The Myth of the Litigious Society: Why We Don't Sue
Book
Why do Americans seem to sue at the slightest provocation? The answer may surprise you: we don't!...
After the Beautiful: Hegel and the Philosophy of Pictorial Modernism
Book
In his Berlin lectures on fine art, Hegel argued that art involves a unique form of aesthetic...
Before Pictures
Book
Douglas Crimp is the rare art critic whose work profoundly influenced a generation of artists. He is...
Architect's Guide to Writing: For Design and Construction Professionals
Book
A one-stop shop for architects and other design professionals to improve their writing skills. There...
Cat's Cradle
Kurt Vonnegut and Benjamin Kunkel
9.3
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Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle is an irreverent and highly entertaining fantasy about the playful...
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Child's Play (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020
A revolutionary line of high-tech dolls, designed to be life-long companions to their owners, called Buddi, is launched by the Kaslan Corporation. Buddi dolls learn from their surroundings and act accordingly by connecting and operating other Kaslan products making it a success with children world wide. Before committing suicide after being fired at a Buddi assembly plant in Vietnam, an employee disables all of the doll's safety protocols on the doll he is assembling. In Chicago, Karen Barclay (Aubrey Plaza), a retail clerk, encourages her son, Andy (Gabriel Bateman), to make new friends as she prepares for his upcoming birthday. She blackmails her boss to procure a Buddi doll as an early birthday gift but once Andy activates it, the doll begins to display violent tendencies.
This movie was pretty good, and that goes for remakes/reboots. I think everyone has seen a bad Chucky movie and this is not one. I really didn't like the redesign or new look of the Chucky doll but it grew on me as the movie progressed. Also I guess I'm just so used to his voice being different, that I also didn't think Mark Hamill's voice fit either, until the movie progressed further. I agree with certain critics that complained about the inconsistent tone, and how it lacked the principal's perverse originality. It definitely didn't have the me vibe of the original but I like how it made it, its own thing. But I think this was a very successful remake. The acting from Gabriel Bateman was really good and I wound up really liking Mark Hamill's performance as well. He actually made me feel sorry for the doll. I give this movie a 7/10. And I say you should definitely check it out, especially if you are a fan of the Child's Play movies.
Debating Darwin
Robert J. Richards and Michael Ruse
Book
Charles Darwin is easily the most famous scientist of the modern age, and his theory of evolution is...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Mine to Keep (Mine, #2) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
This follows the events of the last one with Skye and Trace on an island as Trace tries to help Skye get over the terrible ordeal she suffered at the hands of her ex. Soon after they arrive back in Chicago, they are met by an old colleague of Trace’s who warns them that someone is coming after them. Then the intrigue begins…
This one focuses more on Trace and things that happened in his past that he wishes he could forget. I was intrigued to find out what he’d done that was so bad that someone was trying to get to him and Skye. To get to him through Skye. And I’ll tell you now I wasn’t quite expecting it to be that.
We see bits from the POV of the person after Trace and it’s slightly creepy how cold the person is at the thought of killing anyone who stood in his way.
Once again the books feature some really intense sex scenes between the two main characters and shows how they struggle to keep their relationship afloat as lies come out of the woodwork that have been buried for years.
I’m lucky that the author goes over a lot of the things that happened in the previous book because I will admit I read a lot of books and it’s sometimes hard to remember what happened in certain ones.
It all came back to me within the first 15% or so and then I could get on with my detective work of trying to figure out who was behind it all. It kept me guessing throughout, just like in the first one and I found myself going “Ooooooh!” as new information was uncovered. I was most definitely intrigued by this. Well done to the author for such brilliant writing!
I really enjoyed this, believe it or not it got better the more I read. That last 15% or so made it 5 star worthy for me!
If you plan on reading this, then read Mine to Take first as this is a continuation. If you enjoyed the first then you should definitely read this one too.
ClareR (5637 KP) rated The Searcher in Books
Nov 15, 2020
As in most small villages, word of a new, exotic inhabitant spreads fast, and this is why Trey turns up on Cal’s doorstep. He wants Cal to help him find his older brother, Brendan, who has disappeared. The local police seem to be completely disinterested - mainly due to the family’s reputation. It seems to be no surprise to people that Trey’s 19 year old brother would want to leave the small village. With the family’s reputation being that of ‘wasters’ who live on the poverty line (or probably below it), it strikes people as unremarkable that he would leave to try and make his life better elsewhere. But Trey doesn’t believe this. He believes that he has been kidnapped, and he wants Cal to find him. The problem is that Cal just doesn’t want to get involved. He has left the Chicago police force because of the frustration he feels at not making a difference. And this decency is what ends up drawing him in to helping Trey.
It did surprise me that Cal becomes involved with Trey, and he clearly realises that such a relationship could be seen as problematic. He makes the effort to keep Trey’s presence a secret from his nosy neighbour, Mart. The fact that everyone seemed to know everyone else’s business did create a claustrophobic atmosphere, almost a touch of horror especially as the book progresses.
This also touches on some of the current issues in the USA surrounding policing and BLM protests, so it does make this a very current novel. I have to say though, that the end of the book came as a complete surprise to me, and left me feeling ultimately disappointed in the characters. It didn’t make me like the book any less though!
Many thanks to Penguin UK and NetGalley for my copy of this book to read and review.
Wild: Hook Up, Meet & Dating
Dating, Lifestyle and Social Networking
3.0
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WILD - The Fastest way to meet & date with hot singles in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago,...