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The Inn at Hidden Run (Tree of Life #1)
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.A Father-Daughter Genealogy Team Link Present to Past on Family Trees Meri's family has been...
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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The More you Ignore me in Books
Feb 20, 2022
31 of 230
Book
The more you ignore me
By Jo Brand
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Celebrity obsession, coming of age and cow shit - an hilarious, poignant and darkly comic novel by the Queen of Comedy.
Alice is a young girl growing up in a dysfunctional family in Herefordshire in the 1980s. Her mother is suffering a mental illness - she is on medication, is put away in an institution, but constantly escapes - while her father, Keith, very sweetly, tries to keep everything together. His in-laws, the Wildgooses, are a bunch of reckless, lawless country bumpkins and can offer very little help or sensible advice, preferring instead to remain in the pub or to use a shotgun to solve life's little problems. The only thing that gives meaning and hope to Alice as she makes her way through childhood, school and teenage trauma is her obsession with the singer Morrissey of The Smiths. She is desperate to see The Smiths at a live gig, but somehow her family always manages to derail her plans. Gradually her mother begins to share her fascination with the rock god and his presence in their lives goes someway to healing her and repairing her relationship with her long-suffering daughter.
This was really good! It was funny and darkly so. It follows the life of a young girl dealing with the effects her mothers mental illness has on her and her father. It’s has a dark underlay that as someone who struggles mentally I can relate too. So much better than I was expecting.
Book
The more you ignore me
By Jo Brand
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Celebrity obsession, coming of age and cow shit - an hilarious, poignant and darkly comic novel by the Queen of Comedy.
Alice is a young girl growing up in a dysfunctional family in Herefordshire in the 1980s. Her mother is suffering a mental illness - she is on medication, is put away in an institution, but constantly escapes - while her father, Keith, very sweetly, tries to keep everything together. His in-laws, the Wildgooses, are a bunch of reckless, lawless country bumpkins and can offer very little help or sensible advice, preferring instead to remain in the pub or to use a shotgun to solve life's little problems. The only thing that gives meaning and hope to Alice as she makes her way through childhood, school and teenage trauma is her obsession with the singer Morrissey of The Smiths. She is desperate to see The Smiths at a live gig, but somehow her family always manages to derail her plans. Gradually her mother begins to share her fascination with the rock god and his presence in their lives goes someway to healing her and repairing her relationship with her long-suffering daughter.
This was really good! It was funny and darkly so. It follows the life of a young girl dealing with the effects her mothers mental illness has on her and her father. It’s has a dark underlay that as someone who struggles mentally I can relate too. So much better than I was expecting.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter in Books
Jul 19, 2022
Moonlight and the Pearler’s daughter ticked a lot of the boxes on my ‘favourite books’ list:
Historical fiction ✅
Set somewhere completely out of my previous knowledge ✅
A strong female character, operating in a difficult situation ✅
A bit of a mystery ✅ (I don’t really want to try and solve it, I just like the big reveal!)
As is often the case, the expectation of women in historical fiction is to stay at home, look after the house, wait to get married and have babies. But Eliza won’t stay at home when her father goes missing - she doesn’t assume he’s dead like the rest of the townsfolk.
There’s a real feeling of danger in a town where there appears to be no law keepers - not honest one’s, anyway. And if the corrupt, prejudiced townsfolk don’t get you, the climate and the wildlife (jellyfish, crocodiles!!) will.
This is a gripping, descriptive novel, that puts the reader firmly in Eliza’s world. I certainly had more of an idea of the hardships of living in NW Australia at this time. What will stay with me however, is Eliza’s determination to save her father and her family. She’s single-minded in her quest to find him, and determined not to let anyone else take the blame for his supposed death. It’s unnerving at times, when the attitudes of the white settlers towards the Aboriginals and other people of colour are starkly described.
A dark time in history, indeed.
And I’d highly recommend this. It’s wonderfully told.
Historical fiction ✅
Set somewhere completely out of my previous knowledge ✅
A strong female character, operating in a difficult situation ✅
A bit of a mystery ✅ (I don’t really want to try and solve it, I just like the big reveal!)
As is often the case, the expectation of women in historical fiction is to stay at home, look after the house, wait to get married and have babies. But Eliza won’t stay at home when her father goes missing - she doesn’t assume he’s dead like the rest of the townsfolk.
There’s a real feeling of danger in a town where there appears to be no law keepers - not honest one’s, anyway. And if the corrupt, prejudiced townsfolk don’t get you, the climate and the wildlife (jellyfish, crocodiles!!) will.
This is a gripping, descriptive novel, that puts the reader firmly in Eliza’s world. I certainly had more of an idea of the hardships of living in NW Australia at this time. What will stay with me however, is Eliza’s determination to save her father and her family. She’s single-minded in her quest to find him, and determined not to let anyone else take the blame for his supposed death. It’s unnerving at times, when the attitudes of the white settlers towards the Aboriginals and other people of colour are starkly described.
A dark time in history, indeed.
And I’d highly recommend this. It’s wonderfully told.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Crawl (2019) in Movies
Aug 23, 2019
Verdict: Intense Creature Feature
Story: Crawl starts when college swimming student Haley (Scodelario) who after a family disagreement with her father Dave (Pepper) hasn’t spoken to him in a while gets a call from her sister Beth (Clark) to make sure their father is out of Florida after a hurricane has taken a turn to put him in the path of the destruction.
Haley arrives back home, bringing back the memories with father and his training to make her an elite swimming, only to find him injured in the crawlspace, where he has been a victim of an alligator attack, the two find themselves trapped against the alligators, with the flood water rising and time running out, can they make it out, that is the question.
Thoughts on Crawl
Characters – This is a film that only really has two characters in, we have Haley who is a college student on a scholarship for her swimming, she has been training her whole life and is starting to question her place in the sport going forward, she reluctantly goes to make sure her father has gotten out of Florida before the hurricane hits and here she must put aside their differences to face off against the alligators that are looking to feed. Her swimming skills do come in crucial when it comes to staying ahead of the gators, but she does fall into the stupid decisions being made. Dave is the father that has buried himself in work after his wife left him, he had spent most of Haley’s childhood coaching her to be the best in swimming, with them both getting success, he has however become injured due to the attack and helps his daughter to escape, so they can rebuild their relationship. Where the two have been going through a strained relationship, it does show how the working together process isn’t working well to start with and as they rebuild their relationship, we see just how well they can work together.
Performances – Kaya Scodelario in the leading role is strong for the most part, we get to see how she manages to look like she isn’t completely in a comfortable place with her future and that she will never give up the fight. Barry Pepper, despite spending most of the film injured, does bring us a strong performance too which shows us that both the main stars of the film do carry the load well.
Story – The story here follows a father and daughter that find themselves trapped in a crawlspace where they are being stalked by alligators, making walking out difficult, while also being in the path of a hurricane which will see them below water sooner rather than later. When we break down this story, we do have a creature feature film that does see man versus nature, with it being both natural disaster and a living predator. This is a battle to survive which does feel intense, even if the trailer does give away most of the film’s story, which is highly disappointing to see. This story does keep the pace up and does have the side of the story which sees the family needing to put aside their issues to make it out.
Action/Horror – The action comes from the alligator attacks, they are intense and show just how deadly they can be, this is a horror that wouldn’t be terrifying to live through, this all shows just how deadly of a predator alligator can be.
Settings – The film is set in one location, the house where Haley grew up, starting with a large part inside the crawlspace under the house, it is contained, and you can understand why the gators would be in there too.
Special Effects – The effects when it comes to injuries are brutal to watch, with one scene involving a leg being placed back together standing out, the alligators look terrifying too through the film.
Scene of the Movie – Boat wave.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Does nobody in Florida know how deadly Alligators are?
Final Thoughts – This is a fun and intense creature feature that doesn’t hide away from the blood and will keep you on the edge of the seat.
Overall: Creature feature fun.
Story: Crawl starts when college swimming student Haley (Scodelario) who after a family disagreement with her father Dave (Pepper) hasn’t spoken to him in a while gets a call from her sister Beth (Clark) to make sure their father is out of Florida after a hurricane has taken a turn to put him in the path of the destruction.
Haley arrives back home, bringing back the memories with father and his training to make her an elite swimming, only to find him injured in the crawlspace, where he has been a victim of an alligator attack, the two find themselves trapped against the alligators, with the flood water rising and time running out, can they make it out, that is the question.
Thoughts on Crawl
Characters – This is a film that only really has two characters in, we have Haley who is a college student on a scholarship for her swimming, she has been training her whole life and is starting to question her place in the sport going forward, she reluctantly goes to make sure her father has gotten out of Florida before the hurricane hits and here she must put aside their differences to face off against the alligators that are looking to feed. Her swimming skills do come in crucial when it comes to staying ahead of the gators, but she does fall into the stupid decisions being made. Dave is the father that has buried himself in work after his wife left him, he had spent most of Haley’s childhood coaching her to be the best in swimming, with them both getting success, he has however become injured due to the attack and helps his daughter to escape, so they can rebuild their relationship. Where the two have been going through a strained relationship, it does show how the working together process isn’t working well to start with and as they rebuild their relationship, we see just how well they can work together.
Performances – Kaya Scodelario in the leading role is strong for the most part, we get to see how she manages to look like she isn’t completely in a comfortable place with her future and that she will never give up the fight. Barry Pepper, despite spending most of the film injured, does bring us a strong performance too which shows us that both the main stars of the film do carry the load well.
Story – The story here follows a father and daughter that find themselves trapped in a crawlspace where they are being stalked by alligators, making walking out difficult, while also being in the path of a hurricane which will see them below water sooner rather than later. When we break down this story, we do have a creature feature film that does see man versus nature, with it being both natural disaster and a living predator. This is a battle to survive which does feel intense, even if the trailer does give away most of the film’s story, which is highly disappointing to see. This story does keep the pace up and does have the side of the story which sees the family needing to put aside their issues to make it out.
Action/Horror – The action comes from the alligator attacks, they are intense and show just how deadly they can be, this is a horror that wouldn’t be terrifying to live through, this all shows just how deadly of a predator alligator can be.
Settings – The film is set in one location, the house where Haley grew up, starting with a large part inside the crawlspace under the house, it is contained, and you can understand why the gators would be in there too.
Special Effects – The effects when it comes to injuries are brutal to watch, with one scene involving a leg being placed back together standing out, the alligators look terrifying too through the film.
Scene of the Movie – Boat wave.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Does nobody in Florida know how deadly Alligators are?
Final Thoughts – This is a fun and intense creature feature that doesn’t hide away from the blood and will keep you on the edge of the seat.
Overall: Creature feature fun.
KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated Pushing Daisies - Season 2 in TV
Jan 9, 2018
As mentioned in the first season, the story follows Emerson Cod, a private investigator; Charlotte Charles, Ned's childhood sweetheart brought back from the dead by Ned; and Ned, who has the ability to bring the dead back to life for one minute before something else takes its place.
Each episode entails all kinds of quirky murder mysteries in which Ned, Emerson, and Charlotte must solve together. As the season progresses, we learn more about each character and other sub characters such as Olive Snook.
We see Emerson in his flight to get in contact with his long lost daughter, Charlotte who tricks Ned into bringing her deceased father back to life, Olives unrequited love with Ned, and Ned who can never touch his only true, Charlotte, love again.
However, I will warn you, the series end kind of abruptly. The contract for a third series, for some reason, was cancelled meaning everything had to be tied up at the end when it should not have. It is rather unfortunate because it is such a good series.
Each episode entails all kinds of quirky murder mysteries in which Ned, Emerson, and Charlotte must solve together. As the season progresses, we learn more about each character and other sub characters such as Olive Snook.
We see Emerson in his flight to get in contact with his long lost daughter, Charlotte who tricks Ned into bringing her deceased father back to life, Olives unrequited love with Ned, and Ned who can never touch his only true, Charlotte, love again.
However, I will warn you, the series end kind of abruptly. The contract for a third series, for some reason, was cancelled meaning everything had to be tied up at the end when it should not have. It is rather unfortunate because it is such a good series.
ClareR (5726 KP) rated Ghost Wall in Books
Feb 11, 2019
A disturbing look at family dynamics.
This novella really packs a punch. Its uncomfortable subject matter is presented in an uncomfortable setting. Slivie, her checkout assistant mum and bus driver dad, spend their summer holidays recreating life in Iron Age Britain, along with an archaeology professor and some of his students. Silvie's dad is a very keen, knowledgable amateur archaeologist, and is well respected by the professor. However, he is an unhappy man. He seems to hate the way he lives, and takes his frustrations (physically) out on his wife and daughter. I actually thought Silvie was far younger than it transpired that she was, purely because of the way her father spoke to and treated her.
The book becomes darker as it goes on, as we see more of Silvie's dads' outdated ideas of masculinity and a woman's station in life, and the conclusion is simply stunning.
This is well worth a read in my opinion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and fairly review.
The book becomes darker as it goes on, as we see more of Silvie's dads' outdated ideas of masculinity and a woman's station in life, and the conclusion is simply stunning.
This is well worth a read in my opinion.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and fairly review.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Good Sister in Books
Jul 22, 2018
A very thought-provoking, interesting and challenging read about a very real and current situation.
Written from the two perspectives of the father and daughter, Sofia and Abraham, makes this book flow extremely well with the pace being good. Both Sofia and Abraham are believable and definitely grow on you as the book progresses; I do admit that I didn't particularly like them at the start but the more their inner-workings are explored, the greater the understanding of their motives which resulted in me becoming fully invested in their stories and completely engrossed in their respective journeys.
The book comes across as pretty authentic ... whether it is or not I would only know if I was in Sofia and Abraham's situation which is highly unlikely .... but I do wonder how and where the author got the information for the book from and how accurate it is because, as I said, it feels pretty authentic.
Thank you to Jellybooks for giving me the opportunity to read something a bit different.
Written from the two perspectives of the father and daughter, Sofia and Abraham, makes this book flow extremely well with the pace being good. Both Sofia and Abraham are believable and definitely grow on you as the book progresses; I do admit that I didn't particularly like them at the start but the more their inner-workings are explored, the greater the understanding of their motives which resulted in me becoming fully invested in their stories and completely engrossed in their respective journeys.
The book comes across as pretty authentic ... whether it is or not I would only know if I was in Sofia and Abraham's situation which is highly unlikely .... but I do wonder how and where the author got the information for the book from and how accurate it is because, as I said, it feels pretty authentic.
Thank you to Jellybooks for giving me the opportunity to read something a bit different.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Miss Frost Solves A Cold Case (Jayne Frost #1) in Books
Apr 8, 2020
Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year.
Jayne Frost is a lot of things. Winter elf, Jack Frost’s daughter, Santa Claus’s niece, heir to the Winter Throne and now…private investigator. Sort of.
Needing someone he can trust, her father sends her undercover to Nocturne Falls to find out why employees at the Santa’s Workshop toy store are going missing.
Doing that requires getting to know the town, which leads to interesting encounters with a sexy vampire, an old flame, and an elevator that’s strictly off-limits. The more Jayne finds out, the more questions she has, but the answers lead her deeper into danger.
Will her magic save her? Or will she come up cold?
First of all I don't think I've read anything like this ever! I found it so bizarre at first I really couldn't get my head round Jack frost and uncle Kris 🤣. But once into it I loved it! I think Jayne is brilliant! The whole idea was so refreshing I definitely need to start the Nocturne series too!
Jayne Frost is a lot of things. Winter elf, Jack Frost’s daughter, Santa Claus’s niece, heir to the Winter Throne and now…private investigator. Sort of.
Needing someone he can trust, her father sends her undercover to Nocturne Falls to find out why employees at the Santa’s Workshop toy store are going missing.
Doing that requires getting to know the town, which leads to interesting encounters with a sexy vampire, an old flame, and an elevator that’s strictly off-limits. The more Jayne finds out, the more questions she has, but the answers lead her deeper into danger.
Will her magic save her? Or will she come up cold?
First of all I don't think I've read anything like this ever! I found it so bizarre at first I really couldn't get my head round Jack frost and uncle Kris 🤣. But once into it I loved it! I think Jayne is brilliant! The whole idea was so refreshing I definitely need to start the Nocturne series too!
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Crawl (2019) in Movies
Jul 30, 2019
Crawl is the tale of a father and Daughter who find themselves trapped in a rapidly flooding cellar/crawl space during a hurricane in Florida, their escape is hindered by an increasing number of man eating alligators. There’s not much else to add, plot wise. Crawl is mainly a two and a half cast driven film (two humans and one yappy dog) as Haley and Dave attempt to escape the cellar and get to safety. We do see other characters but usually from a distance and only for short periods of time.
Crawl is a classic creature feature and really works, the small cast helps portray the looming danger and the combination of the alligators and rising flood waters make the threat very believable and the yappy dog is used to enhance the tension as you find yourself waiting for it to be eaten.
And that’s it, Crawl has a simple premise, a simple story and is an hour and half of tension, jump scares, people being eaten and, oh yes one yappy dog.
Crawl is a classic creature feature and really works, the small cast helps portray the looming danger and the combination of the alligators and rising flood waters make the threat very believable and the yappy dog is used to enhance the tension as you find yourself waiting for it to be eaten.
And that’s it, Crawl has a simple premise, a simple story and is an hour and half of tension, jump scares, people being eaten and, oh yes one yappy dog.
Romany and Tom: A Memoir
Book
Ben Watt's father, Tommy, was a working-class Glaswegian jazz musician, a politicised left-wing...