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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated 13 Minutes in Books
Feb 13, 2018
When they pull Natasha out of the river, she's been dead for thirteen minutes. Thirteen dark, cold minutes. It's amazing the teenager even lives; in fact, it's just pure luck that a man and his dog stumble upon her and pull her from the river's icy clutches. Tasha, as she's known, has no memory of how she wound up in the river, but she knows it wasn't intentional on her part. In fact, she's pretty sure two of her closest friends, Hayley and Jenny, had something to do with it. The two seemed weird in the days leading up to the incident. The trio of beautiful, popular girls--known as "the Barbies" at school--were supposedly the best of friends. But after the accident, Tasha feels drawn to her former friend, Becca, whom she dropped in middle school. Becca isn't sure why Tasha is suddenly being so nice to her. Tasha isn't sure either. And no one is exactly sure how or why Tasha ended up in that river.
I've never read a novel by [a:Sarah Pinborough|457300|Sarah Pinborough|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1463056151p2/457300.jpg] before, and I was pretty impressed. She's a great writer, and <i>she certainly knows how to capture the voice of the teenagers within the pages of her novel</i>. I don't think I realized this book would be quite so YA, if that makes any sense. I <i>kept waiting for there to be a bit more to the story than teenage politics</i>, but it's truly sort of a <i>Pretty Little Liars</i>-type tale. That's not to say it's not well-done. It may have just been a tad bit young for me; still, <i>it's an excellent novel and would be a truly wonderful read for most teens</i>, too.
Part of the novel's brilliance comes in its format. It's told from the point of view of Becca and Tasha, but we also get excerpts from Tasha's diary; case files from the Inspector on Tasha's case; notes from Tasha's psychologist; texts between the teens; and more. <i>I enjoyed the format, and it was quite effective at building suspense and tension. </i>
Because,<i> wow, yes, the book is certainly tense and compelling.</i> You're constantly wondering how reliable our teenage narrators are and questioning everything that happens. Now, as mentioned, there's a lot of teenage drama. A LOT. <i>These teens are truly a little scary</i>, and this was yet another book that makes me a tiny bit frightened for my five-year-old daughters to grow up. My goodness. At times, I got a bit bogged down in all the teen antics, but it was still quite interesting.
Becca was definitely a bit of a kid, but I still liked her (for the most part). She was well-written, just a little young for me. Pinborough is truly amazing at getting in the head of these teenagers--capturing the pettiness, meanness, and honestly, sometimes the dumbness, of their mindset. But she also caught the brutal neediness behind some of their actions: that raw need of kids that age to fit in with their peers.
I had a decent idea how this one was going to play out pretty early on, but that didn't stop me from reading (as mentioned, I tore through this in about 24 hours). There's something oddly compelling about this book and its characters. Pinborough weaves in <i>The Crucible</i> as a backdrop--it's the school play--which is a really clever move, as there are a lot of parallels between said drama and the melodrama unfolding among Tasha, Hayley, and Jenny.
Overall, this novel really just hinges on the duality of the hatefulness and vulnerability of teenagers. It may come across as a little too YA and predictable for some adults, but I can't deny that it's well-written and crisp. It's hard to like some of the characters, but I think it would make a great book for teens (albeit it's rather freaking scary). I was leaning toward 3.5 stars before writing this review, but I think I'll do 3.75 and bump up to 4 stars here on Goodreads (that's not complicated at all, right? Perhaps fitting for this complicated and twisty novel).
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley and the publisher (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 10/03/2017.
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I've never read a novel by [a:Sarah Pinborough|457300|Sarah Pinborough|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1463056151p2/457300.jpg] before, and I was pretty impressed. She's a great writer, and <i>she certainly knows how to capture the voice of the teenagers within the pages of her novel</i>. I don't think I realized this book would be quite so YA, if that makes any sense. I <i>kept waiting for there to be a bit more to the story than teenage politics</i>, but it's truly sort of a <i>Pretty Little Liars</i>-type tale. That's not to say it's not well-done. It may have just been a tad bit young for me; still, <i>it's an excellent novel and would be a truly wonderful read for most teens</i>, too.
Part of the novel's brilliance comes in its format. It's told from the point of view of Becca and Tasha, but we also get excerpts from Tasha's diary; case files from the Inspector on Tasha's case; notes from Tasha's psychologist; texts between the teens; and more. <i>I enjoyed the format, and it was quite effective at building suspense and tension. </i>
Because,<i> wow, yes, the book is certainly tense and compelling.</i> You're constantly wondering how reliable our teenage narrators are and questioning everything that happens. Now, as mentioned, there's a lot of teenage drama. A LOT. <i>These teens are truly a little scary</i>, and this was yet another book that makes me a tiny bit frightened for my five-year-old daughters to grow up. My goodness. At times, I got a bit bogged down in all the teen antics, but it was still quite interesting.
Becca was definitely a bit of a kid, but I still liked her (for the most part). She was well-written, just a little young for me. Pinborough is truly amazing at getting in the head of these teenagers--capturing the pettiness, meanness, and honestly, sometimes the dumbness, of their mindset. But she also caught the brutal neediness behind some of their actions: that raw need of kids that age to fit in with their peers.
I had a decent idea how this one was going to play out pretty early on, but that didn't stop me from reading (as mentioned, I tore through this in about 24 hours). There's something oddly compelling about this book and its characters. Pinborough weaves in <i>The Crucible</i> as a backdrop--it's the school play--which is a really clever move, as there are a lot of parallels between said drama and the melodrama unfolding among Tasha, Hayley, and Jenny.
Overall, this novel really just hinges on the duality of the hatefulness and vulnerability of teenagers. It may come across as a little too YA and predictable for some adults, but I can't deny that it's well-written and crisp. It's hard to like some of the characters, but I think it would make a great book for teens (albeit it's rather freaking scary). I was leaning toward 3.5 stars before writing this review, but I think I'll do 3.75 and bump up to 4 stars here on Goodreads (that's not complicated at all, right? Perhaps fitting for this complicated and twisty novel).
I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley and the publisher (thank you!) in return for an unbiased review; it is available everywhere as of 10/03/2017.
<center><a href="http://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/">Blog</a>; ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/mwcmoto">Twitter</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/justacatandabook/">Facebook</a>; ~ <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KristyHamiltonbooks">Google+</a>; ~ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/justacatandabook/">Instagram</a>; </center>
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Aca-bysmal.
Mr Plot and Miss Tale were teenage sweethearts. They met at Storyville High School and inseparable, but were viciously cursed by a jealous school nurse, bitter from a recent split. Notwithstanding this setback, they realised that they were soul-mates, got engaged and were married in the following summer. Everyone wished them well, and spoke of the time when the sound of little Plots would ring out around their new house. Unfortunately, however hard they tried, no little Plot arrived. The ancient curse of the school nurse rang in their ears. They paid to see the most expensive doctors on Harley Street, but noone could help them. It turned out that not only was Mrs Plot infertile, but so was Mr Plot. It was hopeless, and because of an unfortunate conviction for marujiana possession in Mr Plot’s teenage years they couldn’t even adapt, sorry, adopt a little Plot from someone else. So they lived together with sadness and bitterness building up inside them. Would the curse ever be lifted? Would they work through their differences to find new purpose in life? Or would they part acromoniously with Mrs Plot joining a convent to sing mournful songs of grief and missed opportunities in the Swiss Alps? TO… BE…CONTINUED.
There. You were there, weren’t you? Living it. You want to know what happens next? Sure you do. You see, even I can come up with a story…. and I’m not a “professional Hollywood scriptwriter”.
Why then, I ask you. Why oh why oh why oh why oh why do the scriptwriters of Pitch Perfect 3 – Kay Cannon (the original PP screenwriter) and Mike White (“The Emoji Movie”) – think that this dreadfully lazy set of loosely connected scenes represent a viable basis for a movie? Is the view from the guys who green-lit this thing that the crowd that loved “Pitch Perfect” and the pretty dreadful sequel “Pitch Perfect 2” will pay their box office money regardless? Let’s advertise the hell out of it and cash in our chips before word of mouth gets out!?
In this ‘adventure’ the Bellas go on a US Forces overseas tour (though this is not really explained until they suddenly appear in Spain – what? how?). The really REALLY annoying commentators John (John Michael Higgins) and Gail (Elizabeth Banks, “Love and Mercy“) tag along, filming some lame half-arsed documentary about them until even the scriptwriters get fed up of that tedious plot-line and it quietly withers on the vine.
Fat Amy (is this still an acceptable nickname in 2017?) also runs into her nefarious father again after many years (John Lithgow, “Interstellar“, “Daddy’s Home 2“). Lithgow – sporting a wonderful Australian accent – is about the best thing in the film. The “plot” (sorry, I can barely bring myself to use that word) revolves around Daddy trying to get something of Amy’s that he needs, for reasons – given the yacht he sails – that makes no sense whatsoever. Will he succeed? Will the Bellas get selected to headline with DJ Khaled (who is apparently a thing, but I’ve never heard him on BBC Radio 2)? Does anyone really care?
As my wife pointed out, it’s a bit unfortunate that the only Bellas who are not stick-thin size zeroes are the obese and annoyingly loud one, the black lesbian one and two that nobody knows why they are there. The message to the target female teen audience is clear: if you want to be “in” you’d better diet… hard. Nice.
Looking for all the world like sticks of candy-cane. The size 0 Bellas.
What can I say that’s vaguely nice about this monstrosity?
Some of the acapella song and dance numbers are fun enough, particularly “Toxic” that opens the film;
The closing number by Anna Kendrick (“Table 19“) is quite appealing;
There are also about 5 funny lines that made me smile: not laugh… smile;
It’s also a relief that John and Gail, unlike in “Pitch Perfect 2“, only come out with one xenophobic/racist comment in the film (and that’s about the French, so that hardly counts 🙂 ).
And I’m out…
There will be no doubt die-hard teenage fans who will love this one too. But my wife was a great fan of the first film (as indeed was I); she tolerated the second one; but even she declared this to be “Aca-Awful”. It’s not as toxically dreadful as “Dirty Grandpa“… what could be? But, seriously, life is too short for this.
There. You were there, weren’t you? Living it. You want to know what happens next? Sure you do. You see, even I can come up with a story…. and I’m not a “professional Hollywood scriptwriter”.
Why then, I ask you. Why oh why oh why oh why oh why do the scriptwriters of Pitch Perfect 3 – Kay Cannon (the original PP screenwriter) and Mike White (“The Emoji Movie”) – think that this dreadfully lazy set of loosely connected scenes represent a viable basis for a movie? Is the view from the guys who green-lit this thing that the crowd that loved “Pitch Perfect” and the pretty dreadful sequel “Pitch Perfect 2” will pay their box office money regardless? Let’s advertise the hell out of it and cash in our chips before word of mouth gets out!?
In this ‘adventure’ the Bellas go on a US Forces overseas tour (though this is not really explained until they suddenly appear in Spain – what? how?). The really REALLY annoying commentators John (John Michael Higgins) and Gail (Elizabeth Banks, “Love and Mercy“) tag along, filming some lame half-arsed documentary about them until even the scriptwriters get fed up of that tedious plot-line and it quietly withers on the vine.
Fat Amy (is this still an acceptable nickname in 2017?) also runs into her nefarious father again after many years (John Lithgow, “Interstellar“, “Daddy’s Home 2“). Lithgow – sporting a wonderful Australian accent – is about the best thing in the film. The “plot” (sorry, I can barely bring myself to use that word) revolves around Daddy trying to get something of Amy’s that he needs, for reasons – given the yacht he sails – that makes no sense whatsoever. Will he succeed? Will the Bellas get selected to headline with DJ Khaled (who is apparently a thing, but I’ve never heard him on BBC Radio 2)? Does anyone really care?
As my wife pointed out, it’s a bit unfortunate that the only Bellas who are not stick-thin size zeroes are the obese and annoyingly loud one, the black lesbian one and two that nobody knows why they are there. The message to the target female teen audience is clear: if you want to be “in” you’d better diet… hard. Nice.
Looking for all the world like sticks of candy-cane. The size 0 Bellas.
What can I say that’s vaguely nice about this monstrosity?
Some of the acapella song and dance numbers are fun enough, particularly “Toxic” that opens the film;
The closing number by Anna Kendrick (“Table 19“) is quite appealing;
There are also about 5 funny lines that made me smile: not laugh… smile;
It’s also a relief that John and Gail, unlike in “Pitch Perfect 2“, only come out with one xenophobic/racist comment in the film (and that’s about the French, so that hardly counts 🙂 ).
And I’m out…
There will be no doubt die-hard teenage fans who will love this one too. But my wife was a great fan of the first film (as indeed was I); she tolerated the second one; but even she declared this to be “Aca-Awful”. It’s not as toxically dreadful as “Dirty Grandpa“… what could be? But, seriously, life is too short for this.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Turning Red (2022) in Movies
Mar 7, 2022
The digital animation geniuses at Pixar are back with “Turning Red” and it marks a departure for the studio known for the “Toy Story” and “Cars”, franchises.
Set in 1990s Toronto, the film centers around 8th grader Mei (Rosalie Chiang), who considers herself an adult at 13 and eagerly applies herself to school when she is not helping her family tour business at a local Temple or hanging with her friends.
Life comes crashing to a halt when after a traumatic day of embarrassment; Mei awakens in the form of a large Red Panda. In a panic, Mei attempts to hide her situation which causes her over-protective mother to assume it is Puberty related and that her hormones are kicking in.
Mei desperately wants to get her life back to normal and learns that as long as she is calm her Panda is under control. However, this proves to be harder than expected and soon Mei learns that the Panda is the result of a family bloodline but there is a way to end it during a Lunar ceremony in a couple of weeks.
Chaos soon follows as Mei struggles with her situation and must find a way to cope with the changes that are going on and make some very important decisions about her life and her future.
The film is a difficult one to review for me as never having been a teenage girl dealing with puberty, raging estrogen, and the issues that go with it. That being said the film struggles to find a balance as it tacks on the capers of Mei in Panda form without being overly funny or charming and keeps the focus on Teen Angst, puberty-related issues and becoming an adult.
The film lacks the interesting characters, charm, and appeal that have set the foundation for so many Pixar films and it is surprising that a company that can elicit a range of emotions in an animated short fail to really connect with their latest feature. There were some amusing parts but the film as a whole was rather dull and lacked much in the way of humor and was very predictable.
The decision to put the film directly on Disney+ as the studio’s recent “Soul” and “Luca” was raised some controversy but in the end, I do believe it was the right decision as “Turning Red” is not likely to be a film that draws people to the cinema beyond the opening weekend.
It is a film that is a bold step for the company, but one that lacks the charm and humor of previous films as not everyone is going to want to sit through a feature-length film on teenage angst and dealing with changing bodies and the emotional turmoil that follows. However, the target audience is likely to connect with the characters and it will be interesting to see what the reaction to the film is long-term.
3 stars out of 5
“Turning Red” will debut on Disney+ on March 11th
Set in 1990s Toronto, the film centers around 8th grader Mei (Rosalie Chiang), who considers herself an adult at 13 and eagerly applies herself to school when she is not helping her family tour business at a local Temple or hanging with her friends.
Life comes crashing to a halt when after a traumatic day of embarrassment; Mei awakens in the form of a large Red Panda. In a panic, Mei attempts to hide her situation which causes her over-protective mother to assume it is Puberty related and that her hormones are kicking in.
Mei desperately wants to get her life back to normal and learns that as long as she is calm her Panda is under control. However, this proves to be harder than expected and soon Mei learns that the Panda is the result of a family bloodline but there is a way to end it during a Lunar ceremony in a couple of weeks.
Chaos soon follows as Mei struggles with her situation and must find a way to cope with the changes that are going on and make some very important decisions about her life and her future.
The film is a difficult one to review for me as never having been a teenage girl dealing with puberty, raging estrogen, and the issues that go with it. That being said the film struggles to find a balance as it tacks on the capers of Mei in Panda form without being overly funny or charming and keeps the focus on Teen Angst, puberty-related issues and becoming an adult.
The film lacks the interesting characters, charm, and appeal that have set the foundation for so many Pixar films and it is surprising that a company that can elicit a range of emotions in an animated short fail to really connect with their latest feature. There were some amusing parts but the film as a whole was rather dull and lacked much in the way of humor and was very predictable.
The decision to put the film directly on Disney+ as the studio’s recent “Soul” and “Luca” was raised some controversy but in the end, I do believe it was the right decision as “Turning Red” is not likely to be a film that draws people to the cinema beyond the opening weekend.
It is a film that is a bold step for the company, but one that lacks the charm and humor of previous films as not everyone is going to want to sit through a feature-length film on teenage angst and dealing with changing bodies and the emotional turmoil that follows. However, the target audience is likely to connect with the characters and it will be interesting to see what the reaction to the film is long-term.
3 stars out of 5
“Turning Red” will debut on Disney+ on March 11th
Jenny Houle (24 KP) rated Beasts Made of Night in Books
Jan 13, 2018
I received a free ARC of this book from FirstToRead.com for an unbiased opinion.
Tochi Onyebuchi's debut novel definitely shows a balance of light and dark in all it's themes.
The story is of a city ruled by a royal family, their top advisers called Mages. The Mages use children called "aki" to literally eat the sins of others, the sins branding their skin like tattoos after they've consumed them. The main character, Taj, is a cocky teenage aki who is desperate to provide for the family he was forced to leave behind. After defeating a sin-beast of the King's, he finds himself in the employment of the royal family. Unlike most aki, his tattoos never fade and almost all of his skin is branded from one sin or the next.
I felt like the story was very interesting. The different classes within the city, as well as the different characters within each class were well developed. Around half way through the book, the ability to put it down went out the window...I had to see how things ended...
And then they didn't.
I'm not sure if Onyebuchi's plan is to write a second book, or if we, as readers, are meant to decide for ourselves what the future of Kos is. What still lies ahead for the city, the palace, the aki, Taj. I suppose either is an option. But I, personally, like a strong ending, and leaving off where it did left me feeling wronged as a reader. I really enjoyed the book until that.
Tochi Onyebuchi's debut novel definitely shows a balance of light and dark in all it's themes.
The story is of a city ruled by a royal family, their top advisers called Mages. The Mages use children called "aki" to literally eat the sins of others, the sins branding their skin like tattoos after they've consumed them. The main character, Taj, is a cocky teenage aki who is desperate to provide for the family he was forced to leave behind. After defeating a sin-beast of the King's, he finds himself in the employment of the royal family. Unlike most aki, his tattoos never fade and almost all of his skin is branded from one sin or the next.
I felt like the story was very interesting. The different classes within the city, as well as the different characters within each class were well developed. Around half way through the book, the ability to put it down went out the window...I had to see how things ended...
And then they didn't.
I'm not sure if Onyebuchi's plan is to write a second book, or if we, as readers, are meant to decide for ourselves what the future of Kos is. What still lies ahead for the city, the palace, the aki, Taj. I suppose either is an option. But I, personally, like a strong ending, and leaving off where it did left me feeling wronged as a reader. I really enjoyed the book until that.
Sam (74 KP) rated All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I hadn’t watched many of Carrie’s videos on YouTube. I saw her live one year when she was in The War of The Worlds, and that was the first I had heard about her. I think I actually saw more of her videos after reading the book!
This is a self-help/memoir with a bit of everything in it. It gave me a good laugh and was definitely entertaining throughout. Carrie reflects on her teenage years – the mistakes that she made and the fun that she had. She actually had a pretty normal life other than Tom Fletcher being her brother!
I did love all of the nerdy puns she used! It definitely gave me a good laugh.
The book is full of little anecdotes. I didn’t really get along with the form because it didn’t seem to flow very well. Each chapter (or ‘act’ as she puts it) jumps around a lot throughout Carrie’s childhood which made it a bit hard to follow. I would rather she had just written about her childhood than categorising everything and making it into a bit of a confusing mess.
My main problem with this was that parts felt forced. The writing didn’t always flow or feel natural and I feel like that fits in with the theme of YouTubers bringing out books. They often seem rushed and not quite right, and this one was another of those.
This didn’t stop me from enjoying it, but I feel like it could do better.
This is a self-help/memoir with a bit of everything in it. It gave me a good laugh and was definitely entertaining throughout. Carrie reflects on her teenage years – the mistakes that she made and the fun that she had. She actually had a pretty normal life other than Tom Fletcher being her brother!
I did love all of the nerdy puns she used! It definitely gave me a good laugh.
The book is full of little anecdotes. I didn’t really get along with the form because it didn’t seem to flow very well. Each chapter (or ‘act’ as she puts it) jumps around a lot throughout Carrie’s childhood which made it a bit hard to follow. I would rather she had just written about her childhood than categorising everything and making it into a bit of a confusing mess.
My main problem with this was that parts felt forced. The writing didn’t always flow or feel natural and I feel like that fits in with the theme of YouTubers bringing out books. They often seem rushed and not quite right, and this one was another of those.
This didn’t stop me from enjoying it, but I feel like it could do better.
ClareR (5874 KP) rated Brotherhood in Books
Apr 2, 2019
Byron is called home to Manchester by his panicked teenage nephew, Philip, when he becomes embroiled in the murder of one of his school friends. Philip is adamant that he is innocent, and Byron believes him. Unfortunately, the murdered boy has a rather dangerous family, and there is history between the leader of this family and Byron.
Byron is helped by his friend Adam, who was in the Marines with him, and they try to solve the murder to hopefully exonerate Philip.
I really enjoyed this book. Byron and Adam seemed like really nice people, believe it or not, even though they knew how to handle themselves and there was consequently a fair bit of violence!
There was the added interest and/ or complication of an African child soldier who had been adopted by a British couple. I really felt very sad for him as I read his flashbacks; he had led an awful, violent childhood.
This looks as though it’s the start of a really good series. I liked that Byron and Adam appeared to have an equal status in their little team, and the police officers and procedures all seemed genuine to me (but then I’m not a police officer!). It was such a fast, exciting read, and I really did gasp out loud a couple of times whilst I was reading! I’ll be interested to see where this series goes next.
Many thanks to Sapere books for my copy of this book, which I hope I’ve fairly reviewed!
Byron is helped by his friend Adam, who was in the Marines with him, and they try to solve the murder to hopefully exonerate Philip.
I really enjoyed this book. Byron and Adam seemed like really nice people, believe it or not, even though they knew how to handle themselves and there was consequently a fair bit of violence!
There was the added interest and/ or complication of an African child soldier who had been adopted by a British couple. I really felt very sad for him as I read his flashbacks; he had led an awful, violent childhood.
This looks as though it’s the start of a really good series. I liked that Byron and Adam appeared to have an equal status in their little team, and the police officers and procedures all seemed genuine to me (but then I’m not a police officer!). It was such a fast, exciting read, and I really did gasp out loud a couple of times whilst I was reading! I’ll be interested to see where this series goes next.
Many thanks to Sapere books for my copy of this book, which I hope I’ve fairly reviewed!
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Searching (2018) in Movies
Apr 6, 2019
Catfish 2.0
After dealing with the death of his wife from cancer, a father tries to deal with raising his high school daughter only to find out everything with her and her life is not what it seems when she goes missing. He frantically starts combing through her social media accounts and contacting her friends to find out any lead as to her whereabouts.
A local police detective also comes to his aid to follow up on leads and keep the investigation going.
The story didn't follow the "Catfish" formula, only the way the story is told. The movie entirely exists through webcams, social media posts and TV footage and that is it's biggest triumph. Any unique way f telling a story, especially a compelling and inventive one, deserves attention in my book since most movies' formulas sort of run together these days.
As a parent, the film really does make you think about how much do we really know our teenage children? Could they be having relationships without our knowledge or conducting themselves in a way they were not raised?
My wife and I actually talked about this a bit while viewing the film. The entire world of social media can be very scary if you think about it and how much of our lives we have exposed out in cyberspace for others to see and potentially exploit.
I got rid of my Facebook around a year ago and haven't regretted it once.
A local police detective also comes to his aid to follow up on leads and keep the investigation going.
The story didn't follow the "Catfish" formula, only the way the story is told. The movie entirely exists through webcams, social media posts and TV footage and that is it's biggest triumph. Any unique way f telling a story, especially a compelling and inventive one, deserves attention in my book since most movies' formulas sort of run together these days.
As a parent, the film really does make you think about how much do we really know our teenage children? Could they be having relationships without our knowledge or conducting themselves in a way they were not raised?
My wife and I actually talked about this a bit while viewing the film. The entire world of social media can be very scary if you think about it and how much of our lives we have exposed out in cyberspace for others to see and potentially exploit.
I got rid of my Facebook around a year ago and haven't regretted it once.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated First Frost in Books
Feb 13, 2018
Claire and Sydney are sisters. Claire is the more practical of the two and lately, she is drowning under the weight of a blossoming candy business. Sydney runs a hair salon and worries about her teenage daughter, Bay, who seems to be drifting away from her. In addition, Sydney longs for another baby. One day, a mysterious stranger shows up in their tiny town and threatens to disrupt their lives, especially Claire's.
This was an interesting read and definitely more on the 3.5 star end. I was about halfway through when I realized there was a book that came before this one - I'll probably read that one at some time, but I was already committed to this one. The book has a mystical edge to it; supposedly, each of the Waverley women are blessed with a gift, and Claire's house - the old Waverley home - has strange powers and a mind of its own.
At first it's a little strange to add the magic to the story, but it actually works well. Claire, Sydney, and Bay are all interesting characters. I actually found myself hoping there will be a third book that focuses more on Bay, because she's a compelling person. In a way, not much happens in the story, things just sort of float along as the women wait for the "first frost" to occur, but I still found myself compulsively flipping pages, wondering what would happen next. All in all, that's a sign of a good tale. Definitely a fun little read.
This was an interesting read and definitely more on the 3.5 star end. I was about halfway through when I realized there was a book that came before this one - I'll probably read that one at some time, but I was already committed to this one. The book has a mystical edge to it; supposedly, each of the Waverley women are blessed with a gift, and Claire's house - the old Waverley home - has strange powers and a mind of its own.
At first it's a little strange to add the magic to the story, but it actually works well. Claire, Sydney, and Bay are all interesting characters. I actually found myself hoping there will be a third book that focuses more on Bay, because she's a compelling person. In a way, not much happens in the story, things just sort of float along as the women wait for the "first frost" to occur, but I still found myself compulsively flipping pages, wondering what would happen next. All in all, that's a sign of a good tale. Definitely a fun little read.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated Palmetto Poison (Caroline Slade Mystery Series, #3) in Books
Feb 21, 2018
This was my first Carolina Slade (or Slade as she prefers to be called) mystery. I do think I would have liked to read or listen to the others first just to better understand some of Slade's fears and reactions to things. There are lots of references to previous events, with enough explanation that there's no problem understanding what is going on, but I am very curious about her past now.
After the Governor's brother-in-law is charged with possessing and distrusting prescription medications illegally, Slade's boss asks her to look into the matter. As soon as she starts investigating though, people start dying, and no one seems to want to cooperate with her investigation.
She really has a lot to deal with in this story - the Governor is angry at her continued snooping, there is a black SUV stalking her, her boyfriend's ex-wife shows up on the trail of said boyfriend's missing sister, and her teenage daughter thinks Slade is too old to have a handle on reality. Even so, I occasionally found her stubborn and unreasonable enough to make me want to slap her. I really think she behaves the way she does out of fear after her past experiences, though, so it doesn't make her less likable.
I think anyone who is a fan of the Temperance Brennan (Slade and Wayne reminded me a bit of Tempe and Andrew Ryan) or Kay Scarpetta novels would enjoy this one.
Disclaimer - I was provided with a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review
After the Governor's brother-in-law is charged with possessing and distrusting prescription medications illegally, Slade's boss asks her to look into the matter. As soon as she starts investigating though, people start dying, and no one seems to want to cooperate with her investigation.
She really has a lot to deal with in this story - the Governor is angry at her continued snooping, there is a black SUV stalking her, her boyfriend's ex-wife shows up on the trail of said boyfriend's missing sister, and her teenage daughter thinks Slade is too old to have a handle on reality. Even so, I occasionally found her stubborn and unreasonable enough to make me want to slap her. I really think she behaves the way she does out of fear after her past experiences, though, so it doesn't make her less likable.
I think anyone who is a fan of the Temperance Brennan (Slade and Wayne reminded me a bit of Tempe and Andrew Ryan) or Kay Scarpetta novels would enjoy this one.
Disclaimer - I was provided with a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Surviving R. Kelly in TV
Oct 21, 2019
A disturbing watch
I've never been a R Kelly but I remember how huge he was during my childhood and teenage years and it's horrible for me to think that this was going on during that time
This is not a pleasant watch. Like the Michael Jackson documentary before it, this really doesn't shy away from the disturbing and rather graphic detail about R Kelly's crimes. It's a fascinating watch and hugely interesting, especially for someone like me who is mostly unaware of the true extent of everything that has been going on. This is truly awful to watch, yet in a gripping and interesting manner. To think that this has still not been resolved to this date and these events are still happening makes me sick to my stomach, especially when there's still people that believe his innocence (and probably still do even after watching this).
The documentary series itself is well made although it is irritating in parts when it constantly recaps bits from earlier in the same episode or other episodes, or when it repeats the "parental guidance" message multiple times during each episode. I'm assuming it was meant to be shown on TV with multiple ad breaks, but even still these bits are overkill even for someone with the shortest of attention spans. They really should've been cut out for the Netflix version.
Despite this slight issue, this is still a thought provoking yet highly disturbing series that I'd encourage everyone to watch and raise awareness.
This is not a pleasant watch. Like the Michael Jackson documentary before it, this really doesn't shy away from the disturbing and rather graphic detail about R Kelly's crimes. It's a fascinating watch and hugely interesting, especially for someone like me who is mostly unaware of the true extent of everything that has been going on. This is truly awful to watch, yet in a gripping and interesting manner. To think that this has still not been resolved to this date and these events are still happening makes me sick to my stomach, especially when there's still people that believe his innocence (and probably still do even after watching this).
The documentary series itself is well made although it is irritating in parts when it constantly recaps bits from earlier in the same episode or other episodes, or when it repeats the "parental guidance" message multiple times during each episode. I'm assuming it was meant to be shown on TV with multiple ad breaks, but even still these bits are overkill even for someone with the shortest of attention spans. They really should've been cut out for the Netflix version.
Despite this slight issue, this is still a thought provoking yet highly disturbing series that I'd encourage everyone to watch and raise awareness.