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https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2020/08/14/line-by-line-bethany-house

Line by Line was a sweet story with a compelling plotline. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read from and Jennifer Delamere certainly emphasized why! This is the first book in her new series Love along the Wires which if I am right, she does introduce some of the characters who will have their books coming out next.

I loved how Alice McNeil knew what she wanted in life. She is independent, competent, and a hard worker who is great at her job, that of a telegrapher; a job that sounds like so much fun. I thought Douglas Shaw was a great balance for her, and I loved the tensions between them. It was a very interesting story to watch unfold.

The setting of this story was around the turn of the century 1880s and it was right when women started trying to have more of a voice in things, and branch out into industries that they previously had not been able to be in. I thought Jennifer Delamere did a great job bringing to light different aspects of the time and telling them in a no-nonsense way, just making them flow seamlessly with the story. I enjoyed this story and I am excited to pass it to someone else who will enjoy it as much as I did.

I give this story 5 out of 5 stars for the great characters, the fun & informative plot, and the theme of being open to what God wants you to do.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own. </i>
  
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Ti West recommended Bad Taste (1989) in Movies (curated)

 
Bad Taste (1989)
Bad Taste (1989)
1989 | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

"I can say that, in thinking about it, I was thinking five favorite-ish movies that seemed to be relatively inspiring to me as a filmmaker or something like that. One is a movie called Bad Taste by Peter Jackson. The reason that movie is one of my favorite films is because… two things. One, I saw it when I was very young because it had a very sort of provocative box cover of an alien giving you the middle finger, in the video store; that was very charming to me. It seemed like something that needed to be rented for a sleep over. It’s one of the grossest movies ever, so it was always the benchmark of, like, “Is there a more disgusting movie than this?” And also not a lot of people had seen it so it was like a badge of honor. But more importantly, when I decided that maybe movies was something I wanted to do, that movie was actually the first movie that I think made me think I could maybe do this. Because it was the first time I’d ever seen a movie where I realized how the movie was made. And I realized, “He’s just putting a camera on the back of the car;” “Oh, that’s just him with his friend doing this;” and, “I can see how he built that effect” or “I can see how he used ketchup for blood” or whatever. It was so rough around the edges, yet still compelling and well-made that it kind of gave me this sort of inspiration and confidence to be like, “All I have to do is go do it, like this guy just went and did it.” So that movie is, like, the number one movie that made me think, “Maybe I can try this.”"

Source
  
The Other Sister
The Other Sister
Rowan Coleman | 2016 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Did you read the description of this book? Did it leave you intrigued and curious? It definitely did to me. This book is about Willow, talent agents PA who struggles with her love life, but when one day her ex stepdaughter shows up by her door, her life turns around making her realise what she wants from life.
Willow is very interesting character, who has messed up mind, great confusion in her life and very low self esteem. Surprisingly that makes her quite relatable to common person. There were always secret mentioned which influenced why Willow is the way she is , but it was very well kept till the end of the book, and let me tell you one thing, that secret got me really disturbed, I was not expecting that. Other characters are quite interesting as well, but the book mainly concentrates about Willow and her problems. The book was written only from Willow’s perspective and did not portray the feelings and thoughts of other characters, which is a bit of a bummer, because I would not mind knowing what was going on in the stepdaughter’s and the men’s in her life minds.
 The story of this book is very well thought through and very interesting to read. There are lots of twists and turns with a hint of magic (or was it not?). One thing to point out though, the ending of the book is quite predictable, but it did not disappoint me. I think this book is a real treat and I would strongly recommend it. It is witty, beautiful, compelling but at the same time sorrowful. There are a lot of things going on in this book so it will not bore you.
  
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ClareR (5726 KP) rated Monogamy in Books

Sep 13, 2020  
Monogamy
Monogamy
Sue Miller | 2020 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Monogamy is just the kind of book that I’ve come to learn that I really enjoy. It’s a beautifully written novel about marriage, and what happens to people in the marriage as well as those on the periphery. It’s not all action, it’s not hugely exciting, but it IS compelling and full of characters that you want to get to know.

The main characters, Graham and Annie, are written as real people: not everything they do is particularly likeable. Graham owns a bookshop, Annie is a photographer. They have a daughter together, and a son from Graham’s first marriage. His ex-wife is very much present in their lives, which may seem odd at first, but they all seem to get on well, with no-one feeling threatened by the arrangement.

This is a story mainly about grief. Graham dies and Annie is left to grieve his loss. Then at his funeral, Annie makes a discovery which then causes her to grieve more than just the loss of Graham.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I really did love how the feelings expressed in this book all seemed so relatable (even if you haven’t experienced what the main characters have experienced), and that Annie didn’t feel the need to ruin her daughters or stepsons memories of their father. It was nice just to read a reasoned reaction to Annie’s discovery.

I’ve probably said too much, but it’s tricky writing about this book without disclosing too much of the storyline!

Anyway, many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book. It’s not one that I would have known about without their serialisation, and that would have been a great shame. It’s a wonderful novel.
  
Giant (1956)
Giant (1956)
1956 | Classics, Drama, Western
"𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭."
Out with the old, in with the new - for good and ill. Just a phenomenal epic in every way, doesn't feel a second of its gargantuan 201 minute runtime and honestly I wouldn't have minded another 201 minutes. Might very well be the best of its kind - a towering masterclass in K.O. acting (everyone is staggeringly great of course but James Dean gives what might unquestionably be the best performance of the 1950s), compelling characters, a laundry list of weighty (and still timely) themes (including but not limited to culture shock, classism, racial bigotry, sexism, toxic masculinity, parental selfishness, the intrinsic oppression that comes with capital or the lack thereof, and how we cope with the never-ending passage of time) handled with an uncommon sensitivity for the time, stunning cinematography, one hell of a grouping of period atmospheres, and no shortage of subversion. Just chock full of countless memorable quotes and damn good scenes one fired right after the other for almost three and a half hours. Comes temptingly close but not quite seamless, my biggest gripe is that with all this time we still never really get to see any of these couples *fall* in love - some of course had to be that way, sure (i.e. Hudson and Taylor as they reconcile with the trials of a whirlwind romance) but what about any of the others? Also has a couple arguably problematic tidbits, but honestly they're still far trumped by its sheer amount of nuance and perceptiveness - its willingness to confront itself, and the way it depicts time as an anomaly - stagnant one moment then stealthy the next. The only thing more fearsome than the years is yourself.