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The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1)
The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer, #1)
Jenny Han | 2009 | Young Adult (YA)
6
8.7 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've been in such a YA mood lately and determined to work on my self-imposed #readwhatyouown challenge, so I picked up this one, the first in a trilogy.

I couldn't help but compare this book to Han's To All the Boys I've Loved Before series, but Belly (yes, they call this poor girl Belly) is no Lara Jean.

This is a rather predictable yet fun book as Belly returns to the beach house where she spends each summer with her Mom; her Mom's best friend Susannah; and Susannah's two sons, teenage Conrad and Jeremiah. This summer, Belly is fifteen and growing up--and it seems like everything is changing.

So I resented that Belly supposedly only deserved attention because she was now "pretty," though thankfully another boy comes on the scene who appreciates her for more than her looks. Still, I must admit, I was caught up in the book's drama, and this was pretty much the diversion and break from thrillers that I as seeking. And it definitely made me yearn for the beach. I won't lie, I'll probably check out the second book in the series out of curiosity, despite my complaints. 2.5/3 stars.
  
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John Cusack recommended The Exorcist (1973) in Movies (curated)

 
The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist (1973)
1973 | Horror

"As far as the horror genre, I think The Exorcist is the scariest movie of all time. It’s like head and shoulders above… there’s nothing more terrifying, or deeply sinister than that. When I saw The Exorcist, at that time when I was a kid, I may have slept with the light on. I can’t remember the exact time [I saw it], but I remember being literally knocked back. You have the pure theological question about, you know, “What is the role of evil and what is the nature of evil and what is its function?” And I think in The Exorcist the point is, the reason it’s here is to try and make us give up hope, and find the courage to not give up hope. Evil wants to so demoralize you that you abandon all hope; it’s only human beings’ capacity to love and to fight back. But that’s the role of evil: To challenge, and to make you choose. And growing up as a Catholic, too, I was immersed in the theology and doctrine of the church, so that movie was a serious, serious f-cking movie."

Source
  
The Baby Question: Paranormal Mpreg Short Stories
The Baby Question: Paranormal Mpreg Short Stories
JP Sayle, Lisa Oliver | 2023 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
all the babies!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.

This is an addition to the Tangled Tentacles AND Assassins To Order series, it cannot be read as a stand alone.

What this is, right, is a wonderful catch up everyone and I loved it, bar one thing.

There are a lot of babies in this book, and a LOT of surprises for several members of this ever growing family!

I liked that Magnus puts his paw down with Kelvin's kraken about their birth. I LOVED the surprise for Markov and Cassius, that one threw me! Them too, but did not see that one coming! I loved that there were conversations about NOT having babies, at all or just yet.

But the best surprise was for Marvin and Ajani!

So, what didn't I love?? Too short! I need more of these kind of catch up shorts, or better yet, the next book in the Assassins series! I love these books, and it's been a little while.

a delightful catch up, thank you for writing them!

4 too stinking cute and warm and fuzzy stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916
Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916
Michael Capuzzo | 2001 | History & Politics
10
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Having grown up on the Jersey Shore and being a history nerd I was surprised I had never heard of these event before. That was why when I got the chance to read [Michael Capuzzo's] [Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916] I was so excited. I really enjoyed the description of places I knew from growing up but described in their heyday as opposed to the dilapidated ruins I remember seeing.

[Capuzzo] describes a Jersey Shore of elegance and enjoyment. When it was a status symbol to escape the cities. 1916 was a time of great turmoil with health crisis and a potential war in Europe so people flocked to the shore to escape all this but another danger lurked just off shore.

I know others who have read this book and wish they had introduced me to it sooner because it was an enjoyable, interesting and enlightening read of history and nature.
  
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019)
2019 | Crime, Drama, Family
Nancy Drew first starting investigating mysteries in River Heights in 1930. She has changed little in all of her connotations. Growing up in the 70s and 80s, I met her young in life. This new movie tried to mix her wholesome identity with some millenial ingenuity with very bad results. It isn't that she is no longer relevant, just her Hidden Staircase story is. The film plays very much like a Scooby-Doo mystery with all Velma and no Shaggy or Scooby. A stubborn old woman played by the still vibrant Linda Lavin's house is being haunted. Also, River Heights is a potential site for a new train. Nancy Drew is introduced as a viligante fighting for the less popular girls. All of this makes for a movie that is of little interest to modern girls or women who grew up on Nancy Drew in the 80s. Luckily, little was spent to market this dud.
  
UA
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Katie Stillwell is thrilled to be asked to join a dinner party where wine collector Paul Rafferty is planning to share a rare bottle he’s recently purchased with his friends. However, Katie doesn’t think the bottle looks or tastes like an old bottle of wine should. Before the evening is over, someone is dead. When Paul asks Katie to look into what happened, she finds people covering up secrets. Can she find the truth?

Despite growing up in this book’s setting of Sonoma County, California, I’m not a wine guy. That wasn’t a factor for me at all in following this plot based very heavily on wines. Everything I needed to know was expertly explained. The plot was fast with lots of twists and clues to keep me engaged. The book also has strong characters, both returning and new.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/05/book-review-uncorking-lie-by-nadine.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.