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Awix (3310 KP) rated My Octopus Teacher (2020) in Movies
Oct 4, 2020 (Updated Oct 4, 2020)
Netflix sea-life doc that sets out to be moving and inspiring and just ended up making me shout at my laptop a lot. A bloke going through some sort of mid-life crisis does the usual thing and gets involved with a younger female: the twist is that she's an invertebrate. Never mind 'My Octopus Teacher', based on what he says - 'I was overwhelmed by my feelings for her,' etc - 'My Darling Octopus' might have been a better title. Same old story: Man meets octopus, they swim around together for a bit, octopus loses arm in shark attack, he nurses her back to health, she has several hundred thousand children behind his back, etc.
Quite apart from the weirdness of the subject matter - what did the bloke's wife think of all this? what, for the matter, did the octopus think was going on? - there's something very dodgy about the way the film is presented. The story is presented as something that's already happened, so are we watching reconstructions of the events? Is it all a staged or confected narrative? Has someone told the octopus actually appearing in the film it's basically in the role of Kim Novak at the end of Vertigo? Stunning photography and images of sealife, naturally, but rather than informing the viewer about octopuses - which are fascinating creatures - it just unloads a lot of sentimental, anthropomorphised cobblers on them. Best watched with the sound turned down and appropriate sea-life noises playing.
Quite apart from the weirdness of the subject matter - what did the bloke's wife think of all this? what, for the matter, did the octopus think was going on? - there's something very dodgy about the way the film is presented. The story is presented as something that's already happened, so are we watching reconstructions of the events? Is it all a staged or confected narrative? Has someone told the octopus actually appearing in the film it's basically in the role of Kim Novak at the end of Vertigo? Stunning photography and images of sealife, naturally, but rather than informing the viewer about octopuses - which are fascinating creatures - it just unloads a lot of sentimental, anthropomorphised cobblers on them. Best watched with the sound turned down and appropriate sea-life noises playing.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Raven King (All for the Game, #2) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
So this one picks up a few days after the events of the first with everyone dealing with the death of one of their team. Neil has slowly been pulled into Kevin and Andrew's crew and is coming to terms with the fact that Riko has it in for him.
I do feel a little like this series should have been reviewed as one thing, really, as the story continues across all three but it would be one thick arse book if the author had done that.
Every single team member has grown on me a lot with this book. They are finally coming together thanks to Neil who has been straddling both halfs of the team, starting to settle into his life at Palmetto and making friends. I thought Nicky summed it up brilliantly with this quote:
"Oh, you just might be the best thing to happen to the Foxes."
This one has some dark scenes in it like the first but they affected my feelings in regards to a certain character more this time around. I'm just glad that Neil was being a super sleuth and managed to put it all together with all the little titbits that had been thrown out.
I've already started book 3 because I am slightly obsessed with this series right now, despite its lack of romance up to this point. Will review it when I'm done!
I do feel a little like this series should have been reviewed as one thing, really, as the story continues across all three but it would be one thick arse book if the author had done that.
Every single team member has grown on me a lot with this book. They are finally coming together thanks to Neil who has been straddling both halfs of the team, starting to settle into his life at Palmetto and making friends. I thought Nicky summed it up brilliantly with this quote:
"Oh, you just might be the best thing to happen to the Foxes."
This one has some dark scenes in it like the first but they affected my feelings in regards to a certain character more this time around. I'm just glad that Neil was being a super sleuth and managed to put it all together with all the little titbits that had been thrown out.
I've already started book 3 because I am slightly obsessed with this series right now, despite its lack of romance up to this point. Will review it when I'm done!
Merissa (13961 KP) rated Nothing Special in Books
Jun 26, 2019
Nothing Special by Jay Northcote
Nothing Special is a sweet and heart-warming story about two men who seem opposite at first glance. Noah is pale, Sol is tanned. Noah is an indoors guy most of the time, Sol is outdoors. The list goes on, but what that doesn't show is just how much these guys mean to each other.
Noah has a hard time believing it, but Sol does his best to show just how much he thinks of Noah. I loved how their first date just continued! Although we have two main characters, the emphasis is on Noah, and his feelings of inadequacy, not helped by a certain waiter.
This story IS sweet. It is also hot at times, and not just to the heatwave London experiences during the story. The pacing is smooth, the characters are interesting, and the descriptions are perfect. A brilliant story for me to read in the garden, as I wilt under a heatwave myself.
Noah is Something Special, but it takes Sol for him to believe it. Everyone is special in their own way. They just need to find the person who makes them shine, instead of trying to tamper them down. Absolutely 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!
Noah has a hard time believing it, but Sol does his best to show just how much he thinks of Noah. I loved how their first date just continued! Although we have two main characters, the emphasis is on Noah, and his feelings of inadequacy, not helped by a certain waiter.
This story IS sweet. It is also hot at times, and not just to the heatwave London experiences during the story. The pacing is smooth, the characters are interesting, and the descriptions are perfect. A brilliant story for me to read in the garden, as I wilt under a heatwave myself.
Noah is Something Special, but it takes Sol for him to believe it. Everyone is special in their own way. They just need to find the person who makes them shine, instead of trying to tamper them down. Absolutely 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!
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise, #1) in Books
Sep 5, 2019
3.5 stars.
Hmm…This is my first book by the author and though I have her “My Favourite Mistake” on my amazon wishlist I haven’t got around to buying it yet.
For me, this started good. We understood her animosity to the brothers and everything and we could see for ourselves how much of an arse Zach was while Zan was a man of few words and dark, bottomless eyes. I just didn’t quite seem to catch the bit where her feelings changed. Yeah, we as the reader knew that Zan wasn’t so bad and he may have done stupid things in the past but he’s changed now, but when did Lottie figure it out because she never really gave him a chance to talk to her?
That being said, I did like the characters (though there are quite a few by the end and I got confused a bit between Audrey and Trish). On the other hand, Lottie and her twin brother Will’s “twindar” was very impressive. If that really happens when you have a twin, I am impressed and wish I had one. I really liked Stryker too, he seemed like a chilled out kind of guy who could talk a lot of sense, I wish I had a friend like him. Looking forward to his and Katie’s story when it’s released.
It was quite a sweet story when they finally got together and the bad guy got his comeuppance in the end.
Hmm…This is my first book by the author and though I have her “My Favourite Mistake” on my amazon wishlist I haven’t got around to buying it yet.
For me, this started good. We understood her animosity to the brothers and everything and we could see for ourselves how much of an arse Zach was while Zan was a man of few words and dark, bottomless eyes. I just didn’t quite seem to catch the bit where her feelings changed. Yeah, we as the reader knew that Zan wasn’t so bad and he may have done stupid things in the past but he’s changed now, but when did Lottie figure it out because she never really gave him a chance to talk to her?
That being said, I did like the characters (though there are quite a few by the end and I got confused a bit between Audrey and Trish). On the other hand, Lottie and her twin brother Will’s “twindar” was very impressive. If that really happens when you have a twin, I am impressed and wish I had one. I really liked Stryker too, he seemed like a chilled out kind of guy who could talk a lot of sense, I wish I had a friend like him. Looking forward to his and Katie’s story when it’s released.
It was quite a sweet story when they finally got together and the bad guy got his comeuppance in the end.
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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Stay Dead (Elise Sandburg #2) in Books
Aug 12, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
146 of 200
Kindle
Stay Dead ( Elise Savannah book 2)
By Anne Frasier
Frasier takes readers back to her dark, enchanting Savannah--a place as terrifying as it is mesmerizing.
Homicide detective Elise Sandburg is traumatized after her run-in with a madman the press has dubbed "The Organ Thief." As Elise takes refuge in her deceased aunt Anastasia's abandoned plantation to investigate and recover from her ordeal, she begins to question everything--from her dangerous line of work to her complex relationship with her handsome, tortured partner, David Gould. But with a madman on the loose, and her mother's claims to still hear from Aunt Anastasia, she may have more immediate problems on her hands. In Elise's world, where cold hard crime mixes with the local Gullah culture, nothing is ever what it seems, and no one is above suspicion--not even the dead.
This is book 2 in the series and it was brilliant! The story continues from book 1 with the mystery surrounding not only the murders but the so called murderer waking and walking away from a coma. Elise is not yet recovered before she’s back up and chasing the organ thief, as well as dealing with two major back from the dead family members, the growing feelings for Gould and the daughter that won’t do as she’s told!! The writing is just brilliant a thriller with a touch of possible voodoo witchcraft!
Kindle
Stay Dead ( Elise Savannah book 2)
By Anne Frasier
Frasier takes readers back to her dark, enchanting Savannah--a place as terrifying as it is mesmerizing.
Homicide detective Elise Sandburg is traumatized after her run-in with a madman the press has dubbed "The Organ Thief." As Elise takes refuge in her deceased aunt Anastasia's abandoned plantation to investigate and recover from her ordeal, she begins to question everything--from her dangerous line of work to her complex relationship with her handsome, tortured partner, David Gould. But with a madman on the loose, and her mother's claims to still hear from Aunt Anastasia, she may have more immediate problems on her hands. In Elise's world, where cold hard crime mixes with the local Gullah culture, nothing is ever what it seems, and no one is above suspicion--not even the dead.
This is book 2 in the series and it was brilliant! The story continues from book 1 with the mystery surrounding not only the murders but the so called murderer waking and walking away from a coma. Elise is not yet recovered before she’s back up and chasing the organ thief, as well as dealing with two major back from the dead family members, the growing feelings for Gould and the daughter that won’t do as she’s told!! The writing is just brilliant a thriller with a touch of possible voodoo witchcraft!
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