Winter Stroll
7.0
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"Happy Holidays 2015! It has been a rough year for the Quinns, but I would like to start by saying...
Midwinter Mysteries
Linda Stratmann, Cora Harrison, David Field, Graham Brack, Marilyn Todd, J. C. Briggs, Keith Moray, Seàn Gibbons, Gaynor Torrance and Kim Fleet
7.0
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Eleven authors. Eleven stories. One festive collection! Perfect for fans of crime fiction, short...
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas in Books
Apr 15, 2022
I don’t think I will ever tire of reading Adam Kay’s work, from the diary entries full of sarcasm to the explanatory footnotes with a touch of humour, he makes his books so easy to read.
This book shows how medical staff don’t get the standard couple of weeks off that most people seem to get where they can binge on cheese and wine and forget which day of the week it is, whilst watching rubbish TV. They still have to work, and sometimes it’s the worst time of year because of people overindulging and not being careful with the most ordinary of tasks.
I don’t know how he manages to keep his sense of humour throughout both books and throughout his career in medicine, but I’m so glad that he does.
The final chapter was the most poignant one for me, where he talks about thanking the medical professionals with small gestures such as a Christmas card or donating to a charity. It shows that even though he is no longer in the profession, it isn’t too far from his heart (probably because his siblings still work in the profession) and he wants to make it better for those that do pull the short straw at Christmas.
Another brilliant read from Adam Kay, I can’t wait to read more from him (hopefully!). My only regret? Not reading this one around Christmas!
Merissa (11643 KP) rated Grinch Kisses (Christmas Falls #1) in Books
Nov 12, 2023
In this one, we have Griff, also known as Grinch, who is the lead Event Planner for the Christmas celebrations the town is known for. Logan is Griff's sister's friend and agrees to play fake-boyfriend to keep her loving parents off her back after she split up with her actual boyfriend. Griff and Logan meet and it's fireworks!
What an introduction! First of all, although the town sounds great, it also sounds a bit much for me! LOL I'd probably give Griff a run for his money for that nickname. Still, the world-building was good enough that the town came alive, along with its inhabitants.
The angst in this book is completely believable - from Logan's desire to fit in, longing to stay, and fear of being rejected, to Griff's behaviour in protecting himself. I also loved how the situation with his kids took work and time. There wasn't a magic wand that suddenly made everything okay.
A fantastic start to a new series that I thoroughly enjoyed and can't wait to return to. If you love Christmas and pure romance, then this is definitely the book for you.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 12, 2023
Lee (2222 KP) rated Black Christmas (2019) in Movies
Dec 13, 2019
Black Christmas retains its campus setting as a group of sorority sisters, all seniors at Hawthorne University, prepare for the end of term and the Christmas holidays. While a group of girls are celebrating one night, one of their friends is being terrorised by a robed killer as she walks home alone down a quiet snowy street, adorned with Christmas decorations. It's all pretty generic stuff so far, and in terms of horror and suspense, that's all we get for about the next 30 minutes or so while the movie shifts down a few gears and tries to introduce us to some characters and some kind of plot.
Riley (Imogen Poots) is one of only a couple of characters who you'll remember come the end of the movie. After passing out at a frat party a few years earlier, Riley was sexually assaulted, and she and her friends are now preparing to sing at another frat party which her accused rapist will also be attending. While looking around the house for a friend who seems to have gone missing, Riley opens the door on a hidden room where she observes a strange ceremony - pledges, wearing medieval robes and masks, are being daubed with some kind of black goo that's oozing from the eyes of a bust depicting the University's founder. She leaves them to it, and heads back to the party, not before rescuing her lost friend from the unwanted advances of another frat boy in his room.
Riley goes on to perform with her friends, a routine which turns out to be a carefully choreographed prank song - worded as a call out to the toxic masculinity and frat rape culture that Riley and so many other girls have experienced first hand. Needless to say, this doesn't go down too well with the boys, even more so when a video of the routine goes viral the next day.
Meanwhile, another one of the sisters is currently in the process of gathering signatures for a petition, in an attempt to get their English professor (Cary Elwes) sacked for not including enough diversity in his curriculum. So, when some of the lesser known female characters begin disappearing, and our main cast begin receiving mysterious and threatening messages on their phones, there are certainly plenty of potential suspects to choose from. Eventually, the killer makes it into the sorority house where Riley and her friends are, and it's up to them all to work together in order to outwit and defeat the killer.
I'm a big fan of the 'final girl' movie, where the seemingly indestructible female lead goes from downtrodden victim to badass warrior (see 'You're Next', or this years hugely enjoyable 'Ready Or Not'), remaining as sole survivor once the dust has settled and the movie comes to its satisfying conclusion. I was really hoping for Black Christmas to follow in that vein, and it's clearly what the filmmakers were aiming for too. But, despite its well-intentioned premise, Black Christmas completely fails to deliver. Death scenes are rushed, not even particularly inventive, and because it is so drearily written and poorly directed, you barely know or even care who most of the victims are anyway. Following a slow and messy first half, the movie then takes a turn towards the supernatural, culminating in a frankly ridiculous final act and cementing this movie firmly in my worst 5 movies of 2019!
Cardlists Label Printing
Utilities and Productivity
App
Easily print address labels for Christmas cards or other mailing lists. Easy list management. This...
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) shared own list
Nov 25, 2017
Christmas films on Netflix, NowTV and Amazon Prime include Love Actually, Home Alone 2, Polar Express and more:
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
7.8
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Movie
One year after Kevin was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he...
Almost Christmas (2016)
7.3
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Movie Watch
Walter Meyer (Danny Glover) is a retired mechanic who lost the love of his life one year earlier....
Love Actually (2003)
8.2
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Movie Watch
"Get ready for fun!" (Leah Rozen, People) with the "feel good movie of the year!" (Clay Smith,...
and 3 other items
Dean (6921 KP) rated A Christmas Horror Story (2015) in Movies
Dec 17, 2017 (Updated Dec 17, 2017)
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2065 KP) rated The Thin Man in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/05/book-review-thin-man-by-dashiell-hammett.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Aasiyah Sidat (34 KP) rated Yes Please in Books
Jul 5, 2018
What you need is some motivation mixed in with some funny stories for good measure!
Enter the amazing, hilarious and wonderful Amy Poehler!!!!
Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2018/01/yes-please.html