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The Accident
The Accident
Linwood Barclay | 2011 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
8
7.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Usually when I am listening to audiobooks I am also cleaning my house. It helps to make the task so much more enjoyable. Well, at one point while listening to this book, I had to stop what I was doing and listen very carefully. This book had more twists and turns than a roller coaster.

Glen Garber is a contractor in Milford, CT. He lives with his wife Sheila and their daughter Kelly. On a night when Sheila is supposed to be attending a business class, she ends up dead in the middle of the road from a drunk driving accident. This is so uncharacteristic of her, that at first Glen is very puzzled as to how this could happen. Then as the days and weeks go on and more people that are connected to his wife start dying, he starts to question if there aren't other factors that could have contributed to his wife's death.

Finding out who did this to his wife and his family, leads him on a wild goose chase all around the state and he finds out interesting information about his wife and her friends along the way. I didn't want to turn the iPod off while listening to this book. Definitely hard to put down.
  
Arrival (2016)
Arrival (2016)
2016 | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Different concept (2 more)
Interesting characters
Cool aliens
A little slow (1 more)
Confusing at times
Time. Is it really what we think it is?
If you're looking for a gritty, action packed sci fi - this is not it. This is more of a thought provoking trope through the human concept of time. Our time is linear, we go from A to Z, birth to death, start to finish. This alien encounter twists that ideal into something that your mind may have trouble wrapping around and if you're into working out the finer details it's definitely worth watching a second time. Overall it's an interesting movie, however it is a little slow and at times can be tedious, it never had me on the edge of my chair or dying to know what happens next, however, it is a decent film. It doesn't go in my favourites list, nor is it something I'd watch again, but it is a thought provoking movie with interesting characters.
  
Freeheld (2015)
Freeheld (2015)
2015 | Drama
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Based on a true story about Detective Lauren Hester (Julianne Moore) who is dying of cancer and her life-partner Stacie Andree (Ellen Page, who “came out” herself last year), and their fight for their civil rights against the “Freeholders Committee” in Ocean City, NJ.

 

After more than 20 years of being on the force and highly decorated, Lauren Hester is seeking to give her pension to her domestic partner just like any straight married county employee has been able to do. The Freeholders, are a committee who governs the county, decided that Hester’s pension would not be given to Andree because they are lesbians and the fight begins. They are contacted by a gay rights activist, Steve Goldstein (Steve Carell), who with the help of Hester’s detective partner Dane Wells (Michael Shannon), try to get the Freeholders to change their opinion. Only with help from the community and police force, who are rallied by Goldstein and Wells,will anything be changed.

 

Right from the start the movie grabs hold of the viewer, and keeps them engrossed in their struggle to the end. Being so close to being a biography I was surprised at how well it was done and my interest was kept throughout. It is not just an account of a gay couple, more a depiction of a battle for everyone’s civil rights. Freeheld skillfully depicts the struggles of gay professionals to keep their identity a secret from society while still being successful in their field, having a fulfilling relationship and how society discriminated LGBTQ domestic partnerships which became fuel for the Marriage Equality movement.

 

The actors and director (Peter Sollett) keep the pace fluid and easy to follow without losing any of the important details of their lives or bogging it down with the legalities of the fight. The screenplay could easily have turned this into an exploitation just for the tear-jerking factor, but instead keep it realistic, even adding a bit of humor alleviate the dreariness the story, just like most people will do when facing the death of a loved one. I found Freeheld to be somewhat upbeat, even in the darkest scenes dealing with the misuse of the laws due to bigotry and how close to reality Moore simulates a person dying of cancer, instead turning it into another gloom and doom cancer or civil rights movie. Having been through it myself, I could fully connect with Page’s depiction how it feels to watch loved one dying of cancer and I know so many others will also.

 

I honestly loved Freeheld, I would suggest to anyone who prefers a matter of fact movie mixed with humor, compassion, and heartbreak that ends with you feeling like you were fully immersed in their life and closure with the finale.

http://sknr.net/2015/10/09/freeheld/
  
AM
A magic steeped in poison
Judy I lin | 2022
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Title: A Magic Steeped in Poison
Author: Judy I Lin

I love the cover it's so pretty. It's so sad the main characters sister is dying and if she wins the contest saving her sister would be a good prize like she wants. The fact she accidentally poisoned her and her mom must be hard to live with. I loved the quote that explained their beliefs in death: "Three souls contained within each of us separated from our bodies when we die. One returning to Earth, one to the air, and the final soul descending into the wheel of life." It's a nice way of putting how death works around this point is where I got hooked on the book. When she sold her only memory of her mom she had left in Nánjiāng was very sad. I agree with the makers of the game that they had to take a test to be let into the competition it'll help keep the cheaters out. I also loved how they gave them a price limit for the tea ingredients so make it more fair. The boy she met while shopping for ingredients my gut said don't trust him but later on he helped save the Princess from an assassin attempt. I don't want to go into more detail so I don't spoil the rest of the story for others but all around I loved this book and I would 100% reread it.