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Everything Here Is Beautiful
Everything Here Is Beautiful
Mira T. Lee | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
9
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
A wonderful and tragic exploration of mental health
This is a beautifully written, tragic tale of love, loss and mental health.

Following the story of sisters Miranda and Lucia, born to Chinese parents and living in America, the elder of the two siblings attempts to shelter her sister Lucia as she is seen to suffer from a form of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Miranda is responsible and organised, while her sister is a free spirit, but she seems to have no control over her fate and protecting her from her demons.

It is a wonderful exploration into mental health, and how it affects all communities, and the effect it has on the people around them. It's sometimes heartbreaking knowing what could end up happening to Lucia when there is no safety net or support network to help her through her episodes. An unexpected gem.
  
Michelle and Erica are getting into the Halloween spirit by helping create the annual haunted house to benefit the Boys and Girls Club. But their time gets distracted when a murder happens out of town, and Dylan, a teen they know, becomes the prime suspect. Can the duo find the time to help prove he didn’t do it?

It was fantastic to be back with these characters again. The series regulars are fantastic, and the new characters were just as good. This book was a little different because he didn’t meet the victim before the murder, but that didn’t hamper the plot at all with plenty of suspects and clues before we reached the logical end.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-behind-chocolate-bars-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
Carter wishes he could go back in time, 10 years, and make a whole lot of changes. At the top of the list is never letting Kenzie go. He was stupid for choosing work over her. If only there was a way to get a do over. McKenzie is in town for a book signing and Carter decides it’s time to try again.

After getting help from a holiday spirit, Carter finds himself back in time with a perfect do over. Unfortunately his new (old) life is less than perfect. He has made most of the same mistakes only this time he is married to Kenzie with 2 small children. Will he finally be able to right the wrongs and win back the love of his life.

Solid 4 star read for a magical story full of hope and promise, I really enjoyed this first read by the author.
  
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
1969 | Action, Classics, Western
One of those enduringly great movies that captures the spirit of the time in which it was made. A pair of outlaws discover that the free-and-easy west in which they've lived is being overtaken by the modern world. What do two men do when there just isn't a place for them any more?

A shamelessly nostalgic and bittersweet reflection on the loss of innocence, not least in the western genre itself; the film is unapologetically romantic about the activities of a couple of bandits, but they are written and played with such charm and conviction that you accept them utterly and keenly feel the loss of everything that they represent. Great performances from the three leads, and a script filled with quotable lines and memorable moments - not sure it's strictly speaking a classic western in the traditional sense, but certainly a classic film.
  
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Andy K (10826 KP) Jan 16, 2019

One of the greats!

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Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Once Upon a Time in America (1984) in Movies

Mar 3, 2020 (Updated Mar 5, 2020)  
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
1984 | Drama
Seen by some as an 80s Godfather light, this masterpiece of storytelling stands very much on its own two feet. There is a melancholy and nostalgia that make you care about the characters in ways many crime films don’t achieve. Led by one of the best cinema scores there has surely ever been. Ennio Morricone’s haunting melodies stay with you for life, evoking in turns the spirit of childhood, the regret of old age, and the ache for love and happiness that ultimately evades every one of them. Moments of laughter and glory turn to brutality, betrayal and bitterness, leading to an ambiguous end that breaks the heart. The look and feel of New York, captured with immense care in every shot, is a character in and of itself. An extraordinary allegory of what we were, what we dreamed we’d be and what we actually became.