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Heather Graham recommended Julie & Julia (2009) in Movies (curated)
Elton John recommended Stick Man in Books (curated)
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) created a video about Summer Camp Island in TV
Dec 10, 2017
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2097 KP) rated Shucked Apart in Books
Feb 25, 2021 (Updated Feb 25, 2021)
Hunting for the Oyster Seed Thief
Julia Snowden should be focusing on getting the last-minute tasks done to open the summer season of her family’s clambake, but when her boyfriend asks her to help his friend, Andie, Julia can’t resist. Andie runs an oyster farm not too far away, and someone has just stolen $35,000 worth of new inventory from her. Andie seems reluctant to give Julia any suspects, however, so it isn’t that surprising that Julia hasn’t made much progress when she finds a dead body. Is the robbery connected to the murder?
This book does a great job of introducing us to oyster farming without slowing down the mystery itself. I learned quite a bit while also getting the foundation for the plot. The pace does build as Julia gets closer to figuring things out, and the climax wraps everything up for us perfectly. This series is often on the slim side, and this is no exception. While the suspects are strong and the mystery complex, the supporting players aren’t as prevalent as they might be. While I did miss them and wouldn’t have minded a sub-plot that could have included them, it’s a minor issue. The book leaves us with five recipes that seafood lovers will want to try. As always, this book left me anxious to find out what will happen to Julia next. Fans won’t be disappointed.
This book does a great job of introducing us to oyster farming without slowing down the mystery itself. I learned quite a bit while also getting the foundation for the plot. The pace does build as Julia gets closer to figuring things out, and the climax wraps everything up for us perfectly. This series is often on the slim side, and this is no exception. While the suspects are strong and the mystery complex, the supporting players aren’t as prevalent as they might be. While I did miss them and wouldn’t have minded a sub-plot that could have included them, it’s a minor issue. The book leaves us with five recipes that seafood lovers will want to try. As always, this book left me anxious to find out what will happen to Julia next. Fans won’t be disappointed.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated All Signs Point to Murder (Zodiac Mystery #2) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
After attending her old friend Genevas wedding, Julia becomes embroiled in a terrible family tragedy. Genevas younger sister is killed the night of the wedding, and her brother-in-law may be to blame. Was it an accident, or something more sinister? Julia is determined to find out before the strain of the situation tears her friends family apart. Julia uses both her brain and her astrological charts to help her track down a killer. Full of suspects and secrets, All Signs Point to Murder is a quick-paced, suspenseful, and entertaining mystery.
NOTE: I was provided with a free copy of this book by Netgalley. All thoughts or opinions expressed are my own.
NOTE: I was provided with a free copy of this book by Netgalley. All thoughts or opinions expressed are my own.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated Born of Persuasion (Price of Privilege, #1) in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Our leading lady, Julia Elliston, is the daughter of the famed Atheist William Elliston. She is young and naïve, her mother tried to protect her and shield her from the world outside. She has much to learn about the world and is in a delicate emotional state. Her entire life has begun to crumble, starting with the death of her mother. She soon learns that everything she thought she knew is a lie. How did her mother die exactly? And who is this mysterious guardian who wishes to remain anonymous? Her childhood sweetheart has betrayed her, yet is there hope for reconciliation? As we follow Julia’s journey of discovery we encounter a few other key players. Edward and Henry Auburn, brothers who fell in love with Julia and her best friend Elizabeth Windham as children. They made plans of their future together and were secretly betrothed. But now, all their hopes and dreams are threatened. Elizabeth’s mother, Mrs. Windham has taken it upon herself to find a husband for “poor Julia”. Lady Foxworth is intent upon playing matchmaker as well. Little does Julia know the vast change in life that could take place if she concedes to marry Mr. Macy. A man with extraordinary wealth that has promised to care for and protect Julia. But can he be trusted? When laws cannot protect Julia, will her life come to ruin? And will she take a step of faith towards the only One who remains constant in an ever changing world?
To be completely honest, I didn’t know what to think of this book most of the time I was reading it. Now that I have finished I will say that while I wasn’t 100% impressed with particulars of the content, it was a very well written book. I love the descriptive way Jessica Dotta drew me into the story. So much so, that I could imagine standing in the room with Julia. The language and style is one of my favorites for reading. The entire book is narrated by Julia who is looking back on her life much later, after the events have taken place. She hints at other mysteries in the story, but doesn’t give away too much. I was not impressed with the scenes between Mr. Macy and Julia where he was supposedly “courting” her. Although Julia remains a maiden by the end of the book, she allowed Macy’s advancements premature. It made me feel uncomfortable. Other than that, I really did enjoy Born of Persuasion. I am starting the second book Mark of Distinction, today.
To be completely honest, I didn’t know what to think of this book most of the time I was reading it. Now that I have finished I will say that while I wasn’t 100% impressed with particulars of the content, it was a very well written book. I love the descriptive way Jessica Dotta drew me into the story. So much so, that I could imagine standing in the room with Julia. The language and style is one of my favorites for reading. The entire book is narrated by Julia who is looking back on her life much later, after the events have taken place. She hints at other mysteries in the story, but doesn’t give away too much. I was not impressed with the scenes between Mr. Macy and Julia where he was supposedly “courting” her. Although Julia remains a maiden by the end of the book, she allowed Macy’s advancements premature. It made me feel uncomfortable. Other than that, I really did enjoy Born of Persuasion. I am starting the second book Mark of Distinction, today.
Merissa (11791 KP) created a post
May 2, 2022
Darren Fisher (2447 KP) rated Ghost Story in Books
Dec 10, 2020
Classic Chiller!
Classic chiller from Peter Straub. An epic tale about a group of ageing men who form The Chowder Society, a place where they share ghosts stories between them, and are united by a terrible secret from the past. Expertly written, solid characters, and genuinely creepy, this is Peter Staub on top form. Essential reading!
Note: If you enjoy this I seriously recommend his equally fantastic ghost story Full Circle (aka Julia/ The Haunting of Julia).
Note: If you enjoy this I seriously recommend his equally fantastic ghost story Full Circle (aka Julia/ The Haunting of Julia).
Ronyell (38 KP) rated Kolmnurk (1982) in Movies
Aug 4, 2020
Love Triangle Gone Insane!
Wow! This was seriously one weird animated short! I have seen many weird animated shorts, but none of them were quite as weird as this one! The only other animated short that was just as weird as this short was Hen, His Wife, which also had a similar premise of a couple experiencing marital problems. This short was a bit easier to understand than "Hen, His Wife," but it still requires some interpretation on the situation that is going on. So, here's my take on what I think is happening in this short:
My Interpretation:
So, apparently Viktor and Julia were a happy couple when they were first married. But over the years, Viktor started to ignore Julia and Julia is trying desperately to get her husband's attention again. I'm assuming that the food that Julia cooks represents her sexual desires for Viktor, as the food seem to weirdly take on any shape or form of her body. Also, there were moments where realistic photo shop images of real life people would appear on both Julia and Viktor's faces, representing their desires to look beautiful towards each other. Then when the mouse sized man, Eduard comes between Julia and Viktor, Julia feeding Eduard the food that she made represents her having an affair with Eduard, due to wanting to feel wanted by somebody, since Viktor won't give her the attention that she wants. So, when Viktor sees Julia feeding Eduard the food that she originally made for him, this could be viewed as Viktor finally noticing Julia having an affair with Eduard and he decides to leave her because of that. Whether or not Julia and Viktor get back together with each other in the end is something you have to see for yourself!
I just loved the way that Priit Parn created these bizarre characters as it was interesting yet a bit disturbing seeing real life photos of people's faces suddenly appear on either Viktor, Julia or Eduard's faces as those real life photos look so out of place on these hand drawn characters. I also liked the interesting way that Priit Parn tackled the issue of martial problems by using food as a metaphor for the couple's deteriorating marriage.
The only problem that I had with this short was that it was a bit confusing to understand at times. Like, I wasn't really sure how the food plays a role in the couple's relationship with each other and I was wondering about where Eduard exactly came from. I mean, this is really good stuff for a surreal short, but it can be a bit hard to swallow at times.
Overall, "The Triangle" is a truly intriguing animated short about martial problems that anyone who is in a relationship will enjoy watching (just to see how weird this short was). Also, if you are a huge fan of foreign shorts, then this is definitely one short that you should check out!
My Interpretation:
So, apparently Viktor and Julia were a happy couple when they were first married. But over the years, Viktor started to ignore Julia and Julia is trying desperately to get her husband's attention again. I'm assuming that the food that Julia cooks represents her sexual desires for Viktor, as the food seem to weirdly take on any shape or form of her body. Also, there were moments where realistic photo shop images of real life people would appear on both Julia and Viktor's faces, representing their desires to look beautiful towards each other. Then when the mouse sized man, Eduard comes between Julia and Viktor, Julia feeding Eduard the food that she made represents her having an affair with Eduard, due to wanting to feel wanted by somebody, since Viktor won't give her the attention that she wants. So, when Viktor sees Julia feeding Eduard the food that she originally made for him, this could be viewed as Viktor finally noticing Julia having an affair with Eduard and he decides to leave her because of that. Whether or not Julia and Viktor get back together with each other in the end is something you have to see for yourself!
I just loved the way that Priit Parn created these bizarre characters as it was interesting yet a bit disturbing seeing real life photos of people's faces suddenly appear on either Viktor, Julia or Eduard's faces as those real life photos look so out of place on these hand drawn characters. I also liked the interesting way that Priit Parn tackled the issue of martial problems by using food as a metaphor for the couple's deteriorating marriage.
The only problem that I had with this short was that it was a bit confusing to understand at times. Like, I wasn't really sure how the food plays a role in the couple's relationship with each other and I was wondering about where Eduard exactly came from. I mean, this is really good stuff for a surreal short, but it can be a bit hard to swallow at times.
Overall, "The Triangle" is a truly intriguing animated short about martial problems that anyone who is in a relationship will enjoy watching (just to see how weird this short was). Also, if you are a huge fan of foreign shorts, then this is definitely one short that you should check out!