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Charlie Cobra Reviews (1840 KP) created a video about Housebroken in TV

Jul 14, 2021  
Video

Housebroken "First Look" Trailer

Housebroken Official First Look Trailer

  
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Charlotte (184 KP) rated The Anchor in Books

May 5, 2023  
The Anchor
The Anchor
Kevin R. Doyle | 2023 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my, what a ride!


Full of action, suspense and twists The Anchor is pretty awesome. It's a must read thriller that will keep you guessing all the way through. I was stuck between being adamant that I knew who was behind things to not having a clue.
    I do think there could have been a few extra details added to make things 100% neatly packaged but it's also fun having a bit of food for thought.
    This one definitely had me getting lost in the pages, which I love doing, especially when I escape housework!
    Grab snacks, drinks and a comfortable spot and enjoy. Just make sure to tell your friends about it and get them over to discuss it and theories as you read it.
  
FC
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
MoMo’s Book Diary highly recommends this thrilling novel as a spellbinding 5 star read.
                        
I loved this book. I knew I would as soon as I read the synopsis. I have a big to-be-read stack and this book didn’t sit well at the bottom so jumped to the top very quickly – even more so as the publication date was fast approaching.

I found it to be a gripping tale that had me repeatedly saying “one more chapter” and ended with another day of no housework and little sleep!

The author has given us two powerful lead characters and I felt a bond with both. I found myself rooting for them to find their way to happiness. It is a love story with a suspenseful mystery throughout.

Thank you to the author, Pamela Humphrey, for contacting me through my blog page and for providing me with a copy of this book prior to its publication date.
  
High Heat (Jack Reacher, #17.5)
High Heat (Jack Reacher, #17.5)
Lee Child | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry, Thriller
5
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Short story that's short on believably
Ok when I go into a Jack Reacher book, or in this case short story (about 2hrs in audiobook form,) I know I’m going to have to suspend some belief but this one went just a bit too far for me.

Somehow in the course of one day 16 year old Reacher manages to tick off a big player mob boss type, decide to take him on, cross paths with the Son of Sam, and hitch up with a girl. Oh and all this just happens to be the day when the huge 1977 New York blackout occurred (at a very convenient time for Reacher.)

He’s 16 but seems to have the exact same street / military smarts the adult Reacher has, it just doesn't work for me. Some far fetched deductions, the type that are a stretch to believe in the adult Reacher, here just come across as almost comical.

As something to listen to while doing housework it was OK but really wouldn’t of wanted to dedicate more attention to it.
  
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ClareR (5667 KP) rated Soldier Sailor in Books

Jun 26, 2024  
Soldier Sailor
Soldier Sailor
Claire Kilroy | 2023 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This WILL be on my books of the year list. It’s raw, moving, and reminded me of the slog of parenting babies and small children. And I was/ am one of the weirdos that enjoyed it. My mantra during that “4th trimester” with 2 premature babies (2 1/2 years apart) was “This will pass, I’ll look back on this as a memory”, though. It was tough. And my eldest son is disabled, so we had that (the disability!) to work with, too.

I think that’s what this book grasped so well - the sheer overwhelm of new parenting. It is like sleep-deprived drowning. I was very lucky to have an extremely useful/ thoughtful co-parent, unlike Soldier, who was left largely on her own to negotiate parenting a baby and later, a toddler. And I have very low housework expectations (still. Should I admit that?!).

The last 40 or so pages contains some of the best writing I’ve read in a while. I had to shut myself away to read it, while I sobbed and tried to carry on reading through my tears.

Utterly beautiful, and I urge you to read it.
  
Skyscraper (2018)
Skyscraper (2018)
2018 | Action
A lot of people in the last couple of days had been saying "it's The Rock's Die Hard!" and I just went, meh, sure it is... but it is. The only thing it's missing is Christmas... and a vest top that adjusts to it's surroundings.

This one does what it says on the tin, it's a genuinely enjoyable watch. Despite the fact you know bits from the trailer and you know what's going to happen because, well, that's what these movies do, you are still on the edge of your seat with the action. Some laughs as well as the action made for a very fun watch.

Much like Rampage, I will be seeing this one when I need to get out of doing housework (and now the heat) and I'm out of new films to see.

On the Die Hard note... yep... some bits are carbon copies of it, but the villain will never live up to Hans Gruber. He was nowhere near as entertaining and his accent was way too believable.

A hat trick for Dwayne Johnson here: Jumanji Welcome To The Jungle, Rampage and now Skyscraper. He's involved in some very entertaining films these days and I can't wait for the next one.
  
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
Caroline Criado Perez | 2019 | Science & Mathematics
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I’ve read a book similar to this before so was interested when I saw it on the library shelf. This is about the gender data gap. I know what some of you are thinking “oh look a book that’s going to slam men”. But this isn’t about that. This is about missing data, not because it’s been done on purpose but because some of the tests have never thought about. Some of these absolutely shocked me though. For example, did you know the female crash test dummy hasn’t been put in the driver’s seat? How mad is that?!?!
At some points I did find this book a little one sided. I mean it’s hard when you’re trying to delve into a data gap bit one example that stood out to me was “unpaid work”. There was a big continuing theme about the unpaid work women do that isn’t thought of to include in data (child care, housework, elderly care) and yes men do these too (that was pointed out), but what about the unpaid work men do that I bet isn’t thought of to be included in data? Like DIY? I did enjoy listening to this (borrowed on #borrowbox ) but I found it did become tedious in places. Would recommend for some who enjoys data…..like myself.
  
Do you wonder where life is going sometimes? We focus on the things we see around us, the laundry, the bills, the housework, we over commit ourselves to church, our jobs. All this can weigh on our shoulders.

 Written especially for women, author Jessie Clemence has written a book about combating stress, examining the Bible for answers. With 27 small chapters, dealing with h situations that we can see ourselves nodding our heads, thinking, yes I've been there done that! With her wit and a great sense of humor. She knows the day to day stresses that we face and she discusses what the bible tells us about how we should react to the daily frustrations that come into our daily lives.

Every chapter closes with three focuses; make it personal, a scripture\passage that ties it all together, and a prayer for today.

The themes are tough, the author doesn't hold back. They are important and sometimes can be challenging and convicting.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. Not only was it fun to read, but I learned that I am not alone in my stresses and that we need to lean on God more and less of ourselves.

 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
  
Hazel and Holly
Hazel and Holly
Sara C. Snider | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received and ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review
Holly and Hazel are two Witch sisters living in an idyllic little community called the Grove where Witches and Warlocks practice elemental magic.
However Hazel is unsettled in their comfortable little lives, as their estranged father has turned to the dark magic of Necromancy and trapped their dead mothers soul.
Hazel needs to muster all the strength she can, both magical and emotional to travel outside the safety of their little community to find their father and free their mother. With a little help from her sister Holly, a couple of Warlock brothers and a Cellar Gnome, of course.
This was a really enjoyable read, Hazel and Holly were both very well thought out characters that you couldn’t help getting involved in their adventure. At one point whilst doing some housework I actually found myself thinking “I wonder how Holly and Hazel are getting on?” So I was definitely engaged. So it came as no surprise to me, whilst reading the authors notes, to learn that this was originally a flash fiction story that the author then expanded and serialised on her blog. It’s that style of writing, that feeling of anticipation you get for the next part of the book that I feel keeps the reader engaged and wanting to read more.
Unfortunately Ash and Willow (Holly and Hazels parents) weren’t really substantial enough for my liking, despite the fact that the whole story revolves around the acts of these two characters there wasn’t a lot of depth in them. However this doesn’t detract from the story as Hazel and Holly (and also Hemlock and Hawthorn the two warlock brothers) are big enough characters in their own right to carry the story.
There is a promise of potentially more to come from these Sisters, I look forward to it.
  
NB
Not by Sight
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Espionage is at its height during WWI. The slightest piece of evidence, whether legitimate or not, can mean the difference between life and death.

Grace Mabry is full of patriotic ideals. She believes there is no excuse for fit and able young men to stay home and drink champagne and attend fancy parties. Grace sneaks into a masquerade ball to hand out white feathers of cowardice in her efforts to aide the war. She slips a feather into the hands of Jack Benningham, heir to the Earl of Stonebrook. Unbeknownst to her the events that are set into motion by that one act. Both Jack and Grace are soon forced to learn the true meaning of walking by faith, not by sight.

"She taught me to never back down and to always stand up for what I believed in."

Not by Sight has to be one of the most spellbinding books that I have read. On multiple occasions I had to remind myself to breathe. I couldn't even put the book down to walk from point A to point B. And my eyes kept sliding to the end of each page, and therefore causing me to reread the whole page again. The depth of feeling and emotion between the characters is very real. I found the personalities very developed and would love it if Grace were to ring me up and we could discuss her whole adventure. The story line changes perspectives between more characters than I had expected, but it gave valuable insight into the circumstances that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. I was constantly reminded of the BBC show Land Girls (Netflix) which is set during WWII. There is another show called Bomb Girls (Netflix), also WWII, that is similar but set in a munitions factory rather than on a farm. Both are excellent, and I highly recommend them. Pick up a copy of Not by Sight and be transported to the middle of WWI. Say goodbye to housework and sleep, because this intriguing story will completely pull you in. I am on my way to re-watch both shows now!

I received a free copy of Not by Sight from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for my honest review.