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The Lion in Winter (1968)
The Lion in Winter (1968)
1968 | Biography, Drama, History
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Personal favorite, this is. It may not be a favorite of a lot of people, and I have loads more favorites, but for more the banter and the performance I would have to say it would be the original version of The Lion in Winter with Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn. Just to see the two of them go picnicking on each other. There are other wonderful performances in it and [it was] shot in Ardmore Studios in Ireland. Of course, to have some of the back splash story as well, because I’ve heard from people there O’Toole wouldn’t turn up for hours, and then he’d turn up with a case of champagne. He was always sort of rooting for Katharine Hepburn, who was of course incredibly stiff and elegant and posed about it all. Of course, I worked with Anthony Hopkins as well, who told me a bunch of stories about it. If O’Toole didn’t turn up, Hopkins used to play O’Toole’s part off camera lines. But Hopkins was so good at it [laughing]. I wonder if O’Toole caught him!. Terrible — it was like — that was the film where, at the end of the film, Katharine Hepburn turned around to Peter O’Toole and said, “When I first went into this business, my agent told me never to work with children or animals, and you, Peter, are both.”"

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Wedding Bear Blues
Wedding Bear Blues
Meg Macy | 2020 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A Killer Walk Down the Aisle
Sasha Silverman and her sister Maddie are involved in the Valentine’s weekend wedding of a local friend. However, between the demands the bride is making and the fact the wedding party doesn’t get along, it is turning out to be anything but fun. Still, Sasha wasn’t expecting one of the members of the wedding party to turn up dead at the rehearsal dinner. When her bridesmaid duties suddenly include finding the real killer, can she figure out what happened?

Because we meet the members of the bridal party in a couple of group scenes, I had trouble keeping them all straight early on, but as the book progressed, I found it easier to remember their relationships. The plot is strong, with some nice red herrings that kept me confused until we reached the climax. Helping things out are some fun sub-plots, although one of them stretched credibility a bit too far for me. I’ll believe that Sasha can solve the murder but not how this sub-plot played out. I think that may be on me. We do get updates on Sasha’s larger group of family and friends, but they mostly stay in the background, which helps us get to know the suspects better. This is a wonderful winter time cozy, so snuggle in with a blanket and your favorite hot beverage and enjoy.
  
Icon by Public Enemy
Icon by Public Enemy
2014 | Rhythm And Blues
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I can't say this about every song on this list, but with this one I was quite aware of what the band were doing when it came out. I wouldn't say Public Enemy are my favourite band, but it's pretty close, and when this record was released, they were the most important group in the world as far as I was concerned. ""They were the most interesting, the most intelligent, and at the time, nobody was more controversial than Chuck D. They were so original; they were breaking new ground with every recording. Before It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, there just wan't music like this. ""That record came out six months before Fear of a Black Planet, and it still felt so sharply of its time because Chuck was talking about everything he'd gone through in the months leading up to it - the controversy with Professor Griff, and everything else. Later on, he said something like, ""Public Enemy is CNN for black people,"" and you get that with this song. It's totally brutal, totally brilliant, and totally of the moment. In the winter of 1990, they just meant everything. ""I've put this one on plenty of mixtapes. Plus, is that a Frankie Goes to Hollywood reference in the title? It's got to be, right?"

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After She's Gone
After She's Gone
Camilla Grebe | 2017 | Crime
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The protagonists in this book would be Malin and Jake, and the book is told mainly from their perspectives. Malin is a police officer, who grew up in an isolated town called Ormberg, and is back with her colleagues, to investigate a murder, that happened years ago. Jake is a teenage schoolboy, who loves dressing up in woman’s clothes, and by accident, gets hold of Hanne’s diary. I really liked most of the characters in this book, and I loved to read their personal and intriguing stories. I really liked the way Camilla Grebe shared the story of not only the main but supporting characters as well.

The narrative of this book was interesting, but it lacked suspense and excitement. Especially, the investigation part. Sometimes the chapters really dragged, particularly Malin’s parts. Her parts lacked intrigue, and her thoughts became quite repetitive after a while. I really enjoyed Jake’s parts, his secret life, his thoughts and snippets from Hanne’s diary, held this book together. The topics discussed were dementia and how the person feels while having it, bullying, sexual confusion, refugee situation from native’s perspectives, and many more.

The setting of this book is cold, gloomy, quite claustrophobic and depressing. The plot is set in the middle of forests full of snow, so it is perfect for winter lovers.
  
Arctic Heat (Frozen Hearts #3)
Arctic Heat (Frozen Hearts #3)
Annabeth Albert | 2019 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
8
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
ARCTIC HEAT is the third book in the Frozen Hearts series, and although we stay in Alaska, we see a very different side of it. There is less emphasis placed on the beauty of the region, and more on the natural dangers that exist every winter.

In this story, we meet up with Owen, a cancer survivor, and Quill, a Ranger. Owen is out but Quill is firmly in the closet as he doesn't want to become the "gay poster boy" for the Rangers. They both have their own baggage from their pasts.

This is very much a slow-burner, filled with angst, and forced proximity. Like I said, there is less description of the surrounding area, and more detailing the kind of accidents that can happen, both natural and manmade.

Although I liked both Quill and Owen, I didn't connect with them like I have done with previous characters in this series. They both had things I liked about them, the same as they both had qualities I disliked.

On the whole, this was a book I enjoyed reading, but it didn't tick as many boxes for me as other books by Ms Albert. I would still definitely recommend it though, especially for those who like to meet up with previous characters when they make an appearance.