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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2322 KP) rated Swift Run in Books
May 23, 2021 (Updated May 23, 2021)
Running Down Gigi’s Ex
With Charlie out recovering from their last case, running Swift Investigations has fallen to her partner, Gigi. And Gigi is very reluctant to take on their new client when the last person she wants to see walks through the door – Heather-Anne, the woman that Gigi’s ex-husband Les ran away with over a year ago. Now Heather-Anne is back in town and wants to hire Swift Investigations to track down Les, who she also claims is back in Colorado Springs. Can Gigi and Charlie find him?
Sadly, this appears to be the final book in this series. Fortunately, it is another fabulous book. Once again, we are treated to a great mystery with plenty of twists and turns. And we get lots of laughs from the situations that Charlie and Gigi find themselves in. Since this is more Gigi’s story than Charlie’s, she takes over first-person narration duties, but Charlie still gets plenty of time in the spotlight thanks to chapters from her third-person point of view. We also get some good character growth, especially for Gigi, something she has needed. While a couple of threads aren’t wrapped up, I was satisfied with how the series ended. If you are looking for a light mystery, check out these books.
Sadly, this appears to be the final book in this series. Fortunately, it is another fabulous book. Once again, we are treated to a great mystery with plenty of twists and turns. And we get lots of laughs from the situations that Charlie and Gigi find themselves in. Since this is more Gigi’s story than Charlie’s, she takes over first-person narration duties, but Charlie still gets plenty of time in the spotlight thanks to chapters from her third-person point of view. We also get some good character growth, especially for Gigi, something she has needed. While a couple of threads aren’t wrapped up, I was satisfied with how the series ended. If you are looking for a light mystery, check out these books.

David McK (3547 KP) rated Ready Player Two in Books
Oct 30, 2021
This is a direct sequel to Ready Player One, picking up not soon after the events of that previous novel.
It also follows the same characters, told in the same first person point of view as previous - I must admit, I initially found that a bit jarring, as I would have expected (with a title such as it is) that it would follow a different character - after all, how often IRL is Player Two the same person as Player One in a computer game?
Anyway, Wade Watts.
Still an obsessed geek; still fan-worshipping the creator of the Oasis James Halliday (at least initially). However, with the release of new technology by the company he now owns that not only allows its user to control an avatar, but to *feel* like they actually are that person - sight, taste, hearing, sensations and all - and with further experiences (I don't want to give too much away), Watts finds his hero-worshipping lessening somewhat.
If I'm honest, I did also find parts of this novel to drag somewhat, especially in the lengthy section where Cline goes into great detail around the Oasis world dedicated to 'The Artist Formerly Known as Prince' (which just made me uncomfortable). I also had to shake my head at just how some of the characters behaved ...
(yes, I know they're not real. Still need to to be believable, though!)
It also follows the same characters, told in the same first person point of view as previous - I must admit, I initially found that a bit jarring, as I would have expected (with a title such as it is) that it would follow a different character - after all, how often IRL is Player Two the same person as Player One in a computer game?
Anyway, Wade Watts.
Still an obsessed geek; still fan-worshipping the creator of the Oasis James Halliday (at least initially). However, with the release of new technology by the company he now owns that not only allows its user to control an avatar, but to *feel* like they actually are that person - sight, taste, hearing, sensations and all - and with further experiences (I don't want to give too much away), Watts finds his hero-worshipping lessening somewhat.
If I'm honest, I did also find parts of this novel to drag somewhat, especially in the lengthy section where Cline goes into great detail around the Oasis world dedicated to 'The Artist Formerly Known as Prince' (which just made me uncomfortable). I also had to shake my head at just how some of the characters behaved ...
(yes, I know they're not real. Still need to to be believable, though!)

Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) in Movies
Apr 8, 2020
Flaming Birds
Mission: impossible II- this is a strange sequel, on one hand its good, on the other its bad. So lets call it in the middle, good but bad. Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames both return. I like how each movie is directed by a different director. The first one was Brain De Palma so his take was putting spy, suspense and thrills in the first one. In this one John Woo directs it. That means alot of slow-mo, birds, and that pretty much it.
The plot: Tom Cruise returns to his role as Ethan Hunt in the second installment of "Mission: Impossible." This time Ethan Hunt leads his IMF team on a mission to capture a deadly German virus before it is released by terrorists. His mission is made impossible due to the fact that he is not the only person after samples of the disease. He must also contest with a gang of international terrorists headed by a turned bad former IMF agent who has already managed to steal the cure.
Its good, but the first one was better.
The plot: Tom Cruise returns to his role as Ethan Hunt in the second installment of "Mission: Impossible." This time Ethan Hunt leads his IMF team on a mission to capture a deadly German virus before it is released by terrorists. His mission is made impossible due to the fact that he is not the only person after samples of the disease. He must also contest with a gang of international terrorists headed by a turned bad former IMF agent who has already managed to steal the cure.
Its good, but the first one was better.

Daring Women of History: Amelia Earhart
Book
A pioneering aviator and advocate of women's equality, Amelia Earhart was, and continues to be, an...

Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Reading Up a Storm (Lighthouse Library Mystery #3) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
Reading Up a Storm focuses more on characters outside of the library staff than the first two novels in the series, and Lucy has a new friend in this one who is accused of murder. Of course she doesn't trust that the police will see past her friend Stephanie's apparent motive for the crime, and is soon getting herself into trouble asking questions and trying to solve the case by herself. She probably figured it out long before I did, but it was gratifying to find that the killer was the person I suspected, for once.
And for those of you who enjoy a little romance with your cozy mystery - I love where the author has taken the romantic triangle that was developing in the first two books. I can't say anything more without spoilers, but I was very pleased with the outcome.
And for those of you who enjoy a little romance with your cozy mystery - I love where the author has taken the romantic triangle that was developing in the first two books. I can't say anything more without spoilers, but I was very pleased with the outcome.

History Is All You Left Me
Book
When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe...

Black Flag Journals: One Soldier's Experience in America's Longest War
Book
The story of America’s longest war is complicated and difficult to convey, unless you were there....
Memoir

Red Moon
Book
IT IS THIRTY YEARS FROM NOW, AND WE HAVE COLONIZED THE MOON. American Fred Fredericks is making...
Intriguing and gripping from the first page.
Gary Born is a master at creating a vibrant and descriptive story. He has a way of transporting you through time that gets you lost, in a good way!
Sara West is our heroine, I love her. She is equal parts intelligent, brave and capable.
Sara is the first person we meet and it's apparent straight away that she is a strong independent woman.
I'm not going to head into too much detail as you seriously need to climb aboard for this cracking story and discover the twists for yourself.
I'd recommend savouring The File snuggled up on the sofa with snacks (you know this is my favourite thing by now). It would also be a great choice for a book club or just a casual thing with friends!
Gary Born is a master at creating a vibrant and descriptive story. He has a way of transporting you through time that gets you lost, in a good way!
Sara West is our heroine, I love her. She is equal parts intelligent, brave and capable.
Sara is the first person we meet and it's apparent straight away that she is a strong independent woman.
I'm not going to head into too much detail as you seriously need to climb aboard for this cracking story and discover the twists for yourself.
I'd recommend savouring The File snuggled up on the sofa with snacks (you know this is my favourite thing by now). It would also be a great choice for a book club or just a casual thing with friends!

graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated All About Evie (Chameleon Chronicles, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Not totally romance, not exactly chick-lit, not altogether a mystery, so what is it? A bit of all of the above really. ALL ABOUT EVIE is a fluffy read that's fairly quick and utterly harmless. Evie, at 41, is a nice change from the 23-year-olds that run rampant in lighter fiction. Yes, her age does come into play since she's an old geezer in the world of show business, but it never became overbearing or unnecessary and added another dimension to her character. Evie narrates in first person, while when it cuts to another character it is written in third person, a bit jarring at first, but I didn't have any problems with it. The plot was fine, as was the pace, there's not much to rave or quibble about, the book was just nice. I think the most irritating thing about the book was the excessive mentioning of Evie's TMJ (temporomandibular joint, which should actually really be called TMD - temporomandibular joint disorder/dysfunction), I really got sick of her bringing it up and then confusing it with lockjaw. We got it, you have a problem with your jaw, move on. But on the whole, I wouldn't say there was anything earth-shattering about the book but it's a perfectly good beach read. One thing, this is the first of three books (not sure if they'll be more), so it's not a standalone, which was unfortunate for me. At this time I'm not sure if I'll be on the look-out for the other two.