anything about Rupert Sanders (non-cheating scandal related, that is) it's that he does not fuck around with his aesthetic. 110% magnetic, self-assured, and every bit as visually stupendous as 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘙𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 2049. I found most of the ending parts to be a disingenuous swing and a miss but who cares, did you *see* the way ScarJo beat the shit out of those people to synth music while she was invisible and the water was going all slo-mo and stuff? As a piece of seductive sci-fi junk food that's nice and heavy on the portent, it's nothing less than orgasmic - though it makes sense fans of the source would detest this, this is pretty much what I expected after all so I can't say my bar was mega high to begin with. I'm in the middle with Scarlett, it isn't too demanding of a performance but the unnatural cranes and dead gawks are right up her alley and do fit quite nicely here so eh I'll take it for now even if it feels like bootleg 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘬𝘪𝘯. And it's always good to see Takeshi Kitano. Oh and also Juliette Binoche is at least twenty-five times better in this than every role she's ever been nominated for an Oscar for.
Matching Bloodlines (The Princeton Allegiant #3)
9.0
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Vampires don’t date. They possess. Nothing could have prepared Francisco St. Claire for...
Paranormal Romance
The Girl Whose Luck Ran Out by Gayleen Froese
Book
Can a disillusioned former cop track down a missing girl before it’s too late? Seven years ago,...
MM Mystery Romance
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated All I Ever Wanted in Books
Mar 20, 2019
Fun, enjoyable book with great characters
Callie Grey is turning thirty, and her life simply isn't going as planned. She's not married--or even dating--and now her boss, Mark, whom she's loved for years, is marrying Muriel, a perfect specimen from California. Even worse, Muriel is honing in on Callie's territory at the advertising agency where she works. Her mother runs the family business: a funeral home, where Callie's thirtieth birthday was held (sharing space with a wake). Her father, meanwhile, is trying to win her mother back, despite the fact that she hates him for cheating on her--when Callie was eight. Hester, her sister, despises all men due to said cheating incident. And no matter how hard she tries, Callie can't get over Mark and the five weeks they "dated." Still, it seems like maybe that could change when she meets Ian, the town's new sulky but handsome veterinarian. But can Callie put the past behind her to find her own happiness? And is Ian ready to move on himself?
So, as part of my reading goals for 2019, I'm going to try to read more books that I own. I've been "practicing" a bit here at the end of 2018, and ALL I EVER WANTED was part of that. I read two of Higgins' recent releases lately and really loved them, so decided to go with this one. While I didn't find it quite as modernly witty and wonderful as those two (a few scenes describing characters' weight and a few other things rubbed me a bit wrong), it was still a really enjoyable read.
Well, I read another romance recently and while it was good, I just couldn't fall fully for the characters. Not the case here. While I worried a bit early on that Callie would be too much of a whiner, she grew on me quickly. Higgins is just so good with the slow build of her characters and storylines. You get the gruff but charming Ian and all these wonderful scenes that make you smile. Her books have just the right balance of sweet and funny (there always seems to be a classic dinner party scene that makes me laugh out loud). There's a great moment where Callie and Ian are on a hike, and a wonderfully humorous time where Callie dates someone who is, yes, a human hair artisan.
The point is, we really get to know the characters--their flaws and foibles plus their good sides--and it just helps make the story. I care about them. I know Callie's family (a great cast of ancillary characters, including her grandfather and nieces), I know her backstory, and we even get to know Ian's tale. The book deals, deftly, with some complicated emotions and heartache along with the fun and fluff. (And well, there's an incident with a wild turkey that's pretty awesome.) And because we get these two fleshed out characters--even if we know they are probably destined to get together--we're invested along the way to find out how and why. That's what I love about Higgins. It's not just some token scenes along the way to an inevitable conclusion. There's real meat and depth, along with humor. And I really enjoyed the ending, too.
Overall, this is just a fun, enjoyable book with some depth to back itself up. The characters are interesting, and parts of it will make you laugh out loud. I recommend it, and I'm glad I picked it up off my bookshelf!
So, as part of my reading goals for 2019, I'm going to try to read more books that I own. I've been "practicing" a bit here at the end of 2018, and ALL I EVER WANTED was part of that. I read two of Higgins' recent releases lately and really loved them, so decided to go with this one. While I didn't find it quite as modernly witty and wonderful as those two (a few scenes describing characters' weight and a few other things rubbed me a bit wrong), it was still a really enjoyable read.
Well, I read another romance recently and while it was good, I just couldn't fall fully for the characters. Not the case here. While I worried a bit early on that Callie would be too much of a whiner, she grew on me quickly. Higgins is just so good with the slow build of her characters and storylines. You get the gruff but charming Ian and all these wonderful scenes that make you smile. Her books have just the right balance of sweet and funny (there always seems to be a classic dinner party scene that makes me laugh out loud). There's a great moment where Callie and Ian are on a hike, and a wonderfully humorous time where Callie dates someone who is, yes, a human hair artisan.
The point is, we really get to know the characters--their flaws and foibles plus their good sides--and it just helps make the story. I care about them. I know Callie's family (a great cast of ancillary characters, including her grandfather and nieces), I know her backstory, and we even get to know Ian's tale. The book deals, deftly, with some complicated emotions and heartache along with the fun and fluff. (And well, there's an incident with a wild turkey that's pretty awesome.) And because we get these two fleshed out characters--even if we know they are probably destined to get together--we're invested along the way to find out how and why. That's what I love about Higgins. It's not just some token scenes along the way to an inevitable conclusion. There's real meat and depth, along with humor. And I really enjoyed the ending, too.
Overall, this is just a fun, enjoyable book with some depth to back itself up. The characters are interesting, and parts of it will make you laugh out loud. I recommend it, and I'm glad I picked it up off my bookshelf!
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated The Nix in Books
Dec 4, 2017
Glorious, extravagant, epic family saga
It's hardly surprising Meryl Streep has bought the rights to this debut novel by Nathan Hill, which explores relations amongst several generations of a family.
It spans nearly fifty years, with flashbacks to student protests during 1968, from the present day, and the travails of an academic, struggling to engage with lazy and disaffected students, and playing ‘Elfscape’, an online role-playing game that works along the lines of World of Warcraft. The narrative perspective moves around quite a bit in the first few chapters, but a strong theme quickly emerges.
Samuel Andresen-Anderson is the principal protagonist, and is a genuinely empathetic character. Far from perfect, he is beset with irritations, ranging from the cheating and ignorance of many of his students to the family upheaval suffered during his childhood, which still troubles him more than twenty years later.
Behind all this is the story of Faye, Samuel’s mother, who walked out on her family more than twenty years earlier, and who is catapulted into the public consciousness following a sudden impulsive act. This offered Hill the opportunity for some acute observations about the motives and actions of the student rebels from the late 1960s, while also exposing the hypocrisies of the establishment and the cruelties of some of the police during those troubles. In between, the author even delves into Norwegian folklore.
The writing is fine – clear and accessible - and Hill manages the complex storylines admirably. Moving backwards and forwards between the late 1960s, late 1980s and 2011, the plot never flags. This was a long novel, but very entertaining throughout.
It spans nearly fifty years, with flashbacks to student protests during 1968, from the present day, and the travails of an academic, struggling to engage with lazy and disaffected students, and playing ‘Elfscape’, an online role-playing game that works along the lines of World of Warcraft. The narrative perspective moves around quite a bit in the first few chapters, but a strong theme quickly emerges.
Samuel Andresen-Anderson is the principal protagonist, and is a genuinely empathetic character. Far from perfect, he is beset with irritations, ranging from the cheating and ignorance of many of his students to the family upheaval suffered during his childhood, which still troubles him more than twenty years later.
Behind all this is the story of Faye, Samuel’s mother, who walked out on her family more than twenty years earlier, and who is catapulted into the public consciousness following a sudden impulsive act. This offered Hill the opportunity for some acute observations about the motives and actions of the student rebels from the late 1960s, while also exposing the hypocrisies of the establishment and the cruelties of some of the police during those troubles. In between, the author even delves into Norwegian folklore.
The writing is fine – clear and accessible - and Hill manages the complex storylines admirably. Moving backwards and forwards between the late 1960s, late 1980s and 2011, the plot never flags. This was a long novel, but very entertaining throughout.
Bong Mines Entertainment (15 KP) rated Feel Again - Single by HAYL in Music
Jul 10, 2019
HAYL is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter based in Nashville, TN. Not too long ago, she released a heartfelt indie-pop ballad, entitled, “Feel Again”.
“This song is a piano ballad expressing how numb I felt in my relationship with a past lover. Him cheating, me half-heartedly forgiving him, and covering up the fact that we were in a messy, confusing, unhealthy cycle. It’s about him never letting me in emotionally and us hanging on to each other’s brokenness.” – HAYL
‘Feel Again’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who is head-over-heels in love with a guy who she shares a problematic relationship with.
Apparently, she feels that he has taken advantage of her weakness. After many weeping sessions, she has no more tears left to cry and just wants to feel being loved by someone again.
Later, she admits that she’s addicted to the above-mentioned individual and wants to know why he’s so good at saying goodbye.
‘Feel Again’ contains a bittersweet storyline, pleasing vocals, and lush instrumentation scented with sentimental elements.
“I opened up my heart and wrote this song in 45 minutes with co-writer, Forrest Finn. I still get really emotional thinking back on that relationship, feeling sad that I felt trapped and helpless. This cover artwork is symbolic of me covering up my heart with lies I believed that became my truth. I hope this song heals the heartbroken and is hope for those who have lost love. That there is beauty after the pain and that you deserve to feel that again.” – HAYL
“This song is a piano ballad expressing how numb I felt in my relationship with a past lover. Him cheating, me half-heartedly forgiving him, and covering up the fact that we were in a messy, confusing, unhealthy cycle. It’s about him never letting me in emotionally and us hanging on to each other’s brokenness.” – HAYL
‘Feel Again’ tells an interesting tale of a young woman who is head-over-heels in love with a guy who she shares a problematic relationship with.
Apparently, she feels that he has taken advantage of her weakness. After many weeping sessions, she has no more tears left to cry and just wants to feel being loved by someone again.
Later, she admits that she’s addicted to the above-mentioned individual and wants to know why he’s so good at saying goodbye.
‘Feel Again’ contains a bittersweet storyline, pleasing vocals, and lush instrumentation scented with sentimental elements.
“I opened up my heart and wrote this song in 45 minutes with co-writer, Forrest Finn. I still get really emotional thinking back on that relationship, feeling sad that I felt trapped and helpless. This cover artwork is symbolic of me covering up my heart with lies I believed that became my truth. I hope this song heals the heartbroken and is hope for those who have lost love. That there is beauty after the pain and that you deserve to feel that again.” – HAYL
Deborah (162 KP) rated Uncut Gems (2019) in Movies
Feb 28, 2020
Loud but D-U-L-L
Slightly bemused by the high ratings this films seems to have attracted.
Unlikable, unsympathetic jeweller is a complete ar*e to pretty much everyone (screwing over business associates, cheating on his wife, completely self-absorbed). Do I care if he is assaulted by some unhappy 'business associates', well not really. There's nothing to make me feel anything towards any of the characters - they are flatter than pancakes. So much for plot and characterisation.
They have also saved enormously on the budget without bothering to have anyone write dialogue. What do you need with proper dialogue when the cardboard characters can spend the whole film shouting "f*ck you" at top volume at each other all the way through? I like to think I'm not particularly prudish about swearing, but when that's all there seems to be and it's delivered at top volume it all gets a little tedious. Well, quite a lot tedious actually.
Maybe this film has a fantastic ending and I completely missed the point, but I will never know and frankly I don't much care! I got bored to tears pretty early on and luckily my husband had had more than enough about an hour in. Since we'd already seen at least one other party leave, we decided to follow suit.... and then met someone else leaving in the cinema foyer. I don't think I've ever had to walk out of a film before. I wasn't interested at all and the volume and inanity just did my head in.
There are some great films out at the moment. This isn't one of them. Avoid like the Coronavirus.
Unlikable, unsympathetic jeweller is a complete ar*e to pretty much everyone (screwing over business associates, cheating on his wife, completely self-absorbed). Do I care if he is assaulted by some unhappy 'business associates', well not really. There's nothing to make me feel anything towards any of the characters - they are flatter than pancakes. So much for plot and characterisation.
They have also saved enormously on the budget without bothering to have anyone write dialogue. What do you need with proper dialogue when the cardboard characters can spend the whole film shouting "f*ck you" at top volume at each other all the way through? I like to think I'm not particularly prudish about swearing, but when that's all there seems to be and it's delivered at top volume it all gets a little tedious. Well, quite a lot tedious actually.
Maybe this film has a fantastic ending and I completely missed the point, but I will never know and frankly I don't much care! I got bored to tears pretty early on and luckily my husband had had more than enough about an hour in. Since we'd already seen at least one other party leave, we decided to follow suit.... and then met someone else leaving in the cinema foyer. I don't think I've ever had to walk out of a film before. I wasn't interested at all and the volume and inanity just did my head in.
There are some great films out at the moment. This isn't one of them. Avoid like the Coronavirus.
Escape You (Cole Brothers #3)
6.0
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One night changes everything… ATF agent Tyler Cole finally gets the break he’s been waiting...
Adult Contemporary Romance Mafia
Betrayal (Infidelity, #1)
9.0
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One week. No future. No past. No more. Alexandria Collins has one week to live carefree—no ghosts...