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Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The Beauty of the End in Books
Feb 19, 2018
I have to admit to mixed feelings about this book. It kept me in the dark for a large part of the story, but that’s to be expected from a good thriller. I felt like I would read through chapter after chapter waiting for another clue, or another piece of the past, and be given nothing but the tiniest of crumbs. This was sometimes so frustrating I had to put the book down. I wanted to know what was happening badly enough, however, that I never left it for long.
As for the characters, April is the only one I really cared what happened to. Noah’s intentions seemed noble enough, but I had to wonder how it was possible for him to be so completely in the dark after so much had happened, and so much time had passed, giving him time to think about it. (sorry to be vague – trying to remain spoiler free!)
Overall not a bad story, and I didn’t see all of the twists coming. If it had moved along a little more quickly, I think The Beauty of the End would have been a 4 star read for me.
<i>NOTE: I was provided with a free copy in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own.</i>
As for the characters, April is the only one I really cared what happened to. Noah’s intentions seemed noble enough, but I had to wonder how it was possible for him to be so completely in the dark after so much had happened, and so much time had passed, giving him time to think about it. (sorry to be vague – trying to remain spoiler free!)
Overall not a bad story, and I didn’t see all of the twists coming. If it had moved along a little more quickly, I think The Beauty of the End would have been a 4 star read for me.
<i>NOTE: I was provided with a free copy in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own.</i>
Kelli Curran (5 KP) rated Encino Man (1992) in Movies
Jun 9, 2018
Buried 'treasure'. (2 more)
Pauly Shore singing 'shoofly don't bother me.'
RAD MOBILE!!!
Why can't all cavemen look like that?
Contains spoilers, click to show
I saw this movie for the first time when I was about ten years old. I was really into dinosaurs at the time and the idea of digging up a caveman in my backyard thrilled me about as much as finding One Eyed Willie. There is something innocently fun about movies made in the 80s and as silly as the plotline for this one is, the movie is still my absolute favorite.
Two nerdy, loner, high school seniors decide to dig a pool in one of their backyards in hopes of throwing a big party after prom and landing the most popular girl in school. What they didn't expect was to come across a caveman frozen inside a solid mass of ice who they thaw out using space heaters in their garage. After coming home to find their house trashed, they come face to face with a very not dead 1,000,000 year old man ... Or teenager. Makeover montage ensues, giving us the newly minted (not so missing) 'Link'. Boys take Link to school, Link wins over everyone, boys remain unpopular.
This movie is worth watching at least once just to see Pauly wheeze the juice and Brendan dance around like a crazy person.
Two nerdy, loner, high school seniors decide to dig a pool in one of their backyards in hopes of throwing a big party after prom and landing the most popular girl in school. What they didn't expect was to come across a caveman frozen inside a solid mass of ice who they thaw out using space heaters in their garage. After coming home to find their house trashed, they come face to face with a very not dead 1,000,000 year old man ... Or teenager. Makeover montage ensues, giving us the newly minted (not so missing) 'Link'. Boys take Link to school, Link wins over everyone, boys remain unpopular.
This movie is worth watching at least once just to see Pauly wheeze the juice and Brendan dance around like a crazy person.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2498 KP) rated Claws for Alarm in Books
Jun 14, 2018
Don’t Be Alarmed. You’ll Enjoy This Mystery
Natalie’s current guests at her bed and breakfast are on a yoga retreat, but any thoughts she’d had of peace and quiet have vanished. They are demanding different food and squabbling amongst themselves. However, the real drama is happening elsewhere on this island off the coast of Maine where newcomer Francine is making everyone’s life miserable in her efforts to remake the island into what she thinks is should be. After a particularly memorable fight with Claudette, Francine winds up dead. Natalie knows her friend couldn’t have done it. But who did?
I do need to get one issue out of the way first. There is a timing issue in the plot that keeps me from giving the version I read five stars. Once it is edited (and the author is working on the revisions), that won’t be an issue at all. And that’s great because this book is wonderful. I love the setting of the series, and always feel like I’ve gotten to relax when I am reading about it. Natalie and the usual cast are old friends, and I was glad to get updates on them. The new characters are just as strong and memorable. I thought I had the killer pegged early, but it turned out I was wrong, yet all the twists made sense at the end.
I do need to get one issue out of the way first. There is a timing issue in the plot that keeps me from giving the version I read five stars. Once it is edited (and the author is working on the revisions), that won’t be an issue at all. And that’s great because this book is wonderful. I love the setting of the series, and always feel like I’ve gotten to relax when I am reading about it. Natalie and the usual cast are old friends, and I was glad to get updates on them. The new characters are just as strong and memorable. I thought I had the killer pegged early, but it turned out I was wrong, yet all the twists made sense at the end.
FilmIntuition (33 KP) rated The Kiss Quotient in Books
Jun 28, 2018
Bold & Original Romance Adds Up
Back when I read the First Impression excerpt of The Kiss Quotient on Bookish First this past spring, I knew Helen Hoang's novel was sure to be one of the most talked about romances of 2018.
Bolstered by its inclusion as one of June's Book of the Month Club titles (which is where I nabbed my copy), it has fulfilled that promise and more as the genre's most popular summer beach read.
Taking familiar romance genre paradigms and giving them a new spin, Hoang's startlingly sexy title might bill itself as a gender swapped Pretty Woman but it actually reads more like a politically correct version of Fifty Shades of Grey... only with econometrics, martial arts, and fashion design filling in for the Red Room.
Centering its sexy Pygmalion narrative around a heroine with Asperger's whose disability does not define her – a premise that originally attracted me to the novel – the book is both a refreshing step forward for fictional disabled representation and a bold work all around.
While it inevitably suffers from predictable genre conventions including a slightly clunky start that moves from Point A to Z at an unrealistic pace, once Hoang balances out her equation, The Kiss Quotient really adds up.
Note: I would probably give this book 7.5, if able to award half points.
Bolstered by its inclusion as one of June's Book of the Month Club titles (which is where I nabbed my copy), it has fulfilled that promise and more as the genre's most popular summer beach read.
Taking familiar romance genre paradigms and giving them a new spin, Hoang's startlingly sexy title might bill itself as a gender swapped Pretty Woman but it actually reads more like a politically correct version of Fifty Shades of Grey... only with econometrics, martial arts, and fashion design filling in for the Red Room.
Centering its sexy Pygmalion narrative around a heroine with Asperger's whose disability does not define her – a premise that originally attracted me to the novel – the book is both a refreshing step forward for fictional disabled representation and a bold work all around.
While it inevitably suffers from predictable genre conventions including a slightly clunky start that moves from Point A to Z at an unrealistic pace, once Hoang balances out her equation, The Kiss Quotient really adds up.
Note: I would probably give this book 7.5, if able to award half points.
Manda (5 KP) rated Goodreads: Book Reviews in Apps
Jul 11, 2018
Goodreads. Because how else will I know what I’ve read?!?
Secret romance novel readers beware.. no just kidding, or am I? Goodreads is where you go to access scores of novels and reviews for them. You are able to socialize with fellow book readers and follow what your friends are currently reading or have read. ( hence the secrete romance readers beware) I even had an author dm me for giving a review of a novel they had written and let me tell you I was ecstatic for many days.
*Focus
You can challenge yourself each year to read more books than the last while they keep track for you as long as it is read in a device linked with the account.
The only thing I find frustrating is sometimes you have to go through a million steps (exaggeration) just to add a book read in it natural papery scented goodness.
Overall the app is good, a great place to start if you’re seeking an idea of how great or sucky a book is, depending on the personal taste of course.
*Focus
You can challenge yourself each year to read more books than the last while they keep track for you as long as it is read in a device linked with the account.
The only thing I find frustrating is sometimes you have to go through a million steps (exaggeration) just to add a book read in it natural papery scented goodness.
Overall the app is good, a great place to start if you’re seeking an idea of how great or sucky a book is, depending on the personal taste of course.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated The Long Hard Road Out of Hell in Books
Jul 12, 2018
I read this book for my 2014 Book Challenge. In this challenge I asked certain people to recommend books to me and I told them that I would read them sometime this year. This was my sister's recommendation.
First off, if you۪re going to read this book make sure that it is the actual book. The ebook does not compare to the actual book.
I have never been a huge fan of Marilyn Manson but I'm not a huge fan of metal music or shock-rock. I tend to stay on the pop-rock and alt-rock area so I was definitely apprehensive with this book. I have heard many rumors about Marilyn Manson but I never actually cared to learn whether they were the truth or not. This was very fascinating. I found myself intrigued while reading this book.
This book is disturbing, grotesque and honestly I was horrified for half of the book. This book definitely was shocking. The pictures in the middle were hard to look at without squirming and they definitely made me very uncomfortable when looking at them. The stories were also fascinating yet horrifying.
This book was also very introspective. I found myself fascinated by Marilyn Manson and it had me wanting to read more.
This book definitely wasn۪t my normal flavor but ultimately I am giving this book 4 stars because it fascinated me!
First off, if you۪re going to read this book make sure that it is the actual book. The ebook does not compare to the actual book.
I have never been a huge fan of Marilyn Manson but I'm not a huge fan of metal music or shock-rock. I tend to stay on the pop-rock and alt-rock area so I was definitely apprehensive with this book. I have heard many rumors about Marilyn Manson but I never actually cared to learn whether they were the truth or not. This was very fascinating. I found myself intrigued while reading this book.
This book is disturbing, grotesque and honestly I was horrified for half of the book. This book definitely was shocking. The pictures in the middle were hard to look at without squirming and they definitely made me very uncomfortable when looking at them. The stories were also fascinating yet horrifying.
This book was also very introspective. I found myself fascinated by Marilyn Manson and it had me wanting to read more.
This book definitely wasn۪t my normal flavor but ultimately I am giving this book 4 stars because it fascinated me!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2498 KP) rated Encyclopedia Brown Carries On in Books
Jul 17, 2018
Ten More Cases with the World’s Smartest Ten-Year-Old
This book features ten more chances to match wits with Encyclopedia Brown. Up first, he’s trying to figure out how to move a giant mousetrap that a would be criminal left outside town hall when no one would buy it from him. The rest of the stories find Encyclopedia and his partner Sally helping his friends and neighbors. They encounter Bugs Meany a few times when Bugs tries to rig a drawing and again when he tries to set Sally and Encyclopedia up with the police. They also help a friend keep his business giving for golf balls to himself and save the Left-Handers Club from sabotage.
These stories really are short, averaging about five pages each, with the piece of information that Encyclopedia used to stop the crime from taking place on another page at the end. I never could solve these as a kid, but I managed to do pretty well as an adult rereading this book. And no, it’s not because I remembered what had happened. The stories are a bit dated but that shouldn’t be too big an issue for today’s kids. The characters are also thin because there really isn’t time for character development, but again, kids won’t care. I certainly didn’t as a kid.
These stories really are short, averaging about five pages each, with the piece of information that Encyclopedia used to stop the crime from taking place on another page at the end. I never could solve these as a kid, but I managed to do pretty well as an adult rereading this book. And no, it’s not because I remembered what had happened. The stories are a bit dated but that shouldn’t be too big an issue for today’s kids. The characters are also thin because there really isn’t time for character development, but again, kids won’t care. I certainly didn’t as a kid.
Merissa (13816 KP) rated Edge Jump in Books
Jul 7, 2018
Edge Jump by Elizabeth Noble
Edge Jump starts off with the death of Brett's sister, who is also Rylan's skating partner. The police are treating it as an attempted mugging. Brett wants answers, and hopes Rylan can provide at least some of them. When they meet up with each other again, neither of them wants to deny the attraction. Making their relationship work though, proves more difficult due to outside forces than either of them imagined.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and found it to be very well written. Rylan is new to 'the scene', but already knows what he wants. Brett is scared at the thought of having a 'forever' someone, but isn't able to stop moving forward with Rylan. The mystery side of it wasn't that mysterious, but I still enjoyed it. I couldn't quite understand the culmination of the mystery (without giving anything away) as I don't see how they could have got away with it, but nevermind.
With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this was a great M_M romance, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.
* 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!
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and found it to be very well written. Rylan is new to 'the scene', but already knows what he wants. Brett is scared at the thought of having a 'forever' someone, but isn't able to stop moving forward with Rylan. The mystery side of it wasn't that mysterious, but I still enjoyed it. I couldn't quite understand the culmination of the mystery (without giving anything away) as I don't see how they could have got away with it, but nevermind.
With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this was a great M_M romance, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.
* 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!
Jo (37 KP) rated More Than This in Books
Oct 6, 2018
I don't even know! I just really do not know what to make of this. Honestly, I'm so conflicted.
This kicked off with such a dramatic opening, but then the first third was almost intolerably dull and I came so close to giving up on it. I just couldn't make myself care about Seth's miserable existence in his lonely 'hell'. I didn't enjoy his cycle of sleeping and moping, eating rancid food and drinking rancid water, puking and hurting. I get the importance of it, properly setting up the scene - the mood of hopelessness- and all, but it went on far too long.
I'm really glad I did push on, though, because damn! When shit finally did start happening, I was completely and utterly sucked in. The main body of the story had me hooked! Mighty confused but hella invested. And Tomasz -bless him, he totally earned himself a place in my <i>favourite-ever-characters</i> club. I loved him so, so hard!
Then the end hit way before I was ready for it.
And that ending, man... That <b>bloody</b> ending! What the ever-loving <i>FUCK</I>? After all that build up, it kinda felt like I'd been spat out and shat on :(
So. Yeah...
Following much deliberation, I'm awarding 3 stars for the story and one whole star to Tomasz all of his own.
This kicked off with such a dramatic opening, but then the first third was almost intolerably dull and I came so close to giving up on it. I just couldn't make myself care about Seth's miserable existence in his lonely 'hell'. I didn't enjoy his cycle of sleeping and moping, eating rancid food and drinking rancid water, puking and hurting. I get the importance of it, properly setting up the scene - the mood of hopelessness- and all, but it went on far too long.
I'm really glad I did push on, though, because damn! When shit finally did start happening, I was completely and utterly sucked in. The main body of the story had me hooked! Mighty confused but hella invested. And Tomasz -bless him, he totally earned himself a place in my <i>favourite-ever-characters</i> club. I loved him so, so hard!
Then the end hit way before I was ready for it.
And that ending, man... That <b>bloody</b> ending! What the ever-loving <i>FUCK</I>? After all that build up, it kinda felt like I'd been spat out and shat on :(
So. Yeah...
Following much deliberation, I'm awarding 3 stars for the story and one whole star to Tomasz all of his own.
Addiction, thy name is Pinterest!!
Love this app. You literally can disappear forever if you aren't careful. Thousands of pins, from cute animals to how sew in a zipper. One of my Besties and I have been know to do joint "shopping" trips on Pinterest. We get on the app, and IM back and forth. We have said that life would be easier if the App makers would add their own chat program. Kind of like AOLs chat rooms but private. You could talk and share a rainy day away! We have sent recipes, baby ideas, etc. back and forth. Last year we planned my niece's wedding by creating a private board where all of us could pin and write our thought about how or what would work and why. It was great, because we are all spread out across the country, and this wsy we all felt included. So yes, I am very pro Pinterest. The only thing I do not like is people stealing others(Micheal Kors, Home decorators, etc) intellectual property and either not giving credit or claiming it for themselves.