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Indelible (Grant County, #4)
Indelible (Grant County, #4)
Karin Slaughter | 2004 | Thriller
5
6.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Better then the last but still not in the same league as the first couple of books in this series....
This is the fourth in the Grant County series and for a series that started so strong (I loved the first two books) I was really disappointed with this. I would recommend approaching this series in order as they do carry a lot of emotional baggage through the series.

This was the first one I listened to as an audiobook and the Southern American accents used were a bit grating for me, so I'll try to stick to the books in the future for this series (obviously a personal preference.)

With a shootout occuring in the town in the present day, we get flashbacks to an “origin” type story 12 years earlier, which sets out to give the reasoning behind the attack. It’s a pretty shocking attack and the present day part was tense.

This book is very focused on two of the main characters from the series, Medical examiner Sara Linton and her now ex husband / current boyfriend (it’s a complicated relationship) Police Chief Jeffrey. In the flashback parts of this book we see Sara and Jeffrey taking a trip to Jefferies hometown where his best friend ends up shooting someone and a body is found from Jefferies distant past. I didn’t find the investigation part here as engaging as in the previous books, with too much focus on what Jeffrey was like as a lad.

I think my main issue with this particular book is I just don’t like Jeffery and having so much dedicated to back story for him didn’t endear him any more to me. I came out of that part of the story still not liking him or really understanding why Sara is so in love with him (I suppose love is blind.)

Although I enjoyed the action packed present day shootout it still had a character issue in the form of the ever complicated Lena Adams. She is back to being a cop and this is her first day back (talk about bad timing!) I really have no idea why they are letting her back on the force she just seems to be a terrible cop (and not a particularly nice person) who is suffering from PTSD.

I feel I may be being too harsh on this book and I can fully understand people who love the characters in this series (or love to hate main characters) enjoying this book. I just prefer this series when it’s slightly more focused on a case rather than their personal lives.
  
Half a War (Shattered Sea, Book 3)
Half a War (Shattered Sea, Book 3)
Joe Abercrombie | 2016 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is the third book of the Shattered Sea trilogy and takes place a couple of years after the previous book, Half the World. The long forecast war between Gettland and the High King commences with the High King's champion, Bright Yilling, invading Throvenland. Princess Skara manages to escape to Gettland where she joins the allies so that she can take her homeland back from the invaders.

Father Yarvi is also determined to strike back, to carry out the oath of vengeance he swore against his father's killers. To do this he must defeat Bright Yilling and his army and then take on the High King himself. But just how far is he prepared to go in order to secure victory?

I actually can't say too much in detail about this book without giving anything away. Much like the previous book, this one seems like a fairly conventional epic fantasy style story for a good half. But then Abercrombie starts to twist the knife as the reader's expectations based on the usual fantasy tropes are knocked down one by one.

Certainly there is much here that is unconventional in many ways and I confess to having a rather mad smile on my face at one point due to the utter craziness of what is going on - but Abercrombie handles it well having laid the groundwork well in advance. It is never clear who is going live and who is going to die, and who is going to win and who is going to lose.

After the first two books, which have quite a lot of conversations and philosophy, this is essentailly one long drawn out battle against various parties in various locations. Some battles are fought with swords and others with words, but both are just as deadly for the loser. The fight scenes are very violent and as expected it's pretty grim and dark at times.

There is plenty of scope left at the end for more stories set in the world of the Shattered Sea and these would be welcome but it also clear that the story of Yarvi and his revenge has been completed.

Not the best of the series, the first half is probably too conventional but the second half turns so much on its head it redeems the book completely.

Rating: Lots of violent battles and deaths, some scatalogical phrases and some non-explict sexual scenes. Young Adult but more at the Adult than Young end of that spectrum
  
    Geofency Time Tracking

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    GTBank

    GTBank

    Finance and Productivity

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On the Basis of Sex (2018)
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
2018 | Biography, Drama
In the year 2018, it’s easy to forget how much the times have changed over the last century. We now carry computers around in our pockets, have the internet to conduct worldwide business in a matter of seconds and cars that run on electricity. Considering all of these amazing technological advancements you would think something as simple and no-brainer as equal rights must have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years, right? Well, the new movie On the Basis of Sex humbly reminded me that the equal rights movement was not too much longer ago than the invention of the internet and it was just the type of reminder I needed to once again appreciate just how far we have come.

On the Basis of Sex is a biopic detailing Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s (Felicity Jones) rise from one of the first women “invited” to attend Harvard Law School to becoming the 2nd woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. The first part of the movie aptly chronicles Mrs. Ginsburg’s experience as a woman at Harvard Law School and then getting her first job as a professor at Rutgers Law School in 1963. Considering she graduated at the top of her class being a professor was not her dream job, but law firms were not looking to hire female lawyers, so she made the best of it. This all leads up to the main focus of the film which is Mrs. Ginsburg representing a Colorado man who has been denied caretaker tax benefits because the tax code specifically applied to women. The movie shows both her struggles and triumphs with the case and why equal rights were so important to her. Although the movie focused on this one case, it was crystal clear that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a force to be reckoned with and this was just one of many cases she would take on to ensure greater equality for woman.

Felicity Jones does an incredible job portraying Mrs. Ginsburg. She brings a swagger to the character and used an authentic sounding Brooklyn accent to boot. Armie Hammer also does a great job playing the ever supportive and unshakable husband Marty Ginsburg. They had great chemistry on screen and did an excellent job showing just how supportive they were to one another. Even though their relationship was not the focus of the film, it was very touching and added a little extra heart to the story. Speaking of the story, it was both engaging and thought provoking, so much so that its effects are still there even after leaving the theater. I enjoyed how the story unfolded and the fact that it never got to preachy or political. As biopics go, there were a few spots that seemed to drag on a bit, but generally the pace never lingered in one spot for too long and it kept my interest the whole time.

On the Basis of Sex was a very good movie and a welcome addition to this year’s holiday movie offerings. If you are looking for something different after a couple of hours with web slinging spider-folk and yellow cars that turn into giant robots then this would be a great movie to check out. With excellent acting, a great inspirational story and even a little bit of heart, I really couldn’t ask for anything more.
  
    Neo Travel Your Mind

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    Health & Fitness

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    This app takes you on a personal, poetic, and immersive voyage to approach this ancient practice of...