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KlangDings - House of Music
Education, Games and Stickers
7.0
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App
Make music with the teeth-brushing walrus, the dancing bathtub or the yodelling spider. Play with...
Never Look at the Empty Seats: A Memoir
Book
A tale of hard work, musical discovery, and faith, Charlie Daniels’s journey has been one of a...
Music biography
Chronicles of Drunagor: Age of Darkness
Tabletop Game
Daren has always been a land mired in conflict – from the moment the Mortal Races met in its...
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated The Room on Rue Amélie in Books
Feb 25, 2019
For those that know me, truly know me, know that one of my favorite genres to read, is historical fiction. More specifically, the WWII era. So, when I was browsing books at B&N one day, I came across this book. First, let me say, the cover is enough to hook me! It’s gorgeous. Second, once my dad surprised me with it, I devoured it. Or, rather, it devoured me and kept me hooked til the end.
This book is not full of fluff and rhyme. Yes, there is a bit of romance woven in, but the author is taking the reader on a journey of self discovery. The reader is on a journey with the characters, feeling the heartache of the war, the pain, and sacrifice that went with running from the Nazi’s and helping with the escape efforts of the pilots.
Each page turn, Harmel gives something more to the reader. She intricately weaves a story that you become a part of. Ruby, Charlotte and Thomas all make their way into the reader’s heart. The depth of emotions is felt wholly, the detail to the history is vivid and clear.
Harmel’s THE ROOM ON RUE AMELIE is a novel that all historical fiction lovers should grab. It will consume you and keep you until the last page is turned. If I could give this book a thousand stars I would. But, alas, I can give it 5 stars. This is a book that I won’t forget and will be sharing with my friends many times over.
*This book was purchased by myself. All opinions, negative or positive, are my own.*
This book is not full of fluff and rhyme. Yes, there is a bit of romance woven in, but the author is taking the reader on a journey of self discovery. The reader is on a journey with the characters, feeling the heartache of the war, the pain, and sacrifice that went with running from the Nazi’s and helping with the escape efforts of the pilots.
Each page turn, Harmel gives something more to the reader. She intricately weaves a story that you become a part of. Ruby, Charlotte and Thomas all make their way into the reader’s heart. The depth of emotions is felt wholly, the detail to the history is vivid and clear.
Harmel’s THE ROOM ON RUE AMELIE is a novel that all historical fiction lovers should grab. It will consume you and keep you until the last page is turned. If I could give this book a thousand stars I would. But, alas, I can give it 5 stars. This is a book that I won’t forget and will be sharing with my friends many times over.
*This book was purchased by myself. All opinions, negative or positive, are my own.*
Micah Ulibarri (79 KP) rated Everything Sucks - Season 1 in TV
Apr 3, 2018
It's a dramedy that takes place in the 90s. I'm talking so 90's it hurts. Three high school freshmen in Boring, Oregan start off their first year of high school in a big way. Hopefully they wont embarrass themselves.
I absolutely fell in love with this show. First of all, it is funny and feels more like a comedy. Nevertheless, the characters are complex and the situations are interesting and emotional.
The young actors, Peyton Kennedy, Jahi Winston, and Rio Mangini especially, do some great work. I think it's great that they actually look like young high school kids. Nonetheless, the are able to bring the emotion.
The show has themes of relationships, self-discovery, growing up, and how the 90s influenced that. There are some very positive representations of discovering sexuality. Not only as a young adult, but some of the older adults recently out of long term relationships also learn what it is to love and trust again.
Finally, one of the big plot points is the making of a movie in the kids AV club. It's actually really impressive when you see just how intensive a process that was not even 20 years ago.
All in all, the characters are the ones that sell the show. The show often ends on cliff hangers making you wanting to come back. My wife and I watched it through twice in one week. It's only 10 episodes and every single one of them is well worth it.
Also, shout out to the 90s tunes. Most of which are still songs on pretty much any of my playlists.
I absolutely fell in love with this show. First of all, it is funny and feels more like a comedy. Nevertheless, the characters are complex and the situations are interesting and emotional.
The young actors, Peyton Kennedy, Jahi Winston, and Rio Mangini especially, do some great work. I think it's great that they actually look like young high school kids. Nonetheless, the are able to bring the emotion.
The show has themes of relationships, self-discovery, growing up, and how the 90s influenced that. There are some very positive representations of discovering sexuality. Not only as a young adult, but some of the older adults recently out of long term relationships also learn what it is to love and trust again.
Finally, one of the big plot points is the making of a movie in the kids AV club. It's actually really impressive when you see just how intensive a process that was not even 20 years ago.
All in all, the characters are the ones that sell the show. The show often ends on cliff hangers making you wanting to come back. My wife and I watched it through twice in one week. It's only 10 episodes and every single one of them is well worth it.
Also, shout out to the 90s tunes. Most of which are still songs on pretty much any of my playlists.
Kristin (149 KP) rated Vengeance in the Valencian Water in Books
Dec 7, 2018
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Luna and Cayetano are doing well, finally coming to terns with all she uncovered in "Valencian Soil." However, now there's a new issue surrounding them: There are other bodies buried at Escondrijo besides those of their relatives. What should they do? Cayetano wants Luna to let it go and give them so peace, seeing as they are to be married soon, but she can't just leave these people here, knowing how she felt looking for her grandfather. Also, Cayetano's family starts to come down on her based on her previous exploits, and Jose especially seems like he has a few secrets to hide. Will Luna be able to cope with this, as well as a multitude of other things thrown her way over the course of this story?
We've picked up right where we left off in "Valencian Soil," and the story flows just as well from first to second installment. This time, instead of regressing back to the 30s, we go back to 1957, a time when Jose was an officer with big aspirations of one day having a farm for his family. To get there, he has to make some rough decisions, and those choices and actions drastically change his life. It coincides perfectly with Luna's discovery at Escondrijo, and the reader knows how it all ties together and go along with Luna and Jose as they butt heads over her choices. Will he ever accept Luna as part of his family? Will any of them, or will she be doomed to live as the outcast foreigner forever?
4 1/2 stars
Luna and Cayetano are doing well, finally coming to terns with all she uncovered in "Valencian Soil." However, now there's a new issue surrounding them: There are other bodies buried at Escondrijo besides those of their relatives. What should they do? Cayetano wants Luna to let it go and give them so peace, seeing as they are to be married soon, but she can't just leave these people here, knowing how she felt looking for her grandfather. Also, Cayetano's family starts to come down on her based on her previous exploits, and Jose especially seems like he has a few secrets to hide. Will Luna be able to cope with this, as well as a multitude of other things thrown her way over the course of this story?
We've picked up right where we left off in "Valencian Soil," and the story flows just as well from first to second installment. This time, instead of regressing back to the 30s, we go back to 1957, a time when Jose was an officer with big aspirations of one day having a farm for his family. To get there, he has to make some rough decisions, and those choices and actions drastically change his life. It coincides perfectly with Luna's discovery at Escondrijo, and the reader knows how it all ties together and go along with Luna and Jose as they butt heads over her choices. Will he ever accept Luna as part of his family? Will any of them, or will she be doomed to live as the outcast foreigner forever?
4 1/2 stars
TacoDave (3721 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies
Nov 14, 2019
Story (3 more)
Acting
Humor
Unexpected twists
This Parasite gets under your skin...
I will try not to spoil anything, because I really enjoyed watching this movie unfold. It's the kind of film where you can't really guess where it is going, because where it is going is so strange...
Based on the director, I expected sci-fi or horror. This movie isn't either of those genres: it is basically a human-level character study, but in a universe with slightly-cartoonish logic.
I know that doesn't make much sense, but if you watch the movie you might agree.
The main family is broke. They have no money for food and their neighbor recently put a password on their wifi, so they don't even have phones that work. When the son gets the chance to become a tutor to a rich girl, even though he isn't qualified, he jumps at the chance. And, slowly but surely, he and his family plan ways to get all four of them hired on at the rich owners' house.
That's all I will say, because discovery is important for this movie to work. There is a lot of drama and real-life class struggle, but the movie is often punctuated by humor that takes a second to register. It might be a physical sight gag; it might be a turn of phrase; it might be a facial expression; but I found myself laughing out loud, even as uncomfortable things were happening.
If you don't mind subtitles, I strongly recommend Parasite. It is as good as the reviews say.
Based on the director, I expected sci-fi or horror. This movie isn't either of those genres: it is basically a human-level character study, but in a universe with slightly-cartoonish logic.
I know that doesn't make much sense, but if you watch the movie you might agree.
The main family is broke. They have no money for food and their neighbor recently put a password on their wifi, so they don't even have phones that work. When the son gets the chance to become a tutor to a rich girl, even though he isn't qualified, he jumps at the chance. And, slowly but surely, he and his family plan ways to get all four of them hired on at the rich owners' house.
That's all I will say, because discovery is important for this movie to work. There is a lot of drama and real-life class struggle, but the movie is often punctuated by humor that takes a second to register. It might be a physical sight gag; it might be a turn of phrase; it might be a facial expression; but I found myself laughing out loud, even as uncomfortable things were happening.
If you don't mind subtitles, I strongly recommend Parasite. It is as good as the reviews say.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Silent House in Books
Mar 14, 2020
A pretty good debut
This is a pretty good debut thriller from this author and one which is fairly unique given that it focuses on the deaf community. I say pretty good and not excellent because I found it a little tedious in parts.
The story starts well with the gruesome discovery of the body of little Lexi ... she has been brutally murdered in her own bed but in a house inhabited by a family of deaf people, no one heard a thing. Paige is called as an interpreter for the Police but on finding out she has a connection to the family, rather than distance herself, she becomes embroiled in the investigation leading to her receiving threats herself. Sounds good right? Well yes, overall it is but it just takes a while to get there.
The characters are ok but a little one-dimensional. The pace was good in part but there were quite large sections of dialogue where nothing much happened when I found myself skim-reading, which is never a good sign. The real winner here is the glimpse into the life of the deaf community which, not being deaf myself, was a real eye opener and clearly the author knows what she's talking about.
Not the best book I've ever read but certainly not the worst either and I would recommend it to others if only to get a little insight into the challenges faced by the deaf on a daily basis.
My thanks go to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
The story starts well with the gruesome discovery of the body of little Lexi ... she has been brutally murdered in her own bed but in a house inhabited by a family of deaf people, no one heard a thing. Paige is called as an interpreter for the Police but on finding out she has a connection to the family, rather than distance herself, she becomes embroiled in the investigation leading to her receiving threats herself. Sounds good right? Well yes, overall it is but it just takes a while to get there.
The characters are ok but a little one-dimensional. The pace was good in part but there were quite large sections of dialogue where nothing much happened when I found myself skim-reading, which is never a good sign. The real winner here is the glimpse into the life of the deaf community which, not being deaf myself, was a real eye opener and clearly the author knows what she's talking about.
Not the best book I've ever read but certainly not the worst either and I would recommend it to others if only to get a little insight into the challenges faced by the deaf on a daily basis.
My thanks go to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.
ClareR (5784 KP) rated This Lovely City in Books
May 1, 2020
The beginnings of the Windrush generation.
The only thing I didn’t like about This Lovely City by Louise Hare, were the attitudes of a lot of the (predominantly) white, male Londoners. And there’s not a thing that the author could do about that.
In 1948 answering a call from the Homeland, Lawrie and hundreds of mainly young men like him, arrived in London, fresh off the Empire Windrush from Jamaica. They were there to help rebuild England after the Blitz and the end of the Second World War. We see this story mainly from Lawrie’s point of view, so we see the racism, the way he was turned away from jobs because the other men wouldn’t want to work with ‘his type’. It was a shock to see the use of the ‘n’ word so often, and the blatant hostility towards Lawrie and his friends.
This story isn’t just about that though. There’s a bit of a love story and a mystery to solve as well. Lawrie makes an upsetting discovery, and rather than being thanked for it, he is immediately under suspicion. Again, solely down to the colour of his skin.
I loved this book. It gave me an insight into the lives of the Windrush generation as they began their lives here. Lawrie and his girlfriend Evie were great characters to read about - I WANTED all to be well for them, as I did for the other Jamaican characters, if I’m honest.
If this is Louise Hare’s first book, I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my copy of this wonderful book.
In 1948 answering a call from the Homeland, Lawrie and hundreds of mainly young men like him, arrived in London, fresh off the Empire Windrush from Jamaica. They were there to help rebuild England after the Blitz and the end of the Second World War. We see this story mainly from Lawrie’s point of view, so we see the racism, the way he was turned away from jobs because the other men wouldn’t want to work with ‘his type’. It was a shock to see the use of the ‘n’ word so often, and the blatant hostility towards Lawrie and his friends.
This story isn’t just about that though. There’s a bit of a love story and a mystery to solve as well. Lawrie makes an upsetting discovery, and rather than being thanked for it, he is immediately under suspicion. Again, solely down to the colour of his skin.
I loved this book. It gave me an insight into the lives of the Windrush generation as they began their lives here. Lawrie and his girlfriend Evie were great characters to read about - I WANTED all to be well for them, as I did for the other Jamaican characters, if I’m honest.
If this is Louise Hare’s first book, I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my copy of this wonderful book.
Weedmaps: Marijuana & Cannabis
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