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Three Identical Strangers (2018)
Three Identical Strangers (2018)
2018 | Documentary
7
8.3 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A bizarre tale with a dark twist.
I finally got to see Tim Wardle‘s documentary “Three Identical Strangers” last week…. just a few days before it gets shown on Channel 4 in the UK (9pm, Thursday 28th Feb 2019)! This is a short post giving you a heads-up of an instruction: WATCH IT! IT’S AMAZING!

An extraordinary story.
We start with Robert Shafran as a freshman who spends his first day at a small and anonymous college on the outskirts of New York. It’s a strange experience: the friendliest college ever! The blokes hug him like an old friend; girls come up to him and kiss him on the lips! This triggers a series of encounters that will change his life and that of two other “Identical Strangers” forever.

You will be able to find more details in other reviews online. But this is a dish best served cold so I will leave it there.

So it’s a 20 minute film?
It’s all wrapped up after 20 minutes. Or so you think. For the documentary starts to peel back layers of intrigue that go to far darker places than you would ever think possible. Again, to say more would provide spoilers.

As a criticism though, there is a point where I felt the film overstretched itself; reaching for a conclusion that didn’t seem to be born out by the facts (however hard the filmmaker tried to concoct them). That’s a shame, since there is more than enough to fill 90 minutes.

But no Oscar nomination?
Given how powerful (and well-regarded) the documentary is it’s surprising the film didn’t make the Oscar nomination (it made the 15 film shortlist but no more).

But it’s well worth catching: a tale that almost defies belief.
  
As well as the love of reading, I also seem to have passed on my love of history to the Mini Bookworm. He is 8 and I often find myself digging him out of a pile of "Horrible Histories" books just to tuck him in at night!

So when I saw the cover and concept of "A Day in the Life of a Caveman, a Queen and Everything Inbetween", requesting a spot on the book tour was a no brainer.
This GORGEOUS book takes the concept of the illustrations within HH books and totally runs with it. The comic book style really spoke to the mini bookworm and really kept him engaged for a long period of time. In fact, when I asked him if he had any negative points for this review he thought for a very long time before finally saying "it just wasn't long enough".
The topics are presented in one page snippets - it's not going to teach your kids all about one particular subject but, in my opinion, it is going to get them excited to learn more.
As a parent, I also really appreciated the progression of the topics into modern history. The civil rights page initiated a whole conversation about segregation and racism for example! Similarly, fossil fuels and global warming are factors that greatly affect our youngsters, but are presented in a really fun way.
Thank you to Mike Barfield and Jess Bradley for creating this wonderful book, and to Love Books Tours for giving the Mini Bookworm and I the opportunity to review it. As we live in the same county as Mike Barfield the Mini Bookworm did initially want to find him to be his friend, but apparently will settle for adding "A Day in the Life of a Poo, a Gnu and You" to his Christmas list!
  
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Merissa (13585 KP) rated Solomon's Sieve (Knights of Black Swan #7) in Books

Apr 6, 2023 (Updated Apr 10, 2023)  
Solomon's Sieve (Knights of Black Swan #7)
Solomon's Sieve (Knights of Black Swan #7)
Victoria Danann | 2014 | Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book starts with a speed date from hell and someone talking to you from the afterlife - I kid you not! Only Victoria Danann could bring those things together and make it work in such a way that it seems absolutely 'normal'.

Being back with the Black Swan is always a pleasure and this book is no different. After six previous books, there is a sense of familiarity with how characters will react, what they will say, what their body language will tell you.

The one thing I will say about this book - and it is also the reason I am only giving 4 stars instead of the usual 5 to Victoria - is that it is such a busy book! There are a lot of things going on so you will need to read carefully. For example, you have the Sol/Farnsworth story, Raif and Mercy, B Team being brought back from retirement, Z Team having their babysitting mission, and Rosie having her sabbatical. Unfortunately for me, it felt like there was so much going on that I missed out on parts. I would have loved for Raif and Mercy to have their own story, linked with Farnsworth's search. I felt like they were only in the book for a couple of scenes and now they're together.

This is my only 'niggle' with the book and of course, I can still highly recommend this series as one of the best paranormal romances that I have read. These books are definitely keepers and are to be kept, cherished and re-read for years to come.
 
* I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. *
 
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
September 6, 2016
  
Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)
Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)
2017 | Action, Animation, Sci-Fi
Can it really be 20 years since Starship Troopers hit the big screens here in the UK? Well, it is indeed and after two live-action sequels and an animated movie, the fifth movie sticks with the CGI format and director Shinji Aramaki returns to the helm after Invasion, to bring us Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars and it’s not only Shinji that returns to the franchise, Casper Van Dien and Dina Meyer return to reprise their roles from the 1997 movie.

I know I can hear you saying, “hang on, Dizzy died in the first movie“, well yes she did, but Dizzy Flores has been brought back in such a wonderful way that ties this movie in very nicely to the original movies timeline.

The all-new military adventure has been penned by Ed Neumeier, who wrote the screenplay for the 1997 movie and also the brilliant Robocop, so with such a great team for this fifth outing, my hopes were up that this movie would be very much like the original movie, rather the sequels that were spawned from it.

The film takes place 20 years after the battle of Klendathu, now Rico (Casper Van Dien) has been demoted and is training the “Lost Patrol” at a station at Mars, but as always those pesky bugs are making their mark, the Federation fleet is too far away to help, so it’s down to Rico and his Troopers to keep the bugs at bay.

Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars is far from the previous movie from Shinji Aramaki, Invasion. Instead of being set on a battlecruiser and it feeling very confined, this movie takes us down to the planet surface, giving the animators to bring back the sheer hoards of bugs that we first saw in the 1997 live-action movie and boy are these bugs nicely done.
  
The Darkest Minds
The Darkest Minds
Alexandra Bracken | 2013 | Children
6
8.9 (18 Ratings)
Book Rating
83 of 230
Book
The Darkest Minds ( The Darkest Minds book 1)
By Alexandra Bracken
⭐️⭐️⭐️

When Ruby wakes up on her tenth birthday, something about her has changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government 'rehabilitation camp.' She might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her - East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

This started off so well I was really enjoying it then I sort of hit a brick wall I can’t tell you at what point I just became a little bored in the middle. It was ok just I think I wanted more from the last half of the book. The concept was really interesting and in quite frightening especially if you have kids. I don’t know something was just lacking. I’m hoping book 2 is better.
  
Ericksen (Gen-Heirs: The Guardians of Sziveria, #5)
Ericksen (Gen-Heirs: The Guardians of Sziveria, #5)
Sarah Westill | 2022 | Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
ERICKSEN continues the brilliance that is the Gen-Heirs: The Guardians of Sziveria series. For the first time, our male protagonist is NOT a Gen-Heir, or Shield Guardian, or any of the other ranks. Instead, Vayden is Gen-Common - in other words "normal." Melody, on the other hand, does have a talent - logic-based as far as she has been told. She has been raised to believe Gen-Common people are basically a waste of space, so it was wonderful to see the changes that occur when she realises how wrong she was. Of course, to believe something that fundamental means her upbringing wouldn't be classed as healthy by any stretch of the imagination, and the contrast between her family and Vayden's was so stark, beautiful in the differences.

The overall story arc continues but you don't need to have read any of the previous books to understand this one. I would recommend you read them simply for the amazing stories they are!

The pacing is wonderful, giving you moments of action coupled with moments of silence, vulnerability, and tenderness. There are moments of steam, but that isn't the main focus of the novel.

I loved seeing Melody grow as a person and as a talent. Vayden stole my heart from the start and just compounded it with every sweet and loving moment. This was a fantastic addition to the series and I can't wait for it to continue. Highly recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* 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!
  
Academy Arcanist (Astra Academy #1)
Academy Arcanist (Astra Academy #1)
Shami Stovall | 2022 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A great start to a series that returns me to a world I love.
ACADEMY ARCANIST is the first book in the Astra Academy series. If you have read the Frith Chronicles, then you will be familiar with this world of Arcanists and Eldrins. I loved that series, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one and I wasn't disappointed!

Gray and Sorin are fantastic characters; twins that are very different from each other but share a deep brotherly bond. At thirteen years old, Gray is attacked in his dreams but his parents don't believe him. A professor from Astra Academy saves him and he spends time with her in his dreams, learning about the Arcanists. When he is fifteen, he and Sorin head to the Academy, desperate to find an eldrin of their own. But when he meets Professor Helmith, Gray knows something is wrong. This isn't the same professor he met in his dreams.

I loved this story! It's a long one but I read it in one sitting as I was literally unable to move at the time. It took me all day but I loved every word and was swept away in the story. The supporting characters all have their own foibles and quirks, and I look forward to learning more about each of them as the series progresses. It is well-paced, giving you plenty of action as well as quiet times to process just what's going on.

A great start to a series that returns me to a world I love. I can't wait for more. Highly recommended by me.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* 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!
  
The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings
The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings
Joanna Nadin | 2022 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I loved this twisty tale about identity and ambition.
The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings by Joanna Nadin begins in a small Cornish seaside town. Jason longs for more than working in his manipulative fathers pub, and wants to escape his life. When a group of wealthy young people arrive in the town, including the twins Daisy and Bea, he is drawn into their circle.

He spends more and more time with them, until the night that both Jason and Bea drown in an accident.

30 years later, writer James Tate is asked by Daisy Hemmings to ghost write her autobiography. James is a master of reinvention: he knew Daisy 30 years ago when she, her twin and their friends spent a summer together in a small Cornish village.

It’s made clear from the start that James is in fact Jason (so I’m giving nothing away), but the really interesting thing is how exactly he did it, how he managed to convince everyone that he’s someone completely different.

The characters in this are all really interesting and so well written: the twins and how completely different they are from one another; how their wealthy friends contrast starkly against Jason and his life. Whether they’re likeable or not, I really wanted to find out more about them.

I enjoyed the alternating timelines - how happenings in 1988 impacted on the present - I particularly liked how we’re introduced to the Jason/ James character right at the beginning. Their lives couldn’t be more different.

I’ve relished both of Joanna Nadin’s previous adult books (The Queen of Bloody Everything and The Talk of Pram Town), and after reading Daisy Hemmings, I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.
  
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Merissa (13585 KP) rated The Fortuna Coin in Books

Jan 26, 2022 (Updated Jul 5, 2023)  
The Fortuna Coin
The Fortuna Coin
Karen Ann Hopkins | 2021 | Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences, Thriller
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
You know how the blurb of a book stirs your interest? And then, if you're really fortunate, the book itself is so much better than anything you could have expected. Well, that was THE FORTUNA COIN for me.

This book is exactly what it says it is about - second chances and domestic violence. It doesn't pretty it up. It's all there, especially in the first few scenes. If you have any kind of triggers wrapped up in domestic violence, please be warned.

We go with Wendy as she time-travels back to the past, the chance to do over her life. She has hard choices to make, and she does them selflessly. It costs her a lot in one way, but she is enriched in another. She makes good friends and has her four daughters, all over again.

I can't say too much without giving away parts of the storyline, but I will say I was completely enthralled. I knew how I wanted Wendy to act, and I hated it when she didn't. But it was all for her reasons, not mine, so I guess it makes sense!

There is so much I want to say but can't, for fear of ruining it for someone else. I read this book in one sitting, unable to put it down. It is a mixture of supernatural, contemporary, romance, and suspense - all delivered with perfect pacing and tension.

This was a fantastic story that I feel lucky enough to have read, and I have no hesitation in highly recommending it! Just watch out for triggers.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* 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!
Jan 26, 2022
  
Forever Wilde in Aster Valley (Forever Wilde #9)
Forever Wilde in Aster Valley (Forever Wilde #9)
Lucy Lennox | 2021 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
FOREVER WILDE IN ASTER VALLEY is a crossover from the Marions and the Wildes, giving you a seasonal romance about an introverted only child thrown into a crazy chaotic family situation.

Now, let me say one thing first - I wanted more of Darius and Miller. They seemed to get lost at times amongst all of the others. Saying that!!! Lucy Lennox has managed to perfectly convey all of the differing personalities that come with these two clans.

What I did get of Miller and Darius was superb. I related so much with Miller in so many ways. Maybe that's why I want more, nothing to do with the story itself, just him as a character. Either way, this book gave me laughs and tears, warm fuzzy feelings, and cold hard ones.

Will this put me in the minority if I say I was cheering when Miller let rip with Tilly? Maybe, maybe not. I love her character, but he had valid points, and it made her seem more life-life and not so infallible.

I was convinced this would be a 4-star read even as I got toward the end, but honestly? I can't. Yes, I wanted more, but isn't that a sign of a good book? This is one I read in one sitting, that I thoroughly enjoyed and have no hesitation in recommending. If for no other reason than that, this is a 5-star book for me. I just hope to see Miller and Darius in the future!

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* 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!
Nov 19, 2021