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Her Scottish Rogue (The Rebels, Rakes, and Rogues Series)
8.0
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Wren Taggart is no lady. Her life consists of kitchen duties at Newcastle Inn. Mistaken for Lady...
Historical Romance Scotland
Operation Tulip (WW2 Secret Agent #3)
Book
Holland, 1944: Undercover British agent Nancy Callaghan has been given her toughest case yet. A key...
WWII Historical Fiction Holland Romance
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2371 KP) rated The Tale of the Tenpenny Tontine in Books
May 16, 2025
Tickle Your Funny Bone with this Tale
Anty is developing a reputation for solving sticky problems, so a friend reaches out to him when two relatives die in a duel. Since a family fortune is on the line, who dies first is important. However, Anty has hardly looked at the scene before he realizes it was murder. Considering the victims were found in a locked room, how did the killer pull it off?
I’ve got to make time to read this series faster, because this was another wonderful entry. The mystery was sufficiently puzzling with plenty to keep me engaged. And we reached a logical climax that explained the how and the who. The characters are a little thin, but that is in service to the comedy. The laughs come from a very dry British wit and plenty of sarcasm. I was laughing on page one, and smiling or laughing the rest of the way through the book. If that’s what you are in the mood for, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
I’ve got to make time to read this series faster, because this was another wonderful entry. The mystery was sufficiently puzzling with plenty to keep me engaged. And we reached a logical climax that explained the how and the who. The characters are a little thin, but that is in service to the comedy. The laughs come from a very dry British wit and plenty of sarcasm. I was laughing on page one, and smiling or laughing the rest of the way through the book. If that’s what you are in the mood for, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.
David McK (3569 KP) rated Rebellion (Eagles of the Empire #22) in Books
Apr 4, 2024
Entry number 22 in Simon Scarrow's long-running Macro and Cato series, and we're finally at what has been building for a while: Boudicca's Rebellion.
Which, like the French with Napoleon at Waterloo, if you knew nothing about British history you might be forgiven for thinking she won (she lost).
The majority of the novel is taken up with the impact the Rebellion had on the Romans in the south of England and (in particular) in London, with Macro and Cato still separated at the start of the novel and with the former in captivity amongst Boudicca's army following the fall of the veterans colony in the former novel, and facing quite gruesome execution.
I have to say, I was actually surprised how little of this novel was spent on the final pitched battle between the Romans and the Britons, with more of it spent on describing the sense of desperation and the breakdown of law and order (well, that's what the Romans would have said) as Boudicca's horde descends on London.
Which, like the French with Napoleon at Waterloo, if you knew nothing about British history you might be forgiven for thinking she won (she lost).
The majority of the novel is taken up with the impact the Rebellion had on the Romans in the south of England and (in particular) in London, with Macro and Cato still separated at the start of the novel and with the former in captivity amongst Boudicca's army following the fall of the veterans colony in the former novel, and facing quite gruesome execution.
I have to say, I was actually surprised how little of this novel was spent on the final pitched battle between the Romans and the Britons, with more of it spent on describing the sense of desperation and the breakdown of law and order (well, that's what the Romans would have said) as Boudicca's horde descends on London.
Gold Rush
6.0
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We give celebrities a power they don’t deserve. Power they haven’t earned. What happens when...
Trigger warnings: sexual assault Trigger Warnings: rape Trigger Warnings: suicide Trigger Warnings: eating disorders and drug taking
Connor Sheffield (293 KP) rated Supernatural - Season 12 in TV
May 25, 2017
Sam and Dean still kick ass (1 more)
Really comedic Season
Not over yet
-Don't read if you haven't caught up unless you don't mind spoilers-
Supernatural has come a long, long, so very long way since it's first pilot episode and season in 2005. If you haven't started to watch this show yet, then you're probably going to feel like there's too much. I know that I've recommended this show to dozens of my friends or friends of friends, because the show, though slower in some seasons, overall is brilliant.
So here we find ourselves in 2016/17 and Supernatural is airing it's 12th season...good luck catching up if you never started the show. After helping the darkness, God's sister, she rewards Sam and Dean by bringing Mary Winchester, their mother, back from the dead after 30+ years. This messes with her mind because she doesn't belong in this time line and she never got the chance to be a proper mother to the two men she sees standing before her in the bunker. So they give her some time and Mary ends up joining the British Men of Letters who have come to America to sort out the American Hunters. Whether that is to recruit them or destroy them.
For those of you who have read or watched Harry Potter, you know Delores Umbridge and how much you want her dead probably more than Voldemort, well the British Men of Letters are like a group of Umbridge's. You quickly begin to hate them and want them all to be wiped out.
Season 12 brings back some of the classic humour that we've come to love from this show. There's an episode where Dean is losing his memory, of not just his last but basic knowledge, so much so that Sam has to label everything from lamp, to tv, to the door, just so Dean remembers the name of them. It is so beautifully written and whilst hilarious for the majority, there's one scene where my heart sank as you realise Dean is slipping further and further into memory loss, as he stares into a mirror repeating the line 'my name....is....' and eventually responding to himself with 'i don't know' and it is such a heart aching moment because sometimes Supernatural doesn't always end perfectly and you hope that in this particular instance, that Dean gets everything back, with no little blanks.
This season, and I'm not gonna spoil it with names, sees the death of two characters who have been major to the series for a while now. That finale wasn't the best in terms of certain aspects, such as the final sequence where usually something is said that would give us something more about what's been happening, but it leaves the many fans including myself heartbroken and wishing that I never saw what I saw, because the loss of these two characters (and although many characters have died and come back, the cast and crew have confirmed that this isn't one of those cases) is going to make Sam and Dean next journey, one hell of a ride, but most certainly, one hell of a struggle.
Overall a great season full of laughter and emotion, containing one of the funniest episodes I have seen for a while, and an emotional finale that leaves you wanting more as always. I love this show and will continue to watch and recommend it to anyone interesting in monsters, demons, ghouls etc. Like I said though, good luck playing catch up.
Supernatural has come a long, long, so very long way since it's first pilot episode and season in 2005. If you haven't started to watch this show yet, then you're probably going to feel like there's too much. I know that I've recommended this show to dozens of my friends or friends of friends, because the show, though slower in some seasons, overall is brilliant.
So here we find ourselves in 2016/17 and Supernatural is airing it's 12th season...good luck catching up if you never started the show. After helping the darkness, God's sister, she rewards Sam and Dean by bringing Mary Winchester, their mother, back from the dead after 30+ years. This messes with her mind because she doesn't belong in this time line and she never got the chance to be a proper mother to the two men she sees standing before her in the bunker. So they give her some time and Mary ends up joining the British Men of Letters who have come to America to sort out the American Hunters. Whether that is to recruit them or destroy them.
For those of you who have read or watched Harry Potter, you know Delores Umbridge and how much you want her dead probably more than Voldemort, well the British Men of Letters are like a group of Umbridge's. You quickly begin to hate them and want them all to be wiped out.
Season 12 brings back some of the classic humour that we've come to love from this show. There's an episode where Dean is losing his memory, of not just his last but basic knowledge, so much so that Sam has to label everything from lamp, to tv, to the door, just so Dean remembers the name of them. It is so beautifully written and whilst hilarious for the majority, there's one scene where my heart sank as you realise Dean is slipping further and further into memory loss, as he stares into a mirror repeating the line 'my name....is....' and eventually responding to himself with 'i don't know' and it is such a heart aching moment because sometimes Supernatural doesn't always end perfectly and you hope that in this particular instance, that Dean gets everything back, with no little blanks.
This season, and I'm not gonna spoil it with names, sees the death of two characters who have been major to the series for a while now. That finale wasn't the best in terms of certain aspects, such as the final sequence where usually something is said that would give us something more about what's been happening, but it leaves the many fans including myself heartbroken and wishing that I never saw what I saw, because the loss of these two characters (and although many characters have died and come back, the cast and crew have confirmed that this isn't one of those cases) is going to make Sam and Dean next journey, one hell of a ride, but most certainly, one hell of a struggle.
Overall a great season full of laughter and emotion, containing one of the funniest episodes I have seen for a while, and an emotional finale that leaves you wanting more as always. I love this show and will continue to watch and recommend it to anyone interesting in monsters, demons, ghouls etc. Like I said though, good luck playing catch up.
DioDict 4 English Dictionary for Advanced Learners
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▶Special discount◀ $24.99 -> $19.99 The complete DioDict English Dictionary • 184,500 words,...
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
“Contented with little, wishing for more”.
Here’s a curious little British film that has some merit, both as an entertainment vehicle and as a history lesson.
Set in a split-timeline between 1941 and 1946, the film tells the story of Juliet Ashton (Lily James, “Darkest Hour“, “Baby Driver“), a young British writer who seems all at sea emotion-wise following the war. She is struggling to fit in with her high-society London life, and can’t seem to put her heart into either her publishing commitments, much to the frustration of her publisher Sidney (Matthew Goode, “The Imitation Game“, “Stoker“), or her boyfriend Mark (Glen Powell, “Hidden Figures“), the dashing and well-off American army officer.
Into this mix drops a letter out of the blue from Guernsey from a pig-farmer called Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman, “The Age of Adeline“, “Game of Thrones”), which leads her on a trail of discovery into the mysterious back-story of the strangely named book club. The secrets of the tightly-knit St Peter Port community, and what really happened during the Nazi occupation, come progressively to light as Juliet digs deeper.
Much as “Their Finest” shone a light on the rather invisible war efforts of the British propaganda film industry, so here we get an interesting and (I believe) relatively untapped view of the historical background of the German occupation of the Channel Islands. How many viewers I wonder, especially those outside of the UK, knew that the Nazis occupied “British” territory* during the war?
(* Well, strictly speaking, the Channel Islands are a “crown dependency” rather than being part of the UK per se).
Story-wise the screenplay splits the drama between:
the love triangle (which I almost took to be a love square at the start of the film… and to be honest I’m still not 100% sure!) between the main protagonists and;
the mystery surrounding Guernsey’s Elizabeth McKenna (Jessica Brown Findlay, “The Riot Club”, Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey).
In the first instance, you would need to be pretty dim I think, particularly if you’ve seen the trailer already, not to work out where the story is going to head! (Although, to be fair, I thought that about “Their Finest” and was woefully wrong!). I found this all rather paint-by-numbers stuff, but livened up immensely by a scene between James and Powell and a bottle of champagne which is wonderfully and refreshingly pulled off.
The second strand of the story is slightly more intriguing and provides the opportunity to see the wonderful Jessica Brown Findlay in action: it is just disappointing that she actually features so little in the film, and also disappointing that, at a crucial dramatic moment, the action moves “off-stage”. I wanted to see more of that story.
In terms of casting, Susie Figgis must have had a TERRIBLE job in casting Juliet: “Gemma Arterton not available…. hmmm… who else would fit…. think… think… think… think dammit….! Ah, yes!!” Lily James might be in danger of becoming typecast as a 40’s-style love interest. But she just fits the bill in terms of looks and mannerisms SO perfectly.
Elsewhere in the cast, Penelope Wilton (“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel“, “The BFG“) is superb as the deeply damaged Amelia; Tom Courtenay is 300% better than in his last movie outing as the cranky old postmaster; and TV’s Katherine Parkinson impresses greatly as the kooky gin-swilling Isola Pribby. All in all this is a fine ensemble cast. (With James, Goode, Wilton and Brown Findlay there, it must have also felt like a “Downton Abbey” reunion party!)
I’d also like to say that the Guernsey scenery was gloriously filmed, but as this article suggests, most of it was actually filmed in glorious Devon instead! Given the Guernsey Tourist Board have been going overboard (at least in the Southampton area) on film tie-in advertising, this feels rather like false representation! But I’m sure its equally lovely!
So in summary, it’s a thoughtful period piece, with some great acting performances and well-directed by Mike Newell (still most famous for “Four Weddings and a Funeral”). I enjoyed it but I felt it moved at a GLACIAL pace, taking over two hours to unfold, and I thought a few editing nips and tucks on the long lingering looks and leisurely strolls could have given it most impetus. But to be fair, my wife and cinema buddy for this film thought it was PERFECTLY paced, giving the story the space it needed for the drama and Juliet’s state of mind to unfold. In fact she gave it “5 Mads” as her rating… top marks! For me though a very creditable…
Set in a split-timeline between 1941 and 1946, the film tells the story of Juliet Ashton (Lily James, “Darkest Hour“, “Baby Driver“), a young British writer who seems all at sea emotion-wise following the war. She is struggling to fit in with her high-society London life, and can’t seem to put her heart into either her publishing commitments, much to the frustration of her publisher Sidney (Matthew Goode, “The Imitation Game“, “Stoker“), or her boyfriend Mark (Glen Powell, “Hidden Figures“), the dashing and well-off American army officer.
Into this mix drops a letter out of the blue from Guernsey from a pig-farmer called Dawsey Adams (Michiel Huisman, “The Age of Adeline“, “Game of Thrones”), which leads her on a trail of discovery into the mysterious back-story of the strangely named book club. The secrets of the tightly-knit St Peter Port community, and what really happened during the Nazi occupation, come progressively to light as Juliet digs deeper.
Much as “Their Finest” shone a light on the rather invisible war efforts of the British propaganda film industry, so here we get an interesting and (I believe) relatively untapped view of the historical background of the German occupation of the Channel Islands. How many viewers I wonder, especially those outside of the UK, knew that the Nazis occupied “British” territory* during the war?
(* Well, strictly speaking, the Channel Islands are a “crown dependency” rather than being part of the UK per se).
Story-wise the screenplay splits the drama between:
the love triangle (which I almost took to be a love square at the start of the film… and to be honest I’m still not 100% sure!) between the main protagonists and;
the mystery surrounding Guernsey’s Elizabeth McKenna (Jessica Brown Findlay, “The Riot Club”, Lady Sybil from Downton Abbey).
In the first instance, you would need to be pretty dim I think, particularly if you’ve seen the trailer already, not to work out where the story is going to head! (Although, to be fair, I thought that about “Their Finest” and was woefully wrong!). I found this all rather paint-by-numbers stuff, but livened up immensely by a scene between James and Powell and a bottle of champagne which is wonderfully and refreshingly pulled off.
The second strand of the story is slightly more intriguing and provides the opportunity to see the wonderful Jessica Brown Findlay in action: it is just disappointing that she actually features so little in the film, and also disappointing that, at a crucial dramatic moment, the action moves “off-stage”. I wanted to see more of that story.
In terms of casting, Susie Figgis must have had a TERRIBLE job in casting Juliet: “Gemma Arterton not available…. hmmm… who else would fit…. think… think… think… think dammit….! Ah, yes!!” Lily James might be in danger of becoming typecast as a 40’s-style love interest. But she just fits the bill in terms of looks and mannerisms SO perfectly.
Elsewhere in the cast, Penelope Wilton (“The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel“, “The BFG“) is superb as the deeply damaged Amelia; Tom Courtenay is 300% better than in his last movie outing as the cranky old postmaster; and TV’s Katherine Parkinson impresses greatly as the kooky gin-swilling Isola Pribby. All in all this is a fine ensemble cast. (With James, Goode, Wilton and Brown Findlay there, it must have also felt like a “Downton Abbey” reunion party!)
I’d also like to say that the Guernsey scenery was gloriously filmed, but as this article suggests, most of it was actually filmed in glorious Devon instead! Given the Guernsey Tourist Board have been going overboard (at least in the Southampton area) on film tie-in advertising, this feels rather like false representation! But I’m sure its equally lovely!
So in summary, it’s a thoughtful period piece, with some great acting performances and well-directed by Mike Newell (still most famous for “Four Weddings and a Funeral”). I enjoyed it but I felt it moved at a GLACIAL pace, taking over two hours to unfold, and I thought a few editing nips and tucks on the long lingering looks and leisurely strolls could have given it most impetus. But to be fair, my wife and cinema buddy for this film thought it was PERFECTLY paced, giving the story the space it needed for the drama and Juliet’s state of mind to unfold. In fact she gave it “5 Mads” as her rating… top marks! For me though a very creditable…
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated That Inevitable Victorian Thing in Books
Jan 11, 2018
A fun alternate history romp
Representation, people! This book features a bisexual, intersex young woman. (I say woman, because she is female-presenting and uses female pronouns.) It also features a not-quite-love-triangle that turns into something more like polyamory. (Sorry, that's a bit of a spoiler, but you can see it coming from a mile away, and the cover description heavily implies the same.)
It's not realistic in the least - everything falls together nicely and it's a bit of a "princess saves the day by virtue of being a princess" kind of plot. But the twist on the history is a very pleasant one - and making the British Empire an Empire that values diversity and the melding of cultures and not looking down on anyone because they're different is a really nice change of pace. It's a WONDERFUL bit of escapist fantasy given today's world, I have to say.
I'd actually really like to see the darker side of this same world explored. One of the main plot points in the book is that there is a computer database of genetics. Everyone in the British Empire, when they turn 18, is encouraged to have their DNA sequenced and entered into the computer to find good genetic matches. They then have the opportunity to chat with those matches and eventually meet them. It's accepted custom, and you're definitely viewed as odd if you choose NOT to do it, though Helena's parents were a love match and never had their DNA matched through the computer. Helena's love interest is a boy she grew up with, she really only ran her DNA through the computer for kicks. So it's not mandatory - except for royals. But that this computer and database exists leaves room for a darker side. What about genetic modification? Forced marriages for certain genetic outcomes? That has to be happening somewhere. That Inevitable Victorian Thing really only looked at the fun, light-hearted, good uses of this technology. I'd love to see the other side.
Oh - while the book definitely has a Victorian flavor, it's definitely set in modern day, or perhaps a little past. It's not Victorian era.
Fun little book. A good escape from a racist, homophobic world to a more diverse, accepting one. But a little TOO fluffy bunny for my personal tastes.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
It's not realistic in the least - everything falls together nicely and it's a bit of a "princess saves the day by virtue of being a princess" kind of plot. But the twist on the history is a very pleasant one - and making the British Empire an Empire that values diversity and the melding of cultures and not looking down on anyone because they're different is a really nice change of pace. It's a WONDERFUL bit of escapist fantasy given today's world, I have to say.
I'd actually really like to see the darker side of this same world explored. One of the main plot points in the book is that there is a computer database of genetics. Everyone in the British Empire, when they turn 18, is encouraged to have their DNA sequenced and entered into the computer to find good genetic matches. They then have the opportunity to chat with those matches and eventually meet them. It's accepted custom, and you're definitely viewed as odd if you choose NOT to do it, though Helena's parents were a love match and never had their DNA matched through the computer. Helena's love interest is a boy she grew up with, she really only ran her DNA through the computer for kicks. So it's not mandatory - except for royals. But that this computer and database exists leaves room for a darker side. What about genetic modification? Forced marriages for certain genetic outcomes? That has to be happening somewhere. That Inevitable Victorian Thing really only looked at the fun, light-hearted, good uses of this technology. I'd love to see the other side.
Oh - while the book definitely has a Victorian flavor, it's definitely set in modern day, or perhaps a little past. It's not Victorian era.
Fun little book. A good escape from a racist, homophobic world to a more diverse, accepting one. But a little TOO fluffy bunny for my personal tastes.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com