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My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
1997 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
I'm surprised at how unpredictable this movie was. Granted it could really only go one of two ways, it was still kind of shocking that it didn't end the way I was thinking it would - how rude.

Julia Roberts is magnificent in anything and everything she does. She is radiantly beautiful, even when she cries (completely unfair) and she has this camera presence that I find in very few performers. Her filmography is long and glorious and she shines in most everyone. I have yet to see a Julia film that doesn't take me to her world.

I think this is a good film to watch with the girls - drink wine, eat popcorn and candy, pajamas, sleepovers, all that good stuff. It's definitely entertaining and fun, just not a die-hard film which is okay!
  
    Randchat - Talk to Strangers

    Randchat - Talk to Strangers

    Social Networking and Lifestyle

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The Festival Shoes
The Festival Shoes
Tolulope Okudolo | 2017 | Children
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Layout (0 more)
A literal fairy story
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Festival Shoes by Tolulope Okudolo is a fairy story (literally) for young children. Although referred to as “pixies,” the illustrations provided by Eric Scott Fisher look like typical western imagery associated with the magical, winged creatures. The main character, Drumlo, is an ebullient pixie who is about to embark on his first trip to Earth in order to deliver a very important gift. With so much relying on his success, it would be absolutely awful if something went wrong.

Weaverton, the name of the land of fairies, is an invisible world that lies above the Earth. Whenever a child has a good thought or does something virtuous, a colourful string, unseen by the human eye, snakes its way up to the hidden land. Collected by pixies, these threads are woven into magnificent presents, which are delivered to the children as rewards on the day of the Great Festival. In order to prove himself as capable, Drumlo has been charged with safely transporting a pair of shoes to a truly deserving girl. With an effulgent thread as a guide, Drumlo sets off on his exciting mission.

The author is the founder of the publishing company Magnifying Children’s Horizons, which aspires to inspire children physically, mentally and spiritually about the natural world. Tolulope Okudolo’s author biography implies she is a Christian and likes to bring this aspect of her life into her writing. Although, as far as we know, fairies and pixies only exist in folklore, Tolulope retains the idea of the existence of God by referring to an unseen High King who lives above Weaverton. In this respect, the Great Festival and gift giving become similar to our Christmas tradition.

The Festival Shoes, however, is not intended to be a Christian book. Its purpose is to enhance children’s creativity and character by showing them the impact of their good and bad behaviour by emphasising the idea of receiving rewards. Whilst Drumlo is on his journey to Earth, he passes through the land where all bad thoughts and actions go. Compared with everywhere else, this place looks dull and gloomy, which goes to show what happens when nature is neglected and not cared for.

Another important message The Festival Shoes shows children is to have faith in themselves to do something for the first time. Drumlo had never been given such responsibility before, but he believed he could do it. Even though something goes wrong, his faith sees him through. He does not give up, everything works out in the end.

Reading the book as an adult, The Festival Shoes is not all that interesting. The ending comes about too quickly and, although the author is trying to emphasise that Drumlo’s faith saves the day, he does not physically do anything to fix what goes wrong – slightly misleading, perhaps?

The coloured illustrations that appear on every other page are pretty but do not help to tell the story. It is not a picture book for very young children; it is the next stage up. With discussion questions at the end of the book, The Festival Shoes is for parents and children to read together and think about their own impact on the world and nature.

Unfortunately, the book does not look professionally produced. The choice of typeface is uninspiring and the illustrations do not always slot into place well, leaving awkward layouts. As an eBook, this does not matter too much, but if it were to be printed, sales are unlikely to rocket.
  
The Festival Shoes
The Festival Shoes
Tolulope Okudolo | 2017 | Children
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Festival Shoes</i> by Tolulope Okudolo is a fairy story (literally) for young children. Although referred to as “pixies,” the illustrations provided by Eric Scott Fisher look like typical western imagery associated with the magical, winged creatures. The main character, Drumlo, is an ebullient pixie who is about to embark on his first trip to Earth in order to deliver a very important gift. With so much relying on his success, it would be absolutely awful if something went wrong.

Weaverton, the name of the land of fairies, is an invisible world that lies above the Earth. Whenever a child has a good thought or does something virtuous, a colourful string, unseen by the human eye, snakes its way up to the hidden land. Collected by pixies, these threads are woven into magnificent presents, which are delivered to the children as rewards on the day of the Great Festival. In order to prove himself as capable, Drumlo has been charged with safely transporting a pair of shoes to a truly deserving girl. With an effulgent thread as a guide, Drumlo sets off on his exciting mission.

The author is the founder of the publishing company Magnifying Children’s Horizons, which aspires to inspire children physically, mentally and spiritually about the natural world. Tolulope Okudolo’s author biography implies she is a Christian and likes to bring this aspect of her life into her writing. Although, as far as we know, fairies and pixies only exist in folklore, Tolulope retains the idea of the existence of God by referring to an unseen High King who lives above Weaverton. In this respect, the Great Festival and gift giving become similar to our Christmas tradition.

<i>The Festival Shoes</i>, however, is not intended to be a Christian book. Its purpose is to enhance children’s creativity and character by showing them the impact of their good and bad behaviour by emphasising the idea of receiving rewards. Whilst Drumlo is on his journey to Earth, he passes through the land where all bad thoughts and actions go. Compared with everywhere else, this place looks dull and gloomy, which goes to show what happens when nature is neglected and not cared for.

Another important message <i>The Festival Shoes</i> shows children is to have faith in themselves to do something for the first time. Drumlo had never been given such responsibility before, but he believed he could do it. Even though something goes wrong, his faith sees him through. He does not give up, everything works out in the end.

Reading the book as an adult, <i>The Festival Shoes</i> is not all that interesting. The ending comes about too quickly and, although the author is trying to emphasise that Drumlo’s faith saves the day, he does not physically do anything to fix what goes wrong – slightly misleading, perhaps?

The coloured illustrations that appear on every other page are pretty but do not help to tell the story. It is not a picture book for very young children; it is the next stage up. With discussion questions at the end of the book, <i>The Festival Shoes</i> is for parents and children to read together and think about their own impact on the world and nature.

Unfortunately, the book does not look professionally produced. The choice of typeface is uninspiring and the illustrations do not always slot into place well, leaving awkward layouts. As an eBook, this does not matter too much, but if it were to be printed, sales are unlikely to rocket.
  
The Troop
The Troop
Nick Cutter | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
8
9.0 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
We all have our own ways of dealing with anxiety and depression. One of mine for the former is to kick back with an audiobook and lose myself in World of Warcraft. This week, my audiobook of choice was Nick Cutter’s The Troop. I first discovered Cutter last year after receiving an arc of Little Heaven, which I enjoyed immensely. Naturally, I was not let down with this title.

It’s a fairly short listen, coming in at just over eleven hours. Narrated by Corey Brill, the book tells the story of a bunch of kids and their mentor after a strange encounter with an emaciated man. From there, things spiral downward in a rather interesting turn of events and readers watch the usual trope that comes into play when the threat of apocalypse hangs over a town – or in this case, island. The fact that the cast is mostly teenage boys? That’s of no consequence.

The Troop is what I call a “last man standing” story. I suppose that’s comparable to “final girls” when you think about it. These kids, because that’s all they are, find themselves facing a horror they cannot truly comprehend, and with the military working in favor of the greater good, are on their own. Naturally, that means we’ve got some deep psychological stuff that’s going to go on, as well as several scenes of last minute survival habits – such as harming animals. And, of course, there’s madness tinting this books periphery.

I really enjoyed this approach to a horror story born of what originally begins as a good deed (though clearly is not toward its end). The characters had their own flaws and represented the different types of kids we’re likely to find in a high school class – only, of course, without the presence of any females.

Once again, Cutter has impressed me with his ability to make me cringe, among other things. I definitely look forward to getting my hands on more of his work in the future. Also, the audiobook is worth it. Corey Brill has a gorgeous voice.
  
Zombieland (2009)
Zombieland (2009)
2009 | Comedy, Horror
Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is an unassuming young man who makes his way through life the best way he can despite being plagued by Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This particular affliction is a serious concern for Columbus as according to his rules for survival, bathrooms are a very dangerous place.

In the new horror/comedy “Zombieland”, Columbus finds himself as one of the few remaining people left alive, and is trying to make his way from Texas back to his family in Columbus in the hopes of finding them alive.

Despite being alone, Columbus keeps himself sharp through constant vigilance, and a list of rules he has created for surviving a world gone mad which he has dubbed Zombieland. As the film opens, Columbus establishes some of his most common rules which are then illustrated in very funny examples, which also serve to establish the backdrop of the film.

As he travels, Columbus crosses paths with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), who is on a quest to find the last remaining Twinkies in the world. Tallahassee established a no names rule, hence the characters in the film are known by the locales they are from. When he is not cruising the roads in search of his elusive snack cake, Tallahassee is an avid Zombie killer and takes great delight in dispatching as many of them as he can.
When a stop introduces the duo to a pair of sisters named Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who are dedicated to survival at all costs, and are not above taking some serious measures of manipulation to get ahead.

After some initial difficulties, the group joins up and head for California where Wichita has convinced Little Rock that a local theme park is a Zombie free area that will provide them a safe haven.

Despite some skepticism but buoyed by his attraction to Wichita, Columbus tags along, and awkwardly attempts to impress her which results in some very touching and funny moments.

The film shifts into high gear when the group arrives in L.A. and takes refuge in a mansion which has tons of laughs as well as a very solid celebrity appearance which is a true gem.

Eventually the subplots of the film all converge in a frantic array of action, humor, and romance that had the audience at the preview screening cheering and laughing.

“Zombieland” is a very enjoyable film that provides plenty of laughs and a good mix of action yet remains a character driven story. The leads all work very well with one another and Eisenberg follows his turn in “Adventureland” with a performance that establishes him as a young actor to watch. His likeable everyman quality combined with his charming sincerity and awkwardness makes Columbus a great foil and companion for the outrageous antics of Tallahassee.

The young love storyline is handled well in the film, and does not resort to any of the usual staples, and unfolds as a very realistic event in a world where Zombies are commonplace.

Director Reuben Fleischer keeps things moving at a brisk pace yet allows time for the characters to shine.
Naturally the film will draw comparison to the classic British film “Shaun of the Dead”, which features normal guys trying to cope with a Zombie invasion. Shaun had plenty of laughs, but at times seemed unsure of what direction it was trying to go in, especially toward the end of the film.

“Zombieland” almost defies you to categorize it as it is great mix of horror, comedy, and action disguised as a romantic comedy. The winning cast and formula makes “Zombieland” one of the most enjoyable films of the summer and a real treat.
  
DO
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<b><i>I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
The first book in Kelsey Ketch's <em>Descendants of Isis</em> series is a book with very heavy romance.

Of course, I was highly aware of that upon reading the synopsis.

But I'm an absolute sucker for mythology of all kinds (This is why I am highly interested in debut author Heidi Helig's <em>The Girl From Everywhere</em>. I mean, <em>Hawaiian</em>. Saucer eyes RIGHT here! I intend on waiting until the book is published, though.) and I simply couldn't resist myself. So instead of moping about the possibility of a heavy romance, I replaced my "NUUU ROMANCE" hat with my "TOLERABLE ROMANTIC" hat (the caps are intentional), sat back with my tablet (after transferring the review copy from the computer), and just hoped Ketch would take me on an unforgettable journey.

Natti has just moved from London to a small town in California after her Grandmother's death, with her only clue in a necklace she inherited. Since the first day Natti starts at her new school, Seth O'Keefe starts pursuing her in the hopes of seducing her.

Plus, Tolerable Romantic (I'll stop capping my hats now) hat says it's not exactly love at first sight – Natti is completely resistant to Seth's attempts at charming her from the beginning, even though she sort of succumbs to his charms eventually. At that point in time, however, I know each of the characters well enough and have a particular fondness for each of them (for the first in a series) that it isn't awkward at all.

Ketch writes the book in two views: Natti's and Seth's. Natti's comparison of British life to American life and big city to a small town is mildly hilarious (we totally do everything backward). Even though she would rather remain in England, she smoothly transitions into her new life after meeting Wanda, Kevin, and Jen and being tucked under their wings.

Also, she has a fire in her I kind of like.

I honestly feel having Seth's view works out in the book's favor; hearing from his point of view makes him a lot more human than he comes out as with the other Sons of Set: someone who worships the Egyptian god Set and spreads chaos in the world on his behalf, hoping to eventually come across a secret from the past. They also sound insane and just want to take over the world one woman at a time.

It basically puts him in an entirely different perspective for readers than simply reading what Natti thinks of him.
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<em>Daughter of Isis</em> is one of those books where I'll probably keep my Tolerable Romantic hat on for the entire series because the romance between Seth and Natti fits the story really well. The world Kelsey builds in a small town California where nearly everyone is under the thumb of the Sons of Set captivated me by the end of the book – I can't wait to see what trials the couple will face in the future of the series.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-daughter-of-isis-by-kelsey-ketc/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>