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Stories That Bind Us
Stories That Bind Us
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This was my first time reading a book by Susie Finkbeiner, and I had no idea what I was walking into when I opened up her book. It with so much bittersweetness, and about finding joy in the everyday moments. Susie Finkbeiner took the bad things that happen and made them into a blessing in disguise. This book came out at the perfect time for the world today, it deals with loss, racism, and mental health. It takes those themes and shows God’s love through them in such a good way. A very heart-warming story filled with great life lessons and a great example of faith lived out. The synopsis does not do this book justice. Readers of historical fiction will enjoy this journey down memory lane.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the compelling story, the great characters, and the themes discussed within this book. The only thing that could have made it better was something that happened at the beginning of the book (I am NOT going to give a spoiler) but you will understand when you read it.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
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Pete Fowler recommended The Willows by Belbury Poly in Music (curated)

 
The Willows by Belbury Poly
The Willows by Belbury Poly
2004 | Electronic
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I love Ghost Box. In a similar way to how British psych from the '60s looked back to a whimsical past and kids' fiction from the Victorian era, Ghost Box look back to a more modern past – specifically the '60s and '70s, which is when I grew up. It's an analogue sound that seems to evoke brutalist architecture, new towns and the like. You can imagine Ghost Box soundtracking a film about a new town built on a burial site. Jim [Jupp] and Julian [House, Ghost Box co-founder] come from Caldicot, which is a really spooky part of Wales. Lots of weird gothic architecture and a lot of weird local folklore and superstition. This record by the Belbury Poly [Jupp] presents someone's version of the past, a vision that's both real and ephemeral. It harks back to a time that wasn't obviously psychedelic but it's not obviously retro. Without being too rose-tinted specs about this record, it has a slight 'warm blanket' effect, while still being a little uncomfortable, if that makes sense. It's possibly a weird record for me to pick in a list of psychedelic records but it definitely does that thing of successfully imagining an alternate reality. I can imagine walking around this place."

Source
  
The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (1964)
The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg (1964)
1964 | Drama, Musical, Romance
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I can’t explain this movie. It’s just perfection. Sad and funny, light and heavy, full of boisterous color and nonstop singing. Probably the most romantic movie I have ever seen. Catherine Deneuve has never been so lovely. I have never been to France, but I imagine it is just like it is depicted here. Maybe I will never go so I can keep my fantasy and save myself from disappointment. Jacques Demy was a singular talent. There was never anyone like him and there never will be again. I highly recommend the entire box set of his work, but this one will always be my favorite. I remember seeing it on the big screen at the Music Box in Chicago in the early nineties and walking out on clouds while also being filled with an intense melancholy. I can’t think of a single other movie that makes me feel both of those things at the same time and has left those feelings lingering inside me twenty-plus years later. Michel Legrand’s score is, it goes without saying, iconic and magnificent. And what this movie lacks in dancing, Demy makes up for in his constant gliding camera movements. As if the dance is between the actors and his lens. Pure cinema. Perfection."

Source
  
Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
2001 | Horror
I absolutely get why this has become a bit of a cult classic, but for everything I like about Thir13en Ghosts, there's something I dislike.
I enjoy the setting. The "modern day" haunted house is an inspired design, and the fact that the set was practically built to film on is quite something. I also enjoy the titular ghosts. Each one has a unique look, and the make up work is superb. I also love that the legendary F. Murray Abraham is in this, as well as Matthew Lillard, doing what Matthew Lillard does best, hamming things up to the max.
Other than that, it's all a bit flaccid. There's a whole lot of characters-walking-around-and-getting-lost going on, and it's honestly a drag. It doesn't help that precisely none of these characters are easy to care about. There are multiple instances of laughably huge exposition dumps, in a narrative that's needlessly overstuffed with unnecessary plot elements.

Personally, it just about coasts by due to the nostalgia of being 13 years old and just getting into horror when it originally released, and I always have a good enough time with it. Also a dude gets vertically bisected which is pretty rad.
  
Hunting the Broken (The Caitlin Chronicles #3)
Hunting the Broken (The Caitlin Chronicles #3)
Daniel Willcocks, Michael Anderle | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Humor & Comedy, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
61 of 250
Hunting the Broken ( Caitlin Chronicles book 3)
By Daniel Wilcocks and Michael Anderle

Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments

The world around the Revolutionaries is crumbling. And Caitlin's biggest test is yet to come...

The Governor is defeated, the tides appearing to turn.

But as Caitlin continues her search for the Unknown, guided only by the crudely drawn map the Governor left behind, she finds herself led vastly off-track.

A haunting encounter in the woods. A broken city of rebels. A terrible secret hidden in the sewers beneath the earth.

The gates to Caitlin's world are opened, and the Mad want in.

Set within the wonder of the Kurtherian Gambit Universe, discover the chaos and insanity of the Age of Madness - a time when the world turned on its head, and nothing is as it appears...

NOTE: This book contains cursing. Perhaps humorous cursing, but cursing nevertheless. If this offends you, we don't suggest reading this book.


I’m so enjoying this series I love finding the new people and the journey Caitlin , Ma and Kain are taking, also the little side stories of back home and Dylan’s journeys!
I love the settings and how it’s written! It’s a supernatural walking dead!
  
Phantoms (1998)
Phantoms (1998)
1998 | Horror, Mystery
Peter O'Toole was the bomb in 𝘗𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘴, yo. Features elements of a horror movie but fails to actually make a horror movie out of them - spends most of its runtime focusing on the bracing thrills of walking around slowly and looking at stuff, and the heart-clenching horrors of sitting in some lab talking about chemicals and stuff. Dean Koontz is the Dan Brown of horror, ineptly weaving together such laughably idiotic historical appeals (forced to be played straight) for people who don't know they aren't cultured and then doing nothing with them. Also Rose McGowan is either genuinely crap here or she just doesn't care. The sci-fi violence/gore is honestly quite vicious and damn cool for what this is, and there is a noticeable amount of enjoyable stupidity to be had (terrified Affleck pleading for his life to a golden retriever, O'Toole screaming about how some ancient extraterrestrial-demon shapeshifting oil killed the dinosaurs, etc) but it's too slapdash for its own good. Gets right into it then takes multiple breaks to sit on its ass, not awful but also not worth any sort of time, tbh. The Blob for those thirsty for cardboard vapidity. *Please* just watch 𝘝𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 7𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵 instead.
  
The Machine (2014)
The Machine (2014)
2014 | Mystery, Sci-Fi
8
7.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Cool Science Fiction Flick
Old Movie Revisited: The Machine. This was a pretty sweet movie! A way to describe it is part: Terminator prequel; Caprica; RoboCop; Species; Blade Runner; Universal Soldier... I think I could name a few more but, I'll stop there. So as you can tell its not an overly original story but was presented well. It's the story of Vincent, played by Toby Stephens(his celebrity mash up would be Michael Fassbender and Damian Lewis) who's a scientist dude, and he creates the world's first self aware cyborg in the form of super hot Ava, played by super hot Caity Lotz(with those eyes she had better play vampire at some point!). Of course the gov't wants The Machine for war, and Vincent wants to save his little dying girl... Who will win, where does that leave Ava and her sexy ass-kicking ways?? You'll have to watch to find out! If you dug any of those movies above I'd say check it out!! It is not an explosive all out destruction of man kind action movie, just a cool robot awakens movie, with a hot blonde kicking soldiers asses, and walking around nude, thank you Caity! Check it out... filmbufftim on FB
  
    60beat Heart Rate Monitor

    60beat Heart Rate Monitor

    Health & Fitness and Lifestyle

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    Now includes Blue and Bluetooth Smart Heart Rate devices for iphone 4S or newer. Voted best basic...

    Sync Solver for Fitbit

    Sync Solver for Fitbit

    Health & Fitness and Medical

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    App

    Fitbit and Health, together at last. Sync all your data from Fitbit to Apple Health. After the first...

    WikiPal East Europe

    WikiPal East Europe

    Travel and Education

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    App

    WikiPal Eastern Europe has over 28,000 Eastern Europe Wikipedia & Wikivoyage geocoded places in its...