Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Death on the Menu in Books
Aug 8, 2018
I have missed this series, and it was so fantastic to be back. This book has now added two more must visit locations on my bucket list trip to Key West, Harry Truman’s Little White House and Hemingway’s house. The politics of the US Cuban relationship is front and center and handled in a mostly even-handed manner. The politics and the drama around the conference to tend to overshadow the mystery at times, especially in the first half. Things do build to a great climax, however. And it was great to see Hayley and her friends again. Fans will be interested to see the latest in Hayley’s complicated love life, and we get to see plenty of Miss Gloria. This truly was a fun visit.
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
7.8
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BOYZ N THE HOOD is the critically acclaimed story of three friends growing up in a South Central Los...
Home on the Range (2004)
6.6
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When an eviction notice shows up at the gates of the Patch of Heaven dairy farm, three cows take it...
Play It As It Lays
Book
Benny called for a round of Cuba Libres and I gave him some chips to play for me and went to the...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated A Few Good Men (1992) in Movies
Apr 7, 2020
Also you have classic lines like.. "I am a lawyer and an officer in the United States Marine Corps...and you're under arrest, you son of a bitch.", "What do you wanna talk about now? My favorite color?", "Did you order the code red?", "I want the truth!" and of course "You Can't Handle The Truth".
The plot: Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is a military lawyer defending two U.S. Marines charged with killing a fellow Marine at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Although Kaffee is known for seeking plea bargains, a fellow lawyer, Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), convinces him that the accused marines were most likely carrying out an order from a commanding officer. Kaffee takes a risk by calling Col. Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson) to the stand in an effort to uncover the conspiracy.
Such a classic excellent movie, to start the month of "Tom Cruise".
Scott Morse recommended The Battle of Algiers (1966) in Movies (curated)
Michael Lindsay-Hogg recommended I Am Cuba (1964) in Movies (curated)
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Havana Sleeping in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>Havana Sleeping</i> is a historical mystery novel by British author Martin Davies, which is based on real events that occurred in Cuba during the 1850s. Although the Slave Trade had been abolished in England, there were still people in America and Cuba who would be happy for slavery to remain legal. George Backhouse was posted to Havana, Cuba as a British Judge to take a stand against the illegal slave trading.
Backhouse ends up getting involved in a lot of complicated situations that could potentially spark a devastating war. His path also becomes tied up with the other main character, Leandra Leigh. Whilst most of the characters are real historical figures, Leandra appears to be fictional. A dear friend of hers, a watchman, was murdered during a supposed robbery and although the matter has been closed for a couple of years Leandra is determined to find out the truth – something of limited value in Havana. To begin with Backhouse and Leandra’s investigations seem unrelated, but a connection begins to build up as the story goes on.
In all honesty, the novel was very difficult to get into. There is nothing wrong with the actual writing as such, it is in fact written well and grammatically correct, however there was a lack of excitement in the narrative. It was also difficult to keep track of the characters – admittedly that may have been the point in the case of a couple of people, but as a result it was impossible to connect story. There were a few attempts of showing emotion, mostly surrounding Leandra’s character, yet this failed to arouse much interest.
From a historical point of view, those interested in Cuban and British history of this time period may be interested in reading <i>Havana Sleeping</i> and the author also includes some factual notes at the end of the book, but anyone hoping to get a story of some kind is bound to be disappointed.
Amistad (1997)
7.6
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In 1839, the slave ship Amistad set sail from Cuba to America. During the long trip, Cinque (Djimon...
Guantanamo Diary
Mohamedou Ould Slahi and Larry Siems
Book
THE SUNDAY TIMES and NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In 2002, Mohamedou Ould Slahi was imprisoned at the...