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10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Maxine “Max” O’Hara and Jake Lambert are entering a local brews and burgers festival. However, the festival takes a turn for the worse when notoriously nasty food critic Reginald Mobley signs on as a replacement judge. However, no one expects him to be murdered. Worse yet, he collapses right after eating Jake’s entry in the burger competition. Can Max figure out what is happening.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, but I loved this one even more. The characters we met in the first book are all back, and they are still fantastic. The mystery is compelling with lots of secrets to be revealed before we reach a suspenseful and logical climax. I’m already looking forward to the next in the series.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-tangled-up-in-brew-by-joyce.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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John Taylor recommended Gimme Shelter (2014) in Movies (curated)

 
Gimme Shelter (2014)
Gimme Shelter (2014)
2014 | Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"The age of innocence that was the sixties ended, it is often said, at Altamont Speedway, miles from the peace and love of San Francisco, one cold fall evening in 1969. The Rolling Stones, frustrated to have missed out on the Woodstock festival weeks earlier, chose this location to stage their own festival, and taking advice from Jerry Garcia, brought in local Hells Angels chapters to handle security, paying them with as much beer as they could drink. The concert was a disaster, and ended with manslaughter. The documentarian brothers Albert and David Maysles were there to film the run-up to the event, the performance itself, and the aftermath. Mick Jagger has never looked so lost onstage, nor would he be quite so out of control again. Strangely, it seemed only to fuel the Stones’ rise to power—but then, the Beatles were about to call it a day. Essential viewing for anyone who loves contemporary music and the culture that surrounds it."

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RP
Royal Pains: Sick Rich
D.P. Lyle | 2012
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
4th of July is right around the corner, and between the health festival, the big costume party, and the designer drugs, the HankMed gang is very busy. As fun visit with these great characters, and I enjoyed the emphasis on crime over medicine. However, I really hated season 1 Evan returning.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/06/book-review-royal-pains-sick-rich-by-d.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  

"I made a short film for the sixtieth anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival (Artaud Double Bill), which is a meditation on the scene where Anna Karina goes into a cinema to watch Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc and sees Antonin Artaud on-screen. Something about this sequence seemed to define the essence of cinephilia. Perhaps it’s just the thought of seeing actors watch another film within a film I’m watching."

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David McK (3361 KP) rated Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007) in Movies

Jan 30, 2021 (Updated Aug 2, 2024)  
Mr. Bean&#039;s Holiday (2007)
Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
2007 | Comedy, Family
5
7.3 (9 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Second big screen outing for Rowan Atkinson's one man disaster zone Mr Bean who, this time around, wins a trip in a local raffle to Cannes, with the film then following his travels across France (where he mistakenly seperates a kid from his father and gets mistaken for a kidnapper) and the various disasters he causes while doing so, until he finally reaches his destination just as the Cannes film festival is happening.
  
The Festival Shoes
The Festival Shoes
Tolulope Okudolo | 2017 | Children
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Layout (0 more)
A literal fairy story
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Festival Shoes by Tolulope Okudolo is a fairy story (literally) for young children. Although referred to as “pixies,” the illustrations provided by Eric Scott Fisher look like typical western imagery associated with the magical, winged creatures. The main character, Drumlo, is an ebullient pixie who is about to embark on his first trip to Earth in order to deliver a very important gift. With so much relying on his success, it would be absolutely awful if something went wrong.

Weaverton, the name of the land of fairies, is an invisible world that lies above the Earth. Whenever a child has a good thought or does something virtuous, a colourful string, unseen by the human eye, snakes its way up to the hidden land. Collected by pixies, these threads are woven into magnificent presents, which are delivered to the children as rewards on the day of the Great Festival. In order to prove himself as capable, Drumlo has been charged with safely transporting a pair of shoes to a truly deserving girl. With an effulgent thread as a guide, Drumlo sets off on his exciting mission.

The author is the founder of the publishing company Magnifying Children’s Horizons, which aspires to inspire children physically, mentally and spiritually about the natural world. Tolulope Okudolo’s author biography implies she is a Christian and likes to bring this aspect of her life into her writing. Although, as far as we know, fairies and pixies only exist in folklore, Tolulope retains the idea of the existence of God by referring to an unseen High King who lives above Weaverton. In this respect, the Great Festival and gift giving become similar to our Christmas tradition.

The Festival Shoes, however, is not intended to be a Christian book. Its purpose is to enhance children’s creativity and character by showing them the impact of their good and bad behaviour by emphasising the idea of receiving rewards. Whilst Drumlo is on his journey to Earth, he passes through the land where all bad thoughts and actions go. Compared with everywhere else, this place looks dull and gloomy, which goes to show what happens when nature is neglected and not cared for.

Another important message The Festival Shoes shows children is to have faith in themselves to do something for the first time. Drumlo had never been given such responsibility before, but he believed he could do it. Even though something goes wrong, his faith sees him through. He does not give up, everything works out in the end.

Reading the book as an adult, The Festival Shoes is not all that interesting. The ending comes about too quickly and, although the author is trying to emphasise that Drumlo’s faith saves the day, he does not physically do anything to fix what goes wrong – slightly misleading, perhaps?

The coloured illustrations that appear on every other page are pretty but do not help to tell the story. It is not a picture book for very young children; it is the next stage up. With discussion questions at the end of the book, The Festival Shoes is for parents and children to read together and think about their own impact on the world and nature.

Unfortunately, the book does not look professionally produced. The choice of typeface is uninspiring and the illustrations do not always slot into place well, leaving awkward layouts. As an eBook, this does not matter too much, but if it were to be printed, sales are unlikely to rocket.
  
The Festival Shoes
The Festival Shoes
Tolulope Okudolo | 2017 | Children
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Festival Shoes</i> by Tolulope Okudolo is a fairy story (literally) for young children. Although referred to as “pixies,” the illustrations provided by Eric Scott Fisher look like typical western imagery associated with the magical, winged creatures. The main character, Drumlo, is an ebullient pixie who is about to embark on his first trip to Earth in order to deliver a very important gift. With so much relying on his success, it would be absolutely awful if something went wrong.

Weaverton, the name of the land of fairies, is an invisible world that lies above the Earth. Whenever a child has a good thought or does something virtuous, a colourful string, unseen by the human eye, snakes its way up to the hidden land. Collected by pixies, these threads are woven into magnificent presents, which are delivered to the children as rewards on the day of the Great Festival. In order to prove himself as capable, Drumlo has been charged with safely transporting a pair of shoes to a truly deserving girl. With an effulgent thread as a guide, Drumlo sets off on his exciting mission.

The author is the founder of the publishing company Magnifying Children’s Horizons, which aspires to inspire children physically, mentally and spiritually about the natural world. Tolulope Okudolo’s author biography implies she is a Christian and likes to bring this aspect of her life into her writing. Although, as far as we know, fairies and pixies only exist in folklore, Tolulope retains the idea of the existence of God by referring to an unseen High King who lives above Weaverton. In this respect, the Great Festival and gift giving become similar to our Christmas tradition.

<i>The Festival Shoes</i>, however, is not intended to be a Christian book. Its purpose is to enhance children’s creativity and character by showing them the impact of their good and bad behaviour by emphasising the idea of receiving rewards. Whilst Drumlo is on his journey to Earth, he passes through the land where all bad thoughts and actions go. Compared with everywhere else, this place looks dull and gloomy, which goes to show what happens when nature is neglected and not cared for.

Another important message <i>The Festival Shoes</i> shows children is to have faith in themselves to do something for the first time. Drumlo had never been given such responsibility before, but he believed he could do it. Even though something goes wrong, his faith sees him through. He does not give up, everything works out in the end.

Reading the book as an adult, <i>The Festival Shoes</i> is not all that interesting. The ending comes about too quickly and, although the author is trying to emphasise that Drumlo’s faith saves the day, he does not physically do anything to fix what goes wrong – slightly misleading, perhaps?

The coloured illustrations that appear on every other page are pretty but do not help to tell the story. It is not a picture book for very young children; it is the next stage up. With discussion questions at the end of the book, <i>The Festival Shoes</i> is for parents and children to read together and think about their own impact on the world and nature.

Unfortunately, the book does not look professionally produced. The choice of typeface is uninspiring and the illustrations do not always slot into place well, leaving awkward layouts. As an eBook, this does not matter too much, but if it were to be printed, sales are unlikely to rocket.
  
Madeline Bean is catering the Hollywood party this Halloween. But things take a bad turn when the host, producer Bruno Huntley, dies in the middle of the festival. This debut features great characters and lots of fun twists to the plot and started what is still a top notch series. I just wish there were more than seven books.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/02/book-review-sympathy-for-devil-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
When Lee goes to pick up the judge for this year's Winter Festival, she finds him drunk and a real jerk. Dropping him off in a hotel room seems like the best idea, until he is found murdered with Lee as the prime suspect. This is the seventh in the series and will certainly please fans of light cozies.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-chocolate-snowman-murders.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Parasite (2019)
Parasite (2019)
2019 | Drama

"“Parasite” starts as a novel of manners that relentlessly metamorphoses into a black comedy, ghost story, psychological thriller, horror movie, and ends in an unexpected but inevitable tragedy. It was a unanimous Palme d’Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival this year and I will never forget the faces and enthusiasm of all the jury members after we had the privilege to see it being presented to the world for the first time at the Palais…"

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