Search

Search only in certain items:

The First Mistake
The First Mistake
Sandie Jones | 2019 | Thriller
7
7.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
The publisher has sent me this ARC in exchange for an honest review

Betrayed by a husband, ever learned something about a loved one who's gone and felt betrayed? How about a best friend, brother in law, co-worker? This book has it all. We learn about Alice and Beth two best friends in current day. Then we go back and learn about their lives in the 9 or so years before they meet and how intertwined we can be with someone and not even know. We learn how deceptive even those who are closest to us can be if they feel like they've been wronged or cheated by us.

I feel like in the end the last 100 pages or so this book redeemed itself. In saying that the book was enjoyable to read but I felt like the last 100 pages is where the action and the story was really coming together was. If you like suspense this book is definitely worth the read I have to say I kept trying to fit all the pieces together and just couldn't get it quite right.
  
40x40

Mark Halpern (153 KP) rated The Hangover (2009) in Movies

Jan 19, 2018 (Updated Jan 19, 2018)  
The Hangover (2009)
The Hangover (2009)
2009 | Comedy
Wolf Pack
Four guys embark to Las Vegas for their friends bachelor party. The four friends could not be better opposites of each other. Doug the groom is the normal one, Alan the brother in-law is kind of mentally unbalanced, Phil who is a good friend is the wild one and Stu the other friend is the safe and cautious one. Well one thing leads to another and we see them wake up all deranged and Doug is missing. They have to retrace their steps in trying to find them which leads them into crazy findings such as a baby, a stolen police car, a tiger, "iron" Mike Tyson, A kidnapped Chinese man and a marriage. Do they find Doug or don't they.

For what it was it was the the hardest I have laughed in a theater ever at that time. I don't think there was a moment where my gut did not hurt. If you watch make sure you watch the credits how ever we do see one of the cast getting a hummer which i could have done with out.
  
12 Monkeys (1995)
12 Monkeys (1995)
1995 | Drama, Sci-Fi
I'll have a Monkey on the rocks, with a twist...
The time is the future; The world has been ravaged by a bio-engineered plague,and the powers-that-be have decided it's time to do something about it.

Their decision? Put the half-nelson on a poor, unhappy convict (Willis) and tell him he's going back in time to hunt down the source, and kill the lunatic that released the bug before he can do it, thus changing history. Armed with just the knowledge that he's looking for a group called 'The 12 Monkeys', he is dispatched, only to find himself in an unforseen conflict with the local law and a Section 8.

Great performance from Willis, but it was while watching this film that I realised that Brad Pitt is actually more than a pretty face.

One of the best twists in the end of a tale I have ever seen.

This is definitley one of my desert island films, so I'm not really good at objectivity when discussing it but if you like slighty off-the-wall film entertainment I'd say this is a must.
  
This Case Is Gonna Kill Me (Linnet Ellery, #1)
This Case Is Gonna Kill Me (Linnet Ellery, #1)
Phillipa Bornikova | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
10
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book was an unexpected delight. Lawyers? Meh. Even lawyers with paranormal spice.

But Linnet Ellery is no ordinary lawyer, even for a young lawyer in a White Fang law firm. She has no end of backbone and smarts, not to mention luck - or should I say Luck? Because fortune swirls around her like nobody else, making her a nexus of events and a little too conspicuous for her very discreet employers.

That's not to say that she doesn't make her share of mistakes - that wouldn't be any fun, now would it? She survives and learns from them, then helps others avoid the same.

Living in a world of vampires, werewolves, and Alfar (elves) might be intimidating to most humans, especially when those beings (Powers) are essentially in charge. Linnet doesn't let them intimidate her. She uses her contacts and plays to her strengths, winning more and more significant battles every time she goes to bat.

Bornikova sets things up very nicely for a sequel, and I am personally hungry to read more. I strongly suggest this book to anyone who enjoys paranormals, urban fantasy, or simply good, humorous fiction with a dollop of suspense and a strong heroine.
  
Lady Georgie and Darcy’s elopement is put on hold when Darcy gets the news that his father has been arrested for murder. He races off to Ireland to see how he can help, and it isn’t long before Georgie follows him to help clear her future father-in-law. The evidence all seems to point to Darcy’s father. Can Georgie figure out anything that will help clear him?

The book gets off to a slow start as Georgie once again has to figure out where she will live. The time is put to good use since it gives us updates on many of the series regulars. Once Georgie arrives in Ireland, things really pick up, and we are treated to a fantastic puzzle with plenty of twists and surprises. Several of the series regulars get some much needed development here, and I hope it lasts. Meanwhile, there is a fantastic new character I hope we see pop up again in future books.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/08/book-review-crownded-and-dangerous-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
MW
Murder with a Twist
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Former NYPD cop Nic and her husband Nigel are in New York for Christmas and to celebrate his cousin’s 25th birthday. Only Audrey’s husband Leo has disappeared, and she is threatening to not attend her own party if he isn’t found. Nic is asked by the family to track down Leo, and soon she is back in contact with her contacts on the shady side of the law. A dead body and learning just what kind of man Leo is make Nic wonder if Audrey would be better off without her husband. But where is he?

This book is a wonderful tribute to The Thin Man, and fans of Hammett’s classic book or the films will love it. However, even if you aren’t familiar with them, you’ll still absolutely love this book. The plot is well constructed with plenty of twists and surprises. The characters are all strong. And there are tons of laughs, be they from Nic and Nigel’s new dog or the banter between the characters. Pick this book up today.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-murder-with-twist-by-tracy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
North: How to Live Scandinavian
North: How to Live Scandinavian
Bronte Aurell | 2017 | Food & Drink
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Nørth: How to Live Scandinavian by Brontë Aurell is a fun introduction to Scandinavia.  This book is filled with recipes, instructions and playful sideways satirical jabs at each of the three Scandinavian countries. From the OCD "it has to be white, all white," to the absolute gaucheness of taking a knife to a beautiful Danish cheese, use a slicer is proper and easier, to the proper way to smörgåsbord and how to drink aquavit, this book covers many aspects of living, dressing and eating in Scandinavian culture. The quirky idioms will make you laugh and the Janteloven (Law of Jante) will give you insight into the Scandinavian psyche.

I was excited to read this book. I lived for a year in Denmark and the year impacted the way I live my life. I knew Denmark and Danes impacted my life greatly but this book helped me realized just how much. 

I highly recommend this book to people who want to learn about Scandinavian culture, or are Scandinavian. 

I received this book from NetGalley via Quarto Publishing Group - Aurum Press and Aurum Press Ltd in exchange for an honest review.
  
40x40

Melanie Johnson (34 KP) rated Snapchat in Apps

Aug 14, 2018  
Snapchat
Snapchat
Communication, Photo & Video, Social Networking
10
7.4 (180 Ratings)
App Rating
Silly (1 more)
Entertains the babies
Husband calls me lame when I use it (0 more)
A review by someone over 25
Allow me to shed some light on snapchat from someone who is not 16 and using it to send nudes. Yes, the pictures disappear after you view them unless you save them, but there is more to this app than destroying the evidence. My two year old enjoys to see her face with doggie ears. My theater friends enjoy to watch their last scene with a tanning taco in the foreground. My sister in law and I snap before and after videos while we clean our house. I can send videos of our children to my husband at work and know that the quality of what I send will be better than a text message. So what I'm saying is that there is a lot of good here, even if you are saying to yourself "I dont use anything that the Kardashians do" and I hear you. Just know that you are missing out on the silliness that a adults need in their life ever so often
  
Unforgiven (1992)
Unforgiven (1992)
1992 | Western
Eastwood's best is still Eastwood's best!
On the eve of Eastwood's latest and maybe final film "The Mule" hitting theatres in a few weeks, I decided to rewatch his 1992 Best Picture winning effort to see if it still packs a punch as a subtle masterpiece.

Retired outlaw and present farmer William Munny decides to perform one final execution with his friend Ned and the Schofield Kid after they hear the tale of a prostitute being disfigured by a disgruntled customer. In the process, they have a run in with the local badass sheriff who has his own kind of law he dispenses at will.

It's cliche to say all westerns look beautiful since their nature is to capture the Old West in all its majesty and landscape; however, the cinematography here is the true star. The look of the film is stunning (especially on my new 75" TV) and moves you into this world immediately.

Eastwood, Hackman and Morgan Freeman form one of the greatest movie trifecta performances ever and the acting prowess on display is hard to match.

A true masterpiece.

  
Star Wars, Vol. 4: Last Flight of the Harbinger
Star Wars, Vol. 4: Last Flight of the Harbinger
Jason Aaron | 2017 | Comics & Graphic Novels
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Entry #4 in Marvel's new run of Star Wars stories, in which Han, Luke, Leia and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 (and some expendable 'Red Shirts', to borrow a phrase from Star Trek) hijack a Star Destroyer.

Running concurrently, we also have a look at the war from the other side of the divide, from the point of view of a Stormtrooper squad, who believe the Rebels to be terrorists and that freedom = law and order (rather than the Rebellions view of what entails freedom).

Said squad led by a character Luke had previously encountered on the Smugglers moon of Nar-Shadda, and with said sqaud tasked with 'recovering' the hijacked Destroyer.

AS is also now standard, we also have a flash-back to Kenobi's time on Tattoine looking after (from afar) Luke - if you ask me, it's a wonder how that kid didn't know something was up!

All-in-all, though, I have to say that I have enjoyed these 'main' Star Wars stories - hit and miss though they may be - more than, say, the Darth Vader series, with this one proving to be no exception.