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MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Fragments of Fear in Books
Nov 4, 2019
From award-winning author Carrie Stuart Parks comes a new novel with danger that reaches from a New Mexico Anasazi archaeological dig to micro- and nano-chip technology.
Evelyn Yvonne McTavish-Tavish to her friends-had her almost perfect world in Albuquerque, New Mexico, come to a crashing end with the suicide of her fiancé. As she struggles to put her life back together and make a living from her art, shes given the news that her dog is about to be destroyed at the dog pound. Except she doesnt own a dog. The shelter is adamant that the microchip embedded in the canine-with her name and address-makes it hers. Tavish recognizes the dog as one owned by an archaeologist named Pat Caron because she did a commissioned drawing of the two of them months earlier. The simple solution is to return the dog to his owner, but she arrives only to discover Carons murdered body. After meeting undercover FBI agent Sawyer Price the mystery deepens as more people start disappearing and Tavish becomes a target as well. Her only solution is to find the links between microchip technology, an Anasazi site in the desert, her fiancés death, a late-night radio show, and the dog. And the clock is ticking.
My Thoughts: This is an interesting suspense mystery novel. The author has a whimsical way of writing, that puts a little humor into the storyline. When the story begins, we have a young woman at the funeral of her fiance, then finds herself with a dog she doesn't really want and then discovers that it's the owner has been murdered. No wonder Tavish had so many panic attacks. I really enjoyed this novel. It kept my attention from the beginning and did not disappoint me throughout the story.
I enjoyed this novel, the one point I did like about this novel, is that the main character does come to Christ, and learns to overcome her fears by leaning on God.
I look forward to more from Carrie Stuart Parks.
????
Evelyn Yvonne McTavish-Tavish to her friends-had her almost perfect world in Albuquerque, New Mexico, come to a crashing end with the suicide of her fiancé. As she struggles to put her life back together and make a living from her art, shes given the news that her dog is about to be destroyed at the dog pound. Except she doesnt own a dog. The shelter is adamant that the microchip embedded in the canine-with her name and address-makes it hers. Tavish recognizes the dog as one owned by an archaeologist named Pat Caron because she did a commissioned drawing of the two of them months earlier. The simple solution is to return the dog to his owner, but she arrives only to discover Carons murdered body. After meeting undercover FBI agent Sawyer Price the mystery deepens as more people start disappearing and Tavish becomes a target as well. Her only solution is to find the links between microchip technology, an Anasazi site in the desert, her fiancés death, a late-night radio show, and the dog. And the clock is ticking.
My Thoughts: This is an interesting suspense mystery novel. The author has a whimsical way of writing, that puts a little humor into the storyline. When the story begins, we have a young woman at the funeral of her fiance, then finds herself with a dog she doesn't really want and then discovers that it's the owner has been murdered. No wonder Tavish had so many panic attacks. I really enjoyed this novel. It kept my attention from the beginning and did not disappoint me throughout the story.
I enjoyed this novel, the one point I did like about this novel, is that the main character does come to Christ, and learns to overcome her fears by leaning on God.
I look forward to more from Carrie Stuart Parks.
????
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Turned at Dark (Shadow Falls, #0.5) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
As you may know from reading <i>Born at Midnight</i>, the first book of the <i>Shadow Falls</i> series, Della Tsang is Kylie Galen's Vampire friend. Here, we learn how Della was turned into a vampire and how she came about Shadow Falls. We also go into a bit more depth of Della's life before <i>Shadow Falls</i> and a brief history about Supernaturals. Warning though: like <i>Forgotten Lyrics</i> by Amanda Hocking (which I'm currently reading), it's a quick read. Actually, even more quick since it's only 32 pages long.
To be frank, I don't think I was expecting Vampirism to be a virus. I was expecting Della to get bitten by an actual vampire when I first met her in <i>Born at Midnight</i>. And was I so very very wrong at that assumption. The fact that Della had a Vampire virus in her blood was an unexpected twist in the series.
If I were Della's shoes, I probably would've reacted the same way as she did if I found out that *insert spoiler* wasn't actually dead and I was carrying a virus that could turn me into a vampire (It might even be cool). And that the fact blood will taste yummy. o_o
As for Della's issues in real life, I can totally compare my own life to her life. High expectations? yep. Sometimes too high? yep! Super harsh? Harsh, yes, but not like Della's parents in a way. Therefore, Della is now one of my favorite characters from Shadow Falls. Don't worry, there's plenty of room for the rest of them as well. Della just has that "twin-like" quality. :)
Overall, I love the humor that Hunter has woven into this story and find that Turned at Dark is a great prequel to Born at Midnight. It's not necessary to read Born at Midnight first, but if you want to, feel free to do so. I actually enjoyed the series and the shortstory. :)
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-turned-at-dark-by-c-c-hunter/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
To be frank, I don't think I was expecting Vampirism to be a virus. I was expecting Della to get bitten by an actual vampire when I first met her in <i>Born at Midnight</i>. And was I so very very wrong at that assumption. The fact that Della had a Vampire virus in her blood was an unexpected twist in the series.
If I were Della's shoes, I probably would've reacted the same way as she did if I found out that *insert spoiler* wasn't actually dead and I was carrying a virus that could turn me into a vampire (It might even be cool). And that the fact blood will taste yummy. o_o
As for Della's issues in real life, I can totally compare my own life to her life. High expectations? yep. Sometimes too high? yep! Super harsh? Harsh, yes, but not like Della's parents in a way. Therefore, Della is now one of my favorite characters from Shadow Falls. Don't worry, there's plenty of room for the rest of them as well. Della just has that "twin-like" quality. :)
Overall, I love the humor that Hunter has woven into this story and find that Turned at Dark is a great prequel to Born at Midnight. It's not necessary to read Born at Midnight first, but if you want to, feel free to do so. I actually enjoyed the series and the shortstory. :)
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-turned-at-dark-by-c-c-hunter/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Forget Me Always (Lovely Vicious #2) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>Several months ago, I first got introduced to the life of Isis Blake and Jack Hunter in the first book of the <i>Lovely Vicious</i> series, <i><a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/blog-tour-love-me-never-by-sara-wolf-arc-review-and-giveaway/"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">Love Me Never</a></i>. If anyone remembers from my review of the first book, I confessed that I had a case of the giggles (and had trouble stifling said giggles) because Isis Blake is hilarious and sarcastic and just hard to hate (okay that last one applies to Jack as well).
So when I found out <i>Forget Me Always</i> was available to request… which means more of Isis Blake and Jack Hunter and everything that comes with those two, I confess I leapt at the chance to read the second book in the <i>Lovely Vicious</i> series. (I promise this is the last book I'm touching until I actually go through the ARCs from earlier this year and posting those reviews. But really, they're in drafts.)
<i>Forget Me Always</i>, unfortunately, did not leave me in a constant puddle of giggles like its predecessor. It is much darker than the first book - both Isis’s and Jack’s pasts come to light and sort of… mesh together. Rather, they don’t actually mesh together, but what was originally two different pasts have something in common between the two that’s bringing the pasts together.
However, despite the darker atmosphere of <i>Forget Me Always</i>, the second book in the <i>Lovely Vicious</i> series still has Isis Blake’s signature humor and sarcasm found throughout the first book, which will surely lighten up the third and final book’s darker atmosphere.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-forget-me-always-by-sara-wolf/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
So when I found out <i>Forget Me Always</i> was available to request… which means more of Isis Blake and Jack Hunter and everything that comes with those two, I confess I leapt at the chance to read the second book in the <i>Lovely Vicious</i> series. (I promise this is the last book I'm touching until I actually go through the ARCs from earlier this year and posting those reviews. But really, they're in drafts.)
<i>Forget Me Always</i>, unfortunately, did not leave me in a constant puddle of giggles like its predecessor. It is much darker than the first book - both Isis’s and Jack’s pasts come to light and sort of… mesh together. Rather, they don’t actually mesh together, but what was originally two different pasts have something in common between the two that’s bringing the pasts together.
However, despite the darker atmosphere of <i>Forget Me Always</i>, the second book in the <i>Lovely Vicious</i> series still has Isis Blake’s signature humor and sarcasm found throughout the first book, which will surely lighten up the third and final book’s darker atmosphere.
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/arc-review-forget-me-always-by-sara-wolf/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated The Gentlemen (2020) in Movies
Jan 6, 2020 (Updated Jan 6, 2020)
A funny angle
Gentleman is Guy Richie's attempt to bring the british gangster movies from the past back into the modern time and while it may just be an updated version of Snatch its a bloody enjoyable update. It seems like years ago now since I grew out of the 'British Gangster' film phase of my life and while I actaully find Snatch to be over rated myself instead much preferring Guy Richie's other work I can still understand why it has such a big following. Gentleman follows the same formula either deliberately or coincidentally and while this does feel repetative/outdated I couldnt help but be pulled in and deliciously entertained by it. Playing out a bit like reading a comic book Gentleman is satisfyingly violent, full of cusing/crudness and full of mostly satisfying twists and turns. At first I hated it but after the first 20 minutes I just let go and finally started getting back in to this sort of style. Full to the brim with exposition dialog but its handled in a refreshing new way which made hearing it less eye rolling and instead kept it constantly entertaining. Essentially one big power struggle between an assortment of characters non of which are actually very nice people but the ones Hugh Grant and Charlie hunnam play are extremely likeable. Watching these two interact on screen is the absolute bread and butter and they both play interesting characters both with very unique individual traits and characteristics. Colin Farrell is also superb and memorable too and the film has a wicked sense of humor that kept me laughing the whole way through. If you are easily offended its safe to say this is not the film for you as its not only full of extreame cursing but constant racism and violence too. By no means a perfect film or a gangster masterpiece Gentleman is still and absolute blast to watch and has enough twists/turns, quirky characters, witty dialog, fresh ideas, tension, violence/mucking about to entertain and offend pretty much anyone. Highly enjoyable.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Popstar Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
If you go into this movie expecting anything other than crude comedy, you should not go see this movie. But this is not a bad thing. If you are at all familiar with, and like, the music of The Lonely Island, you will absolutely enjoy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Which is pretty much The Lonely Island’s take on a Scary Movie, only focused solely on Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never.
Popstar is filmed in documentary style following Conner (Andy Samberg) , aka Conner4Real, as he is getting to release his second solo album after splitting from an influential hip-hop group, Style Boyz. Conner is the complete exaggeration of the real life Bieber, and the film follows his antics as he prepares for the big day and beyond.
In addition to Jorma Taccone and Akiva Shafer, the rest of The Lonely Island, there is a slew of familiar faces and cameos, including, but not limited to, Imogen Poots; Bill Hader; Maya Rudolph; Sarah Silverman; Tim Meadows; Pink; Usher; Nas; Joan Cusack; Adam Levine; and Will Arnett. There are so many more, also, but I would be remiss to give them away.
Ultimately it comes down to this: as I said before, if you are fan of The Lonely Island, you will enjoy this film. I honestly kind of walked out of the theater thinking that the film basically serves as a vehicle for a new Lonely Island album as there all the songs performed in the movie are original and new. But, again, that’s not a bad thing. It, at times, goes a little overboard, but it quickly reels you back in the next moment. I suppose you could say there is humor for all tastes. Well… most tastes anyway.
It’s not going to win any awards. Let’s just get that on the table, but it is a film that will have you laughing most of the way through. There was definitely big audience reaction during my screening of the film. I will most definitely be picking up the soundtrack and the film upon home release.
Popstar is filmed in documentary style following Conner (Andy Samberg) , aka Conner4Real, as he is getting to release his second solo album after splitting from an influential hip-hop group, Style Boyz. Conner is the complete exaggeration of the real life Bieber, and the film follows his antics as he prepares for the big day and beyond.
In addition to Jorma Taccone and Akiva Shafer, the rest of The Lonely Island, there is a slew of familiar faces and cameos, including, but not limited to, Imogen Poots; Bill Hader; Maya Rudolph; Sarah Silverman; Tim Meadows; Pink; Usher; Nas; Joan Cusack; Adam Levine; and Will Arnett. There are so many more, also, but I would be remiss to give them away.
Ultimately it comes down to this: as I said before, if you are fan of The Lonely Island, you will enjoy this film. I honestly kind of walked out of the theater thinking that the film basically serves as a vehicle for a new Lonely Island album as there all the songs performed in the movie are original and new. But, again, that’s not a bad thing. It, at times, goes a little overboard, but it quickly reels you back in the next moment. I suppose you could say there is humor for all tastes. Well… most tastes anyway.
It’s not going to win any awards. Let’s just get that on the table, but it is a film that will have you laughing most of the way through. There was definitely big audience reaction during my screening of the film. I will most definitely be picking up the soundtrack and the film upon home release.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Ride Along 2 (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Kevin Hart and Ice Cube reprise their roles in Ride Along 2 which hits theaters this weekend. In the sequel, Ben Barber (Kevin Hart) is a rookie cop seeking to prove his worth as he aspires to become a detective like his soon to be brother-in-law James, played by Ice Cube. After a stakeout to catch a local drug dealer doesn’t go as planned, due to Ben’s meddling, the two stumble upon a flash drive which leads them to Miami to investigate further. Once there, they find themselves facing off with an international drug and gun smuggler (Benjamin Bratt) with the help of tough Miami Detective, Maya Cruz (Olivia Munn).
Fans of the first film will not be disappointed in this sequel to the film which introduced us to the bumbling antics of Ben Barber and the seasoned veteran James Payton. Ride Along 2 succeeds where other “Buddy Cop” movies and sequels have failed in the past. There is great chemistry between Hart and Cube. The film features great comedic timing with the characters, as well as, a healthy amount of dramatic and relatable issues throughout. The jokes are fun, and, at times witty. The humor doesn’t look for the cheap laugh by recycling the same jokes from the previous film. The only real problem with the film is that the plot is too similar to the original in a number of ways. Ben finds himself wanting to prove he deserves to be a cop, not only to himself, but to James, as well.
They find themselves trying to bring down a criminal empire all by the end of the week when Ben is set to marry James’ sister. Despite some of the moments being a bit far-fetched, the film does not rely too many references to the original in order for people to follow along with the story. It can easily stand alone. Fans of the first film, as well, as those who love a good Police themed comedy will enjoy the ride. Hopefully, the Brothers-in-law will return for a third film.
Fans of the first film will not be disappointed in this sequel to the film which introduced us to the bumbling antics of Ben Barber and the seasoned veteran James Payton. Ride Along 2 succeeds where other “Buddy Cop” movies and sequels have failed in the past. There is great chemistry between Hart and Cube. The film features great comedic timing with the characters, as well as, a healthy amount of dramatic and relatable issues throughout. The jokes are fun, and, at times witty. The humor doesn’t look for the cheap laugh by recycling the same jokes from the previous film. The only real problem with the film is that the plot is too similar to the original in a number of ways. Ben finds himself wanting to prove he deserves to be a cop, not only to himself, but to James, as well.
They find themselves trying to bring down a criminal empire all by the end of the week when Ben is set to marry James’ sister. Despite some of the moments being a bit far-fetched, the film does not rely too many references to the original in order for people to follow along with the story. It can easily stand alone. Fans of the first film, as well, as those who love a good Police themed comedy will enjoy the ride. Hopefully, the Brothers-in-law will return for a third film.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
To say that I was blown away by this movie might be a bit of an understatement. To be honest, this movie snuck under my radar, slid into a Christmas release, and absolutely amazed me.
The Secret Life of Walter MItty is about a man who daydreams. But that doesn’t quite cut it. He is constantly thinking out, imagining, scenarios in his head of how things could play out. Often ludicrous, but sometimes realistic, he imagines what things would be like if he were a different man in the situation he’s in. From handling a jerk boss, to the girl he likes, he plays out a scenario in his head that he wishes would happen.
Mitty is a negative assets manager for Life magazine. Life is getting ready to close down the physical publication and are about to publish the last issue. Their best reporter, Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), sent in his final roll of film indicating that frame 25 was his best shot ever and should be used for the final cover. The only problem is that frame 25 is missing. After a frantic search he is unable to find it in the lab, and with some urging from Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig) in Accounts at Life, and Mitty’s love interest, Mitty stops living in his head and sets out on a journey to find the frame, and himself.
Directed and starring Ben Stiller, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was a delight every step of the way. The humor in the film was very well blended so as not to distract from this incredible journey, and the visuals were absolutely amazing. I am not sure that I would change much about this movie. Casting was excellent, the score was great, and the cinematography was superb. There was a whole side bit about eHarmony.com was a bit annoying at first, but it paid off in the end.
I would definitely recommend seeing this movie to any of my friends. So go check it out on opening day (Christmas Day) if you are looking for something to do that day.
The Secret Life of Walter MItty is about a man who daydreams. But that doesn’t quite cut it. He is constantly thinking out, imagining, scenarios in his head of how things could play out. Often ludicrous, but sometimes realistic, he imagines what things would be like if he were a different man in the situation he’s in. From handling a jerk boss, to the girl he likes, he plays out a scenario in his head that he wishes would happen.
Mitty is a negative assets manager for Life magazine. Life is getting ready to close down the physical publication and are about to publish the last issue. Their best reporter, Sean O’Connell (Sean Penn), sent in his final roll of film indicating that frame 25 was his best shot ever and should be used for the final cover. The only problem is that frame 25 is missing. After a frantic search he is unable to find it in the lab, and with some urging from Cheryl Melhoff (Kristen Wiig) in Accounts at Life, and Mitty’s love interest, Mitty stops living in his head and sets out on a journey to find the frame, and himself.
Directed and starring Ben Stiller, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was a delight every step of the way. The humor in the film was very well blended so as not to distract from this incredible journey, and the visuals were absolutely amazing. I am not sure that I would change much about this movie. Casting was excellent, the score was great, and the cinematography was superb. There was a whole side bit about eHarmony.com was a bit annoying at first, but it paid off in the end.
I would definitely recommend seeing this movie to any of my friends. So go check it out on opening day (Christmas Day) if you are looking for something to do that day.
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is a criminal defense attorney who works out of his Lincoln Town Car in Los Angeles, hence the title of the movie and book “The Lincoln Lawyer” by Michael Connelly. Mickey defends all kinds of criminals and all he expects from his clients is that they pay him. While he may be a rather shifty lawyer, he is a loving father to his daughter Hayley (Mackenzie Aladjem) and he obviously still cares for her mother Maggie McPherson (Marisa Tomei).
Now although he has many clients, none are really big money clients. That changes one day when Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a rich Beverly Hills playboy, is arrested for assault & attempted rape and he wants Mick to defend him. At first Mick believes that he will be able to easily get his client acquitted, but as he and his investigator Frank Levin (William H. Macy) dig deeper, they discovery disturbing information about the case and it’s possible link to another.
In his quest to win the all mighty “Not Guilty” verdict, Mick has many obstacles (both professional and personal) placed before him that he must successfully navigate around, and treachery hiding in the shadows that he must bring into the light or else he may lose more than just a case.
While the entire cast was incredible, Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe gave equally amazing performances (this is especially true for any scene that they were both in). The characters were well-developed, believable and for the most part likable, heck I even liked the biker Eddie (Trace Adkins). The storyline was intriguing with a twist or two that I did not see coming and it also had some very nice humor sprinkled in. I did find that in a few scenes the dialogue seemed to be a bit unnatural for what was going on but it didn’t really detract from the overall scenes in question. Personally I hope this film does well enough that they make a sequel (I believe the book’s sequel is The Reversal) because I would like to see more of these characters in action.
Now although he has many clients, none are really big money clients. That changes one day when Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a rich Beverly Hills playboy, is arrested for assault & attempted rape and he wants Mick to defend him. At first Mick believes that he will be able to easily get his client acquitted, but as he and his investigator Frank Levin (William H. Macy) dig deeper, they discovery disturbing information about the case and it’s possible link to another.
In his quest to win the all mighty “Not Guilty” verdict, Mick has many obstacles (both professional and personal) placed before him that he must successfully navigate around, and treachery hiding in the shadows that he must bring into the light or else he may lose more than just a case.
While the entire cast was incredible, Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe gave equally amazing performances (this is especially true for any scene that they were both in). The characters were well-developed, believable and for the most part likable, heck I even liked the biker Eddie (Trace Adkins). The storyline was intriguing with a twist or two that I did not see coming and it also had some very nice humor sprinkled in. I did find that in a few scenes the dialogue seemed to be a bit unnatural for what was going on but it didn’t really detract from the overall scenes in question. Personally I hope this film does well enough that they make a sequel (I believe the book’s sequel is The Reversal) because I would like to see more of these characters in action.
Great Big War Game
Games and Entertainment
5.0
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▶ GAME OF THE YEAR, WINNER !! (Mobile category, Game Dynamo 2012) ▶ STRATEGY GAME OF THE YEAR,...
Die Biene Maja: Blumenparty
Education and Games
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*** Top Pick - Fun Educational Apps *** 5 Stars and EAS recommendation - Educational App Store ...