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Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories #1) in Books

Dec 28, 2022  
The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories #1)
The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories #1)
Bernard Cornwell | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
9
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
225 of 230
Book
The Last Kingdom ( book 1)
By Bernard Cornwell
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Last Kingdom is set in the England of the ninth and tenth centuries. These were the years when the Danish Vikings had invaded and occupied three of England's four kingdoms, and when King Alfred, his son and grandson fought back and won the freedom of the country again. The story is seen through the eyes of Uhtred, a dispossessed English nobleman. Captured as a child and raised by the Danes, he now finds his allegiances divided. But the one thing he knows is that he wants to recover his father's land, the fort by the wild northern sea that we now know as Bamburgh.

Although this took me a while I absolutely loved it. I didn’t realise till I started reading that it was the inspiration for the tv show. I’m a huge fan of historical fiction and this was the perfect book. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series. I’m extremely grateful for the translation at the front of the book I would never have known those towns and cities in the old language.
  
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BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Esther: Royal Beauty (Dangerous Beauty, #1) in Books

Jan 2, 2019  
ER
Esther: Royal Beauty (Dangerous Beauty, #1)
Angela Elwell Hunt | 2015
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Adonai has a calling and a purpose for each one of His children. Hadassah has been called to the royal palace, but in all of her greatest dreams and imaginings, she could never have guessed what His purpose was for her life.

Hadassah (Esther) is a Jewish girl living in the royal city of Susa, in the great land of Persia, ruled by all powerful King Xerxes. Orphaned at a young age, her cousin Mordecai and his wife Miriam raise Hadassah as their own daughter. King Xerxes’ wife Vashti has defied him. His advisers suggest that she be dismissed as Queen, or the women of Persia will begin to treat their husbands the same way. The King becomes lonely however, and therefore sends out a nationwide search for a new wife. When everything has been arranged for Hadassah’s marriage to a local Jewish man, her world is turned upside down. Brought to the palace against her will, will she please the King and become his Queen? Or will she live out her life anonymously in the harem?

Being a familiar Bible story to me, Esther: Royal Beauty was a relaxing book to read, because I knew how it would end. Angela Hunt did a wonderful job filling in the spaces of the story that have been left up to our imagination. I enjoyed learning a little bit more about King Xerxes as well. I read the book of Esther in the Bible after I finished this book and was pleasantly surprised to know that the author was very accurate with the interpretation. She even quoted word for word dialogue found in the New Living Translation. Very intriguing to anyone who enjoys bringing more life and depth to traditional Bible stories.

I received a free copy of Esther: Royal Beauty from Bethany House Publishers and a free digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
  
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LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Circle (2017) in Movies

Sep 20, 2020  
The Circle (2017)
The Circle (2017)
2017 | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
6
5.9 (44 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
Totally watchable. Before 2020 this would have played as a cockamamie exercise in "in-what-universe-would-this-actually-happen-?" filmmaking (and believe me this still pushes it), but after the anti-mask protests and general shrugging off of the coronavirus pandemic I'd now believe you stupid mfs would do *anything*. I'm not saying this is all brainless - there are some really sturdy ideas in here that aren't all executed terribly. The way it portrays big ticket corporations sliding their hands into every pocket they can find by way of offering up a "likable mascot" rather than a "founder" (played perfectly by Hanks as a clear riff on [a more likable and somehow less disingenuous] Steve Jobs - but what a waste of a perfectly good Oswalt) and "quotable quips" rather than "talking points" so they don't even have to attempt to hide it is sound. The scene where Hanks straightup manipulates Watson's bland cypher *on* stage to the point of tracking down live human beings to an adoring crowd is horrifying - but this is all still rather diluted, clunky, and bizarre in translation from the book. Looks phenomenal though, and is a notable return to form for Danny Elfman (in general every piece of music here slaps). Fine dumb fun imo, cheesy and laughable but not without some wit. But as a final defense - speaking as someone who has spent months in these cliquey millennial tech circles - the fact that no one acts like a live human being here would be way too on the nose if holy mother of God did they not actually act like this. The extended segment of those two overbearing recruiter types indirectly-but-very-directly pushing that "optional" and "extracurricular" really means "mandatory" is pure nightmare fuel because I have been in those situations - in spades - firsthand irl. Moments like that save this still moment-to-moment entertaining diet pulp when it actively refuses to explore anything else it offers up. Doesn't really have enough oomf but still miles better than your average "Black Mirror" episode.
  
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