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Kristina (502 KP) rated Ten Below Zero in Books

Dec 7, 2020

Ten Below Zero

Whitney Barbetti | 2014 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance

6.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Contains spoilers, click to show

I'm going to be brutally honest. Throughout the first several chapters of this book, I was only mildly interested. Parker is so negative and closed off, I almost quit reading - I've had experience with that before and reading her thoughts were just too much for me. But I stuck with it, even if hearing about Everett's problem almost made me bow out. I felt like things finally picked up around the time both Everett and Parker left for their trip. Considering how well they get along, all I could do was imagine how entertaining things would be; I was not disappointed! It's crazy, because even though I enjoyed the story and became marginally more interested when they traveled together, I can only describe my interest as casual, at best. A lot of that, I do believe, had to do with how I assumed the book would end. I've gotten used to seeing heartache from chapters away, so perhaps I was trying to cushion the blow. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. Now, I didn't ugly cry. But I did shed some tears and felt the emotions deep within my bones. I yearned right along with Parker. Wished and hoped, even though I kept telling myself it was probably futile. Reading the Divergent series, the Bright Side, and Me Before You has hardened my heart a bit. I don't regret the tears that spilled while reading Ten Below Zero. It made my heart hurt and burst at the same time. I'm equally ecstatic that Whitney releases bonus scenes every few months - I look forward to signing up and reading more, especially from Everett's point of view.

Kudos

Lindsay (1812 KP) rated The Naughty List in Books

Dec 9, 2020

The Naughty List

Thomas Conway | 2019 | Children, Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)

6.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

My thoughts seem to be hitting the mark on with is one. A really good book for the season. It is also good for everyone that wants to read it. It will tell the history of Christmas and how it differs for each person and Santa Claus.

It is for young adults and adults. I do not believe it is limited to them; it could go to children and teens as well. You will go on an adventure and a journey. There seem to be a group of kids that end up on a mission to rescue Santa. You will be surprised at each turn of the page.

There are surprises as to what the author puts into this story. I was surprised to learn about the history of Santa Claus and Christmas. This is told through the eyes of the children. They are from around the world. Christmas seems like it got a different meaning and Santa Claus has different names. You may learn something.

Did you know that Christmas has been around for many years? There seem to be different versions of it. We learn about the different Christmas traditions that happen around the world through the children and their families. We also learn about the meaning of Christmas and Santa Claus.

There are some actions and battles. Will good beat Evil? I was not expecting what I learned through this book but what a happy surprise and twist. There is plenty of action and adventure in this book. There a modern take on our favorite Christmas traditions. Everyone will love this book.

Kudos

James P. Sumner (65 KP) rated What Men Want (2019) in Movies

Jul 10, 2019

What Men Want (2019)

2019 | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

6.2

(23 Ratings)

Movie Rating

What men want... but is it what moviegoers want?

In keeping with the growing trend of gender-swapping reboots, What Men Want is a re-envisioning of the classic rom-com, What Women Want, with Mel Gibson replaced with the charismatic Taraji P. Henson, and a toaster in the bathtub replaced by a drug-dealing psychic.

Yeah...

The premise remains the same: fate intervenes and gives a headstrong, intimidating woman who thinks she's doing a good job of making it in a man's world the power to hear men's thoughts... which quickly shows her she knows nothing at all.

This R-rated comedy has a few laughs, but falls into cringe territory more often than it needs to. It's predictable, which was to be expected, really, given the genre. However, I confess to being pleasantly surprised by it. Certainly not the best comedy I've seen by a long way, but on a par with the Baywatch remake in terms of the level of humour and the assumed target audience.

Taraji P. Henson is great in the lead role, with the supporting cast all doing a solid, if not a little routine job of backing her up. It's the kind of film you go into understanding what you're getting - a few laughs, a few cringes, a lot of inappropriate and suggestive themes and, ultimately, something that makes you forget the real world for a couple of hours. Nothing more, nothing less.

Overall, it's not bad, but it's far from great. This is something you watch on a Friday night when you've had a hard week and your brain needs a rest.