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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2099 KP) rated The Diva Runs Out of Thyme (A Domestic Diva Mystery, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Sophie Winston is hosting Thanksgiving for her family and facing off against her high school rival, domestic diva Natasha Smith, in a stuffing contest. The last thing she needs is to find a dead body while out grocery shopping. Worse yet, the police think she is a suspect when they find her picture in the dead man’s car. What is happening?
I’ve heard lots of good about this series, and it is obviously well deserved. The large cast of characters are so well developed I never had a hard time keeping them straight. The plot starts out strongly, but it does get bogged down in the middle before reaching a wonderful climax. I’m certainly curious to see where Sophie goes from here.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/06/book-review-diva-runs-out-of-thyme-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I’ve heard lots of good about this series, and it is obviously well deserved. The large cast of characters are so well developed I never had a hard time keeping them straight. The plot starts out strongly, but it does get bogged down in the middle before reaching a wonderful climax. I’m certainly curious to see where Sophie goes from here.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/06/book-review-diva-runs-out-of-thyme-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Natural Law (Nature of Desire, #2) in Books
Jan 7, 2021
I'd like to thank Natasha Is a Book Junkie for recommending this book to her friends and followers.
I really enjoyed this. It was a really good BDSM/erotic romance book and I was captivated by it from early on, maybe even then first page. It kept me reading well into the night on the two days it took me to read it.
The characters were well developed and I liked both of them. Mac was the hard-arsed cop who never really let himself get totally into a relationship and Violet was the mysterious Dom who wanted to make him hers.
Add in the mystery of who was killing the male submissives and you get an erotic romance with splashes of suspense here and there.
I enjoyed their journey, both in the bedroom/cellars and out of it, and look forward to reading more from this author.
I really enjoyed this. It was a really good BDSM/erotic romance book and I was captivated by it from early on, maybe even then first page. It kept me reading well into the night on the two days it took me to read it.
The characters were well developed and I liked both of them. Mac was the hard-arsed cop who never really let himself get totally into a relationship and Violet was the mysterious Dom who wanted to make him hers.
Add in the mystery of who was killing the male submissives and you get an erotic romance with splashes of suspense here and there.
I enjoyed their journey, both in the bedroom/cellars and out of it, and look forward to reading more from this author.
This is a really well written, thought provoking, short read. It is the day in the life of an unnamed, black, female protagonist, and the racism and misogyny that she encounters constantly both at work and in the wider community. Even when she is offered a promotion, her work colleagues believe she has got the job because of the colour of her skin and her sex. The fact that she has had to work twice as hard as anyone else to get where she is, is ignored.
I can’t help but think that she’s not happy in her job or her relationship, and her cancer diagnosis is pushing these matters to the front of her mind.
There’s a lot of racism in this novel, and the effects of that on the main characters psyche. To be constantly thought of as “less than” must be frustrating, depressing and maddening.
I’ll be very interested to read what comes next from Natasha Brown.
I can’t help but think that she’s not happy in her job or her relationship, and her cancer diagnosis is pushing these matters to the front of her mind.
There’s a lot of racism in this novel, and the effects of that on the main characters psyche. To be constantly thought of as “less than” must be frustrating, depressing and maddening.
I’ll be very interested to read what comes next from Natasha Brown.
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Sleeping with Other People (2015) in Movies
Nov 2, 2019
Old Movie Revisited: Sleeping with Other People. Yea most rom coms suck balls, but this one did not. It's an IFC production so that might explain some of it. I dunno, a good cast might help a tad too. First and foremost it stars Alison Brie, and fuckin A, she is hott! Also stars Jason Sudeikis, Amanda Peet, Jason Mantzoukas, Andrea Savage, Adam Scott, and a bunch of smaller pop ins from a bunch of todays funny people: Adam Brody, Billy Eichner, Natasha Lyonne, but anyways...Sudeikis and Brie play friends who a long time ago at college they lost their virginity to each other, and seperated ways and only bumped into each other years later at a sex addicts meeting. And so its about them finding friendship and not falling into bed together, and this is a rom com so you can see the ending a million miles away, but it's the journey that counts...and this journey includes Alison Brie being scantily clad, several times, so for that alone its worth it. Go ahead watch it!
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Sun Is Also A Star (2019) in Movies
Jun 20, 2020
At some point I may get bored of YA adaptations that throw two young people together with a bit of adversity. I'm not saying that this wasn't good but there are other typed of YA books out there that could be done.
After years living in the US, Natasha and her family are a day away from being deported back to Jamaica. She's determined to find a way to have them stay so instead of packing she's off to make one last attempt to stay in the city she loves.
Daniel is about to have the biggest interview of his life, his whole future is resting on it, but he throws all thoughts of it aside when he sees Natasha looking up in a crowd of people ignoring the world. She's a beautiful anomaly in his life and he needs to find her no matter the consequences.
Circumstances bring the two together and Daniel manages to convince her that even an hour with him could change their lives forever.
When I write it down like that the story doesn't sound quite so... magical? Man sees attractive young woman and attempts to stalk her... yeah, slightly creepy, but thankfully the film doesn't feel like that.
Nicola Yoon is two for two with her novels (the first being Everything, Everything) and we've got another lovely film in The Sun Is Also A Star. Of course it's yet another book I haven't read, if only there were a few more hours of leisure time in our lives.
Thinking back on this I find the timeline for the film a little confusing, which is strange considering you know that the majority happens over the space of two days. Perhaps it's because it's a little far fetched, perhaps it's also because they're constantly going from place to place and it seems like more than just a day's worth of activity.
Natasha is played by Yara Shahidi, the only thing I know her from recently is Black-ish, which I love. I had reservations about this casting, actors going from long-running shows into films doesn't always end well, partly because of the different acting style needed and partly from my side and being very familiar with their character. I shouldn't have worried, she does a great job with this role, and it's nice to see a character that doesn't have a typical backstory.
The same can be said for Daniel, played by Riverdale's Charles Melton. Watching his struggle with the path of his life is really interesting and I liked the small flashback to where everything was decided. If we ignore the creepiness of the couple's meeting then Daniel is a nice down to earth character and Melton strikes a nice balance between his home life and his actual life around people he knows.
Together they make a captivating couple on screen, and I like how they're each other's support even though they don't know that much about each other. They have great chemistry and that definitely boosted the enjoyment of the film.
I hardly made any notes when watching this, those that I did were about the nice use of voiceovers (that sounded very much like nature documentary), some good songs at the beginning, and then the intriguing and nice way they ended it. It's an enjoyable watch but I think it's come at the wrong end of the YA adaptation trend, everything is very similar despite having some individual charm.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-sun-is-also-star-movie-review.html
After years living in the US, Natasha and her family are a day away from being deported back to Jamaica. She's determined to find a way to have them stay so instead of packing she's off to make one last attempt to stay in the city she loves.
Daniel is about to have the biggest interview of his life, his whole future is resting on it, but he throws all thoughts of it aside when he sees Natasha looking up in a crowd of people ignoring the world. She's a beautiful anomaly in his life and he needs to find her no matter the consequences.
Circumstances bring the two together and Daniel manages to convince her that even an hour with him could change their lives forever.
When I write it down like that the story doesn't sound quite so... magical? Man sees attractive young woman and attempts to stalk her... yeah, slightly creepy, but thankfully the film doesn't feel like that.
Nicola Yoon is two for two with her novels (the first being Everything, Everything) and we've got another lovely film in The Sun Is Also A Star. Of course it's yet another book I haven't read, if only there were a few more hours of leisure time in our lives.
Thinking back on this I find the timeline for the film a little confusing, which is strange considering you know that the majority happens over the space of two days. Perhaps it's because it's a little far fetched, perhaps it's also because they're constantly going from place to place and it seems like more than just a day's worth of activity.
Natasha is played by Yara Shahidi, the only thing I know her from recently is Black-ish, which I love. I had reservations about this casting, actors going from long-running shows into films doesn't always end well, partly because of the different acting style needed and partly from my side and being very familiar with their character. I shouldn't have worried, she does a great job with this role, and it's nice to see a character that doesn't have a typical backstory.
The same can be said for Daniel, played by Riverdale's Charles Melton. Watching his struggle with the path of his life is really interesting and I liked the small flashback to where everything was decided. If we ignore the creepiness of the couple's meeting then Daniel is a nice down to earth character and Melton strikes a nice balance between his home life and his actual life around people he knows.
Together they make a captivating couple on screen, and I like how they're each other's support even though they don't know that much about each other. They have great chemistry and that definitely boosted the enjoyment of the film.
I hardly made any notes when watching this, those that I did were about the nice use of voiceovers (that sounded very much like nature documentary), some good songs at the beginning, and then the intriguing and nice way they ended it. It's an enjoyable watch but I think it's come at the wrong end of the YA adaptation trend, everything is very similar despite having some individual charm.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-sun-is-also-star-movie-review.html
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Species (1995) in Movies
Sep 18, 2020
Ahh Species. A film I loved to watch when I was a young teen for...research purposes...
It's a bit rubbish really though isn't it? Watching it again now, it's pretty much a bunch of characters talking their way through a manhunt, strung together by regular moments of nudity.
It's suitably corny, boasts some terrible CGI (effects that may have been good back in the 90s, I honestly don't really remember) but in spite of all this, it's still pretty entertaining.
It's cast boasts the likes of Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Marg Helgenberger, Forest Whitaker, Michael Madsen, even a young Michelle Williams...it's pretty stacked. Natasha Henstridge of course plays the creature, and gives the role a sense of empowerment rather than exploitation.
The rubber suit aesthetic of the alien is pretty awesome (in the parts where it's not haunting CGI) and it has a pretty decent music score.
I fully see why a lot of people consider Species to be trashy, but honestly, it's a fun slice of 90s (as fuck) sci-fi horror. Enjoy it for what it is and just pretend the sequels don't exist.
It's a bit rubbish really though isn't it? Watching it again now, it's pretty much a bunch of characters talking their way through a manhunt, strung together by regular moments of nudity.
It's suitably corny, boasts some terrible CGI (effects that may have been good back in the 90s, I honestly don't really remember) but in spite of all this, it's still pretty entertaining.
It's cast boasts the likes of Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, Marg Helgenberger, Forest Whitaker, Michael Madsen, even a young Michelle Williams...it's pretty stacked. Natasha Henstridge of course plays the creature, and gives the role a sense of empowerment rather than exploitation.
The rubber suit aesthetic of the alien is pretty awesome (in the parts where it's not haunting CGI) and it has a pretty decent music score.
I fully see why a lot of people consider Species to be trashy, but honestly, it's a fun slice of 90s (as fuck) sci-fi horror. Enjoy it for what it is and just pretend the sequels don't exist.
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Awake in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
Well, <i>Awake</i> is <b>completely different from <i>The Cellar</i>.</b>
(Once upon a time, I was bored at Walmart and <i>The Cellar</i> seemed interesting compared to all the "millions" of <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i> and <i>Divergent</i> and the like. Oh, and there has to be something about Natasha Preston if a publisher swooped up her book from Wattpad, right?)
It's no brainer that Natasha Preston writes about the <b>dark parts of human nature that make you shiver and shudder in fear</b> – it's shown in the third I read in <i>The Cellar</i> (I did buy a copy on Amazon later) and the sick beliefs of Eternal Light in her newest novel. From reading <i>Awake</i>,<b> there's obviously something in Preston's writing that I liked, but <i>Awake</i> seems to be a bit of a downfall compared to <i>The Cellar</i>.</b>
In the process of trying to decide if <i>Awake</i> should get a good rating or not, I literally had to check my notes multiple times, reread a few passages to make sure I'm not making a whopping mistake by letting <i>Awake</i> fall in this ever-growing land called "The Grey Area" that books fall into more often than not.
But in the long run, <b><i>Awake</i>, unfortunately, falls in that ever-growing land that will probably be forgotten within the next year.</b> Let's get into whole detail shenanigans.
The romance. I have a <b>few choice words about Scarlett's relationship with Noah.
</b>
<ol>
<li>Noah makes his entrance in the book by staring unnervingly at Scarlett. <b>How in the world is Scarlett not disturbed?</b> She MAY be a little uncomfortable, but cheeks turning pinky pink is NOT exactly uncomfortable.</li>
<li><b>Noah's first day with Scarlett: yip, yip, yip – all about learning Scarlett. I'm a little perplexed as to how she's not a little creeped out</b> by the whole interrogation-like questions that I imagine Noah to be asking. Doesn't it raise a red flag?</li>
<li>How long were they together? I mean, it may seem a little longer than actuality, but in rereading some parts.... <b>they've probably been together for probably a month or two before they got close together. And I mean <i>really, really</i> close together.</b> I won't be surprised if it's just a few weeks.</li>
<li>Scarlett's kind of <b>obsessed with Noah from the get-go.</b> Over a hundred texts exchanged in the week they met, nonstop thinking about Noah, yada yada.</li>
</ol>
<blockquote>I slapped it, earning a glare from the guy I couldn't seem to get out of my head.</blockquote>
The romance doesn't overshadow the plot – I probably wouldn't have noticed how fast their relationship was going if I didn't make a really random note at a really random place that later raised a flag.
<i>Awake</i> is a little slow – <b>definitely slower than <i>The Cellar</i></b> – in the whole development. Preston <b>takes time to build up and uses Scarlett's and Noah's relationship as a filler,</b> among Scarlett questioning a four-year gap of memories missing and Noah beginning to question Eternal Light's values. <b>It's not a book that'll make me rage, but it's not a book I'll praise either.</b>
Hence, Gray Area Book.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-awake-by-natasha-preston/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Well, <i>Awake</i> is <b>completely different from <i>The Cellar</i>.</b>
(Once upon a time, I was bored at Walmart and <i>The Cellar</i> seemed interesting compared to all the "millions" of <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i> and <i>Divergent</i> and the like. Oh, and there has to be something about Natasha Preston if a publisher swooped up her book from Wattpad, right?)
It's no brainer that Natasha Preston writes about the <b>dark parts of human nature that make you shiver and shudder in fear</b> – it's shown in the third I read in <i>The Cellar</i> (I did buy a copy on Amazon later) and the sick beliefs of Eternal Light in her newest novel. From reading <i>Awake</i>,<b> there's obviously something in Preston's writing that I liked, but <i>Awake</i> seems to be a bit of a downfall compared to <i>The Cellar</i>.</b>
In the process of trying to decide if <i>Awake</i> should get a good rating or not, I literally had to check my notes multiple times, reread a few passages to make sure I'm not making a whopping mistake by letting <i>Awake</i> fall in this ever-growing land called "The Grey Area" that books fall into more often than not.
But in the long run, <b><i>Awake</i>, unfortunately, falls in that ever-growing land that will probably be forgotten within the next year.</b> Let's get into whole detail shenanigans.
The romance. I have a <b>few choice words about Scarlett's relationship with Noah.
</b>
<ol>
<li>Noah makes his entrance in the book by staring unnervingly at Scarlett. <b>How in the world is Scarlett not disturbed?</b> She MAY be a little uncomfortable, but cheeks turning pinky pink is NOT exactly uncomfortable.</li>
<li><b>Noah's first day with Scarlett: yip, yip, yip – all about learning Scarlett. I'm a little perplexed as to how she's not a little creeped out</b> by the whole interrogation-like questions that I imagine Noah to be asking. Doesn't it raise a red flag?</li>
<li>How long were they together? I mean, it may seem a little longer than actuality, but in rereading some parts.... <b>they've probably been together for probably a month or two before they got close together. And I mean <i>really, really</i> close together.</b> I won't be surprised if it's just a few weeks.</li>
<li>Scarlett's kind of <b>obsessed with Noah from the get-go.</b> Over a hundred texts exchanged in the week they met, nonstop thinking about Noah, yada yada.</li>
</ol>
<blockquote>I slapped it, earning a glare from the guy I couldn't seem to get out of my head.</blockquote>
The romance doesn't overshadow the plot – I probably wouldn't have noticed how fast their relationship was going if I didn't make a really random note at a really random place that later raised a flag.
<i>Awake</i> is a little slow – <b>definitely slower than <i>The Cellar</i></b> – in the whole development. Preston <b>takes time to build up and uses Scarlett's and Noah's relationship as a filler,</b> among Scarlett questioning a four-year gap of memories missing and Noah beginning to question Eternal Light's values. <b>It's not a book that'll make me rage, but it's not a book I'll praise either.</b>
Hence, Gray Area Book.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-awake-by-natasha-preston/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
AJaneClark (3962 KP) rated The Sun is Also a Star in Books
Feb 20, 2021
What a difference a day makes...
Though not quite a the norm for me when choosing books, I read the blurb for this book and knew I had to read it, and I was not at all disappointed. The cover is also quite beautiful and eye-catching.
The Sun is Also a Star is a heart-warming and emotional journey of two very different individuals, a chance meeting and a series of events. It took me on a mini rollercoaster ride, stunning me with the amount of things that can happen in a period of 24 hours. Its the age old story of love Vs. science and how all our actions have consequences, no matter how insignificant we believe them to be. Not to forget how one's interactions and words can change the course of action for someone else's life and in some ways save them from their own fates.
I enjoyed the back and forth style story telling, focusing on the POVs of Daniel and Natasha whilst also weaving in some additional characters we meet in passing. I found it to be a refreshing and delightful way of novel writing.
In a time of such global sadness, this book allowed me a ray of light.
The Sun is Also a Star is a heart-warming and emotional journey of two very different individuals, a chance meeting and a series of events. It took me on a mini rollercoaster ride, stunning me with the amount of things that can happen in a period of 24 hours. Its the age old story of love Vs. science and how all our actions have consequences, no matter how insignificant we believe them to be. Not to forget how one's interactions and words can change the course of action for someone else's life and in some ways save them from their own fates.
I enjoyed the back and forth style story telling, focusing on the POVs of Daniel and Natasha whilst also weaving in some additional characters we meet in passing. I found it to be a refreshing and delightful way of novel writing.
In a time of such global sadness, this book allowed me a ray of light.
David McK (3248 KP) rated Black Widow (2021) in Movies
Aug 8, 2021
The first Marvel movie out of the stables since the start of the Worldwide Covid-19 pandemic; I believe this was originally to be released before the likes of even WandaVision (shown on Disney+).
This was alos released concurrently on Disney+ (behind a paywall) and in the cinema: indeed, this is the very reason for ScarJo's lawsuit against Disney (she says she was told it would be theatres first, then Disney+ and that she only gets a percentage of box office takings).
Anyway, all that aside: this is actually set pre-snap; the majority of it back just after the events of 'Captain America: Civil War' (and thus before 'Avengers: Infinty War'), with Natasha on the run from the US government having broken the Sokovia Accords. It's not long, however, before she receives a package from a previous safe-house (Budapest. Yes, the Budapest mentioned before with Hawkeye: 'remember Budapest?') that leads her into a further adventure, this time involving her surrogate 'family' from when she was undercover in America as a kid in the mid 1990s.
Her 'dad' (David Harbour) 'Red Guardian' steals the show, while Florence Pugh (as her younger 'sister') and Rachel Weisz (as her 'mum') also provide sterling back-up.
Plenty of action, but the film does, perhaps, fall into the common Marvel trap of having a CGI-heavy ending ...
This was alos released concurrently on Disney+ (behind a paywall) and in the cinema: indeed, this is the very reason for ScarJo's lawsuit against Disney (she says she was told it would be theatres first, then Disney+ and that she only gets a percentage of box office takings).
Anyway, all that aside: this is actually set pre-snap; the majority of it back just after the events of 'Captain America: Civil War' (and thus before 'Avengers: Infinty War'), with Natasha on the run from the US government having broken the Sokovia Accords. It's not long, however, before she receives a package from a previous safe-house (Budapest. Yes, the Budapest mentioned before with Hawkeye: 'remember Budapest?') that leads her into a further adventure, this time involving her surrogate 'family' from when she was undercover in America as a kid in the mid 1990s.
Her 'dad' (David Harbour) 'Red Guardian' steals the show, while Florence Pugh (as her younger 'sister') and Rachel Weisz (as her 'mum') also provide sterling back-up.
Plenty of action, but the film does, perhaps, fall into the common Marvel trap of having a CGI-heavy ending ...
