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Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends - Series 1
7.8
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TV Show
Documentaries by writer and presenter Louis Theroux which delve into the weirder fringes of American...
Huawei Band 2 Pro Fitness Wristband Activity Tracker
7.4
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Tech
Style is nothing without comfort. The smooth ergonomic design of the HUAWEI Band 2 Pro merges...
High Risk: A Strong Woman Medical Romance
10.0
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Book
One overworked lady doctor has found the perfect guy. He's smoking hot, a fabulous dancer, and...
Romantic suspense multicultural romance action adventure romance medical romance
Devil's Dance (Rebel Kings #1)
Book
Opposites attract. The outlaw biker and the accountant. Straightlaced vs straight to hell. Or...
Contemporary MC MM Romance
Merissa (11950 KP) rated Openly Yours (Offbeat Shifters #2) in Books
Mar 3, 2021 (Updated Aug 2, 2023)
OPENLY MINE is the second book in the Offbeat Shifters series, and we continue with the tiger and monkey mates. Now openly mated, Isaac and Jesse have a busy time ahead of them. Not only is there the Youth Centre to get sorted, but Jesse is recording a new album. Because these two are suckers for punishment, they also decide to move home and arrange a wedding too. Throw in some health complications, and you've got a story to lose yourself in.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. And, as wrong as this may sound, I loved the part where Isaac and Jesse are dealing with some news that has a strong impact on both of them. I found this to be sympathetically written, whilst remaining true to the story.
The pacing is smooth and the supporting characters are just as good as in book one. One thing is clear, Jesse has dreams to fulfil and Isaac will move heaven and earth to help.
A great addition to the series, and one I am happy to recommend.
* 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!
Mar 3, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. And, as wrong as this may sound, I loved the part where Isaac and Jesse are dealing with some news that has a strong impact on both of them. I found this to be sympathetically written, whilst remaining true to the story.
The pacing is smooth and the supporting characters are just as good as in book one. One thing is clear, Jesse has dreams to fulfil and Isaac will move heaven and earth to help.
A great addition to the series, and one I am happy to recommend.
* 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!
Mar 3, 2021
Bethany Chiller
10.0
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Book
The life of a young woman turns upside down when demonic forces control her, and a trail of...
horror supernatural bookbuzz
The Dartington Bride (Daughters of Devon #2)
Book
1571, and the beautiful, headstrong daughter of a French Count marries the son of the Vice Admiral...
Historical Fiction Devon Elizabethan French Wars of Religion Daughters of Devon Series
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Finding the Light of Jesus in Books
Feb 11, 2019
When I first started to read this book, I realized very quickly how simply written this book is. The first ten chapters read as if I were sitting in a therapy session with the author and she were talking to me. They are written without much emphasis on detail, and seemed to focus largely on how a person feels in regards to stress and depression. Though the author writes extensively on the light of Jesus, she does not quote a single Bible verse, though she attempts to paraphrase a few - without citations. The beginning and end of each of these ten chapters also contain a poem she wrote and calls prayers, though the poetry is badly written and has little resemblance to an actual prayer, in my opinion. Also scattered through the chapters are activities that the author recommends for the reader, such as journaling and answering questions.
The final chapter is actually a collection of prayers and reflections that the reader is supposed to follow over the course of seven days. This is followed by a section of "Conversations With Jesus" that focus on different topics such as anger, jealousy, being overwhelmed, and fear. This is followed by five pages in which she quotes a scripture from the New American Bible, and leaves a blank space for the reader to journal the answers to her questions about the scripture verse. This is followed by more of her prayers and a further 30 days of prayer and reflection.
Overall, the author presents a Jesus that is only concerned about a person's feelings, whom the author seems to believe that everyone has inside of him or her from birth. She further indicates that everyone goes to heaven, and Jesus' strongest quality is being a "light." No mention is made of the basic precepts of Bible-based Christianity, such as sin, salvation, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead she writes things that seem to contradict parts of scripture, such as stating that Jesus does not judge us and that we are the "light," as well as what I previously mentioned about everyone going to heaven. In the context of that paragraph, I almost expected the author to write that we are all Jesus. I also noticed while reading that nowhere does she ever refer to Him as Jesus Christ either. The entire book has a vague New Age feel, as many of the things Tuttle writes mimic the doctrine of a New Age Jesus.
The author, Cindy Tuttle, has a background of working in the mental health industry for more than twenty-five years. Based on what I have read in this book, I have no doubt that she is good at her job and finds great success with her patients, but I do not find this book of the same calibur.
The final chapter is actually a collection of prayers and reflections that the reader is supposed to follow over the course of seven days. This is followed by a section of "Conversations With Jesus" that focus on different topics such as anger, jealousy, being overwhelmed, and fear. This is followed by five pages in which she quotes a scripture from the New American Bible, and leaves a blank space for the reader to journal the answers to her questions about the scripture verse. This is followed by more of her prayers and a further 30 days of prayer and reflection.
Overall, the author presents a Jesus that is only concerned about a person's feelings, whom the author seems to believe that everyone has inside of him or her from birth. She further indicates that everyone goes to heaven, and Jesus' strongest quality is being a "light." No mention is made of the basic precepts of Bible-based Christianity, such as sin, salvation, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead she writes things that seem to contradict parts of scripture, such as stating that Jesus does not judge us and that we are the "light," as well as what I previously mentioned about everyone going to heaven. In the context of that paragraph, I almost expected the author to write that we are all Jesus. I also noticed while reading that nowhere does she ever refer to Him as Jesus Christ either. The entire book has a vague New Age feel, as many of the things Tuttle writes mimic the doctrine of a New Age Jesus.
The author, Cindy Tuttle, has a background of working in the mental health industry for more than twenty-five years. Based on what I have read in this book, I have no doubt that she is good at her job and finds great success with her patients, but I do not find this book of the same calibur.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Dogma (1999) in Movies
Jul 28, 2018
Funny and Deep
Talk about off the beaten path. Dogma is at weird as it comes. Offensive to some, hilarious to others, if you can take it for what it is and not get overly deep about it, you'll find yourself watching a quality comedy. The plot? A little complicated to explain without using more words than I would like. I will say that it involves two fallen angels who are looking for a way back into heaven.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 8
Characters: 10
You want characters? This film has them by the boatload. Outside of the fallen angels, you will meet the likes of a woman who is the savior of humanity, a messenger from heaven, and an apostle holding a grudge just to name a few. Dogma is a melting pot of personalities and temperament which is a huge part of what makes the film such a good one. You are going to love Jay the Prophet. He is just plain hilarious. And Alan Rickman's dry sarcasm always makes for a good laugh.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 8
There are never any real lulls where the film gets boring. There is a lot of dialogue but the progression of the conflict keeps the film moving at a solid speed. I did dock a couple of point for a brief dead spot about an hour in, but there is pretty solid action and comedy throughout for the most part.
Genre: 7
There is a special scene where the characters are discussing a John Hughes movie. The dialogue builds and, before you know it, you're cracking up at every word they're saying. It's scenes like these that contribute to making the film a pretty solid comedy. If the strip club scene doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will!
Memorability: 10
The originality of the plot and the messaging help the film stand out in my mind among a sea of other movies I've seen. I appreciated the interesting introspection of faith and life. The Belief Vs. Ideas convo was another solid moment. Dogma is funny, but it gives you some things to digest as well.
Pace: 8
Plot: 5
While the plot is certainly intriguing, it was also a bit of a hindrance for me as it got confusing as all get out in certain spots. The struggle to find a short plot description above was real. Not sure what they could have done differently here, but there were certain spots where my experience was dampened by all the crazy stuff happening.
Resolution: 8
Overall: 82
With a solid cast (Ben Afleck and Matt Damon always work well together) and a number of memorable moments, Dogma is definitely worth a watch. Glad I can check this one off the list and add it to my favorites.
Acting: 10
Beginning: 8
Characters: 10
You want characters? This film has them by the boatload. Outside of the fallen angels, you will meet the likes of a woman who is the savior of humanity, a messenger from heaven, and an apostle holding a grudge just to name a few. Dogma is a melting pot of personalities and temperament which is a huge part of what makes the film such a good one. You are going to love Jay the Prophet. He is just plain hilarious. And Alan Rickman's dry sarcasm always makes for a good laugh.
Cinematography/Visuals: 8
Conflict: 8
There are never any real lulls where the film gets boring. There is a lot of dialogue but the progression of the conflict keeps the film moving at a solid speed. I did dock a couple of point for a brief dead spot about an hour in, but there is pretty solid action and comedy throughout for the most part.
Genre: 7
There is a special scene where the characters are discussing a John Hughes movie. The dialogue builds and, before you know it, you're cracking up at every word they're saying. It's scenes like these that contribute to making the film a pretty solid comedy. If the strip club scene doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will!
Memorability: 10
The originality of the plot and the messaging help the film stand out in my mind among a sea of other movies I've seen. I appreciated the interesting introspection of faith and life. The Belief Vs. Ideas convo was another solid moment. Dogma is funny, but it gives you some things to digest as well.
Pace: 8
Plot: 5
While the plot is certainly intriguing, it was also a bit of a hindrance for me as it got confusing as all get out in certain spots. The struggle to find a short plot description above was real. Not sure what they could have done differently here, but there were certain spots where my experience was dampened by all the crazy stuff happening.
Resolution: 8
Overall: 82
With a solid cast (Ben Afleck and Matt Damon always work well together) and a number of memorable moments, Dogma is definitely worth a watch. Glad I can check this one off the list and add it to my favorites.
Marylegs (44 KP) rated The Lovely Bones in Books
Aug 14, 2019
This is another book I have felt the urge to read after watching the film. I probably would never have picked this book up if I hadn’t seen the film previously. The Lovely Bones is not the easiest story to read, as it is the story of a 14 year old girl, Susie Salmon, being raped and murdered. Told from the perspective of Susie in her heaven watching over her family, friends and murderer as they carry on with their life in the years after her death. The story develops from the initial stages of grief and devastation felt by her family and friends to how the move on and, not forget her, but learn to live again.
This story could be hard work to read due to the subject matter, but in fact it is beautiful in all the right places. It is raw in detailing human emotions, and how people can feel guilty for feeling normal after the death of a loved one occurs. It is a lovely thought, of people moving onto a place where the heaven is what they make of it, that it is different for each person and that they can build upon it and still have the ability to watch over the family they left behind.
My one bug bear with the book was the character of Susie’s mother, Abigail. I understand that grief affects everyone differently but I couldn’t warm to her due to the actions she took in the subsequent years after her eldest daughter was killed. But I found all the other characters interesting and well developed including in particular Susie’s sister Lindsey, who had to grow up to quickly and Susie’s could have been boyfriend Ray, who didn’t let being accused of her murder destroy him. Even the killers’ character was interesting to read about and whilst I never sympathised with his past history as it is told, it felt important to include more about him than just having him defined by the murder he committed. Probably the most developed and grief stricken character was Susie’s father Jack, the way he dealt with his emotions is more how I imagined a parent would act after losing a child this way. It really pulled at your heart when he had to push down his grief to still try to be a father to his two remaining children, but the whole time feeling guilty that Susie wasn’t there which obviously made it harder for his to let go. I would recommend this book but due to the subject matter, no matter how delicately it is written and dealt with, still may not be for everyone.
This story could be hard work to read due to the subject matter, but in fact it is beautiful in all the right places. It is raw in detailing human emotions, and how people can feel guilty for feeling normal after the death of a loved one occurs. It is a lovely thought, of people moving onto a place where the heaven is what they make of it, that it is different for each person and that they can build upon it and still have the ability to watch over the family they left behind.
My one bug bear with the book was the character of Susie’s mother, Abigail. I understand that grief affects everyone differently but I couldn’t warm to her due to the actions she took in the subsequent years after her eldest daughter was killed. But I found all the other characters interesting and well developed including in particular Susie’s sister Lindsey, who had to grow up to quickly and Susie’s could have been boyfriend Ray, who didn’t let being accused of her murder destroy him. Even the killers’ character was interesting to read about and whilst I never sympathised with his past history as it is told, it felt important to include more about him than just having him defined by the murder he committed. Probably the most developed and grief stricken character was Susie’s father Jack, the way he dealt with his emotions is more how I imagined a parent would act after losing a child this way. It really pulled at your heart when he had to push down his grief to still try to be a father to his two remaining children, but the whole time feeling guilty that Susie wasn’t there which obviously made it harder for his to let go. I would recommend this book but due to the subject matter, no matter how delicately it is written and dealt with, still may not be for everyone.