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Tell Me a Secret
Tell Me a Secret
Jane Fallon | 2019 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonist in this story is Holly, a woman in her forties, who got promoted in her job on a TV show. I really like that the author utilizes her knowledge of the film industry throughout her books. I really like reading about “behind the scenes” of film making. This story was a little different than the previous books I read, first of all, there is no man involved in this story, and secondly, it is told from a single (Holly’s) perspective. Even though a single perspective was sufficient to get into the novel, I always liked that Jane Fallon incorporated rivals thoughts as well.

I liked the way the author chose her characters, they were different, interesting and in a way, mysterious. I really liked that the reader can get to know them better throughout the book. Holly was a sweet character, sharing her life story as well as the present events, but she lacked the “revenge” spirit. There were so many juicy discoveries, but Holly didn’t use them, and that was a shame. I loved the twists and turns in this novel, the pages just fly by while reading this book. One thing that truly surprises me is the number of alcoholic drinks the characters consume. How can they even function after downing bottles of wine? The topic discussed in this book is “being a single mother when you get pregnant at a very young age”. Holly’s story is inspirational and I liked that the author outlined the difficulties it can bring.

As I mentioned before, Jane Fallon is a master of what she does, and she definitely knows how to keep a reader “glued” to her book. The language used is easy to understand and the decent chapter length made this novel a very enjoyable read. The ending rounded up the novel very nicely and left me satisfied with an outcome. So, to conclude, Jane Fallon always provides intriguing stories with clever and believable characters, and the plot is filled with office rivalry as well as unexpected discoveries. I really enjoyed this book, and I will definitely recommend it to everybody. Enjoy!
  
Free Birds (2013)
Free Birds (2013)
2013 | Animation, Comedy
7
5.1 (8 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A Fun Thanksgiving Flick
When asked to list films worth watching that have a Thanksgiving theme, the BankofMarquis likes to pull out a little animated gem that came and went pretty quickly in 2013 - FREE BIRDS - starring the voices of Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson as 2 turkeys that go back in time in an egg-shaped time machine named STEVE (voiced by George Takei - more on that later) to stop the first Thanksgiving. This film succeeds more than it doesn't.

The first full length animated feature film from REEL FX (one of only 2 they have put out thus far) FREE BIRDS suffers from that kiss of death - multiple writers revising the script over time. Directed by JImmy Hayward (HORTON HEARS A WHO), who is also credited with writing this film alongside long time Kevin Smith collaborator Scott Mosier,FREE BIRDS is actually a pretty fun film, despite the disjointedness of the plot.

Credit should go to the stellar voice cast, led by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson. They have tremendous chemistry together and are a fun pair to watch. Joining them is the always dependable Amy Poehler (who would shine as the voice of Joy years later in Pixar's INSIDE OUT). It was fun spending an hour and a half with these 3 - and the others in this cast: Colm Meaney, David Keith and Dan Fogler.

But, for me, the star of this film is Star Trek's George Takei as the voice of S.T.E.V.E (the egg-shaped time machine device). He understands what type of film he is in and delivers just the right blend of comedy and seriousness that helps elevate the proceedings. And that is good for, as I stated above, the plot is a bit disjointed, so I would recommend you just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

The critics panned this film, but it made over $110 million at the box office (more than doubling it's production cost), so many, many moviegoers had the same, fun experience that I did.

And...you will, too...if you give FREE BIRDS a try.

Letter Grade: B

7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
When Polly Met Olly
When Polly Met Olly
Zoe May | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've seen this book on Goodreads quite often with friends rating and reviewing it so when I saw it on Netgalley as a "Read Now" and with me looking for good chick-lit writers that I'm going to buy again and again, I thought I'd give this a try.

So we meet Polly--a British ex-pat--who is being interviewed for a job at a successful dating agency. It turns out that Polly isn't so good at the dating thing in real life though, as shown in these quotes:

"Didn't you send him a peach and aubergine emoji with a question mark and a winky face when you were drunk?"
"What about that guy you called Mike for four dates then it turned out his name was Matt."

She gets the job and, quite quickly, she's asked to check out a rival firm who is stealing some of their clients. So Polly goes to the other firm as a possible client and meets Olly, the owner. They seem to have an instant connection, a spark, but Olly turns a little cold and clinical towards the end of her interview. They meet by accident a few more times as Polly explores the area surrounding her new office. We don't see him all that often in the book until near the end, to be honest. She's too busy trying to find the perfect partner and setting up dates for her clients.

As the books name suggests, they do end up together but not before hitting a few bumps along the way. It's on a really slow burn and does come a little out of left field when they finally admit they have feelings for each other but after that, the happiness they feel when they're together was really cute.

I loved the camaraderie between Polly and her friend Gabe, he teases her terribly at times but I had to smile. And her friendship with her boss, too, was pretty cool. They made quite a good team at the whole dating agency thing.

I think this was quite enjoyable and will look out for further releases to see if they're as cute as this one was.
  
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