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Stealing Home
Stealing Home
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was a quick, and fun read. This is my first Becky Wallace book, and it certainly won’t be my last. Her writing style is both captivating and unique and really pulled me in, as a reader.

Wallace’s characters, Ryan and Sawyer were so awesome together. The sweet chemistry that you instantly feel between their quirky characters is fantastic. It’s just enough to spark the romance between them, while not being crazy and wild. Definitely what I like to see in a young adult read.

Seeing Ryan and Sawyer work together to help Ryan’s dreams come true was another refreshing point to the story. I felt like I was right there with them, cheering from the side lines we call life.

If you like a young adult read that has just the right combination of fast paced reading, gripping characters, and sparks of romance, then this is definitely a 4 star book you don’t want to miss. This baseball read has me ready for summer to come and another amazing book from this talented author. Great job on hitting a home run with this fan, Ms. Wallace!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*
  
Contains spoilers, click to show
So as you'll know if you've followed my last few reviews, that I've been pretty obsessed with this series over the past couple of days. I don't know what it is with these questionable straight guys and the gay/bisexual guys they end up with but I've pretty much devoured them.

This one was all just a bit too strange for me. For these guys to be so obsessed with each other--well Gabriel anyway. Jared was trying to move on but one request from Gabe and he was running back to him like the man in love he was. It was rather unhealthy and maybe a little twisted. I didn't understand it much.

I kinda wanted them to get together but at the same time it didn't seem right. Gabe had a girlfriend and a baby from pretty much the start of the book and...just no. I like my M/M stories to not have children attached unless they're grown up (Or a certain book that I loved by M.J. O'Shea and Piper Vaughn :D)

This has been my least favourite of the series so far but I will read the next book in the series to see what it's like.
  
Music for the Jilted Generation by The Prodigy
Music for the Jilted Generation by The Prodigy
1994 | Rock
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I had an older friend who was hugely into dance music. He was a proper teenager with decks. That was all cool to us. The Prodigy were absolutely the band of the moment, we would just listen to them so much. You always feel like you're listening to a real drummer with The Prodigy, even though you're not and you're listening to highly processed drums, they always retain a sense of reality. To this day, The Prodigy have a sense of rawness and aggression and reality, and they have always felt like a real band to me, even though it's just a guy with a laptop and a couple of idiots jumping around. They made the world shift for me, and made me feel like I didn't have to choose between a PC and Nirvana, and that's liberating, knowing I could do anything I want. The music I have in this Baker's Dozen is influential, because the albums are all about breaking rules, or don't fit into camps, and that's where my band has always been. People don't really know what to call us or describe us, and that has come from having diverse influences. The best bands don't fit."

Source
  
And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1)
And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1)
Kiersten White | 2016 | History & Politics
6
6.9 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
So I was listening to this audio book when I was driving to and from Los Angeles area and I've got to say, I found myself drifting my thoughts a lot when listening. I didn't want to stay focused on the plot because it was kind of boring.

I think the biggest problem I had with this book is the lack of female characters. Like, there was one. That's it. Really? I understand this being based on "historical facts" but surely there were females in history. And the fact that this is a fictionalized version of this history makes it more irritating that she didn't add in more females. I don't know, I guess I am just wanting more female representation.

Yes, the main female character was strong, but she was presented in a way that makes femininity seem like it's a weakness, not another kind of strength. She shows love as a hindrance, not as something that can help you want to protect the people you love. I think the message of the book was a little skewed in that respect.

I don't know if I am going to pick up the next book or not. I don't know if I want to keep trying. Yes, the writing style was pretty good, but I don't know if I like the story direction enough to keep going. We shall see.
  
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols by The Sex Pistols
Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols by The Sex Pistols
1977 | Punk
8.9 (15 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"That was a big album for us. Just the title alone amused us. From a sonic perspective, this one sounded fantastic. We were drawn to it because of the simplicity and the way it’s put together. It transcended punk, because it was such an important album for a lot of musicians in the 70s that were still hippies. Them boys had our attitude, and we liked that attitude. We liked the Clash, too, but we didn’t really like any of the other punk bands. But this album, even if it didn’t have the surface, the title and all the hype, you’d still think it was a fucking great album. It could have been a Metallica album. We could have played that album. We had a little bit of the anti-establishment attitude in songs like ‘Strong Arm of the Law’, which didn’t get played on radio despite being a single, because it was anti-police. We looked like hippies but we had the attitude of punks. That period was a melting point of different musical styles, and as punk faded we were there to take its place, as was the new romantic movement, which was the other side of the coin – we’d be doing Top of the Pops with Motörhead and Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran."

Source
  
Léon: The Professional (1994)
Léon: The Professional (1994)
1994 | Action, Drama, Mystery

"Léon. Or, as it’s known in the United States, The Professional. But in France it’s called Léon. It’s so weird because for years I’d always called it The Professional and then for some reason it switched in my mind. I mean, that movie was an amazing blend of an international eye within the context of an American… That movie still feels extremely international, certainly with its lead actor but also the way that it was shot and made. But at the heart of that film is this incredible relationship between a cold blooded killer and a young girl. And it’s still so effective and so powerful. I think one of my favorite sequences in the film was when the two of them are kind of like, it’s like this beautiful montage of their relationship as they’re, like, cleaning the apartment and these sort of things that they’re doing together, this really adorable, emotional relationship. And it’s all cut to “Venus as a Boy” by Björk. It’s such a great sequence and there’s such whimsy to their connection. And of course the movie goes into a really dark and awfully sort of tragic place, you know, and it’s really about a man whose sole purpose in life is to be cold and calculated, but it’s all about this girl finding his humanity. It’s just such a beautiful film."

Source
  
FA
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was so interesting. I just love how this book ends. I do not want to spoil how it ends. Though this book is a really good read. The book goes to show you how you can be accepted into a community. Have you ever felt you need to belong somewhere but you did not felt like you belong. You just may find that place. This book take you along for a ride that does just that. It about a boy and his mother trying to fit in. It also tell you a story about a veterinary and his family and his life. Though sometimes animals can understand you better then you think. I love the fact this book uses that but also trying to find a yourself and who you love.

What would you do to try and protect your family? Olvia feel she need to protect herself and her son. Though her son is acting out. Will her son change or will they have to leave the town. Zeke seem to understand the boy. Can they both get past their own past? You need to read it to find out. There are event that take place and if they are real event it just so much more to connect with the book. You can learn to read about history that way. This seen to talk about the Texan Fires that was going on at some point.

This book also doe something with romance as well. You can find it out though out the book as well. This book keep my attention and I really did enjoy it to a point i did not want it to end.

You can decide for yourself. I would love to read more from this author any day.
  
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
1967 | Pop, Psychedelic, Rock

"I don't think I can explain how significant that record was to me. And the more I travel through my life as a musician, the more I find myself coming back to it again and again. My mom had a giant stack of vinyl – mostly classical, with a few rock records. When I was seven or eight years old and started listening to music by myself, that album became the daily soundtrack to my life. I would ask someone to put the record player on for me and I would sit there with big headphones one, listening, and having the record flipped over again and again and again. I would put the music on and just stare at the cover for 45 minutes. The artwork was so important. Sgt Pepper's was full of lyrics I could understand, stories I could follow, music that just made complete sense to me. I understood all of it, and it took me into a world. I think that was the first time I really fell in love with a record. I loved 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' and 'She's Leaving Home', but one of my favourites was the opening track. What I really wanted – what I still want – was to feel like I was at some amazing happening. As a seven-year-old fantasising about being a rockstar, which I was just starting to do, every time I listened to that opening track, I imagined that somewhere there's this group of people in this psychedelic wonderland listening to the Beatles. I didn't have any clue who the Beatles were or what they meant, I didn't have any fucking context. I just knew that if there was a party, this was the one I wanted to be at."

Source
  
The Mule (2018)
The Mule (2018)
2018 | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Verdict: Simple & Enjoyable

Story: The Mule starts as Earl Stone (Eastwood) a horticulturist that has spend too much of his life on the road away from his family, missing the major events in his family’s life. After he doesn’t cope with the changes in the market, he is left with nothing and looking like failing his granddaughter Ginny (Farmiga), only for her fiancée Mike (Freeman) offer him a chance to just drive.
With Earl taking the job, it turns out he has been transporting drugs, with Agent Colin Bates (Cooper) and Agent Trevino (Pena) trying to track down anyone smuggling drugs across the border. How long can Earl keep this up before he gets caught, even though he is spending the money on helping the community.

Thoughts on The Mule

Characters – Earl is a horticulturist, he has spent his whole life in this business, which has seen him sacrifice major family events, making him distant to most of his family. He loses his job and is given a chance to become a driver for a cartel, which he soon becomes the most successful in the industry he even gives the money back to the community he has seen struggle for years. Mary is the ex-wife that has finally become tired of the let downs that Earl has left the family with. Ginny is the granddaughter that has been promised money and doesn’t care as long as her grandfather is willing to be there for her on the big days. Agent Bates is fresh to the force he is tasked to try and stop the smuggling and spends most of the time trying to learn about the new mysterious mule for the cartel.
Performances – Clint Eastwood is a joy to watch in this film, he comes off like an everyday older person that just wants to be willing to help people around his life, even though he is filled with regret about his family life. Bradley Cooper doesn’t really get too much time to shine or do anything in his role, while the rest of the cast don’t seem to get that much time to show off their characters.
Story – The story here that follows a retirement aged, he has worked his whole life and ends up becoming a drug mule for a cartel, which sees him becoming one of the most wanted men in America. This is based on a real man that took this role because he enjoyed driving, he isn’t like anybody else they have worked for, but his style makes him harder to track down. The story does use the themes of regretting losing time in life which is clear in the behaviour from Earl along the way. We do have a few plot holes with how the cartel carry out their jobs, because this just seems to end, without any consequences, why would they give up the success they were having too.
Crime – The crime side of the film does feel like just somebody casually taking part in the drug mule business, he is only ever put to a test once he needs to decide his own future.
Settings – The film uses the settings to show the locations that Earl stops along the way, which does make him harder to track.

Scene of the Movie – The last run.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Nothing seems to happen to the cartel.
Final Thoughts – This is an easy to watch crime story that shows just how one person can casually commit crimes without anybody noticing them.

Overall: Easy Watch.
  
40x40

365Flicks (235 KP) rated I Love My Mum (2018) in Movies

Oct 31, 2019 (Updated Oct 31, 2019)  
I Love My Mum (2018)
I Love My Mum (2018)
2018 | Comedy
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I feel this could be an instant cult favourite.
Prepare yourself Film Fans, for what could be the best British road trip comedy you will have seen in a long time. A bold statement I know however this Low budget Brit comedy punches way above its weight in almost every aspect and lands an absolute knockout for its viewers.

Often movies like this can just seem like a series of randomly put together scenarios and yes this movie could easily run the risk of being overly silly but I felt like through some spot-on casting, a great script and masterful directing on the part of Alberto Sciamma this movie expertly avoids becoming one of those movies.

Tommy French as Ron is somewhat of a revelation, I will hold my hands up and say that I personally don't think I have seen this actor before and didn't really expect too much but boy did he impress me, the comedic delivery of a lot of his dialogue is superb and I found him completely believable as a sort of fish out of water put upon son who has just about had enough but would still do just about anything for his mum... Including an epic Karaoke jam. Of course French does have a superb Co-star to bounce off in Kierston Wareing who just nails this role, absolutely nails it. At first I was a little put off by the character but 8-10 minutes into the movie I fell in love with Olga and that love only grew. French and Wareing are a match made in heaven.