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The Lost Prince: The Life & Death of Henry Stuart
Catharine MacLeod, Malcolm Smuts and Timothy Wilks
Book
This exploration of Henry's life and image, and the extraordinary reaction to his death, transforms...
A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of the Columbine Tragedy
10.0
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Book
On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton,...
Armageddon Road: A VC's Diary 1914 - 1916
Billy Congreve and Terry Norman
Book
Billy Congreve was an exceptional soldier and an exceptional man. By the time he was killed on the...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Summer Flash Burn (Worthington Investigations, #2) in Books
Feb 23, 2021
This was an interesting story!
I love the cover of this book. It becomes more intriguing the longer I look at it. Summer Flash Burn is the second book in Erin Unger’s Worthington Agency series. The stories (so far) follow a group of friends in a detective agency, kind of reminds me of Charles Angels . I had not read the first book in the series before this one. I would definitely say this book can be read as a stand-alone, it does make reference to the first book but not in a way that makes you feel lost.
Based on the description I thought I knew what I was getting in to with this book. However, it took me on some unique twists and turns leading to an ending that was a good surprise. The main characters Christopher and Shauna deal with issues of self-worth, body image, grief, decision making, reliance on God… So many different emotions in this book. They all flow together quite seamlessly to make a good storyline. I loved Shauna’s military backround and her struggles with civilian life, they made her really come to life. I also liked how Christopher worked for the railroad! I have never met anyone who does that. The only thing I didn’t particularly care for was that the characters seemed to be overdramatized in their reactions to the things that happen. Otherwise, it was a fun read and I will definitely be going back to read the first book in the series. Thank you, Erin Unger, for being another new to me author .
I love the cover of this book. It becomes more intriguing the longer I look at it. Summer Flash Burn is the second book in Erin Unger’s Worthington Agency series. The stories (so far) follow a group of friends in a detective agency, kind of reminds me of Charles Angels . I had not read the first book in the series before this one. I would definitely say this book can be read as a stand-alone, it does make reference to the first book but not in a way that makes you feel lost.
Based on the description I thought I knew what I was getting in to with this book. However, it took me on some unique twists and turns leading to an ending that was a good surprise. The main characters Christopher and Shauna deal with issues of self-worth, body image, grief, decision making, reliance on God… So many different emotions in this book. They all flow together quite seamlessly to make a good storyline. I loved Shauna’s military backround and her struggles with civilian life, they made her really come to life. I also liked how Christopher worked for the railroad! I have never met anyone who does that. The only thing I didn’t particularly care for was that the characters seemed to be overdramatized in their reactions to the things that happen. Otherwise, it was a fun read and I will definitely be going back to read the first book in the series. Thank you, Erin Unger, for being another new to me author .
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Apr 13, 2021
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Three Colors: Blue (Trois Couleurs: Bleu) (1993) in Movies
Jul 4, 2021
Look, I swear I'm not trying to be a buzzkill - but it's not my fault 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘵 (2011) was such a staggering masterpiece that it retroactively ruined most films which tackle the same sorts of subject matter for me. I can't deny how formally unique this all is, and I ultimately think that it mostly? semi? kinda? works in the end (the finale in particular is a bracing work of art - if only on the surface). But I also found a lot of this to be heavy-handed and/or pompous - including but not limited to those cheesy "MTV Jackass"-style fade-outs paired with the capable but intrusive score which get overused into oblivion. I understand that the feeling of detachment with itself is purposeful - and sometimes it leads to successful results - but I have the same issue with similar-type films like 𝘒𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘦 (which - to be fair - this is better than) where it gets so lost in its sea of purposeful ambiguity that it trades out substance for an artificial sense of mystery. And again, I get that this is all the point. Maybe this would have resonated better with me had I dealt with such grief as depicted here? Is this even for me? Maybe not, but even still this is home to some hard facepalm schmaltz in general. Another unpopular opinion while we're at it, this looks good in the beginning but after that it mostly really looks various shades of okay-to-bland imo. But I'm a sucker for nuance - which even in its faults this is in entirety - so sure, I'll take it. I definitely won't be forgetting it any time soon.
Adam Silvera recommended Liesl & Po in Books (curated)
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Big Sick (2017) in Movies
Sep 19, 2020
One of those products that feels fresh and generic in about an equal ratio, but this just *soars* off of the chemistry of its cast. Zoe Kazan and Kumail Nanjiani are wonderful, simply wonderful together here; Ray Romano and Holly Hunter are faultless; and Kumail's family + stand-up partners are as well cast as can be even if the latter add nothing more than mostly tired jokes that don't land to the story. I admit this is still pretty scattershot, but for me that's part of what makes it so interesting? If anything is subversive here it's two things: 1. the way this flips the typical romcom on its head by taking on multiple different styles of execution as it goes along (the mostly unfunny but charming as hell opening romance, the anxious but amiable [and more funny] first meetings with the parents, the harrowing confrontation of grief, and the confusing [for the characters] but unfortunately rather rushed through ending resolutions) and 2. Kumail playing himself during a real life tumultuous period in his life. Even though dozens of liberties were taken to make this more palatable for a studio romance, the broad side of things remains rooted in truth even down to supporting scenes - and seeing Kumail as himself act out those real life events and formulate them into a positive story add a whole new level of emotional heft. Plus he's just a rock-solid comedic force in general and he handles the sad scenes nearly just as well. Even if there are still some tropes in this, the base story still feels rather nuanced. Very flawed but so nice, so wholesome.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Disappeared (Jenny Cooper #2) in Books
Dec 11, 2020
205
Kindle
The Disappeared ( Coroner Jenny Cooper book 2)
By Matthew Hall
Review via Smashbomb! Link posted in commenonce read.
Two missing students. One sinister cover-up.
Two young British students, Nazim Jamal and Rafi Hassan vanish without a trace. The police tell their parents that the boys had been under surveillance, that it was likely they left the country to pursue their dangerous new ideals. Seven years later, Nazim's grief-stricken mother is still unconvinced. Jenny Cooper is her last hope.
Jenny is finally beginning to settle into her role as Coroner for the Severn Valley; the ghosts of her past that threatened to topple her, banished to the sidelines once more. But as the inquest into Nazim's disappearance gets underway, the stink of corruption and conspiracy becomes clear . . .
As the pressure from above increases, a code of silence is imposed on the inquest and events begin to spiral out of all control, pushing Jenny to breaking point. For how could she have known that by unravelling the mysteries of the disappeared, she would begin to unearth her own buried secrets?
I enjoyed this book so much! I really connected with Jenny I found a lot of common ground with her and with the two surrounding cities of Birmingham and Bristol! I sometimes struggle when a male author writes a female lead but Hall does it brilliantly! The story was interesting it kept you gripped from the start. The struggle for Jenny is balancing her being a mother with her high powered career all while having mental health issues caused by real life situations! I genuinely couldn’t put it down!
Kindle
The Disappeared ( Coroner Jenny Cooper book 2)
By Matthew Hall
Review via Smashbomb! Link posted in commenonce read.
Two missing students. One sinister cover-up.
Two young British students, Nazim Jamal and Rafi Hassan vanish without a trace. The police tell their parents that the boys had been under surveillance, that it was likely they left the country to pursue their dangerous new ideals. Seven years later, Nazim's grief-stricken mother is still unconvinced. Jenny Cooper is her last hope.
Jenny is finally beginning to settle into her role as Coroner for the Severn Valley; the ghosts of her past that threatened to topple her, banished to the sidelines once more. But as the inquest into Nazim's disappearance gets underway, the stink of corruption and conspiracy becomes clear . . .
As the pressure from above increases, a code of silence is imposed on the inquest and events begin to spiral out of all control, pushing Jenny to breaking point. For how could she have known that by unravelling the mysteries of the disappeared, she would begin to unearth her own buried secrets?
I enjoyed this book so much! I really connected with Jenny I found a lot of common ground with her and with the two surrounding cities of Birmingham and Bristol! I sometimes struggle when a male author writes a female lead but Hall does it brilliantly! The story was interesting it kept you gripped from the start. The struggle for Jenny is balancing her being a mother with her high powered career all while having mental health issues caused by real life situations! I genuinely couldn’t put it down!
The Floating World
Book
A dazzling debut about family, home, and grief, The Floating World takes readers into the heart of...
Fiction