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Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Healing Love in Books
Feb 27, 2019
Where do I begin with this review? No words justify the amount of feels I felt with this book. It is absolutely an amazing read. From heartache and pain to smiles and hope, Ms. Slattery stitches together a novel that will not soon leave the reader's soul. You close the book and reflect on the story and the characters and their faith long into the night. It's forever in my heart, that's for sure!
I have never been on a mission trip but I know of people that have. They come home with stories that will leave you in tears, sometimes from happiness, sometimes from sadness. Ms. Slattery filled this book with such detail that you can't help but feel as if you, the reader,were right there in the center of the mission trip. Watching Brooke along side of Ubaldo really kept me hooked on the story. I loved both of their characters so much. I felt their emotions and their faith as if they were my own. When they came to terms with what God had in store for the two of them, together, I really felt it deep in my soul!
Ms. Slattery has taken on a wonderful theme for this book. Finding love in an unexpected place with an unexpected person, learning of that our plan isn't always His plans, and seeking redemption along the way, really makes for a fantabulous book! I can not simply give this incredibly moving novel a measly 5 star rating. It is beyond that. It is deserving of 5 thousand stars, if you want my opinion. This book, and all it has to offer, will suck you in, cacoon you into it's pages and leave you breathless and in awe of Ms. Slattery's work. Bravo, Jennifer Slattery! Bravo! <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/book-review-healing-love-by-jennifer-slattery/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
I have never been on a mission trip but I know of people that have. They come home with stories that will leave you in tears, sometimes from happiness, sometimes from sadness. Ms. Slattery filled this book with such detail that you can't help but feel as if you, the reader,were right there in the center of the mission trip. Watching Brooke along side of Ubaldo really kept me hooked on the story. I loved both of their characters so much. I felt their emotions and their faith as if they were my own. When they came to terms with what God had in store for the two of them, together, I really felt it deep in my soul!
Ms. Slattery has taken on a wonderful theme for this book. Finding love in an unexpected place with an unexpected person, learning of that our plan isn't always His plans, and seeking redemption along the way, really makes for a fantabulous book! I can not simply give this incredibly moving novel a measly 5 star rating. It is beyond that. It is deserving of 5 thousand stars, if you want my opinion. This book, and all it has to offer, will suck you in, cacoon you into it's pages and leave you breathless and in awe of Ms. Slattery's work. Bravo, Jennifer Slattery! Bravo! <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/book-review-healing-love-by-jennifer-slattery/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
Literally.Laura (1763 KP) rated Amazon Kindle in Apps
Jul 4, 2018 (Updated Jul 4, 2018)
Daily Use
I use this app almost daily. It is much more convenient for me to use an app on my phone than to carry around (and keep charged) a second device. I honestly can't think of anything I dislike about this app.
There are different background color options, different fonts (including a special font for dyslexia) and font size can be adjusted. You can adjust lighting within the app as well.
Each book includes a short preview and a promotional blurb. There are options to bookmark sections, highlight passages, and make notations. This can be very helpful for reviewing as well as for research. You can also search for specific change words or phrases within the book. This has been very helpful for me. The sync notes and progress among all apps/devices registered to the same account, so if you read a bit on your computer (say, at work) and then come home and use the app on your phone or pick up a Kindle device you do not have to search for where you left off. There is also a dictionary option. If you ever come across a word you don't recognize or understand, you can tap on the word and the dictionary entry will appear.
When you finish a title, there is a "before you go" section where you can update your progress on Goodreads, rate the title, learn a little about the author, and see similar books you may like.
There is a feature called "word runner" that is supposed to decrease eye strain and increase reading speed. Instead of moving your eyes along the page, word runner shows you one word at a time in the middle of the screen. The speed can be adjusted for this setting. I personally don't find that this helps me at all. In fact, I feel like reading flows better when I do NOT use this setting. However, it may be helpful for some people especially people who have difficulty concentrating.
There are different background color options, different fonts (including a special font for dyslexia) and font size can be adjusted. You can adjust lighting within the app as well.
Each book includes a short preview and a promotional blurb. There are options to bookmark sections, highlight passages, and make notations. This can be very helpful for reviewing as well as for research. You can also search for specific change words or phrases within the book. This has been very helpful for me. The sync notes and progress among all apps/devices registered to the same account, so if you read a bit on your computer (say, at work) and then come home and use the app on your phone or pick up a Kindle device you do not have to search for where you left off. There is also a dictionary option. If you ever come across a word you don't recognize or understand, you can tap on the word and the dictionary entry will appear.
When you finish a title, there is a "before you go" section where you can update your progress on Goodreads, rate the title, learn a little about the author, and see similar books you may like.
There is a feature called "word runner" that is supposed to decrease eye strain and increase reading speed. Instead of moving your eyes along the page, word runner shows you one word at a time in the middle of the screen. The speed can be adjusted for this setting. I personally don't find that this helps me at all. In fact, I feel like reading flows better when I do NOT use this setting. However, it may be helpful for some people especially people who have difficulty concentrating.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Paranormal Activity (2007) in Movies
Oct 28, 2019 (Updated Jan 27, 2020)
The Found-Footage Rebirth
After the huge sucess of the blair witch project, Paramount pitcures and blumhouse decided many years later to rebirth the found-footage movies. And this result was this and so many god damn sequels later.
Here's how confusing the timeline is and how many sequels this movie has...
The film is the first (chronologically, the third) entry in the Paranormal Activity film series. A parallel sequel and prequel, Paranormal Activity 2, was released in 2010. The success of the first two films would spawn additional films in the series: the prequel Paranormal Activity 3 in 2011, and Paranormal Activity 4 (the sequel to the second installment) in 2012. The fifth installment, The Marked Ones, was released in 2014, and the sixth installment, The Ghost Dimension, was released in 2015.
So really this is the third movie in the franchise, but it came out first, than a prequel/sequel with the 2nd one, than the prequel with the 3d one, than the sequel to the 2nd one which is actually the 4th movie. Makes any sense, no!!!!! Confusing fuck yes!!!!!
Anyways the plot: Soon after moving into a suburban tract home, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) become increasingly disturbed by what appears to be a supernatural presence. Hoping to capture evidence of it on film, they set up video cameras in the house but are not prepared for the terrifying events that follow.
Its very slow, its not that scary, nothing really happens, just people watching footage on a computer, repeat that couple of times, make sure who ever is holding the camera make it shake and out of focus. Also Cameras!!!!! So Many Cameras.
This movie was so overhyped and in the end that was its downfall. That and not being actaully really scary. Makes this film, really not good.
Lastly shout out to @Sarah for getting the hints/clues for this movie correct.
Here's how confusing the timeline is and how many sequels this movie has...
The film is the first (chronologically, the third) entry in the Paranormal Activity film series. A parallel sequel and prequel, Paranormal Activity 2, was released in 2010. The success of the first two films would spawn additional films in the series: the prequel Paranormal Activity 3 in 2011, and Paranormal Activity 4 (the sequel to the second installment) in 2012. The fifth installment, The Marked Ones, was released in 2014, and the sixth installment, The Ghost Dimension, was released in 2015.
So really this is the third movie in the franchise, but it came out first, than a prequel/sequel with the 2nd one, than the prequel with the 3d one, than the sequel to the 2nd one which is actually the 4th movie. Makes any sense, no!!!!! Confusing fuck yes!!!!!
Anyways the plot: Soon after moving into a suburban tract home, Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) become increasingly disturbed by what appears to be a supernatural presence. Hoping to capture evidence of it on film, they set up video cameras in the house but are not prepared for the terrifying events that follow.
Its very slow, its not that scary, nothing really happens, just people watching footage on a computer, repeat that couple of times, make sure who ever is holding the camera make it shake and out of focus. Also Cameras!!!!! So Many Cameras.
This movie was so overhyped and in the end that was its downfall. That and not being actaully really scary. Makes this film, really not good.
Lastly shout out to @Sarah for getting the hints/clues for this movie correct.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Winter Queen (Erast Fandorin #1) in Books
Nov 28, 2019
Erast Fandorin is a low level civil servant in nineteenth century Russia. An orphan with no real friends or prospects he has been assigned to the police department as a clerk simply because he has to be somewhere. But following a bizarre suicide Fandorin reveals that under his unassuming exterior is a keen mind and he soon uncovers sinister goings on both at home in Russia and abroad in London.
This is the first appearance of Akunin's master detective. Lacking the arrogance of either Holmes or Poirot but easily their equal in terms of deduction and intelligence he makes a good hero. Each of Akunin's novels is designed to represent a different type of novel and this is closest to spy novels with Fandorin spending much of his time going undercover to infiltrate a secret society or staking out and sneaking into houses. There are also plenty of physical scenes for the young hero to endure.
The plot is suitably obscure and opaque with each clue removing another layer and moving both the reader and Fandorin closer to finding out what is going on.
There is also fascinating detail of life in Tsarist Russia although as with any novel set during that time the seemingly endless Russian names - so hard to pronounce for my Anglophone brain - are sometimes a little overwhelming.
Special mention to the translator who does a fantastic job. Some Russion idioms are left intact for authenticity but others are rendered into English. This may have been originally written in Russian but it reads as if Akunin is a native English speaker.
This wasn't my first Fandorin novel and to be honest I'm not sure it's the best one to start with, despite it being the genesis of the character. To me the complexities of having to understand the Tsarist Russia (and the names) and the plot would be frustrating. But nevertheless a good and interesting read.
This is the first appearance of Akunin's master detective. Lacking the arrogance of either Holmes or Poirot but easily their equal in terms of deduction and intelligence he makes a good hero. Each of Akunin's novels is designed to represent a different type of novel and this is closest to spy novels with Fandorin spending much of his time going undercover to infiltrate a secret society or staking out and sneaking into houses. There are also plenty of physical scenes for the young hero to endure.
The plot is suitably obscure and opaque with each clue removing another layer and moving both the reader and Fandorin closer to finding out what is going on.
There is also fascinating detail of life in Tsarist Russia although as with any novel set during that time the seemingly endless Russian names - so hard to pronounce for my Anglophone brain - are sometimes a little overwhelming.
Special mention to the translator who does a fantastic job. Some Russion idioms are left intact for authenticity but others are rendered into English. This may have been originally written in Russian but it reads as if Akunin is a native English speaker.
This wasn't my first Fandorin novel and to be honest I'm not sure it's the best one to start with, despite it being the genesis of the character. To me the complexities of having to understand the Tsarist Russia (and the names) and the plot would be frustrating. But nevertheless a good and interesting read.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Gift (2015) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
The new film ‘The Gift’ will be the first movie released by the new company STX Entertainment.
It stars Jason Bateman as Simon, Joel Edgerton as Gordo, and Rebecca Hall as Robyn, Simons’ wife.
The story begins with Simon and Robyn just moving back to Los Angeles. He works in cyber security, and she is an interior designer trying to start her own business.
While out shopping for new home decor, Robyn is approached by a man she’s never seen, who says he is an old acquaintance of Simons.
Through a series of instances where Gordo delivers unasked for, and at least in Simons case, unwanted, gifts the story unravels into a twisty path of creepy stalking behavior with an undercurrent of as yet unrevealed plots for revenge.
While Robyn thinks that Gordo is just lonely and trying to make a friendly good impression, Simon insists that Gordo is ‘weird’ and that he has an ulterior motive due to his attraction to Robyn.
While not quite a ‘Fatal Attraction’ story as much as a ‘Revenge’ plot, this movie does keep you interested, invested and involved. It isn’t quite a ‘digging your nails into your palms’ kind of scary but more of a ‘what the HECK is he doing’, and ‘oh my gosh he can’t possibly be doing THAT’ story.
At least twice, the audience jumped and some of us yelped at at least one point.
The movie keeps you not quite sure who to feel most sorry for and not quite knowing who, if anyone, you are ‘rooting for’
The end is a twisted mess (in a good way) that had my jaw dropping and saying to myself ‘oh no no no no no no NO that’s not happening, it can’t be that way…..’, even though I had seen it coming.
I liked the movie and think people looking for a psychological thriller will really enjoy it.
I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.
It stars Jason Bateman as Simon, Joel Edgerton as Gordo, and Rebecca Hall as Robyn, Simons’ wife.
The story begins with Simon and Robyn just moving back to Los Angeles. He works in cyber security, and she is an interior designer trying to start her own business.
While out shopping for new home decor, Robyn is approached by a man she’s never seen, who says he is an old acquaintance of Simons.
Through a series of instances where Gordo delivers unasked for, and at least in Simons case, unwanted, gifts the story unravels into a twisty path of creepy stalking behavior with an undercurrent of as yet unrevealed plots for revenge.
While Robyn thinks that Gordo is just lonely and trying to make a friendly good impression, Simon insists that Gordo is ‘weird’ and that he has an ulterior motive due to his attraction to Robyn.
While not quite a ‘Fatal Attraction’ story as much as a ‘Revenge’ plot, this movie does keep you interested, invested and involved. It isn’t quite a ‘digging your nails into your palms’ kind of scary but more of a ‘what the HECK is he doing’, and ‘oh my gosh he can’t possibly be doing THAT’ story.
At least twice, the audience jumped and some of us yelped at at least one point.
The movie keeps you not quite sure who to feel most sorry for and not quite knowing who, if anyone, you are ‘rooting for’
The end is a twisted mess (in a good way) that had my jaw dropping and saying to myself ‘oh no no no no no no NO that’s not happening, it can’t be that way…..’, even though I had seen it coming.
I liked the movie and think people looking for a psychological thriller will really enjoy it.
I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.
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