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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Sharp Objects in TV
Aug 29, 2018
Brilliantly dark and intriguing
It’s rare to find a tv show like this nowadays. I’ve watched the entire series across two evenings, and for me this is definitely not a common occurrence!
I love Amy Adams (and not just because I’m jealous of her hair), she’s a fantastic actress and is brilliant as the haunted and troubled Camille. She’s supported by a great cast and there is a lot of well done character development. Even if Adora is one of the most infuriating characters I’ve seen on screen for some time. The series itself is very dark, covering everything from Camille's past to the current murder and disappearance of the young girls. Everything from the music to the directing and cinematography is perfect for this story, and every episode left me wanting to watch more.
My only criticisms are that the ending was a tiny bit predictable (I’ve probably read too many books, and I haven’t even read this one!), and whilst I enjoyed delving into Camille’s past and family, I found that the story about the two girls wasn’t quite in the forefront after the first couple of episodes. I know the reasons for this, but for me the investigation could’ve been a little more prominent.
I love Amy Adams (and not just because I’m jealous of her hair), she’s a fantastic actress and is brilliant as the haunted and troubled Camille. She’s supported by a great cast and there is a lot of well done character development. Even if Adora is one of the most infuriating characters I’ve seen on screen for some time. The series itself is very dark, covering everything from Camille's past to the current murder and disappearance of the young girls. Everything from the music to the directing and cinematography is perfect for this story, and every episode left me wanting to watch more.
My only criticisms are that the ending was a tiny bit predictable (I’ve probably read too many books, and I haven’t even read this one!), and whilst I enjoyed delving into Camille’s past and family, I found that the story about the two girls wasn’t quite in the forefront after the first couple of episodes. I know the reasons for this, but for me the investigation could’ve been a little more prominent.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated L is for Lawless in Books
Sep 8, 2018
Simple Favor Gets Out of Control
Kinsey is taking a rare week off from her PI business for William and Rosie’s wedding, but before she can get too relaxed, Henry asks her for a small favor. One of their neighbors has recently passed, and his family is having a hard time getting the death benefits from the government since they have no record of this man having been in the service during World War II. Kinsey doesn’t intend to get too involved, but when the man’s place is broken into and searched, she becomes curious. Just what is really happening?
I love it when a book takes off in ways I don’t expect, and that’s just what happened with this one. The plot was great, and even when we have most of the answers, there is still the question of what will happen next to Kinsey to keep the pages turning. It is fun to meet the rest of William and Henry’s family, and the character involved in the mystery are as strong as always. A series thread introduced a couple of books back comes into play here again as well. Fans of the series who have missed this one won’t be disappointed.
I love it when a book takes off in ways I don’t expect, and that’s just what happened with this one. The plot was great, and even when we have most of the answers, there is still the question of what will happen next to Kinsey to keep the pages turning. It is fun to meet the rest of William and Henry’s family, and the character involved in the mystery are as strong as always. A series thread introduced a couple of books back comes into play here again as well. Fans of the series who have missed this one won’t be disappointed.
MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated Shelter in Place in Books
Sep 27, 2018
Amazing, beginning to end.
Contains spoilers, click to show
THIS BOOK. I don't know how Nora Roberts continues to write so many stories that intrigue and enthrall me after all these years, but she does, and flawlessly.
The first 15 pages of this book were pretty traumatizing. I actually had to put it down for a couple of days before I could go back to it. I felt like I was THERE, in that mall, feeling what those people were feeling. Written from the perspective of several different characters, the shock, the pain, the absolute horror of it all comes through loud and clear.
As we follow the lives of these victims after the shooting, a complex and emotionally charged story is masterfully woven, drawing the reader further in with every page. I fell half in love with Reed myself, laughed at the silly dog getting his head stuck between the railings, cheered when Patricia was taken down, and let silent tears fall when Simone's memorial was unveiled. It was a beautiful, moving, timely story - and as with all Nora Roberts books, I truly felt like I knew the characters intimately by the end.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARE and the opportunity to read this early!
The first 15 pages of this book were pretty traumatizing. I actually had to put it down for a couple of days before I could go back to it. I felt like I was THERE, in that mall, feeling what those people were feeling. Written from the perspective of several different characters, the shock, the pain, the absolute horror of it all comes through loud and clear.
As we follow the lives of these victims after the shooting, a complex and emotionally charged story is masterfully woven, drawing the reader further in with every page. I fell half in love with Reed myself, laughed at the silly dog getting his head stuck between the railings, cheered when Patricia was taken down, and let silent tears fall when Simone's memorial was unveiled. It was a beautiful, moving, timely story - and as with all Nora Roberts books, I truly felt like I knew the characters intimately by the end.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the ARE and the opportunity to read this early!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Designed for Haunting in Books
Oct 10, 2018
Designed for Your Halloween Reading Pleasure
It's a couple of weeks before Halloween, and Aurora “Rory” Anderson and the rest of her painting friends are working on the annual benefit they put on where they sell their work for charity. That changes when Rory gets an e-mail from Zelena, a friend in her painting group that says the e-mail is being sent to Rory because Zelena is missing. As Rory begins to investigate, she learns that no one has seen Zelena for several days. A dead body just increases the stakes. Can Rory figure out what is really happening?
This is a great mystery with several other mysterious happenings that help cloud the issue. Yet as Rory sorts through what applies to the main mystery, she leads us to a clear picture of what happened. It all comes together in a page turning climax. The characters are strong; the new characters do their job of keeping us wondering what is really happening while Rory and the other series regulars were a delight to be around. This book evoked a Southern California Halloween for me perfectly, complete with a potentially spooky sub-plot or two to add to the seasonal fun.
This is a great mystery with several other mysterious happenings that help cloud the issue. Yet as Rory sorts through what applies to the main mystery, she leads us to a clear picture of what happened. It all comes together in a page turning climax. The characters are strong; the new characters do their job of keeping us wondering what is really happening while Rory and the other series regulars were a delight to be around. This book evoked a Southern California Halloween for me perfectly, complete with a potentially spooky sub-plot or two to add to the seasonal fun.
Mike (8 KP) rated Seriously Funny: The Endlessly Quotable Terry Pratchett in Books
Oct 10, 2018
Lovely looking little book, smaller than I was expecting, but it is really nice. No dust jacket but a nice thick textured cover and inner pages that make you feel dizzy!
I read it this evening and I'll be completely honest - I was a bit disappointed, although it is a pretty book, it is also pretty thin - 128 pages.including a title page, printing information page, contents page, blank page, Overview, another blank page, 1 page mini bio, 105 quotes*, 4 pages of "By Terry Pratchett" lists.
I think that for £9.99 they could have found more than 105 "seriously funny" quotes from over 50 books and other sources - there isn't even one from each Discworld book. Even some illustrations would have been nice (9 repeats of the same hat picture is not very exciting).
Obviously as a collectore I had to buy it - as will most of us, does it does seem a bit of a "cash in" just to make money out of us, they are pretty much guaranteed to sell over a million copies so they could have made it more substantial for the money.
Still made me laugh out loud a couple of times though.
*One quote per page, separated by title pages
I read it this evening and I'll be completely honest - I was a bit disappointed, although it is a pretty book, it is also pretty thin - 128 pages.including a title page, printing information page, contents page, blank page, Overview, another blank page, 1 page mini bio, 105 quotes*, 4 pages of "By Terry Pratchett" lists.
I think that for £9.99 they could have found more than 105 "seriously funny" quotes from over 50 books and other sources - there isn't even one from each Discworld book. Even some illustrations would have been nice (9 repeats of the same hat picture is not very exciting).
Obviously as a collectore I had to buy it - as will most of us, does it does seem a bit of a "cash in" just to make money out of us, they are pretty much guaranteed to sell over a million copies so they could have made it more substantial for the money.
Still made me laugh out loud a couple of times though.
*One quote per page, separated by title pages
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Wreath Between the Lines in Books
Nov 21, 2018
Killer at Christmas
The town of Chrystal Cove, California is getting into the Christmas spirit, and Jenna Hart is busy with a bunch of Christmas themed events at the Cookbook Nook. Her life is more complicated by the fact that her sister and her family are visiting, and Jenna gets pulled into their drama. But things take a huge turn when her neighbor, Jake, comes over in a panic one night to report that a friend who had been staying with him has been murdered, trussed up with Christmas light and stabbed by a Christmas star. Who would want to kill a visitor to town? Or was Jake the intended target?
If you are looking for a cozy filled with Christmas spirit, you've come to the right place. This book is filled with Christmas. The mystery is a little weak since a couple of sub-plots crowd it out, but we do still get some twists before reaching a creative and fun climax. The series regulars are all here, and it is wonderful to catch up with them again. Once you've finished the book, you can keep the Christmas spirit with the many recipes for holiday goodies at the end.
If you are looking for a cozy filled with Christmas spirit, you've come to the right place. This book is filled with Christmas. The mystery is a little weak since a couple of sub-plots crowd it out, but we do still get some twists before reaching a creative and fun climax. The series regulars are all here, and it is wonderful to catch up with them again. Once you've finished the book, you can keep the Christmas spirit with the many recipes for holiday goodies at the end.
Rachel Maria Berney (114 KP) rated Duolingo in Apps
Dec 4, 2018
Learn a new language in a way that sticks
If you want to learn a new language, the Duolingo app should be your first stop. With simple lesson plans, from the alphabet to names, places and parts of speech, it guides you step by step on your journey. You can hear the language spoke, get the chance to practice spelling and when the microphone works you can practice speaking it. It keeps referring back to previous lesson plans, which helps you to transfer your learning to your ong term memory. It's also fun, you can join a club and get talking with others learning the same language, you can practice what your learing in your club too
The app works well, despite the microphone problem which isn't an issue for learing the language. Simple, easy to use and follow lesson plan. A good community and loads of languages available. Evem a couple of fictionale ones, like Klingon.
Whether you want to master a language, or just learn a few phrases for holiday, this app is the first step to immersing yourself in a language. Forget the rosetta stone, this will have you speaking and reading another language in no time.
The app works well, despite the microphone problem which isn't an issue for learing the language. Simple, easy to use and follow lesson plan. A good community and loads of languages available. Evem a couple of fictionale ones, like Klingon.
Whether you want to master a language, or just learn a few phrases for holiday, this app is the first step to immersing yourself in a language. Forget the rosetta stone, this will have you speaking and reading another language in no time.
Irene M (130 KP) rated Infographics for Kids in Books
Dec 7, 2018
I received this book from Toppsta to review
"Infographics help us to understand information, learn and remember it!" ... and this book has that in abundance.
My own first impressions included how wonderful bright and colourful this book was, and the great thick quality of the pages.
Every double-page infographic in the book has something interactive for the little ones to expand on, be it simple colouring in or a question to make them think, and so packed full of informative facts that even if you don't read from cover to cover and just open and point there will be something of interest.
I have two boys so needless to say the fact about a human poop weighing the same as two apples was MOST entertaining and I have a feeling it might get repeated often at school today.
My 8 year old had no problems reading thru the book, my 6 year old only needed help with one or two words, and both showed much glee at regurgitating their new found information with their Dad at the dinnertable even a couple of days after reading the book ... so they definitely did take in the information which is exactly what the cover says.
A great read for all ages.
"Infographics help us to understand information, learn and remember it!" ... and this book has that in abundance.
My own first impressions included how wonderful bright and colourful this book was, and the great thick quality of the pages.
Every double-page infographic in the book has something interactive for the little ones to expand on, be it simple colouring in or a question to make them think, and so packed full of informative facts that even if you don't read from cover to cover and just open and point there will be something of interest.
I have two boys so needless to say the fact about a human poop weighing the same as two apples was MOST entertaining and I have a feeling it might get repeated often at school today.
My 8 year old had no problems reading thru the book, my 6 year old only needed help with one or two words, and both showed much glee at regurgitating their new found information with their Dad at the dinnertable even a couple of days after reading the book ... so they definitely did take in the information which is exactly what the cover says.
A great read for all ages.
Carma (21 KP) rated The Last First Date in Books
Jun 17, 2019
The Last First Date by Maggie Wells
Maggie Wells is a new author to me. I read this as part of a 4 book collection through overdrive. The Last First Date was a cute very short novella. As with any other novella I read, well most of them anyway, I am left wanting. This one cut off a little sharper than most so I felt like I needed more answers than normal.
Overall it is a cute short story. Detective Langley Lang Sheppard finally has a day off and is having the worst first date of this life. Jessica Vickers is dealing with recent life setbacks and is just trying to get to the New Year to start over fresh. They each are just holding on to their pathetic lives until the clock strikes midnight. A chance stop at a local convenience store finds them in each others path and so it begins.
I wish it would have gone a couple more chapters to set up a little more of the story. There are some pretty comical sections that made me laugh out loud. I liked Maggie Wells writing style so I probably will give another story of hers a try (after getting through my TBR shelf first ha)
Maggie Wells is a new author to me. I read this as part of a 4 book collection through overdrive. The Last First Date was a cute very short novella. As with any other novella I read, well most of them anyway, I am left wanting. This one cut off a little sharper than most so I felt like I needed more answers than normal.
Overall it is a cute short story. Detective Langley Lang Sheppard finally has a day off and is having the worst first date of this life. Jessica Vickers is dealing with recent life setbacks and is just trying to get to the New Year to start over fresh. They each are just holding on to their pathetic lives until the clock strikes midnight. A chance stop at a local convenience store finds them in each others path and so it begins.
I wish it would have gone a couple more chapters to set up a little more of the story. There are some pretty comical sections that made me laugh out loud. I liked Maggie Wells writing style so I probably will give another story of hers a try (after getting through my TBR shelf first ha)
Katie (868 KP) Dec 2, 2018 (Updated Dec 2, 2018)
Katie (868 KP) Dec 2, 2018