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Faction Paradox: Of the City of the Saved... (Faction Paradox, #2)
Faction Paradox: Of the City of the Saved... (Faction Paradox, #2)
Philip Purser-Hallard | 2004 | Science Fiction/Fantasy
2
2.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I didn't finish the book, but as you can only either list your books as "Want-To Read", "Currently Reading" or "Read", I went with the latter choice, as it was the only that seemed to fit even remotely. So, my review..

I try to keep an open mind for most things - meeting new people, going to see a movie or checking out a new TV series, or even when starting a new book. This book came highly recommended, the highest recommendation coming from Faction Paradox creator, Lawrence Miles. So, without even cracking the book open, it already had high expectations thrust upon it.

After five attempts at reading it, I gave up tonight! The book bored me unbelievably! Things got to be so bad that I used to help me to get to sleep the last 2 re-reading attempts.

I felt there was just too much going on, with a difficult to really get a feel for *any* of the characters in the first quarter I trudged through. After devouring Miles' FP debut novel, 'This Town Will Not Let Us Go', I thought this would be just as good; sadly, not so much.
  
Hot Enough to Kill
Hot Enough to Kill
Paula Boyd | 1999 | Mystery
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not as Hot a Debut As I Had Hoped
Jolene Jackson hates to return to her hometown of Kickapoo, Texas, but when her mother, Lucille, is brought in for questioning after the mayor is murdered, Jolene heads down to help out. Lucille is obviously hiding something from the sheriff, who also happens to be Jolene’s high school sweetheart. When it becomes obvious that Lucille’s life is in danger, Jolene jumps in to figure things out. Can she do it?

I discovered recently that I bought this book twice, physical and ebook. Clearly, I was interested in reading it. Sadly, it disappointed. The mystery confuses action with unraveling a mystery, so I got a little frustrated in the middle of the book. Even so, I was interested in the action the entire way through. While the main characters are good, the supporting cast is thin. What is supposed to come across as humorous instead comes across as condescending toward those that Jolene doesn’t agree with. Add in some characters who come across as purposefully stereotypical and a few needless political comments and I struggled at times. I’m disappointed I didn’t enjoy this book more.
  
On My Way - Single by Bori
On My Way - Single by Bori
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Bori is a 19-year old rising singer-songwriter based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Not too long ago, he released a wonderful Afro-pop tune, entitled, “On My Way”.

‘On My Way’ is Bori’s second single, which he co-wrote with Mack, Sebastian Atas, Victor Sjöström, and Viktor Broberg.

The likable tune tells an inspirational tale of a young guy who chooses to follow his heart. Therefore, he does what he believes he has to do in order to fulfill his goals and find happiness.

‘On My Way’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and dance-friendly instrumentation flavored with a tropical Afro-pop aroma.

“‘On My Way’ represents my way to success and the way that I will take to reach my goals.” – Bori

Bori gained international attention after featuring on German DJ Felix Jaehn’s multi-million streaming single, “Jennie”. Since then, the likable tune has amassed over 50M streams online.

Not too ago, Bori released a music video for his debut single, entitled, “Players Ballad”.

‘Players Ballad’ tells an interesting tale about a guy who gets in lots of trouble because of his bad decisions. In the end, he has to pay for it.
  
Teenage Tears - Single by Mia Mi
Teenage Tears - Single by Mia Mi
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Mia Mi is an up-and-coming 18-year-old singer-songwriter based in North London. Not too long ago, she released an encouraging pop tune, entitled, “Teenage Tears”.

“Teenage tears you cry all these years. Well, they got you here, so just trust that you’ll be okay. Now she got a little confidence. Things that didn’t, starting to make sense. She can make a change just go see what’s next.” – lyrics

‘Teenage Tears’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and lush instrumentation scented with danceable pop aroma.

“And now you know it’s so good to be different. Break out the bucks you ain’t got no limits. Just give it time, you will learn it in a minute.” – lyrics

Mia Mi’s music is a mixture between Ariana Grande and Mabel. At the age of 10, she won a local singing competition.

Shortly afterward, she enrolled at London’s Centre for Young Musicians and then graduated from the critically acclaimed Brit School.

After fulfilling her educational duties, she released cover videos of popular songs via her YouTube channel.

Since then, her debut single, “Talk To Me”, has been added to 30 playlists on Spotify and has amassed over 120K streams.
  
Educating Rita (1983)
Educating Rita (1983)
1983 | Comedy, Drama
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Julie Walters makes a memorable movie debut in this surprisingly moving comedy-drama. Caine plays Frank, a boozy lecturer and (he thinks) awful teacher who is slightly baffled by Rita, a bright but uncultured new student who wanders into his office one day. She wants more out of life, and thinks studying literature will help her get it. But is she right? And what can they learn from one another?

Very well written and extremely well-played, the heart of the film is the relationship between the two of them and how it slowly changes over time: not really a romance or a friendship, but something still powerful and very affecting. As well as the shifting dynamic between them, the film is also about many other things: snobbery, both standard and reversed; class; the purpose of education; what it means to be a teacher, and much more. The origins of the piece as a two-handed stage play are fairly obvious, and funding issues mean it is set (distractingly) somewhere in the little-known Liverpool-Oxbridge-Dublin region, but the story and performances are strong enough for these not to be serious issues. A very fine film.