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Fifty Shades of Grey
Fifty Shades of Grey
E.L. James | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
8
6.6 (103 Ratings)
Book Rating
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. However, the dialogue is just weird. They both talk like they weren’t born and raised in America. Ana grew up in Las Vegas (?) and Christian, as far as we know, is from the PNW. And yet, sometimes they both talk like they’re English, and not in a cute way. In a, there’s no way in hell anyone born and raised in the states would say that, kind of way. It just made it feel less genuine.

Additionally, Ana is an idiot but I think we all know that.
  
    Misfit

    Misfit

    Brand

    Misfit Wearables began in 2011—co-founded by Sonny Vu, Sridhar Lyengar, and John Sculley, a former...
The Forgotten Girls
The Forgotten Girls
Sara Blaedel | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Forgotten Girls was a pretty good book. I can’t say it was amazing, but it definitely wasn’t bad. It is a book in a series. It’s designed so you don't have to read the others to enjoy this one and even though I didn’t need the other books in the series to know what was going on, I did feel a little lost at times, and I felt like I was thrown into the middle of a movie (like I skipped the first scene) and it was disconcerting.

That being said, the story itself was okay. It was a good execution of a concept that just wasn't that high. The climax didn’t feel that phenomenal and I felt like it ended just as it got going.

All in all, it was a fine read, I wasn’t annoyed by it, I certainly enjoyed the process, but it didn’t force me to keep reading like some books, and I wasn’t that impressed with the overall experience.

Content/Recommendation: Some language, violence, rape scene (not overly-grotesque). Ages 18+
  
Crazy Days of Christmas
Crazy Days of Christmas
Jill Barry | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
When I read these long book descriptions it seems that half of the book is given away but in this case it is different. This is cute love story with a lot of uncertainty. I really enjoyed that this book was written taking in consideration both characters views and feelings. That somehow makes the story more attractive and romantic. I think that the name “A Spoonful of Love” suited this book better, because it doesn’t say much about the actual days of Christmas, it’s more about the period before Christmas. I really enjoyed the insight of cook’s life which was very detailed in this creation. The uncertainty between characters feelings was so adorable, just like couple of teenagers. Normally I am not very big fan when there is no proper ending, but this book’s ending was really interesting. Just like something’s ending is a beginning of something new. It left that question mark hanging there. Is there going to be another book? Overall I liked the book, as cute love story but I would like that it would be more twists, more drama, more continuity. It should have the whole thing, not just the beginning …
  
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Kenan Thompson recommended Casino (1995) in Movies (curated)

 
Casino (1995)
Casino (1995)
1995 | Drama

"That’s another perfect movie in my opinion. It’s like all those dudes in there — the height of their abilities. I wish I could name six because I would put Training Day up there. That’s Denzel at his most, most confident. It’s an awesome movie to watch. But, Casino is just classic like, Goodfellas, and then Raging Bull and all of those things coming are like little seeds, and the flower that sprouts was Casino. Scorsese and all those dudes really knowing each other for years. Putting together an awesome story about the beginning of Las Vegas or the last time the mob controlled Las Vegas — was just a great story and then to execute it for two and a half hours like that from top to bottom. It’s like some of Joe Pesci‘s finest work ever — Goodfellas is, like, his greatest film. Both of those dudes — De Niro‘s got so many great ones. [But] for those dudes together, I think Casino‘s my favorite."

Source
  
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Tom Chaplin recommended Melody A.M. by Royksopp in Music (curated)

 
Melody A.M. by Royksopp
Melody A.M. by Royksopp
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It was great times, I was living in London. Actually, I should probably temper that. It was shit times, but there were one or two great times, it would have been like 2001, living London, having no money. I was working in shitty, office temping jobs, typing numbers in to computers, it was soul destroying and, in the evenings, we’d rehearse but I lived for the weekend. I remember that album came out and there hadn’t been any albums that had come out that had grabbed me that had the combination of being real songs that you could dance to, almost like house music dancing. Around that time, I was taking so much ecstasy and every weekend I’d take a couple of pills and go dancing. That album was a perfect companion for those times. I remember going to see them on my birthday at the Astoria or somewhere like that, and just having such a wicked time. These days I just don’t have the energy to go out dancing, but I loved it, it was truly brilliant. For me it’s still the greatest dance record that I know of."

Source
  
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Gene Simmons recommended Montrose by Montrose in Music (curated)

 
Montrose by Montrose
Montrose by Montrose
2011 | Metal, Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"Montrose was one of the really important American statements made at a time when the only rock that was credible was English. They had Led Zeppelin and Humble Pie, just anything that was credible was all English and, out of nowhere, this Montrose record comes out that just kills! The American bands were sloppy and fat and looked like the Grateful Dead, and it was just pathetic. But Montrose came from the same area, the San Francisco Bay Area and it was like a breath of fresh air. That first record, even Montrose couldn't equal it, it was just better than the other American bands of the time. If you ever listen to 'Kickstart My Heart' by Mötley Crüe, that intro was note-for-note, everything was taken from 'Bad Motor Scooter', that sounds like a motorcycle going by. Clearly, Montrose was trying to do, with Sammy Hagar's vocals, a sort of American Led Zeppelin thing. But the songs were undeniable! Song after song, again: consistency. Unfortunately, after that Sammy Hagar left the band and everything changed. Ronnie Montrose never went back, never found his mojo again. Eventually he committed suicide. But when we're putting on makeup and getting ready for shows because we're in the middle of a tour, it never fails. Every other day we put on the Montrose record."

Source
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Spiral in Books

Dec 20, 2020  
The Spiral
The Spiral
Iain Ryan | 2020 | Crime, Thriller
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If there is one thing I really don't like, it's not finishing a book. Luckily, it doesn't happen very often but, unfortunately, I was unable to finish The Spiral.

Why? Well, I read to escape; I have enough complication in my work life so I tend not to read anything that takes too many brain cells as there aren't that many left after a day at work but this book just had me totally bemused almost from the very beginning and I just didn't have the stamina to continue.

I struggled to get into the story, develop any feelings for the characters either way and I just ended up being completed baffled by the whole thing so much so that I just had to give up in order to remain sane!

As I said, I don't like not finishing a book and I really try to keep going but I just couldn't with this and I therefore have to apologise to the author. I am acutely aware that this book will definitely appeal to lots of people but it just wasn't for me.

I would like to thank Zaffre Books / Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley for my advance copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

The Spiral is due to be published on 31st December 2020 and I wish it good luck.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) Dec 21, 2020

Bummer! Sorry this one was a bust for you, Hazel!

North by Northwest (1959)
North by Northwest (1959)
1959 | Classics, Mystery
for the life of me, i don't understand hitchcock
Of all the Hitchcock movies I've watched and heard about, this one is said to have been really good. I, truthfully, don't see it. I didn't like the plot, it felt really forced - and maybe that's the idea with some films, especially films like this where it's kind of an out-there story, but I just didn't like it. I think Cary Grant is great. I haven't seen a film that he's been in where he doesn't bring his best. I think he is the star, rightfully so, and I think he made the movie bearable to watch.

I generally just don't like Hitchcock films, apparently. I've seen a good portion of his work and they just don't do it for me. This one included.
  
His Mercenary (Mercenary In Love, #1)
His Mercenary (Mercenary In Love, #1)
Vanessa Sims | 2014 | Erotica, Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well I might like my short stories but I should be wary if freebies--many of them or good, but some I just don't like/can't get into--and that was the case with this one.

It didn't hold enough romance for me. I get lust and that seemed what this was but the fact that they'd known each other three days and had sex all of those three days and suddenly wanted to be together...it just didn't ring true to me. Added in that erotica isn't my favourite genre and the spelling of "come" as "cum" pees me off, I wasn't exactly enjoying it that much.

The crime side of the story didn't hold my attention either, and I felt the ending was rather sudden.

Not for me.