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Debbiereadsbook (1437 KP) rated Cutting Cords (Kiss of Leather #6) in Books
May 3, 2018
love this one!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
Book 6 in the series, and blah blah blah, READ the others first! Cos I SAID so!!
I don't recall if we met Liam in previous, or he was just mentioned as a friend of the other subs, but we certainly don't meet Master Neal til this book.
Liam is traumatized by the death of his previous Master, and is skittish, and very socially awkward. Watching Master Neal doing a flogging at Kiss Of leather as part of his being accepted into the club, Liam is all kinds of torn up. For his love for Master Mark, but his need to move on. Being introduced to the painfully shy Liam, Master Neal's protectiveness goes into overdrive. He never wanted anyone like he wants Liam, and if he can be who and what Liam wants and needs, he will bide his time, treat Liam with the kid gloves he needs.
I said in my review of Gaining trust that I thought Master Jordan was my most favourite, but now I have a dilemma! Because I LOVED Master Neal! And Liam, so painfully socially awkward! oh! Loved them both!
Master Neal never wanted to do the TPE thing, but for Liam, he might just be able to do it. Liam needs that, and Master Neal needs Liam. He just didn't know he did, til he met Liam.
I can't express how much Liam's story affected me, he had a painful upbringing and then meeting Master Mark, a much MUCH older guy, he was very sheltered. Watching him come out of himself, and become the young man who helps Master Neal at his tattoo and piercing shop was great fun. Master Neal is very playful with Liam, and while Liam needs the TPE, he also learns there are other things he needs.
While the on going story arc is somewhat finished, it goes into different, more deadly direction. Spoilers I ain't giving!
We are introduced to Tobey and Master Hunter, and also a couple of very interesting characters at Master Neal's tattoo shop! A story for Ray and Cruella would make a very welcome addition to this series!!
5 full stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Book 6 in the series, and blah blah blah, READ the others first! Cos I SAID so!!
I don't recall if we met Liam in previous, or he was just mentioned as a friend of the other subs, but we certainly don't meet Master Neal til this book.
Liam is traumatized by the death of his previous Master, and is skittish, and very socially awkward. Watching Master Neal doing a flogging at Kiss Of leather as part of his being accepted into the club, Liam is all kinds of torn up. For his love for Master Mark, but his need to move on. Being introduced to the painfully shy Liam, Master Neal's protectiveness goes into overdrive. He never wanted anyone like he wants Liam, and if he can be who and what Liam wants and needs, he will bide his time, treat Liam with the kid gloves he needs.
I said in my review of Gaining trust that I thought Master Jordan was my most favourite, but now I have a dilemma! Because I LOVED Master Neal! And Liam, so painfully socially awkward! oh! Loved them both!
Master Neal never wanted to do the TPE thing, but for Liam, he might just be able to do it. Liam needs that, and Master Neal needs Liam. He just didn't know he did, til he met Liam.
I can't express how much Liam's story affected me, he had a painful upbringing and then meeting Master Mark, a much MUCH older guy, he was very sheltered. Watching him come out of himself, and become the young man who helps Master Neal at his tattoo and piercing shop was great fun. Master Neal is very playful with Liam, and while Liam needs the TPE, he also learns there are other things he needs.
While the on going story arc is somewhat finished, it goes into different, more deadly direction. Spoilers I ain't giving!
We are introduced to Tobey and Master Hunter, and also a couple of very interesting characters at Master Neal's tattoo shop! A story for Ray and Cruella would make a very welcome addition to this series!!
5 full stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
theVman (16 KP) rated Twin Peaks - Season 3 in TV
May 22, 2017
The Cast (1 more)
The new mysterys
Lack of the familar Twin Peaks stuff (2 more)
The way the story unfolds
Very Slow
The first four episodes
Twin Peaks: The Return
*** Ive tried to write this as spoiler free as i can, you may find some in here but nothing that i think would ruin watching the show for you ***
I don’t think it will come to anyones surprise to say that the first four episodes of Twin Peaks return are strange. But maybe not in the way that we know and love.
I found these first four episodes difficult to enjoy not because they were bad, but because it was not what I was expecting at all. I wanted the key things that I love about Twin Peaks to be there, the returning characters, the iconic score by Angleo Badalamenti, the quirky weirdness grounded by soap opera like stories. I wanted the dark seriousness of murder, lust and money, beautifully intertwined with the ridiculousness of silent drape runners, saving the pine weasel and miss twin peaks contests.Unfortunately I found very little of any of what I wanted.
Yes Cooper is back or more accurately Kyle Maclachlan is back but has yet to act or sound anything like Special Agent Dale Cooper at all, the story calling for him to play a very lifeless rendition of his former glory. Other familiar faces have shown up along the way, but not very many and for not very long at all.
What we have is something very Lynchian, long drawn out scenes, especially in The Black Lodge that after extended moments of a droning humming score and lot of not a lot going on in slow motion followed by more not a lot going on but this time with a white horse or a talking lump of flesh on a leafless tree in the picture, it starts to feel like a lot of weird stuff just for sheer sake of being weird.
Fans of the previous seasons of Twin Peaks might be left wondering what is going on with the stories that were left open, is Leo still holding that rope in his mouth, what happened after the explosion in the bank vault, and what the hell has happened to Annie – well you wont find any of these answers here. Instead we are given a whole bunch of new characters, who’s stories we are still trying to figure out and how they are related to the events of Twin Peaks, which is a made into a bigger and more confusing mystery seeing as none of them actually take place in Twin Peaks at all. In fact, the most recognisable place in the first few hours is The Black Lodge, which features extensively in the first two episodes before “Cooper” bizarrely ends up in Las Vegas. Also knocking us out of our comfort zone and driving home the fact that this is not the same kind of Twin Peaks show we are used to, are the occasional F bombs being dropped and the coy sexiness that flowed through the show has been replaced with plain nudity.
We have been given vision that is pure David Lynch. He produces some fantastical imagery and some unnerving editing that is like watching Eraserhead, Lost Highway and Fire Walk With Me all at the same time on the same screen. As a piece of art it has its place amongst Lynch fans, but as a piece of entertainment for prime time television, it missed the mark for me, and as a return to Twin Peaks, it should be ashamed of itself, as apart from 30 seconds or so in episode 4 where here the familiar twangs of the original score, I didn’t feel like there was any return to that great tv show from the early 90s. There is the odd nugget of new that will keep me watching, Naomi Watts and Matthew Lillard have joined the team in what promises to be entertaining roles, there is a glass box that is being kept in some kind of secret bunker under constant video monitoring that seems to have something to do with The Black Lodge, the log lady is getting message from her log again, a body that doesn’t belong to its head and we are still hanging out at the Bang Bang Bar with Bobby, Shelley and James even if it was for far too brief at time.
Overall: It didn’t deliver on its promise, or give me what I wanted, but there is still a lot more episodes to come. I cant think of another show that would get away with such a slow build or lack of deliverance than the new third season of Twin Peaks.
*** Ive tried to write this as spoiler free as i can, you may find some in here but nothing that i think would ruin watching the show for you ***
I don’t think it will come to anyones surprise to say that the first four episodes of Twin Peaks return are strange. But maybe not in the way that we know and love.
I found these first four episodes difficult to enjoy not because they were bad, but because it was not what I was expecting at all. I wanted the key things that I love about Twin Peaks to be there, the returning characters, the iconic score by Angleo Badalamenti, the quirky weirdness grounded by soap opera like stories. I wanted the dark seriousness of murder, lust and money, beautifully intertwined with the ridiculousness of silent drape runners, saving the pine weasel and miss twin peaks contests.Unfortunately I found very little of any of what I wanted.
Yes Cooper is back or more accurately Kyle Maclachlan is back but has yet to act or sound anything like Special Agent Dale Cooper at all, the story calling for him to play a very lifeless rendition of his former glory. Other familiar faces have shown up along the way, but not very many and for not very long at all.
What we have is something very Lynchian, long drawn out scenes, especially in The Black Lodge that after extended moments of a droning humming score and lot of not a lot going on in slow motion followed by more not a lot going on but this time with a white horse or a talking lump of flesh on a leafless tree in the picture, it starts to feel like a lot of weird stuff just for sheer sake of being weird.
Fans of the previous seasons of Twin Peaks might be left wondering what is going on with the stories that were left open, is Leo still holding that rope in his mouth, what happened after the explosion in the bank vault, and what the hell has happened to Annie – well you wont find any of these answers here. Instead we are given a whole bunch of new characters, who’s stories we are still trying to figure out and how they are related to the events of Twin Peaks, which is a made into a bigger and more confusing mystery seeing as none of them actually take place in Twin Peaks at all. In fact, the most recognisable place in the first few hours is The Black Lodge, which features extensively in the first two episodes before “Cooper” bizarrely ends up in Las Vegas. Also knocking us out of our comfort zone and driving home the fact that this is not the same kind of Twin Peaks show we are used to, are the occasional F bombs being dropped and the coy sexiness that flowed through the show has been replaced with plain nudity.
We have been given vision that is pure David Lynch. He produces some fantastical imagery and some unnerving editing that is like watching Eraserhead, Lost Highway and Fire Walk With Me all at the same time on the same screen. As a piece of art it has its place amongst Lynch fans, but as a piece of entertainment for prime time television, it missed the mark for me, and as a return to Twin Peaks, it should be ashamed of itself, as apart from 30 seconds or so in episode 4 where here the familiar twangs of the original score, I didn’t feel like there was any return to that great tv show from the early 90s. There is the odd nugget of new that will keep me watching, Naomi Watts and Matthew Lillard have joined the team in what promises to be entertaining roles, there is a glass box that is being kept in some kind of secret bunker under constant video monitoring that seems to have something to do with The Black Lodge, the log lady is getting message from her log again, a body that doesn’t belong to its head and we are still hanging out at the Bang Bang Bar with Bobby, Shelley and James even if it was for far too brief at time.
Overall: It didn’t deliver on its promise, or give me what I wanted, but there is still a lot more episodes to come. I cant think of another show that would get away with such a slow build or lack of deliverance than the new third season of Twin Peaks.
Candy Princess Adult Coloring
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◊ Delicious Coloring Book! Tired of usual coloring books? Try something new! Feel completely...
Merissa (12894 KP) rated The Signs We Missed in Books
Aug 4, 2022 (Updated Aug 7, 2023)
Love is never easy, and it is sometimes dark and filled with pain.
THE SIGNS WE MISSED is a young adult, standalone story, that deals with some dark themes. It comes with trigger warnings so please take note of them.
Love is never easy, and it is sometimes dark and filled with pain, especially if you are experiencing something for the first time and are unsure of just what's happening. Cruelty can be through ignorance, not always deliberate. This is the position Sean finds himself in with Luke. He has feelings but doesn't know what to do with them.
Told mainly from the perspectives of Sean, Luke, and Shayne, the missing gaps are mostly filled in and you get a rounded story. To be honest, I wasn't exactly sure how Fly's story fitted in for most of it, nor if the destructive relationship between her and Shayne was sorted, but it was still an enjoyable read - if a dark storyline can be called as such.
This is not light and fluffy, to even think that would be to do it a disservice. Instead, it is a gripping book that deals with self-harm, bisexual awakenings, and eating disorders, to name just a few. If you can cope with those, then I definitely recommend you take a chance on this novel.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 1, 2022
Love is never easy, and it is sometimes dark and filled with pain, especially if you are experiencing something for the first time and are unsure of just what's happening. Cruelty can be through ignorance, not always deliberate. This is the position Sean finds himself in with Luke. He has feelings but doesn't know what to do with them.
Told mainly from the perspectives of Sean, Luke, and Shayne, the missing gaps are mostly filled in and you get a rounded story. To be honest, I wasn't exactly sure how Fly's story fitted in for most of it, nor if the destructive relationship between her and Shayne was sorted, but it was still an enjoyable read - if a dark storyline can be called as such.
This is not light and fluffy, to even think that would be to do it a disservice. Instead, it is a gripping book that deals with self-harm, bisexual awakenings, and eating disorders, to name just a few. If you can cope with those, then I definitely recommend you take a chance on this novel.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 1, 2022
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) in Movies
Jun 28, 2020
Full of Eurovision spirit
I am a big fan of Eurovision, it's a must see event every year and I've even been to see it in person when it was last held in Denmark. Sadly with the cancellation of pretty much everything this year including Eurovision, I've been dying for a bit of cheesy fun and this film *almost* delivers it in the truckload.
This film really knows how to channel the Eurovision spirit. There's a lot of great cheesy songs and costumes, some great over the top performances (Dan Stevens was a hoot) and a decent amount of heart. The songs are very good, from the hilariously cheesy to the impressive ballads. The acting was good although i felt Will Ferrell was a little of a letdown. It was great to see Dan Stevens camping it up though and a nice (but sadly too short) role for Natasia Demetriou from What We Do in the Shadows, and I loved the cameos from existing real life Eurovision acts.
The problem with this film is the humour is lacking when it's not cheesy Eurovision fun. And the jokes that were there fell pretty flat for me. The film is also rather longer than you'd expect and did drag a little in the middle.
I had been expecting a Eurovision spoof comedy, but instead what I got was almost a homage to everything we love about Eurovision. It's not great but definitely an enjoyable bit of fun. I've been debating whether to score this a 6 or 7 and in the end, I've decided to be rather generous as it is a lot of fun.
This film really knows how to channel the Eurovision spirit. There's a lot of great cheesy songs and costumes, some great over the top performances (Dan Stevens was a hoot) and a decent amount of heart. The songs are very good, from the hilariously cheesy to the impressive ballads. The acting was good although i felt Will Ferrell was a little of a letdown. It was great to see Dan Stevens camping it up though and a nice (but sadly too short) role for Natasia Demetriou from What We Do in the Shadows, and I loved the cameos from existing real life Eurovision acts.
The problem with this film is the humour is lacking when it's not cheesy Eurovision fun. And the jokes that were there fell pretty flat for me. The film is also rather longer than you'd expect and did drag a little in the middle.
I had been expecting a Eurovision spoof comedy, but instead what I got was almost a homage to everything we love about Eurovision. It's not great but definitely an enjoyable bit of fun. I've been debating whether to score this a 6 or 7 and in the end, I've decided to be rather generous as it is a lot of fun.
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Rick and Morty - Season 3 in TV
Feb 29, 2020
A big thank you to Smashbomb for this fantastic prize, make sure you take a look at their giveaways for the chance to win some amazing things.
Rick and Morty continues to follow the adventures of the members of the Smith household. When Jerry asks Beth to choose between him and Rick, the strength of their marriage is tested. Jerry is confronted with the loss of his family, while Beth begins to discover her independence again. Morty and Summer deal with their parents' separation by seeking more control over their lives. Rick's nihilistic way of life continues to prevent him from bonding with his family, as he remains unable to change his self-destructive behaviour.
At the end of season 2 Rick and the Smiths have hidden on a tiny version of Earth outside of the Federation's jurisdiction, Earth has been taken over and Rick has surrendered himself to save his family. We open season 3 with Rick in the Federation's custody being interrogated and we instantly get reminded that Rick doesn't do anything without having some sort of ulterior motive.
How can you not love the series that brought us Pickle Rick? I don't for a second know how anyone could think that Rick could create a rat/insect body when he is just a pickle, but he's the smartest man on the planet so I'm willing to believe it was entirely possible.
For me, a series that takes its characters on a journey without getting bogged down in a single storyline is always my favourite. Rick and Morty certainly manages to do this with its constantly jumping scenarios. The one story that does pop up throughout this season is Beth and Jerry's divorce. Rick, despite always being a bit of a dick to everyone, has always had it out for Jerry so this news doesn't phase him at all but the rest of the family are suffering in their own ways. Throughout the series we see Summer and Morty compensating with Rick's adventures and reconciling some of their ongoing personal issues through their experiences. While none of it is realistic, it's entirely relatable.
Before watching this season I decided to rewatch seasons 1 and 2, because it's the sensible thing to do. It felt like we got much better family interaction and inclusions in season 3, I doubt if you work it out that there's much difference between them but that it's more to do with the quality of what we got. With the family going through upheaval we got a lot of stories that actually go to prove that Rick really does care deep down even if he would never openly admit it.
Morty does develop somewhat in this season, he isn't just the bumbling sidekick any more. He's learned a lot over their adventures, and while he's still not on Rick standards, there are moments where we see that he's growing. His dealings with Rick during Vindicators 3 take a step towards actually standing up for himself more and showing him that he understands more about the inner workings of Rick mind than he realises. In The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy, his part of the episode is almost like that of a Rick and Morty adventure when Morty gets to choose, he stands back and watches while Beth makes a hash of things and then swoops in at the last minute to do things that need to be done... admittedly that last bit probably isn't a good character trait to develop but he's realised that (in their messed up sort of world) sometimes someone needs to learn a lesson.
The season as a whole was very good and I liked the way that we came full circle and almost reset the universe for season four. Though I still enjoy Rick and Morty in general, this was definitely a high point for what's currently out there. Development of characters, more fun scenarios and just a little bit of fear that somewhere in a sewer a pickle is making a body out of rat parts.
Episode synopsis included here: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/02/rick-and-morty-season-3-tv-dvd-review.html
Rick and Morty continues to follow the adventures of the members of the Smith household. When Jerry asks Beth to choose between him and Rick, the strength of their marriage is tested. Jerry is confronted with the loss of his family, while Beth begins to discover her independence again. Morty and Summer deal with their parents' separation by seeking more control over their lives. Rick's nihilistic way of life continues to prevent him from bonding with his family, as he remains unable to change his self-destructive behaviour.
At the end of season 2 Rick and the Smiths have hidden on a tiny version of Earth outside of the Federation's jurisdiction, Earth has been taken over and Rick has surrendered himself to save his family. We open season 3 with Rick in the Federation's custody being interrogated and we instantly get reminded that Rick doesn't do anything without having some sort of ulterior motive.
How can you not love the series that brought us Pickle Rick? I don't for a second know how anyone could think that Rick could create a rat/insect body when he is just a pickle, but he's the smartest man on the planet so I'm willing to believe it was entirely possible.
For me, a series that takes its characters on a journey without getting bogged down in a single storyline is always my favourite. Rick and Morty certainly manages to do this with its constantly jumping scenarios. The one story that does pop up throughout this season is Beth and Jerry's divorce. Rick, despite always being a bit of a dick to everyone, has always had it out for Jerry so this news doesn't phase him at all but the rest of the family are suffering in their own ways. Throughout the series we see Summer and Morty compensating with Rick's adventures and reconciling some of their ongoing personal issues through their experiences. While none of it is realistic, it's entirely relatable.
Before watching this season I decided to rewatch seasons 1 and 2, because it's the sensible thing to do. It felt like we got much better family interaction and inclusions in season 3, I doubt if you work it out that there's much difference between them but that it's more to do with the quality of what we got. With the family going through upheaval we got a lot of stories that actually go to prove that Rick really does care deep down even if he would never openly admit it.
Morty does develop somewhat in this season, he isn't just the bumbling sidekick any more. He's learned a lot over their adventures, and while he's still not on Rick standards, there are moments where we see that he's growing. His dealings with Rick during Vindicators 3 take a step towards actually standing up for himself more and showing him that he understands more about the inner workings of Rick mind than he realises. In The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy, his part of the episode is almost like that of a Rick and Morty adventure when Morty gets to choose, he stands back and watches while Beth makes a hash of things and then swoops in at the last minute to do things that need to be done... admittedly that last bit probably isn't a good character trait to develop but he's realised that (in their messed up sort of world) sometimes someone needs to learn a lesson.
The season as a whole was very good and I liked the way that we came full circle and almost reset the universe for season four. Though I still enjoy Rick and Morty in general, this was definitely a high point for what's currently out there. Development of characters, more fun scenarios and just a little bit of fear that somewhere in a sewer a pickle is making a body out of rat parts.
Episode synopsis included here: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/02/rick-and-morty-season-3-tv-dvd-review.html