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Visual Design Solutions: Principles and Creative Inspiration for Learning Professionals
Book
Enhance learners' interest and understanding with visual design for instructional and information...
The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me
5.0
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Book
The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me by Lucy Robinson, author of A Passionate Love Affair with a...
Counting the Ways
Book
Grace Barnes, living in her subterranean one-room flat at the nether end of Earl's Court, feels out...
The Iron Giant (1999)
8.2
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Movie Watch
The film takes place in October of 1957, when America had plenty to be worried about. Rock ’n’...
Adam White (32 KP) rated The Darkness (2016) in Movies
Jun 19, 2020 (Updated Jun 19, 2020)
Stir of Echoes with a new twist
As a family returns home from vacation at the Grand Canyon, they innocently bring home a supernatural force that preys off their own fears and vulnerabilities, threatening to destroy them from within, while consuming their lives with terrifying consequences. THE DARKNESS stars Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, David Mazouz, Lucy Fry, Matt Walsh and Jennifer Morrison. Directed by Greg McLean and written by McLean, Shayne Armstrong and S.P. Krause, the film was produced by Jason Blum, Bianca Martino and Matt Kaplan. The film will be released by BH Tilt in coordination with High Top Releasing.
Rating: PG-13
When it comes to Kevin Bacon it's hard to say it's a bad movie or an okay movie but this maybe one of those times. Don't get me wrong, Kevin is an amazing actor but with a very week story line, it's hard. Maybe it's because I'm thinking of "Stir of Echoes" during the full movie but it has its moments.
I really enjoy the work that David Mazouz brings to the film (playing Kevin's autistic son) really wasn't easy but he pulls it off and well.
A few jump scenes (dam snake on the table) but nothing to major, this gives me the same feeling as parts in Stir of Echoes, but with a weaker story line.
By the middle of this movie you are either into it fully or you are searching for something else to watch. If you do finish it, you are a true Kevin Bacon fan and you feel you owe it to him to finish it.
Note, the CGI scenes that are used (you will know) are very poor and cheesy, I feel like those parts really let me know I was watching a weak movie, shoot rotten tomatoes gave the thing 3%. 🤷♂️
Rating: PG-13
When it comes to Kevin Bacon it's hard to say it's a bad movie or an okay movie but this maybe one of those times. Don't get me wrong, Kevin is an amazing actor but with a very week story line, it's hard. Maybe it's because I'm thinking of "Stir of Echoes" during the full movie but it has its moments.
I really enjoy the work that David Mazouz brings to the film (playing Kevin's autistic son) really wasn't easy but he pulls it off and well.
A few jump scenes (dam snake on the table) but nothing to major, this gives me the same feeling as parts in Stir of Echoes, but with a weaker story line.
By the middle of this movie you are either into it fully or you are searching for something else to watch. If you do finish it, you are a true Kevin Bacon fan and you feel you owe it to him to finish it.
Note, the CGI scenes that are used (you will know) are very poor and cheesy, I feel like those parts really let me know I was watching a weak movie, shoot rotten tomatoes gave the thing 3%. 🤷♂️
Change: What Really Leads to Lasting Personal Transformation
Book
Change is often a mystery, one that baffles doctors, therapists, teachers, coaches, parents-and...
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Queens of Geek in Books
Mar 4, 2021
Simple yet sweet look into fandom and friendship
Charlie, Taylor, and Jamie are extremely close friends. They come to SupaCon as one last blast before they all head to college--and to celebrate Charlie, a famous video blogger and actress. Charlie's struggling to get over her very public breakup with her former co-star, Reese Ryan. Taylor is dealing with how the Con flames her anxiety and that she has feelings for her best friend: Jamie. Plus, she wants to enter a contest at the Con to meet her favorite actress from her favorite fandom, but knows her fears would never allow it. And Jamie just wants to make Taylor happy. Can the three survive SupaCon?
This is the seventeenth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
This was a cute book--easy to read with sweet characters. It's written very simply and honestly it's often trite in its writing and plot. Expect some undeveloped characters, some insta-love, and problems that resolve themselves before they even fully develop. It's a shame, because QUEENS covers some incredibly important topics--Asperger's, autism, anxiety, bisexuality--and covers them fairly well--but often quickly, without a lot of depth.
The book is a true ode to geeks (I say this with the highest praise) and con/fandom lovers. However, not really being a fan of these fandoms, it was hard to truly get into those parts. I loved how much comfort Taylor took in her fandom, but it wasn't something I could be into, if that made sense.
Mostly, I loved the spot-on passages describing social anxiety and the diverse cast. This was an easy YA read, but one lacking true depth; still, it satisfied the "Q" requirement for my A to Z reading challenge. 3 stars, mostly for the bi rep.
This is the seventeenth book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
This was a cute book--easy to read with sweet characters. It's written very simply and honestly it's often trite in its writing and plot. Expect some undeveloped characters, some insta-love, and problems that resolve themselves before they even fully develop. It's a shame, because QUEENS covers some incredibly important topics--Asperger's, autism, anxiety, bisexuality--and covers them fairly well--but often quickly, without a lot of depth.
The book is a true ode to geeks (I say this with the highest praise) and con/fandom lovers. However, not really being a fan of these fandoms, it was hard to truly get into those parts. I loved how much comfort Taylor took in her fandom, but it wasn't something I could be into, if that made sense.
Mostly, I loved the spot-on passages describing social anxiety and the diverse cast. This was an easy YA read, but one lacking true depth; still, it satisfied the "Q" requirement for my A to Z reading challenge. 3 stars, mostly for the bi rep.
ClareR (6129 KP) rated Greenwich Park in Books
May 8, 2021
This seemed to be the book that everyone was reading a few weeks ago, and just as I was building myself up to preorder it, it popped up on The Pigeonhole - and I’m so glad that it did.
This has some of my favourite ingredients in a thriller:
📚Unlikeable characters
📚I’m not quite sure what’s going on
📚Characters who who don’t know what’s going on either
📚Multiple (3) viewpoints, including one that’s decidedly dodgy
📚A big secret that the reader can see coming - but what is it?!
📚A heart stopping moment of revelation!!
I felt sorry for Helen - she has a high risk pregnancy, is stuck at home on a building site, and makes friends with a woman (Rachel) who won’t leave her alone! Rachel befriends Helen at her antenatal class, when Helen’s brother Rory, and his wife Serena fail to turn up. Rachel is pregnant, yet drinks, smokes, drinks caffeine and eats all the food you’re told not to eat. Helen is very insecure, lacks in self-confidence and can’t tell Rachel that she doesn’t want to see her.
In fact as the story progresses, Helen’s fears and confusion are really well described. I could feel the dreamlike quality of Helen’s consciousness towards the middle and end of the book - she became more confused.
On the other hand, her brother Rory and his wife Serena, who are also expecting their first baby, seem very laid back. Helen reads far more into the friendship with Serena than Serena does. Serena is dismissive and quite cold.
I didn’t see the end coming, and I loved the slow burn leading up to the big reveal. It gave me enough time to properly despise a number of the characters, realise that Helen’s friend KAte was one of the best people in this circle, and that money can’t always buy you what you want.
This is a book that deserved the hype - it’s well worth a read!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to Bloomsbury/ Raven Books
This has some of my favourite ingredients in a thriller:
📚Unlikeable characters
📚I’m not quite sure what’s going on
📚Characters who who don’t know what’s going on either
📚Multiple (3) viewpoints, including one that’s decidedly dodgy
📚A big secret that the reader can see coming - but what is it?!
📚A heart stopping moment of revelation!!
I felt sorry for Helen - she has a high risk pregnancy, is stuck at home on a building site, and makes friends with a woman (Rachel) who won’t leave her alone! Rachel befriends Helen at her antenatal class, when Helen’s brother Rory, and his wife Serena fail to turn up. Rachel is pregnant, yet drinks, smokes, drinks caffeine and eats all the food you’re told not to eat. Helen is very insecure, lacks in self-confidence and can’t tell Rachel that she doesn’t want to see her.
In fact as the story progresses, Helen’s fears and confusion are really well described. I could feel the dreamlike quality of Helen’s consciousness towards the middle and end of the book - she became more confused.
On the other hand, her brother Rory and his wife Serena, who are also expecting their first baby, seem very laid back. Helen reads far more into the friendship with Serena than Serena does. Serena is dismissive and quite cold.
I didn’t see the end coming, and I loved the slow burn leading up to the big reveal. It gave me enough time to properly despise a number of the characters, realise that Helen’s friend KAte was one of the best people in this circle, and that money can’t always buy you what you want.
This is a book that deserved the hype - it’s well worth a read!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to Bloomsbury/ Raven Books
Merissa (13942 KP) rated Psychic Whispers (Woodward Hill #1) in Books
Sep 16, 2020
Psychic Whispers is the first book in the Woodward Hill series and I LOVED IT! This was just the right book at the right time and I fell in love with the characters of this small, gossipy, quirky town.
Inara has the ability to talk to the animals, she even calls herself Dr DoLittle. Unfortunately, before she was old enough to fully understand or use her ability, she was attacked by a pitbull. This left scars, both seen and unseen, that she is determined to work past. Nik has been the 'son gone bad' for too long in the town. The son of a man accused (but cleared) of murder, his reputation has always hung over him like a shroud. He thinks Inara is too good for him. She thinks he is put off by her scars.
Aww, come on, people. You know these two will end up together but it's not a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. With fears on both sides, a small-town mindset working against them, oh, and plus a murder to solve whilst staying alive, these two have their work cut out for them.
There are a whole host of supporting characters that I loved and, fair warning Ms Burnz and Ms Nuest, I'll be wanting stories for all of them! 😉
The world-building is excellent with just the right attention to detail that I needed. The pacing is smooth and the steamy scenes are hot! Nik is pure alpha but Inara is no pushover.
All in all, this was a brilliant read and a fantastic opening to a new series that I will be following closely and reading ALL of them! Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Inara has the ability to talk to the animals, she even calls herself Dr DoLittle. Unfortunately, before she was old enough to fully understand or use her ability, she was attacked by a pitbull. This left scars, both seen and unseen, that she is determined to work past. Nik has been the 'son gone bad' for too long in the town. The son of a man accused (but cleared) of murder, his reputation has always hung over him like a shroud. He thinks Inara is too good for him. She thinks he is put off by her scars.
Aww, come on, people. You know these two will end up together but it's not a smooth road by any stretch of the imagination. With fears on both sides, a small-town mindset working against them, oh, and plus a murder to solve whilst staying alive, these two have their work cut out for them.
There are a whole host of supporting characters that I loved and, fair warning Ms Burnz and Ms Nuest, I'll be wanting stories for all of them! 😉
The world-building is excellent with just the right attention to detail that I needed. The pacing is smooth and the steamy scenes are hot! Nik is pure alpha but Inara is no pushover.
All in all, this was a brilliant read and a fantastic opening to a new series that I will be following closely and reading ALL of them! Highly recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Kelly Knows (95 KP) rated The House of Doors in Books
Jun 28, 2019
Worlds of Horror
Wow, what a fantastic book. I am still surprised this story has not been optioned for a movie adaptation. House of Doors is a unique tale with a simple concept, the age old question of man meets aliens and how that first contact would go down. What if we were tested? Brutally? Would we measure up? This book answers those questions and more in terrifying fashion. Brian Lumley spins a rich tale of daring and adventure, with a new even more terrifying world behind each door the characters open. The illustrative text will illuminate wondrous monsters in your mind and fill your head to the brim with images of strange worlds twisted by alien machinery, born of the desires and fears within us all. The alien species in this story is unlike anything you've seen before. The characters are witty and engaging. Even the ones you hate are written so well you can't help but question your instinct to despise them. My personal favorite aspects of this book are the world designs. No spoilers, you'll just have to find out what I mean, but it is seriously awesome. Also bringing a lot to this fast paced thrill ride is the main character, Spencer Gill. A wry, clever man with more to him than meets the eye, Spencer Gill reminds me of the Indiana Jones/Jack Ryan, kind of heroes I grew up admiring. All of the characters involved have their moments to shine, whether it be a bright light or a darker moment. Even the sinister alien Thone get a role in the narrative in an unlikely writing style that pays off the investment, with interest. This is the kind of book that gets you into reading books, and if you like it, there is a pretty good sequel as well. Sci-fi and horror clash spectacularly as humanity finds out if they measure up, and the terrible consequences that will occur if they don't.