The Strangest Family: The Private Lives of George III, Queen Charlotte and the Hanoverians
Martin Davidson and Janice Hadlow
Book
An intensely moving account of George III's doomed attempt to create a happy, harmonious family,...
Journey: Memoirs of an Air Force Chief of Staff
Norty Schwartz and Ron Levinson
Book
The General's dysfunctional home life drove him to apply to the Air Force Academy almost 40 years...
Neoliberal Ebola: Modeling Disease Emergence from Finance to Forest and Farm: 2016
Robert G. Wallace and Rodrick Wallace
Book
This volume compiles five papers modeling the effects of neoliberal economics on the emergence of...
Changing Destinies: The Re-Start Infant Family Programme for Early Autistic Behaviours
Stella Acquarone and Isabel Jimenez Aquarone
Book
The term 'pre-autism' is becoming more widespread as a result of growing awareness of the importance...
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Unmaking of Ellie Rook in Books
Sep 24, 2020
The narrative was very fast paced, and every chapter allowed to see a little bit more of Ellie’s past, and what shaped her to be the way she is now. The topics covered in this book were emotional and physical abuse, bullying, teenage romance, controlling behaviour and many more. This book has some very cleverly written surprises and twists and was an easy and pleasant read for me.
The atmosphere of this book is very dark, gloomy and messy, filled with scrap cars, crows, and violence. I liked the writing style of this novel, it was complex and layered. The chapters were short, and the ending of this book left me very satisfied indeed. Even though a single perspective was sufficient for me, I would’ve liked to read Imelda’s thoughts as well. I don’t really know how I feel about all that folk story about Finella, it adds a nice touch to the story, but making it a core of this book wasn’t really necessary.
So, to conclude, it is a really good domestic noir, filled with complex characters and difficult situations. I really enjoyed this book and the topics it discussed, and I recommend it to people who are looking for a quick but important read. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2204 KP) rated Finding Zelda in Books
Oct 2, 2019 (Updated Oct 2, 2019)
I was excited to see this novel come out. It started life as four short stories in a series called Holidays from Hell. Those stories, plus some additional scenes to help fill in the gaps, make up the first half of the novel, and I was anxious to find out what happened to Zelda. I wasn’t disappointed. While author Sue Ann Jaffarian is best known for her mystery novels, this isn’t a mystery. Instead, it’s a dysfunctional family dramedy. And yes, there are scenes that will make you laugh and scenes that will make you feel for the characters and what they are going through, especially Zelda. As our main characters, she is the most sympathetic, but all the characters have their moments as the book unfolds and all of them are great. This book definitely falls into the PG-13 realm with a smattering of foul language and some scenes that discuss characters’ sex lives. I could have done without those elements, but they are worth noting only in passing. Despite the fact that the book takes place roughly over the course of a year, we get a clear plot and only the scenes we need for the story. While originally conceived as a standalone novel, we are going to get more of Zelda’s adventures. I’m not sure where things can go from here, but I’m looking forward to visiting her again.
Winning Her (Perfect Stats #1)
Book
In the span of a year, Bane Carter acquired a new job, his brother’s four kids, a crappy nanny...
Contemporary Sports Romance
Why Love Hurts
Book
Few of us have been spared the agonies of intimate relationships. They come in many shapes: loving a...
John Company: Second Edition
Tabletop Game
In John Company, players assume the roles of ambitious families attempting to use the British East...
Ryan Hill (152 KP) rated Thor: Ragnarok (2017) in Movies
May 11, 2019
There’s so many reasons why I enjoy Thor: Ragnarok, but it has to start with the direction and vision of Taika Waititi. He’s a genre changer in the comic book man movie universe. From his Kiwi sense of humor, to the choice in mood music, to the simply fun action sequences; Thor: Ragnarok is a two hour smile that would make it appear I had Botox injections, since my facial expression stayed happy.
Thor is one of my favorite characters in the MCU and I like the way the fat has been chewed off in his movies. Less memorable characters are disposed of, and screen time is given to the characters you want to see. Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster is a gift from God. Loki is Loki and who doesn’t love Loki? Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie has a lot of depth. Cate Blanchett’s Hela might be in the top 5 in baddest of bad MCU villains, and puts the D in dysfunctional families. Plus, Idris Elba’s Heimdall deserved his own movie, and perhaps the number one scene stealer, and one of the reasons why this movie is truly special is Taika Waititi’s Korg. Who knew a CGI rock could be so hilarious? His voice is infectious, and I want to see more of Korg.
Hulk and Banner are both used just right. The synth-pop score makes me want to dance a boogie groove. Thor’s flaw is there’s too many interesting storylines, which causes the film to jump some from character to character. Watching Chris Hemsworth ham it up as Thor is what these types of movies should be all about. Putting the F back in fun and having a helluva time in the process doing so.