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In [Once Upon A Road Trip] [Angela N. Blount] tells of a coming of age/finding yourself journey for the internet age. Angeli at the age of 18 has no idea what she wants to do. She would like to be a writer or even a minister. Her desire to figure it all out takes her on a journey through the US stopping and staying with people she has met on the internet. Before you all get like all the adults and say she is crazy, understand she had a plan. Also it was families she was staying with not weirdos.

I loved most of the style and voice of this book. In fact I plan to recommended to a few former students who are going through similar angst. The ending was predictable though. Perhaps I should not have read the dedication first.
  
The Night Ocean
The Night Ocean
Paul LaFarge | 2017 | Mystery, Thriller
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received an ARC for an unbiased review of THE NIGHT OCEAN by Paul La Farge.

This is not a book one can pick up and put down to come back to in a few days, nor is it really a book one can read in a location where there are much distractions. I would find myself having to back up over a few pages to try to remember the where/who/what of the current place in the book.

La Farge has a unique writing style, intertwining the voices of several narrators almost seamlessly, allowing us to believe, as readers, that an entire section is true, only to be told in the next section, that large pieces of it were...in fact...a lie. It was an absolute mindfuck and totally worth the time it took to read it.
  
Home Fire
Home Fire
Kamila Shamsie | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not quite Antigone, interesting take on modern Islamophobia
There are two very distinctive opinions on this book about how British Muslims are treated in a western society, split between being seen as subservient and loyal as well as dangerous and dogmatic. It is absolutely relevant to the current political climate hence it is an intriguing read. At times it borders on satirical because some of the elements appear very far fetched. From a Romeo and Juliet style love story played out in the media, to the extreme Islamophobic views of a Muslim politician. While there are definite elements of truths planted in this book, the extreme nature of the funeral scene just bordered on slightly ridiculous especially when there are real examples in the public eye. It is a gripping and engaging read with something lacking.
  
Atomic Blonde  (2017)
Atomic Blonde (2017)
2017 | Action, Mystery, Thriller
Soundtrack (1 more)
Fight scenes
Confusing plot (0 more)
Style over substance?
This is basically a slightly above average spy film - given the above average rating solely based on the killer soundtrack and great action scenes. Charlize Theron makes a pretty good kick ass action star. However the plot itself is a bit confusing at times, drags quite a lot and seems to have almost been pushed to the background in favour of the stylish music and fight scenes. The basic premise as well is sadly lacking in originality, it's so similar to numerous other spy films just with a cool 80s setting. It does however have a great supporting cast, but James McAvoy has been massively underused in this as he's a fantastic actor and needed more screen time. The ending was alright though, just a shame it took so long to get there.
  
D(
Dust (Dust, #1)
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dust by Joan Frances Turner
Genre: Adult fiction, Zombie
ISBN: 9780441019281
Pub date: September 7, 2010
Rating: DNF

Dust was a great idea, had great potential for a plot, and had great characters. But all I was reading were run-on sentences, fragments, and comma splices. Although I understand that writing novels allows for more creativity and independent writing style, I had trouble understanding it because it was so hard to read.

I hate not being able to give this book more than 35 pages (ARC) but in all honesty, a book that is hard to understand and frustrates me is not one I can enjoy anyway, no matter how good the story is.

Dust is published on September7th. Check out some other reviews before making a final opinion.

This review is copyright Haley Mathiot and Night Owl Reviews.
  
My Best Friend's Exorcism
My Best Friend's Exorcism
Grady Hendrix | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror
10
9.0 (10 Ratings)
Book Rating
I have a new guilty pleasure and it’s name is Grady Hendrix. After finishing My Best Friend’s Exorcism, I find myself hungering for more of Hendrix’s work. Fortunately, the audiobook was not read by the same narrator as Horrorstör. Instead, this 80s style book is read by Emily WooZeller – the woman that narrated Shallow Graves.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism reads exactly like a cliché. If you’ve seen any horror film from the 80s, you probably know exactly what I mean. All the way down to the dog. Normally this would put me off, but instead I found it oddly comforting. Totaling only ten hours, it’s not a terribly long read either.

I really wish I had more to say, but honestly with that last description I’ve pretty much said everything. Just take your average 80s horror flick elements and apply them!
  
Twenty Something: The Quarter-Life Crisis Of Jack Lancaster
Twenty Something: The Quarter-Life Crisis Of Jack Lancaster
Iain Hollingshead | 2006 | Fiction & Poetry, Humor & Comedy, Young Adult (YA)
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Pros:
▪ Quick flow
▪ Diary entries
▪ Memoir style
Cons:
▪Explicit language
THIS BOOK.
What an amusing read this was, absolutely hilarious. This book follows Jack Lancaster who is twenty something and having a quarter-life crisis, his life is a bit of a mess and he's not really sure what the heck he's doing. He ends up totally winging it and everything figures itself out eventually, apart from a few unfortunate events here and there.
I love the fact that this is written by a local author again so I recognised many locations and even buildings in this, one of the buildings mentioned is actually where my dad works.
This made me able to relate to the book more.
If you want a quick read, with a fast flow and lots of humour then this is the book to read.
  
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Leah (: (569 KP) created a post

Mar 24, 2019  
So today I decided my floordrobe had finally gotten too big - it was time to the Marie Kondo way of folding clothes. Very quickly after putting my newly folded clothes back in the draw I encountered a problem, for some reason I could fit far less in the drawer than previously. In the picture below is all my tops folded Marie Kondo style, I used to also fit about 5 pairs of trousers and quite a few pairs of pyjamas. Now I do like that all of my tops are visibly and I don’t have to messily rummage through the whole stack for one at the bottom. However I can say that after spending at least half an hour re-folding all my clothes when I discovered even less fit in the drawer this way it most definitely did not Spark Joy!!
     
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Imogen SB (4507 KP) Mar 25, 2019

Your collection of stripes is next level! Loooooove it

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Leah (: (569 KP) Mar 25, 2019

Thanks, I do love a good stripey piece of clothing (:

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Awix (3310 KP) rated Hellboy (2019) in Movies

Apr 11, 2019 (Updated Apr 11, 2019)  
Hellboy (2019)
Hellboy (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Headbanging new take on Mike Mignola's demonic superhero. Hellboy, summoned to end the world but raised to protect it, has to do battle with vampires, man-eating giants, murderous occultists, pig-headed fairies and an evil sorceress from Arthurian legend. Scores highly on the 'ugh' front with a lot of gore.

Directed by Neil Marshall, so taste and restraint are not much in evidence, while the script is extremely variable and most of the performances not much cop either. Were-beasts fight fairies, demons fight vampires, none of it makes a great deal of sense, and there's little sign of the wit and style of Guillermo del Toro's films about these characters. In the end the film has plenty of energy and a sense of humour about itself which keep it just about watchable, but it's still a bit of a disappointment.
  
The Daughters of Morrigan (Souls Out of Ireland #1)
The Daughters of Morrigan (Souls Out of Ireland #1)
Annie Cosby | 2018 | Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Highly Recommend This!!!
Drop whatever you are doing and get yourself a copy of this book asap. I've always loved Irish myths and legends and in particular, the deities and man this book left me foaming at the mouth for more.

There's so much I want to say about this captivating storyline and the many beautiful characters but I can't without revealing the many spoilers. Annie Cosby's writing style immediately transports you into this well-written story and I swear that I kept catching myself trying to imitate the dialect.

I ohed and awed throughout the entire page-turning read which kept me in its grip the entire time and when I reached the end I wanted to scream because now I have to wait until the second book!!

I LOVED it and recommend it to one and all!!!