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Cheryl Saban's Guide to a Happy and Mindful Life
Book
A beautifully illustrated pocket-size gift book that explores the experience of mindfulness through...
Entangled Histories: Knowledge, Authority, and Jewish Culture in the Thirteenth Century
Ruth Mazo Karras, Elisheva Baumgarten and Katelyn Mesler
Book
From Halakhic innovation to blood libels, from the establishment of new mendicant orders to the...
New Kid In Town
7.0
Rate It
Book
Liv, Jude and Kat are greater than the sum of their parts. Separately they are Brainy, Sporty and...
Banner Saga
Games
App
Embark on your own epic journey in Banner Saga, the critically acclaimed tactical RPG where your...
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated The Noise of Time in Books
Oct 9, 2017 (Updated Oct 9, 2017)
Historical fiction at its very best
There is a huge amount of non-fiction elements of this bleak novel about one of Russia's most noted composers and musicians Dmitri Shostakovich, who fought inner demons for the majority of his life due to the immense pressures and threats posed by the Soviet Union.
From his complex relationships with women, to the government, the artist was forced to live a life of paranoia, after many of his fellow composers and musicologists mysteriously disappeared following talks with the "Power" at the Big House. There were many moments where it resembled Room 101 from George Orwell's 1984, and the oppressive atmosphere that Shostakovich had to live through.
In the end, Julian Barnes explains that agreeing to Stalin's and Khrushchev's demands had been the ultimate downfall to his health. and in many ways it was a fate worse than death. It is grim and tragic to think about such an important composer in history being treated in such way.
From his complex relationships with women, to the government, the artist was forced to live a life of paranoia, after many of his fellow composers and musicologists mysteriously disappeared following talks with the "Power" at the Big House. There were many moments where it resembled Room 101 from George Orwell's 1984, and the oppressive atmosphere that Shostakovich had to live through.
In the end, Julian Barnes explains that agreeing to Stalin's and Khrushchev's demands had been the ultimate downfall to his health. and in many ways it was a fate worse than death. It is grim and tragic to think about such an important composer in history being treated in such way.
Cassie (47 KP) rated The Missing - Season 2 in TV
Jul 31, 2017
writing (2 more)
cast/acting
direction
Season 2 of The Missing sees the return of our favorite French detective from Season 1, Julien Baptiste. Right off the bat, this season feels bigger than the first. The fact that we see the return of the missing child in this from the first episode sets of the show for a more interesting run. Relationships become muddled as a family tries to cope with the return of a daughter who has been gone so long. I don't wish to give anything away, but I will say that the twists and turns and interconnected plot-points in this are much greater than in season 1. Whereas season 1 did not feel like a race against time, this season does 100%. The tension is there from start to finish. I think the writers did a better job of making the story as well as the characters strong in this season.
Li Hughes (285 KP) rated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) in Movies
Aug 5, 2017
Characterization (2 more)
Plot
Sets/CGI
Great, but not as good as the first
Don't get me wrong, I love this film. And Baby Groot, can't forget him. But as good as this film was on it's own, it doesn't quite live up to the original.
The first had such an easy, unself-conscious joy to it. The jokes flowed and felt organic. And that's still mostly the case here. But there are several spots, especially with Drax and Nebula, where the humor feels forced. Drax and Nebula's characters both feel a touch 'off', overall.
On the other hand, Peter and his relationships are written very well. Yondu's arc and character growth are amazing. The rest of the plot is strong and the stunts and CGI are awesome.
Personally, my favorite part was the resolution at the end and Peter's realization. So emotional, heart-warming and in-character, without being sappy or weird.
The first had such an easy, unself-conscious joy to it. The jokes flowed and felt organic. And that's still mostly the case here. But there are several spots, especially with Drax and Nebula, where the humor feels forced. Drax and Nebula's characters both feel a touch 'off', overall.
On the other hand, Peter and his relationships are written very well. Yondu's arc and character growth are amazing. The rest of the plot is strong and the stunts and CGI are awesome.
Personally, my favorite part was the resolution at the end and Peter's realization. So emotional, heart-warming and in-character, without being sappy or weird.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2395 KP) rated Hair of the Dog in Books
May 11, 2018
Penny Has Another Hairy Case
Penny Lively’s cousin and best friend, Annie Moore, runs the animal clinic in town. Normally, everything flows smoothly there, but trouble is brewing. First, Annie has to fire Nicole, the clinic’s technician, for stealing medicine. Then Annie is caught over the dead body of Brian, her business partner. Naturally, the police start looking at Annie as their prime suspect, but Penny knows her cousin better than that. Brian was such a nice guy; who would want to kill him?
It is so wonderful to be back in the town of Cypress Cove. The characters are a lot of fun, and I enjoyed seeing some relationships grow here. The new characters are just as strong. The plot is good, although the pacing is a little off in the second half. Still, things come together for a strong climax. I really felt like I was transported to the area. Penny, her town, and her vineyard were brought to wonderful life.
It is so wonderful to be back in the town of Cypress Cove. The characters are a lot of fun, and I enjoyed seeing some relationships grow here. The new characters are just as strong. The plot is good, although the pacing is a little off in the second half. Still, things come together for a strong climax. I really felt like I was transported to the area. Penny, her town, and her vineyard were brought to wonderful life.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Heart of the Matter in Books
May 10, 2018
Does anyone have the "perfect" marriage? Everyone looking at Tessa and Nick think so.
Nick is a pediatric surgeon and Tessa has recently quit her teaching job to be a stay-at-home mom. They have two children, Frank and Ruby. They are out for their anniversary dinner when Nick get an emergency phone call. A little boy has fallen into a fire.
Valerie, is the mother to that little boy, Charlie. He was at his very first sleep over when this terrible accident happened.
Nick does his best to make sure that Charlie and Valerie are taken care of. He is a wonderful doctor.
You never realize how small your town is until something like this, brings the whole community into your business.
Even though Tessa and Valerie have never met, their worlds collide in more than one way when this accident occurs.
This book makes you examine your relationships and find out how strong your love really is!
Nick is a pediatric surgeon and Tessa has recently quit her teaching job to be a stay-at-home mom. They have two children, Frank and Ruby. They are out for their anniversary dinner when Nick get an emergency phone call. A little boy has fallen into a fire.
Valerie, is the mother to that little boy, Charlie. He was at his very first sleep over when this terrible accident happened.
Nick does his best to make sure that Charlie and Valerie are taken care of. He is a wonderful doctor.
You never realize how small your town is until something like this, brings the whole community into your business.
Even though Tessa and Valerie have never met, their worlds collide in more than one way when this accident occurs.
This book makes you examine your relationships and find out how strong your love really is!
RəX Regent (349 KP) rated The Hangover (2009) in Movies
Feb 25, 2019
Better than expected
Contains spoilers, click to show
Well, first off, this was a lot funnier than I was expecting. It's a simple story of four friends, well sort off, who go to Las Vegas for one of their stag nights, but after being slipped something, they lose their memories of the night, as well as the groom and find a trail of destruction left in their wake! Including a baby, a tiger and stolen police car!
This "Who Done it" scenario is played to comic effect quite well but there's nothing to justify the film's reputation. It's funny in parts and the performances are quite believable as the bazaar situations play out but in the end, the final is pay off doesn't work for me, being somewhat of an any climax. But having said that, it does try to deliver a message or two about relationships and has its moments but overall I wanted more comedy and less moralising whilst trying to be as gross as possible.
Not half bad though
This "Who Done it" scenario is played to comic effect quite well but there's nothing to justify the film's reputation. It's funny in parts and the performances are quite believable as the bazaar situations play out but in the end, the final is pay off doesn't work for me, being somewhat of an any climax. But having said that, it does try to deliver a message or two about relationships and has its moments but overall I wanted more comedy and less moralising whilst trying to be as gross as possible.
Not half bad though