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LuLu’s Cafe
LuLu’s Cafe
T.I. Lowe | 2019
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Contemporary Romance
When a damaged young woman is given a chance to reclaim her life in a small South Carolina town, she must reckon with the dark secrets she left behind in order to accept the love she deserves. On the run from a violent past, Leah Allen arrived in tiny Rivertown, South Carolina, battered and broken, but ready to reinvent herself. By a stroke of fate, Leah is drawn to the Southern hospitality of a small café, looking for a warm meal but finding so much more. Lulu, the owner, offers her a job, a place to stay and a new lease on life. Through Lulu’s tenacious warmth and generosity, Leah quickly finds herself embraced by the quaint community as she tries to put herself back together. Given she’s accustomed to cruelty, the kindness is overwhelming. Soon Leah meets Crowley Mason, the most eligible bachelor in town. A lawyer and friend of Lulu’s, Crowley is wary of Leah’s sudden, mysterious arrival. Despite his reserve, something sparks between them that can’t be denied. But after all she’s been through, can Leah allow herself to truly love and be loved, especially when her first urge is to run? Exploring the resiliency of both the heart and the spirit, Lulu’s Café gorgeously illustrates how old scars can finally heal no matter how deep they seem.



My Thoughts: This is such an enjoyable read; it was hard to put this novel down; the author's writing draws the reader into the story and jkeeps the readers attention. This is a book about overcoming abuse, finding love, kindness, and healing. It's about people learning patience with those who are broken and giving people second chances. Leah is a broken abused woman who finds solace and healing in a small southern town. She slowly learns that she can trust those who have shown her nothing but kindness and love. The readers will love Lulu, a woman who is grounded in Christ's love who pours kindness and love on those around her. She always seems to have the right answer and always has a cheerful attitude.


This is a book that although it deals with the topic of abuse, it is full of humor, romance, and love. The readers will fall in love with this small southern town and its townspeople. A wonderful story of a woman who finally finds the meaning of true love.
  
Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1)
Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1)
Charlaine Harris | 2001 | Fiction & Poetry
2
8.1 (36 Ratings)
Book Rating
DNF @ page 80/326.

I've been reading this 10 days and only gotten 80 pages in, which just shows how much i wasn't enjoying this considering i finish most paperbacks in about 5 days. I only wanted to read this because of True Blood--I've only seen the first series of the show, and wasn't too impressed with that either--and sometimes i think the books are better than the shows/films but this book was so slow moving and the way it was written--so southern--was starting to grate on me. Sookie was annoying me and Bill seemed like the kind of vampire to run off from, not rescue and take on a date.

Not for me at all.
  
Green Book (2018)
Green Book (2018)
2018 | Drama
This generation's Driving Miss Daisy
The 2018 Academy Awards were interesting. On one hand, I was very happy boring, pointless Roma did not win Best Picture; however i was really pulling for The Favourite to win. Neither happened and Green Book snuck in and captured the top prize instead.

The modern Oscars are free of epics like Ben-Hur, The Sound of Music or West Side Story. Instead, character-driven stories seem to be in favor recently.

In this true story, recently unemployed Italian bouncer Tony "Lip" gets hired to drive an African American genius concert pianist throughout his fall tour of the deep southern United States in 1962.

As the two men get to know each other, they are exposed to the very different worlds and set of values the each possesses. Initial hesitation is replaced by eventual respect as the men grow a bond throughout their southern adventure as they confront racism in various threatening or nonchalant forms as is happens.



Tony comes to the aide of his client, Dr. Donald Shirley, several times revealing his bigotry and denial for his race has begun to wane. Dr. Shirley as well begins to understand Tony's rough exterior and even delights Tony's wife Cyrano de Bergerac style assistance in writing verbose and eloquent letters to her.

The acting is thorough and top notch by both Viggo Mortensen (one of the great working actors today) and Mahershala Ali (hot off of Moonlight) with a screenplay to match. The characters are flawed, vivid, well-rounded and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed this memorable film and well deserved of the big prize.

  
What could possibly happen at a wedding in Vegas?

Event planner Liv McKay is heading to Vegas to celebrate the nuptials of her mama and Earl at an Elvis themed chapel but runs into more trouble than she bargained for. For starters, they have a bachelorette party that doesn’t turn out as expected and then the Elvis impersonator wedding officiant dies just seconds before pronouncing the couple husband and wife.

If that isn’t the worse of things, Liv’s cousin Little Junior is listed as the prime suspect. Can Liv and her bestie Di figure out who the real killer is and also get mama and Earl hitched?

This book is filled with humorous and fun-loving southern characters, more twists and turns than can imagine, and a mystery that will keep you guessing.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Frailty (2002) in Movies

Feb 12, 2019  
Frailty (2002)
Frailty (2002)
2002 | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Brooding Southern Gothic horror movie starring and directed by Bill Paxton. Two young boys don't quite know how to react when their father announces he has been chosen by God to become a demon hunter; this involves hitting people with a big axe a lot. Low-key stuff for the most part; Paxton does a good job of taking you into the world of this family and their rather peculiar take on what is 'normal', strong performances all round.

Sadly the film is virtually undone by a frame story featuring a pre-McConnaissance Matthew McConnaughey, leading up to a long-way-sub-Shyamalan twist ending; this one element is so convoluted and unconvincing it drags down what's otherwise an atmospheric and effective film into something resembling a forgettable episode of The X Files.
  
Sweet Tea and Sympathy
Sweet Tea and Sympathy
Molly Harper | 2017 | Contemporary, Romance
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sass, Snark , and Southern Charm
Set in beautiful, and sadly fictional, Lake Sackett, GA. A Chicago native hits rock bottom professionally and moves to to Georgia to remake herself with the help of a hilarious and adorable cast of characters that comprise her absent father's side of the family. She finds love, laughter, her father, and herself as she tries to get by and find a new career while working in the family business.

It was an absolute joy. I would have laughed myself sick at times if I hadn't been trying to figure out if maybe the author had met some of my relatives. I loved every minute of this book and will definitely be reading it again and again. I can't wait for the next book in the series.
  
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Tate (25 KP) rated Uncles Tom's Cabin in Books

Jul 14, 2018  
Uncles Tom's Cabin
Uncles Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The social commentary (2 more)
Adventure and action scenes
Sweet moments
Southern dialect can be difficult to understand (0 more)
A gripping classic
Classics can be a bit boring, but not this classic! Uncle Tom's Cabin is filled with complex plots and characters that you can't help but root for.

You follow the story of uncle Tom, a slave living in Kentucky. His story is one of hardship, pain, and loneliness with beautiful examples of love and faith woven through.

Eliza is also an important character. She's a woman fighting to keep her family together and free. Her adventurous escape is daring and dangerous. Thrilling to say the least!

This book is impossible to put down! It fosters deep thoughts and perspectives about slavery and racism. Not an easy read but definitely worth it!
  
What could possibly happen at a wedding in Vegas?

Event planner Liv McKay is heading to Vegas to celebrate the nuptials of her mama and Earl at an Elvis themed chapel but runs into more trouble than she bargained for. For starters, they have a bachelorette party that doesn’t turn out as expected and then the Elvis impersonator wedding officiant dies just seconds before pronouncing the couple husband and wife.

If that isn’t the worse of things, Liv’s cousin Little Junior is listed as the prime suspect. Can Liv and her bestie Di figure out who the real killer is and also get mama and Earl hitched?

This book is filled with humorous and fun-loving southern characters, more twists and turns than can imagine, and a mystery that will keep you guessing.
  
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
2010 | Horror, Mystery
5
5.4 (22 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Better Than The First One
Nothing happens, i repeat nothing fucking happens until the last 15 minutes of the movie. I mean somethings happen, but thats once in every 20-30 minutes. So in reality for a 90 minute movie, 4-5 intrest things happen and thats it, the rest is boring, watching people, more cameras and i almost forgot more cameras.

The Plot: When the Reys move into their new Southern California home, little do they realize that the house is already occupied. After coming home one day to find the house in disarray -- but with no signs of forced entry or robbery -- they install a video surveillance system to catch the perpetrators. But nothing prepares them for what happens next.

Zzzzzzzz what something happens, okay back to nothing zzzzzzz.
  
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Billy Gibbons recommended White Women by Chromeo in Music (curated)

 
White Women by Chromeo
White Women by Chromeo
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"As obtuse as this whole list may be, what drew me to Chromeo was their name. Being a hot-rod head and a car fanatic, I loved the name. It could have been a terrible record and I would have loved it, because you ain't got nothing unless you got a lot of chrome. 

My taste doesn't run too far into dance or disco but in the grand scheme of things, and for those who are attempting to perceive what ZZ Top is, it's good on occasion to find an unexpected surprise. On occasion we'd be lumped in with southern rock bands, but we're really not – it's Texas. Which is quite a bit different. Texas is down south, but it's certainly a far cry from South Carolina or Alabama or Georgia."

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