Search

Search only in certain items:

And Breathe Normally (2018)
And Breathe Normally (2018)
2018 | Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"She was intrigued to see Iceland and characters from there handle a delicate ethical and timely situation."

Source
  
40x40

Rosa Walton recommended Warpaint by Warpaint in Music (curated)

 
Warpaint by Warpaint
Warpaint by Warpaint
2014 | Alternative, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"We first got into them when we saw them at Iceland Airwaves. I think when you see a band live before you've heard them recorded it really improves your connection."

Source
  
40x40

Eileen Myles recommended Under the Glacier in Books (curated)

 
Under the Glacier
Under the Glacier
Halldor Laxness | 2005 | Humor & Comedy, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"It’s like Iceland’s great novelist won a Nobel prize and went to Hollywood and then came home and wrote about how weird Iceland is having really seen the world. Laxness always writes about nature like a visionary."

Source
  
30 Days of Night (2007)
30 Days of Night (2007)
2007 | Horror, Mystery
A brilliant vampiric horror with a rather neat twist. Set in the bleak and unforgiving landscape of Iceland, this film sees murderous vampires attack a sleepy town during a time when the sun disappears for an entire month. Just think about that for a second, their bombardment wouldn’t stop for a whole 30 days. Eurgh, it’s not worth thinking about.

Creepy, beautifully filmed and genuinely terrifying, 30 Days of Night also features a great performance by Josh Hartnett (whatever happened to him?). It’s an intriguing take on a horror genre that has been done to death and is well worth a watch. If you’re up for a horror movie of course.

https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/02/28/best-snow-movies-top-5/
  
40x40

Cori June (3033 KP) rated Grown Ups in Books

Oct 31, 2021  
Grown Ups
Grown Ups
8
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Characters (1 more)
Descriptions
Starts a bit rough (0 more)
I normally don't read this type of book, however, I was gifted it while traveling in Iceland. And I loved it.
It starts a bit rough in the beginning as the change in perspective takes some getting used to, once I did it was a great read. The characters and thier issues were so immersive that you started to hope that they'd figure things out. I loved getting to know the family.
It is an emotional rollercoaster I did cry (it wasn't a bad one) and there are triggers for ppl who have eating disorders and depression.
The descriptions are amazing in felt like I was in Ireland and Italy. A great read and worth it.
  
40x40

Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated Burial Rites in Books

Mar 15, 2018  
Burial Rites
Burial Rites
Hannah Kent | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.9 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
An interesting book, but not as great as I had hoped. Following an convicted murderess and the family who is forced to watch over her as she awaits her execution in early 1800's Iceland, there is plenty of intrigue teased out over the course of the novel. Did she do it? If so why? If not, then who? And as she relays details of her life leading up to the crime a sense of suspense does gradually build. Aside from the main plot, it is interesting to learn about the lives of farmers in the country at that time, and all of the hardships such a life entailed. The ending felt somewhat flat however, and didn't really adequately wrap up quite everything that had been brought up throughout the book.
  
Hidden (Fire and Iceland #1)
Hidden (Fire and Iceland #1)
Megan Morgan | 2018 | Paranormal, Romance
6
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Hidden (Fire and Iceland #1) by Megan Morgan
Hidden is the first book in the Fire and Ice series, and we start off with Vanessa as she wakes up outside, wondering what on earth has happened to her. She is found by two Icelandic men, who she can understand even though she knows they are speaking their own language. Not only that, but Vanessa senses she is being watched, and has no idea what has gone on, or why.

This is a long book that is a slow burner. The first half of the book I thoroughly enjoyed, as Vanessa learnt more about the Icelandic mythology, and just how pertinent to her situation it may be. Then, I'm afraid, I got a bit bored. There is a lot of repetition, with Vanessa telling the world how unfair life is. And then we have an attraction thrown into the mix, where his ghostly wife may or may not be involved. And then the ending... of which I won't say anything because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else.

There were lots of aspects of this book that I enjoyed, but I was left feeling vaguely unsatisfied. I have given it a 3-star rating though, because it WAS good! It just didn't hold me engrossed like I love to be in a book. There were no editing or grammatical errors that ruined my reading, which is another reason for 3-stars.

If you fancy something a bit different, and like the idea of Iceland, then I would recommend this book.

* 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!
  
Fever Dream by Of Monsters And Men
Fever Dream by Of Monsters And Men
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
The story surrounding Of Monsters and Men reaches from the band’s native Iceland to a radio station in Philadelphia (“Radio 104.5”) that began playing their song Little Talks, and subsequently to a showcase in Austin at South by Southwest and a swift signing to Republic Records. Their 3rd release FEVER DREAM is out later this month, but you can preview one of the songs right now.

On their new single Alligator, the groove marries a deep quarter-note rock tumble with a choppy backbeat, which sets the sonic stage perfectly for a signature sultry-shout vocal delivery from Nanna Hilmarsdóttir. The energy is high, the night is young, and we offer ourselves to the rapture. Of Monsters and Men has bottled up the energy it takes to be truly free, and now it can be yours.
  
The Sealwoman's Gift
The Sealwoman's Gift
Sally Magnusson | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is set in 17th century Iceland, and based on the true story of the kidnapping and enslavement of 250 Icelanders in Algiers.
We follow a Pastors family, Olafur and his wife Asta, as they and their family are kidnapped by corsairs and pirates, and sold off separately to their owners. Olafur is sent back to Denmark to seek a ransom, but he fails. So we follow the life of Asta, how she lives and adapts in the house of Cilleby, and how she copes with the loss of her children and husband.
The Icelandic Sagas are Asta’s Means of escape and comfort, and in telling them she gets Cilleby onside and makes her own life more comfortable. She refuses to give up her Lutheran belief, and believes that she will be reunited with her family - at least in death - because of this.
This was such a touching novel, and the narrator (I listened on Audible) really did the story justice.
  
War on Everyone (2017)
War on Everyone (2017)
2017 | International, Comedy
6
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Slightly baffling deadpan black comedy parody of American cop thrillers (probably - it's hard to be sure). A pair of incredibly corrupt New Mexico detectives discover previously unsuspected reserves of decency and honesty as they encounter a ruthless gang of thieves.

One of those movies which seems to be trying ridiculously hard to go over the top, but with an absolutely straight face: the main characters aren't just corrupt, they're absurdly corrupt, and the plot at times seems to be intentionally provocative and also absurd (the story relocates all the way to Iceland at one point, but only for about five minutes). It's so in-your-face extreme in some of its attitudes and jokes that it's quite hard to engage with as a story for much of the time. But McDonagh is too good a director to make an entirely bad movie and there are some impressive moments and sequences along the way. But still a strange and difficult-to-figure-out movie.