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MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated The Boys in TV

Oct 23, 2019  
The Boys
The Boys
2019 | Action, Crime, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller
I have the advantage of not having read the comics, so I was able to go into this with fresh eyes and appreciate it on its own merits, and I'm so glad I gave it a shot. What a great fucking show. It's dark, it's cynical, it's funny and it's smart. Elizabeth Shue is terrific (but when isn't she?). Anthony Starr's Homelander is absolutely mesmerizing in a messed up way; he's a terrible, horrible person and everything he does is insanely wrong - but I couldn't look away. The societal commentary is on point. Really a very well done show in every respect. Can't wait to see what they do with season 2!
  
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Sam (74 KP) rated Elizabeth is Missing in Books

Mar 27, 2019  
Elizabeth is Missing
Elizabeth is Missing
Emma Healey | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.1 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
From the start, it’s quite obvious that Elizabeth isn’t actually missing, and Maud is just struggling to understand and remember what has actually happened to Elizabeth. The title leads you to think that the whole book is about Elizabeth, but really the novel focuses a lot on Maud’s childhood in post-war England.

Even though Maud is confused over what is happening in the present, she has a good memory for the past, and especially the events surrounding her sister, Sukey, going missing.

I really loved Maud and it was horrible to see how confused she was. It was even worse to watch all the people who couldn’t understand what was happening, including the police who just laughed every time she went to report Elizabeth as missing.

In Maud’s past, there was a mad old woman who everyone ignored and Maud was scared of. Scarily, I think this old woman foreshadows Maud’s life. People looked at the mad old woman in the same way that people looked at Maud as she became more and more confused, and it is quite sad to see that attitudes haven’t changed at all from the 1940s.

The plot isn’t linear, and it jumps around a lot to follow Maud’s confusion, but I really liked this. I was actually getting inside the mind of Maud, and really seeing how her brain worked, even when she was really confused.

At the end, you get to see that every little thing Maud has said has meant something. Everyone around her has discounted everything she has to say because of her dementia, but you realise that even though she was confused, she knew what she was talking about. She didn’t always get the right words out for what she wanted to say, but she still managed to solve a mystery that everyone other than Maud had forgotten about.

I loved this book. It’s really amazing and is one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read. I’m over the moon that the BBC have bought the rights to it, and I really hope they go through and make an adaptation, because it will be groundbreaking.
  
<b><i>The Curse of the Pharaohs</i></b> is a fast, fun, and humorous second outing with Amelia and her husband Emerson. The first half isn't quite as good as the second, but it quickly picks up and is enjoyable until the end. Amelia's outlook is a joy to read and I love how Elizabeth Peters writes her, which to me, seems like it would be very hard to do in a first person narrative (particularly with a character like Amelia Peabody Emerson!). There are some truly hilarious lines and passages, especially between Amelia and Emerson.

One line I just have to keep for posterity: <i>"It is impossible for any rational mind to follow the peculiar mental convolutions that pass for logic among the male sex."</i>

That is the genius of Ms. Peters writing and I look forward to the rest of the series.
  
Same Time Next Year
Same Time Next Year
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
Genre: Contemporary

Word Count: 4,560

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.27/5 stars

My rating: 4.5/5 stars

It’s not often a book can surprise me. But Same Time Next Year totally took me off guard.

Every year, for the past either years, Regina White and Tyler Harrison meet at the same hotel, in two connecting rooms for one night.

The receptionist, Elizabeth, thinks she has the whole situation figured out. But she doesn’t know what this night means to the mysterious couple. And somehow she can’t stop thinking about them anyway.

You can read Same Time Next Year for free on Smashwords.

At first I thought I wasn’t going to like this story. I thought it was about two people leaving their depressing and dull lives to have one night of infidelity and debauchery a year, like some sort of modern day fairy tale. On top of that, the “good” character, Elizabeth, is kind of a bitch who is quick to condemn and judge Regina, but smile and admire Tyler.

It’s one thing to disapprove of adultery, it’s another thing to have double standards about it.

But despite my misgivings at first, I got sucked into the very hot sex scene quickly.

“No, I don’t want champagne. I want you. Naked. And wet. And begging.”

Gotta love good dirty talk. Unfortunately the scene ends abruptly and before the couple gets to the really good part, if you know what I mean. 😉

For such a short story there is actually a lot of character development. We learn that Tyler and Regina met at a conference years ago, when they had those two hotel rooms by coincidence. Tyler loves how Regina’s strong and confident in public, but a little submissive in the bedroom. Regina loves how Tyler still wants her, and how he’s always willing to please her. They have great chemistry together and I love how they’re still attracted to each other after all those years, and always come back to the same hotel.

My only complaint, aside from the abrupt end to the sex scene, is Elizabeth. I get why she’s necessary to the story, but she’s undeveloped and unlikeable, and I wish she was gone.
  
Very Good Girls (2014)
Very Good Girls (2014)
2014 | Drama
Surprisingly sweet
I usually don't have much hope for original Netflix or Amazon Prime movies figuring if they were good a studio would have purchased them or they would have played in theatres; however, I thought this one was sweet. I do enjoy both Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen so I thought I would give it a try.

Two friends decide they want to have sex before going to college. Unfortunately, they decide on the same guy as their companion without telling the other. Relationships get complicated for sure.

Certainly not going to win any awards, but I thought the acting was solid all around including supporting performances by Ellen Barkin, Clark Gregg, Demi Moore and Richard Dreyfuss.

The dialogue was touching in spots and when things get complicated, you are really rooting for the friendship to ensure.

  
150 of 235
Kindle
More than Comics ( Chasing the Dream 2)
By Elizabeth Briggs
⭐️⭐️⭐️

I've been in love with Tara long before I became a famous rock star. We talk every day. We know everything about each other. But we've never met in person.

Until now.

Four days at Comic-Con together might change everything between us. She can never know how I feel about her. I won't ruin our friendship. I can't.

But I can't resist her either. And after one hot, unforgettable night together she sees me as more than her best friend too.

Can our online relationship turn into a real life romance? Or will it destroy our friendship forever?

This was sweet, loving the Comic-Con fun mixed in too pretty easy going read. Not much more I can really say.
  
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Oprah Winfrey recommended The Seeker's Guide in Books (curated)

 
The Seeker&#039;s Guide
The Seeker's Guide
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"How do we open ourselves up to life’s joy and the heart’s peace? Elizabeth Lesser has been helping me answer this question since I first encountered her book. Her message is simple and profound: “When we slow down, quiet the mind, and allow ourselves to feel hungry for something that we do not understand, we are dipping into the abundant well of spiritual longing.” That’s the starting point for growth."

Source
  
Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins
Heaven or Las Vegas by Cocteau Twins
1990 | Alternative
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I think that Elizabeth Fraser is such an amazing singer. Even though she’s not singing words, there’s so much emotion in her voice. The melodies are unbelievably strong, and when you combine that with Elizabeth's voice it conveys things that mere words can’t. “I also love the way that the instrumentation is almost the same for every song. With some artists, that might not work, but the Cocteau Twins manage to take you into their own sonic world. They’re totally captivating. This is one of my favorite records ever."

Source
  
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MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated The Kitchen (2019) in Movies

Dec 3, 2019 (Updated Dec 3, 2019)  
The Kitchen (2019)
The Kitchen (2019)
2019 | Action, Crime, Drama
Here's my quick review for this one:

I had zero idea this movie was based on a DC graphic novel; I was just intrigued by the premise of mob wives taking over. I enjoyed the story line. Margo Martindale is always great, no exception here. Melissa McCarthy felt weak, acting-wise and character-wise. Elizabeth Moss was EVERYTHING, and I don't normally care about her one way or the other. Her character's story arc was by far my favorite, her acting the most believable.

And then we come to Tiffany Haddish. She makes me cringe, and her voice makes me want to puncture my own eardrums. I just do not like her, and this movie did nothing to change my opinion. But if you can get past her, the movie was worth a watch.