Search
Search results
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Craftsman (The Craftsman, #1) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
My Queen of crime and thrillers is back, with another marvelous story to tell. I read all her books, and every time she surprises me with something different and original.
The story is set in a small town with a hill, where witches were meeting since the 16th century. As you can see in the description above, this story is told in two different times – 1969 and 1999. In 1969 Florence was a WPC in the local police station, which she recently joined. Moreover, she was the first woman in that station, surrounded by men, who are not very friendly. She is assigned a disappearance of three teenagers, but what she discovers is way more complex and sinister than she could imagine.
Florence is the protagonist of this novel, and this story is told from her perspective. I love strong, smart and rebellious female leads in the books, and I absolutely loved Florence. Even though she is facing cruel workplace bullying and constant demeaning behavior, she is still fighting for what she believes to be right, and she wipes noses to those stuck up men. BRAVO! 😀 I really liked the wide variety of characters, which Bolton offered in this novel. All of them were very well rounded and unique personalities, who brought more richness to the book.
The narrative of this book was very well planned out and delivered. I was sucked in from the first pages of this book, I just wanted to find out what in a world was going on there! I really enjoyed all the twists, turns and diversions which Bolton creatively incorporated in this book. Sharon Bolton always follows an intriguing topic in her novels, and I am very glad that she was discussing workplace bullying and sexism, alongside witches and witchcraft. Even though I am not a believer in witchcraft, It was amusing to read about the people who believe in it and practice it.
Sharon Bolton is a very talented storyteller, she has a very absorbing and suspense building writing style, which I thoroughly enjoy every time. I loved the setting of this book, it compliments the atmosphere of this book with all those mills, hills, cemeteries and complex houses. The pages just fly while reading those short chapters. The climax was absolutely unexpected and left me very surprised. So, to conclude, for now, this book was the best read of 2018 for me. I enjoyed it from first to the last page, I think it has very intriguing and absorbing characters and very well crafted narrative, which is fast paced and very amusing. I do strongly recommend this book, I think you are in for a treat. Enjoy! 🙂
The story is set in a small town with a hill, where witches were meeting since the 16th century. As you can see in the description above, this story is told in two different times – 1969 and 1999. In 1969 Florence was a WPC in the local police station, which she recently joined. Moreover, she was the first woman in that station, surrounded by men, who are not very friendly. She is assigned a disappearance of three teenagers, but what she discovers is way more complex and sinister than she could imagine.
Florence is the protagonist of this novel, and this story is told from her perspective. I love strong, smart and rebellious female leads in the books, and I absolutely loved Florence. Even though she is facing cruel workplace bullying and constant demeaning behavior, she is still fighting for what she believes to be right, and she wipes noses to those stuck up men. BRAVO! 😀 I really liked the wide variety of characters, which Bolton offered in this novel. All of them were very well rounded and unique personalities, who brought more richness to the book.
The narrative of this book was very well planned out and delivered. I was sucked in from the first pages of this book, I just wanted to find out what in a world was going on there! I really enjoyed all the twists, turns and diversions which Bolton creatively incorporated in this book. Sharon Bolton always follows an intriguing topic in her novels, and I am very glad that she was discussing workplace bullying and sexism, alongside witches and witchcraft. Even though I am not a believer in witchcraft, It was amusing to read about the people who believe in it and practice it.
Sharon Bolton is a very talented storyteller, she has a very absorbing and suspense building writing style, which I thoroughly enjoy every time. I loved the setting of this book, it compliments the atmosphere of this book with all those mills, hills, cemeteries and complex houses. The pages just fly while reading those short chapters. The climax was absolutely unexpected and left me very surprised. So, to conclude, for now, this book was the best read of 2018 for me. I enjoyed it from first to the last page, I think it has very intriguing and absorbing characters and very well crafted narrative, which is fast paced and very amusing. I do strongly recommend this book, I think you are in for a treat. Enjoy! 🙂
Ronyell (38 KP) rated Hocus Pocus (1993) in Movies
Aug 4, 2020
Three Crazy Witches Who Can Sing!
Wow! I'm actually surprised that I enjoyed this movie as much as I did! When I first heard about this movie, I was a bit intrigued about what this movie was all about. So, when I finally watched this movie, I was completely hooked! I liked the fact that the movie tackled the subject of sibling relationships and how important it is to care about your siblings, no matter how annoying they can be. This was best shown between the Sanderson Sisters, Thackery and his little sister Emily and Max and his little sister Dani. The Sanderson Sisters are like the negative side of the sibling relationship as Winifred abuses her younger sisters Mary and Sarah and wouldn't think of protecting them. Thackery and Emily are on the more positive side of the sibling relationship as Thackery truly cares about his sister Emily, although he failed to save her. And then we have Max and Dani who are in the middle as they argue with each other a lot, but they would do anything to protect each other. I also loved the way that the movie had a nice balance between horror and comedy as I laughed out loud during the Sanderson Sisters' crazy antics and yet, I was a bit scared for the children being threatened with death throughout this film. Especially during the scene where Emily, a little girl , ends up dying at the beginning of the movie. I especially loved the actors' performances in this film, with the Sanderson Sisters being the best part of the film. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy did a fantastic job at portraying the Sanderson Sisters as they were so hilarious and entertaining to watch! I also enjoyed Thora Birch's performance as Dani as she made Dani quite snarky yet energetic at the same time.
The only issues that I had with this film was that I felt that the protagonists were a bit too flat and I wished that they had explained the backstories of some of the characters. Even though Max and Allison were interesting characters, they weren't as entertaining as the Sanderson Sisters and the only protagonists that were pretty entertaining were Dani and Binx the Cat. Also, I would like to know how the Sanderson Sisters became witches in the first place (although it was implied that the Devil gave them their powers).
Overall, "Hocus Pocus" is a fantastic film that both children and adults will enjoy! It balances horror and humor very well and it has some of the best performances from Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy!
The only issues that I had with this film was that I felt that the protagonists were a bit too flat and I wished that they had explained the backstories of some of the characters. Even though Max and Allison were interesting characters, they weren't as entertaining as the Sanderson Sisters and the only protagonists that were pretty entertaining were Dani and Binx the Cat. Also, I would like to know how the Sanderson Sisters became witches in the first place (although it was implied that the Devil gave them their powers).
Overall, "Hocus Pocus" is a fantastic film that both children and adults will enjoy! It balances horror and humor very well and it has some of the best performances from Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy!
Merissa (13840 KP) rated Venus Trap (Hidden Portals Trilogy #1) in Books
Apr 13, 2019
Venus Trap (Hidden Portals Trilogy #1) by Maya Daniels
Venus Trap is the first book in the Hidden Portals series, and we start off with a storm, a death, and a mad king. Sounds good, right? Wrong! This is brilliant.
Artemis is a Fae, Raphael is a vampire. We also meet with other Fae, Humans, Witches, Vampires, and Demons are mentioned. So right there, we have different species, all with their own history and thoughts, and pitted against each other. Who is telling the truth? Who will fight with who?
We find out more about Artemis' history as the story progresses, and the reasons she has for feeling the way she does. Raphael has distanced himself from the rest of his race, partly due to his friend, Claude, otherwise known as the mad king.
With intrigue, steam, action, wit, and a strong, sassy female paired with a strong, opinionated male, this book has something for everyone. There were no editing or grammatical errors I noticed, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word.
With an epic finishing line, this will definitely leave you wanting more. Absolutely recommended by me.
* 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!
Artemis is a Fae, Raphael is a vampire. We also meet with other Fae, Humans, Witches, Vampires, and Demons are mentioned. So right there, we have different species, all with their own history and thoughts, and pitted against each other. Who is telling the truth? Who will fight with who?
We find out more about Artemis' history as the story progresses, and the reasons she has for feeling the way she does. Raphael has distanced himself from the rest of his race, partly due to his friend, Claude, otherwise known as the mad king.
With intrigue, steam, action, wit, and a strong, sassy female paired with a strong, opinionated male, this book has something for everyone. There were no editing or grammatical errors I noticed, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word.
With an epic finishing line, this will definitely leave you wanting more. Absolutely recommended by me.
* 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!
Vegas (725 KP) rated Buffy The Vampire Slayer in TV
Oct 26, 2019
The cast (4 more)
The story
The humour
Spike
Giles
Holds up well for it's age.
Returning to watch Buffy after quite a few years, fully expecting the nostalgic feeling I had towards it to be ruined by it not aging well. I actually found it still held the same appeal and could easily have been made a couple of years ago, the humour, action and cast chemistry make it a joy to watch, even now.
The idea (for those who don't know) is one girl, being the chosen one, The Slayer who fights the forces of darkness, secretly, with the aid of a mentor "The Watcher" brilliantly played by Anthony Head. Except, Buffy is a bit different from other previous Slayers... She has a life, friends, relationship issues and so the "secret" part of the the task at hand isn't quite so secret... With help and hindrance in almost equal measure from humans, vampires, daemons, military, and witches to name but a few...
The 2 main watchers we encounter during the series are superbly played and could almost be clones of each other and Spike is still one of the best characters of all time on TV...
If you haven't seen it, it is really worth a go and if you haven't seen it for some time, spare a little time for a classic...
The idea (for those who don't know) is one girl, being the chosen one, The Slayer who fights the forces of darkness, secretly, with the aid of a mentor "The Watcher" brilliantly played by Anthony Head. Except, Buffy is a bit different from other previous Slayers... She has a life, friends, relationship issues and so the "secret" part of the the task at hand isn't quite so secret... With help and hindrance in almost equal measure from humans, vampires, daemons, military, and witches to name but a few...
The 2 main watchers we encounter during the series are superbly played and could almost be clones of each other and Spike is still one of the best characters of all time on TV...
If you haven't seen it, it is really worth a go and if you haven't seen it for some time, spare a little time for a classic...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Addams Family (2019) in Movies
Oct 15, 2019
Creepy, Kooky, Mysterious, Spooky and Ooky
"They're creepy and they're kooky
Mysterious and spooky
They're all together ooky
The Addams family
Their house is a museum
Where people come to see 'em
They really are a scream
The Addams family
Neat
Sweet
Petite
So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams family"
A song that everybody knows or should know. If you have seen the 1964 tv show or the 1991 movie or the 1993 sequel movie. The addams family is loved by all. And this movie is really good.
It takes elements from the oringal tv show and the movies and mixs it up.
The Plot: Members of the mysterious and spooky Addams family -- Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, Wednesday, Uncle Fester and Grandma -- are readily preparing for a visit from their even creepier relatives. But trouble soon arises when shady TV personality Margaux Needler realizes that the Addams' eerie hilltop mansion is standing in the way of her dream to sell all the houses in the neighborhood.
You got to love the charcters, you got to love their personalty, you got to love that their mysterious, spooky, creppy, kooky and ooky.
This is a good film, despite what the critics have said. Kids and their family should see this film.
Mysterious and spooky
They're all together ooky
The Addams family
Their house is a museum
Where people come to see 'em
They really are a scream
The Addams family
Neat
Sweet
Petite
So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams family"
A song that everybody knows or should know. If you have seen the 1964 tv show or the 1991 movie or the 1993 sequel movie. The addams family is loved by all. And this movie is really good.
It takes elements from the oringal tv show and the movies and mixs it up.
The Plot: Members of the mysterious and spooky Addams family -- Gomez, Morticia, Pugsley, Wednesday, Uncle Fester and Grandma -- are readily preparing for a visit from their even creepier relatives. But trouble soon arises when shady TV personality Margaux Needler realizes that the Addams' eerie hilltop mansion is standing in the way of her dream to sell all the houses in the neighborhood.
You got to love the charcters, you got to love their personalty, you got to love that their mysterious, spooky, creppy, kooky and ooky.
This is a good film, despite what the critics have said. Kids and their family should see this film.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Addams Family Values (1993) in Movies
Oct 18, 2019
Creepy, Kooky, Mysterious, Spooky and Ooky
"They're creepy and they're kooky
Mysterious and spooky
They're all together ooky
The Addams family
Their house is a museum
Where people come to see 'em
They really are a scream
The Addams family
Neat
Sweet
Petite
So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams family".
You got to love that theme song. Everybody remebers that theme song and the snapping.
This is such a underrated sequel to the oringal movie. It came out two years after the first one. Its different from the first one, but it still has the same love as the first one.
The plot: The members of the odd Addams Family are up to more macabre antics in this sequel. This time around, Gomez Addams (Raul Julia) and his wife, Morticia (Anjelica Huston), are celebrating the arrival of a baby boy. But siblings Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) are none too happy about the new addition, and try their best to eliminate the infant. When nanny Debbie Jelinsky (Joan Cusack) appears to keep the kids in line, her presence leads to an unexpected treacherous twist.
It is such a great movie. Very funny, very spooky, very creepy, very mysterious, very ooky and very kooky. Got to love the addams family.
Mysterious and spooky
They're all together ooky
The Addams family
Their house is a museum
Where people come to see 'em
They really are a scream
The Addams family
Neat
Sweet
Petite
So get a witches shawl on
A broomstick you can crawl on
We're gonna pay a call on
The Addams family".
You got to love that theme song. Everybody remebers that theme song and the snapping.
This is such a underrated sequel to the oringal movie. It came out two years after the first one. Its different from the first one, but it still has the same love as the first one.
The plot: The members of the odd Addams Family are up to more macabre antics in this sequel. This time around, Gomez Addams (Raul Julia) and his wife, Morticia (Anjelica Huston), are celebrating the arrival of a baby boy. But siblings Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) are none too happy about the new addition, and try their best to eliminate the infant. When nanny Debbie Jelinsky (Joan Cusack) appears to keep the kids in line, her presence leads to an unexpected treacherous twist.
It is such a great movie. Very funny, very spooky, very creepy, very mysterious, very ooky and very kooky. Got to love the addams family.
Awix (3310 KP) rated La Flor (2018) in Movies
Nov 2, 2019
How can one rating do justice to film-making on this scale? The simple numbers involved are staggering: the film lasts thirteen and a half hours, took nine years to make, is composed of six different episodes comprising many more sub-narratives. It's usually shown over three or four days, for obvious reasons. Even the closing credits last for over forty minutes (yes, I stayed: my thought process was basically 'Well, I've come this far..).
There's at least one horror movie in the mix, along with a musical melodrama, a sprawling existential spy thriller, and a metafictional self-parody. Characters include archaeologists, witches, Casanova and Margaret Thatcher. Just about the only thing holding it together is the presence of the same four actresses, who play significant roles in almost every episode. It begins very generic, but becomes increasingly strange and avant garde as it progresses. One would say it has become completely unravelled by the end, but it's not as if it was ever very ravelled. Parts of it are indisputably brilliant and highly accomplished, others are kind of indifferent; some of it is actively irritating. In the end it is a gargantuan, self-indulgent oddity. Some of it is definitely worth watching, but the whole thirteen hours...? I'm not sure. Maybe wait until it comes on TV.
There's at least one horror movie in the mix, along with a musical melodrama, a sprawling existential spy thriller, and a metafictional self-parody. Characters include archaeologists, witches, Casanova and Margaret Thatcher. Just about the only thing holding it together is the presence of the same four actresses, who play significant roles in almost every episode. It begins very generic, but becomes increasingly strange and avant garde as it progresses. One would say it has become completely unravelled by the end, but it's not as if it was ever very ravelled. Parts of it are indisputably brilliant and highly accomplished, others are kind of indifferent; some of it is actively irritating. In the end it is a gargantuan, self-indulgent oddity. Some of it is definitely worth watching, but the whole thirteen hours...? I'm not sure. Maybe wait until it comes on TV.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Divided Paths (Afterlife #4) in Books
Nov 12, 2019
Although the fourth book in the Afterlife series released, this serves as the back story to both Zacharius and to events in the related Supernatural Evolvement series. This can also be read as a stand alone or as an introduction to both series.
Zacharius is an angel used to fighting demons and protecting his friend Archangel Michael from danger. When Michael gives him an important mission he doesn't expect it to be protecting a young girl living on a remote farm. However he soon discovers that the girl may indeed be as special as Michael suspects.
This is a great read from cover to cover. After the jaded and somewhat embittered version of Zacharius in the earlier books, it is good to see him not only fully fit but a suitable angelic hero. This story answers a few of the questions left over from the two series it touches upon and further expands the world of angels, demons, witches and shape changers that Cope has managed to conjure.
The story isn't complex but that just allows the characters to stand out, particularly Zacharius and Ava for obvious reasons, but also the other players in the cast.
As usual with any of Cope's stories the only disappointment is getting to the last page and having to wait to see what happens next.
Zacharius is an angel used to fighting demons and protecting his friend Archangel Michael from danger. When Michael gives him an important mission he doesn't expect it to be protecting a young girl living on a remote farm. However he soon discovers that the girl may indeed be as special as Michael suspects.
This is a great read from cover to cover. After the jaded and somewhat embittered version of Zacharius in the earlier books, it is good to see him not only fully fit but a suitable angelic hero. This story answers a few of the questions left over from the two series it touches upon and further expands the world of angels, demons, witches and shape changers that Cope has managed to conjure.
The story isn't complex but that just allows the characters to stand out, particularly Zacharius and Ava for obvious reasons, but also the other players in the cast.
As usual with any of Cope's stories the only disappointment is getting to the last page and having to wait to see what happens next.
Tale of Tales
Book and Education
App
It is an app designed for children to elicit creative play. Our goal with this was to create a story...
Magic and Medieval Society
Anne Lawrence-Mathers and Carolina Escobar-Vargas
Book
Magic and Medieval Society presents a thematic approach to the topic of magic and sorcery in Western...