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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Emerald Blaze in Books
Jan 7, 2021
4.5 stars.
I do really enjoy this series.
This one starts with Catalina and her team trying to coax a "helper" monkey down off a lamppost while fellow PI firm, MII, do the same - both working for separate clients who claim to own the monkey. After sorting that little issue out they sense an unusual force coming from the water and are attacked by a horde of strange creatures. Afterwards she is summoned to her boss' house where she learns of a new job. A man has been found dead in what's known as the Pit and his father wants his murderer found and killed. Catalina has to figure out who did it and Alessandro - her teenage crush and the man who broke her heart when he left six months ago - is there to do the killing.
A lot more than just the above happened but it would be a spoiler to share that with others so I'll let you figure out the fun that is this book.
I really love House Baylor. They are all really protective of each other and have some of the handiest powers going for a PI firm: precision shooting, ability to sniff out lies, the ability to build armoured cars. I feel they've grown a lot over the last four books and in this one, they really are top of their game.
The romance between Catalina and Alessandro was definitely on a slow burn in this. We knew they cared about each other after the previous book but when he left, he really hurt her. It was like the pink elephant in the room. They didn't really acknowledge it but it was there, floating around, knocking into them occasionally to make them remember. It took a while but they did - eventually - talk to each other about it and finally resolved the issues they'd put between them
'm assuming that this isn't the last we'll see of these two since one arc of the storyline did not get resolved fully and the next book they'll be fighting the threat side by side to the death. I can't wait!
I do really enjoy this series.
This one starts with Catalina and her team trying to coax a "helper" monkey down off a lamppost while fellow PI firm, MII, do the same - both working for separate clients who claim to own the monkey. After sorting that little issue out they sense an unusual force coming from the water and are attacked by a horde of strange creatures. Afterwards she is summoned to her boss' house where she learns of a new job. A man has been found dead in what's known as the Pit and his father wants his murderer found and killed. Catalina has to figure out who did it and Alessandro - her teenage crush and the man who broke her heart when he left six months ago - is there to do the killing.
A lot more than just the above happened but it would be a spoiler to share that with others so I'll let you figure out the fun that is this book.
I really love House Baylor. They are all really protective of each other and have some of the handiest powers going for a PI firm: precision shooting, ability to sniff out lies, the ability to build armoured cars. I feel they've grown a lot over the last four books and in this one, they really are top of their game.
The romance between Catalina and Alessandro was definitely on a slow burn in this. We knew they cared about each other after the previous book but when he left, he really hurt her. It was like the pink elephant in the room. They didn't really acknowledge it but it was there, floating around, knocking into them occasionally to make them remember. It took a while but they did - eventually - talk to each other about it and finally resolved the issues they'd put between them
'm assuming that this isn't the last we'll see of these two since one arc of the storyline did not get resolved fully and the next book they'll be fighting the threat side by side to the death. I can't wait!
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This was really a wild ride. I think this book managed to get me out of a mini reading slump (yay!).
The book starts off with Simon's private email being read by some guy in his drama club. This may not seem like a huge deal, except Simon's secretly been emailing this guy who he's maybe in love with. But they don't know each other's real identity, and neither of them have come out yet.
So Simon has to help the guy - Martin - get with one of his best friends. Only she isn't interested (at all). At the same time, Simon is falling for Blue more and more with each email, and is becoming desperate to find him in real life. He starts to decode the clues in an attempt to figure out his identity - only for Blue to beat him to it.
Simon's also struggling with tons of friendship issues, a big play coming up, and his family (and the entire school, for that matter) finding out about him being gay. He doesn't want any of it to be a big deal. But it is.
He's a great character, portrayed to be a normal human being. His relationships all seem pretty realistic (though I'm sceptical about the situation with Blue. Would anyone really be that lucky?). I really felt for him throughout the novel, and I was so unbelievably pleased for him at the end. I'm so not used to such great, adorable endings.
My biggest issues are that sometimes the teen voice was being pushed a bit too hard - we don't always say "freaking" or whatever. And the scenarios seemed a little too far-fetched sometimes. (Seriously, has anyone ever experienced people dancing in the crowd at a school talent show?) But generally this was a good representation of life, and I really enjoyed reading it.
I very nearly marked this as a favourite, but decided on just 4.5 stars in the end. I loved the book, but there were a few minor details that put me off just a little bit. It is most definitely a fantastic book, though! I'd definitely recommend this book for the YA audience.
The book starts off with Simon's private email being read by some guy in his drama club. This may not seem like a huge deal, except Simon's secretly been emailing this guy who he's maybe in love with. But they don't know each other's real identity, and neither of them have come out yet.
So Simon has to help the guy - Martin - get with one of his best friends. Only she isn't interested (at all). At the same time, Simon is falling for Blue more and more with each email, and is becoming desperate to find him in real life. He starts to decode the clues in an attempt to figure out his identity - only for Blue to beat him to it.
Simon's also struggling with tons of friendship issues, a big play coming up, and his family (and the entire school, for that matter) finding out about him being gay. He doesn't want any of it to be a big deal. But it is.
He's a great character, portrayed to be a normal human being. His relationships all seem pretty realistic (though I'm sceptical about the situation with Blue. Would anyone really be that lucky?). I really felt for him throughout the novel, and I was so unbelievably pleased for him at the end. I'm so not used to such great, adorable endings.
My biggest issues are that sometimes the teen voice was being pushed a bit too hard - we don't always say "freaking" or whatever. And the scenarios seemed a little too far-fetched sometimes. (Seriously, has anyone ever experienced people dancing in the crowd at a school talent show?) But generally this was a good representation of life, and I really enjoyed reading it.
I very nearly marked this as a favourite, but decided on just 4.5 stars in the end. I loved the book, but there were a few minor details that put me off just a little bit. It is most definitely a fantastic book, though! I'd definitely recommend this book for the YA audience.
Ronyell (38 KP) rated James and the Giant Peach (1996) in Movies
Aug 4, 2020 (Updated Aug 4, 2020)
A Boy and His Giant Sized Bugs
Now, I was practically introduced to "James and the Giant Peach" through Roald Dahl's original book and I instantly fell in love with this story! So, I was definitely excited to see Roald Dahl's classic novel come to life in animation and I must say that I practically enjoyed this bizarre yet creative version of the classic children's story. I absolutely loved all of the characters, with my favorite characters being Miss Spider and the Centipede. I loved Miss Spider because she was quite an unusual character as she is considered frightening by the other bugs due to her literally eating other bugs, but I loved the fact that she cares so much for James and was willing to help him out no matter how horrifying the situation is. The Centipede was a truly fun character as he might be a little rude and annoying to the other bugs, but I loved his courageous nature and the fact that he is also willing to help James out of his situation. The voice acting was fantastic, especially Susan Sarandon as the quiet and serious Miss Spider and Richard Dreyfuss as the fun loving Centipede, as they fit the characters extremely well and they bring so much life to the characters. The story was truly creative, especially about the idea of a group of friends (giant insects in this case) coming together inside a giant peach and traveling around the world with it! I found that idea to be a bit strange yet creative at the same time and even though I have an intense fear of bugs, I definitely would have loved to be friends with giant bugs!
The major problem I had with this movie was that there seemed to be so many plot holes within this film that there were times that I did not understand what was going on in this film. Like for example, how did Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker drive their car through the ocean and how can a mechanical shark appear out of nowhere in the ocean?
Overall, "James and the Giant Peach" is definitely one treat that fans of Roald Dahl's works and fans of surreal animation should definitely check out!
The major problem I had with this movie was that there seemed to be so many plot holes within this film that there were times that I did not understand what was going on in this film. Like for example, how did Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker drive their car through the ocean and how can a mechanical shark appear out of nowhere in the ocean?
Overall, "James and the Giant Peach" is definitely one treat that fans of Roald Dahl's works and fans of surreal animation should definitely check out!
Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) rated Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) in Movies
Jul 7, 2020 (Updated Nov 1, 2020)
Not Much More Than The Same Goofy Undead Routine
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie was pretty entertaining when I saw it in theaters but I was more than a little disappointed in the movie as a whole, especially when it was 10 years in the making, and because of how much I loved the original movie. As I mentioned above this movie started off strong with the introduction about how the zombies were changing or evolving. The 3 types were: Homers, which were so dumb they were almost not a threat, Hawkings, which were smarter than the average zombie, and Ninjas, which are the silent and stealthy types. The whole montage of them whooping zombie ass on the lawn of the White House was awesome too. The movie was going smooth to be but I didn't like how the plot felt recycled because of the girls leaving them and stealing their car just like the first one. I can see a lot of people being annoyed with the dumb blonde character Madison, but to me her scenes were generally pretty funny and I couldn't help but bust out laughing with that seat belt scene. The one character that I never really liked in the movie was Avan Jogia's character Berkeley. He was just a plot device that got the story moving and never really did anything except be a pacifist hippie who played the guitar and the love interest for Little Rock. She totally winds up stealing the car from Wichita and leaving her stranded. A lot of the movie I think probably sounded better on paper then it wound up coming out in the film. Like for example the new type of zombie called the T-800's (after the terminator) were tougher to kill, they showed how it dodge bullets like Neo from Matrix and even took a lot of bullets and kept on going until it had it's head smashed in. But the movie lost at lot of those good things along the way. The Homers come out again in a few scenes, they mention a Hawking but it didn't really do anything special, and they never showed a ninja. Also the T-800's who were so un-killable earlier are shown to be easily killable later. When the gang is at the hippie strong hold Babylon, which in itself is ridiculous, they do a plan to take out the horde of T-800's coming their way. There is a part where they are being swarmed by them and they have no weapons other than melee ones and are easily killing all the T-800s around them. Yeah the whole hippie stronghold place was a big stretch for me too. I mean it had walls to protected them and rules for new people like no guns (which they confiscate and melt), but there's no way they could be there for 10 years with no weapons surviving in the zombie apocalypse. Just like the character Madison surviving in the mall living in a freezer in Pinkberry for 10 years. It's just a lot of the logic went out the window. But still it was an above average zombie movie and that's why I give it a 6/10.
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Booksmart (2019) in Movies
Sep 28, 2021
A raunchy but extremely funny teen-sex comedy.
A panda’s eye view of teenage life.
I tend to struggle to find a really good comedy to add to my top 10 of the year. Last year it was “Game Night” that made my list. One that is definitely heading there this year is “Booksmart”.
A retread on a well-travelled tyre.
The coming of age school comedy has been rehashed multiple times. These include films as varied as “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Superbad”, “Easy A”, “Mean Girls”, “Never Been Kissed” and “10 Things I Hate About You”. In tone, “Booksmart” is probably closest to “Superbad”, but it manages – under the direction of actress Olivia Wilde, in her debut feature – to establish a quirky likeability all of its own. An instant classic in the making.
Not for the prudish.
The story concerns two BFF’s – Molly (Beanie Feldstein, sister of Jonah Hill) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever). They have both spent their young lives trying to score A’s at school in lieu of all other distractions. On the eve of their graduation, Molly realises that this was not a binary option. Her school companions have managed to get all of the success without any of the self-sacrifice! She calls “Malala”! And the duo proceed on a drink and drug-fuelled night to catch up on all the school social life they have missed out on!
Part of this catching up includes sex, and with Amy as a naive wannabe lesbian, in awe of tom-boy skateboarder Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), coming out has never seemed so painful.
I first saw this on a plane and guffawed so much that I went out to buy the DVD for a family viewing. Watching it again though, it is really very, very rude. If you were to categorize it, I think “sex comedy” would be a primary tag. A clumsy but realistic scene between Amy and the “hot girl” Hope (Diana Silvers… who really is) is excruciatingly hard to watch. This can therefore prove an uncomfortable co-watch for ‘young folks’ who – despite all the obvious evidence! – assume their parents / in-laws have done nothing in the past other than hold hands!! 🙂
In a great ensemble cast, Kaitlyn Dever is a revelation.
Kaitlyn Dever has cut her teeth with supporting roles on a few B-grade movies this year including “Beautiful Boy” and “The Front Runner“. But here she takes centre stage and is an absolute revelation as the sexually bemused teen. While Beanie Feldstein has the more obvious comic lead role, it is Dever who continually grabbed my attention with her acting skills. This young lady is added to my “one to watch” list.
This is not to decry the rest of the cast. For this is a great ensemble performance from a pretty unknown cast. The only familiar faces are Lisa Kudrow and Jason Sudeikis, but they only have bit parts.
The only role that didn’t quite work for me was that of the kooky drugged out hippie Gigi (Billie Lourd). It was all a bit too over-the-top for me in a movie that didn’t really need that sort of manic angle. (However, this did set up a Marwen-style drug scene that made me snort… with laughter).
As a comedy, will this by the whole you think it is?
I think this will prove to be a firm young person’s favourite for many years to come. Whether you will find it funny or not will probably depend on the setting of your ‘crudometer’ and your resilience to bad language on screen.
For me, personally, I am clearly still 17 on the inside! I loved it. Not only do I think it a good comedy. It is also a feel-good movie about best friends; a coming of age lesbian adventure; and a film that treats the multi-coloured spectrum of modern sexual variety as something entirely normal and to be celebrated.
I tend to struggle to find a really good comedy to add to my top 10 of the year. Last year it was “Game Night” that made my list. One that is definitely heading there this year is “Booksmart”.
A retread on a well-travelled tyre.
The coming of age school comedy has been rehashed multiple times. These include films as varied as “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Superbad”, “Easy A”, “Mean Girls”, “Never Been Kissed” and “10 Things I Hate About You”. In tone, “Booksmart” is probably closest to “Superbad”, but it manages – under the direction of actress Olivia Wilde, in her debut feature – to establish a quirky likeability all of its own. An instant classic in the making.
Not for the prudish.
The story concerns two BFF’s – Molly (Beanie Feldstein, sister of Jonah Hill) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever). They have both spent their young lives trying to score A’s at school in lieu of all other distractions. On the eve of their graduation, Molly realises that this was not a binary option. Her school companions have managed to get all of the success without any of the self-sacrifice! She calls “Malala”! And the duo proceed on a drink and drug-fuelled night to catch up on all the school social life they have missed out on!
Part of this catching up includes sex, and with Amy as a naive wannabe lesbian, in awe of tom-boy skateboarder Ryan (Victoria Ruesga), coming out has never seemed so painful.
I first saw this on a plane and guffawed so much that I went out to buy the DVD for a family viewing. Watching it again though, it is really very, very rude. If you were to categorize it, I think “sex comedy” would be a primary tag. A clumsy but realistic scene between Amy and the “hot girl” Hope (Diana Silvers… who really is) is excruciatingly hard to watch. This can therefore prove an uncomfortable co-watch for ‘young folks’ who – despite all the obvious evidence! – assume their parents / in-laws have done nothing in the past other than hold hands!! 🙂
In a great ensemble cast, Kaitlyn Dever is a revelation.
Kaitlyn Dever has cut her teeth with supporting roles on a few B-grade movies this year including “Beautiful Boy” and “The Front Runner“. But here she takes centre stage and is an absolute revelation as the sexually bemused teen. While Beanie Feldstein has the more obvious comic lead role, it is Dever who continually grabbed my attention with her acting skills. This young lady is added to my “one to watch” list.
This is not to decry the rest of the cast. For this is a great ensemble performance from a pretty unknown cast. The only familiar faces are Lisa Kudrow and Jason Sudeikis, but they only have bit parts.
The only role that didn’t quite work for me was that of the kooky drugged out hippie Gigi (Billie Lourd). It was all a bit too over-the-top for me in a movie that didn’t really need that sort of manic angle. (However, this did set up a Marwen-style drug scene that made me snort… with laughter).
As a comedy, will this by the whole you think it is?
I think this will prove to be a firm young person’s favourite for many years to come. Whether you will find it funny or not will probably depend on the setting of your ‘crudometer’ and your resilience to bad language on screen.
For me, personally, I am clearly still 17 on the inside! I loved it. Not only do I think it a good comedy. It is also a feel-good movie about best friends; a coming of age lesbian adventure; and a film that treats the multi-coloured spectrum of modern sexual variety as something entirely normal and to be celebrated.
Debbiereadsbook (1166 KP) rated The Victorian (Lavender Shores #9) in Books
Feb 4, 2019
totally surprised by this one! Loved it!
This is book 9 in the Lavender Shores series and I *think* Seth pops up in every one! You don't need to have read the other books, before this one, but I think you should. They are all 4 and 5 star reads from me, bar one.
We met Seth right at the beginning of book one, The Palisade. I thought it was chapter one, but it is in chapter two he makes his first appearance. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad he got his own story, he deserved it!
Seth runs the B and B and Charley has a restaurant in town. They have history, a deep sated hatred of each other that Seth knows not from whence it came. Charley does though. When they are thrown together for a food and drink festival, sparks fly. But sparks is far too tame a word for what Seth and Charley begin to feel for each other. Each man has his demons, and those demons need banishing before they can admit who they really want.
There is an . . . incident . . . at the beginning, though, before all of this and I'm not saying what. It's kinda thrown at them by someone else and I think it was a bit unfair. It does, however, give Seth and Charley a taste of what could be between them, should they want. And they DO want, that much is obvious, even with the tempers between them!
So much passion between these two, it jumps off the page right from that incident (but again, far too tame a word for what happens!) Not just the anger between, or rather from Charley, but the connection that keeps pulling them together. And when Seth sees Charley, I mean really SEES why Charley is so angry all the time? Oh! Seth is just . . ..oh!
I cried a lot for these two. I wasn't expecting any of this, because there was no indication that this was coming! Or at least, I never picked up on it! There was not a single point along the way, in any of the other 8 books, that I can pick up and say ""oh yeah, that story is gonna be good!" And I was going to comment that this was a negative, but actually, I'm GLAD I did not see this one coming, I really am. I'm GLAD I did not see Seth's story unfolding because it might have taken away the surprise out of this story and it's the SURPRISE part that MAKES this book!
So many surprises, and I'm not pointing them out cos of spoilers, but I did NOT see any of them coming at me, and I am so freaking glad I didn't!
There is another story planned, I believe, about the instigator of that *Incident * I don't want to be too hard on him, because he really did think he was helping, but I truly hope he is sorry for the way he went about it, rather than what he did.
This book carries some darker moments, both for Seth and Charley and some readers may find it difficult. I did, because they both have difficult pasts.
But so bloody good! I read it in one sitting, after 6 days straight at work, two back to back 14 hour shifts, starting it at 10pm and did not stop til I ran out of book! And it ain't a short one either, some 330 pages!
So, 5 bloody amazing stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
We met Seth right at the beginning of book one, The Palisade. I thought it was chapter one, but it is in chapter two he makes his first appearance. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad he got his own story, he deserved it!
Seth runs the B and B and Charley has a restaurant in town. They have history, a deep sated hatred of each other that Seth knows not from whence it came. Charley does though. When they are thrown together for a food and drink festival, sparks fly. But sparks is far too tame a word for what Seth and Charley begin to feel for each other. Each man has his demons, and those demons need banishing before they can admit who they really want.
There is an . . . incident . . . at the beginning, though, before all of this and I'm not saying what. It's kinda thrown at them by someone else and I think it was a bit unfair. It does, however, give Seth and Charley a taste of what could be between them, should they want. And they DO want, that much is obvious, even with the tempers between them!
So much passion between these two, it jumps off the page right from that incident (but again, far too tame a word for what happens!) Not just the anger between, or rather from Charley, but the connection that keeps pulling them together. And when Seth sees Charley, I mean really SEES why Charley is so angry all the time? Oh! Seth is just . . ..oh!
I cried a lot for these two. I wasn't expecting any of this, because there was no indication that this was coming! Or at least, I never picked up on it! There was not a single point along the way, in any of the other 8 books, that I can pick up and say ""oh yeah, that story is gonna be good!" And I was going to comment that this was a negative, but actually, I'm GLAD I did not see this one coming, I really am. I'm GLAD I did not see Seth's story unfolding because it might have taken away the surprise out of this story and it's the SURPRISE part that MAKES this book!
So many surprises, and I'm not pointing them out cos of spoilers, but I did NOT see any of them coming at me, and I am so freaking glad I didn't!
There is another story planned, I believe, about the instigator of that *Incident * I don't want to be too hard on him, because he really did think he was helping, but I truly hope he is sorry for the way he went about it, rather than what he did.
This book carries some darker moments, both for Seth and Charley and some readers may find it difficult. I did, because they both have difficult pasts.
But so bloody good! I read it in one sitting, after 6 days straight at work, two back to back 14 hour shifts, starting it at 10pm and did not stop til I ran out of book! And it ain't a short one either, some 330 pages!
So, 5 bloody amazing stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Lee Ronaldo recommended Kollaps by Einsturzende Neubauten in Music (curated)
Debbiereadsbook (1166 KP) rated Covet Me (Banger Triolgy #2) in Books
Jan 10, 2018
awesome second instalment!
I reiterate my point that I made at the beginning of book 1, Choose Me: You NEED all three before you start!! Seriosuly, DO NOT attempt these books til you have all three (book one is currently free Jan 6th 2018)
Because book two picks up right where book one left off, it follows IMMEDIATELY after Greyson gave Katherine her choice. To come to dinner or not, he'll be there.
Katherine makes her choice, it's obvious which way she will go, these two are totally MADE for each other, but it's great fun watching her get there.
It is again, down and dirty and again makes no apologies for that. It's right and proper for these books to be so, it really is.
But there is more emotion here. Not quite the bawling eyes out ( I know that's coming cos upon writing this, I've already read book three!) but it still tugs at your heart stings when Greyson finally discovers he can make LOVE to Katherine, not just bang her against the wall. That he can do sweet and slow just as much as hard and fast.
And then, just as Katharine and Greyson have decided that, really, this ain't just a summer fling, it's way much more that that, Ms Lynne throws a MAHOOSIVE spanner in the works, and my kindle, my brand new paperwhite, had it's first introduction to the wall!!
To be honest, I almost saw it coming, I just did not expect it to be THAT bad!!
Not quite managed in one sitting, cos the dayjob got in the way, but still.
5 full and shiny stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Because book two picks up right where book one left off, it follows IMMEDIATELY after Greyson gave Katherine her choice. To come to dinner or not, he'll be there.
Katherine makes her choice, it's obvious which way she will go, these two are totally MADE for each other, but it's great fun watching her get there.
It is again, down and dirty and again makes no apologies for that. It's right and proper for these books to be so, it really is.
But there is more emotion here. Not quite the bawling eyes out ( I know that's coming cos upon writing this, I've already read book three!) but it still tugs at your heart stings when Greyson finally discovers he can make LOVE to Katherine, not just bang her against the wall. That he can do sweet and slow just as much as hard and fast.
And then, just as Katharine and Greyson have decided that, really, this ain't just a summer fling, it's way much more that that, Ms Lynne throws a MAHOOSIVE spanner in the works, and my kindle, my brand new paperwhite, had it's first introduction to the wall!!
To be honest, I almost saw it coming, I just did not expect it to be THAT bad!!
Not quite managed in one sitting, cos the dayjob got in the way, but still.
5 full and shiny stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Janeeny (200 KP) rated The Illumination Of Ursula Flight in Books
May 8, 2019
Even though this book has a nice looking cover I can’t say that it is a book I would have picked up myself
The Goodreads blurb reads
“Born on the night of an ill-auguring comet just before Charles II's Restoration, Ursula Flight has a difficult future written in the stars.
Against the custom of the age she begins an education with her father, who fosters in her a love of reading, writing and astrology.
Following a surprise meeting with an actress, Ursula yearns for the theatre and thus begins her quest to become a playwright despite scoundrels, bounders, bad luck and heartbreak.”
On the face of it it sounds like a ‘coming of age’ historical drama, which it essentially was, and not in an era I really have much an interest in. So it was nice to read something a little out of my comfort zone.
As the blurb says, Ursula is a young girl with aspirations of the stage. Unfortunately for Ursula her parents have a life planned for her and being a lowly actress is not one of them. The story follows Ursula's struggles to follow her parents wishes whilst trying to stay true to herself.
I loved the way this was written, its told from Ursula's point of view and interspersed with little snippets of play writing by Ursula. Ursula is a very strong character that is way ahead of the era she lives in. What I loved most about this book was near the end, i won't spoil it, but suffice to say I think the author was very clever with the ending she chose.
To summarise, it’s a well written well reserached coming of aged historical drama with a strong female lead and an admirable feminist message.
The Goodreads blurb reads
“Born on the night of an ill-auguring comet just before Charles II's Restoration, Ursula Flight has a difficult future written in the stars.
Against the custom of the age she begins an education with her father, who fosters in her a love of reading, writing and astrology.
Following a surprise meeting with an actress, Ursula yearns for the theatre and thus begins her quest to become a playwright despite scoundrels, bounders, bad luck and heartbreak.”
On the face of it it sounds like a ‘coming of age’ historical drama, which it essentially was, and not in an era I really have much an interest in. So it was nice to read something a little out of my comfort zone.
As the blurb says, Ursula is a young girl with aspirations of the stage. Unfortunately for Ursula her parents have a life planned for her and being a lowly actress is not one of them. The story follows Ursula's struggles to follow her parents wishes whilst trying to stay true to herself.
I loved the way this was written, its told from Ursula's point of view and interspersed with little snippets of play writing by Ursula. Ursula is a very strong character that is way ahead of the era she lives in. What I loved most about this book was near the end, i won't spoil it, but suffice to say I think the author was very clever with the ending she chose.
To summarise, it’s a well written well reserached coming of aged historical drama with a strong female lead and an admirable feminist message.
Mike Wilder (20 KP) rated Horrible Bosses (2011) in Movies
May 30, 2018
Easily my favourite comedy of 2011
Contains spoilers, click to show
Easily my favourite comedy of 2011, with Crazy, Stupid, Love. coming a close second. The film is about three guys whose jobs are made hell by their bosses. They decide to kill them in a "Strangers on a train" style, where one kills another's boss so it can't be traced back to the employee. I wasn't sure what to expect from the cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Jason Bateman, Colin Farrell, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Aniston. Each fine actors but how would they fair in this film? Amazingly is how. Colin Farrell is almost unrecognizable as one of the bosses and Kevin Spacey is great as usual. However the stand out performance of the film is Jennifer Aniston. She plays a dentist, the boss of Dale (Charlie Day) and she is sexually harassing him. She really takes the role and plays it to perfection. Dale is her shy assistant who is engaged to Stacy (Lindsay Sloane). He is faithful to her and resists all advances from his over sexed boss. It is not a role we are used to seeing her play but it is a perfect performance. Another great performance was Jamie Foxx the murder consultant they hire. Horrible Bosses is a great comedy, almost a perfect comedy. The only flaw for me was it was all tied up a little too neatly. I saw the ending coming before it happened and it would have been nice to have an ending a little more surprising. Having said that I can't imagine how it could have been ended differently. The film doesn't have to resort to crude gags and just lets the script and performances of the cast tell the story. This works so well and full credit to the writers for a great comedy.