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Lindsay (1760 KP) rated More Than a Soldier in Books
Sep 7, 2017
NonFiction (1 more)
Story is told about Angelo DiMarco
More than a Soldier is a really good book about a soldier and his journey to survive. We meet Angelo first in a train car, with a few of his buddies and comrades. The story then goes back to when he signs up and what his family life is like. Will he make back to his battalion?
We get to follow Angelo and struggles through the military. We see how the Germans treat their prisoners and how rough life was behind enemy lines. The Germans are taking their prisoner through some extreme things.
The author did a wonderfully great job. With this being more of a Nonfiction book, It really told the story on each and every page. It was well written. Does the 1st Battalion survive or is Angelo the only survivor? You will want to read the book. You do get a somewhat of a tour of Italy.
We get to follow Angelo and struggles through the military. We see how the Germans treat their prisoners and how rough life was behind enemy lines. The Germans are taking their prisoner through some extreme things.
The author did a wonderfully great job. With this being more of a Nonfiction book, It really told the story on each and every page. It was well written. Does the 1st Battalion survive or is Angelo the only survivor? You will want to read the book. You do get a somewhat of a tour of Italy.

Sarah (7800 KP) rated This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor in Books
May 16, 2018
Humorous, insightful and fascinating
We all know about the NHS and doctors and hospitals, yet I'm sure for the majority of us that don't work in this sector, we don't have the slightest idea what goes on in reality.
Adam Kay's book is a fascinating insight into the NHS and the real working life of a doctor. It's ridiculously funny, emotional, heartwarming and also depressing to think this is the state of our health service. I dare you to read this and not feel anything. You can't say a bad word about the NHS after reading this (not that I ever did). I feel glad that Adam has provided such an insightful and thought provoking view of the NHS. I shed a tear when I reached the end and I would have quite happily read a lot more of his stories and anecdotes, they're fascinating.
A must read for anyone in the UK.
Adam Kay's book is a fascinating insight into the NHS and the real working life of a doctor. It's ridiculously funny, emotional, heartwarming and also depressing to think this is the state of our health service. I dare you to read this and not feel anything. You can't say a bad word about the NHS after reading this (not that I ever did). I feel glad that Adam has provided such an insightful and thought provoking view of the NHS. I shed a tear when I reached the end and I would have quite happily read a lot more of his stories and anecdotes, they're fascinating.
A must read for anyone in the UK.

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2346 KP) rated Assaulted Pretzel (An Amish Mystery, #2) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Everyone, English and Amish alike, are talking about toy maker Rob Karble being in town to make a deal to distribute toys made by the local Amish. However, not too long after word leaks he intends to use his factory instead of the local Amish, he is found murdered. Once again, Claire Weatherly finds herself getting involved to clear her new Amish friends.
I still can’t get over how strong the characters in this series are. They pull you in and make you care about every page. The plot is good, and kept me guessing until the end. I did find the romantic triangle a bit too prominent, and yet with the way it ended, I can’t wait to find out what happens next there as well. The strong characters are to blame for that contradiction.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/05/book-review-assaulted-pretzel-by-laura.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I still can’t get over how strong the characters in this series are. They pull you in and make you care about every page. The plot is good, and kept me guessing until the end. I did find the romantic triangle a bit too prominent, and yet with the way it ended, I can’t wait to find out what happens next there as well. The strong characters are to blame for that contradiction.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/05/book-review-assaulted-pretzel-by-laura.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.

Paul Smedley (141 KP) rated Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2018
Stop. Eject.
Well! I was really looking forward to this film as I loved the first one but this is god awful.
I love Jon Boyega but in this he doesn’t seem to be acting and seems like he’s in a rush to go home.
Charlie Day is another person I love to see in films and programmes but I cannot understand why he read the script on this one and agreed to go ahead with it.
The story is ridiculous, the acting is dire and I liked nothing about it other than Burn Gorman. His character remains the same and he is a delight to watch. The rest of the film is just full of ‘cringeworthy what the f@&£ness’
Watch the first, enjoy the first and imagine there was no sequel and that it ended where it did.
Trust me, you do not want to know where they took the story; it’s diabolical and you wouldn’t believe me!
I love Jon Boyega but in this he doesn’t seem to be acting and seems like he’s in a rush to go home.
Charlie Day is another person I love to see in films and programmes but I cannot understand why he read the script on this one and agreed to go ahead with it.
The story is ridiculous, the acting is dire and I liked nothing about it other than Burn Gorman. His character remains the same and he is a delight to watch. The rest of the film is just full of ‘cringeworthy what the f@&£ness’
Watch the first, enjoy the first and imagine there was no sequel and that it ended where it did.
Trust me, you do not want to know where they took the story; it’s diabolical and you wouldn’t believe me!

Merissa (12897 KP) rated Tigana in Books
Dec 17, 2018
Another stunner of a book by GGK although this one is a stand alone book and is based loosely on Italy in the 11th and 12th centuries.
In so many ways similar to The Fionavar Tapestry series but so different too. A brief synopsis is that there has been a major battle between 2 wizards in which one of the wizard's sons dies. In revenge the wizard removes the name "Tigana" from the memories and vocabularies of its inhabitants so that eventually the name will die, just like his son did.
This story is so intricate and involved and it is not a clear black/white, good/evil book which is what makes it such a superb read. Everything about is well written, from the villains to the locations to the history that you are given.
This book is bittersweet and poignant and I'll leave it to you to see if there is a happy ending.
Certainly classed as a classic by me and a firm favourite.
In so many ways similar to The Fionavar Tapestry series but so different too. A brief synopsis is that there has been a major battle between 2 wizards in which one of the wizard's sons dies. In revenge the wizard removes the name "Tigana" from the memories and vocabularies of its inhabitants so that eventually the name will die, just like his son did.
This story is so intricate and involved and it is not a clear black/white, good/evil book which is what makes it such a superb read. Everything about is well written, from the villains to the locations to the history that you are given.
This book is bittersweet and poignant and I'll leave it to you to see if there is a happy ending.
Certainly classed as a classic by me and a firm favourite.

Sarah (7800 KP) rated When You Disappeared in Books
Nov 14, 2019
A very good thriller
I’ve read and enjoyed quite a few of John Marrs books and couldn’t resist reading this when I spotted it on Kindle Unlimited, and I’m glad I did as it’s a rather enjoyable thriller.
As with all of John Marrs books, it’s definitely well written and as you get into this it’s very difficult to put down. The characters are well developed and interesting, even though neither of them are particularly likeable. Simon especially is rather a conflicted character and I developed a rather intense dislike of him by the end of the book, and I do love when a story can make you really feel something for the characters. There is a slightly unpredictable twist in this, but I couldn’t say it’s a massive surprise and it doesn’t really matter as this book is all about the journey to find out what happened to the characters over the 28 years. The ending is just a good resolution to a rather intriguing story.
As with all of John Marrs books, it’s definitely well written and as you get into this it’s very difficult to put down. The characters are well developed and interesting, even though neither of them are particularly likeable. Simon especially is rather a conflicted character and I developed a rather intense dislike of him by the end of the book, and I do love when a story can make you really feel something for the characters. There is a slightly unpredictable twist in this, but I couldn’t say it’s a massive surprise and it doesn’t really matter as this book is all about the journey to find out what happened to the characters over the 28 years. The ending is just a good resolution to a rather intriguing story.

Charlotte Ozanne (108 KP) rated A Bad Moms Christmas (2017) in Movies
Dec 5, 2019
Before watching this film, I thought it was a spin-off to the Bad Mom's film series, I did not realise it is actually the sequel to the original film. I was a bit dubious as to how this movie would entertain, as most sequels tend to be worse than the original. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the Christmas version as it bested the first film. In my opinion, the comedy was top-notch (no surprise considering the immense cast). I would definitely recommend this film, though please take note of the age certification - it is 15 for a reason! I don't think you need to have seen the first film in order to watch this sequel. I couldn't remember the content first film despite remembering watching it at the cinema with my mum. There's only one small scene which ties the first film into it but you get the gist of what happened.

Vegas (725 KP) rated You Cannot Hide in TV
Feb 2, 2020
Builds to a satisfying ending (1 more)
The story
A very jumbled start (1 more)
Takes a few episodes to work out what's going on.
Good, eventually
A mother and daughter flee from Mexico to Spain on witness protection and far from being a settled safe life for them it all goes wrong.
The first episode is quite confusing, with so much seemingly unrelated stuff going on it is a lot to take in especially who is who and what part of the story they are connected to.
In my opinion it remains a bit of a jumble through a few episodes and I almost gave up on it after episode 4, however I persevered and I'm glad I did, it all calmed down and once you knew who was who, it made much more sense. Leading to a reasonably worthwhile viewing with some parts feeling a little like 24 in story progression.
Not the best I have seen recently but worth watching if you like action thriller type series.
The first episode is quite confusing, with so much seemingly unrelated stuff going on it is a lot to take in especially who is who and what part of the story they are connected to.
In my opinion it remains a bit of a jumble through a few episodes and I almost gave up on it after episode 4, however I persevered and I'm glad I did, it all calmed down and once you knew who was who, it made much more sense. Leading to a reasonably worthwhile viewing with some parts feeling a little like 24 in story progression.
Not the best I have seen recently but worth watching if you like action thriller type series.

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