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Justin Vivian Bond recommended Edie: American Girl in Books (curated)
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Ghost of You and Me in Books
Jan 8, 2021
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Knitting at Home: 60 Classics from Ella Rae Designs in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Knitting At Home: 60 Classics from Ella Rae Designs by Leanne Prouse
ISBN: 9781933027999
Published: Published October 5th 2010 by Sixth&Spring Books
Rating: 5
Knitting At Home aims to be more than a knitting book with pretty patterns. Specifically, it aims to inspire and create a desire to satisfy creativity. It accomplishes this wonderfully. There isn't a pattern in Knitting at Home that I don't like, and there are several I'm itching to start on.
The book has six sections: A Room for Living, Relaxing, Sharing, Retreating, Little ones, and It's the Weekend. Each one has a great collection of patterns.
There was a good variety of patterns in the book, between socks, fingerless mitts, bags, and decorations for the home. There were also a lot of throws and blankets. Now I've never made a blanket… but after flipping through this book a few times, I've never wanted to make one so badly (Alas, most of my yarn is at home and I'm stuck at college). Same with pillows. I never understood the idea of knitting a pillow, but when seen in the photographs in the book and when I saw the beautiful patterns, I desperately wanted one! There are also some beautiful sweater patterns, some nice socks, a cute pair of slippers, and even some felted stuffed dolls.
The patterns and the whole feel of this book drips creativity and inspiration: everything from the layout to the font to the color schemes. Both Leanne Prouse and her artistic director did a great job on Knitting at Home.
Recommendation: beginner to experienced knitters who like larger projects and projects for the home.
ISBN: 9781933027999
Published: Published October 5th 2010 by Sixth&Spring Books
Rating: 5
Knitting At Home aims to be more than a knitting book with pretty patterns. Specifically, it aims to inspire and create a desire to satisfy creativity. It accomplishes this wonderfully. There isn't a pattern in Knitting at Home that I don't like, and there are several I'm itching to start on.
The book has six sections: A Room for Living, Relaxing, Sharing, Retreating, Little ones, and It's the Weekend. Each one has a great collection of patterns.
There was a good variety of patterns in the book, between socks, fingerless mitts, bags, and decorations for the home. There were also a lot of throws and blankets. Now I've never made a blanket… but after flipping through this book a few times, I've never wanted to make one so badly (Alas, most of my yarn is at home and I'm stuck at college). Same with pillows. I never understood the idea of knitting a pillow, but when seen in the photographs in the book and when I saw the beautiful patterns, I desperately wanted one! There are also some beautiful sweater patterns, some nice socks, a cute pair of slippers, and even some felted stuffed dolls.
The patterns and the whole feel of this book drips creativity and inspiration: everything from the layout to the font to the color schemes. Both Leanne Prouse and her artistic director did a great job on Knitting at Home.
Recommendation: beginner to experienced knitters who like larger projects and projects for the home.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Right to Remain Silent in Books
May 2, 2021 (Updated May 2, 2021)
I Won’t Remain Silent About This Book
Sparkle Bodie was declared dead, but then came back to life at the funeral home. She’s rushed to the hospital where she dies for real – smothered by a pillow. The sheriff thinks that Sparkle’s son, Caleb, is responsible for her murder – the son that is deaf and has had very little interaction with anyone else. Connor is asked by Sparkle’s other son to try to communicate with his brother and find out what really happened. That is proving to be a challenge even before someone lets Caleb out of jail. Can she prove he is innocent?
This is a strong third book in the series. Connor being deaf herself makes her a unique main character, but I love how she navigates life. The other characters, series regulars or suspects, are strong and help make the book compelling. The mystery contains enough red herrings to keep me guessing. I did feel the climax was a bit convoluted at first, but the more Connor explained things, the more it made sense. The paperback originally came out in the late 1990’s, so there are some dated elements in the book, and since that’s what I read, I don’t know if the ebook was updated. As long as you know that going in, you should be okay. There’s a smattering of foul language, but this is worth noting in passing. I’m glad I’m finally reading about Connor and am hoping I can continue the series soon.
This is a strong third book in the series. Connor being deaf herself makes her a unique main character, but I love how she navigates life. The other characters, series regulars or suspects, are strong and help make the book compelling. The mystery contains enough red herrings to keep me guessing. I did feel the climax was a bit convoluted at first, but the more Connor explained things, the more it made sense. The paperback originally came out in the late 1990’s, so there are some dated elements in the book, and since that’s what I read, I don’t know if the ebook was updated. As long as you know that going in, you should be okay. There’s a smattering of foul language, but this is worth noting in passing. I’m glad I’m finally reading about Connor and am hoping I can continue the series soon.
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated The Outlaw's Daughter (The Haywire Brides, #3) in Books
Feb 24, 2021
The Outlaws Daughter is the third book in the Haywire Brides Series by Margaret Brownley. It can be read as a standalone (I haven’t read the other in this series yet and got along just fine), I will be going back and reading the rest of the books in this series though.
I loved Texas Ranger Matt Taggert in this book! His balance between doing his job and his feelings for Ellie-May was interesting to see. I thought that there was good chemistry between the two main characters and that Matt showed respect for everyone involved. Ellie-May is a great southern Momma (at night when she hears a noise, her first thought is to reach for her shotgun under her pillow!), she is a well-behaved lady who takes care of those around her, and she loves her kids. She is someone I would love to meet in real life. The plot of this story was interesting, it had fast-paced scenes and slower-paced scenes, and I liked the western feel to the town. It kept me engaged throughout the story. I liked the small town where everyone knew everyone, which is not always a good thing, but it was cool to see the town interact with the characters.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the fun characters, the cool western town, and the storyline
I loved Texas Ranger Matt Taggert in this book! His balance between doing his job and his feelings for Ellie-May was interesting to see. I thought that there was good chemistry between the two main characters and that Matt showed respect for everyone involved. Ellie-May is a great southern Momma (at night when she hears a noise, her first thought is to reach for her shotgun under her pillow!), she is a well-behaved lady who takes care of those around her, and she loves her kids. She is someone I would love to meet in real life. The plot of this story was interesting, it had fast-paced scenes and slower-paced scenes, and I liked the western feel to the town. It kept me engaged throughout the story. I liked the small town where everyone knew everyone, which is not always a good thing, but it was cool to see the town interact with the characters.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the fun characters, the cool western town, and the storyline
Mayhawke (97 KP) rated The Last Templar in Books
Feb 7, 2018
It's an O.K. Read, But...
...but. It's not riveting. I had no problems putting it down and going to do other things. In fact I stopped for a day half-way through and read an entire other book. That said, I had no problems picking it up again.
The writing style is a bit unsophisticated. It seems to swing between slightly out-of-synch passages of 'Historical Travelogue' and 'Something That Was Written With The Movie in Mind' - screaming Hollywood-esq car chases, murderous priests etc.
In it's favour the theory it puts forward is intriguing and over-all the story is well-paced and well presented. Unfortunatly parts of the plot only stand up if you read them with one eye shut, from behind a pillow, and some of the arguments are highly dubious to say the least (e.g: people can only be good, kind and charitable if inspired to be by religion; Christianity was the first religion to preach love not hate)
All in all, it's not a bad read but if you have to budget your 'book allowance' I'd suggest getting it from a library or borrowing it from a friend.
The writing style is a bit unsophisticated. It seems to swing between slightly out-of-synch passages of 'Historical Travelogue' and 'Something That Was Written With The Movie in Mind' - screaming Hollywood-esq car chases, murderous priests etc.
In it's favour the theory it puts forward is intriguing and over-all the story is well-paced and well presented. Unfortunatly parts of the plot only stand up if you read them with one eye shut, from behind a pillow, and some of the arguments are highly dubious to say the least (e.g: people can only be good, kind and charitable if inspired to be by religion; Christianity was the first religion to preach love not hate)
All in all, it's not a bad read but if you have to budget your 'book allowance' I'd suggest getting it from a library or borrowing it from a friend.
Kristina (502 KP) rated All About You (Love & Hate, #1) in Books
Dec 7, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
Let me just say, I'm so freaking pi$$ed! First off, I gave the book a 2 star rating because I felt like the writing was bad. I trudged through the first 2-3 chapters because I've realized that, sometimes it takes a book a few chapters to "loosen up". Unfortunately for me, the storyline was too interesting to stop reading. When I first understood what was happening, I was instantly angry. I know entering college doesn't make a person automatically mature, but do people seriously still continue to bully at that part of their life? At first, I didn't care for India, because she bullied Oliver; I felt awful when I found out what Christian had done to her, but I still don't feel like that excused the way she treated Oliver. Anyway, I was glad she wanted to apologize and make amends, though it's easier to say you forgive someone than to actually forgive them when it comes to bullying. So, I was literally sick of watching India get tortured and made fun of -do these kids not have anything better to do with their lives?? I kept reading because I wanted Oliver to shove his foot up his rear when he found out what his brother did to her. Then they became friends. I was immediately, like, "No, no. India, don't do it. No!" Of course, a book character can't hear the reader screaming at them, so she didn't listen. By the end, after Oliver's final attempt to tear India down and break her spirit, I had to do one of two things: gently set down my tablet and bite my pillow or throw my tablet against the wall and scream bloody murder. I love my tablet too much to abuse it, so my pillow took the brunt of my anger. Heck, I'm still angry and it's been 6 days! Part of me doesn't want to spend the money on the next 2 or 3 books in this series - like I said, I didn't care for the writing. But, at the same time, I HAVE to know what's going to happen. I don't know about India, but Oliver could save her life and I still wouldn't forgive him.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Rules of Magic in Books
Feb 19, 2018
So I actually didn't know that Practical Magic the movie was based on a book. But when I saw The Rules of Magic billed as the prequel to a movie I had loved, I knew I had to read it. And I'm so glad I did. The Rules of Magic is, well, magical. Magical and nostalgic and spell-binding. Most book worlds feel different than their respective movie-worlds, but this felt like a logical prequel. (It may be because I haven't seen the movie in some time - I intend to remedy that soon, and I might just have to read the book as well.)
Practical Magic, the well known movie with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, centers around the two girls and their elderly aunts. The Rules of Magic is the aunts' story. And what a story. It begins in New York, as the older of the two aunts is turning 17. On an Owens' girl's seventeenth birthday, they receive an invitation to spend the summer at the Owens home in Massachusetts. Frances, the older of the two girls, receives the invitation, and her two siblings won't let her go alone, so all three of them (yes, three, the movie doesn't mention their brother that I recall, though I suppose Bullock and Kidman's characters had to come from somewhere!) pack up and head to Massachusetts, where they meet their Aunt Isabelle. Over the course of the summer, they learn their family history, and get verification that they are indeed witches. (They'd had certain powers throughout childhood, though their mother tried to deny it.)
It was Vincent's storyline that intrigued me, since I knew where Frances and Jet ended up. There was an unexpected curveball that I won't spoil here, but I enjoyed it. It was Jet and Frances' storylines that had me crying at the end of the book, though. Not the very last chapter - it ended on a hopeful note - but the few chapters preceding it had me in tears. (It was midnight, and everyone else was asleep, so I had myself a good cry over my book, and then had to try to sleep on a wet pillow.)
If you enjoyed Practical Magic the movie, you should read this book. It's a perfect prequel.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Practical Magic, the well known movie with Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, centers around the two girls and their elderly aunts. The Rules of Magic is the aunts' story. And what a story. It begins in New York, as the older of the two aunts is turning 17. On an Owens' girl's seventeenth birthday, they receive an invitation to spend the summer at the Owens home in Massachusetts. Frances, the older of the two girls, receives the invitation, and her two siblings won't let her go alone, so all three of them (yes, three, the movie doesn't mention their brother that I recall, though I suppose Bullock and Kidman's characters had to come from somewhere!) pack up and head to Massachusetts, where they meet their Aunt Isabelle. Over the course of the summer, they learn their family history, and get verification that they are indeed witches. (They'd had certain powers throughout childhood, though their mother tried to deny it.)
It was Vincent's storyline that intrigued me, since I knew where Frances and Jet ended up. There was an unexpected curveball that I won't spoil here, but I enjoyed it. It was Jet and Frances' storylines that had me crying at the end of the book, though. Not the very last chapter - it ended on a hopeful note - but the few chapters preceding it had me in tears. (It was midnight, and everyone else was asleep, so I had myself a good cry over my book, and then had to try to sleep on a wet pillow.)
If you enjoyed Practical Magic the movie, you should read this book. It's a perfect prequel.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated It (2017) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Make sure you take a pillow
Horror buffs and Stephen King fans everywhere have been waiting for this moment since 2009. It is of course, a modern adaptation of the author’s novel, IT.
Plagued with production problems from the get-go, I see a pattern emerging here, IT has been in the hands of multiple directors with numerous actors in the running to play that iconic clown. I am of course, talking about Pennywise.
Fast forward to 2017, and with Mama Andy Muschietti taking over directorial duties and Bill Skarsgård hopping into that tight-fitting suit we finally have a finished product. But what is it like?Seven young outcasts in Derry, Maine, are about to face their worst nightmare — an ancient, shape-shifting evil that emerges from the sewer every 27 years to prey on the town’s children. Banding together over the course of one horrifying summer, the friends must overcome their own personal fears to battle the murderous, bloodthirsty clown known as Pennywise.
Let’s start off by saying this is much, much better than last month’s The Dark Tower. Stephen King adaptations can go one of two ways and it was feared that IT would follow in the aforementioned film’s footsteps. Thankfully, this isn’t the case.
IT is frankly, an incredible interpretation of King’s iconic novel filled with exceptional performances, stunning cinematography and an emotional heart not normally seen in the genre. It’s unlike anything you will have seen before.
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, Pennywise. Tim Curry played the hell out of that character in the 1990 miniseries and it would be senseless for 27-year-old Bill Skarsgård to follow too closely in his footsteps. At 6ft 3”, Skarsgård is certainly an imposing presence and his Pennywise is much more menacing than Curry’s, but to compare them too much would be unfair to each.
Elsewhere, all the members of the Losers’ Club are brilliant. I have never seen this calibre of acting from such a young group. Jaeden Lieberher as Bill in particular is astonishing. The scenes in which they all work together without the threat of Pennywise are a treat and give the film an uncharacteristically poignant style.
Moreover, the shot choices that Muschietti uses are striking. He rightly stays away from confining the horror to dimly lit corridors and alleyways and whilst this does feature more towards the finale, Derry makes a fine location bathed for the most part in gorgeous sunlight.
Whilst not being completely faithful to King’s novel, Muschietti’s film features all of the iconic scenes that you would expect. The opening sequence from the book in which little Georgie is confronted by Pennywise in the storm drain is shockingly brutal and sets up the tone for the rest of the picture.
This is a truly frightening film, speckled with just enough gore to keep it realistic and whilst it’s true there are one-too-many jump scares, the brilliant source material stops them from feeling too cheap. In the back of your mind, you’re well aware that this is very similar to the book indeed.
Overall, IT is better than anyone could have hoped. It’s scary, deeply emotional, funny and beautifully filmed with an exquisite score by Benjamin Wallfisch. If you’re a horror fan you must watch. If you’re a film fan, you must watch – just take a pillow with you, for protection purposes of course.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/09/09/it-review-make-sure-you-take-a-pillow/
Plagued with production problems from the get-go, I see a pattern emerging here, IT has been in the hands of multiple directors with numerous actors in the running to play that iconic clown. I am of course, talking about Pennywise.
Fast forward to 2017, and with Mama Andy Muschietti taking over directorial duties and Bill Skarsgård hopping into that tight-fitting suit we finally have a finished product. But what is it like?Seven young outcasts in Derry, Maine, are about to face their worst nightmare — an ancient, shape-shifting evil that emerges from the sewer every 27 years to prey on the town’s children. Banding together over the course of one horrifying summer, the friends must overcome their own personal fears to battle the murderous, bloodthirsty clown known as Pennywise.
Let’s start off by saying this is much, much better than last month’s The Dark Tower. Stephen King adaptations can go one of two ways and it was feared that IT would follow in the aforementioned film’s footsteps. Thankfully, this isn’t the case.
IT is frankly, an incredible interpretation of King’s iconic novel filled with exceptional performances, stunning cinematography and an emotional heart not normally seen in the genre. It’s unlike anything you will have seen before.
Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room, Pennywise. Tim Curry played the hell out of that character in the 1990 miniseries and it would be senseless for 27-year-old Bill Skarsgård to follow too closely in his footsteps. At 6ft 3”, Skarsgård is certainly an imposing presence and his Pennywise is much more menacing than Curry’s, but to compare them too much would be unfair to each.
Elsewhere, all the members of the Losers’ Club are brilliant. I have never seen this calibre of acting from such a young group. Jaeden Lieberher as Bill in particular is astonishing. The scenes in which they all work together without the threat of Pennywise are a treat and give the film an uncharacteristically poignant style.
Moreover, the shot choices that Muschietti uses are striking. He rightly stays away from confining the horror to dimly lit corridors and alleyways and whilst this does feature more towards the finale, Derry makes a fine location bathed for the most part in gorgeous sunlight.
Whilst not being completely faithful to King’s novel, Muschietti’s film features all of the iconic scenes that you would expect. The opening sequence from the book in which little Georgie is confronted by Pennywise in the storm drain is shockingly brutal and sets up the tone for the rest of the picture.
This is a truly frightening film, speckled with just enough gore to keep it realistic and whilst it’s true there are one-too-many jump scares, the brilliant source material stops them from feeling too cheap. In the back of your mind, you’re well aware that this is very similar to the book indeed.
Overall, IT is better than anyone could have hoped. It’s scary, deeply emotional, funny and beautifully filmed with an exquisite score by Benjamin Wallfisch. If you’re a horror fan you must watch. If you’re a film fan, you must watch – just take a pillow with you, for protection purposes of course.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2017/09/09/it-review-make-sure-you-take-a-pillow/