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Kurt Vile recommended Live At The East by Pharoah Sanders in Music (curated)

Martin Carr recommended track Stray Cat Strut by Stray Cats in Runaway Boys: A Retrospective '81-'92 by Stray Cats in Music (curated)

Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated A Work in Progress: The Untold Story of the Crawley Writers’ Group in Books
Jul 11, 2021
Hilarious (2 more)
Mad characters
Unbelievable situations
Such an easy read, and one that had me giggling throughout.
We follow a group of writers through emails, both to the group and some privately between members. This eclectic group would in both way be friends outside of the group, and it shows with just how different they all are. A couple do meet up outside of the group, with hilarious results (the night in the hotel before comic con being the one that sticks in my mind the most!) that mean you can’t help but wonder just how these people get through day to day life.
It was great to follow this group through the trials of trying to write their own work, as well as the trials of being thrust together with people they didn’t particularly like, and to also see that they either didn’t understand or didn’t want to see some of the sarcastic comments that were pointed towards them.
Reading this book was so easy, and such a different type of book with it all being written in email form. Although it sounds like it won’t work, in this case it absolutely does. I loved every minute of this, and could have read so many more pages of it!
Thank you to Dan Brotzel, Martin Jenkins, Alex Woolf and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this beautifully written and extremely mad book, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
We follow a group of writers through emails, both to the group and some privately between members. This eclectic group would in both way be friends outside of the group, and it shows with just how different they all are. A couple do meet up outside of the group, with hilarious results (the night in the hotel before comic con being the one that sticks in my mind the most!) that mean you can’t help but wonder just how these people get through day to day life.
It was great to follow this group through the trials of trying to write their own work, as well as the trials of being thrust together with people they didn’t particularly like, and to also see that they either didn’t understand or didn’t want to see some of the sarcastic comments that were pointed towards them.
Reading this book was so easy, and such a different type of book with it all being written in email form. Although it sounds like it won’t work, in this case it absolutely does. I loved every minute of this, and could have read so many more pages of it!
Thank you to Dan Brotzel, Martin Jenkins, Alex Woolf and Pigeonhole for allowing me to read this beautifully written and extremely mad book, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Open Water (2003) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
Admirable for what it had to work with, and I guess it gets points for being one of the most realistic shark movies out there - but why the hell did this terrify everyone back in the day lmfao. It amounts to a somehow pointedly slow 81 minutes (less after credits) of a couple bickering at sea while... like, occasionally seeing a jellyfish or maybe half a second of a shark from far away. This actually works better as an (intentional) comedy than a horror film, and the beginning of this feels like a weird ass porno, too - complete with millimeters away from couples full-frontal nudity in a dingy hotel room. The one thing this has going for it is that they're in *real* ocean water with *real* sharks, and on that front there are some real motherfucker shots in this that made me jump just on principle. There's also just some really terrific footage of various sea + land creatures in this that help add to the realism. When all is said and done I have to give props to that brutally hopeless coda though, Jesus Christ - made my skin crawl and actually made this whole product grow on me a lot more than my initial measure. But it fucks around too much and even though it does what it can decently well, it isn't enough. While I still think it's too unfair of a reaction, I can clearly see why everyone hates this now.

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Heart of Texas (Texas, #1) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
3.5 stars.
This is the first MM Romance book I've read where the couple got married, and it was at the beginning so seeing "his husband" every so often seemed a little strange to me. I'm sure the next time I read one where they're married that it wont.
Let me say that if this had just been from Riley and Jack's POV's I would have gladly given this five star because of the hot scenes and the romance between them. There was one scene early on in the book at a party that gave me shivers. *Fans self* Jack Campbell...phew!
But the book kept switching view point and I wasn't entirely a fan as sometimes it could take a bit to figure out who's viewpoint it was. (There must be at least seven different ones.) I know they helped us see every part of the story come to a head but it drove me crazy at times as I was more interested in what was going on between Riley and Jack. Therefore I've rated it down a star and half.
I was not a fan of Riley's dad or brother. Neither came across as very nice and the brother, Jeff, was the worst. Ugh! I wanted to punch him in the face several times from his comments and actions. He was so not a nice guy.
Nevertheless, it was a good book and I look forward to reading other books by the author!
This is the first MM Romance book I've read where the couple got married, and it was at the beginning so seeing "his husband" every so often seemed a little strange to me. I'm sure the next time I read one where they're married that it wont.
Let me say that if this had just been from Riley and Jack's POV's I would have gladly given this five star because of the hot scenes and the romance between them. There was one scene early on in the book at a party that gave me shivers. *Fans self* Jack Campbell...phew!
But the book kept switching view point and I wasn't entirely a fan as sometimes it could take a bit to figure out who's viewpoint it was. (There must be at least seven different ones.) I know they helped us see every part of the story come to a head but it drove me crazy at times as I was more interested in what was going on between Riley and Jack. Therefore I've rated it down a star and half.
I was not a fan of Riley's dad or brother. Neither came across as very nice and the brother, Jeff, was the worst. Ugh! I wanted to punch him in the face several times from his comments and actions. He was so not a nice guy.
Nevertheless, it was a good book and I look forward to reading other books by the author!

Colin Farrell recommended Paris, Texas (1984) in Movies (curated)

Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Code: (Virals 3) in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This is the third book in Kathy Reichs' Virals series. Code follows the familiar gang of kids on yet another wild adventure - one far more sinister that it first seems. Do they have what it takes to complete each challenge they are faced with, before the countdown ends? Only time will tell.
Tory is stuck in the middle of Ben and Jason, close friends of hers between which tensions are boiling high. They'd never got on, but things are getting serious. Tory is determined to discover the link between them, the reason for their hateful words and behaviour towards each other.
Along with this and the pressing issue of codes and puzzles yet to be solved, Tory must prepare herself for her débutante ball. She wasn't looking forward to it in the first place, but it turns out to be far more eventful than any of the kids anticipated...
And to top it all off, the Virals are this close to discovering what could be the last remaining piece of information on their bizarre situation. What secrets were being held, so close yet so far?
There are tons of side-stories and plot-twists in this book, just as there was in the first couple of books. A very exciting series, with numerous links and discoveries to be made throughout. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book! 4 stars for this one.
Tory is stuck in the middle of Ben and Jason, close friends of hers between which tensions are boiling high. They'd never got on, but things are getting serious. Tory is determined to discover the link between them, the reason for their hateful words and behaviour towards each other.
Along with this and the pressing issue of codes and puzzles yet to be solved, Tory must prepare herself for her débutante ball. She wasn't looking forward to it in the first place, but it turns out to be far more eventful than any of the kids anticipated...
And to top it all off, the Virals are this close to discovering what could be the last remaining piece of information on their bizarre situation. What secrets were being held, so close yet so far?
There are tons of side-stories and plot-twists in this book, just as there was in the first couple of books. A very exciting series, with numerous links and discoveries to be made throughout. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book! 4 stars for this one.

Merissa (12838 KP) rated Dine With Me in Books
Sep 4, 2019
DINE WITH ME is a change of direction from the Romantic Suspense novels I have read by Layla Reyne. And I don't mean in a bad way, as I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Miller is a chef, who has just closed down a restaurant, is getting a divorce from his best-friend/wife, oh, and by the way, has throat cancer too. There are many trials and tribulations he goes through, most of which are completely understandable, and you will certainly empathise with him as a character.
As for Clancy, he is a foodie and also a doctor. He has just agreed to work at his dad's plastic surgery clinic, although he has major doubts about that. His calling is for oncology, but he doesn't know how to let his dad down.
You travel with these two as they go from one special place to another, with Miller sharing his love of food. The attraction between these two simmers all the way through, overflowing at points.
With a fantastic supporting cast of characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the story as it panned out. I loved Miller's thought processes, and how Clancy worked.
There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading, and I found the pacing to be perfect for the story.
Although we had an epilogue, I would still love to hear more from this couple! Absolutely recommended by me.
Miller is a chef, who has just closed down a restaurant, is getting a divorce from his best-friend/wife, oh, and by the way, has throat cancer too. There are many trials and tribulations he goes through, most of which are completely understandable, and you will certainly empathise with him as a character.
As for Clancy, he is a foodie and also a doctor. He has just agreed to work at his dad's plastic surgery clinic, although he has major doubts about that. His calling is for oncology, but he doesn't know how to let his dad down.
You travel with these two as they go from one special place to another, with Miller sharing his love of food. The attraction between these two simmers all the way through, overflowing at points.
With a fantastic supporting cast of characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the story as it panned out. I loved Miller's thought processes, and how Clancy worked.
There were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading, and I found the pacing to be perfect for the story.
Although we had an epilogue, I would still love to hear more from this couple! Absolutely recommended by me.

Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated All She Wrote (Holmes & Moriarity, #2) in Books
Sep 6, 2019
4.5 stars.
I enjoyed this one more than the first, though I think that can be put down to the progression in the relationship between Kit and J.X.
At the start my warm and fuzzies over how the last one ended quickly dissolved as this started with them decided to take a break. I was like WTF?! And then Kit was off across the country to go and see his mentor after her fall down some icy stairs meaning she couldn't run her Writer's Workshop. Of course, it wasn't as straight forward as that and we were thrown into yet another murder mystery.
I have to say I was kinda disheartened when J.X. wasn't in the first third (or so) of the story as I really liked him and Kit as a couple but he reappeared and the warm and fuzzies returned. The progression of their relationship in this one was so sweet. J.X. is willing to anything to keep Kit in his life and I find that lovely.
As for the murder mystery, I was once again stumped until the 90% mark when someone wasn't quite upset enough and it clicked (about the same time as Kit figured it out, too).
I love Josh Lanyon books like this and can't wait to read more from him! I also can't wait for the next Holmes and Moriarity book!
I enjoyed this one more than the first, though I think that can be put down to the progression in the relationship between Kit and J.X.
At the start my warm and fuzzies over how the last one ended quickly dissolved as this started with them decided to take a break. I was like WTF?! And then Kit was off across the country to go and see his mentor after her fall down some icy stairs meaning she couldn't run her Writer's Workshop. Of course, it wasn't as straight forward as that and we were thrown into yet another murder mystery.
I have to say I was kinda disheartened when J.X. wasn't in the first third (or so) of the story as I really liked him and Kit as a couple but he reappeared and the warm and fuzzies returned. The progression of their relationship in this one was so sweet. J.X. is willing to anything to keep Kit in his life and I find that lovely.
As for the murder mystery, I was once again stumped until the 90% mark when someone wasn't quite upset enough and it clicked (about the same time as Kit figured it out, too).
I love Josh Lanyon books like this and can't wait to read more from him! I also can't wait for the next Holmes and Moriarity book!

Sarah (7800 KP) rated Peaky Blinders - Season 5 in TV
Sep 30, 2019
Shame about the loose ends
All in all, this is a rather good series and aside from the slightly dodgy Russian series (3), I’m impressed at how good a run Peaky Blinders has had. It’s not often anymore that you get such a consistently excellent series, and yes I am still ignoring series 3.
Unsurprisingly there are stellar performances in this yet again. Cillian Murphy is fantastic as we see Tommy spiralling into a terrible state, and I absolutely adore the rabid dog with a heart of gold that is Arthur. And Sam Claflin is truly slimy and despicable as Oswald Mosley, I didn’t realise I could hate him so much, he really embodies such an awful character. There are also some surprise deaths and reappearances in this too, some of which that were unexpected and very welcome.
The plot itself is good, but my main issue with this series is the amount of loose ends that haven’t been tied up by the end of the final episode. One of the things I’ve loved about the earlier series, is that everything is wrapped up rather nicely so the next series can start ‘afresh’ set a few years later. The same can’t be said about this fifth series, there’s a lot of plot points that aren’t cleared up and it’s rather frustrating that we have to wait another couple of years to find out!
Unsurprisingly there are stellar performances in this yet again. Cillian Murphy is fantastic as we see Tommy spiralling into a terrible state, and I absolutely adore the rabid dog with a heart of gold that is Arthur. And Sam Claflin is truly slimy and despicable as Oswald Mosley, I didn’t realise I could hate him so much, he really embodies such an awful character. There are also some surprise deaths and reappearances in this too, some of which that were unexpected and very welcome.
The plot itself is good, but my main issue with this series is the amount of loose ends that haven’t been tied up by the end of the final episode. One of the things I’ve loved about the earlier series, is that everything is wrapped up rather nicely so the next series can start ‘afresh’ set a few years later. The same can’t be said about this fifth series, there’s a lot of plot points that aren’t cleared up and it’s rather frustrating that we have to wait another couple of years to find out!