
The Eternal City
Book
A heart-warming tale of sibling rivalry, secrets, love and death, steeped in local colour and noise...
How Not to Fall in Love, Actually: A Laugh-Out-Loud Romantic Comedy
Book
A hilarious debut for all fans of Mhairi McFarlane and Lisa Owens. The perfect antidote for...

The Hairy Bikers' Perfect Pies: The Ultimate Pie Bible from the Kings of Pies
Si King, Hairy Bikers and Dave Myers
Book
This is the definitive Pie Bible from the Kings of Pie, The Hairy Bikers. In their culinary...

AJaneClark (3975 KP) rated The Sun is Also a Star in Books
Feb 20, 2021
The Sun is Also a Star is a heart-warming and emotional journey of two very different individuals, a chance meeting and a series of events. It took me on a mini rollercoaster ride, stunning me with the amount of things that can happen in a period of 24 hours. Its the age old story of love Vs. science and how all our actions have consequences, no matter how insignificant we believe them to be. Not to forget how one's interactions and words can change the course of action for someone else's life and in some ways save them from their own fates.
I enjoyed the back and forth style story telling, focusing on the POVs of Daniel and Natasha whilst also weaving in some additional characters we meet in passing. I found it to be a refreshing and delightful way of novel writing.
In a time of such global sadness, this book allowed me a ray of light.

TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Stories That Bind Us in Books
Feb 24, 2021
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the compelling story, the great characters, and the themes discussed within this book. The only thing that could have made it better was something that happened at the beginning of the book (I am NOT going to give a spoiler) but you will understand when you read it.
*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Beauty and the Beast (1991) in Movies
Nov 22, 2020
The aesthetic is quintessential Disney fairytale material, alternating between the bright and colourful un-named village that Belle lives in, to the dark and gothic castle where The Beast resides. The animation is wonderful, especially when it comes to characters. Characters such as Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts are bought to life in such a vibrant manner, it's another argument for why the live action adaptions will never quite capture the same magic, and the likes of Belle, The Beast, and Gaston are memorable and visually iconic Disney inhabitants.
The story is straight down the middle for this kind of thing, but it's crowd pleasing, heart warming, with a perfect helping of melancholy, a formula that has always been Disney's bread and butter along with catchy songs. I struggle to get on board with musicals for the most part but some of the music demonstrated here is superbly written and occasionally beautiful.
Beauty & The Beast is classic Disney through and through. It's truly timeless and will be enjoyed for generations to come.

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) in Movies
Sep 17, 2020 (Updated Sep 17, 2020)
This story of Zak, a man with Down Syndrome, who runs away from his care home to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler is shot beautifully - this film looks stunning from start to finish.
The cinematography and music cues give the movie a Cohens-esque vibe at times.
Zak finds an unlikely companion in Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), and outlaw who is on the run from some people that he owes to. The two of them journey together towards Florida in a simple story that at its core is a commentary on what it is to be human.
Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen are fantastic as the films leads. The companionship between the two of them feels truly special at all times, is frequently hilarious, and is the source of pretty much all the charm that radiates from TPBF.
Dakota Johnson, Thomas Jaden Church, and Bruce Dern are also great as well.
I wasn't expecting to love The Peanut Butter Falcon as much as I did, but honestly, it's a damn good film that will get to the coldest person.

The Woman with Wings
Book
In this heart-warming tale of female empowerment, a young woman comes to terms with the revelation...

Broken
Book
'A new book from Jenny Lawson is always cause for celebration, and Broken is the party of the year ....

Merissa (12552 KP) rated In the Eye of the Storm (Full Circle #1) in Books
Dec 8, 2021
This is a dark, fast-paced story that delves into the world of child sex trafficking, trying to rescue said children, and helping them live their best lives after dealing with the trauma involved.
The characters were mostly heart-warming. I wasn't able to feel the full effect of the big bad as I feel he probably made more of an impact in the original series. It is told from multiple perspectives so sometimes it seemed to flit across the surface, rather than give any depth to the feelings and emotions.
It has an ending that leaves it wide open for further stories. The writing itself was good, I just had trouble connecting with the story or the characters.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!