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How to write a review without giving spoilers, when there is so much I want to say!? I will say that, if you don't know by now, Wanda Brunstetter is one of my absolute favorite Amish novelists. She never fails to hook me with her books and keep me entertained the entire way through. And, The Blessing, book 2 in her Amish Cooking Class series is no exception! I was hooked from the beginning and held captive til the very end. True talent! 

The Blessing picks up where book 1, The Seekers, left off. Heidi and Lyle Troyer are adopting a baby but a sad circumstance leaves Heidi heartbroken and once again teaching a class to occupy her mind. She, once again, opens her home to strangers and the fun begins! Each new character brings something special to the story and I loved watching Heidi interact with them. The messages thrown into the story and watching the characters realize what those messages were, was truly refreshing! 

This book is deserving of so much more than 5 stars! Mrs. Brunstetter has created another wonderful novel that every Amish fiction fan (and those that are new to the genre!) will fall in love with. Not only with her writing style, but also with the characters. They quickly become a part of the reader! I highly recommend this book to all book lovers! Hats off to the talented Mrs. Brunstetter, once again! I can't wait for book 3 to release. <a href="http://cafinatedreads.com/book-review-the-blessing-by-wanda-brunstetter/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Cafinated Reads</a>
  
Cube (1997)
Cube (1997)
1997 | Horror, Sci-Fi
7
7.6 (31 Ratings)
Movie Rating
The puzzles (1 more)
Original concept
Gets a bit preachy (0 more)
Before Saw and Hostel conjured up the term "torture porn" and it was rammed home with each sequel, a little Canadian film called Cube came out to little fanfare in 1997.

Made for a mere $400,000 dollars and with a lot of the special effects provided by local Canadian companies for free.
It is a simple yet ingenious premise, six strangers awaken in series of cube like rooms no recollection of how they got there or even why they are there. It also seems some of the rooms contain traps.
The tense and almost claustrophobic surroundings force both friendships and mistrust in equal measure.
The characters are well rounded and deliver believable performances of people trapped against their will, for the most part. There is a one point I disliked that felt too preachy but I did like the character.
The other thing I enjoyed was the forced interaction between the main protagonists because while there are traps this isn't some Saw film, the traps are present but just to provide the threat of one false move. I would even argue that at times the traps don't provide much of a threat but the "silent cube" really rings every drop of tension out of that scene.

The most interesting thing I found was that some people criticized the ending. Yes by the end not everything is explained, there is a lot of questions left unanswered and this is a good thing.
Why must we have everything explained? Leave thinking and wondering. Director Vincenzo Natali did film a longer ending and it was the first thing he cut.
  
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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Us (2019) in Movies

Dec 15, 2019  
Us (2019)
Us (2019)
2019 | Horror, Thriller
The first thing I'll say about Us is just how unnerving it . It's one of those horror films that leaves you with a sense of unease at everyday normal things.

Jordan Peele's second horror offering verges on standard horror tropes, clearly taking influence from horror that had come before, and at times feeling similar in nature to The Strangers, and It Follows, but it's intriguing underneath-the-surface plot and underlying social commentary save it from being just another horror film.
The idea of doppelganger horror has been explored before, but it feels a bit more apt in todays climate, as Peele explores the fear of outsiders, whilst also carrying a message about wealth gaps and the effect of privilege obliviousness.
In doing so, he successfully crafts a family of character we can root for, facing off against 'monsters' that sometimes feel all to familiar.

Lupita Nyong'o in particular is a massive stand out here, playing an inherently good central character, desperately protecting her family against a shadow of herself, who at times come across as relatable.

The plot has a decent amount of depth to it, and I'm glad that the narrative explores beyond the central family.
Jordan Peele's camerawork is fantastic throughout. There are striking shots put forwards from start to finish. He also makes fantastic work of colour... The vibrant setting of Santa Cruz works nicely, and the simple colour setup for The Tethered creates a look that is sure to become iconic in the horror genre.

I found Us to be a hugely enjoyable experience, and between Peele and Ari Aster, the future of horror is looking pretty exciting.
  
    Social Skills Pro

    Social Skills Pro

    Education and Lifestyle

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    App

    Social Skills Pro teaches you advanced communication skills. Learn and practice the complete...

    AdventureQuest 3D

    AdventureQuest 3D

    Games and Entertainment

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    App

    AdventureQuest 3D ( AQ3D ) is a real-time, massively multiplayer online role playing game. Battle...

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Guy Garvey recommended For the Roses by Joni Mitchell in Music (curated)

 
For the Roses by Joni Mitchell
For the Roses by Joni Mitchell
1972 | Rock
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I'm a fan of the album as a concept, but I'm in an album band that never discussed doing anything else and I never sit down and listen to one side on an LP, you know? I'll listen to both sides and that was with me from the beginning. She locked herself away in a cabin with no electricity to make that record. Just her own company and you hear the heartbreak start and end on that record. Genuinely, you know. She really had her heart ripped out and stomped on, and it's so full of love and yearning and adoration and then bitterness and recrimination. And again, it's just a resonant, beautiful thing and it captures a moment in time. And you know, everything from what I consider to be Joni's only swear in a song, she says in the song: 'Woman Of Heart And Mind': ""Drive your bargains/ Push your papers/ Win your medals/ Fuck your strangers/ Don't it leave you on the empty side?"" Can you imagine having that levelled at you? Like a machine gun of character assassination, but she says in the same song, ""You know the times you impress me most/ Are the times when you don't try/ When you don't even try"". It's great – songs, quite often, especially if it's lyric-heavy music, if it relies on the narrative, as Joni's stuff does, the stuff that deals earnestly and honestly with the grey areas, is what knocks me into next week. Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell, but of the three she is the best."

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