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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings in Books
Sep 30, 2020
Murder at the North Pole
April’s life changed completely when she learned Nick, the man she had fallen in love with, was Santa Claus. Now, she’s spending her first Christmas at the North Pole as Mrs. Claus. However, the stress of the holiday is nothing compared to the death of an elf. Giblet Hollyberry was not an especially popular elf, but his death comes the day after he had a very public fight with Santa. While the rest of the Claus clan doesn’t seem that concerned, April worries that the evidence is pointing toward her new husband. The North Pole isn’t normally a hotbed of crime, but it seems someone is doing their best to put Santa on the naughty list this year. Can April keep that from happening?
At its heart, this book is a cozy mystery, and it is a wonderful one. There are enough suspects, secrets, and clues to keep the reader engaged the entire way through the book. It’s the setting that makes the book stand out, and it is wonderfully done. It took me a bit to get the pictures from countless specials and movies out of my head, but April’s new world soon came fully to life for me. The characters, whether they are human or not, are very real, and I enjoyed meeting them here. And the book is overflowing with Christmas cheer – so much so that I had to start listening to some Christmas music while I was reading it. This book definitely deserves a place at the top of your nice list. I’m already looking forward to the sequel.
At its heart, this book is a cozy mystery, and it is a wonderful one. There are enough suspects, secrets, and clues to keep the reader engaged the entire way through the book. It’s the setting that makes the book stand out, and it is wonderfully done. It took me a bit to get the pictures from countless specials and movies out of my head, but April’s new world soon came fully to life for me. The characters, whether they are human or not, are very real, and I enjoyed meeting them here. And the book is overflowing with Christmas cheer – so much so that I had to start listening to some Christmas music while I was reading it. This book definitely deserves a place at the top of your nice list. I’m already looking forward to the sequel.
Melting His Grumpy Heart
10.0
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Gruff and grumpy meets sunshine and smiles. Stranded in a lonely farmhouse, sparks flare then...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated An Amish Christmas Wedding: Four Stories in Books
Feb 24, 2021
<a href="https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2020/11/21/an-amish-christmas-celebrate-lit/">Travelers Wife 4 Life</a>
This was such a good collection of stories to get me in the Christmas spirit! I had the privilege of reading last Christmas’s book (<a href="https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/amish-christmas-bakery-celebration-lit/">An Amish Christmas Bakery</a>) by this collection of authors (Vanetta Chapman is new though) and truly fell in love with each author’s unique writing style. While not interconnected each story brings hope and warmth into my mind and I hope you will like them too!
<b>Evergreen Love</b> by Amy Clipston – I so enjoyed this story filled with mishaps, love, and second chances. Ryan and Lorene both show growth as characters and a sweet desire to learn from their previous experiences. They were fun to get to know and they showed a great look at forgiveness and the importance of communication!
<b>Holiday of Hope</b> by Kelly Irvin – This story was adorably sweet and heartfelt. I loved Henry’s journey, his special patience with his nephew (especially how he took it all in seamless stride not trying to force things), and his dedication to his first wife and subsequent openness to second chances. Leesa was also a very interesting character whom I rooted for from the beginning. I loved her courage, strength, and willingness to help others; even when it was outside her comfort zone. Overall, I loved the sweet romance in this book and enjoyed Kelly Irvin’s descriptions of deep snow Montana life.
<b>Wreathed in Joy</b> by Kathleen Fuller – I loved this friends to more gone awry story! Definitely one of my favorite sub-genres and Kathleen Fuller nails it. Mary and Jakob are sweet and the best of friends until a sad misunderstanding changes everything. But I enjoyed watching them banter and rekindle their friendship. It was full of sweet moments, memories, and the courage to try again. A great reminder to always give people second chances. Such a sweet story and I loved the ending.
<b>A Christmas Prayer </b> by Vannetta Chapman – Ever had the feeling that life is not going where you planned? Well, Rachel and Micah’s story is definitely one you will like. It was like ‘watching Rachel bloom’ as Micah so eloquently put it. I loved Micah’s caring nature, his use of Cloe (a Beautiful lab
This was such a good collection of stories to get me in the Christmas spirit! I had the privilege of reading last Christmas’s book (<a href="https://travelingwife4life.wordpress.com/2019/12/16/amish-christmas-bakery-celebration-lit/">An Amish Christmas Bakery</a>) by this collection of authors (Vanetta Chapman is new though) and truly fell in love with each author’s unique writing style. While not interconnected each story brings hope and warmth into my mind and I hope you will like them too!
<b>Evergreen Love</b> by Amy Clipston – I so enjoyed this story filled with mishaps, love, and second chances. Ryan and Lorene both show growth as characters and a sweet desire to learn from their previous experiences. They were fun to get to know and they showed a great look at forgiveness and the importance of communication!
<b>Holiday of Hope</b> by Kelly Irvin – This story was adorably sweet and heartfelt. I loved Henry’s journey, his special patience with his nephew (especially how he took it all in seamless stride not trying to force things), and his dedication to his first wife and subsequent openness to second chances. Leesa was also a very interesting character whom I rooted for from the beginning. I loved her courage, strength, and willingness to help others; even when it was outside her comfort zone. Overall, I loved the sweet romance in this book and enjoyed Kelly Irvin’s descriptions of deep snow Montana life.
<b>Wreathed in Joy</b> by Kathleen Fuller – I loved this friends to more gone awry story! Definitely one of my favorite sub-genres and Kathleen Fuller nails it. Mary and Jakob are sweet and the best of friends until a sad misunderstanding changes everything. But I enjoyed watching them banter and rekindle their friendship. It was full of sweet moments, memories, and the courage to try again. A great reminder to always give people second chances. Such a sweet story and I loved the ending.
<b>A Christmas Prayer </b> by Vannetta Chapman – Ever had the feeling that life is not going where you planned? Well, Rachel and Micah’s story is definitely one you will like. It was like ‘watching Rachel bloom’ as Micah so eloquently put it. I loved Micah’s caring nature, his use of Cloe (a Beautiful lab
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Remember the Titans (2000) in Movies
Nov 28, 2020
Denzel Washington (1 more)
Will Patton
Fight For What You Love The Most
Remember The Titans- is a excellent movie. Its powerful, moving, heartwarming, dramatic, family-moving, and based on a true story. Also it has a excellent cast. Both Denzel Washington and Will Patton are excellent. I didnt realize that Ryan Gosling was in this. He is so young in this. Anyways its a excellent football movie.
The plot: In Virginia, high school football is a way of life, an institution revered, each game celebrated more lavishly than Christmas, each playoff distinguished more grandly than any national holiday. And with such recognition, comes powerful emotions. In 1971 high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the local school board was forced to integrate an all black school with an all white school, the very foundation of football's great tradition was put to the test.
Its excellent.
The plot: In Virginia, high school football is a way of life, an institution revered, each game celebrated more lavishly than Christmas, each playoff distinguished more grandly than any national holiday. And with such recognition, comes powerful emotions. In 1971 high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the local school board was forced to integrate an all black school with an all white school, the very foundation of football's great tradition was put to the test.
Its excellent.
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Lost At Christmas (2020) in Movies
Nov 23, 2020
'Tis the season for Christmas cliche and Lost At Christmas certainly fits the bill... but stay tuned for a "pleasant" surprise?
When life changes very suddenly for two strangers they need to make their way back to their normal lives, but it's Christmas, and the simple journey home becomes something of an epic adventure across the Scottish Highlands.
I have realised that many years ago I found myself in a very similar situation to the one in this film, though thankfully I wasn't the one travelling anywhere. I have never really considered how difficult it might be to do this sort of journey... I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't do what this duo do... but you never know! So quite how believable this scenario is I can't say, but it does allow for the expected drama.
There's a great Doctor Who contingent in the cast and I loved Sylvester McCoy and Frazer Hines as Ernie and Frank. They're a fantastic little double act and McCoy definitely helped areas of the film that struggled. Jen, played by Natalie Clark, was quite a likeable character and I enjoyed the performance, but it was difficult to get anything more out of it once she was paired with our leading man. Rob, played by Kenny Boyle, was the chalk to Jen's cheese, he's gruff and mean but doesn't really have the redeemable qualities these characters have in reserve that make you root for them at the end of the film, coupled with the bland performance I found myself hoping that another stray singleton was going to appear and sweep Jen off her feet.
In my notes I tried to do some maths... maths in a film review?! I know! It baffled me too. There felt like discrepancies in Rob's timeline with his girlfriend when you compare their initial interaction and his reveal to Jen later on. It may just be me overthinking it, but when it came up my reaction was confusion, these things are easily foiled by vagueness but... *shrug*.
There's some beautiful scenery involved throughout the film but when you mix it with the obligatory Christmas film shenanigans you're not getting to enjoy a lot of it. Even its use in the opening titles wasn't great. The main backdrop of the pub is fun, though there are some issues with the use of space. Some shots make it seem expansive and some claustrophobic, and there's one shot in particular that made me audibly groan. Nearly everyone is in it, adults talking, teens (about four foot away from the rest of the cast) kissing... no... no kissing teens are putting themselves in that position, especially not these two. There would have been plenty of opportunity to have them in the back of this shot had the camera had a different angle.
The thing I think we should acknowledge about this film though is that it has some balls. Whenever I discuss romcoms and Christmas movies there are always a handful of scenarios that make me say "wouldn't it be great if these films did [insert realistic scenario here]?" Lost At Christmas went for it! Yeah... so it turns out... I want the cliche! Real-life sucks and actually, I'd rather bitch about things being unrealistic than see something that is much more likely to happen. Well done for doing it, but to quote my notes... "F*** THIS FILM!"
Lost At Christmas has so much potential in it. Let's take a look at my scale... You have bad Christmas films, very few fall into this category because they usually drop down so far that they get pushed back up the scale to "so bad they're good". Right next to "so bad they're good" is a general level for Hallmark-esque schmaltz (NOTE: this isn't to say that Hallmark movies won't break out into other areas, this is just a general descriptor for films that are pretty consistent in their watchability and themes... AKA: quality Sunday holiday fodder.) Then of course we have the Christmas classic level, that holds things like Home Alone, Klaus, Love Actually and Die Hard. Lost At Christmas is somewhere in the snowdrift between bad and schmaltz. With a bit more glitz and a few changes I could easily see this film being a hop, skip and a jump over the other side of Hallmark schmaltz as something you don't just watch because it started on the TV and you can't change the channel because you're holding down wrapping paper with one hand and have a spiral of sellotape in the other.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/11/lost-at-christmas-movie-review.html
When life changes very suddenly for two strangers they need to make their way back to their normal lives, but it's Christmas, and the simple journey home becomes something of an epic adventure across the Scottish Highlands.
I have realised that many years ago I found myself in a very similar situation to the one in this film, though thankfully I wasn't the one travelling anywhere. I have never really considered how difficult it might be to do this sort of journey... I'm fairly certain that I wouldn't do what this duo do... but you never know! So quite how believable this scenario is I can't say, but it does allow for the expected drama.
There's a great Doctor Who contingent in the cast and I loved Sylvester McCoy and Frazer Hines as Ernie and Frank. They're a fantastic little double act and McCoy definitely helped areas of the film that struggled. Jen, played by Natalie Clark, was quite a likeable character and I enjoyed the performance, but it was difficult to get anything more out of it once she was paired with our leading man. Rob, played by Kenny Boyle, was the chalk to Jen's cheese, he's gruff and mean but doesn't really have the redeemable qualities these characters have in reserve that make you root for them at the end of the film, coupled with the bland performance I found myself hoping that another stray singleton was going to appear and sweep Jen off her feet.
In my notes I tried to do some maths... maths in a film review?! I know! It baffled me too. There felt like discrepancies in Rob's timeline with his girlfriend when you compare their initial interaction and his reveal to Jen later on. It may just be me overthinking it, but when it came up my reaction was confusion, these things are easily foiled by vagueness but... *shrug*.
There's some beautiful scenery involved throughout the film but when you mix it with the obligatory Christmas film shenanigans you're not getting to enjoy a lot of it. Even its use in the opening titles wasn't great. The main backdrop of the pub is fun, though there are some issues with the use of space. Some shots make it seem expansive and some claustrophobic, and there's one shot in particular that made me audibly groan. Nearly everyone is in it, adults talking, teens (about four foot away from the rest of the cast) kissing... no... no kissing teens are putting themselves in that position, especially not these two. There would have been plenty of opportunity to have them in the back of this shot had the camera had a different angle.
The thing I think we should acknowledge about this film though is that it has some balls. Whenever I discuss romcoms and Christmas movies there are always a handful of scenarios that make me say "wouldn't it be great if these films did [insert realistic scenario here]?" Lost At Christmas went for it! Yeah... so it turns out... I want the cliche! Real-life sucks and actually, I'd rather bitch about things being unrealistic than see something that is much more likely to happen. Well done for doing it, but to quote my notes... "F*** THIS FILM!"
Lost At Christmas has so much potential in it. Let's take a look at my scale... You have bad Christmas films, very few fall into this category because they usually drop down so far that they get pushed back up the scale to "so bad they're good". Right next to "so bad they're good" is a general level for Hallmark-esque schmaltz (NOTE: this isn't to say that Hallmark movies won't break out into other areas, this is just a general descriptor for films that are pretty consistent in their watchability and themes... AKA: quality Sunday holiday fodder.) Then of course we have the Christmas classic level, that holds things like Home Alone, Klaus, Love Actually and Die Hard. Lost At Christmas is somewhere in the snowdrift between bad and schmaltz. With a bit more glitz and a few changes I could easily see this film being a hop, skip and a jump over the other side of Hallmark schmaltz as something you don't just watch because it started on the TV and you can't change the channel because you're holding down wrapping paper with one hand and have a spiral of sellotape in the other.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/11/lost-at-christmas-movie-review.html