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Picture of Innocence
Picture of Innocence
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
My name is Lydia. I’m 12 years old. I’m not an evil person, but I did something bad.
My name is Maddie. I’d never hurt my son. But can I be sure if I don’t remember?
With three children under ten, Maddie is struggling. On the outside, she’s a happy young mother, running a charity as well as a household. But inside, she’s exhausted. She knows she’s lucky to have to have a support network around her. Not just her loving husband, but her family and friends too.
But is Maddie putting her trust in the right people? Because when tragedy strikes, she is certain someone has hurt her child – and everyone is a suspect, including Maddie herself…
The women in this book are about to discover that looks can be deceiving… because anyone is capable of terrible things. Even the most innocent, even you.
This is the story of every mother’s worst fear. But it’s not a story you know… and nothing is what it seems.

Picture Of Innocence is a dark psychological thriller.
This novel had me utterly hooked!
The story follows the lives of two women: Maddie and Lydia, and the theme is nature versus nurture.
I really enjoyed the two stories of two women in two different periods of time and watching how those stories intertwined.
This is one devious thriller!
There are so many twists, turns and red herrings in this book; you will be guessing and open mouthed even down to the last page!
I won’t give any spoilers, suffice to say that it’s shocking and dreadful and heartbreaking all at the same time.
 I have to commend T. J. Stimson for a brilliant read!

Many Thanks to AVON Books, UK and NetGalley for a wonderful read
  
The Box: Puppets and Puppeteers
The Box: Puppets and Puppeteers
C.C. Monö | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I don’t even know where to start… Wow!
First off, the little recap of the story from the first book at the start is brilliant. I was lucky enough to read the books back to back, but if you didn’t, this meant that you could go in without having to be trying to remember what was going on!
It continues straight on from book one and very soon you are drawn into what I can only describe as one of the best pieces of descriptive writing that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Every part of The Diamond Ball is utterly sublime. I don’t want to spoil the experience for anyone else so all I will say is that it felt like I was there and I would give anything to see it on-screen one day.
The story has moved away a little from the rest of the students and is now focused on Axel, ‘The Box’ and how they plan to destroy The Academy. They are still being vague with Axel about their plans, but maintain that he is the lynchpin of it all. He was already conflicted as to whether to trust them, but after the events at The Diamond Ball are his allegiances being pulled in another direction entirely?
We also go back 4 years to follow the fate of another ex-student and how they had tried to escape The Academy, but what is their connection to ‘The Box’ and how will their experiences with them influence Axel in the present day?
The writing is again perfectly paced with the tension building brilliantly and all the characters a pleasure to read about. I literally cannot wait for the next book!
  
It's Different Now by Dax
It's Different Now by Dax
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Dax is a 24-year-old Los Angeles-based hip-hop artist from Ottawa, Canada. Not too long ago, he released a music video for his “Did It First” single.

“Where I’m from they never did it, I did it first. Rap game wasn’t sh*t, I gave it birth. I told them ni^^as I would make ‘cause I wasn’t stopping. They was laughing now I’m laughing ‘cause I know they watching.” – lyrics

‘Did It First’ tells an introspective tale which is told from Dax’s point of view.

Apparently, he used to tell an unbeliever (a fake local rapper) and other haters that he would fulfill his rap dreams. But they laughed at him because they couldn’t visualize his vision, which expanded way beyond Kansas.

Now Dax is a successful rap artist, and the same people who didn’t believe in his dreams are saying that he got lucky, a guppy who hit the lottery.

Also, Dax admitted that he is a prophet because he told his haters that he would make it big in the rap game and he did.

“When I left home, I left with the mindset that I’m not coming back until I bring something back. You know sometimes you gotta give the people something to believe in. Go get it. I didn’t expect nobody to believe in my dream because it wasn’t theirs in the first place. That’s what I did.” – Dax

‘Did It First’ is featured on Dax’s debut EP, entitled, “It’s Different Now”.

The likable tune contains a relatable storyline and spirited rap vocals. Also, the song possesses lush instrumentation flavored with hip-hop and trap elements.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/dax-did-it-first/
  
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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Bunker Boy in Books

Jun 18, 2019  
Bunker Boy
Bunker Boy
Jordan Elizabeth Mierek | 2019 | Dystopia, Thriller
9
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Bunker Boy is the latest dystopian novel by the diverse author Jordan Elizabeth. One minute, the eighteen-year-old Zara is studying for her Spanish exam and the next she is waking up in a strange room where she has apparently spent five years in a coma. The world as Zara knew it is over. She is informed that terrorists bombed the East Coast of the United States of America and she is one of the lucky few to survive the viaane gas poisoning.

What initially seemed to be salvation turns into a backward, middle ages scenario where women are oppressed by the government run by a dictatorial headmaster. Zara soon learns that no one can challenge the way of life without putting their own lives at risk. She also discovers that things are not at all what they seem.

Jordan Elizabeth's writing is fast-paced but still manages to gradually build up the storyline. Being told from Zara's point of view, the reader experiences things as they happen rather than being aware of things the characters do not know. As a result, readers share the same emotions as the protagonist, imagining themselves in the same position.

Another great attribute of Jordan Elizabeth's writing is that she does not need to include romance to make the story interesting. Although there are relationships of a sort, there is no love, lust or conflicting emotions to distract from the storyline. The author knows how to naturally engage the reader and keep them interested.

Bunker Boy is just one of many of Jordan Elizabeth's greatest books. The only downside is it is short and, therefore, over way too quickly. The author has the potential to write a full-length novel in the future.
  
Charlie and Boots (2012)
Charlie and Boots (2012)
2012 | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
6
3.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
For anyone affiliated with Australia and those who have a soft spot for Paul Hogan, should enjoy this heartwarming tale set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most beautiful countries. When Charlie (Hogan) loses his wife to whom he was married to for forty-five years he struggles to fill an empty void that she leaves behind.

Content to shut himself off from the world he is rescued by his son Boots (Jacobson) who decides to take him on a very impromptu trip to fish off of Australia’s Northern most point, Cape York.

It’s a road trip, a buddy film about dealing with death and the start of new beginnings. Along the way the pair pick up Jess (Morgan Griffin), a young female hitchhiker with boyfriend trouble, and whose happy go lucky outlook on life seem to rub off on the duo.

It’s clear to see from the outset that these two have not had the closest of father son relationships, with a particular family tragedy revealed mid way through, and both have put up strong boundaries. But the trip is a chance to put all that behind them and start a fresh.

Of course amongst all the emotional turmoil there are some funny moments, with Charlie trying to avoid the affections of a female trucker, an altercation with a car load of lawn bowls enthusiasts and a bull!

The film could be seen as a promotional tourist video and some of the landscape and scenery is breathtaking, but this film is about Hogan and Jacobson beginning to feel comfortable in each others company once again.

Hogan is very much an Aussie icon, he’s way short of the Crocodile larrikin he once was but here he still manages to ooze the charm and charisma that everyone will still remember.
  
The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)
2014 | Drama
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
When it comes to food, opinions on colors, flavors, and textures are dynamic. No two foodies are the same. Throughout the world culinary differences abound; even ideas of what constitutes a food can be disparate. Blurring the line between history and the future, favorite dishes get modern twists and contemporary chefs discover innovation by studying the foods of yesteryear.

Films always have a location, but while “The 100 Foot Journey” is set in small town France, the story really exists at the crossroads of two fiercely independent culinary traditions. Throughout the film, Indian and French cuisines feed the visual storytelling and nourish the scenes.

As the leading man, Hassan, actor Manish Dayal plays a convincing chef struggling between two cultural and culinary worlds. But it is the support of Papa, Hassan’s can-do attitude driven father, played by actor Om Puri, and Michelin star obsessed know-it-all neighbor Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren) that invigorate the screen.

Simple yet engaging, plot is not where “The 100 Foot Journey” excels. Opting to focus on subtle interpersonal scenes, the film lacks twists, suspense, and grand surprises. Instead “The 100 Foot Journey” explores the joys, sorrows, and revelations that happen when two culinary histories and lifestyles meet. The journey highlights the challenges faced with preserving tradition while also carving a new path.

Consumables garnish almost every moment of character interaction; food plays a role in careers, conflicts, and mutual understanding. It could be easy, and not entirely wrong, to write-off this picture as a feel good foodie flick. However, just like a good croissant, “The 100 Foot Journey” is worth more than a deceptively uncomplicated a first glance; it contains flavorful and complex layers upon further examination. Be it a story of coincidence, lucky, or fate, “The 100 Foot Journey” is worth a taste if not a feast.
  
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