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A Sherlock Holmes Devotional: Uncovering the Mysteries of God
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Every once in a while I read a book that is just trying way too hard to be cool. Sadly, this is one of those books.

Sherlock Holmes was an amazing detective. The Bible is an amazing book. So why not make a Sherlock Holmes devotional? The answer is because the two are about totally different things, and when you try to make a secular thing spiritual, you end up with poison.

I requested this book with suspicion (the same publisher had a bunch of other awesome-looking books, and this was the only one I was iffy about), but I hoped it would surprise and maybe impress me. Sadly, it’s actually worse than I imagined.

For example: The first devotional is about the Case of the Cardboard Box, where a woman has a package delivered to her with two severed ears. The devotional goes on to praise Sherlock for solving the crime, and then diverts to “We can hear the voice of God. Sherlock said the ear is amazing. See how these two are connected?” And yes obviously that’s a paraphrase. But it was the point of the devotional.

In staying in this same idea, let me tell you a story and give you a practical on how it made me feel.

Did you know in the Appalachian mountains, some people put Mountain Dew in their babies bottles? It’s cheaper than milk and the kids get addicted to it young. Obviously it causes major health issues like diabetes and sever obesity, the kids end up loosing their teeth before they even break skin, and (though I haven’t researched it, I’m sure) that some have died.

In the same way, the Bible tells us that newer Christians thrive on smaller amounts of doctrine, simple statements of truth. In the new testament, a Christian not moving past that stage is considered an adult still drinking baby milk. But the milk isn’t enough, and eventually, their faith will die if they don’t move forward. So Mountain Dew is like Baby Milk. See how the two are connected?

Sorry, but this book isn’t baby food. It’s poison. I love Sherlock and I love Jesus. But I find this book offensive
  
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Kayla (19 KP) rated Fitbit Blaze in Tech

May 18, 2018  
Fitbit Blaze
Fitbit Blaze
Wearable Technology > Smart Watches
Sleek design (1 more)
Looks good on small wrists
Hard to find comfortable fit (1 more)
Poor battery life
Nice watch
I wear this watch almost constantly! I love being able to keep track of my heart rate and know how well or unwell I'm sleeping. It's especially useful as a first time mom, being able to make sure I get enough sleep when I can't keep my hours straight.
It's very easy to navigate and view your daily tracking, from steps to calories. You are also able to pick specific exercises to track your time, if you choose to do so. It'll pick up activity via heartbeat even if you choose not to do so- picking a category just makes the caloric burn a bit more accurate. There's a timer as well so you can time planks, wall holds, or even cooking if your heart desires!
The Blaze also features coached exercises and meditation, two features I will admit I've never even used. It's really nifty that they throw that in if you find yourselfin need of some guidance. If you don't, it in no way interferes with doing anything else on the watch and you forget it's even there.
The other feature the Blaze offers is a vibration alarm. I'm by no means a deep sleeper (again, first time mom- everything wakes me up) and this alarm does nothing for me. I could set 50 of them and still not wake up. The vibration is just not powerful enough to feel it in your sleep.
Overall, the watch is pretty awesome. You can also answer calls and read texts on it. I suggest never using the all day sync feature with your phone because you'll have to charge up every single day if you do. If you have small wrists it can be very hard to get a comfortable fit. It seems like it's either digging into the skin or flopping around annoyingly with just a single groove change. It offers some useful features, none the less, and I'd still recommend it for anyone looking for a smart watch.
  
I Feel Pretty (2018)
I Feel Pretty (2018)
2018 | Comedy
Pretty Average
Renee Bennett (Amy Schumer) feels average, and anything but pretty in this world. Clothing store workers sneer at her choice of fashion, suggesting that she should instead venture in the direction of the plus size clothing. Supermarket customers mistake her as just a downtrodden employee, focusing instead on the 'perfect' girl standing beside her. In busy bars, workers favour the pretty girls ordering drinks over her, and in her exercise class she's made to feel uncomfortable at her larger than average footwear needs. She's also part of a small group of 3 friends, who all struggle to attract dates in this superficial world, and wish they were prettier.

Then one day, Renee falls off her exercise bike and bangs her head. When she comes round, she believes that magic has made her beautiful, and she thinks that all her friends are seeing someone completely different. Only they're not, they're seeing exactly the same person as before.

This perceived change gives Renee a new found confidence. She believes that men are trying to hit on her, and in one of the movies funnier moments, she believes she can win a bikini competition. She also pursues her dream of becoming receptionist for the large cosmetics company she works for, moving from the dull, dark office of their online division all the way up to their big shiny head office where all the beautiful people work. And where her idol and boss, Avery LeClaire (Michelle Williams) works. Eventually, another bang to the head reverses the 'spell' and Renee has to try and deal with the sudden realisation that beauty really is only skin deep.

With Amy Schumer onboard for this, I guess I was expecting it to be a lot funnier than it actually is. While I didn't not like it, I've got to say I was pretty disappointed overall. There's obviously a strong message to this movie, but it gradually becomes muddled as the movie progresses and isn't effectively executed, which is a real shame considering. I wondered if being a man, I was maybe missing the message and failing to appreciate it as much as a woman might, but my wife actually felt the same way.
  
Show all 3 comments.
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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) May 21, 2018

Also, isn't this movie just a retread of Shallow Hal? And it wasn't funny then either.

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Lee (2222 KP) May 21, 2018

@Daniel Boyd I actually didn't mind Trainwreck, but totally get where you're coming from and had low expectations heading into this anyway. And I completely agree with the Melissa McCarthy comment too! And yes, it is definitely a retread of Shallow Hal.

This book had quite an intriguing premise -- four women decide to place an ad for husbands in order to revive a dead mining town and turn it into a sawmill town. Their good intentions did not account for the reality of the kind of men who would be showing up for such a curious promise, and the likelihood of their being able to maintain control of a town full of men. I also found it a bit ironic that the book is marketed as a Christian fiction book, though the four women have made themselves heads over the men and are anything but submissive -- even Cora, the one woman actually engaged. Still, the scenario presents some humorous situations as the women interact with the various men of many colorful backgrounds.
The major issue of control is a point of contention for the women throughout the book, as it is obvious that food and lodging won't be enough to corral the men into subservience, even food as delicious as Evie's. Jake is one of the men that steps in to act as bodyguard to the women and leader over the men, since he conveniently has a background in running a sawmill. Jake's presence in Hope Falls is an accident, though, as he had no previous interest in obtaining a wife and was more interested in pursuing revenge for the murder of his brother. He adopts the name Jacob Creed to hide his identity, and uses the husband ad as a cover for his true intentions, but his attraction to Evie is obvious to all but Evie herself.
Evie's self-esteem issues regularly get in the way of her being able to build a relationship with any of the men, especially the one man who gets under her skin, Jacob. She covers her low self-esteem with a bossy pride that annoyed me throughout the book, as her main obstacle seemed to be herself. But Jacob's approach to her low self-image will have any woman with "heft" cheering, especially when he almost force-fed her cookies.
This book was a fun and humorous read, with an original concept that I found refreshing.
  
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
2019 | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Fighting fit
#alitabattleangel may just be the most #intense & visually splendid mature cgi fest I've seen in a long long time. Having not seen #anime that inspired this #movie i had no idea what i was walking into with this one. Upon leaving it i not only felt extremely satisfied but also like i had experienced something #breathtaking & full to the brim with #passion. To start I can't stress enough just how god damn #beautiful this #film is, cgi is staggering as well as jaw dropping. From the intricate inner machinery wires, dust particles & realistic lighting to the tiny blemishes on skin Alita simply knocks it out the park. Its locations are vast, immersive, claustrophobic, lived in, #depressing & full to the brim with story telling/world building so much so that they could each tell a story themselves. #Animation is slick, fluid & #natural with #human & cgi interaction weighty & almost flawlessly done. Story wise its extremely empowering as we watch #Alita grow from & innocent child like #girl into a tuff driven #woman. Seeing Alita emit such wonderful human emotions such as #love, excitement & #happiness is not only #heartwarming but also #magical. Starting so warm & ending so bleak we see Alitas innocence almost ripped away from her as she is forced to #mature fast letting her primal instincts & bad human traits (such as jealousy/#anger) take control tarnishing her other wise loving/careing inner self. Its tense, adrenaline inducing stuff & this mixed with well constructed action & your token damn right nasty at times #robertrodriguez death scenes its not always the happiest of films either. #Deep themes are explored but theres alot of them too so only surfaces are scratched. My favourite being how #society/entertainment glorifies/condones violence & uses it as a tool to control us all. Negatives - if anything #Battleangel is far to short, i feel i needed another hour of content in there somewhere especially the final act which felt rushed. If we dont get a sequel or 3 i will be very disappointed as this is a fantastic world i simply must know more about it. A must see for sure. #edskrein is an absolute joy to watch too. #odeon #odeonlimitless #robot #thursdaythoughts
  
Mandy (2018)
Mandy (2018)
2018 | Action, Thriller
Oh Mandy
#Mandymovie is an intoxicating & nauseating experience that left my head spinning & my body warm/tingly sunk into my seat. From the second #mandy starts i was simply hooked, #nostalgia running through my body & its #perfect visuals glistening off my eye balls. I felt almost in a #trance with its soothing/#hypnotic #soundtrack & its cinematography bathed in colour Mandy is simply #gorgeous right to its core. Atmosphere begins #beautifully creating so much intrigue, a sence of wonder/#mystery & a massive sense of love/commitment however its not long until this flips to deeply #unerving, #unsettling & down right skin crawling fast. So many scenes are Dialog sparce but with so much depth in the visuals & sound its really not missed or needed at all. An example of this is Cages love for mandy is shown as complete devotion, #passion/commitment like he sees her almost as a godess/his reason to live (shown using glowing light and warm fire acompanied by soft slow dialog) yet other peoples love for her is the complete oposite more as an #obsession, an object or a #desire (shown using pulsing red light, slow zooms and freeze frames and frantic pitch changing broken dialog). Its a masterful way of telling us about the characters & story making us feel/experiance there #emotions rather than wait for dialog to develop them for us. Acting is also stellar with this being #nicolascage best role in a very long time. His character is a #haunted & troubled man & his #pain can be felt deeply whenever he is on screen. Infunces/homages are everywhere here from #darioargento to #fridaythe13th & other #80s #horror movies. Infact mandy could easily be mistaken for a film released decades ago its that well made & its also destined to become a #cultclassic its self. Mandy is an absolute rare gem, every scene its drenched in such style, care & mesmerising #beauty youll be pushed to find another film like it now days. Im being vauge here on purpouse because to watching this film in the dark, on a big screen, turned up loud trully is one of the best experiences ive had watching a film this year. Insanely good & the perfect #arthouse #horror movie. #odeon #odeonlimitless #filmbuff #filmcritic
  
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Andy K (10823 KP) May 13, 2019

What a great film!

Puzzle Pieces (La Trattoria Di Amore #1)
Puzzle Pieces (La Trattoria Di Amore #1)
JP Sayle | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Puzzle Pieces (La Trattoria Di Amore #1) by J.P. Sayle
Puzzle Pieces is the first book in the La Trattoria Di Amore series, and also the first book by this author I have read. Needless to say, it won't be the last!

Although Seb has some serious stalker issues that he realises and knows he needs to fix, I somehow felt more sorry for him, than wary. Maybe it was how he looked after Richie, even as he fought his own feelings. I don't know. All I do know is he wormed his way under my skin and, although I still wanted to kick him at times, I could understand what he was doing, or where he was coming from.

Richie was an incredibly naive young man who went with the flow rather than fighting for what he wanted. The only thing/person he fought for was his mum. And wasn't I in tears at 36%?! Oh yeah, great big hiccuping sobs, f'ugly crying at its best! Thanks for that, Ms. Sayle!! My poor kids wondered what was wrong until I explained it was the book I was reading. Saying that, Richie is still a strong individual who won't allow himself to be walked over (most of the time). I loved the clashing between Seb and Richie, and liked how they worked things out.

All in all, this is an amazing book, with subtle hints at a crossover with the Manx Cat series by this author, which is now on my TBR pile. If I had to say anything negative, it would be the points of view that keep changing in the middle of paragraphs are a bit off-putting. Still, it wasn't a huge thing in the bigger picture. The plot was smooth with no holes, and the characters grew as the story progressed.

An excellent start to the series, and definitely recommended by me.

* 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!
  
Stone The Crows (Wolf Winter #2)
Stone The Crows (Wolf Winter #2)
TA Moore | 2018 | Horror, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
much better read than book one!
I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is book two in the Wolf Winter series, and you probably should read book one, Dog Days, before you read this one. I didn't much care for that book, though.

This one, however, is a whole different matter!

I said in my review for Dog Days that I was left with so many questions about the Wolves, and the Prophets and what was going on. I'm STILL left with questions about what's going on, but I'm feeling better about being left waiting, you know? Does that make sense?? I still have questions, but I'm not left hanging, right? Sorta, kinda!

Nothing is settled here. The Prophets are still doing despicable things to the people and indeed to Jack and Gregor. They took Gregor's Wolf and Jack's skin. The Prophets are still trying to get the upper hand on the Gods, but it's HOW they are doing it: preying on ordinary folk, in extraordinary situations, that gives this book the horror tag I've given it.

Nick is human, but Gregor takes a shine to Nick after he saves him. I wasn't sure about Gregor, not in the beginning. we heard such horrible things about him from jack in Dog Days, and I did NOT want to like him, but he grows on you! He has that "Mine" moment you get with werewolves, and I loved that, even though he refused to admit what was going on, even to himself, it was NICK he wanted to save first, not his brother Jack.

Who the Prophet turned out to be was a bit of a shocker, and what she did to Nick was no picnic, and she's STILL out there. So there is more to come. Or at least I HOPE there is! Because you know, I still have questions!

I found this a much better read than Dog Days, and I read it in two sittings, cos that darn dayjob got in the way.

Thank you to Ms Moore for my copy.

4 solid stars

**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
  
The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption (2012)
The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption (2012)
2012 | Action
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Victor Webster sells the fights (5 more)
Ron Perlman is never a bad thing.
Neither is Temura Morrison.
Billy Zane is comically evil
Krystal Vee and Selina Lo pull off their reason for being here - hot chicks kicking ass.
Nice scenery and sets
Victor Webster fails to sell being The Rock, even aside from skin ton (2 more)
The story and lore are all over the place, not helped by the setting
The Warriors of the book announcing themselves just felt silly and contrived
Muddies the franchise and lore
The longer this goes the more damage this franchise does to itself. Let's review what we've seen so far:
-The Mummy Returns: At the end of his life, the Scorpion King leads an army to take over and subjugate the world, aided by Anubis, which proves that the Egyptian gods are, you know, gods.
-The Scorpion King: Mathayus is ostensibly the last living Akkadian, and leads a revolt against an evil king who....wants to take over and subjugate the world. Some tragic irony there, knowing where he ends up.
-The Scorpion King II: Rise of a Warrior: There's a whole kingdom of Akkadians, and Mathayus leads a revolt against the general who killed both his father and the rightful King, usurping the throne. Given that just a decade or two later the entire race has been wiped out, maybe putting the rightful heir back on the throne didn't end well?
Which brings us to this movie, featuring numerous human characters with the names of the Egyptian pantheon (maybe named in homage to their gods, but it feels like the idea is that these men will be mistaken for God's by myth and legend) and doubles down on the "conquest is evil" theme. Mathayus has lost his queen and kingdom from the first film to plague, reduced to being a mercenary again. The action primarily happens in Egypt and.... Cambodia? Vietnam? Thailand? Somewhere around there, with little explanation of how the characters go that distance. This just makes the whole thing more inconsistent and convoluted. I shudder to think about the damage the next one will do....
  
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
1991 | Horror, Thriller
The acting is 100% (2 more)
The story is fantastic
The way it is shot is genuinely awesome.
Have the lambs stopped screaming?
Okay so this is one of my favourite films because it just ticks every box.
Acting - Anthony Hopkins won an oscar for best actor because of this film. He is excellent, he is so creepy, elegant, scary, inviting, chilling, intriguing and he just oozes the sophistication, intelligence and depth of the character. He delivers his performance in this with a real passion. He is also so limited with what he can do physically (usually locked up) but he owns the set when the cameras are rolling.
Jodie Foster - I haven't seen her in anything else which I am actually embarrassed about because I loved her in this. No surprise, she won an oscar for best actress in this film. I genuinely feel like (towards the end mainly, as she has said in an interview that Anthony Hopkins did actually frighten her) she was terrified for her life. She could have been in the situation irl and i wouldn't be shocked. The character could have been played so many ways but Jodie played it perfectly. A clever, naive, strong, determined woman.
All other supporting actors were fantastic, such as Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill (my goodness he is so creepy he makes your skin crawl) and Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford (definitely feel the underlying tones of an unsavory character).
It is shot in such a way you dont see often, the talking to the camera shots, showing you things in Bills house like the pictures are all such subtle things but make it even more chilling. They also don't shy away with language(a word is said in this film atleast twice and it's so rare to hear on film) which sometimes, as not very nice this word is, the situation calls for it in this unnerving thriller, gross words and scenes need to be real to feel uneasy which you do in this.
Hats off to the wonderful Thomas Harris for writing such a gripping, interesting story that we were fortunate enough to see made to this magnificent film.
  
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Andy K (10823 KP) Nov 7, 2019

One of my favorites!

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Versusyours (757 KP) Nov 7, 2019

My dad had this on repeat in my childhood and it still holds up today.