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The Best of Jane Grigson
Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson
Book
Published to coincide with the anniversary of 25 years since her untimely death and having been out...
TG
The German-Jewish Cookbook: Recipes and History of a Cuisine
Gabrielle Rossmer Gropman, Sonya Gropman and Nach Waxman
Book
This cookbook features recipes for German-Jewish cuisine as it existed in Germany prior to World War...
Instruments of Battle: The Fighting Drummers and Buglers of the British Army from the Late 17th Century to the Present Day
Book
Instruments of Battle examines in detail the development and role of the British Army's fighting...
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Scars of Dracula (1970) in Movies
Nov 17, 2020
Start From Scratch
Scars of Dracula- is the sixth Dracula film from Hammer and fifth starring Christopher Lee. Its a re-introducting to Dracula, even though its the six one in the Hammer franchise. Its also takes place after Taste, so im not sure why their did do a re-introducting. Anyways
The plot: Bat's blood hits Dracula's (Christopher Lee) ashes, and he rises again to fight a couple (Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley) looking for trouble.
It also gives Lee more to do and say than any other Hammer Dracula film except its first, 1958's Dracula.
This film breaks the continuity maintained through the previous entries in the Hammer Dracula series: whereas at the end of the preceding film, Taste the Blood of Dracula, the Count met his end in a disused church near London, this film opens with a resurrection scene set in Dracula's castle in Transylvania, with no explanation of how his ashes got there (although, they might have been returned from England, as a contingency, by the young acolyte from the prologue of Dracula A.D. 1972). Furthermore; in Scars of Dracula, the Count has a servant named Klove, played by Patrick Troughton; in the third film of the series, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Dracula has a servant named Klove (played by Philip Latham) who appears to be a different character, though identically named. The disruption of continuity caused by Scars of Dracula reflects the fact the film was originally tooled as a possible reboot of the series in the event Christopher Lee elected not to reprise the role of Dracula.
The British Film group EMI took over distribution of the film after Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and other American studios refused to distribute it in the U.S. It was also the first of several Hammer films to get an 'R' rating.
Its a good film.
The plot: Bat's blood hits Dracula's (Christopher Lee) ashes, and he rises again to fight a couple (Dennis Waterman, Jenny Hanley) looking for trouble.
It also gives Lee more to do and say than any other Hammer Dracula film except its first, 1958's Dracula.
This film breaks the continuity maintained through the previous entries in the Hammer Dracula series: whereas at the end of the preceding film, Taste the Blood of Dracula, the Count met his end in a disused church near London, this film opens with a resurrection scene set in Dracula's castle in Transylvania, with no explanation of how his ashes got there (although, they might have been returned from England, as a contingency, by the young acolyte from the prologue of Dracula A.D. 1972). Furthermore; in Scars of Dracula, the Count has a servant named Klove, played by Patrick Troughton; in the third film of the series, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Dracula has a servant named Klove (played by Philip Latham) who appears to be a different character, though identically named. The disruption of continuity caused by Scars of Dracula reflects the fact the film was originally tooled as a possible reboot of the series in the event Christopher Lee elected not to reprise the role of Dracula.
The British Film group EMI took over distribution of the film after Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and other American studios refused to distribute it in the U.S. It was also the first of several Hammer films to get an 'R' rating.
Its a good film.
Brian Eno recommended Glider by My Bloody Valentine in Music (curated)
Noel Gallagher recommended Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks in Music (curated)
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated This Evening and The Morning in Books
Apr 9, 2021
Loved it!
46 of 250
Book
The Evening and the Morning ( 0.5 kingsbridge prequel )
By Ken Follet
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.
In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.
I absolutely loved it! After reading the other Kingsbridge books I knew I would enjoy this but not as much as I actually did! From the start I was sucked in I soon got wrapped up in the characters the places and stories! Ken Follet certainly knows how to keep you entertained I was annoyed every time real life dragged me away! Very good prequel!
Book
The Evening and the Morning ( 0.5 kingsbridge prequel )
By Ken Follet
Once read a review will be written via Smashbomb and link posted in comments
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.
In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.
I absolutely loved it! After reading the other Kingsbridge books I knew I would enjoy this but not as much as I actually did! From the start I was sucked in I soon got wrapped up in the characters the places and stories! Ken Follet certainly knows how to keep you entertained I was annoyed every time real life dragged me away! Very good prequel!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated The Thursday Murder Club in Books
Feb 10, 2021
Enjoyable but Flawed Debut
Welcome to Coopers Chase Retirement Village. It’s a community for active seniors in England. There are all kinds of activities happening on a regular basis, but the most unusual, and smallest, is a group of four friends who meet every Thursday to discuss cold criminal cases. Then one day, the murder of a developer takes place near the community. Naturally, these four friends jump at the chance to figure out what is really going on. Will they be able to solve the case?
I kept hearing about this book, so I had to give it a try. The premise is certainly right up my alley, and there was much I enjoyed about it. The characters are charming, and there were plenty of twists to the mystery. In fact, I feel like we could have done without a twist or two. Yes, everything makes sense at the end, but there are so many twists at the end, it is a little overwhelming. The book is funny, although at times it feels like it is trying too hard to be charming and funny. The police let the lead characters get away with a little too much, although I usually ignore that in the books I read, so this is worth noting in passing. I did struggle a bit with the justice done at the end of this book. The story is told in present tense from multiple points of view, but we always follow which character is our focus. This is one of those books with some obvious flaws, but I still enjoyed it overall. If you are interested in it, I definitely recommend you pick it up. I’ll be visiting the characters again for the sequel.
I kept hearing about this book, so I had to give it a try. The premise is certainly right up my alley, and there was much I enjoyed about it. The characters are charming, and there were plenty of twists to the mystery. In fact, I feel like we could have done without a twist or two. Yes, everything makes sense at the end, but there are so many twists at the end, it is a little overwhelming. The book is funny, although at times it feels like it is trying too hard to be charming and funny. The police let the lead characters get away with a little too much, although I usually ignore that in the books I read, so this is worth noting in passing. I did struggle a bit with the justice done at the end of this book. The story is told in present tense from multiple points of view, but we always follow which character is our focus. This is one of those books with some obvious flaws, but I still enjoyed it overall. If you are interested in it, I definitely recommend you pick it up. I’ll be visiting the characters again for the sequel.
Sean Lennon recommended S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things in Music (curated)
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Faction Paradox: Newtons Sleep (Faction Paradox, #6) in Books
Nov 30, 2020
You know, prior to reading 'Newtons Sleep', I had come to regard Lawrence Miles' 'FP: This Town Will Never Let Us Go' as the one of the best of the FP series overall, with Kelly Hales' 'FP: Erasing Sherlock' as one of the worst. Having finish it last night, I think I would have to rate 'Newtons Sleep' even higher than 'This Town..'.
To describe it.. FWOAR! There's a heckuva lot going on, some of it will make your brain long after you're done! Set in England during the later half of the 17th Century, it deals with the effects of the "War in Heaven" (see also Lawrence Miles' 'FP: The Book of the War'), a War between Gallifrey (referred to as "the Homeworld") and the unnamed Enemy, with Faction Paradox caught in the midst of it. The story has political intrigue, metaphysics, sex, science fiction, and much that will make you scratch your head at times as well as prompting a trip to Wiki (while I have a general knowledge of that period of history, it is not something I am well-versed) now and again.
There are notable real history characters (the poetess, and spy, Aphra Behn) as well as fictional characters such as Nicholas Silver (who has SUCH a role to play!) and..well. SPOILERS! Seriously well-written characters all around, fleshed out enough to get a feel for each and every one. All had a unique voice when I read their dialogue.
The story is twisty-turny, but at the end it all comes together. I will caution you to read it carefully: this is NOT a book to run through quickly! I've been told it will altogether better the second time round, so I expect I will re-read it again sometime in the not-too-distant future.
Read it now: you won't be disappointed!
To describe it.. FWOAR! There's a heckuva lot going on, some of it will make your brain long after you're done! Set in England during the later half of the 17th Century, it deals with the effects of the "War in Heaven" (see also Lawrence Miles' 'FP: The Book of the War'), a War between Gallifrey (referred to as "the Homeworld") and the unnamed Enemy, with Faction Paradox caught in the midst of it. The story has political intrigue, metaphysics, sex, science fiction, and much that will make you scratch your head at times as well as prompting a trip to Wiki (while I have a general knowledge of that period of history, it is not something I am well-versed) now and again.
There are notable real history characters (the poetess, and spy, Aphra Behn) as well as fictional characters such as Nicholas Silver (who has SUCH a role to play!) and..well. SPOILERS! Seriously well-written characters all around, fleshed out enough to get a feel for each and every one. All had a unique voice when I read their dialogue.
The story is twisty-turny, but at the end it all comes together. I will caution you to read it carefully: this is NOT a book to run through quickly! I've been told it will altogether better the second time round, so I expect I will re-read it again sometime in the not-too-distant future.
Read it now: you won't be disappointed!