Search
Search results
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Jul 2, 2020
Issac Holman recommended track Claire by Baxter Dury in Happy Soup by Baxter Dury in Music (curated)
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Equalizer 2 (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Having been a long time since I saw the first one it was difficult to link any of the very specific things between the two. My only recollection of it is that he was a subdued hero who pulled out some extreme vengeance. This one was no different in that respect.
The action was good and at the beginning you see the use of the stopwatch, which is noticeable in it's absence through the rest of the film. The final action sequence trails through the storm torn town as Washington picks off the enemy and the whole thing seems to be going well until some random first-person shooter camera angles are thrown in out of nowhere and seem completely out of place.
But that isn't the only thing that seems out of place. The whole story line about the art loving neighbour of McCall only partly adds to the film. We see his brief secondary story line with the inclusion of his gang friends, but as soon as it appears it disappears, and doesn't really contribute at all. As odd character placement goes there's also Pullman as the bereaved husband. Needed? Possibly. The right choice? Possibly not.
If you can look past the strange conclusion-less pieces of the film then all the action, the main story line and a nice summing up to a side story make for a good film to pass some time. But I didn't feel like it met its potential. A lot of people in the screening seemed to be distracted throughout, another film that while full of action was somewhat slow paced at times.
The action was good and at the beginning you see the use of the stopwatch, which is noticeable in it's absence through the rest of the film. The final action sequence trails through the storm torn town as Washington picks off the enemy and the whole thing seems to be going well until some random first-person shooter camera angles are thrown in out of nowhere and seem completely out of place.
But that isn't the only thing that seems out of place. The whole story line about the art loving neighbour of McCall only partly adds to the film. We see his brief secondary story line with the inclusion of his gang friends, but as soon as it appears it disappears, and doesn't really contribute at all. As odd character placement goes there's also Pullman as the bereaved husband. Needed? Possibly. The right choice? Possibly not.
If you can look past the strange conclusion-less pieces of the film then all the action, the main story line and a nice summing up to a side story make for a good film to pass some time. But I didn't feel like it met its potential. A lot of people in the screening seemed to be distracted throughout, another film that while full of action was somewhat slow paced at times.
Magnolia Nights
Book
From the author of the bestselling Sweeney Sister Series and Sweet Tea Tuesdays comes a new novel of...
Behind His Eyes: Consequences (Consequences, #1.5)
10.0
Rate It
Book
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes the much-anticipated first...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2271 KP) rated Mulled to Death in Books
Oct 21, 2021
Parker’s Valentine’s Getaway Hits a Murderous Snag
Parker Valentine and her boyfriend Reid are planning a romantic Valentine’s weekend trip to a ski resort. Parker is hoping to take a few minutes to sell the resort on her mulled wine, and is star struck when the owner, Olympic gold medalist Annmarie Bauer, sits in on the meeting. But the next morning, Parker is nearby when Annmarie has a deadly skiing accident. Parker saw some things that make her question whether it was an accident or not, and as she begins poking around, strange things happen to her. Can she figure out what is really going on?
Having enjoyed the first two books in this series, I was looking forward to checking in with Parker again. I did feel that Parker’s motive for looking into this as much as she did was weak until late in the book and the plot relied a bit too much on events over investigation, but overall, this was a good mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Parker and Reid are joined by another couple, Parker’s brother Liam and her best friend Sage, who have recently started dating. These four characters are the core of the series to me, and I loved seeing how they developed here. As always, the books are written in first person present tense. I love how the author works in tidbits about wine making as metaphors for what Parker is going through. We get three delicious sounding recipes and suggested wine pairings at the end. Fans of the series will have fun with the newest in this series.
Having enjoyed the first two books in this series, I was looking forward to checking in with Parker again. I did feel that Parker’s motive for looking into this as much as she did was weak until late in the book and the plot relied a bit too much on events over investigation, but overall, this was a good mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Parker and Reid are joined by another couple, Parker’s brother Liam and her best friend Sage, who have recently started dating. These four characters are the core of the series to me, and I loved seeing how they developed here. As always, the books are written in first person present tense. I love how the author works in tidbits about wine making as metaphors for what Parker is going through. We get three delicious sounding recipes and suggested wine pairings at the end. Fans of the series will have fun with the newest in this series.
Sassy Brit (97 KP) rated The Darkness in Books
Jun 5, 2019
The Darkness by Ragnar Jónasson is an exciting Icelandic crime story, that’s dark, moody and realistic in both setting and characterisation.
The moment Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavik Police was rudely told to leave her job and take early retirement to make way for a younger replacement I knew I was going to love this book. From there on, I wanted her to succeed in anything she touched, if only to get her own back on her boss.
After negotiating whilst still in shock, the detective was told she could stay on, but only if she worked on one of the cold, unsolved cases during her final two weeks. The fact that her current cases and other work had already been distributed to other staff angered both me and Hulda!
Fortunately, Hulda kept her cool (much better than I did) and immediately decided which case to pick, since it was one she’d felt her colleague Alexander had never dealt with properly in the first place, but at the time she was not in the position to argue with him.
With two weeks in her position left she re-opened the cold case of the Russian girl and asylum seeker, Elena. eager to prove she didn’t kill herself by drowning but was murdered. And in the first 24 hours she knew more than what was put on Alexander’s original report. Go girl!
From here on, we follow Hulda’s investigation, in third person point of view, and we also hear the story of an unknown girl’s own narrative in first person.
Oh, how I loved Alexander’s reaction when he discovered Hulda looking into his closed case. If that’s not the sign of a guilty man then I don’t know what is! Brilliant!
In addition, when Hulda’s two weeks on the case were reduced to only one day by her angry boss, I raced through this book as if reading it faster would help her solve the case even quicker!
Hulda is one of my favourite ‘older’ characters, who has been through a lot, with secrets of her own, and I rooted for her throughout this story. She’s a courageous, hardworking and down-to-earth character who has faced a lot of prejudice during her career in the police force just for being a woman. The fact that Ragnar Jónasson has clearly emphasised this point right up to her last few days on the job, makes the sucker-punch of an ending even harder to deal with.
I loved every minute of this book, and even the sad, disappointing, yet shocking and annoying ending cannot sway me from awarding this book five stars. Confession Time; Want to know something else? I only picked this book up to have a brief look, with the thought of getting to it soon. But once I picked it up I couldn’t put the bloody thing back down again…
The moment Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir of the Reykjavik Police was rudely told to leave her job and take early retirement to make way for a younger replacement I knew I was going to love this book. From there on, I wanted her to succeed in anything she touched, if only to get her own back on her boss.
After negotiating whilst still in shock, the detective was told she could stay on, but only if she worked on one of the cold, unsolved cases during her final two weeks. The fact that her current cases and other work had already been distributed to other staff angered both me and Hulda!
Fortunately, Hulda kept her cool (much better than I did) and immediately decided which case to pick, since it was one she’d felt her colleague Alexander had never dealt with properly in the first place, but at the time she was not in the position to argue with him.
With two weeks in her position left she re-opened the cold case of the Russian girl and asylum seeker, Elena. eager to prove she didn’t kill herself by drowning but was murdered. And in the first 24 hours she knew more than what was put on Alexander’s original report. Go girl!
From here on, we follow Hulda’s investigation, in third person point of view, and we also hear the story of an unknown girl’s own narrative in first person.
Oh, how I loved Alexander’s reaction when he discovered Hulda looking into his closed case. If that’s not the sign of a guilty man then I don’t know what is! Brilliant!
In addition, when Hulda’s two weeks on the case were reduced to only one day by her angry boss, I raced through this book as if reading it faster would help her solve the case even quicker!
Hulda is one of my favourite ‘older’ characters, who has been through a lot, with secrets of her own, and I rooted for her throughout this story. She’s a courageous, hardworking and down-to-earth character who has faced a lot of prejudice during her career in the police force just for being a woman. The fact that Ragnar Jónasson has clearly emphasised this point right up to her last few days on the job, makes the sucker-punch of an ending even harder to deal with.
I loved every minute of this book, and even the sad, disappointing, yet shocking and annoying ending cannot sway me from awarding this book five stars. Confession Time; Want to know something else? I only picked this book up to have a brief look, with the thought of getting to it soon. But once I picked it up I couldn’t put the bloody thing back down again…
7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, Audiobook Meditation and Business Learning Program-Franklin Covey
Book and Business
App
BONUS! Get a Free Ebook With Your Download: NEW! Groundbreaking Audio Meditation App uses text to...
Merissa (12344 KP) rated Second Chances (Matchmakers #1) in Books
Sep 1, 2017
Second Chances (Matchmakers #1) by G.R. Lyons
Second Chances is the first book in the Matchmakers series - set in a world similar yet different to our own. Chance is an old man (his words, not mine), but he likes a younger man. He is understandably wary though, after being burnt by his last partner. This happened about three years ago, and he hasn't really had anyone since. Remy is a nineteen-year-old with an old man's soul. He has lived and experienced more in his nineteen years than some will throughout their whole lifetime. Due to Chance's preconceptions of Remy, they get off to a rough start, and it is constantly bumpy for them.
I loved this story! Every time that Remy challenged (and won) one of Chance's judgements had me cheering. Now, this isn't all light and laughter, people, so don't think that it is. There is one scene that is horrible, as is the aftermath. There is also Remy's job and how Chance has to deal with it, come to terms with it, if he can.
NO SPOILERS - but I was surprised with how Danny dealt with 'the situation', especially as it is revealed that he has also been in the same situation with the same person! My jaw dropped then, I can tell you. That was one character that I disliked from the beginning (not Danny), and Remy is definitely a better person than I am, because I don't think I would be that forgiving!!!!
This is exceedingly well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The characters are all well-rounded, with their own quirks and foibles. The pacing is smooth, the story gripping. Seriously, for me, this book has it all. Highly recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comment here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I loved this story! Every time that Remy challenged (and won) one of Chance's judgements had me cheering. Now, this isn't all light and laughter, people, so don't think that it is. There is one scene that is horrible, as is the aftermath. There is also Remy's job and how Chance has to deal with it, come to terms with it, if he can.
NO SPOILERS - but I was surprised with how Danny dealt with 'the situation', especially as it is revealed that he has also been in the same situation with the same person! My jaw dropped then, I can tell you. That was one character that I disliked from the beginning (not Danny), and Remy is definitely a better person than I am, because I don't think I would be that forgiving!!!!
This is exceedingly well written, with no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading flow. The characters are all well-rounded, with their own quirks and foibles. The pacing is smooth, the story gripping. Seriously, for me, this book has it all. Highly recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comment here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Kaz (232 KP) rated The Handmaid's Tale in Books
May 16, 2019
I'm totally gripped by the television adaptation of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and can't wait for the new season to start.
So I was a bit hesitant to read the novel, it originally was adapted from. The reason for this was because I love the series so much, I thought that maybe I would be disappointed, when I read the novel. There are some differences between the TV programme and the novel but one thing is for sure, both are brilliant and powerful in their own right.
The writing in this novel had impact, but was also beautiful. Whilst this novel wasn’t quite as overtly shocking as the TV programme, the horrors of the repressed society of Gilead and the struggles that Offred and the other Handmaids go through, were still as alarming. I thought the way in which these shocking events were combined with the most beautiful, poetic observations of even the simplest of things, added to the strength of the words on the page and brilliantly contrasted with the more sinister parts of the novel.
Due to the fact that this book is written in the first person, I think I was able to get into this story very quickly and I believed that Offred was a real person, talking to me. I liked the way in which this book flowed seamlessly between the present and the past. You even find out more about Offred, than you do in the TV programme.
Usually I find that when a novel is adapted into a film or television series, the book or the adaptation, is never as quite as good as the other. With ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ however, I think that the book and TV series, compliment each other brilliantly.
If you are looking for a novel which has strong, powerful female characters, then ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a book you should read.
I couldn’t find fault with this novel and I look forward to reading this again in the future.
So I was a bit hesitant to read the novel, it originally was adapted from. The reason for this was because I love the series so much, I thought that maybe I would be disappointed, when I read the novel. There are some differences between the TV programme and the novel but one thing is for sure, both are brilliant and powerful in their own right.
The writing in this novel had impact, but was also beautiful. Whilst this novel wasn’t quite as overtly shocking as the TV programme, the horrors of the repressed society of Gilead and the struggles that Offred and the other Handmaids go through, were still as alarming. I thought the way in which these shocking events were combined with the most beautiful, poetic observations of even the simplest of things, added to the strength of the words on the page and brilliantly contrasted with the more sinister parts of the novel.
Due to the fact that this book is written in the first person, I think I was able to get into this story very quickly and I believed that Offred was a real person, talking to me. I liked the way in which this book flowed seamlessly between the present and the past. You even find out more about Offred, than you do in the TV programme.
Usually I find that when a novel is adapted into a film or television series, the book or the adaptation, is never as quite as good as the other. With ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ however, I think that the book and TV series, compliment each other brilliantly.
If you are looking for a novel which has strong, powerful female characters, then ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a book you should read.
I couldn’t find fault with this novel and I look forward to reading this again in the future.
