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I See You (2019)
I See You (2019)
2019 | Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
A young lad rides through the forest on a bike, when an invisible force pulls him off. A shot of the main characters house and the title of the movie appears......... Erm OK.... What?
Anyway, when the movie properly starts we are made aware that the husband and wife are having marital problems due to the wife having an affair. At work the husband is placed on the case of the missing boy from the start of the movie, and at home strange things are happening, windows are being broken, photos going missing, TV is turning on by itself and it is evident that someone or something is watching the family.
The first half of the movie is showing the strange things happening, whilst the second half of the movie is dedicated to explaining what is going on and quite frankly I lost interest very quickly.
I found the movie rather boring and uninteresting. The acting throughout was very wooden for the most part, which was very surprising for Helen Hunt as I've always found her good, but it seems her acting skills have withered away over the years. The music they tried too hard to make it sound eerie, that it just ended up sounding like it was put together by a trainee and to top it off nothing in the movie made sense. Overall it was awful, I was time watching the whole time wondering when it would be over.
  
Lost Children Archive
Lost Children Archive
Valeria Luiselli | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was a NetGalley book that I forgot I had, and ended up listening to with my Audible credit 🤷🏼‍♀️ Anyway, I thought it lent itself really well to audio, particularly as the main adult characters, the mother and father, work in sound. The father creates soundscapes, and the mother interviews people.

The parents are clearly at odds with one another, both wanting to progress their careers in different ways. The father wants to make a soundscape of Apacheria where the last tribes had lived, and the mother wants to help a friend to find her lost children. They had been sent to the US with a coyote (a guide), had been found and sent to a detention centre - but they had subsequently gone missing. The mother discovers that these lone children have been disappearing on this journey for a long time.

The lost children hits close to home when the parents own children go missing.

I really enjoyed this. I loved how the two stories - the journey of the children, and that of the children in the mothers book who are being smuggled from Mexico - were intertwined. I enjoyed the way that the narratives swapped between the mother, the boy and the immigrant children, although the lines often became blurred between reality and the mothers novel.

It is in parts both devastating and informative, particularly in the times that we live in. This isn’t an easy book, but its well worth the read.
  
A Woman Made of Snow
A Woman Made of Snow
Elisabeth Gifford | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Woman Made Of Snow is a book steeped in the history of the Gillan family, which automatically ticks a lot of boxes for me. This is a dual timeline story: Scotland in 1949, and the Arctic at some time in the mid 1800s.

Caro and Alasdair marry after the War and move back to his family home - Kelly Castle in Scotland. Caro has high hopes of continuing to work in a university, but motherhood puts pay to that, and instead decides to look into the Gillan family genealogy, and specifically the mysterious disappearance of Alasdair’s great grandmother. When Caro finds the remains of a diary, there are some startling findings.

We flash back and forth between 1949 and the 1800s, where the information missing from the diary is more clearly explained. When a body is unearthed after flooding, this poses more questions about he person’s identity. Is this the missing relative?

I absolutely loved this. The descriptions of the sea, the Arctic tundra and the Inuit who lived there, fascinated me. Less pleasant were the attitudes of the British towards other cultures, but this was interesting, all the same. The changing roles of women was portrayed well. Whilst not the same as our lives today, Caro’s life in the 1940’s/ 50’s was markedly better than that of the women in the 1800s.

This was such an enjoyable read - highly recommended.
Thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this wonderful book.
  
A Bright Celestial Sea by Chani Lynn Feener
A Bright Celestial Sea by Chani Lynn Feener
Chani Lynn Feener | 2022 | LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A BRIGHT CELESTIAL SEA is a standalone that could easily be the first in a series.

Pryor and Castor, plus others in their crew, are sent to a World Ship to find a missing royal. It's not that easy though, and things become complicated when other things are found to be missing too. Throw in an Emperor-in-waiting and you've got one helluva story.

Half of the mystery is easy to see - it doesn't hide at all, except from Wystan and the others. But still, as the reader, it is all there for you as we are in Pryor's mind for the most part. The other part though - was brilliantly set up, with only a few clues as I neared the end. I won't say anything else but I loved it!

The world-building is second to none. The worlds and ships, plus the different hierarchies, are simple and clean to see. I didn't feel like the story lagged in any places; it definitely kept my attention from beginning to end.

This author is new-to-me but I will absolutely be keeping an eye out for future publications - especially if this does become a series. Definitely 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!
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2402 KP) rated Stardust Trail in Books

Aug 23, 2022 (Updated Aug 23, 2022)  
Stardust Trail
Stardust Trail
J. R. Sanders | 2020 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Searching for a Missing Writer
PI Nate Ross is a rarity in 1938 Hollywood – someone who lives in the LA area but isn’t that interested in the movie industry. Still, he’s willing to take on a case for one of the smaller studios. The writer of a picture they are hoping will propel them into a more respected part of the market has gone missing, and they need him for rewrites. As Nate begins investigating, he learns of other issues the film has been having, and soon he’s looking into the sabotage, too. Are the two things connected?

I bought this book when the author gave a talk at my local library a few months back. I’m glad I did. As always, I enjoyed the Hollywood setting, but I especially enjoyed the scenes that took Nate to the area I live. Granted, it has changed a lot since the time when the book was set. The story itself is strong with plenty of action to keep us engaged. I had a few things figured out, but I missed some other clues that Nate used to solve things. The characters are engaging, as well. This has the feel of a classic PI novel, so it has a bit more content than I would typically read. It also means that Nate’s sense of humor made me laugh as I was reading. Fortunately, I already have the sequel since I’m looking forward to visiting Nate again soon.