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After breaking her arm in a circus accident, Ophelia Flax finds herself in a fancy hospital in Switzerland. Another patient there, Imogen Melchor, has been asleep for 8 days. Her parents claim it is related to the Sleeping Beauty legend, which is strong in the area. Meanwhile, Professor Gabriel Penrose is in the area, officially to track down local legends, but really in hopes of finding Ophelia again. Will he succeed? What happened to Imogen?
This is a novella written specifically to wrap up loose ends after the series was canceled. As a result, it will appeal most to series fans. With only 100 pages to work with, the story is fast paces with something always happening to move it forward. The new characters are a bit short changed, but Ophelia and Gabriel are strong, and the plot kept me guessing until the end.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-sleeping-beauty-borrowed.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
This is a novella written specifically to wrap up loose ends after the series was canceled. As a result, it will appeal most to series fans. With only 100 pages to work with, the story is fast paces with something always happening to move it forward. The new characters are a bit short changed, but Ophelia and Gabriel are strong, and the plot kept me guessing until the end.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/08/book-review-sleeping-beauty-borrowed.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Yoko Ono recommended And Justice For Some: An Expose of the Lawyers and Judges Who Let Dangerous Criminals Go in Books (curated)
Lenard (726 KP) rated Hellboy (2019) in Movies
Aug 26, 2019
Here we go again. Yet another reboot of a popular movie series surgically removing the charm of the original actors and director. Guillermo Del Toro is a truly visionary director who turns monsters into romantically tragic figures, like a underworld Heathcliff or a mutated Rochester. To review, Hellboy was raised from the bowels of Hell toward the end of World War II by Nazi supporter Grigor Rasputin to turn the tide for the Axis. A squandron of Allied forces closed the portal before more "monsters" could come through, but Professor Broom, a paranormal investigator, adopted the baby Hellboy and raised him to protect the world from other forces of evil. Humans do not trust Hellboy since he was created by Evil and the supernatural beasts cannot trust him because fights for Good. Cast aside, Hellboy must prove himself as a immortal sorceress rebuilds her empire on Earth with Hellboy as the key.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Bad Habits in Books
Feb 18, 2021
Claire "Mac" Woods is now a well-respected professor in academia--making her the person she's always dreamed of becoming. But ten years ago, she was just Mac. A poor student at university: part of The Project, with her best friend Gwen Whitney. When Gwen moved to Mac's hometown, her life changed. Through the lens of Gwen's wealthy life, Mac saw another future for herself than one with an addict mom; a sick sister; and a deadbeat dad. But while part of The Project, Gwen and Mac are sucked into the power dynamics of a married professor couple, with disastrous consequences. Meeting by accident a decade later, the two are hashing things out--but will uncovering long buried secrets do anyone any good?
This was a well-done and suspenseful book, but it took me a while to get into it for some reason. Mostly by design, the characters are incredibly unlikable and nearly impossible to feel any attachment for. Even Mac, our supposed protagonist, has her irritating and questionable moments. I think of this book as dark and twisted people doing dark and twisted things. But, there's some delight in that, sometimes, right? Because Gentry gives us really twisted people and what happens can be really dark.
If you're someone who came up in academia, this book will really hit home, as most of our characters' motivations center around getting ahead in that world. Mac envies Gwen and her "easy" life more than anything. And the two professors? Well, I'm not sure I can even *explain* them without giving away any spoilers. Let's just say it's a cutthroat world out there.
There are certainly some twists here--more at the end, where things pick up. There's an "event" that we know happened, and we don't really find out what transpired until near the book's conclusions. At times this is suspenseful; at others, frustrating. Is the power grab that's happening really worth it all? Only our characters can truly say, I suppose.
Overall, this a dark and sometimes slow-moving novel, but it has its share of surprises. It will be especially intriguing if you love academia-themed novels and power-grabbing characters. 3 stars.
This was a well-done and suspenseful book, but it took me a while to get into it for some reason. Mostly by design, the characters are incredibly unlikable and nearly impossible to feel any attachment for. Even Mac, our supposed protagonist, has her irritating and questionable moments. I think of this book as dark and twisted people doing dark and twisted things. But, there's some delight in that, sometimes, right? Because Gentry gives us really twisted people and what happens can be really dark.
If you're someone who came up in academia, this book will really hit home, as most of our characters' motivations center around getting ahead in that world. Mac envies Gwen and her "easy" life more than anything. And the two professors? Well, I'm not sure I can even *explain* them without giving away any spoilers. Let's just say it's a cutthroat world out there.
There are certainly some twists here--more at the end, where things pick up. There's an "event" that we know happened, and we don't really find out what transpired until near the book's conclusions. At times this is suspenseful; at others, frustrating. Is the power grab that's happening really worth it all? Only our characters can truly say, I suppose.
Overall, this a dark and sometimes slow-moving novel, but it has its share of surprises. It will be especially intriguing if you love academia-themed novels and power-grabbing characters. 3 stars.
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Happy Death Day (2017) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Groundhog Day, but a little more kick ass. Theresa wakes up on her birthday on Monday, September 18th in a strangers bed. She heads back to her house dismissing everyone she sees, she throws out her roommate's cupcake, she carries on with her professor, and then gets murdered by a hooded figure wearing the mask of their campus mascot.
Groundhog Day, but a little more kick ass. Theresa wakes up on her birthday on Monday, September 18th in a strangers bed... well you get the idea. She runs through her day, but instead of heading to the tunnel that led to her death the night before (tonight?) she heads back to her sorority house where, you've guessed it, she gets murdered.
As she loops through her birthday over and over she gets to know Carter, the guy who's bedroom she keeps waking up in, and he encourages her to try and work out what's going on in the hopes that she might be able to change the outcome.
Yet another one that I hadn't seen anything about until a couple of days before I saw it... and you know what? It was really entertaining. It's down as a slasher movie, but there's a bit of everything in it. I jumped in my seat, which doesn't happen very often. I just really enjoyed it. I was so wrapped up in it that I didn't even see the twist coming.
My only quibble, and this really isn't a major thing (I noticed it, so for me to do that I guess it is a little bit major), was when she was admitted to hospital. Her professor/doctor/lover (talk about conflict of interest) says that she's showing signs of trauma, which as we and she knows is because of how she died in the last loop. If she's showing signs of that trauma, and she says that she's feeling weaker with each loop... then... well... how does she make it too the end of the movie? Admittedly she's going to be running on a lot of adrenaline, but... well, it bugged me a little.
Groundhog Day, but a little more kick ass. Theresa wakes up on her birthday on Monday, September 18th in a strangers bed... well you get the idea. She runs through her day, but instead of heading to the tunnel that led to her death the night before (tonight?) she heads back to her sorority house where, you've guessed it, she gets murdered.
As she loops through her birthday over and over she gets to know Carter, the guy who's bedroom she keeps waking up in, and he encourages her to try and work out what's going on in the hopes that she might be able to change the outcome.
Yet another one that I hadn't seen anything about until a couple of days before I saw it... and you know what? It was really entertaining. It's down as a slasher movie, but there's a bit of everything in it. I jumped in my seat, which doesn't happen very often. I just really enjoyed it. I was so wrapped up in it that I didn't even see the twist coming.
My only quibble, and this really isn't a major thing (I noticed it, so for me to do that I guess it is a little bit major), was when she was admitted to hospital. Her professor/doctor/lover (talk about conflict of interest) says that she's showing signs of trauma, which as we and she knows is because of how she died in the last loop. If she's showing signs of that trauma, and she says that she's feeling weaker with each loop... then... well... how does she make it too the end of the movie? Admittedly she's going to be running on a lot of adrenaline, but... well, it bugged me a little.
Martin Smith (2 KP) rated Avengers: Endgame (2019) in Movies
May 19, 2019
Capt America & Mjolnir against all of Thanos's forces (3 more)
The whole Iron Man arc
Tony Stark meets his Dad
Capt America gets his happy ending.
3 hrs is a long time to sit there! (1 more)
Underuse of Professor Hulk
Great way to finish the Infinity saga!
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie had so much expected of it, and for the most part, it delivered.
Huge surprise to see Thanos killed off so quickly, but that only served to put the audiences theories to bed and let everyone watch the rest of the film without knowing what was going to happen.
Lots of stuff to keep the fans happy & plenty of emotional moments, my only gripe was poor Hulk, who was underused throughout, even though ended up being the one who snapped everyone back. He seemed to be seen as an afterthought to the Stark Show and ended up in a comedy role, like the equally bizarre Fat Thor.
Overall, a satisfying ending to the Infinity storyline, with standout performances and a great ending.
Huge surprise to see Thanos killed off so quickly, but that only served to put the audiences theories to bed and let everyone watch the rest of the film without knowing what was going to happen.
Lots of stuff to keep the fans happy & plenty of emotional moments, my only gripe was poor Hulk, who was underused throughout, even though ended up being the one who snapped everyone back. He seemed to be seen as an afterthought to the Stark Show and ended up in a comedy role, like the equally bizarre Fat Thor.
Overall, a satisfying ending to the Infinity storyline, with standout performances and a great ending.
Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Blindsighted (Grant County, #1) in Books
Jun 8, 2019 (Updated Jun 8, 2019)
Small town Georgia, big time gruesome crime thriller!!!
Hard to believe this was Karin Slaughters first novel, it’s very well rounded for a debut.
When a young college professor is brutally murdered (and I mean BRUTALLY - i.e. not for the squeamish) it falls to Sara Linton as the town coroner to perform the disturbing autopsy. Having found the victim in the local diner, it soon becomes obvious to Sara that there is a seriously sick individual on the loose.
It’s Sara’s ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, who must head up the investigation along with the only female detective Lena Adams, who is also the victims sister (love small town America everyone is all up in each others stuff - did I mention as well as been the towns coroner Sara is also the local paediatrician….) When another victim is found crucified the tension to find the killer builds, as does the tension between characters.
This book was very graphic, but boy was it entertaining in a disturbing way. Fast paced with plenty of suspense, a great beginning to a series.
When a young college professor is brutally murdered (and I mean BRUTALLY - i.e. not for the squeamish) it falls to Sara Linton as the town coroner to perform the disturbing autopsy. Having found the victim in the local diner, it soon becomes obvious to Sara that there is a seriously sick individual on the loose.
It’s Sara’s ex-husband, police chief Jeffrey Tolliver, who must head up the investigation along with the only female detective Lena Adams, who is also the victims sister (love small town America everyone is all up in each others stuff - did I mention as well as been the towns coroner Sara is also the local paediatrician….) When another victim is found crucified the tension to find the killer builds, as does the tension between characters.
This book was very graphic, but boy was it entertaining in a disturbing way. Fast paced with plenty of suspense, a great beginning to a series.
Dana (24 KP) rated The Tao of Bruce Lee: A Martial Arts Memoir in Books
Mar 23, 2018
I was lucky enough to be able to read this book for one of my college courses regarding Bruce Lee. My professor was using both this biography and Bruce Thomas' biography to shed some light on Bruce Lee's life. I actually used your book as a reference for my research paper for the class. It was very interesting to see the differences and similarities in both this account and Thomas' about Lee's life. This book was actually very beneficial for when I had to write a research paper about Bruce Lee.
I enjoyed being able to see another side of Bruce Lee. Since most accounts only show him as being the bad ass martial artist he was, it was interesting to be able to see a softer and more human side to him rather than the mythic Bruce Lee that is so prevalent in society today.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Bruce Lee and his life outside of the image we see today.
I enjoyed being able to see another side of Bruce Lee. Since most accounts only show him as being the bad ass martial artist he was, it was interesting to be able to see a softer and more human side to him rather than the mythic Bruce Lee that is so prevalent in society today.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Bruce Lee and his life outside of the image we see today.
Sue (5 KP) rated Carbs and Cadavers (A Supper Club Mystery, #1) in Books
Aug 13, 2018
English Professor James (now the town librarian) moves back to his hometown to take care of his widowed father and is invited to join a Supper Club. The club (later called the flab five) is for members trying to lose weight. As the newly formed group start a low-carb diet and start to form friendships, the town is rocked by the murder of a high school football alumni.
James and the rest of the flab five tried to weed through who could have killed the ex-jock. Was it one of the ladies he has spurned, a boyfriend that didn’t like Brinkley’s attention to his girl, or the sweet young waitress at the town diner?
The book is more than just about a mystery. The author pulls you in and has you falling in love with the likable yet flawed James, the wanna be cop Lucy, Bennett the postman, Lindy the teacher, Gillian the pet groomer, and Jackson (James’s dad) the lovable grump.
This book is a great start to what I know will be a favored series.
James and the rest of the flab five tried to weed through who could have killed the ex-jock. Was it one of the ladies he has spurned, a boyfriend that didn’t like Brinkley’s attention to his girl, or the sweet young waitress at the town diner?
The book is more than just about a mystery. The author pulls you in and has you falling in love with the likable yet flawed James, the wanna be cop Lucy, Bennett the postman, Lindy the teacher, Gillian the pet groomer, and Jackson (James’s dad) the lovable grump.
This book is a great start to what I know will be a favored series.
David McK (3248 KP) rated Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in Books
Jan 28, 2019
The first Harry Potter book, known in the United States as 'Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone' which I remember first reading well over a decade ago; before even the first (virtually word-to-screen) movie adaptation.
Despite that, on re-reading this I've discovered that while the parts that are faithful to the book are VERY faithful, there's also certain plot-lines that are left out almost entirely.
Framed as Harry's first year at 'Hogwart's school of Witch-craft and Wizardry', I find it impossible to read now without visualising Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role, or Professor Snape as any other than the late, great, Alan Rickman.
The narrative device of allowing Harry to discover the Wizarding world as we do also proves to be a savvy move, in that it allows the reader to identify with the main character while also still allowing the possibility of further surprises in later books: it wouldn't have provided so much of a hook to the reader, for example, if Harry had grown up knowing of his parentage and heritage.
Despite that, on re-reading this I've discovered that while the parts that are faithful to the book are VERY faithful, there's also certain plot-lines that are left out almost entirely.
Framed as Harry's first year at 'Hogwart's school of Witch-craft and Wizardry', I find it impossible to read now without visualising Daniel Radcliffe in the lead role, or Professor Snape as any other than the late, great, Alan Rickman.
The narrative device of allowing Harry to discover the Wizarding world as we do also proves to be a savvy move, in that it allows the reader to identify with the main character while also still allowing the possibility of further surprises in later books: it wouldn't have provided so much of a hook to the reader, for example, if Harry had grown up knowing of his parentage and heritage.