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Johnny Marr recommended track Coconut Grove by The Lovin Spoonful in Very Best of the Lovin' Spoonful by The Lovin Spoonful in Music (curated)
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated One Night on the Island in Books
Feb 14, 2022
Cleo is heading to the remote Irish island of Salvation for work, but it's personal too. She's about to turn thirty, an age her father never reached, and she's trying to reconcile where she is in life. A columnist who writes about finding love, she's yet to discover it herself. On Salvation, she plans to "self-couple"--a concept brought up by her boss, but Cleo can't help but feel there's something to finding herself. As for Mack Sullivan, he's heading to Salvation to research his ancestry and photograph the island he's heard so much about from his mother and grandmother. Escaping his estranged wife and crumbling life is a bonus, though he'll miss his two sons terribly. It's only when they arrive on the island that Mack and Cleo realize they've booked the same one room cottage--a terrible mix-up on a tiny island with no other accommodations. Forced to live together until the next ferry arrives, the two can barely stand being in the same space. But as time passes on the lovely island, their attitudes change.
This is a very slow moving, slow burn romance that focuses on being thoughtful and deliberate in its descriptions. There's less action and a lot of focus on the island and tons and tons of focus on Cleo and Mack's emotions and thoughts. So many thoughts, so much angst!
As for my thoughts... seriously, even on a small island, no one had a spare room? Not even a little one? Enjoying this book means buying into the premise that two complete strangers were truly willing to share a ONE ROOM cottage--sleeping across from another in a bed and a sofa. Thanks but no thanks. Also odd was Cleo's self-coupling (aka marrying herself) concept, which both she and her boss seemed quite into and even Mack accepted. Hmm...
Far more delightful was Salvation Island and its inhabitants. I could have read an entire book just focused on the enjoyable folks Cleo and Mack ran across, particularly the women Cleo joined at knitting circle and the lively group who gathered at the local pub. And while there were plenty of descriptions of this island, some were quite fun (otters!).
The book is told in a back and forth point of view from Cleo and Mack. They grow on you. It's not their fault they were trapped in the same lodge. This one was a little too slow and emotional for me in the beginning, but I still got a bit tearful at the ending.
I received a copy of this book from Random House / Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
This is a very slow moving, slow burn romance that focuses on being thoughtful and deliberate in its descriptions. There's less action and a lot of focus on the island and tons and tons of focus on Cleo and Mack's emotions and thoughts. So many thoughts, so much angst!
As for my thoughts... seriously, even on a small island, no one had a spare room? Not even a little one? Enjoying this book means buying into the premise that two complete strangers were truly willing to share a ONE ROOM cottage--sleeping across from another in a bed and a sofa. Thanks but no thanks. Also odd was Cleo's self-coupling (aka marrying herself) concept, which both she and her boss seemed quite into and even Mack accepted. Hmm...
Far more delightful was Salvation Island and its inhabitants. I could have read an entire book just focused on the enjoyable folks Cleo and Mack ran across, particularly the women Cleo joined at knitting circle and the lively group who gathered at the local pub. And while there were plenty of descriptions of this island, some were quite fun (otters!).
The book is told in a back and forth point of view from Cleo and Mack. They grow on you. It's not their fault they were trapped in the same lodge. This one was a little too slow and emotional for me in the beginning, but I still got a bit tearful at the ending.
I received a copy of this book from Random House / Ballantine and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) in Movies
Dec 5, 2019
Heigh Ho
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first full-length cel animated feature film and the earliest Disney animated feature film. It was based on the German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
The Plot: Jealous of Snow White's beauty, the wicked queen orders the murder of her innocent stepdaughter, but later discovers that Snow White is still alive and hiding in a cottage with seven friendly little miners. Disguising herself as a hag, the queen brings a poisoned apple to Snow White, who falls into a death-like sleep that can be broken only by a kiss from the prince.
Following the film's release, a number of Snow White themed merchandise were sold, including hats, dolls, garden seeds, and glasses. The film's merchandise generated sales of $8 million, equivalent to over $100 million adjusted for inflation.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has had a lifetime gross of $418 million across its original release and several reissues. Adjusted for inflation, and incorporating subsequent releases, the film still registers one of the top-10 American film moneymakers of all time.
Snow White was nominated for Best Musical Score at the Academy Awards in 1938, and the next year, producer Walt Disney was awarded an honorary Oscar for the film.
It is a classic and a must watch film.
The Plot: Jealous of Snow White's beauty, the wicked queen orders the murder of her innocent stepdaughter, but later discovers that Snow White is still alive and hiding in a cottage with seven friendly little miners. Disguising herself as a hag, the queen brings a poisoned apple to Snow White, who falls into a death-like sleep that can be broken only by a kiss from the prince.
Following the film's release, a number of Snow White themed merchandise were sold, including hats, dolls, garden seeds, and glasses. The film's merchandise generated sales of $8 million, equivalent to over $100 million adjusted for inflation.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs has had a lifetime gross of $418 million across its original release and several reissues. Adjusted for inflation, and incorporating subsequent releases, the film still registers one of the top-10 American film moneymakers of all time.
Snow White was nominated for Best Musical Score at the Academy Awards in 1938, and the next year, producer Walt Disney was awarded an honorary Oscar for the film.
It is a classic and a must watch film.
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BookInspector (124 KP) rated Final Girls in Books
Sep 24, 2020
More reviews on https://bbookinspector.wordpress.com
I don’t know about you, but I get this feeling after reading a great book, where I need to breathe out and have some free time before I pick up another book. I just need some time to digest what I just read, the same feeling I had after reading Final Girls. It is one of my favourite books this year and I think everybody should read it.
I was hooked from the first pages of this book, as it starts of Quincy’s escape from Pine Cottage. The main characters in this book were Quincy and Samantha (Sam). Two strong survivors of massive slaughter, but there is one small problem, Quincy can’t remember what happened that night.
All the characters in this book are really mysterious and very interesting. Most of the story was told from Quincy’s perspective, which made other characters more intriguing, because the only way to find out about them was through Quincy’s story. I needed to find out more about other characters, that’s why the pages just flew while looking for more information about them. Even though, for me, it was enough to hear the story from Quincy’s point of view, I would’ve loved to read the thoughts of other characters as well, at least at the end of the book.
The plot of this book was amazing to me. You cannot trust what you read, because as soon as you will start to believe in something, Author changes the flow of story, throwing in twist after twist and story changing turns, making this book very compelling and an absolute page turner. The narrative was changing between present and past, telling the true story of Quincy’s survival, and what happened that night in Pine Cottage. I really loved the topics author was discussing in this book, such as: pressure you get from media after surviving something horrible; mental illnesses and lifelong healing, where you can slip at any time; difficult family relationships.
The writing style of this novel was very smart, finishing every chapter with a cliff hanger, building curiosity and suspense, chapter after chapter. Add to this lovely and short chapters and a language, which was easy and pleasurable to read. The ending of the book was very nicely thought through and concluded the story really well for me. The characters and story are so awesome, that in the hands of skilled producer it could be an awesome film, and I really hope that this book will be transformed into one. It deserves it! So, to conclude, this book has a lot of interesting action going on, continuously playing with your mind and not letting you to believe in anything, throwing in twists and turns, making it a very fast paced, compelling page turner, and I think it is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ this year.
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for honest review.
I don’t know about you, but I get this feeling after reading a great book, where I need to breathe out and have some free time before I pick up another book. I just need some time to digest what I just read, the same feeling I had after reading Final Girls. It is one of my favourite books this year and I think everybody should read it.
I was hooked from the first pages of this book, as it starts of Quincy’s escape from Pine Cottage. The main characters in this book were Quincy and Samantha (Sam). Two strong survivors of massive slaughter, but there is one small problem, Quincy can’t remember what happened that night.
All the characters in this book are really mysterious and very interesting. Most of the story was told from Quincy’s perspective, which made other characters more intriguing, because the only way to find out about them was through Quincy’s story. I needed to find out more about other characters, that’s why the pages just flew while looking for more information about them. Even though, for me, it was enough to hear the story from Quincy’s point of view, I would’ve loved to read the thoughts of other characters as well, at least at the end of the book.
The plot of this book was amazing to me. You cannot trust what you read, because as soon as you will start to believe in something, Author changes the flow of story, throwing in twist after twist and story changing turns, making this book very compelling and an absolute page turner. The narrative was changing between present and past, telling the true story of Quincy’s survival, and what happened that night in Pine Cottage. I really loved the topics author was discussing in this book, such as: pressure you get from media after surviving something horrible; mental illnesses and lifelong healing, where you can slip at any time; difficult family relationships.
The writing style of this novel was very smart, finishing every chapter with a cliff hanger, building curiosity and suspense, chapter after chapter. Add to this lovely and short chapters and a language, which was easy and pleasurable to read. The ending of the book was very nicely thought through and concluded the story really well for me. The characters and story are so awesome, that in the hands of skilled producer it could be an awesome film, and I really hope that this book will be transformed into one. It deserves it! So, to conclude, this book has a lot of interesting action going on, continuously playing with your mind and not letting you to believe in anything, throwing in twists and turns, making it a very fast paced, compelling page turner, and I think it is an ABSOLUTE MUST READ this year.
Was given this book by publisher and NetGalley for honest review.
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Mayhawke (97 KP) rated The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin, #1) in Books
Feb 7, 2018
PIck up. Open. Don't move for five hours.
Agatha Raisin is an awful woman but I promise that by the time you finish this book you will love her, warts and all.
A self-made woman who sells her business and retires early to her dream-cottage in the Cotswolds (furnished by an expensive interior decortator, naturally).
Agatha suddenly finds herself in a completely alien environment. In a effort to make her mark on the village and announce her arrival, she plots to win the village Quiche baking contest. Her plan is simple - she will enter, as her own work, a quiche bought from a top-class delicatessan in London. Unfortunatly for Agatha, the judge dies after eating it and her deception is uncovered. Worse she finds herself being held responsible for his death.
And this is when you start finding your self falling for her. From the moment the plot is hatched the reader can't fail to know the outcome, but rather than feeling righteous indignation on the part of the other contestants you can only feel sympathetic embarrasment for the situation you know Agatha is going to find herself in.
Convinced that she can redeem herself in the eyes of those around her Agatha sets off to solve a crime the police insist hasn't happened.
Highly enjoyable and amusing, you will alternate between wanting to throttle her and offer her a shoulder to cry on.
A self-made woman who sells her business and retires early to her dream-cottage in the Cotswolds (furnished by an expensive interior decortator, naturally).
Agatha suddenly finds herself in a completely alien environment. In a effort to make her mark on the village and announce her arrival, she plots to win the village Quiche baking contest. Her plan is simple - she will enter, as her own work, a quiche bought from a top-class delicatessan in London. Unfortunatly for Agatha, the judge dies after eating it and her deception is uncovered. Worse she finds herself being held responsible for his death.
And this is when you start finding your self falling for her. From the moment the plot is hatched the reader can't fail to know the outcome, but rather than feeling righteous indignation on the part of the other contestants you can only feel sympathetic embarrasment for the situation you know Agatha is going to find herself in.
Convinced that she can redeem herself in the eyes of those around her Agatha sets off to solve a crime the police insist hasn't happened.
Highly enjoyable and amusing, you will alternate between wanting to throttle her and offer her a shoulder to cry on.
Container Gardening Complete: Creative Projects for Growing Vegetables and Flowers in Small Spaces by Jessica Walliser is simply written and contains beautiful photographs. The book discusses everything from the correct soil to use when planting, garden pests, and garden projects to make. I loved how the book gives descriptions on how to make your own containers. I love all of the full-color pictures in this book and the ideas shown, from rustic to cottage gardening, from flowers to veggies. This is a handy reference book.
There are 6 chapters in this book, and each one is full of useful information. The chapters cover Getting Started, Designing & Planting your Containers, Caring for your Containers, Troubleshooting, Harvesting & Seasonal Considerations and More Container Concepts.
This book covers the basics, which include pot drainage, choosing the right soil and harvesting to name but a few. In the Troubleshooting chapter, the author has taken the time to explain the different garden pests and how to deal with them along with beneficial insects.
There are a number of projects that could be taken on, such as a Gutter Garden, a Beginner's Berry Garden and a Good Bug Wheel-Barrow Garden. Each project includes the tools you require along with lots of photographs showing you how to go about it.
This is a great book to get you started in container gardening, and just about anything that can hold soil can be used as a container .
There are 6 chapters in this book, and each one is full of useful information. The chapters cover Getting Started, Designing & Planting your Containers, Caring for your Containers, Troubleshooting, Harvesting & Seasonal Considerations and More Container Concepts.
This book covers the basics, which include pot drainage, choosing the right soil and harvesting to name but a few. In the Troubleshooting chapter, the author has taken the time to explain the different garden pests and how to deal with them along with beneficial insects.
There are a number of projects that could be taken on, such as a Gutter Garden, a Beginner's Berry Garden and a Good Bug Wheel-Barrow Garden. Each project includes the tools you require along with lots of photographs showing you how to go about it.
This is a great book to get you started in container gardening, and just about anything that can hold soil can be used as a container .
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Mar 1, 2023
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Eight Hundred Grapes in Books
Apr 9, 2019
Georgia Ford had just arrived at her childhood home, dressed in her wedding dress, but it's not her wedding day. As she was having her final fitting, she saw her fiance in a way she had never expected to see him. So she runs home to her parents and brothers only to find that there are even more problems there. Always being the fixer in the family, will she be able to solve all the issues she runs into by running away from her own? Or will this be a time when fixing isn't going to work?
Synchronization is the theme of this novel. All things happen for a reason. Because this happened(or didn't)thatwas able to take place(or not). Georgia Ford is living as an attorney in Los Angeles when her world is turned upside down. She runs home to her family's winery in Sebastopol during the final harvest of the year. Final harvest is always a big deal for the Ford family and this year, even more so.
I LOVED this book! It showed so many different family dynamics and so many emotions. It made me laugh and cry. This novel felt so real to me, I could see myself in this setting. I picture myself reading this novel on the porch of the winemaker's cottage looking out over the winery, enjoying a glass of Block-14. The imagery is that vivid. I could definitely see this book becoming a major motion picture.
Kudos to Laura Dave for writing an incredible novel that many will love.
Synchronization is the theme of this novel. All things happen for a reason. Because this happened(or didn't)thatwas able to take place(or not). Georgia Ford is living as an attorney in Los Angeles when her world is turned upside down. She runs home to her family's winery in Sebastopol during the final harvest of the year. Final harvest is always a big deal for the Ford family and this year, even more so.
I LOVED this book! It showed so many different family dynamics and so many emotions. It made me laugh and cry. This novel felt so real to me, I could see myself in this setting. I picture myself reading this novel on the porch of the winemaker's cottage looking out over the winery, enjoying a glass of Block-14. The imagery is that vivid. I could definitely see this book becoming a major motion picture.
Kudos to Laura Dave for writing an incredible novel that many will love.
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Merissa (11800 KP) rated Lord of Rage (Royal House of Shadows, #2) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Lord of Rage is based on the tale of Goldilocks and is the tale of Nicolai's younger sister Breena. Raised as a princess Breena always knew it would be her duty to marry a man chosen by her father to make an alliance between kingdoms. Everything changes when Elden comes under attack and her parents are killed by the blood sorcerer. On their death beds the king and queen used the last of their magic to send their 4 children to safety. Breena finds herself alone in the forest - lost, terrified and grieving for her family she is tired and hungry when she stumbles across the isolated cottage that Osborn shares with his brothers Bernt and Torben. Osborn is the last of the Ursan beserkers, his village was destroyed in a vampire attack that only his 2 young brothers survived. After years working as a mercenary to provide for them all Osborn wants now is a quiet life and to eventually get revenge on the vampires that took everything from them. The last thing he needs is a beautiful stranger invading his space, particularly one who has been invading his dreams to share passionate kisses. Breena is determined to trace her brothers and discover what happened to their kingdom and she will do whatever it takes to get Osborn to help her achieve her goals.
Overall I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series and I will read on to find out what happened to Breena's other brothers and to see if Nicolai can manage to regain his kingdom.
Overall I enjoyed this more than the first book in the series and I will read on to find out what happened to Breena's other brothers and to see if Nicolai can manage to regain his kingdom.
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Donna C (199 KP) rated Sleeping with a Psychopath in Books
Jun 2, 2021
Fast paced true story
Contains spoilers, click to show
So this is a biography of a woman who was completely fooled by a fraudster called Mark Acklom. She was happily living alone in a rented cottage, looking for a house to buy after selling her previous home. She worked in an upmarket clothes shop and had £850,000 from the house sale.
One day a handsome charming man comes in to the shop and sweeps her off her feet, claiming to be a millionaire with property, planes and a job in MI6 which is top secret. Within a couple of days he is promising her the world but claims that he cannot be a proper couple for 18 months until he can complete his current contract. He tells her he is involved in goings on in Syria, claims to have been shot, the stories get wilder and wilder! In the meantime he also has a "cashflow problem" and asks her to pay for everything and he will pay her back.
You do start off thinking "how did she fall for all this blather? It's so totally untrue." But she is not a stupid person. Her friends and family don't like him, but she has fallen head over heels and won't listen.
It is a fast paced book, and I really wanted to know how she got out of the situation.
You really don't know what is going on in other peoples' lives do you???
(Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this book from ReadersFirst for an honest review)
One day a handsome charming man comes in to the shop and sweeps her off her feet, claiming to be a millionaire with property, planes and a job in MI6 which is top secret. Within a couple of days he is promising her the world but claims that he cannot be a proper couple for 18 months until he can complete his current contract. He tells her he is involved in goings on in Syria, claims to have been shot, the stories get wilder and wilder! In the meantime he also has a "cashflow problem" and asks her to pay for everything and he will pay her back.
You do start off thinking "how did she fall for all this blather? It's so totally untrue." But she is not a stupid person. Her friends and family don't like him, but she has fallen head over heels and won't listen.
It is a fast paced book, and I really wanted to know how she got out of the situation.
You really don't know what is going on in other peoples' lives do you???
(Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this book from ReadersFirst for an honest review)