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Laetitia Sadier recommended Cap Waller by Bertrand Belin in Music (curated)
Merissa (12723 KP) rated Smoke on the Water (Mystic Beach, #3) in Books
Nov 18, 2022
SMOKE ON THE WATER is the third book in the Mystic Beach series and features the quiet bass player, David, and sound engineer, Piper. These two are a match made in heaven, but the devil is in the details. Those details being someone who thinks he has a claim over Piper already.
Man, everywhere you turn in this book there is a misogynistic jerk just waiting to be put in his place. Luckily for me, Ms Archer does that with aplomb. All in her own good time, of course, but it did happen.
The sparks between David and Piper are apparent from the very beginning but, for varying reasons, Piper asks they keep things on the down low. David isn't too happy about that but - for Piper - he agrees.
The thing I loved about this story is how the focus is on Piper and David. You could read this as a standalone. If you don't though, like me, you get all the little snippets of things that happened in books one and two, but from a different angle. I love that!
The other part I loved was that their social awkwardness disappeared when it was the two of them. They may say the wrong thing to others, but not really to each other. They were understanding of each other and gave encouragement whenever needed.
Hunter and Brighid are a favourite couple, and they now have company in David and Piper. Declan is next and I can't wait. I'm just hoping Rory gets her HEA because her backstory just about killed me! Highly recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Man, everywhere you turn in this book there is a misogynistic jerk just waiting to be put in his place. Luckily for me, Ms Archer does that with aplomb. All in her own good time, of course, but it did happen.
The sparks between David and Piper are apparent from the very beginning but, for varying reasons, Piper asks they keep things on the down low. David isn't too happy about that but - for Piper - he agrees.
The thing I loved about this story is how the focus is on Piper and David. You could read this as a standalone. If you don't though, like me, you get all the little snippets of things that happened in books one and two, but from a different angle. I love that!
The other part I loved was that their social awkwardness disappeared when it was the two of them. They may say the wrong thing to others, but not really to each other. They were understanding of each other and gave encouragement whenever needed.
Hunter and Brighid are a favourite couple, and they now have company in David and Piper. Declan is next and I can't wait. I'm just hoping Rory gets her HEA because her backstory just about killed me! Highly recommended by me.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Christina Haynes (148 KP) rated Bonfire in Books
Feb 10, 2018
BONFIRE by KRYSTEN RITTER
Contains spoilers, click to show
I’ve been a fan of Krysten Ritter ever since she played Lucy in Gilmore Girls - one of Rory Gilmore’s Yale friends. I was so excited when I found out she was writing a book. I pre-ordered it as soon as I could and eagerly waited for it to arrive on Thursday 9th November, not long after Bonfire night.
This book is by far one of the best Thrillers I’ve read. Although I am more of a Fantasy, Sci-Fi kinda girl I do like a good Thriller. Krysten Ritter does an excellent job at writing and I hope she writes more books in the future. Because she really is talented. I feel very excited about this book, like I'm apart of it because following Krysten on Instagram gave me VIP access to information about the book, like its cover! Which I love.
Abby Williams is an environmental lawyer who lives in Chicago and grew up in a place called Barrens, Indiana. She left Barrens ten years ago and decided to keep her past just that - her past. But a case that she’s working on takes her back to her roots and let's just say Abby isn’t exactly pleased. Her mother died when she was younger and she has no siblings, which leaves just her father. Abby hasn’t always had the best relationship with him but deep down you do see a love they both share with each other.
When Abby was younger she was best friends with a girl named Kaycee Mitchell. They both had a lot in common, like not having a mother around, being only children and not having any friends. That was until Kaycee became friends with Misha Dale, Cora Allen and Annie Baum. She then changes by not being very nice to Abby. Of course, Kaycee wasn’t always nice to Abby and there were days when Abby didn’t like Kaycee, but you could maybe put that down as just being young.
But in high school - she was bullied. Along with Kaycee poisoning her dog and keeping his collar for years until just before Kaycee goes missing when Abby finds it in her locker like a cruel reminder of what happened.
Kaycee Mitchell left the town of Barrens at the end of her last year of school and no one knows where she went, not even her father. Before she left she was ill, very ill. But everyone believes she was making it up with her friends, who were also saying they were ill. Kaycee and her friends love attention, in fact, some might say they crave it. So by being ill, they all got the attention they wanted.
Now back in Barrens Abby has to investigate a company called Optimal Plastics who are the towns ‘Savers’ they have paid for the new community centre and much more and the whole town loves them. Not only have they rescued the town with jobs and community centres they have also put Barrens back on the map. But something very dodgy is going on with them and Abby and her team are here to find out what.
Abby has to go back to her memories to help her understand what’s going on with Optimal Plastics. She has to face old foes and worries she's tried to leave behind. Abby is determined to uncover their secrets. But the main question is what did happen to Kaycee Mitchell and was she really sick?
There is a lot more than meets the eye with this book, a lot like Optimal Plastics. You don’t realise how complex the story is until you start to unravel what’s inside.
Nothing burns as bright as the truth - and the truth is… I loved this book.
Love, Christina ?
This book is by far one of the best Thrillers I’ve read. Although I am more of a Fantasy, Sci-Fi kinda girl I do like a good Thriller. Krysten Ritter does an excellent job at writing and I hope she writes more books in the future. Because she really is talented. I feel very excited about this book, like I'm apart of it because following Krysten on Instagram gave me VIP access to information about the book, like its cover! Which I love.
Abby Williams is an environmental lawyer who lives in Chicago and grew up in a place called Barrens, Indiana. She left Barrens ten years ago and decided to keep her past just that - her past. But a case that she’s working on takes her back to her roots and let's just say Abby isn’t exactly pleased. Her mother died when she was younger and she has no siblings, which leaves just her father. Abby hasn’t always had the best relationship with him but deep down you do see a love they both share with each other.
When Abby was younger she was best friends with a girl named Kaycee Mitchell. They both had a lot in common, like not having a mother around, being only children and not having any friends. That was until Kaycee became friends with Misha Dale, Cora Allen and Annie Baum. She then changes by not being very nice to Abby. Of course, Kaycee wasn’t always nice to Abby and there were days when Abby didn’t like Kaycee, but you could maybe put that down as just being young.
But in high school - she was bullied. Along with Kaycee poisoning her dog and keeping his collar for years until just before Kaycee goes missing when Abby finds it in her locker like a cruel reminder of what happened.
Kaycee Mitchell left the town of Barrens at the end of her last year of school and no one knows where she went, not even her father. Before she left she was ill, very ill. But everyone believes she was making it up with her friends, who were also saying they were ill. Kaycee and her friends love attention, in fact, some might say they crave it. So by being ill, they all got the attention they wanted.
Now back in Barrens Abby has to investigate a company called Optimal Plastics who are the towns ‘Savers’ they have paid for the new community centre and much more and the whole town loves them. Not only have they rescued the town with jobs and community centres they have also put Barrens back on the map. But something very dodgy is going on with them and Abby and her team are here to find out what.
Abby has to go back to her memories to help her understand what’s going on with Optimal Plastics. She has to face old foes and worries she's tried to leave behind. Abby is determined to uncover their secrets. But the main question is what did happen to Kaycee Mitchell and was she really sick?
There is a lot more than meets the eye with this book, a lot like Optimal Plastics. You don’t realise how complex the story is until you start to unravel what’s inside.
Nothing burns as bright as the truth - and the truth is… I loved this book.
Love, Christina ?
Booksnthreads (19 KP) rated Full Cicada Moon in Books
Jun 4, 2018
I absolutely loved this book! I suppose I’m a bit partial to stories told in poetry, as I’ve really enjoyed all of the YA novels I’ve read that are written this way, but I’m just so impressed at how these authors use this medium to tell incredibly powerful stories about difficult topics.
This particular book addresses issues of racism as well as tackling issues involved with being bi-racial in America, something that hits particularly close to home for me as I’m raising bi-racial children. While the story is set in 1969, I think so many of Mimi’s experiences still resonate today–everything from being followed around a store by a suspicious salesperson to being a wallflower at your first middle school dance.
Of course, the other aspect that I’ve fallen in love with in Marilyn Hilton’s writing is her ability to capture images so beautifully in her poetry. This section, towards the end of the novel, is particularly touching:
I used to think the people of Vermont
were like the snow–
crusty,
chilly,
and slow to thaw
But now I think
they’re what’s underneath.
Like the crocus bulbs making flowers all winter
in the dark earth–
invisible until they push through the snow–
and like the cicadas growing
underground for years–
until they burst from the ground–
the people of Vermont
do their hardest thinking
and their richest feeling
deep inside,
so no one can see.
This particular book addresses issues of racism as well as tackling issues involved with being bi-racial in America, something that hits particularly close to home for me as I’m raising bi-racial children. While the story is set in 1969, I think so many of Mimi’s experiences still resonate today–everything from being followed around a store by a suspicious salesperson to being a wallflower at your first middle school dance.
Of course, the other aspect that I’ve fallen in love with in Marilyn Hilton’s writing is her ability to capture images so beautifully in her poetry. This section, towards the end of the novel, is particularly touching:
I used to think the people of Vermont
were like the snow–
crusty,
chilly,
and slow to thaw
But now I think
they’re what’s underneath.
Like the crocus bulbs making flowers all winter
in the dark earth–
invisible until they push through the snow–
and like the cicadas growing
underground for years–
until they burst from the ground–
the people of Vermont
do their hardest thinking
and their richest feeling
deep inside,
so no one can see.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Cake (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The movie ‘Cake’ starring Jennifer Anniston as Claire, who is an accident survivor struggling with chronic pain and emotional pain was really hard to watch.
It was very slow in the beginning and I felt like it dragged on and was taking driver to ‘get anywhere’.
Anniston, in my opinion, completely captured what the struggle of many people with chronic pain, emotional pain, and dependence on pharmaceuticals can look like. I found myself thinking to myself, ‘wow, she looks and moves and acts just like a friend that I have that gas chronic pain’.
I’ve never seen Anniston look so haggard and ‘un-put-together’, but it certainly lent credence to the role.
Anniston is tended to by her housekeeper Silvana (Adriana Barraza) who tries her best to keep Claire on track. I think she did a really good job of portraying the frustrations of trying to help someone who won’t help themselves and seems to not want to help themselves sometimes.
Parts of the movie were physically difficult for me to watch, and I did spend most of the last half of the movie in tears.
I don’t think its a movie that everyone would enjoy seeing because it can be slow, and very emotionally taxing, but its a good portrayal of a person with chronic pain and how it affects them and those around them and the struggles they face daily.
I would give this movie
It was very slow in the beginning and I felt like it dragged on and was taking driver to ‘get anywhere’.
Anniston, in my opinion, completely captured what the struggle of many people with chronic pain, emotional pain, and dependence on pharmaceuticals can look like. I found myself thinking to myself, ‘wow, she looks and moves and acts just like a friend that I have that gas chronic pain’.
I’ve never seen Anniston look so haggard and ‘un-put-together’, but it certainly lent credence to the role.
Anniston is tended to by her housekeeper Silvana (Adriana Barraza) who tries her best to keep Claire on track. I think she did a really good job of portraying the frustrations of trying to help someone who won’t help themselves and seems to not want to help themselves sometimes.
Parts of the movie were physically difficult for me to watch, and I did spend most of the last half of the movie in tears.
I don’t think its a movie that everyone would enjoy seeing because it can be slow, and very emotionally taxing, but its a good portrayal of a person with chronic pain and how it affects them and those around them and the struggles they face daily.
I would give this movie
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Podcast
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Shelle Perry (66 KP) rated The Accidental World in Books
Jul 24, 2021
The Accidental World is one of the more unique stories I have read of late
The Accidental World is one of the more unique stories I have read of late. Ethan Scott is thrust into a world of intrigue in an alternate world where the only lifelines he has are the vague instructions left to him by his grandfather before his disappearance and the board game that he has played since he was a child. There are those who help him along the way, but there are always more questions than answers and he has a role to play.
On the surface this seems like a tropey Y A novel with an unlikely hero who is thrust into the role of savior (yada yada), but it is really such a well written imaginative world that comparisons like that fall by the wayside in favor of well paced and exciting adventure. The book is packed full of interesting characters who engage the reader full throttle. In my mind it played out just like a movie, especially the gaming sequences and the action near the end.
The cliffhanger ending has me wanting to return to this world and these characters to see what happens next.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy through IRead Book Tours for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
On the surface this seems like a tropey Y A novel with an unlikely hero who is thrust into the role of savior (yada yada), but it is really such a well written imaginative world that comparisons like that fall by the wayside in favor of well paced and exciting adventure. The book is packed full of interesting characters who engage the reader full throttle. In my mind it played out just like a movie, especially the gaming sequences and the action near the end.
The cliffhanger ending has me wanting to return to this world and these characters to see what happens next.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy through IRead Book Tours for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise, #1) in Books
Sep 5, 2019
3.5 stars.
Hmm…This is my first book by the author and though I have her “My Favourite Mistake” on my amazon wishlist I haven’t got around to buying it yet.
For me, this started good. We understood her animosity to the brothers and everything and we could see for ourselves how much of an arse Zach was while Zan was a man of few words and dark, bottomless eyes. I just didn’t quite seem to catch the bit where her feelings changed. Yeah, we as the reader knew that Zan wasn’t so bad and he may have done stupid things in the past but he’s changed now, but when did Lottie figure it out because she never really gave him a chance to talk to her?
That being said, I did like the characters (though there are quite a few by the end and I got confused a bit between Audrey and Trish). On the other hand, Lottie and her twin brother Will’s “twindar” was very impressive. If that really happens when you have a twin, I am impressed and wish I had one. I really liked Stryker too, he seemed like a chilled out kind of guy who could talk a lot of sense, I wish I had a friend like him. Looking forward to his and Katie’s story when it’s released.
It was quite a sweet story when they finally got together and the bad guy got his comeuppance in the end.
Hmm…This is my first book by the author and though I have her “My Favourite Mistake” on my amazon wishlist I haven’t got around to buying it yet.
For me, this started good. We understood her animosity to the brothers and everything and we could see for ourselves how much of an arse Zach was while Zan was a man of few words and dark, bottomless eyes. I just didn’t quite seem to catch the bit where her feelings changed. Yeah, we as the reader knew that Zan wasn’t so bad and he may have done stupid things in the past but he’s changed now, but when did Lottie figure it out because she never really gave him a chance to talk to her?
That being said, I did like the characters (though there are quite a few by the end and I got confused a bit between Audrey and Trish). On the other hand, Lottie and her twin brother Will’s “twindar” was very impressive. If that really happens when you have a twin, I am impressed and wish I had one. I really liked Stryker too, he seemed like a chilled out kind of guy who could talk a lot of sense, I wish I had a friend like him. Looking forward to his and Katie’s story when it’s released.
It was quite a sweet story when they finally got together and the bad guy got his comeuppance in the end.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) in Movies
Mar 19, 2018
Whomp Whomp
The Good: It's got the word "Cloverfield" in the title? That's gotta count for something right. First two films? Solid. The Cloverfield Paradox? Please avoid at all costs.
Confusion abounds as the film rushes through itself. Throughout its entirety, I sat there wondering, "Is this how it feels to be born?" I was angry. Confused. Lost. Not a decent combination of feelings when you're trying to have a good time. The most frustrating part was being able to see the holes that could have been plugged to make the film better. This is what happens when potential suffers from a lack of follow-through.
I wanted to like it, but it just wouldn't give me the chance. The sheer lack of explanation throughout is just plain maddening. You think it's coming, then director Julius Onah hits you with a "Are we good here? Yeah, we're good here, let's move on. Next scene!"
Meanwhile, the characters are running around as if the crazy things that are happening are just another walk in the park. I've never seen a calmer reaction in film to a guy suddenly losing his arm. Why aren't your eyes wide with terror? Why aren't you screaming? There are some things that happen on the ship (no more spoilers) that are ridiculously insane, but everyone seems to be as cool as a cucumber for the most part. Sure, there may be an initial shock reaction, but the reaction wears off in no time. A part of instilling panic in the audience is seeing the characters panic. Unsuccessful.
To make matters worse, The Cloverfield Paradox never really feels like a complete tie-in to the other two films. It's about a space crew trying to harness new forms of energy out in space to save a dying Earth. Frustrating at best, it's absolutely a skip for me. I give it a 43.
Confusion abounds as the film rushes through itself. Throughout its entirety, I sat there wondering, "Is this how it feels to be born?" I was angry. Confused. Lost. Not a decent combination of feelings when you're trying to have a good time. The most frustrating part was being able to see the holes that could have been plugged to make the film better. This is what happens when potential suffers from a lack of follow-through.
I wanted to like it, but it just wouldn't give me the chance. The sheer lack of explanation throughout is just plain maddening. You think it's coming, then director Julius Onah hits you with a "Are we good here? Yeah, we're good here, let's move on. Next scene!"
Meanwhile, the characters are running around as if the crazy things that are happening are just another walk in the park. I've never seen a calmer reaction in film to a guy suddenly losing his arm. Why aren't your eyes wide with terror? Why aren't you screaming? There are some things that happen on the ship (no more spoilers) that are ridiculously insane, but everyone seems to be as cool as a cucumber for the most part. Sure, there may be an initial shock reaction, but the reaction wears off in no time. A part of instilling panic in the audience is seeing the characters panic. Unsuccessful.
To make matters worse, The Cloverfield Paradox never really feels like a complete tie-in to the other two films. It's about a space crew trying to harness new forms of energy out in space to save a dying Earth. Frustrating at best, it's absolutely a skip for me. I give it a 43.