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Twilight (Twilight, #1)
6.8
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About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a...
InfernalNinja (49 KP) rated Last Night in Soho (2021) in Movies
Nov 21, 2021
The 60's timeframe makes for an awesome aesthetic (2 more)
Great acting
Thought I figured it out halfway through. Then came the twists
Very slick and stylish psychological thriller!
Any time Edgar Wright is at the helm, you know you're in for a treat, and this film is no exception! Slick and stylish visuals, an intriguing story, and excellent acting from the leads. If you're a horror fan, you'll love it! If you're an Edgar Wright fan, you'll love it. Honestly, check it out either way. You'll be glad you did!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated My Dark Vanessa in Books
Mar 19, 2020
At fifteen, the very bright Vanessa Wye earns a scholarship position to boarding school. It's the year 2000. There she meets Jacob Strane, her English teacher, who is forty-two-years-old. Soon the two are involved in a powerful relationship--and one that quickly turns sexual. Seventeen years later, Vanessa is working as a concierge at a hotel, just another in a series of dead-end jobs. She hasn't had any real serious relationships. And now, Jacob Strane, has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, Taylor Birch. Taylor tracks down Vanessa, wanting her to share her story, too. But Vanessa doesn't feel she was abused by Strane. In fact, her entire life is framed by her love story with Strane. As Taylor Birch's story gains traction in the press, Vanessa must confront her past and what it means to her.
"'I'm going to ruin you.' He says it with obvious torment, a glimpse into how much he's thought about it, wrestled with it."
This book...wow. I was absolutely captivated by Vanessa's story. She tells her tale in two parts: her adolescence, as she meets Jacob Strane at school and they begin their relationship; and then the present, as Taylor Birch's story hits the press and Vanessa must deal with the fact that her love for Jacob Strane is being portrayed as abuse and assault.
"It's strange to know that whenever I remember myself at fifteen, I'll think of this."
For a book with such dark subject matter, it's really beautiful. Russell is a wonderful writer, and this story unfolds almost lyrically. It's so well-done and completely mesmerizing. The sections featuring young Vanessa capture that early adolescent yearning and longing so perfectly--that deep desire to feel needed and wanted. To Vanessa, this is a love story, a romantic tale of a man needing and loving her. She blocks out and overlooks the parts of the story that don't fit. Understanding that some victims don't see abuse as abuse is key to the story, and Russell portrays the dynamic between Strane and Vanessa so well.
"'It's just my luck,' he said, 'that when I finally find my soul mate, she's fifteen years old.'"
As a result, we get a very thoughtful look at abuse, rape, and assault. And, yes, the sections of older Vanessa's story touch across the #metoo movement, as Taylor Birch and others want so desperately for Vanessa to join their side, to share her story. For them or for Vanessa, it's hard to say. This book is so dark, yet so insightful. Vanessa's inner struggle--basically she's having to re-look at the entire foundation upon which her life is built--is one of the most profoundly written and moving journeys I've seen in literature in quite some time. It's not easy to read about, certainly, and it's not always easy to understand her actions, of course. The story can make you uncomfortable; it can feel problematic. But it's an important read, and it's so beautifully and poetically written. I highly recommend it (taking into account the obvious trigger warnings, of course). 4.5+ stars.
"'I'm going to ruin you.' He says it with obvious torment, a glimpse into how much he's thought about it, wrestled with it."
This book...wow. I was absolutely captivated by Vanessa's story. She tells her tale in two parts: her adolescence, as she meets Jacob Strane at school and they begin their relationship; and then the present, as Taylor Birch's story hits the press and Vanessa must deal with the fact that her love for Jacob Strane is being portrayed as abuse and assault.
"It's strange to know that whenever I remember myself at fifteen, I'll think of this."
For a book with such dark subject matter, it's really beautiful. Russell is a wonderful writer, and this story unfolds almost lyrically. It's so well-done and completely mesmerizing. The sections featuring young Vanessa capture that early adolescent yearning and longing so perfectly--that deep desire to feel needed and wanted. To Vanessa, this is a love story, a romantic tale of a man needing and loving her. She blocks out and overlooks the parts of the story that don't fit. Understanding that some victims don't see abuse as abuse is key to the story, and Russell portrays the dynamic between Strane and Vanessa so well.
"'It's just my luck,' he said, 'that when I finally find my soul mate, she's fifteen years old.'"
As a result, we get a very thoughtful look at abuse, rape, and assault. And, yes, the sections of older Vanessa's story touch across the #metoo movement, as Taylor Birch and others want so desperately for Vanessa to join their side, to share her story. For them or for Vanessa, it's hard to say. This book is so dark, yet so insightful. Vanessa's inner struggle--basically she's having to re-look at the entire foundation upon which her life is built--is one of the most profoundly written and moving journeys I've seen in literature in quite some time. It's not easy to read about, certainly, and it's not always easy to understand her actions, of course. The story can make you uncomfortable; it can feel problematic. But it's an important read, and it's so beautifully and poetically written. I highly recommend it (taking into account the obvious trigger warnings, of course). 4.5+ stars.
Necole (36 KP) rated All We Ever Wanted in Books
Aug 25, 2018
Family Drama at it's best
Family Drama at it's best!!!
A powerful story relatable to today's society about family, morals, values, the treatment of others, standing up for what is right and all else a mother's love and a father's love. All We Ever Wanted will tug at your heart strings, make you think, and maybe open your eyes a little on how to treat people better. It also holds a message of how materialism can lead people astray and change people not for the better but you can always find your self again especially when you have people who love you have your back. Loyalty, compassion, standing up for what is right and love is what you will take away from this book!!!
All We Ever Wanted is about the complications modern life can bring in a society with cell phones mixed will the old school story of privileged high society and the pay check to paycheck society and how even the wealthy struggle with morals, values, and what love for a child means. It is told is told from the perspectives of Nina (Finch's mother, who is the boy accused of taking a picture of Lyla at a party where she is passed out, in a provocative pose, and a racially charged blurb written on it that got sent to kids at the prestigious Windsor high school), Tom (the single carpenter dad of Lyla, who is the girl in the photo) and Lyla. It was so well written and fascinating to read from each of their perspectives.
So what happens to these characters and others in the book when this photo gets leaked? Will there be justice for Lyla? How do the parents handle their kids? Is there a love story in the mix?
Read the book to find out!!!! You will not be disappointed!!! The books summary does a perfect job of explaining without giving away the many twists and turns and events that occur in this book!
A powerful story relatable to today's society about family, morals, values, the treatment of others, standing up for what is right and all else a mother's love and a father's love. All We Ever Wanted will tug at your heart strings, make you think, and maybe open your eyes a little on how to treat people better. It also holds a message of how materialism can lead people astray and change people not for the better but you can always find your self again especially when you have people who love you have your back. Loyalty, compassion, standing up for what is right and love is what you will take away from this book!!!
All We Ever Wanted is about the complications modern life can bring in a society with cell phones mixed will the old school story of privileged high society and the pay check to paycheck society and how even the wealthy struggle with morals, values, and what love for a child means. It is told is told from the perspectives of Nina (Finch's mother, who is the boy accused of taking a picture of Lyla at a party where she is passed out, in a provocative pose, and a racially charged blurb written on it that got sent to kids at the prestigious Windsor high school), Tom (the single carpenter dad of Lyla, who is the girl in the photo) and Lyla. It was so well written and fascinating to read from each of their perspectives.
So what happens to these characters and others in the book when this photo gets leaked? Will there be justice for Lyla? How do the parents handle their kids? Is there a love story in the mix?
Read the book to find out!!!! You will not be disappointed!!! The books summary does a perfect job of explaining without giving away the many twists and turns and events that occur in this book!
The Sacred and Profane Love Machine
Iris Murdoch and Elaine Feinstein
Book
Montague Small, an obsessive writer of detective thrillers, mourns his lately dead wife, who may or...
Lindsay (1774 KP) rated The Giving Tree in Books
Jun 17, 2021
The Giving Tree is a lovely book; I love the hand drawing of the images in this book. The author does a beautiful job with that. Here is a classic book to have. It teaches about loving and giving love. It also shows what happens to a tree as well.
The book is more in the form of a poem. That is sweet. It is about a boy, and the tree is giving them and loving the boy. It goes through some emotions and shows you how the tree and the boy's wants and needs are different. But will the tree have what the boy needs to make him happy?
The hand drawings are different but lovely. I have not found a book that can beat or compare to it yet. The story is loving. The Giving Tree is great to have on any bookshelf. This book is for all ages, not just children. Though I think if you read this book, you may find what makes a tree so crucial in life and what could and has happened to them down to the stump of a tree.
Parents will love reading this book to their children; there is a meaning behind the story or the poem. I think this is a poem. The tree is giving and giving. Will the tree get love in return, or will the boy take advantage of the tree-giving nature and not return that love.
The book is more in the form of a poem. That is sweet. It is about a boy, and the tree is giving them and loving the boy. It goes through some emotions and shows you how the tree and the boy's wants and needs are different. But will the tree have what the boy needs to make him happy?
The hand drawings are different but lovely. I have not found a book that can beat or compare to it yet. The story is loving. The Giving Tree is great to have on any bookshelf. This book is for all ages, not just children. Though I think if you read this book, you may find what makes a tree so crucial in life and what could and has happened to them down to the stump of a tree.
Parents will love reading this book to their children; there is a meaning behind the story or the poem. I think this is a poem. The tree is giving and giving. Will the tree get love in return, or will the boy take advantage of the tree-giving nature and not return that love.
Rachel (48 KP) rated The Venetian: This Haunted World: Book 1 in Books
May 27, 2017
A Slow Burn
actually purchased this book by mistake, it's cover is similar to another novel, but I'm glad that I did!
This novel is certainly a slow burn, for the first 20% of it I was highly unimpressed. It felt flimsy and rushed, making it hard to sympathise with the main characters struggles. To be frank - I almost gave up on it. Suddenly, though, the story really kicks in and I read the remainder in one go.
This story is about anger,madness, betrayal and disappointment. It is also about survival, determination and love.
The main stage for the story is an island that is painted so vividly I can almost believe I have been there! The growing suspense and fear is skillfully built to a crescendo, the story woven between different times in just the right way. The ending is very satisfying - not a fairy tale where suddenly everything is perfect but instead a believable end note.
The medical practices described are even more distasteful and repugnant because they actually occurred. In fact a lot were very common sadly.
This would have been a 10/10 review had it not taken so long for the real, meaty story to start. Hopefully others who have purchased this book also continued with it and discovered this gem of a story.
This novel is certainly a slow burn, for the first 20% of it I was highly unimpressed. It felt flimsy and rushed, making it hard to sympathise with the main characters struggles. To be frank - I almost gave up on it. Suddenly, though, the story really kicks in and I read the remainder in one go.
This story is about anger,madness, betrayal and disappointment. It is also about survival, determination and love.
The main stage for the story is an island that is painted so vividly I can almost believe I have been there! The growing suspense and fear is skillfully built to a crescendo, the story woven between different times in just the right way. The ending is very satisfying - not a fairy tale where suddenly everything is perfect but instead a believable end note.
The medical practices described are even more distasteful and repugnant because they actually occurred. In fact a lot were very common sadly.
This would have been a 10/10 review had it not taken so long for the real, meaty story to start. Hopefully others who have purchased this book also continued with it and discovered this gem of a story.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2389 KP) rated Nogged Off in Books
Nov 3, 2019
Julia’s First Eventful Christmas Back Home
This story finds Julia Snowden taking a quick day trip to New York City to pack up the rest of her belongings so she can permanently move to Maine. When she arrives, she finds her sub-tenant to be upset about some setbacks in her personal life, and Julia winds up inviting Imogen home for Christmas. However, Julia’s Christmas gets more complicated when her moving truck is stolen after they arrive in Busman’s Harbor. What is going on?
I love this series, and I enjoyed getting to visit Julia at Christmas. I was able to get fully lost in this story right away since I already know the series characters and the setting. The plot was fun with some good twists before we reached the end. Barbara Ross includes some fun Christmas traditions that are unique to Maine without slowing down the story, and they give us that all important Christmas feeling. There are a couple of recipes at the end of the story, as always, to enjoy during the holiday season.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Eggnog Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas trip to Maine.
I love this series, and I enjoyed getting to visit Julia at Christmas. I was able to get fully lost in this story right away since I already know the series characters and the setting. The plot was fun with some good twists before we reached the end. Barbara Ross includes some fun Christmas traditions that are unique to Maine without slowing down the story, and they give us that all important Christmas feeling. There are a couple of recipes at the end of the story, as always, to enjoy during the holiday season.
NOTE: This story is a novella, roughly 100 pages, and was originally part of the novella collection Eggnog Murder. If you have that book, there is no need to buy this ebook. If you haven’t read the story, now is the time to sit back and enjoy this Christmas trip to Maine.
Maris (8 KP) rated The Sun is Also a Star in Books
Jun 10, 2019
SPOILER FREE!
Young love...Who would have thought that I would actually fall in love with this story? I'm not really into romance stories it would have to really get me and I thought this story was pretty cute from the beginning to the very end.
This book has been in my TBR jar and I selected the title surprised to find out that the movie comes out next month so It was meant to be. I knew it was going to be a romance story and I had my fingers crossed it was going to be worth the read and sure enough it was. It's different, unique, and beautiful...a love story I have not read before so it has originality for me to keep reading.
Our story starts out in New York City. We get to meet Natasha, a young girl who is originally born in Jamaica along with her younger brother and parents. Natasha and her family are being deported back to Jamaica, Natasha is doing everything she can for her and her family to be able to stay in America. Natasha is all about facts and what's in front of her type of person.
We also get to meet Daniel, who is a Korean - American whose family is from South Korea. Daniels family have high expectations for him to be a doctor and has a very important interview to get into Yale. Daniel is all about fate and destiny and true love.
I definitely feel like the love tension between the two went really fast but in a really good way. We have two completely different people and one who truly believes in fate and tries to show the other to follow your heart and what it says.
You know its a good book when you really can't put the book down and you want to know what's going to happen and I mean I had to know what the fate was between these two young couples and where they were going to end up. So many questions running thru my head... Are they going to end up being together? Are they getting married on the same day they meet? Do Natasha and her family have to go back to Jamaica? The ending gave me goosebumps! I love endings of stories, it's everything for me and it ended perfectly for me.
Get your popcorn and candies! The movie comes out next month and I'm very stoked to have a "Me-Time" to watch this!
Young love...Who would have thought that I would actually fall in love with this story? I'm not really into romance stories it would have to really get me and I thought this story was pretty cute from the beginning to the very end.
This book has been in my TBR jar and I selected the title surprised to find out that the movie comes out next month so It was meant to be. I knew it was going to be a romance story and I had my fingers crossed it was going to be worth the read and sure enough it was. It's different, unique, and beautiful...a love story I have not read before so it has originality for me to keep reading.
Our story starts out in New York City. We get to meet Natasha, a young girl who is originally born in Jamaica along with her younger brother and parents. Natasha and her family are being deported back to Jamaica, Natasha is doing everything she can for her and her family to be able to stay in America. Natasha is all about facts and what's in front of her type of person.
We also get to meet Daniel, who is a Korean - American whose family is from South Korea. Daniels family have high expectations for him to be a doctor and has a very important interview to get into Yale. Daniel is all about fate and destiny and true love.
I definitely feel like the love tension between the two went really fast but in a really good way. We have two completely different people and one who truly believes in fate and tries to show the other to follow your heart and what it says.
You know its a good book when you really can't put the book down and you want to know what's going to happen and I mean I had to know what the fate was between these two young couples and where they were going to end up. So many questions running thru my head... Are they going to end up being together? Are they getting married on the same day they meet? Do Natasha and her family have to go back to Jamaica? The ending gave me goosebumps! I love endings of stories, it's everything for me and it ended perfectly for me.
Get your popcorn and candies! The movie comes out next month and I'm very stoked to have a "Me-Time" to watch this!
MaryAnn (14 KP) rated Trial by Patience (The Trials #3) in Books
Nov 4, 2019
Danny Solomon operates Break Away Acres, an equine therapy center for abused kids and teens. As a former abuse victim, Danny knows how important it is to let these kids know that someone still cares. God has blessed Danny with a gift: the ability to see the past of anyone who meets his eye. The information he is given through this gift allows him to know how he might best help those around him. Phoenix Nichols is Dannys new trail guide. Her job is to help with the horses and keep an eye on the kids. With a past more painful than anything Danny has ever encountered, he finds himself unable to resist trying to help. When her past becomes her present, her trust in Danny is the only link she has to finding God
and peace.
My Thoughts: This is a wonderful story about healing. It teaches us not to judge people, not knowing what their life events have been or where it's taken them. This story introduces the readers to equine therapy which allows the abused learn to trust and love again.
The characters in the story were very believable and the reader feels empathy for them. The writer engages the reader and keeps the storyline moving. It was a joy to read. It is also a story about turning to God and trusting Him in everything.
This is a great story for those who love horses and cowboys. It may even lead to an interest in equine therapy.
My Thoughts: This is a wonderful story about healing. It teaches us not to judge people, not knowing what their life events have been or where it's taken them. This story introduces the readers to equine therapy which allows the abused learn to trust and love again.
The characters in the story were very believable and the reader feels empathy for them. The writer engages the reader and keeps the storyline moving. It was a joy to read. It is also a story about turning to God and trusting Him in everything.
This is a great story for those who love horses and cowboys. It may even lead to an interest in equine therapy.