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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Hearse and Gardens (Hamptons Home & Garden Mysteries #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Meg and her friend Elle are cleaning out a cottage when they stumble upon a skeleton sealed in a forgotten room. While the identity of the skeleton isn’t really a mystery, it does give rise to a lot of questions. Who sealed the man in the room? Where is the woman he supposed ran off with? Or is she the killer? Where is the painting the pair supposedly stole?
As you can see, there is plenty of compelling stuff here for a good mystery. Sadly, the book is slowed way down by Meg living her life, including things she finds for her decorating business. Ironically, I found two sub-plots that doesn’t tie into the mystery to be more compelling than the mystery for much of the book. We do get some great twists before the end, and the characters are great. Sadly, it isn’t enough to raise the book above average.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-hearse-and-gardens-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
As you can see, there is plenty of compelling stuff here for a good mystery. Sadly, the book is slowed way down by Meg living her life, including things she finds for her decorating business. Ironically, I found two sub-plots that doesn’t tie into the mystery to be more compelling than the mystery for much of the book. We do get some great twists before the end, and the characters are great. Sadly, it isn’t enough to raise the book above average.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-hearse-and-gardens-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Sue (5 KP) rated The Pajama Frame in Books
Aug 13, 2018
The Pajama Frame is book #5 in the Madison Night Mystery series. While the books can be read as stand-alone, each preceding book builds on the characters and their relationships.
When her octogenarian friend dies and leaves interior decorator Madison Night a pajama factory, Madison is faced with a decades-old tragedy and a more recent murder. All Madison wants to do is hide from the drama, but when estranged family members and special interest groups want to get into the sealed factory, Madison realizes she is caught having to solve a mystery before she becomes the next victim.
As with previous Madison Night books, I found the character of Madison delightful and refreshing. She is no-nonsense, quirky, snarky, and a throwback to Doris Day. Who wouldn’t enjoy an independent woman that dresses and enjoys decorations from the era of the fifties and sixties? Add to the mix a love/hate relationship with the chief of police Tex and a few witty friends & neighbors; you have the perfect chemistry for a delightful cozy mystery series.
When her octogenarian friend dies and leaves interior decorator Madison Night a pajama factory, Madison is faced with a decades-old tragedy and a more recent murder. All Madison wants to do is hide from the drama, but when estranged family members and special interest groups want to get into the sealed factory, Madison realizes she is caught having to solve a mystery before she becomes the next victim.
As with previous Madison Night books, I found the character of Madison delightful and refreshing. She is no-nonsense, quirky, snarky, and a throwback to Doris Day. Who wouldn’t enjoy an independent woman that dresses and enjoys decorations from the era of the fifties and sixties? Add to the mix a love/hate relationship with the chief of police Tex and a few witty friends & neighbors; you have the perfect chemistry for a delightful cozy mystery series.
Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Lake Mungo (2009) in Movies
Sep 5, 2018
Nice Documentary style (1 more)
Good performances in the main
Wonky Twists (1 more)
Slightly disappointing ending
Lake Mungo delivers some eerieness but outstays its welcome
Contains spoilers, click to show
Lake Mungo is a found footage/documentary style hybrid horror movie that tells the story of a family whose 16 year old daughter drowns, but then continues to appear to her family and in footage and photographs in the local area.
Without wanting to spoiler anything, I will just say that the director manages to create a quite unsettling atmosphere, almost akin to that created in the first 3 paranormal activity movies, using CCTV footage and phone camera footage to add to the eye witness statements and interviews with the family.
The film is a little longer than it needs to be, the last section felt like it began detracting from the earlier scenes as they add a few last twists, but overall it is a well made film, with a strong sense of unease throughout.
Well worth a look if you like Paranormal Activity, and that style of film.
Without wanting to spoiler anything, I will just say that the director manages to create a quite unsettling atmosphere, almost akin to that created in the first 3 paranormal activity movies, using CCTV footage and phone camera footage to add to the eye witness statements and interviews with the family.
The film is a little longer than it needs to be, the last section felt like it began detracting from the earlier scenes as they add a few last twists, but overall it is a well made film, with a strong sense of unease throughout.
Well worth a look if you like Paranormal Activity, and that style of film.
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated When I Hit You: Or, a Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife in Books
Nov 13, 2019
This book hit me
The writer searched for a tender embrace and found rape and punches. Kandasamy is a poet and beautifully she uses words to punch back or to make sense of a horrific and unimaginable monstrosity of a situation. However, when I say poetic please don't assume this is pretentious for it is not. you sometimes feel terrible for enjoying the words as a thing of beauty,and it is a beautiful piece of writing, but it is there to mind meaning in the inexcusable. It is a wonderful cathartic explosion of finding sense where there is none. of finding hope where there was only hatred in the name of love. My hope is it may give another legs to run or an abuser a reflection into their monstrosity. This may be listed as a feminist book but is fighting against evil cruelty, bullying and rape feminist or is it a struggle to be more human?
Awix (3310 KP) rated Blade Runner (1982) in Movies
Nov 25, 2019 (Updated Nov 26, 2019)
Cult thriller from Ridley Scott. In present-day Los Angeles, investigator Harrison Ford finds himself obliged to hunt down and destroy four androids who have illegally returned to Earth from colonies in outer space. Yes, yes: I know it's a timeless classic and a visionary piece of science fiction (if not a particularly accurate piece of prognostication), but it's not a film I've ever found myself able to particularly warm to.
One of the prettiest and most visually dense films you will ever see, of course, but Ridley Scott seems much more interested in the film's visual impact than the actual story (even so, much of the imagery is rather clunky). Harrison Ford doesn't get much to do in his drab and perfunctory section of the plot - the film only really comes to life when it concerns Rutger Hauer's oddly sympathetic homicidal android, who ends up dominating the movie. Most of the book's quirky sense of melancholy disappears, though. For all its strengths it just feels rather superficial and hollow to me.
One of the prettiest and most visually dense films you will ever see, of course, but Ridley Scott seems much more interested in the film's visual impact than the actual story (even so, much of the imagery is rather clunky). Harrison Ford doesn't get much to do in his drab and perfunctory section of the plot - the film only really comes to life when it concerns Rutger Hauer's oddly sympathetic homicidal android, who ends up dominating the movie. Most of the book's quirky sense of melancholy disappears, though. For all its strengths it just feels rather superficial and hollow to me.
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) in Movies
Dec 15, 2017
A disappointment
After such a good comeback with The Force Awakens and a fantastic prequel in Rogue One, my expectations for The Last Jedi were high and sadly it comes as a bit of a disappointment.
To me this just seems like a filler film. There isn't a massive amount achieved in the nearly 3 hour run time, to the point where I found most of it to be verging on boring. Until the final part, there was no excitement or tension or intrigue. The comedy too was surprisingly illfitted - where's K-2S0 when you need him? Even Luke coming back didn't feel quite right and some of the other characters too were severely underused.
Maybe The Force Awakens felt better because it was the first (good) Star Wars film in a long time, whereas this is the third in as many years with yet more to come. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad film and it was enjoyable to a point. It just wasnt as good as it could've been and it just came across as sadly lacking.
To me this just seems like a filler film. There isn't a massive amount achieved in the nearly 3 hour run time, to the point where I found most of it to be verging on boring. Until the final part, there was no excitement or tension or intrigue. The comedy too was surprisingly illfitted - where's K-2S0 when you need him? Even Luke coming back didn't feel quite right and some of the other characters too were severely underused.
Maybe The Force Awakens felt better because it was the first (good) Star Wars film in a long time, whereas this is the third in as many years with yet more to come. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad film and it was enjoyable to a point. It just wasnt as good as it could've been and it just came across as sadly lacking.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Fall [Audiobook] in Books
Apr 30, 2023
![The Fall [Audiobook]](/uploads/profile_image/9c3/727e33aa-e44e-4df8-8acc-1a9bf4ad09c3.jpg?m=1682868403)
This was an enjoyable book to listen to partly because of the mystery surrounding who pushed Caily off the bridge but also because of the excellent narration.
There are lots of elements and sub-stories to this book which created additional mystery to an already intriguing story. There are a lot of characters and the book is told from multiple points of view however, whilst you might think this would be confusing, it is anything but ... the narrator does an excellent job of being able to distinguish between each of the characters with subtle changes.
Louise Jenson managed to create a lot of tension and some great plot twists that caught me off guard. The pace worked well for me and I found myself looking for reasons to listen for a bit longer ... even hoping for a traffic jam!!!
Overall, a really good book to read/listen to with loads to hold your interest and my thanks go to HQ an imprint of HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of The Fall.
There are lots of elements and sub-stories to this book which created additional mystery to an already intriguing story. There are a lot of characters and the book is told from multiple points of view however, whilst you might think this would be confusing, it is anything but ... the narrator does an excellent job of being able to distinguish between each of the characters with subtle changes.
Louise Jenson managed to create a lot of tension and some great plot twists that caught me off guard. The pace worked well for me and I found myself looking for reasons to listen for a bit longer ... even hoping for a traffic jam!!!
Overall, a really good book to read/listen to with loads to hold your interest and my thanks go to HQ an imprint of HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for enabling me to listen to and share my thoughts of The Fall.