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Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman in Books
Jul 1, 2021
The thing that really attracted me to this little gem of a book was it’s title and wondering whether there was actually a character named Norman Foreman in it or not. Then when I read the blurb I knew that I just had to read it.
We follow a mother and son, Sadie and Norman Foreman, through a challenging time in their life - Norman’s best friend Jax dying from an asthma attack. Norman and Jax did everything together, and loved watching comedy sketches and comedians and had big dreams of becoming a comedy duo and performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival when they were 15.
However, that plan drastically changes when Jax dies aged 12 and leaves Norman not really knowing what to do and not particularly coping very well. Norman then comes up with the idea to get himself to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that year as a tribute to Jax and also along the way decides he wants to finally find out who his dad is.
Sadie is also struggling with Jax’s death and struggling to help Norman grieve as she never truly grieved her own dad’s death. She has to come to relive her past where she spent a month after her dad’s death completely off the rails and now has four potential fathers for Norman. Along the way she confides in a work colleague, a little old man called Leonard, who decides that he wants in on this adventure and helps Sadie organise her thoughts and helps them both get to the Edinburgh Fringe and to find the four potential fathers.
Some of it may be a little far fetched at points, but that doesn’t stop it from being a really heartwarming story of a child trying to come to terms with the grief of losing his best friend and how you don’t have to be sad all the time in order to grieve.
I loved the whole book from start to finish, and I’m so glad that I got to read it courtesy of Pigeonhole and Julietta Henderson!
We follow a mother and son, Sadie and Norman Foreman, through a challenging time in their life - Norman’s best friend Jax dying from an asthma attack. Norman and Jax did everything together, and loved watching comedy sketches and comedians and had big dreams of becoming a comedy duo and performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival when they were 15.
However, that plan drastically changes when Jax dies aged 12 and leaves Norman not really knowing what to do and not particularly coping very well. Norman then comes up with the idea to get himself to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that year as a tribute to Jax and also along the way decides he wants to finally find out who his dad is.
Sadie is also struggling with Jax’s death and struggling to help Norman grieve as she never truly grieved her own dad’s death. She has to come to relive her past where she spent a month after her dad’s death completely off the rails and now has four potential fathers for Norman. Along the way she confides in a work colleague, a little old man called Leonard, who decides that he wants in on this adventure and helps Sadie organise her thoughts and helps them both get to the Edinburgh Fringe and to find the four potential fathers.
Some of it may be a little far fetched at points, but that doesn’t stop it from being a really heartwarming story of a child trying to come to terms with the grief of losing his best friend and how you don’t have to be sad all the time in order to grieve.
I loved the whole book from start to finish, and I’m so glad that I got to read it courtesy of Pigeonhole and Julietta Henderson!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Till Death (2021) in Movies
Oct 6, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Till Death is a pretty middle-of-the-road thriller that somehow manages to both benefit and suffer from its no-nonsense approach to, well everything really. On the one hand, it's premise is an enticing one - after finding out about her affair, Emma's (Megan Fox) husband leads her out to a remote cabin under the false pretense of an anniversary getaway, handcuffs the two of them together by the wrists, and proceeds to shoot himself, leaving her attached to his dead body and fighting for her life when two hitmen come by to finish the job. This setup leads to a decent amount of tension, it's snowy setting exacerbating her survival conditions.
There aren't really any twists or turns to be had, and everything plays out fairly predictably, and quite honestly, it wouldn't work as well without the cast attached to it. Megan Fox has proved with vehicles such as Jennifer's Body that she is more than capable to lead a horror flick with style, and Till Death cements that fact. Her character is pretty badass, and Fox gives us a protagonist that's worth rooting for. On the flip side, the two hitmen-brother actors are great as well. Callan Mulvey in particular cuts an imposing figure as the movies main villain.
The narrative flirts with deeper context here and there but sadly never pulls the trigger. Mulvey's character is a person from Emma's past, having mugged her some years ago. The plot clearly spells out that there was motive behind this, but never explores this aspect, leaving a frustrating and unexplained story thread. The relationship between the brothers is interesting also, and at one point threatens to present a dilemma in who to side with, but again, it never actually goes there, and as such, reeks of a wasted opportunity for a far more interesting story than the one presented.
For what it is though, Till Death is a competent and entertaining enough thriller/horror to add to a spooky season watchlist
There aren't really any twists or turns to be had, and everything plays out fairly predictably, and quite honestly, it wouldn't work as well without the cast attached to it. Megan Fox has proved with vehicles such as Jennifer's Body that she is more than capable to lead a horror flick with style, and Till Death cements that fact. Her character is pretty badass, and Fox gives us a protagonist that's worth rooting for. On the flip side, the two hitmen-brother actors are great as well. Callan Mulvey in particular cuts an imposing figure as the movies main villain.
The narrative flirts with deeper context here and there but sadly never pulls the trigger. Mulvey's character is a person from Emma's past, having mugged her some years ago. The plot clearly spells out that there was motive behind this, but never explores this aspect, leaving a frustrating and unexplained story thread. The relationship between the brothers is interesting also, and at one point threatens to present a dilemma in who to side with, but again, it never actually goes there, and as such, reeks of a wasted opportunity for a far more interesting story than the one presented.
For what it is though, Till Death is a competent and entertaining enough thriller/horror to add to a spooky season watchlist
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Murder Packs a Suitcase (Murder Packs a Suitcase, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Mallory Marlowe is attempting to get her life back together after her husband's accidental death. Her new job is as a travel writer, and her first stop is Orlando, where she is part of a press tour. Their first night there, the obnoxious member of the group is found floating in a fountain. Even though she just met him, Mallory is the prime suspect. Can she figure out who really did it? I found Mallory a charming travel companion. Occasionally the bits about the tour were a little long, but the mystery moved along as a consistently fast pace even if it did rely on coincidence a little more then I would have liked. This was my first book by Cynthia Baxter, but I will be reading more.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-murder-packs-suitcase-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-murder-packs-suitcase-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Sarah is trying to put her life back together after a divorce from her air force husband. But when she finds a bag of bloody clothes that belonged to her ex-husband and the woman he cheated on Sarah with, she suddenly finds herself trying to determine what has really happened.
The plot of this book was strong with several twists and red herrings that kept me confused until everything came together at the end. The characters were strong as well. While the writing could be a bit choppy at times, overall there was a tone to the story that was perfect for what the characters were going through.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-tagged-for-death-by-sherry.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The plot of this book was strong with several twists and red herrings that kept me confused until everything came together at the end. The characters were strong as well. While the writing could be a bit choppy at times, overall there was a tone to the story that was perfect for what the characters were going through.
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/12/book-review-tagged-for-death-by-sherry.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
NerdGeek (155 KP) rated The Shining (1980) in Movies
Oct 13, 2018
Better than I expected
Ok so my fiance is sick, and in bed. So I decided to scroll through Netflix and see what's up. Found this movie, and after all these years, decided to finally give it a shot. So far it's pretty good. Tony kind of freaks me out, but the storyline is pretty decent and it's definitely Stanley Kubrick direction. This is definitely 70s work as well. Which I think actually helps the storyline. I have waited so long to see this movie because I just plain don't like Jack Nicholson. I may lose a few points for That, but I do have to say that he does a good job playing a freak show. And the actor that plays the son? Very good actor. Now if they could make a movie out of Dr Death, my life may be complete.
ClareR (5950 KP) rated Of Blood and Bone (Chronicles of The One) in Books
Dec 21, 2018
The story continues...
People are beginning to get used to life after The Doom. Most have adapted and built communities. Others, like New Hope, have gone beyond that , and are helping to rescue other Uncannys and slaves who have been captured by the Purity Warriors or Raiders, before they are put to death.
Fallon Swift has now reached the age where Mallick has come to collect her and begin her training. The training to help her become The One. This book is largely about that training, interspersed with news from New Hope. It's all really interesting , seeing how their society has developed. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait to see how this all pans out: Light Uncannys (Fallon is one of these) against Dark Uncannys, Purity Warriors and Raiders. They certainly have their work cut out for them.
There's loads of myth and legend in this - great stuff!!
Fallon Swift has now reached the age where Mallick has come to collect her and begin her training. The training to help her become The One. This book is largely about that training, interspersed with news from New Hope. It's all really interesting , seeing how their society has developed. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't wait to see how this all pans out: Light Uncannys (Fallon is one of these) against Dark Uncannys, Purity Warriors and Raiders. They certainly have their work cut out for them.
There's loads of myth and legend in this - great stuff!!
Leah Lopez (7 KP) rated Helmand to the Himalayas: One Soldier's Inspirational Journey in Books
Nov 6, 2019
Since the beginning of this year, 2015, I have been researching British and American forces in order to write a realistic theatre production, that will be based in Afghanistan 2009.
2009 became known as the, "bloodiest year in Afghanistan," after seeing the death of 100 British Soldiers. During the past seven months, I have read a fair amount of life-stories based in Afghanistan/Iraq. A good narration allows for a good visual effect that takes place in ones mind. David Wiseman allowed me to do that. His descriptive voice allowed me to place myself in his situation. It was scary. It was very scary. Throughout his book I have; thought, visualised, learned, laughed, cried and, ultimately, became inspired by his strength and determination. You have my utmost respect!
I have rated this book 5/5. You don't need to wonder why. Just read it!
2009 became known as the, "bloodiest year in Afghanistan," after seeing the death of 100 British Soldiers. During the past seven months, I have read a fair amount of life-stories based in Afghanistan/Iraq. A good narration allows for a good visual effect that takes place in ones mind. David Wiseman allowed me to do that. His descriptive voice allowed me to place myself in his situation. It was scary. It was very scary. Throughout his book I have; thought, visualised, learned, laughed, cried and, ultimately, became inspired by his strength and determination. You have my utmost respect!
I have rated this book 5/5. You don't need to wonder why. Just read it!
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