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Paradigm Lost: Jamari Shaman: Part 2
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A forest paradise surrounded by lands gutted from corporate greed. The Elk Creek Tribe holds the...
Fantasy Dystopian Futuristic LGBTQIA+
Mary I: Queen of Sorrows
9.0
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A DESTINY REWRITTEN. A ROYAL HEART DIVIDED. Adored only child of Henry VIII and his Queen,...
Historical fiction Tudors English monarchy
Serena (8 KP) rated Everything I Want in Books
Nov 22, 2017
With Lily graduating she can’t help but realise how far she has come, but she also remembers Alfie, knowing that she has made the right decision when she sees him with all the models, and that she would have resented giving up her dream for his.
Seeing Alfie again, after so long was hard, but again he is persistent, with a love like theirs coming only once in a life time. After talking with her best friend Jack, Lily is starting to think that maybe she needs to take another chance with Jack
With everything nearly perfect between Lily and Alfie, Lily’s friend reminds her that it is her that is putting the distance between them, that she is saying that she can’t have music and Alfie, and she can if she tries.
When the media starts posting photos, with Lily having no contact with Alfie since she left, it starts to have a major impact on their relationship, leaving Lily wondering if they still have one.
After a tragedy Lily realises that she can have Music and Alfie too, and they get their happily ever after.
Seeing Alfie again, after so long was hard, but again he is persistent, with a love like theirs coming only once in a life time. After talking with her best friend Jack, Lily is starting to think that maybe she needs to take another chance with Jack
With everything nearly perfect between Lily and Alfie, Lily’s friend reminds her that it is her that is putting the distance between them, that she is saying that she can’t have music and Alfie, and she can if she tries.
When the media starts posting photos, with Lily having no contact with Alfie since she left, it starts to have a major impact on their relationship, leaving Lily wondering if they still have one.
After a tragedy Lily realises that she can have Music and Alfie too, and they get their happily ever after.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2206 KP) rated Murder, She Wrote: A Date with Murder in Books
May 2, 2018
Cabot Cove is Still Proving to be Deadly
Labor Day in Cabot Cove, Maine, means the Wirth’s annual end of summer picnic, and Jessica Fletcher is there to enjoy the time with her friends. The party ends in tragedy, however, when Hal Wirth dies of a heart attack. Something feels off to Jessica about his death, and she starts looking for answers. When she is warned off and another body turns up, Jessica knows she must be on the right track. Can she prove it?
As big a fan of the show as I am, I have never picked up one of the tie in novels until now. I’m glad I finally did because I really enjoyed this book. The Cabot Cove episodes were always my favorite, and I enjoyed reconnecting with Mort and Seth as well as Jessica. They were all in fine form, and it was comforting to be in their presence again. The mystery was complex, with several surprises that kept me turning pages. Unfortunately, I did feel that the ending was short changed, leaving one major plot point unaddressed. Still, I’m glad I picked up this book overall.
As big a fan of the show as I am, I have never picked up one of the tie in novels until now. I’m glad I finally did because I really enjoyed this book. The Cabot Cove episodes were always my favorite, and I enjoyed reconnecting with Mort and Seth as well as Jessica. They were all in fine form, and it was comforting to be in their presence again. The mystery was complex, with several surprises that kept me turning pages. Unfortunately, I did feel that the ending was short changed, leaving one major plot point unaddressed. Still, I’m glad I picked up this book overall.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Deepwater Horizon (2016) in Movies
May 23, 2019
True-life disaster movie permits the audience to feel good about paying their respects to victims of a genuine tragedy while still having all the fun of watching tons of stuff blow up. Marky Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell and his moustache, and various other characters head off to the titular rig, where evil corporate suits in pursuit of the bottom line (boo!) force them to cut costs, imperil safety standards, and so on. Sure enough, something important eventually goes boom.
I don't mean to sound glib about events in which nearly a dozen people died, but the fact is that this is a pretty glib movie - structured like a thriller, clearly designed to entertain, and making full use of its factual basis to include stuff you just wouldn't believe in a work of fiction (one character gets an award for his safety record literally an hour before his oil rig explodes). Capably done and exciting entertainment, but at the same time you are (on some level) watching real people die - I know many people don't have an issue with that, but it makes me uncomfortable, no matter how gravely reverential the film tries to be.
I don't mean to sound glib about events in which nearly a dozen people died, but the fact is that this is a pretty glib movie - structured like a thriller, clearly designed to entertain, and making full use of its factual basis to include stuff you just wouldn't believe in a work of fiction (one character gets an award for his safety record literally an hour before his oil rig explodes). Capably done and exciting entertainment, but at the same time you are (on some level) watching real people die - I know many people don't have an issue with that, but it makes me uncomfortable, no matter how gravely reverential the film tries to be.
Erika Kehlet (21 KP) rated The Quick in Books
Feb 21, 2018
**I received an ARC of this book at no cost, but was not compensated for this review.**
This book has some elements of the trendy epistolary style of story-telling via documents woven into a traditional, Victorian-style novel. James Norbury is an aspiring poet who finds himself living in London with the friend of a friend. A quiet, shy man, James finds friendship, love, and then tragedy as his life is torn apart by events completely outside of his control. The first part of the book tells us James' story, then we move on to journal entries and tales from other points of view, and slowly piece together what is truly happening in London, and what James has unwittingly become involved in.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book but was quickly drawn into James' London. The book is both surprising and at times terrible, but I couldn't put it down. This is definitely not a story for the feint-of-heart, but a very good read set in an entirely believable world filled with characters you won't soon forget.
This book has some elements of the trendy epistolary style of story-telling via documents woven into a traditional, Victorian-style novel. James Norbury is an aspiring poet who finds himself living in London with the friend of a friend. A quiet, shy man, James finds friendship, love, and then tragedy as his life is torn apart by events completely outside of his control. The first part of the book tells us James' story, then we move on to journal entries and tales from other points of view, and slowly piece together what is truly happening in London, and what James has unwittingly become involved in.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book but was quickly drawn into James' London. The book is both surprising and at times terrible, but I couldn't put it down. This is definitely not a story for the feint-of-heart, but a very good read set in an entirely believable world filled with characters you won't soon forget.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated Sisters One, Two, Three in Books
Jun 14, 2018
Sisters One, Two and Three by Nancy Star is a story told from Ginger's perspective. The plot moves between the 1970s and today. Ginger is the oldest of four siblings, and in the 1970s a tragic event redefined her family.
The three sisters, all very different, come together after the death of their mother. Ginger is the the eldest who is the overanxious hypochondriac. Mimi is the laissez-faire soccer Mom extraordinaire. Lastly, Callie is the youngest and the wanderer whom, as of late, has been on one of her famous disappearing acts. The three finally converge at their Martha’s Vineyard home and, finally, are forced to confront the tragedy from their childhood that has plagued them all for years.
The characters in this novel are well thought out and unique, as well as realistic and flawed. This novel has great style, flow and is very easy to read. I was overjoyed when the format on my E-reader copy was clear, and I could easily engage.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Lake Union Publishing for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
The three sisters, all very different, come together after the death of their mother. Ginger is the the eldest who is the overanxious hypochondriac. Mimi is the laissez-faire soccer Mom extraordinaire. Lastly, Callie is the youngest and the wanderer whom, as of late, has been on one of her famous disappearing acts. The three finally converge at their Martha’s Vineyard home and, finally, are forced to confront the tragedy from their childhood that has plagued them all for years.
The characters in this novel are well thought out and unique, as well as realistic and flawed. This novel has great style, flow and is very easy to read. I was overjoyed when the format on my E-reader copy was clear, and I could easily engage.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Lake Union Publishing for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
Awix (3310 KP) rated On Chesil Beach (2018) in Movies
Jun 1, 2018
Bleak British Repressed Sexuality a Go Go!
Handsomely mounted BBC film starts off looking like many another period-set literary adaptation, then turns into something rather different. Newlyweds Edward and Florence are on the brink of their wedding night; both are nervous, and struggling with the expectations society and their upbringing has placed upon them. (The fact that society hasn't bothered to educate them in the slightest about what can, or should, go on in the bedroom really doesn't help on this voyage into, or possibly out of, virgin territory.) Not all goes to plan; a small but genuine tragedy unfolds.
Not the kind of film you walk home from whistling, unless you're some kind of militant celibacy advocate, but an undeniably fine one (or so it seems to me): very good performances from the young stars, and well-judged direction. Initially the film seems like a slightly dark comedy-drama of manners (the excruciating scenes of people failing to have sex are very awkward to watch), but it develops into something profoundly moving and deeply sad before the end. Thank God for the permissive society.
Not the kind of film you walk home from whistling, unless you're some kind of militant celibacy advocate, but an undeniably fine one (or so it seems to me): very good performances from the young stars, and well-judged direction. Initially the film seems like a slightly dark comedy-drama of manners (the excruciating scenes of people failing to have sex are very awkward to watch), but it develops into something profoundly moving and deeply sad before the end. Thank God for the permissive society.
Awix (3310 KP) rated First Man (2018) in Movies
Oct 26, 2018 (Updated Oct 26, 2018)
(Spoiler alert: Neil Armstrong lands on the Moon at the end.)
Neil Armstrong/Apollo 11 movie eschews flag-waving bombast and conventional spectacle by focusing much more on what was going on inside Armstrong's head during the moon mission and its build-up (by the way, I have a horrible suspicion that the moon-landing sequence in this movie was faked in a studio). Given that Armstrong himself was such a notably quiet and undemonstrative man, this seems like a good choice, although whether it excuses Damien Chazelle's choice to depict Armstrong's whole career in space as some kind of coping mechanism for dealing with a family tragedy is probably a matter of personal taste.
Like its subject, this is a notably low-key and unflashy film, and many may find it slow-going; space fans will probably have a lot to enjoy, though. The actual moon-landing sequence is superb, flag or no flag. In the end this is (perhaps inevitably) less of a guaranteed crowd-pleaser than La La Land (Chazelle and Gosling's last film together) but still a substantial and impressive movie.
Neil Armstrong/Apollo 11 movie eschews flag-waving bombast and conventional spectacle by focusing much more on what was going on inside Armstrong's head during the moon mission and its build-up (by the way, I have a horrible suspicion that the moon-landing sequence in this movie was faked in a studio). Given that Armstrong himself was such a notably quiet and undemonstrative man, this seems like a good choice, although whether it excuses Damien Chazelle's choice to depict Armstrong's whole career in space as some kind of coping mechanism for dealing with a family tragedy is probably a matter of personal taste.
Like its subject, this is a notably low-key and unflashy film, and many may find it slow-going; space fans will probably have a lot to enjoy, though. The actual moon-landing sequence is superb, flag or no flag. In the end this is (perhaps inevitably) less of a guaranteed crowd-pleaser than La La Land (Chazelle and Gosling's last film together) but still a substantial and impressive movie.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2206 KP) rated A Literal Mess in Books
Jan 14, 2019
Strong Debut
Allie Cobb has returned home to Rushing Creek, Indiana for her father's funeral. While his death wasn't a surprise, it has still hit her hard. She's not prepared for tragedy to strike her small town a second time when the body of Thornwell Winchester is found. He was one of Allie's father's literary clients, and also the father of Allie's best friend, Sloane. When Sloane becomes the police's chief suspect, Allie steps in to find out the truth. Can she do it?
This book is more serious in tone than many of the cozies I read, but given what brings Allie home, that is completely appropriate. I never found that overwhelming, and the book doesn't dwell on it. After all, this is a mystery, and it isn't long before we are off meeting Thornwell and the potential suspects. I was intrigued by the red herrings and enjoyed the twists as we headed toward the logical climax. The suspects are strong, but I was really impressed with the series regulars. They have pasts and baggage that brought them to the page fully formed. I'm interested to see how that dynamic plays out as the series progresses.
This book is more serious in tone than many of the cozies I read, but given what brings Allie home, that is completely appropriate. I never found that overwhelming, and the book doesn't dwell on it. After all, this is a mystery, and it isn't long before we are off meeting Thornwell and the potential suspects. I was intrigued by the red herrings and enjoyed the twists as we headed toward the logical climax. The suspects are strong, but I was really impressed with the series regulars. They have pasts and baggage that brought them to the page fully formed. I'm interested to see how that dynamic plays out as the series progresses.