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The Genius of Dogs: Discovering the Unique Intelligence of Man's Best Friend
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The journey began with a gut reaction. When award-winning scientist Dr Brian Hare watched a...
Secret Santa Maker
Productivity and Entertainment
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No more bad Secret Santa pairings! With the Secret Santa Maker app you are able to take out some of...
Debbiereadsbook (1478 KP) rated Divided Road (The Road to Rocktoberfest 2024) in Books
Nov 1, 2024
I liked that I was able to get into their minds a good deal
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This book is part of the Road to Rockoberfest 2024, but can be read as a stand alone to the other books in the series.
Owen is the fiddler in Flightless, an up and coming rock band. Jared joins as a stand in when the keyboard player takes some family time. But time is short for Owen and Jared.
For the most part, I liked this book.
Both Jared and Owen have a say, and they say a great deal. I liked that I was able to get into their minds a good deal.
It's not overly explicit but there are smexy times. No real angst or drama, I didn't think.
I did like the way it all played out.
It's an easy read, a Nice book.
*insert sigh*
I just felt I was missing MUCH information. About both men, and their history. Case in point: these guys met before, The Beer Guy incident. I needed that explained. I don't fully get that and I wanted it. I also found it was a little . . . flat . . .on the romance. They meet, they kiss, and they are in love. I wanted more build up.
BUT like I said, I did enjoy it, I'm just saying what I wanted that I didn't get.
3.5 stars, but rounded UP for the blog.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This book is part of the Road to Rockoberfest 2024, but can be read as a stand alone to the other books in the series.
Owen is the fiddler in Flightless, an up and coming rock band. Jared joins as a stand in when the keyboard player takes some family time. But time is short for Owen and Jared.
For the most part, I liked this book.
Both Jared and Owen have a say, and they say a great deal. I liked that I was able to get into their minds a good deal.
It's not overly explicit but there are smexy times. No real angst or drama, I didn't think.
I did like the way it all played out.
It's an easy read, a Nice book.
*insert sigh*
I just felt I was missing MUCH information. About both men, and their history. Case in point: these guys met before, The Beer Guy incident. I needed that explained. I don't fully get that and I wanted it. I also found it was a little . . . flat . . .on the romance. They meet, they kiss, and they are in love. I wanted more build up.
BUT like I said, I did enjoy it, I'm just saying what I wanted that I didn't get.
3.5 stars, but rounded UP for the blog.
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
Steven Sklansky (231 KP) rated The Snowman (2017) in Movies
Oct 19, 2017
Not enough suspense (2 more)
poor twist
Plot that just didn't fit or make sense
The Movie that Melted Away
The Snowman was not put together very well. Just like the snowmen that were built in the movie They were missing a lot. No carrot for the noise, no coal for the eyes and not enough suspense to keep me gripped to my seat. I walked in to this movie thinking this would be a thriller, with twists and turns. Right out of the box at the little boys house with the mom was so down played. They could have add a little bit more of a score to show how dramatic the situation was. This was kind of the theme the whole movie.
The acting was actually strong, but the story was not written very well, there were no twists and turns. The flipping from present to past and back was done very poorly and hard to follow sometimes. The characters were not built up to understand their whole story.
The deaths in the movie were not presented very well, I thought there was going to be more bodies stuck in snowmen, but it seemed that the snowmen were more to show that bad things are going to happen. The way the women were murder was so boring. I get what the killer was going for and his MO was very standard, but the presentation could have been so much better.
The one thing that I actually liked was the location that they shot the movie in. It looked very classic with the snow. The landscape and the way they used it in the story was very good.
I had such high hopes for this movie, but by the end of the movie my hope melted away like a snowman at the end of winter.
The acting was actually strong, but the story was not written very well, there were no twists and turns. The flipping from present to past and back was done very poorly and hard to follow sometimes. The characters were not built up to understand their whole story.
The deaths in the movie were not presented very well, I thought there was going to be more bodies stuck in snowmen, but it seemed that the snowmen were more to show that bad things are going to happen. The way the women were murder was so boring. I get what the killer was going for and his MO was very standard, but the presentation could have been so much better.
The one thing that I actually liked was the location that they shot the movie in. It looked very classic with the snow. The landscape and the way they used it in the story was very good.
I had such high hopes for this movie, but by the end of the movie my hope melted away like a snowman at the end of winter.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Never Let You Go in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I was originally drawn to this book because it was about a mother fighting for her daughter. As a mother of two young daughters who has already been through quite a bit of fighting for them, I can relate. Once I got into the book, I was a bit put off partly because I was introduced to too many characters so soon into the plot and a lack of unique characterization made it difficult for me to keep up with the plot (and this is coming from someone who has read Sara Douglass). A second reason was that it somewhat reminded me of another book I read recently with the meth theme. Drugs are just not something that I purposely want to read about in my fiction. The only thing that really kept me reading was Lexi's relationship with her daughter, Molly. Along the way, I discovered that there actually is a fantasy-like aspect to the book that is difficult to see for at least half the book. This is probably as close as you can get to the fantasy genre without actually qualifying for the classification. I so badly wanted the book to come "out with it" over the supernatural aspect that I flew through the rest of the book. The ending was mostly satisfying in that the bad guy gets his just desserts and all the lose ends are tied up appropriately, but my fantasy-loving side wanted a more fantastical intervention than what actually occurred. At times, the plot felt like a soap-opera, with Lexi's affair and two other characters being convicts, as well as Ward's constant harrassments and almost reality-defying omnipresence. I would describe the book as high-intensity suspense combined with overdramatic reality and a dash of supernatural.
Merissa (13100 KP) rated The Briton and the Dane: Concordia in Books
Dec 17, 2018
This is one of those books that, going from the synopsis, I thought I would love. It sounded intriguing, interesting and full of action. However, what I got is definitely not for me. I read a lot of historical genre and love the medieval period - that is what gives this book the two stars. The descriptions given deliver a world of bygone times to you, everything described is richly detailed from the clothing to the fighting.
What I didn't like at all about this book was the main female character. We get from the synopsis that she is willful, vain, ambitious and cunning. What I wasn't expecting was just how much of a spoilt brat she was. Now perhaps this is exactly the reaction the author wanted but for me personally, Concordia spoilt the rest of the book that much that I had to force myself to finish it. And the ending? I was happy about it! What I wasn't happy about was how much influence she still had over these people once she had gone. But anyhow...
I didn't read anything about feminine cunning or her defending her honour. I read how she was 'forced' but then enjoyed it so carried on some more until she got passed onto the next brother, who also forced her but 'that didn't matter'.
I'm sorry, I know this book has some rave reviews and I'm fully expecting this to get downvoted on Amazon but with a main character like this, it just did absolutely nothing for me. The historical side of it - beautiful, rich in detail and description, a joy to read. The character - forget it, not for me. My apologies to the author for the two stars but that is the most generous I can be. I definitely won't be reading any more of this series.
What I didn't like at all about this book was the main female character. We get from the synopsis that she is willful, vain, ambitious and cunning. What I wasn't expecting was just how much of a spoilt brat she was. Now perhaps this is exactly the reaction the author wanted but for me personally, Concordia spoilt the rest of the book that much that I had to force myself to finish it. And the ending? I was happy about it! What I wasn't happy about was how much influence she still had over these people once she had gone. But anyhow...
I didn't read anything about feminine cunning or her defending her honour. I read how she was 'forced' but then enjoyed it so carried on some more until she got passed onto the next brother, who also forced her but 'that didn't matter'.
I'm sorry, I know this book has some rave reviews and I'm fully expecting this to get downvoted on Amazon but with a main character like this, it just did absolutely nothing for me. The historical side of it - beautiful, rich in detail and description, a joy to read. The character - forget it, not for me. My apologies to the author for the two stars but that is the most generous I can be. I definitely won't be reading any more of this series.
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated The Cactus in Books
Jan 17, 2020
I'm genuinely surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. At the start of this novel, I hated Susan. Like I firmly wanted to punch her square in the face. I thought she was annoying, self-righteous, stuck on her high horse, just rude. I can't say that that changed much over the course of the novel, but the light in which she was shaded in changed. As you move through the story and you learn about her life, who she is and where she came from, her relationship with her mother before her death and after, it becomes apparent that her coldness, her vehement desire to push people away, and her intensity for control are all coping mechanisms stemmed from her childhood. I related a lot to Susan, even though I found myself wanting to scream at her in some parts of the book.
As for the story itself, the plotline, the characters, I really thought it was well put together. The twist towards the end and even the ending itself wasn't one that I thought of when I initially started reading or even as I made it to the halfway point and beyond. It wasn't a novel that kept me on the edge of my seat, by any means, but it was one that just pulled you in and you were encompassed in Susan's world - in her thoughts, however rude they might be. I relate a lot to who she was and who she becomes and I was surprised to find myself rooting for her by the end, even as I, again, wanted to punch her. I also appreciated that not every conflict needed to be wrapped up in a bow and solved. That's not real life and this book felt like real life.
A debut novel, well done.
As for the story itself, the plotline, the characters, I really thought it was well put together. The twist towards the end and even the ending itself wasn't one that I thought of when I initially started reading or even as I made it to the halfway point and beyond. It wasn't a novel that kept me on the edge of my seat, by any means, but it was one that just pulled you in and you were encompassed in Susan's world - in her thoughts, however rude they might be. I relate a lot to who she was and who she becomes and I was surprised to find myself rooting for her by the end, even as I, again, wanted to punch her. I also appreciated that not every conflict needed to be wrapped up in a bow and solved. That's not real life and this book felt like real life.
A debut novel, well done.
Patrick Wilson recommended Fletch (1985) in Movies (curated)
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Suburbicon (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic, suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns -- the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge must navigate the town's dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit and violence.
I saw this trailer so many times in the run up to the Unlimited Screening. It initially intrigued me, I'm not a particular fan of Matt Damon, but I do like Julianne Moore, and Oscar Isaac the more I see him. Both Moore and Isaac seemed at home in this 50s setting, but Damon didn't feel very convincing.
The story had a lot of potential. Lodge wants to kill his wife who has become bitter towards him since he caused an accident that left her in a wheelchair. The plan is to stage a home invasion that leads to her death. This will leave room for her twin sister to move in and take her sister's place in the family. But when a suspicious insurance investigator comes sniffing around the case things start to fall apart. In the background of this though there is a story about the new African-American neighbours that have moved into the property behind the Lodge's. I know that this is fitting for that era, and some sort of big "distraction" was needed for a lot of things to work, but it just felt very detached from everything.
This isn't one that I'd watch again, I feel like it's going to fade into obscurity in my mind and in about ten years someone is going to ask me if I've seen it and I won't be able to remember.
I saw this trailer so many times in the run up to the Unlimited Screening. It initially intrigued me, I'm not a particular fan of Matt Damon, but I do like Julianne Moore, and Oscar Isaac the more I see him. Both Moore and Isaac seemed at home in this 50s setting, but Damon didn't feel very convincing.
The story had a lot of potential. Lodge wants to kill his wife who has become bitter towards him since he caused an accident that left her in a wheelchair. The plan is to stage a home invasion that leads to her death. This will leave room for her twin sister to move in and take her sister's place in the family. But when a suspicious insurance investigator comes sniffing around the case things start to fall apart. In the background of this though there is a story about the new African-American neighbours that have moved into the property behind the Lodge's. I know that this is fitting for that era, and some sort of big "distraction" was needed for a lot of things to work, but it just felt very detached from everything.
This isn't one that I'd watch again, I feel like it's going to fade into obscurity in my mind and in about ten years someone is going to ask me if I've seen it and I won't be able to remember.
Tessa Duvall is an independent artist, who depends on no one but herself. It doesn't matter that she's barely scraping by: she has her pride. When Tessa reluctantly agrees to accompany her best friend, Holly, to a party at the ritzy hotel where Holly works, she isn't expecting much. Tessa isn't one for the lavish affairs that take place at the Grange--a hotel owned by the two incredibly wealthy Monahan brothers. That night, however, Tessa meets Ross Monahan, a renowned playboy. The two have a one-night-stand and Tessa doesn't think much of it: until she realizes she's pregnant. Meanwhile, Holly, spends her entire life throwing herself at Ross' brother, Max, but Max doesn't give her the time of day.
So, while this is a romance, and we're sort of all supposed to know how it ends up, we--as readers--are also supposed to enjoy getting there. It's like the cheesy Christmas movies I've been enjoying during the holiday season. Sure, you know immediately how they will end, but you should like watching the lovelorn workaholic and the handsome Christmas tree farmer fall in love nonetheless. Alas, it just didn't happen for me in this one. The plot was enjoyable at first, but then it just seemed like the same things kept happening over and over. And over. Pregnancies! Weeping! Running away! Angst! Some of the plot twists were just so strange and seemed inserted to keep the book going, but it didn't need to keep going, because it was *lasting forever.*
The majority of the characters annoyed me for most of the novel. Tessa, our supposedly independent heroine, spends a decent chunk of the novel running from her issues. And while I suppose that meant she wasn't running into Ross' arms, it was irritating nonetheless. Ross seemed to just be a cad, and I honestly didn't blame Tessa for avoiding him. The supporting cast was more enjoyable, but after a while, the book seemed bogged down by their own endless problems and "will they or won't they" issues of their own, along with a lot of plot devoted to Ross' exploits. After a while, I really didn't care who ended up with whom, I just wanted it all to be over. I smiled a few times and laughed a bit (Holly is a trip) but overall, this one just irritated me.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.
So, while this is a romance, and we're sort of all supposed to know how it ends up, we--as readers--are also supposed to enjoy getting there. It's like the cheesy Christmas movies I've been enjoying during the holiday season. Sure, you know immediately how they will end, but you should like watching the lovelorn workaholic and the handsome Christmas tree farmer fall in love nonetheless. Alas, it just didn't happen for me in this one. The plot was enjoyable at first, but then it just seemed like the same things kept happening over and over. And over. Pregnancies! Weeping! Running away! Angst! Some of the plot twists were just so strange and seemed inserted to keep the book going, but it didn't need to keep going, because it was *lasting forever.*
The majority of the characters annoyed me for most of the novel. Tessa, our supposedly independent heroine, spends a decent chunk of the novel running from her issues. And while I suppose that meant she wasn't running into Ross' arms, it was irritating nonetheless. Ross seemed to just be a cad, and I honestly didn't blame Tessa for avoiding him. The supporting cast was more enjoyable, but after a while, the book seemed bogged down by their own endless problems and "will they or won't they" issues of their own, along with a lot of plot devoted to Ross' exploits. After a while, I really didn't care who ended up with whom, I just wanted it all to be over. I smiled a few times and laughed a bit (Holly is a trip) but overall, this one just irritated me.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Netgalley (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review.