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Bringing Up Baby
6.0
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Book
?Bringing Up Baby, directed by Howard Hawks in 1938, is one of the greatest screwball comedies and a...
Barker: Plays Seven
Book
"Und, a play for one woman and six trays, is a moving study of dignity and self-delusion. When a...
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Longest Holiday in Books
Jul 16, 2020
Paige Toon is an author I am diligently working my way through. I think I'm about 80% done with her catalogue now, though she has got a new release out which I haven't got my hands on yet.
So this one starts with Laura flying off to Miami for two weeks with her friend Marty and one of Marty's close friends, Bridget, as she tries to escape her life in London after finding out her new husband, Matthew, got another woman pregnant on his stag night. The girls head down to Key West to enjoy the sunshine and beaches and sign up for a SCUBA diving course where Laura meets Leo, an attractive man she caught sight of a few days earlier. There's an instant attraction between them but when Leo finds out she's married he keeps her at arms length and since Laura is pretty determined her marriage is over, she finally gets him to give in. What follows is a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions as Laura stays in Key West for longer than the two weeks in what becomes the Longest Holiday.
I was really into this until near the end when we started to see things from Leo's POV. The end bit got a little hard to read when Leo goes to London to see Laura and I didn't think that bit was drawn out enough, though I was crying like a baby at times. It hit me in the feels big time.
And then we got the epilogue and we see Laura happy for the first time in months.
I grew to like a lot of the characters in this: Laura, Leo, Bridget, Jorge and even Mike. Pretty much everyone else seemed to be pro-Matthew which annoyed (me and) Laura, which I totally understood.
I'll be reading more of this author's books soon I'm sure.
So this one starts with Laura flying off to Miami for two weeks with her friend Marty and one of Marty's close friends, Bridget, as she tries to escape her life in London after finding out her new husband, Matthew, got another woman pregnant on his stag night. The girls head down to Key West to enjoy the sunshine and beaches and sign up for a SCUBA diving course where Laura meets Leo, an attractive man she caught sight of a few days earlier. There's an instant attraction between them but when Leo finds out she's married he keeps her at arms length and since Laura is pretty determined her marriage is over, she finally gets him to give in. What follows is a bit of a rollercoaster of emotions as Laura stays in Key West for longer than the two weeks in what becomes the Longest Holiday.
I was really into this until near the end when we started to see things from Leo's POV. The end bit got a little hard to read when Leo goes to London to see Laura and I didn't think that bit was drawn out enough, though I was crying like a baby at times. It hit me in the feels big time.
And then we got the epilogue and we see Laura happy for the first time in months.
I grew to like a lot of the characters in this: Laura, Leo, Bridget, Jorge and even Mike. Pretty much everyone else seemed to be pro-Matthew which annoyed (me and) Laura, which I totally understood.
I'll be reading more of this author's books soon I'm sure.
James Dean Bradfield recommended AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted by Ice Cube in Music (curated)
Heroines of the Medieval World
Book
The lives and actions of medieval women were carefully controlled and restricted by the men who...
Queering Families: The Postmodern Partnerships of Cisgender Women and Transgender Men
Book
Ozzie and Harriet, move over. A new couple is moving into the neighborhood. In the postmodern era,...
The Notorious Mrs. Clem: Murder and Money in the Gilded Age
Book
In September 1868, the remains of Jacob and Nancy Jane Young were found lying near the banks of...
Cheryl Saban's Guide to a Happy and Mindful Life
Book
A beautifully illustrated pocket-size gift book that explores the experience of mindfulness through...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated An Amish Reunion in Books
Feb 24, 2021
Wonderful collection of stories about different seasons of change !
In the first story Amy Clipston gives us a story about Marlene and Rudy, a young couple learning change through working together. Marlene navigates the change of moving home after years spent away and she deals with memories of loss associated home. I thought this was a great story on how to push yourself to overcome past sadness and turn it to something new.
In the second story Beth Wiseman tells a story about Ruth and Gideon and how they deal with the loss of a child and the impact on their marriage. They don't handle the loss well at first, but after five years the Lord leads them home to each other. A great story about grief and the growing that can come out of that time in life.
The third story is by Kathleen Fuller. She tells a story about a wonderful, sarcastic, and straight speaking Grandma type lady who is used to matchmaking for other people. But this time God had something special in mind for her. A very sweet story.
Last but not least we get a story by Kelly Irvin. She tells us a story about a young couple who didn't wait and it was made worse by some decisions that were made. But through their trials came forgiveness and growing into the people that God wanted for them to be. A particularly good story as it is not always a subject people will face head on. I loved it and I think it was a great representation of the true circumstances that people go through when they have a baby out of wedlock, especially in an Amish community,
This is a great collection of stories that I would definitely recommend reading, it is great encouragement when going through different seasons of change.
I volunteered to read this book from Zondervan Fiction in return for my honest feedback. The opinions expressed within are my own.
In the first story Amy Clipston gives us a story about Marlene and Rudy, a young couple learning change through working together. Marlene navigates the change of moving home after years spent away and she deals with memories of loss associated home. I thought this was a great story on how to push yourself to overcome past sadness and turn it to something new.
In the second story Beth Wiseman tells a story about Ruth and Gideon and how they deal with the loss of a child and the impact on their marriage. They don't handle the loss well at first, but after five years the Lord leads them home to each other. A great story about grief and the growing that can come out of that time in life.
The third story is by Kathleen Fuller. She tells a story about a wonderful, sarcastic, and straight speaking Grandma type lady who is used to matchmaking for other people. But this time God had something special in mind for her. A very sweet story.
Last but not least we get a story by Kelly Irvin. She tells us a story about a young couple who didn't wait and it was made worse by some decisions that were made. But through their trials came forgiveness and growing into the people that God wanted for them to be. A particularly good story as it is not always a subject people will face head on. I loved it and I think it was a great representation of the true circumstances that people go through when they have a baby out of wedlock, especially in an Amish community,
This is a great collection of stories that I would definitely recommend reading, it is great encouragement when going through different seasons of change.
I volunteered to read this book from Zondervan Fiction in return for my honest feedback. The opinions expressed within are my own.
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated The Way Back (2020) in Movies
Nov 23, 2020
Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) is a man whose life has not unfolded as it should have. A former start Basketball players for a Catholic High School; Jack had an offer to play College ball for Kansas as a highly regarded recruit.
Things unfolded badly for Jack as a personal tragedy and his demons cost him his marriage and now see Jack toiling away in construction when he is not abusing alcohol.
Jack is offered a chance to coach the losing team at his old school and despite every inclination he has to refuse the job; he eventually takes the job and works to mold an undersized and under-skilled team into a competitive unit.
Jack’s abrupt style and frequent profanity do not sit well with his employers who urge him to tone things down with his courtside behavior and verbal admonishments of the officials and his team during games.
Undaunted Jack presses on and the team starts to turn themselves around but Jack’s deep turmoil threatens to undo everything that has happened.
“The Way Back” is an enjoyable film that features a very strong performance from Affleck as well as the supporting cast. This is not some formulaic sports film where everything is all nice and tidy at the end. The film is about redemption but also accepting what has come before and finding a new way forward no matter how difficult.
What really made the film stand out aside from the performances were the relatable stories as they were ones that were easy to relate to. Many town have stories of star athletes who never achieved their stardom for whatever reason and whose lives have become ordinary to mundane as opposed to the stardom and riches envisioned for them.
In many ways “The Way Back” flew under the radar this year but is one of the best films of the year and one not to miss.
4 stars out of 5
Things unfolded badly for Jack as a personal tragedy and his demons cost him his marriage and now see Jack toiling away in construction when he is not abusing alcohol.
Jack is offered a chance to coach the losing team at his old school and despite every inclination he has to refuse the job; he eventually takes the job and works to mold an undersized and under-skilled team into a competitive unit.
Jack’s abrupt style and frequent profanity do not sit well with his employers who urge him to tone things down with his courtside behavior and verbal admonishments of the officials and his team during games.
Undaunted Jack presses on and the team starts to turn themselves around but Jack’s deep turmoil threatens to undo everything that has happened.
“The Way Back” is an enjoyable film that features a very strong performance from Affleck as well as the supporting cast. This is not some formulaic sports film where everything is all nice and tidy at the end. The film is about redemption but also accepting what has come before and finding a new way forward no matter how difficult.
What really made the film stand out aside from the performances were the relatable stories as they were ones that were easy to relate to. Many town have stories of star athletes who never achieved their stardom for whatever reason and whose lives have become ordinary to mundane as opposed to the stardom and riches envisioned for them.
In many ways “The Way Back” flew under the radar this year but is one of the best films of the year and one not to miss.
4 stars out of 5