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Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Sundays at Tiffany's in Books
Apr 27, 2018
James Patterson never ceases to amaze me. I read this book in a matter of hours.
when Jane's imaginary friend, Michael, leaves and promises that she'll forget him, Jane is heartbroken. She goes through her life, seemingly in mediocrety, until one day after a terrible break-up with her crappy-boyfriend (dude, you so had it coming.), she visits her favorite childhood restaurant and is bombarded by memories of Michael.
then she looks across the room and sees him.
and then it takes off. Jane changes her life, no longer afraid to be who she really is. Michael calls into question who he is, and struggles through his own identity crisis--is he human, or angel, or something else? and why didn't Jane's "imaginary" experience go the way it was supposed to?
but then Michael realizes his mission in New York--and his whole world comes crashing down. how is he supposed to do this, and how is he supposed to live with it?
the whole time reading this book, i kept thinking questions. for the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free, I won't tell you what they were. one of them was "will he forget, like he did with all his other past experiences?" I couldn't see a way out of the climax... but the ending was all too sweet. i squealed (don't believe me? my sister was in the room at the time. ask her. it's true).
all in all, this book is a treasure to me. it's staying on my bookshelf where it belongs, i won't ever sell it or give it away (yeah, you can borrow it if you really want to. be careful of the pages.). maybe i loved it more than anyone else ever has, because of a strange connection I share with Jane Margaux. my imaginary friend's name was Michael, too.
when Jane's imaginary friend, Michael, leaves and promises that she'll forget him, Jane is heartbroken. She goes through her life, seemingly in mediocrety, until one day after a terrible break-up with her crappy-boyfriend (dude, you so had it coming.), she visits her favorite childhood restaurant and is bombarded by memories of Michael.
then she looks across the room and sees him.
and then it takes off. Jane changes her life, no longer afraid to be who she really is. Michael calls into question who he is, and struggles through his own identity crisis--is he human, or angel, or something else? and why didn't Jane's "imaginary" experience go the way it was supposed to?
but then Michael realizes his mission in New York--and his whole world comes crashing down. how is he supposed to do this, and how is he supposed to live with it?
the whole time reading this book, i kept thinking questions. for the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free, I won't tell you what they were. one of them was "will he forget, like he did with all his other past experiences?" I couldn't see a way out of the climax... but the ending was all too sweet. i squealed (don't believe me? my sister was in the room at the time. ask her. it's true).
all in all, this book is a treasure to me. it's staying on my bookshelf where it belongs, i won't ever sell it or give it away (yeah, you can borrow it if you really want to. be careful of the pages.). maybe i loved it more than anyone else ever has, because of a strange connection I share with Jane Margaux. my imaginary friend's name was Michael, too.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated Dead Simple (Roy Grace book 1) in Books
May 23, 2023
66 of 235
Book
Dead Simple ( Roy Grace 1)
By Peter James
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was meant to be a harmless stag night prank. A few hours later four of his best friends are dead, and Michael Harrison has disappeared. With only three days to the wedding, Detective Superintendent Grace - a man haunted by the shadow of his own missing wife - is contacted by Michael's beautiful, distraught fiancee, Ashley Harper. Grace discovers that the one man who ought to know Michael Harrison's whereabouts is saying nothing. But then he has a lot to gain - more than anyone realizes. For one man's disaster is another man's fortune ...
I really enjoyed this and didn’t take long at all! A gritty crime and a few bits that had me feeling claustrophobic! Grace is an easy character to like too!
It may have been a bit to easy to work out the who done it though.
Book
Dead Simple ( Roy Grace 1)
By Peter James
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was meant to be a harmless stag night prank. A few hours later four of his best friends are dead, and Michael Harrison has disappeared. With only three days to the wedding, Detective Superintendent Grace - a man haunted by the shadow of his own missing wife - is contacted by Michael's beautiful, distraught fiancee, Ashley Harper. Grace discovers that the one man who ought to know Michael Harrison's whereabouts is saying nothing. But then he has a lot to gain - more than anyone realizes. For one man's disaster is another man's fortune ...
I really enjoyed this and didn’t take long at all! A gritty crime and a few bits that had me feeling claustrophobic! Grace is an easy character to like too!
It may have been a bit to easy to work out the who done it though.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) in Movies
Mar 9, 2021
It's a shame that this movie gets generally overlooked due to the absence of Michael Myers. As its own thing, Halloween III is a suitably ridiculous piece of horror/sci-fi/mystery cheese that deserb s more love dammit!
It has the always reliable Tom Atkins in the lead role, Dan O'Herlihy as this movies James Bond level villain, some pretty fun gory moments, a sub plot that has something to do with Stonehenge, a wonderful music score from John Carpenter and Alan Howarth (ignoring that truly grating Silver Shamrock jingle), and a mostly solid mystery narrative. There's a lot to love here that unfortunately get buried under nothing more than its title.
It has the always reliable Tom Atkins in the lead role, Dan O'Herlihy as this movies James Bond level villain, some pretty fun gory moments, a sub plot that has something to do with Stonehenge, a wonderful music score from John Carpenter and Alan Howarth (ignoring that truly grating Silver Shamrock jingle), and a mostly solid mystery narrative. There's a lot to love here that unfortunately get buried under nothing more than its title.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated The Third Avenue in Books
Mar 2, 2021
The Third Avenue takes us on another breakneck-speed adventure with spy, Sean Richardson. This time however, the danger comes from China - or rather a breakaway faction called Red Spear. Sean’s job is to infiltrate the organisation, find out what they want to achieve and how, and destroy them. Of course, not everything goes to plan. But there’s no need to worry, because Sean and his team have everything under control!
I love these books. Sean Richardson is reminiscent of James Bond, and always seems to be getting himself out of serious trouble - that’s after he’s got himself into it in the first place!
I hope there’s more to come from Sean Richardson, because I’ll be reading the books!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and Michael Jenkins for joining in the conversation.
I love these books. Sean Richardson is reminiscent of James Bond, and always seems to be getting himself out of serious trouble - that’s after he’s got himself into it in the first place!
I hope there’s more to come from Sean Richardson, because I’ll be reading the books!
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and Michael Jenkins for joining in the conversation.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Slither (2006) in Movies
Jan 9, 2018
Cheesy gruesome goodness (1 more)
Practical effects
Before writer/director James Gunn made us familiar with Star Lord and Rocket, he wrote and directed this fantastic creepy gory thriller starring Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks and Michael Rooker.
The film starts out with a similar first act to The Blob, then quickly goes its own way. Slowly, little, juicy caterpillar creatures make their way through the small town and infect the inhabitants while the main creature infects another group of townspeople.
You have to like B movie quality cheese and gore to enjoy this movie, but I thought it was a lot of fun. The actors definitely do not take it too seriously, but you find yourself squirming in your seat once all hell has broken loose.
I return to the film often when I need to lighten my mood.
The film starts out with a similar first act to The Blob, then quickly goes its own way. Slowly, little, juicy caterpillar creatures make their way through the small town and infect the inhabitants while the main creature infects another group of townspeople.
You have to like B movie quality cheese and gore to enjoy this movie, but I thought it was a lot of fun. The actors definitely do not take it too seriously, but you find yourself squirming in your seat once all hell has broken loose.
I return to the film often when I need to lighten my mood.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated The Dark Knight (2008) in Movies
Jun 24, 2019
Wanna know how I got these oscars?
directed, produced, and co-written by Christopher Nolan and Based on the DC Comics character Batman.
the second installment in Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) allies himself with Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to reduce crime in Gotham, but are seemingly outsmarted by a criminal mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) who seeks test Batman's influence by creating chaos in Gotham.
also Michael Caine reprises his role as Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
This was unfortunately Heath Ledger's final movie before his untimely passing and is considered his greatest portrayal, which won him the Oscar award for best supporting actor.
The Dark Knight grossed over a billion dollars worldwide, becoming the fourth film in history to gross more than $1 billion worldwide and the highest-grossing film of 2008.
the second installment in Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) allies himself with Lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to reduce crime in Gotham, but are seemingly outsmarted by a criminal mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) who seeks test Batman's influence by creating chaos in Gotham.
also Michael Caine reprises his role as Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
This was unfortunately Heath Ledger's final movie before his untimely passing and is considered his greatest portrayal, which won him the Oscar award for best supporting actor.
The Dark Knight grossed over a billion dollars worldwide, becoming the fourth film in history to gross more than $1 billion worldwide and the highest-grossing film of 2008.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated The Moscow Whisper in Books
Jun 12, 2020
This is another non-stop action spy thriller from Michael Jenkins, and this time his hero, Sean Richardson, is on a mission to infiltrate a group of Russian mercenaries who are trying to take over a nation state in Africa.
What surprises me more than anything, is how much I enjoy these books. I don’t like spy books. I failed miserably to read and enjoy the only James Bond book I picked up. But when I saw this pop up on the options of books to read on The Pigeonhole app, I jumped at the opportunity to sign up. I’ve enjoyed all three of these books in the series. They’re really engaging, well explained for those of us who don’t understand the inner workings of British Intelligence or military, and the characters are highly likeable (or detestable, depending on who they are!).
It’s simply a great read, whether you like spy novels, or if you’ve never tried one. This whole series is so good, and I’m already looking forward to the next one!
What surprises me more than anything, is how much I enjoy these books. I don’t like spy books. I failed miserably to read and enjoy the only James Bond book I picked up. But when I saw this pop up on the options of books to read on The Pigeonhole app, I jumped at the opportunity to sign up. I’ve enjoyed all three of these books in the series. They’re really engaging, well explained for those of us who don’t understand the inner workings of British Intelligence or military, and the characters are highly likeable (or detestable, depending on who they are!).
It’s simply a great read, whether you like spy novels, or if you’ve never tried one. This whole series is so good, and I’m already looking forward to the next one!
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Aliens (1986) in Movies
Feb 13, 2020
An absolute screamer of a sequel
Aliens may very well be the best sequel of all time, if not it's certainly up there!
The original Alien is about as perfect as sci-fi horror can get, so it was a smart move on James Cameron's part to not recycle that again, and take Alien in a different direction.
The slow burning, claustrophobic high tension of the original is replaced here with all out war.
The simple idea of multiple Xenomorphs is effective and terrifying, and packs the runtime of Aliens with top tier action.
Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, and whilst she was a tough yet vulnerable survivor first time around, here we get to see her vulnerability crumble away. By the time the final act kicks in and Ripley is decked out in a mech...she just a badass from here on out.
She's is joined by a group of gun toting, 80s as fuck mercenaries, including the likes of Michael Biehn (fresh from the recently released, first Terminator movie), Bill Paxton, Al Matthews, Jenette Goldstein, and of course Lance Henriksen as Android, Bishop. It's a fantastic cast, who all end up mattering one way or another, even the ones who don't last very long.
The Xenomorphs themselves look as horrifying as ever, still practically achieved, and have an urgent sense of visceral danger whenever they're on screen.
Aliens is also the debut if the Alien Queen, a classic staple of the series since.
No matter how much time goes by, Aliens never fails to be entertaining, and still looks great. It's James Cameron at the top of his game.
The original Alien is about as perfect as sci-fi horror can get, so it was a smart move on James Cameron's part to not recycle that again, and take Alien in a different direction.
The slow burning, claustrophobic high tension of the original is replaced here with all out war.
The simple idea of multiple Xenomorphs is effective and terrifying, and packs the runtime of Aliens with top tier action.
Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, and whilst she was a tough yet vulnerable survivor first time around, here we get to see her vulnerability crumble away. By the time the final act kicks in and Ripley is decked out in a mech...she just a badass from here on out.
She's is joined by a group of gun toting, 80s as fuck mercenaries, including the likes of Michael Biehn (fresh from the recently released, first Terminator movie), Bill Paxton, Al Matthews, Jenette Goldstein, and of course Lance Henriksen as Android, Bishop. It's a fantastic cast, who all end up mattering one way or another, even the ones who don't last very long.
The Xenomorphs themselves look as horrifying as ever, still practically achieved, and have an urgent sense of visceral danger whenever they're on screen.
Aliens is also the debut if the Alien Queen, a classic staple of the series since.
No matter how much time goes by, Aliens never fails to be entertaining, and still looks great. It's James Cameron at the top of his game.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated This Is the End (2013) in Movies
Apr 7, 2021
"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘺, 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴."
First time since the theater and - as everyone else has already pointed out - it still remains as infectiously fun as ever. Also as everyone else has pointed out psychopathic, windbreaker-ed Michael Cera in full-on boss mode is some of the greatest comedic offerings of the 21st century. Honestly I've always loved this entire lightning-in-a-bottle idea where Rogen and his friends (all playing self-deprecating caricatures of themselves) are just hanging out at James Franco's place and then the apocalypse happens - where it gets used as little more than an analog to peddle their usual jocular, caustic brand of comedy. These are probably the only people in Hollywood who could even pull off this premise let alone without it coming out as some sort of pretentious vanity project. Wish we had more of the opening party stuff before it gets into the doomsday plot, and it treads in its last act - maybe about 10 or so minutes too long as a whole. But it still rules, and what killer demon design + effectwork. Hill and McBride walk away with it (after being bodied by Cera, of course).
First time since the theater and - as everyone else has already pointed out - it still remains as infectiously fun as ever. Also as everyone else has pointed out psychopathic, windbreaker-ed Michael Cera in full-on boss mode is some of the greatest comedic offerings of the 21st century. Honestly I've always loved this entire lightning-in-a-bottle idea where Rogen and his friends (all playing self-deprecating caricatures of themselves) are just hanging out at James Franco's place and then the apocalypse happens - where it gets used as little more than an analog to peddle their usual jocular, caustic brand of comedy. These are probably the only people in Hollywood who could even pull off this premise let alone without it coming out as some sort of pretentious vanity project. Wish we had more of the opening party stuff before it gets into the doomsday plot, and it treads in its last act - maybe about 10 or so minutes too long as a whole. But it still rules, and what killer demon design + effectwork. Hill and McBride walk away with it (after being bodied by Cera, of course).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Book of Cold Cases in Books
May 5, 2022
I love a thriller that involves a chilling ghost story, so when I heard about The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James, I knew I had to read it. (Plus, I loved her other book The Broken Girls.) I was heavily immersed in this novel from the beginning!
I was sucked into the plot of The Book of Cold Cases right away. St. James gets right down to the nitty-gritty in the very first chapter. This book instantly grabs you and doesn't let go until the very last page. I was instantly transported to this small town in Oregon where I was right with the characters. As with her previous books, Simone St. James tells the story from more than one characters' point of view. We are told the story from Beth's, Shea's, and Lily's viewpoint. There was plenty of action and mystery to keep me intrigued throughout my reading journey. My favorite scenes in the book were the ones that involved the supernatural. I loved reading about how Greer mansion was haunted and about what supernatural activities were happening there. I also enjoyed the semi-big plot twist towards the middle of the book. However, I kept expecting an even bigger plot twist towards the end that never came which left me feeling a bit disappointed. However, this didn't really take away from the overall story that much. Something I could have done without was the romance in the book. It wasn't a major thing, but I just felt like there wasn't really a need for it. Other than that, I truly enjoyed this novel. Everything fit together really well (minus the romance), and the story was all tied together by the very end.
I felt that all the characters in The Book of Cold Cases were fleshed out enough to feel realistic whilst reading. I really liked Shea's interest in true crime since I can relate to that. I admired Shea's thirst for knowledge and how far she'd go to find out the truth of things she wanted to know. (I guess we both need closure!) I did feel like she got over her phobia a little too conveniently and quickly though. Beth was a wildcard for me throughout the book. I couldn't tell if she was guilty like many people believed or if she actually was a guilty party. I did like Beth though, and I loved her attitude she had when accused of murder. Lily was fabulously written, and I enjoyed reading about her too. I won't go into much more detail about her due to spoilers, but her part in The Book of Cold Cases was written well. The only character that kind of bothered me was Michael. I just felt like he was thrown in there as an easy way out. We're introduced to him from the beginning, and I kept waiting for some plot twist to happen involving him, but I was sadly disappointed. I just felt as if the book could have done without him.
Trigger warnings for The Book of Cold Cases include violence, murder, profanity, sexual abuse of a minor (not graphic), and kidnapping.
Overall, The Book of Cold Cases is a thrilling read with a fantastically chilling plot. With a spooky ghost story and an intriguing mystery, St. James has a real winner on her hands. I would definitely recommend The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James to those aged 17+ who love being scared and intrigued at the same time. You won't be disappointed.
I was sucked into the plot of The Book of Cold Cases right away. St. James gets right down to the nitty-gritty in the very first chapter. This book instantly grabs you and doesn't let go until the very last page. I was instantly transported to this small town in Oregon where I was right with the characters. As with her previous books, Simone St. James tells the story from more than one characters' point of view. We are told the story from Beth's, Shea's, and Lily's viewpoint. There was plenty of action and mystery to keep me intrigued throughout my reading journey. My favorite scenes in the book were the ones that involved the supernatural. I loved reading about how Greer mansion was haunted and about what supernatural activities were happening there. I also enjoyed the semi-big plot twist towards the middle of the book. However, I kept expecting an even bigger plot twist towards the end that never came which left me feeling a bit disappointed. However, this didn't really take away from the overall story that much. Something I could have done without was the romance in the book. It wasn't a major thing, but I just felt like there wasn't really a need for it. Other than that, I truly enjoyed this novel. Everything fit together really well (minus the romance), and the story was all tied together by the very end.
I felt that all the characters in The Book of Cold Cases were fleshed out enough to feel realistic whilst reading. I really liked Shea's interest in true crime since I can relate to that. I admired Shea's thirst for knowledge and how far she'd go to find out the truth of things she wanted to know. (I guess we both need closure!) I did feel like she got over her phobia a little too conveniently and quickly though. Beth was a wildcard for me throughout the book. I couldn't tell if she was guilty like many people believed or if she actually was a guilty party. I did like Beth though, and I loved her attitude she had when accused of murder. Lily was fabulously written, and I enjoyed reading about her too. I won't go into much more detail about her due to spoilers, but her part in The Book of Cold Cases was written well. The only character that kind of bothered me was Michael. I just felt like he was thrown in there as an easy way out. We're introduced to him from the beginning, and I kept waiting for some plot twist to happen involving him, but I was sadly disappointed. I just felt as if the book could have done without him.
Trigger warnings for The Book of Cold Cases include violence, murder, profanity, sexual abuse of a minor (not graphic), and kidnapping.
Overall, The Book of Cold Cases is a thrilling read with a fantastically chilling plot. With a spooky ghost story and an intriguing mystery, St. James has a real winner on her hands. I would definitely recommend The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James to those aged 17+ who love being scared and intrigued at the same time. You won't be disappointed.