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Forged in Fire (Destiny's Crucible #4)
10.0
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Book
To forge: “Make or shape an object by heating in a fire or furnace and hammering.”—Oxford...
Promise Not to Tell
8.2
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Book
A broken promise reveals a terrifying legacy in this electrifying novel from the New York Times...
suspense
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2200 KP) rated Knits, Knots, and Knives in Books
Dec 8, 2022
Can Lia Knit Together the Clues from Another Knotty Murder?
Lia Geiger’s normal weekend craft fair is looking a bit different thanks to a Civil War reenactment taking place on the property. She’s looking forward to it, although she quickly learns that there has been a recent power struggle in the group of reenactors. When the smoke on the battle clears, the dead body of Arden Sprouse is discovered. He was the one most responsible for the conflicts in the group. Unfortunately, suspicion has fallen on Lia’s neighbor. Can she figure out what really happened during the battle?
I’ve enjoyed this series because I really like Lia and her immediate family and friends. She is a little older than a typical cozy sleuth, which I appreciate. Her relationship with her daughter is a highlight as well. While the suspects are all strong, I wish we’d had more of a reintroduction to the minor characters who populate Lia’s world. The plot is good. I do wish we had gotten shorter clue recaps, but there were several good twists along the way to the logical climax. I also enjoyed some solid sub-plots. The reenactment combined well with the crafting theme. Those who have been enjoying this series will be pleased with the latest entry.
I’ve enjoyed this series because I really like Lia and her immediate family and friends. She is a little older than a typical cozy sleuth, which I appreciate. Her relationship with her daughter is a highlight as well. While the suspects are all strong, I wish we’d had more of a reintroduction to the minor characters who populate Lia’s world. The plot is good. I do wish we had gotten shorter clue recaps, but there were several good twists along the way to the logical climax. I also enjoyed some solid sub-plots. The reenactment combined well with the crafting theme. Those who have been enjoying this series will be pleased with the latest entry.
Dreams Never Seen (Gen-Heirs World: Bella and the Beast Master #3)
10.0
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Book
Having spent an entire winter apart, Bella and Markus want nothing more than a few private moments...
Paranormal Romance
Blackout Trail
Book
When the world goes dark, a doctor embarks on a perilous journey. Doctor Anna Hastings is no...
Post Apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller
Darren (1599 KP) rated Mary Queen of Scots (2018) in Movies
Jan 12, 2020
Verdict: Beautifully Shot
Story: Mary Queen of Scots starts as Queen Mary (Ronan) returns to Scotland a widow, her presence in Britain as put Queen Elizabeth (Robbie) position of Queen of England under pressure, as Mary has a rightful claim to the throne.
Mary does want to create peace, asking for one simply thing, to be the heir to the throne, while Elizabeth isn’t willing to accept this demand unless Mary marries an English nobleman, with her choice being Robert Dudley (Alwyn), while Mary falls for Henry Darnley (Lowden). As the tensions between the two queens rises, a potential war starts brewing for control of Britain.
Thoughts on Mary Queen of Scots
Characters – Queen Mary has returned from France after the death of her husband, she takes her place as Queen of Scotland looking to rebuild a nation, she wants to keep the peace between the two nations with her sister Queen Elizabeth, she wants to put her own place as heir on the line, believing she will get the chance if Elizabeth doesn’t have children. She has her own marriage with an English man, the one not selected for her and is always finding herself controlled by the actions of men, despite wanting to find her position of power. Queen Elizabeth is worried that Mary will put them into a war, she wants to stop the threat sooner, though her demands are simply, marry an English noble man and the two can live in harmony. We do know Elizabeth tendencies from history, though we also see how she is being controlled by the men around her, just like Mary. When it comes to the men we meet, we see countless noble men that are trying to put their own name of power into position so they could one day control their country, none of them want what is best for either Queen.
Performances – Saoirse Ronan is incredible in the leading role showing that she is a major talent in the industry who can step into any role, while Margot Robbie shines in the supporting role, never looking out of place in her role in the film. Everyone else is strong through the film, letting both the two leading ladies shine the most.
Story – The story here follows Mary Queen of Scots who returned to Scotland looking to unite the two countries with her sister Queen Elizabeth ruling England, while the people around them, always try to stop the two working things out. This is a story based on history, it shows how leaders will try to create peace, only for people around them never wanting to let this happen, it showed how Queen might have power, but they didn’t have control however much they tried to get their ideas through. It shows how in a by gone age, people would look down on a woman in power, believing they had duties to produce babies and heirs rather than actually rule the land. We do focus more on the struggle of Queen Mary and how she tried to always do the right thing and the downs that came her way.
Biopic – The biopic side of this film plays into the history of the two Queen of Britain who both tried to do the right thing to help bring people together and never were given the control.
Settings – The settings look beautiful for each shot, with the sets look stunning, while the outdoor locations are breath taking.
Scene of the Movie – The meeting between the two.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We could have seen more from the Elizabeth side of the story.
Final Thoughts – This is a beautifully shot movie that tells a huge moment in history that showed that the women in power never got the power they were meant to have.
Overall: Important Historical Drama.
Story: Mary Queen of Scots starts as Queen Mary (Ronan) returns to Scotland a widow, her presence in Britain as put Queen Elizabeth (Robbie) position of Queen of England under pressure, as Mary has a rightful claim to the throne.
Mary does want to create peace, asking for one simply thing, to be the heir to the throne, while Elizabeth isn’t willing to accept this demand unless Mary marries an English nobleman, with her choice being Robert Dudley (Alwyn), while Mary falls for Henry Darnley (Lowden). As the tensions between the two queens rises, a potential war starts brewing for control of Britain.
Thoughts on Mary Queen of Scots
Characters – Queen Mary has returned from France after the death of her husband, she takes her place as Queen of Scotland looking to rebuild a nation, she wants to keep the peace between the two nations with her sister Queen Elizabeth, she wants to put her own place as heir on the line, believing she will get the chance if Elizabeth doesn’t have children. She has her own marriage with an English man, the one not selected for her and is always finding herself controlled by the actions of men, despite wanting to find her position of power. Queen Elizabeth is worried that Mary will put them into a war, she wants to stop the threat sooner, though her demands are simply, marry an English noble man and the two can live in harmony. We do know Elizabeth tendencies from history, though we also see how she is being controlled by the men around her, just like Mary. When it comes to the men we meet, we see countless noble men that are trying to put their own name of power into position so they could one day control their country, none of them want what is best for either Queen.
Performances – Saoirse Ronan is incredible in the leading role showing that she is a major talent in the industry who can step into any role, while Margot Robbie shines in the supporting role, never looking out of place in her role in the film. Everyone else is strong through the film, letting both the two leading ladies shine the most.
Story – The story here follows Mary Queen of Scots who returned to Scotland looking to unite the two countries with her sister Queen Elizabeth ruling England, while the people around them, always try to stop the two working things out. This is a story based on history, it shows how leaders will try to create peace, only for people around them never wanting to let this happen, it showed how Queen might have power, but they didn’t have control however much they tried to get their ideas through. It shows how in a by gone age, people would look down on a woman in power, believing they had duties to produce babies and heirs rather than actually rule the land. We do focus more on the struggle of Queen Mary and how she tried to always do the right thing and the downs that came her way.
Biopic – The biopic side of this film plays into the history of the two Queen of Britain who both tried to do the right thing to help bring people together and never were given the control.
Settings – The settings look beautiful for each shot, with the sets look stunning, while the outdoor locations are breath taking.
Scene of the Movie – The meeting between the two.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – We could have seen more from the Elizabeth side of the story.
Final Thoughts – This is a beautifully shot movie that tells a huge moment in history that showed that the women in power never got the power they were meant to have.
Overall: Important Historical Drama.
I Knew Hitler: The Lost Testimony by a Survivor from the Night of the Long Knives
Bob Carruthers and Kurt G. W. Ludecke
Book
First published in 1938 "I Knew Hitler" is the missing link in the literary trail which traces the...
The Last Ballad
Book
The author of the celebrated bestseller A Land More Kind Than Home returns with this eagerly awaited...
Historical fiction
Jarom Solar Norris (177 KP) rated Green Book (2018) in Movies
Nov 9, 2018 (Updated Feb 13, 2019)
Green Book was an interesting movie. The story of two men from completely different cultures coming together and teaching each other on a long road trip was fun all by itself. Add on top of it the stories of race: the uneducated white man getting more respect than the talented black man, the white man fitting into black places while the black man is rejected from white ones, and the white man’s struggle to comprehend black discrimination. There’s some power behind seeing a talented, educated man be personally invited and praised by the wealthy and elite and invited into their homes, and then be told he can’t use their bathroom due to the color of his skin.
My problems with this movie are also related: I feel like it focuses too much on the white man’s story and perspective of the black man’s struggles. Which, while it has its merits, still kind of feels like it misses a point. The fact that Viggo Mortensen gets nominated for “Lead Role” awards in a movie about a black man’s problems while Mahershala Ali gets “Supporting Role” feels wrong somehow, but that’s how the story was told. Still, overall the movie is fun to watch, both actors are amazing, and it makes you think and feel and hopefully makes you aware of discrimination, both historically and modernly.
My problems with this movie are also related: I feel like it focuses too much on the white man’s story and perspective of the black man’s struggles. Which, while it has its merits, still kind of feels like it misses a point. The fact that Viggo Mortensen gets nominated for “Lead Role” awards in a movie about a black man’s problems while Mahershala Ali gets “Supporting Role” feels wrong somehow, but that’s how the story was told. Still, overall the movie is fun to watch, both actors are amazing, and it makes you think and feel and hopefully makes you aware of discrimination, both historically and modernly.
Trackie (153 KP) rated Bumblebee (2018) in Movies
Jan 19, 2019
Everything (3 more)
Just as good if not better the more you watch it.
Amazing Graphics
The transformation scenes
BumbleBee
This film is a complete reboot, a revolution in the Transformer cinematic world. Wow, this is the start of something special. It has a formula that could be repeated time and time again with other Transformer's characters building up to an enormous film on the scale of Avengers. Wow would ever of thought that Transformers would be on par with Avengers.
The more you watch it, the better it gets.
It has everything you could want! Action, loss, struggle, conflict, evil, and bright-shining goodness that will leave a deep impression on your soul.
It displays a friendship that will rip your heart out! Honestly, I cried several times during the movie because the relationship between the girl and the Transformer was so touching. It was just SO touching and heart-warming that it will leave you feeling good all over!
The Decepticons were believably menacing–even evoking emotions similar to the Terminator movies. They were dangerous beings. But they weren't two-dimensional villains. They had personality, motive, and intelligence.
The action scenes were excellent! Bumblebee demonstrates the power of well-placed action in a well-paced storyline.
I just can't say enough! Well done!! See this movie several times! I'm telling you, you won't regret it.
The more you watch it, the better it gets.
It has everything you could want! Action, loss, struggle, conflict, evil, and bright-shining goodness that will leave a deep impression on your soul.
It displays a friendship that will rip your heart out! Honestly, I cried several times during the movie because the relationship between the girl and the Transformer was so touching. It was just SO touching and heart-warming that it will leave you feeling good all over!
The Decepticons were believably menacing–even evoking emotions similar to the Terminator movies. They were dangerous beings. But they weren't two-dimensional villains. They had personality, motive, and intelligence.
The action scenes were excellent! Bumblebee demonstrates the power of well-placed action in a well-paced storyline.
I just can't say enough! Well done!! See this movie several times! I'm telling you, you won't regret it.