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I was given a copy of this book In return for an honest review.

I was expecting something totally different when I started this book and It turned Into a completely different story. It was Interesting to see Billy's journey throughout his first 20 years of his life. It was as though you were viewing his world through his eyes with each page turn. From his dysfunctional family, his school years, and his experiences with women that come Into his life. My one big quirk with this book was that at times I felt as though this story was written specifically for Intelligent readers. Their are several big words In the book that I found myself having to look up the definition since I've never heard or seen used before. It really took away from the story for me and at times I just wanted to put the book down and not read any further. Aside from that, I carried on and found myself enjoying the book. I can't wait to start on book #2 and see how the story progresses with Billy and the other characters from this book.
  
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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Nov 10, 2020 (Updated Nov 10, 2020)  
Sneak a peek at the mature Middle Grade realistic fiction novel ARACELI'S PATH: AMONG ANGELS AND DEVEILS IN JUAREZ by Marion Surles on my blog. Read about her cause Love and Literacy in her guest post. (It's a fantastic cause!) Enter the GIVEAWAY to win autographed copies of Araceli’s Path and Grit in Juarez (choice of English or Spanish) by Marion Surles, Day of the Dead shopping bag & plate, Mexican coin purse, and Mexican candy - two winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/11/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-aracelis.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Araceli comes from a blended, dysfunctional family held together by the love of a grandmother. Rubí is being raised by a single mother who works as a prostitute. Both young girls are affected not only by their mothers' choices but also by the violence and culture of Juarez, Mexico.

Can they overcome the cards they have been dealt, or are they destined to follow the same paths as their mothers?

Follow the lives of Araceli and Rubí from childhood to young adulthood and listen for children everywhere who are voiceless, trapped in their own cultures.
     
Ready or Not (2019)
Ready or Not (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Horror, Mystery
Ready or not is one of those films that sounds stupid, a woman marries into a wealthy family who made their money from making games (and hunting). To be accepted in the family all she has to do is take part in the family tradition of playing one game, only the game is hide and seek and it's played to the death. Some how the film works, It's set in a large house which helps the keep the atmosphere tense and there is just the right amount of humour that helps the film keep a fast pace.
I wouldn't say that Ready or not is a scary horror, lacking even any real jump scares but it doesn't need them, the film is not about being scared, it's about the chase, survival and dysfunctional family dynamics. Even the sub plot about the pack with the devil is used more for mystery than horror and the film does a good job of keeping the view from knowing the truth until the end.
Ready or Not is an enjoyable romp with a bit of blood, a bit of horror and just enough story to keep it going .
  
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ClareR (5561 KP) rated The Road Trip in Books

Aug 4, 2021  
The Road Trip
The Road Trip
Beth O'Leary | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this book. The Road Trip has a different feel to it compared to Beth O’Leary’s previous two novels, and whatever direction she’ll take next, I’m going along for the ride (see what I did there!🤭)

I just love the way that O’Leary writes characters: in this book they’re funny, flawed and feel like genuine, real people. There are those with mental health problems, dysfunctional families and strong sibling relationships.

We see the contrast of the carefree student on holiday, and the way that real life has a habit of sticking its oar in - and not always in a good way.

The road trip element was hilarious though. Deliciously awkward, thanks to Addie, Dylan and Dylan’s friend Marcus, with the devil-may-care attitude of Addie’s sister, Debs. And than there’s Rodney (I’l leave him right here - I don’t want to spoil THIS character for you!).

This book is a little darker in places in comparison to her other books, but I absolutely loved every page. I can’t wait to see what’s next from Beth O’Leary. Oh, and you should definitely read this book!!

Many thanks to Quercus for my copy via NetGalley.
  
Un Conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale) (2008)
Un Conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale) (2008)
2008 | International, Comedy, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I sat next to someone called Arnaud Desplechin at a dinner once in Paris. At home a week later, I saw a movie called A Christmas Tale. It was jaw-dropping, immediately one of the best films I’d ever seen. I got up from the couch thinking, Who in God’s name directed this thing? At the TV, I flipped over the DVD case and shrieked. I’d been sitting right next to him and hadn’t said a thing. I was distraught—like someone who decides not to buy an eight-dollar painting at a thrift shop only to find out later that it was a Picasso. Surely A Christmas Tale is built on one of our sturdiest clichés, that of a dysfunctional family reuniting for the holidays. But that’s where everything you’ve ever seen before ends. There’s not a filmic technique that isn’t employed to its fullest, no trick Desplechin is afraid to pull. Every beat is specific, there’s not a written false note, and it has some of the ballsiest acting on any side of the Atlantic. I only wish I had known all this when I was sitting next to the man. C’est la vie."

Source
  
Hello Beautiful
Hello Beautiful
Ann Napolitano | 2023 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Between finishing reading Hello Beautiful and writing this review, this book has exploded. Oprah has taken it under her wing and shown it as the wonderful piece of work that it is to her followers. So, it has already been read by a lot of people - and rightly so. I loved it. Books about families and family relationships, whether they’re a difficult or loving relationship, are one of my most favourite things.

There are most certainly echoes of Little Women, but if you’ve never read it, it won’t make much difference to your enjoyment. You might want to try Little Women at some point though!

William Waters grows up in a very dysfunctional family, and is drawn into the Padavano family when he marries Julia - it’s a family he comes to love.

With themes of mental illness, family loyalties, love in all of its forms and loss, it’s a big read for only around 400 pages. The story just sped by, and I was bereft when I turned the last page.

I loved the world of William Waters and the Padavano sisters.

Highly recommended.
  
Marvel's The Defenders  - Season 1
Marvel's The Defenders - Season 1
2017 | Action
Action packed (1 more)
Good plot
Iron fist (4 more)
Iron fist
Iron fist
Kind of dull at times
Iron fist
Dysfunctional bunch of assholes that you want to have a drink with
The Defenders was a lot of fun to watch with some really awesome action sequences that I've come to associate with Marvel/Netflix while story is nothing new it was still fun to watch and to see The Defenders come together was really awesome(except for Iron fist). For me Jessica Jones was really the stand out from the group and really saved this season for me.

You really feel the shorts season with this one and since they waited so long for them to come together the last few episodes felt a but rushed so I do wish they would have extended the season to the normal 13 episodes I feel like it really would have helped the pacing of the season.


If you couldn't tell I really truly hated Iron Fist with a passion he was such an obnoxious epitome of rich white male privilege and he really did drag this season down for me since almost every time he was on screen I found my focus drifting off. I will admit I did enjoy his interactions with Luke Cage.
  
Show all 4 comments.
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Mekkin B. (122 KP) Sep 9, 2017

This is the best and most accurate list of drawbacks for this show. I would add that the set-piece for the final showdown (the underground cave/dragon skeleton) was just so godawful. It was such a weird twist for three of these gritty, realistic superheroes to be drawn into this bizarre mystical plot. The writers knew it too, they lampshade it in the elevator scene, but just because you make your characters acknowledge that they are in a ridiculous situation, doesn't make that situation less ridiculous.

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BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) Sep 10, 2017

You seriously couldn't be any more right just another way Iron Fist messed up the show.

Happy Anymore - Single by Savannah Sgro
Happy Anymore - Single by Savannah Sgro
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Savannah Sgro is Nashville-based singer-songwriter from Las Vegas, Nevada. Not too long ago, she released a gloomy pop tune, entitled, “Happy Anymore”.

“Turn the TV off ‘cause I don’t wanna see this part. They’re in each other’s arms and it’s just too hard on my heart. I don’t wanna see another kiss, another smile on their lips. No, I couldn’t be more over this. I’m sick of seeing people happy ‘cause all it does is remind me that that’s not what we are anymore.” – lyrics

‘Happy Anymore’ tells a bitter tale of a young woman who shares a dysfunctional relationship with her significant other.

Apparently, they’ve tried kissing and making up, and everything else under the sun. But nothing seems to make them happy.
Later, the woman admits that she and her partner used to make each other happy, but now they’re not happy anymore because they can’t compromise.

‘Happy Anymore’ contains a relatable storyline, pleasing vocals, and warm instrumentation scented with sentimental ingredients.

“I wrote the song with my friends Savana Santos and Emily Falvey. It was written while I was inspired by watching ‘The Bachelor’. It was hard to watch all these couples happy when my boyfriend and I were fighting.” – Savannah Sgro
  
Playmates
Playmates
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Tania and Trevor Wilde are twins. They live in a small lake town with their parents. Every night their parents have "wine time" where they hurl bottles and insults at each other. Tania and Trevor spend "wine time" in their room wishing they could be anywhere else and making a plan to get away. The Wilde family is the definition of a dysfunctional family. Mom is abusive towards Tania and Trevor feels helpless to stop it. Then she invites strange men into the home while dad is away working. The next day, though, she will have bible study with some of her friends. Dad, is not exempt from the dysfunction. He is a professor at the local community college and brings home co-eds to the basement.

Tania frequently thinks about death and often coaxes Trevor to the dark side. She doesn't have many friends so she counts on her brother to fill that void. Then an unfortunate incident takes place and makes them both a lot darker.

Playmates, is a psychological thriller about killer kids. While this book did not have me on the edge of my seat, it held and captured my attention. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I look forward to the next titles in the Wilde series. Bedmates and Soulmates.
  
Halloween (2007)
Halloween (2007)
2007 | Horror
A successful re-imagining but turned up to 11!
When I first heard director Rob Zombie was going to have a hand at Halloween, I couldn't have been more excited. His films up to that point had been intense, scary, gruesome, gothic, sexual and down-rite awesome!

This reinvention had big shoes to fill since the original Halloween is not only a scary movie classic, but invented or perfected a lot of horror elements still used in films today.

The additions to the story proved successful seeing a lot more scenes of Michael as a child, his dysfunctional family roots (which could have been part of his inner demons) and more details around his escape from the psychiatric hospital. Then the original story plays out as you are familiar; although, more intense and evil.

The third act does seem to drag out just a bit as the movie is around 2 hours in length.

Great to see a lot of "B" movie actors appear in the film including Malcolm McDowell, Clint Howard, Brad Dourif, Dee Wallace and Richard Lynch. Also Danielle Harris who was the little girl in parts 4 & 5 is also there as another homage.

Overall, a successful reboot with enough mixture of old and new to keep me very well entertained.