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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2084 KP) rated The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Carstairs sends Mrs. Pollifax off to meet a defecting Russian agent for her second case. However, soon her bodyguard is killed and she is in a race across Turkey to get herself and the agent out alive. Just as much danger, suspense, and fun as the first in the series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-amazing-mrs-pollifax-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/03/book-review-amazing-mrs-pollifax-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2084 KP) rated Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled (Mrs Pollifax #14) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Mrs. Pollifax and her friend Farrell are off to Syria to try to find out what happened to Amanda Pym, who vanished after stopping the hijackers of a plane diverted from Egypt. They are constantly being watched and much evade their followers before they can even make contact. With the thinnest of leads, can they find the missing young woman?
This is Mrs. Pollifax, so that means we are off on another wild and fun adventure. Set in the world of 2000, it’s interesting to read this take on the politics of the Middle East back then. The plot features a couple of familiar plot points, but I didn’t care since it was so fantastic to be enjoying another adventure with Mrs. Pollifax. Sadly, this is her last adventure, but I like to imagine she is still out there saving the day against overwhelming odds.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/11/book-review-mrs-pollifax-unveiled-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is Mrs. Pollifax, so that means we are off on another wild and fun adventure. Set in the world of 2000, it’s interesting to read this take on the politics of the Middle East back then. The plot features a couple of familiar plot points, but I didn’t care since it was so fantastic to be enjoying another adventure with Mrs. Pollifax. Sadly, this is her last adventure, but I like to imagine she is still out there saving the day against overwhelming odds.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/11/book-review-mrs-pollifax-unveiled-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated The Incredibles 2 (2018) in Movies
Jun 17, 2019
Incredibles 2: Groundhog day
Contains spoilers, click to show
Starting right from where the 1st movie left off, the incredibles quickly defeat the underminer and superheroes are cool again, or at least, welcome again)
With mrs incredible missing the superhero excitement, she its contacted by a mysterious person offering new adventures.
Bob is now a stay at home dad, whilst dash and violet continue to attend school....
Things quickly change when the mysterious client who hired mrs incredible is revealed as the evil genius....
To save a little time, this is the exact same plot at the first one, with mrs incredible in the driver's seat this Time around.
Same graphics, darker tone but with the fun bonus of the father/super baby shenanigans.
With mrs incredible missing the superhero excitement, she its contacted by a mysterious person offering new adventures.
Bob is now a stay at home dad, whilst dash and violet continue to attend school....
Things quickly change when the mysterious client who hired mrs incredible is revealed as the evil genius....
To save a little time, this is the exact same plot at the first one, with mrs incredible in the driver's seat this Time around.
Same graphics, darker tone but with the fun bonus of the father/super baby shenanigans.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2084 KP) rated The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs Pollifax #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Mrs. Pollifax is sent to Bulgaria with fake passports hidden in her new hat. But a chance encounter along the way makes things even more complicated then they already were. I actually enjoyed this book more than the first time I read it. Yes, it's improbably, but it is so much fun.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-elusive-mrs-pollifax-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-elusive-mrs-pollifax-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
<i>Mrs B</i> is a contemporary novel by lecturer and writer Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw. Whilst loosely based on Gustave Flaubert’s <i>Madame Bovary</i>, it is set in Trinidad and contains a number of themes. Beginning in June 2009 it spans the course of a year before finishing in July 2010.
The titular character <i>Mrs B</i> is a middle-aged woman named Mrs Elena Butcher who, due to dislike of her husband’s surname, is always referred to as Mrs B. At the beginning of the book Mrs B and her husband, Charles, are driving to the airport to collect their daughter, Ruthie, who has flown home from Boston University. It is revealed that Ruthie suffered a nervous breakdown a couple of months before hand, but what is yet to be discovered is that she is pregnant. Whilst in Boston, Ruthie had developed an intimate relationship with a man dubbed the Professor. Mrs B’s daughter was once her pride and joy but the result of Ruthie’s down fall begins to have a negative effect on Mrs B’s life and sours her relationships with those previously close to her, particularly her husband.
Pregnancy and romantic affairs are not the only themes of the novel. Trinidad is becoming a dangerous place with crimes, such as murders, becoming a daily occurrence. Politics plays its hand in these everyday occurrences, so it is not very reassuring when Mrs B’s ex-lover becomes involved with the government. However the events in Trinidad seem more normal than the emotions Mrs B feels within her own family.
The story line jumps around a lot from character to character and also from past to present. Whilst not exactly confusing it is difficult to understand what the actual plot line is. There was not much of climax and the reader does not really get a chance to connect with the characters and so the conclusion feels neither disappointing nor satisfactory.
For readers unfamiliar with the Caribbean and life in Trinidad this book is quite educational, providing descriptions of the culture and customs of the islands inhabitants. So despite the lack of a strong story line, Walcott-Hackshaw writes effectively to make this an interesting read.
<i>Mrs B</i> is a contemporary novel by lecturer and writer Elizabeth Walcott-Hackshaw. Whilst loosely based on Gustave Flaubert’s <i>Madame Bovary</i>, it is set in Trinidad and contains a number of themes. Beginning in June 2009 it spans the course of a year before finishing in July 2010.
The titular character <i>Mrs B</i> is a middle-aged woman named Mrs Elena Butcher who, due to dislike of her husband’s surname, is always referred to as Mrs B. At the beginning of the book Mrs B and her husband, Charles, are driving to the airport to collect their daughter, Ruthie, who has flown home from Boston University. It is revealed that Ruthie suffered a nervous breakdown a couple of months before hand, but what is yet to be discovered is that she is pregnant. Whilst in Boston, Ruthie had developed an intimate relationship with a man dubbed the Professor. Mrs B’s daughter was once her pride and joy but the result of Ruthie’s down fall begins to have a negative effect on Mrs B’s life and sours her relationships with those previously close to her, particularly her husband.
Pregnancy and romantic affairs are not the only themes of the novel. Trinidad is becoming a dangerous place with crimes, such as murders, becoming a daily occurrence. Politics plays its hand in these everyday occurrences, so it is not very reassuring when Mrs B’s ex-lover becomes involved with the government. However the events in Trinidad seem more normal than the emotions Mrs B feels within her own family.
The story line jumps around a lot from character to character and also from past to present. Whilst not exactly confusing it is difficult to understand what the actual plot line is. There was not much of climax and the reader does not really get a chance to connect with the characters and so the conclusion feels neither disappointing nor satisfactory.
For readers unfamiliar with the Caribbean and life in Trinidad this book is quite educational, providing descriptions of the culture and customs of the islands inhabitants. So despite the lack of a strong story line, Walcott-Hackshaw writes effectively to make this an interesting read.
Molly J (Cover To Cover Cafe) (106 KP) rated Fame (Firstborn, #1) in Books
Feb 25, 2019
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2084 KP) rated Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station (Mrs. Pollifax, #6) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Mrs. Pollifax heads to China to find out the location of a forced labor camp so the CIA can free a political prisoner. As much as I love the series, this is a disappointment. It reads more like a travelogue for too much of the book, which doesn't give the plot enough time when it is finally tries to go somewhere.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/05/book-review-mrs-pollifax-on-china.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/05/book-review-mrs-pollifax-on-china.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
David McK (3219 KP) rated Ava (2020) in Movies
Mar 14, 2021
Atomic Blonde? Mrs and Mrs Smith? The Long Kiss Goodnight? Not like any of them.
Over the last circa 5 years or so, I've noticed a growing trend of 'beautiful female assassin's' movie (think 'Atomic Blonde'. 'Anna'. 'Mr and Mrs Smith'. 'Red Sparrow').
While the poster for this 2020 production might lead you to think the same of this - as, indeed, did the inclusion of Geena Davis ('The Long Kiss Goodnight') in the cast list - this is actually a very different type of movie, more concerned with the lead character's family dysfunctions than with the action scenes (of which there are only a few).
Overall, I wasn't really that impressed with this - and I'd forgotten how annoying Colin Farrell was - and actually found myself 'tuning out' on more than one occasion.
While the poster for this 2020 production might lead you to think the same of this - as, indeed, did the inclusion of Geena Davis ('The Long Kiss Goodnight') in the cast list - this is actually a very different type of movie, more concerned with the lead character's family dysfunctions than with the action scenes (of which there are only a few).
Overall, I wasn't really that impressed with this - and I'd forgotten how annoying Colin Farrell was - and actually found myself 'tuning out' on more than one occasion.
hillarybillary (1 KP) rated The Marvelous Mrs Maisel in TV
Feb 1, 2018
Hilarious guilty pleasure! (1 more)
Binge worthy!
Mrs. Maisel lives up to her Marvelous-ness
Mrs. Maisel, with her foul mouth and vivid wardrobe, is the only reason you need for putting the kids to bed early. The show is comedic enough to lift your spirits, yet poignant when portraying the realities that women faced in her era. Definitely makes me appreciate how far we have come in reaching gender equality, and yet how far we still have to go. I can't wait for season 2!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2084 KP) rated A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax, #4) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Mrs. Pollifax is on her first investigative assignment when the CIA sends her to a resort in Switzerland to find the stolen plutonium. But suddenly, she finds herself on her own just hoping to figure everything out before the villain catches up with her. I loved this book just as much on the reread as I did the first time over a decade ago.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-palm-for-mrs-pollifax-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/04/book-review-palm-for-mrs-pollifax-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.