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Merissa (13010 KP) rated A Late Summer Night's Dream in Books

Feb 14, 2019

A Late Summer Night's Dream by Eleanor Harkstead & Catherine Curzon

A Late Summer Night's Dream is the delightful story of a young man working on his P.H.D., who has a mix up with his seat at the theatre. What could have been an embarrassing evening turns into a night full of laughter and flirtation.

This is a genteel book, with an old-fashioned style of writing that perfectly fits this story. There is an age gap physically, but mentally and emotionally, these two are the perfect fit for each other. This is only a short book, but the pacing is spot on for it, not feeling rushed at all. The descriptions for Oxford will make many a person want to visit there.

With characters that are instantly recognisable, this is a heartwarming story I have no hesitation in recommending.

* 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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Billie Wichkan (118 KP) rated Keep Her Close: The compulsive new crime thriller you need to read this year in Books

Mar 15, 2019

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon UK for this ARC.

M.J. Ford is back with a gripping new thriller, the events in this book follow on from what happened in Hold My Hand 6 months later.
As young college students go missing from different colleges in Oxford, Josie fights with her superiors as to the motives behind the disappearances. Only she sees that there is a deadly pattern to the disappearances and she is the link that they are all missing.

I loved this book and had it devoured in 1 day as I just couldn't put it down. The plot is well developed as are the characters. This is to me a fast paced thriller which kept me hanging and guessing all the way to the end.
The development of the mastermind behind it all was tremendous. There are side plots to this story which are so cleverly done to keep you guessing and gripped.
I would give more than 5 stars if possible and look forward to more from this author!

Kudos

Awix (3310 KP) rated A Chump at Oxford (1940) in Movies

Mar 24, 2019 (Updated Mar 24, 2019)

Disjointed L&H slapstick comedy, one of their last films for Hal Roach. Originally made as a 40-minute 'streamlined feature' and was extended to 62 minutes by the addition of an opening section which is a tidied-up remake of their 1928 short From Soup to Nuts; naturally, this has no connection with the rest of the story. Stan and Ollie try their hands at catering (badly), stop a robbery (accidentally) and as a reward are sent to Oxford University to better themselves. They antagonise the local students which leads to some surprising revelations as to Stan's past.

The individual sections are not too bad, but the episodic nature of the film means it feels longer than an hour; there are some good bits, but also a sense of the boys having run out of ideas and either repeating themselves or trying too hard. Spotting Peter Cushing (this is possibly the best-known of the films he made while in Hollywood for a couple of years as a young man) adds to the fun, though.