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Ricki’s Past, Family, and a Christmas Murder
Ricki James-Diaz is thrilled her parents are in town for Christmas. She’s hoping that she and her mom and use the time to track down more of Ricki’s birth family. But when one of her mom’s former co-workers is killed right after Ricki meets her, murder takes center stage. As more of Ricki’s family and friends come under suspicious, she can’t help but jump in. Will she find the killer?

It was great to be back with Ricki and her family and friends. They are a fun bunch, and we met some new characters I hope we see again. There are some spoilers for previous books’ ongoing storylines, but they are minor. There are several subplots in addition to the main mystery, so I was never bored. Yet everything was balanced well and we reached a satisfying climax. I did find a couple of small things that should have been caught by an edit, but they are minor. I loved the Christmas setting of the book for both the humor and the coziness it brought. And we get some appropriate recipes at the end of the book. Whether you read this book now or save it for December, you’ll be glad you read it.
  
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David McK (3796 KP) rated Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) (2025) in Movies

Aug 26, 2025 (Updated Feb 8, 2026)  
Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) (2025)
Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) (2025)
2025 |
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Most recent (at time of writing) of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) films, that actually takes place in a different dimension than the rest of said Universe (so NOT in the same reality as Captain America, The Avengers, Iron Man etc etc), with the setting of said universe also a faux 1960s retro future: all gleaming chrome cars, skyscrapers, big hats ...

It also has Pedro Pascal in the lead role as Mr Fantastic alongside Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (and with Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn rounding out the family as The Thing and Johnny Storm respectively), with the film starting with the Fantastic Four already in possession of their powers; already established as mainstream (and popular) superheroes.

And about to face the threat of Galactus, the Destroyer of Worlds, just as Sue is about to give birth to her first child,

I must admit, I did struggle a bit with the casting of Pedro Pascal as Mr Fantastic - to me, he will always by Djinn Djarijn, the Mandalorian of the Disney+ series of the same name.

I also felt the resolution to be a bit on the weak side!

Still, it's nice to see something different in the MCU once in a while.
  
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ClareR (6225 KP) rated Love Forms in Books

Mar 8, 2026  
Love Forms
Love Forms
Claire Adams | 2025 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Love Forms was an enjoyable read - I liked it. It looks at the complex feelings Dawn has in the search for her daughter that she gave cup at birth. She now has two adult sons who are aware of their older sister, but Dawn still feels as though something, or someone, is missing.

She seems to have given up many things in her life all for the benefit of others. Giving up her daughter was to stop the scandal for her family; she gave up her career for the benefit of her marriage (it didn’t work) and her children. Being a doctor at the time was incompatible with motherhood for her.

This is a very melancholic read: Dawn appears to be lonely now her children have grown up and moved away. Her time is taken up with thoughts of her past, missed opportunities, and the search for her daughter. She has had failed attempts to find her daughter, and it sounds as though there were financial repercussions as well. There’s no mention of friends, as far as I can remember, just one male friend with benefits.

Should this have been on the Booker long list 2025 and now on the Women’s Prize long list? Why not, it’s an enjoyable, if rather sombre read.