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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Summer Secrets in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Cat is a journalist in London, divorced, and raising her daughter. Earlier, her mother had revealed a secret about Cat's past -- the identity of her true father. When Cat journeyed to Nantucket to meet him - and her two half sisters - something bad happened, and it traumatized her. Now she's a recovering alcoholic and wondering if she can right the wrongs from her long ago meeting with her estranged family.
This was an enjoyable read - the story goes back and forth with flashbacks, which helps build up the suspense. Some of the plot is a little outlandish, but it's a fast read and fun. It's a little painful to read sometimes; Cat can certainly be a frustrating character at times, and you just want to shake her. (Also, I don't recommend reading this if you're triggered by reading alcoholism scenes.) However, present day Cat is a relatable character, for the most part, and fun to root for. Her two half sisters, Julia and Ellie, are pieces of work in themselves, and the book presents a fairly realistic look at modern day family and sisterhood. Overall, probably 3.5 stars.
This was an enjoyable read - the story goes back and forth with flashbacks, which helps build up the suspense. Some of the plot is a little outlandish, but it's a fast read and fun. It's a little painful to read sometimes; Cat can certainly be a frustrating character at times, and you just want to shake her. (Also, I don't recommend reading this if you're triggered by reading alcoholism scenes.) However, present day Cat is a relatable character, for the most part, and fun to root for. Her two half sisters, Julia and Ellie, are pieces of work in themselves, and the book presents a fairly realistic look at modern day family and sisterhood. Overall, probably 3.5 stars.
Deborah (162 KP) rated When Beauty Tamed the Beast (Fairy Tales, #2) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
Not so very long ago I reviewed the first of James' fairy tales series, A Kiss at Midnight, which I found OK, but not one to hang on to and read again, and I said that I always thought I should like her books more than I actually do. I have to say that it was almost as if someone was listening, as I liked this book a whole lot better. There is only a thematic connection with the other books; there don't appear to be any characters in common.
I liked this book as the two protagonists had personality and you could see what they would see in each other, which I found hard in the last book. The whole set up was maybe a bit far fetched, but it was quite an amusing tale - with a fair sprinkling of strong language. I smiled when the heroine had been reading Miss Butterworth & the Mad Baron - as I'm sure many readers of Julia Quinn will! A much more engaging and entertaining read, good protagonists and interesting supporting characters, giving enough interest but without detracting from the main plot.
I liked this book as the two protagonists had personality and you could see what they would see in each other, which I found hard in the last book. The whole set up was maybe a bit far fetched, but it was quite an amusing tale - with a fair sprinkling of strong language. I smiled when the heroine had been reading Miss Butterworth & the Mad Baron - as I'm sure many readers of Julia Quinn will! A much more engaging and entertaining read, good protagonists and interesting supporting characters, giving enough interest but without detracting from the main plot.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Downhill (2020) in Movies
Mar 14, 2020
404. Downhill. It has terrible reviews. Then i read them, and a lot of them seem to be hating because it's a remake of a foreign film. I didn't see it. But I liked this one, an uncomfortable comedy drama. Looking like the perfect family, Billie and Pete take the kids skiing, yay! Everything is going great, until one day at breakfast, one of the controlled avalanches goes a little out of bounds a bit and feels like a bunch of people are about to buried alive. Spoiler alert... In those seconds were they realize the snow is about to smack em hard, Billie puts her arms around her children and ducks down to protect them, Pete on the other hand, grabs his cell phone and splits, after its all over, the initial shock wears off and now Billie is left with the knowledge of what hubby did in the face of danger. Movie goes on to follow both on now their separate vacations, leading to some funny though uncomfortable situations. Check it out!! Will Ferrell was great as the slowing imploding Pete, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus was great as Billie trying to keep shit together! Filmbufftim on FB
Eduardo Sanchez recommended Notting Hill (1999) in Movies (curated)
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Hallowed Out in Books
Aug 17, 2022
Haunted Tour Ends in Mystery
Julia Snowden has gotten roped into an effort to bring some tourists to town during October via a haunted homes tour. One of the stops is Gus’s restaurant where a rumrunner was killed by gangsters during Prohibition. An actor has been brought in to help with the reenactment, but the night of the first tour, he is shot when the lights go out. Who did it?
It truly is wonderful to revisit the characters, no matter how briefly it might be. The plot is strong, and the characters we meet along the way are just as strong. I didn’t see the twists of the mystery coming, and the ending caught me by surprise. There is a delightful sub-plot as well that kept me grinning. And there’s a recipe or two at the end.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Haunted House Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Halloween trip to Maine.
It truly is wonderful to revisit the characters, no matter how briefly it might be. The plot is strong, and the characters we meet along the way are just as strong. I didn’t see the twists of the mystery coming, and the ending caught me by surprise. There is a delightful sub-plot as well that kept me grinning. And there’s a recipe or two at the end.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Haunted House Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Halloween trip to Maine.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated Hello Beautiful in Books
May 9, 2023
Between finishing reading Hello Beautiful and writing this review, this book has exploded. Oprah has taken it under her wing and shown it as the wonderful piece of work that it is to her followers. So, it has already been read by a lot of people - and rightly so. I loved it. Books about families and family relationships, whether they’re a difficult or loving relationship, are one of my most favourite things.
There are most certainly echoes of Little Women, but if you’ve never read it, it won’t make much difference to your enjoyment. You might want to try Little Women at some point though!
William Waters grows up in a very dysfunctional family, and is drawn into the Padavano family when he marries Julia - it’s a family he comes to love.
With themes of mental illness, family loyalties, love in all of its forms and loss, it’s a big read for only around 400 pages. The story just sped by, and I was bereft when I turned the last page.
I loved the world of William Waters and the Padavano sisters.
Highly recommended.
There are most certainly echoes of Little Women, but if you’ve never read it, it won’t make much difference to your enjoyment. You might want to try Little Women at some point though!
William Waters grows up in a very dysfunctional family, and is drawn into the Padavano family when he marries Julia - it’s a family he comes to love.
With themes of mental illness, family loyalties, love in all of its forms and loss, it’s a big read for only around 400 pages. The story just sped by, and I was bereft when I turned the last page.
I loved the world of William Waters and the Padavano sisters.
Highly recommended.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated Tau (2018) in Movies
Jul 5, 2018
I had heard little whispers about this movie before it came out, comparing it to Upgrade (2018), only less gory. First of all, it was nothing like that, but it was very good. The premise is interesting--a young woman is kidnapped and held for experimentation by a sociopathic computer genius, who has created an AI named Tau to run his house. Only he's kept Tau in the dark about a lot of stuff. Like that there's more than just the house and other humans exist. I think lately, movies have skewed more towards negative depictions of AI, but Tau is actually rather positive. Without revealing anything, both Julia (the kidnapee) and Tau learn things about themselves and each other. The whole film brings up the question of what it is to be a person, how much empathy we can grant to non-human sentience, and what it means to be a prisoner.
Very good, and visually appealing as well. I loved the way Tau "looked," but there were times when the CG got a little shaky. Nothing unexpected for a movie with this kind of budget. If you enjoyed Dean Koontz's "Demon Seed" or the film adaptation, I think you'll like this.
Very good, and visually appealing as well. I loved the way Tau "looked," but there were times when the CG got a little shaky. Nothing unexpected for a movie with this kind of budget. If you enjoyed Dean Koontz's "Demon Seed" or the film adaptation, I think you'll like this.
Darren (1599 KP) rated 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
This modern take on the Shakespeare play ‘The Taming Of The Shrew’.
This follows a group of teenagers through school. When new boy Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) starts up at the school he sees Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) he falls in love. There is a problem with anyone who wants to date Bianca and that is her sister Kat (Julia Stiles) a very angry young lady and their father put a rule on when Kat dates Bianca cane date.
Cameron and Michael (David Krumholtz) come up with a play to trick popular boy Joey (Andrew Keegan) to pay Patrick (Heath Ledger) to date Kat, opening the door for Bianca to date.
Can Patrick tame the shrew?
This is a very good teen comedy filled with young too be star actors in Ledger, Levitt, and Stiles. The story is nicely put together and creates characters that are the good ones are liked and the bad ones are disliked. It also has a very nice soundtrack which keeps the montage scenes going very well. There are some very memorable scenes including the moment where Patrick sings from a crowd to Kat, very funny and heart felt performance.v
https://moviesreview101.com/2012/07/14/10-things-i-hate-about-you-1999/
This follows a group of teenagers through school. When new boy Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) starts up at the school he sees Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) he falls in love. There is a problem with anyone who wants to date Bianca and that is her sister Kat (Julia Stiles) a very angry young lady and their father put a rule on when Kat dates Bianca cane date.
Cameron and Michael (David Krumholtz) come up with a play to trick popular boy Joey (Andrew Keegan) to pay Patrick (Heath Ledger) to date Kat, opening the door for Bianca to date.
Can Patrick tame the shrew?
This is a very good teen comedy filled with young too be star actors in Ledger, Levitt, and Stiles. The story is nicely put together and creates characters that are the good ones are liked and the bad ones are disliked. It also has a very nice soundtrack which keeps the montage scenes going very well. There are some very memorable scenes including the moment where Patrick sings from a crowd to Kat, very funny and heart felt performance.v
https://moviesreview101.com/2012/07/14/10-things-i-hate-about-you-1999/
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Addams Family (1991) in Movies
Oct 15, 2019
Creepy, Kooky, Mysterious, Spooky and Ooky
"They're creepy and they're kooky
Mysterious and spooky
They're all together ooky
The Addams family
Their house is a museum
Where people come to see 'em
They really are a scream
The Addams family
Neat
Sweet
Petite
So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams family".
You got to love that theme song. Everybody remebers that theme song and the snapping.
This is such a underrated movie. It came many years after the tv series. I mean what a great cast, this film had.
The plot: When a man (Christopher Lloyd) claiming to be Fester, the missing brother of Gomez Addams (Raul Julia), arrives at the Addams' home, the family is thrilled. However, Morticia (Anjelica Huston) begins to suspect the man is a fraud, since he cannot recall details of Fester's life. With the help of lawyer Tully Alford (Dan Hedaya), Fester manages to get the Addams clan evicted from their home. Gomez realizes the two men are conspiring to swindle the Addams fortune and that he must challenge Fester.
It is such a great movie. Very funny, very spooky, very creepy, very mysterious, very ooky and very kooky. Got to love the addams family.
Mysterious and spooky
They're all together ooky
The Addams family
Their house is a museum
Where people come to see 'em
They really are a scream
The Addams family
Neat
Sweet
Petite
So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams family".
You got to love that theme song. Everybody remebers that theme song and the snapping.
This is such a underrated movie. It came many years after the tv series. I mean what a great cast, this film had.
The plot: When a man (Christopher Lloyd) claiming to be Fester, the missing brother of Gomez Addams (Raul Julia), arrives at the Addams' home, the family is thrilled. However, Morticia (Anjelica Huston) begins to suspect the man is a fraud, since he cannot recall details of Fester's life. With the help of lawyer Tully Alford (Dan Hedaya), Fester manages to get the Addams clan evicted from their home. Gomez realizes the two men are conspiring to swindle the Addams fortune and that he must challenge Fester.
It is such a great movie. Very funny, very spooky, very creepy, very mysterious, very ooky and very kooky. Got to love the addams family.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Chocolat (2000) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
Chocolate is like some ancient Mayan magic that cures bigotry delivered by globetrotting, all-knowing hooded messengers… or some shit? Lol idek just imagine taking any of this dumb shit seriously, couldn't be me. Spoof level of this sort of pure sap Oscar bait, like the full product of one of Kirk Lazarus' 𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤 𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 trailers. Binoche is beyond annoying as one of those one-dimensional, overly-effervescent 'Mary Sue' (I shudder to even use that term after the Star Wars fanboys sucked it of all its meaning) types - I'm truthfully shocked they didn't cast Julia Roberts here lmao. Part unintentionally comical (Alfred Molina brutally murdering a chocolate assortment display with a letter opener), part irresistibly sweet - much like a confectionary itself (kudos to Dench and Depp), all brainless silliness (just have to wade through a lot of inauthentic syrup to get to the good stuff - which still ultimately isn't enough). Why was this genre of film ever an unironic fad? Still convinced the only reason this was made was for Peter Stormare to be able to successfully use every accent known to man in movies. So it's such a shame that with all this considered it ends up being just watchable.