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Ghosted
Ghosted
Leslie Margolis | 2018 | Children
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Mean Girl Gets Scrooged
Ellie Charles rules Lincoln Heights Middle School. Everyone wants to be her friend and everyone wants to please her. She's top of the class academically, president of the student body, and chairperson of every committee that matters. Maybe she rules with an iron fist, but no one seems to mind - at least as best Ellie can tell.

The book opens the day of the winter dance. Naturally, Ellie is chair of the dance committee, and it is going to be awesome! However, when Ellie falls off a ladder, she finds herself having a freaky out of body experience. Suddenly, she's back five years ago when her best friend, Marley, and Marley's two dads lived across the street. Back before her father left her and her mother right before Christmas. Why is she witnessing these events again? And who is the Girl in Black who seems to be following Ellie on this trip down memory lane?

Being a big fan of A Christmas Carol, I had to give this modern middle grade take on the classic a try. While I enjoyed aspects of it, including a few clever nods to the original, I felt the book was lacking overall. Ellie is just so mean it is hard to root for her. The book spends much of the time in the past, and Ellie's sad past doesn't help things. The expected ending seems abrupt and short, so we don't get as big a pay off as we would like after our trip with Ellie. Then again, it might just be that I'm not the target audience. Either way, this won't be making my list of beloved spins on the Dicken's classic.
  
Pieces of Me (Missing Pieces #2)
Pieces of Me (Missing Pieces #2)
N.R. Walker | 2020 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Pieces of Me is the second book in the Missing Pieces series and you need to read book one before you start on this one. It starts where book one finished and is a continuation of Justin's recovery and how Dallas is coping with everything and everyone.

Although this has the same characters and situations in it, the story is different enough to keep my attention. Finding out more about what Dallas has to cope with on the business side, plus what Justin deals with, made this all the more real for me. Life is tough without any 'easy answers' magically appearing. Dallas has to rob Peter to pay Paul and juggle his credit cards too. I loved that part, like I said, making it real.

This was a brilliant addition to the series and I thoroughly enjoyed how Dallas and Justin's story moved along at a steady pace. There is a bit more steam in this one as Justin's body and mind start to remember Dallas.

A fantastic story that has me gripped. Can't wait to continue. Absolutely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
  
Videodrome (1983)
Videodrome (1983)
1983 | Horror, Sci-Fi
First It Controls Your Mind Than It Destorys Your Body
Holy shit this movie is good. The effects, the psychological espect, the sci-fi, the horror, the suspense, the mystery and James Woods.

The Plot: As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn (James Woods) is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend (Deborah Harry) auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.

Distributed by Universal Pictures, Videodrome was the first film by Cronenberg to gain backing from any major Hollywood studio. With the highest budget of any of his films to date, the film was a box-office bomb, recouping only $2.1 million from a $5.9 million budget.

Now considered a cult classic, the film has been cited as one of Cronenberg's best, and a key example of the body horror and science fiction horror genres.

The basis for the film came from David Cronenberg's childhood. Cronenberg used to pick up television signals from Buffalo, New York, late at night after Canadian stations had gone off the air, and worry he might see something disturbing not meant for public consumption.

After the box office success of Scanners, Cronenberg turned down the chance of directing Return of the Jedi, having had no desire to direct material produced by other filmmakers.

When it came to casting the character of Max Renn, Cronenberg chose James Woods, who was a fan of Rabid and Scanners and met with the actor in Beverly Hills to offer him the part, and liked the fact that Woods was very articulate in terms of delivery.

Its a excellent movie and a must see, same with david cronenberg's early horror films.
  
Eat Yourself Healthy: An easy-to digest guide to health and happiness from the inside out
Eat Yourself Healthy: An easy-to digest guide to health and happiness from the inside out
Megan Rossi | 2019 | Food & Drink, Science & Mathematics
6
3.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I chose this book because I have a keen interest in healthy eating. I’m not a major healthy eater (I’m the wrong size and shape for that) but I try to make good food choices, I like cooking from scratch, and i’m interested in the science of food. ‘Eat yourself healthy’ also appealed to me as it didn’t come across as a standard diet and weight loss book, this seemed to just be focusing more on the whole health of your body.

This is a really informative book, Megan Rossi knows her stuff and relays that information in a straight forward and understandable way. The book is also interactive, as you can follow links (if you have the e-book version, hardcopy readers will just have to do it the old fashioned way and type in the web address) to take different types of self assessments. So you can learn where you are within mind and body at the moment of reading, and take re-assessments along the way to track your journey.

Of course this wouldn’t be a complete healthy eating book if it didn’t contain some recipes, so of course it does. There are some ‘interesting’ recipes within, not all to my taste, and some contain ingredients way beyond my standard shopping list but they could be worth a try. (The sautéed Brussel sprouts and tenderstem broccoli with pesto and wild rice sounds tempting)

My top take away from ‘Eat yourself healthy’ is the suggestion for gut goodness bowls. Rossi provides you with various ingredients divided into columns like ‘Fibre Base’ ‘Fermented Flavours’ ‘Healthy fats’ and ‘Dress and Coat’. You then essentially mix and match ingredients from these columns to create your own gut goodness bowl. I think its a great idea, you know you’re making healthy choices, and with just a few ingredients you can create a whole variety of different choices.

On the whole ‘Eat Yourself Healthy’ is a useful and informative book, not exactly ground-breaking in the science and diet department but still a great source of information.
  
Tick Tock (DS Grace Allendale #2)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
TICK…
In the city of Stoke, a teenage girl is murdered in the middle of the day, her lifeless body abandoned in a field behind her school.
TOCK…
Two days later, a young mother is abducted. She’s discovered strangled and dumped in a local park.
TIME’S UP…
DS Grace Allendale and her team are brought in to investigate, but with a bold killer, no leads and nothing to connect the victims, the case seems hopeless. It’s only when a third woman is targeted that a sinister pattern emerges. A dangerous mind is behind these attacks, and Grace realises that the clock is ticking…
Can they catch the killer before another young woman dies?

A solid second book in the DS Grace Allendale series.
This was a tense story with the clock ticking for DS Allendale to solve who is killing apparently random victims.
Absolutely gripping from the start.
I love the plot so very well written and paced.
Lots of action with twists and turns.
I like the development of the characters.
Highly Recommend Reading... I love all Mel Sherratt novels!

Thank you to Net Galley, The Publishers and of course Mel Sherratt for my ARC. This is my own honest voluntary review.
  
L'Argent De Poche (Small Change) (1976)
L'Argent De Poche (Small Change) (1976)
1976 | Comedy, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"When I was first living in Los Angeles. I was in love with a French girl, now my wife, and I became immersed in the way her culture viewed life. There was a different set of priorities at work, a value of simplicity and pure ingredients, both in the food and the filmmaking. This film blew my mind. The cast is all children. It contains one of the great suspense sequences of all time: a toddler climbing out an apartment window trying to reach a kitten while his mother talks on the phone, ignorant to the tragedy at hand. Another vignette follows an older boy teaching a younger boy how to pick up girls. Very French, but so honest and pure. I remember watching the extras on the DVD of A Man and a Woman, another great film. The crew consisted of a handheld Bolex and a sound recordist, mostly natural light. Everything was in the eyes, the body language — just two people learning each other. It informed the way I made Safety Not Guaranteed. Stripped down, but not messy or ugly. Clear and audible sound, like what your ears would capture if you were there. Intimate. Real. The best."

Source
  
Walk With Me by Rotimi
Walk With Me by Rotimi
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Rotimi is a singer and actor from Maplewood, New Jersey. Not too long ago, he released a music video for his tropical R&B single, entitled, “Love Riddim”.

“Wish I could start it over. Baby, I need you over. Wish I could taste, kiss you down by your waist. He treats you wrong. Wish I could show you, love. Wish I could make you know it. Baby, you need to know it” – lyrics

‘Love Riddim’ tells a sensual tale of a young guy who is skilled at touching the right spots on the lower parts of a desirable female’s body.

Apparently, the woman in question has a boyfriend, but he doesn’t make her go “Oh-ooh ooh-oh” as her lover does.

Therefore, she creeps discreetly with her lover during the nighttime hours. Also, her mind travels elsewhere when he touches her down below.

‘Love Riddim’ contains a relatable storyline, ear-welcoming vocals, and vibey instrumentation flavored with tropical, afrobeat, and contemporary R&B elements.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/rotimi-love-riddim-video/
  
Lying and Dying (Josef Slonsky Investigations #1)
Lying and Dying (Josef Slonsky Investigations #1)
Graham Brack | 2018 | Crime, Mystery
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Prague police procedural
Josef Slonsky is a detective in the Prague police force. He is called to the body of a woman who is discovered at the train station, murdered. His partner, Navratil, is a probationary officer, and seems a little bewildered by Slonsky's methods. To be fair, he has every right to be. Slonsky is irreverent, seems to be incredibly lazy, and therefore does as little as possible. But I think this is all very misleading. Underneath all this is a man who knows exactly what he is doing. He has served on the police force whilst Prague was the capital city in a communist country, and knows all about the systemic corruption.
He's an amusing character though, and seems to have a (usually sarcastic) answer to everything. It's not until the near the end that we see another side to Slonsky. I still can't make up my mind as to whether the ending was rushed, or whether Slonsky really had just had enough. I hope it's the latter - it gives him a bit of an edge.
I enjoyed this book, and I will be reading the next one.
Many thanks to Sapere books for my copy to read and honestly review.
  
40x40

Thundercat recommended Journey to Love by Stanley Clarke in Music (curated)

 
Journey to Love by Stanley Clarke
Journey to Love by Stanley Clarke
1975 | Jazz
(0 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is when I first started taking my bass seriously. This was this was a when I got hungry to understand what it meant to play bass. I thank God that there was a Stanley Clarke as a frame of reference to what to what is possible with the bass, along with Jaco [Pastorious] and Marcus Miller. There was a period where I stopped liking the practice, I was like 'uh I don't wanna practice', and my mom was really clever about it. She offered to pay me to transcribe Stanley Clarke's School Days. And of course, I'm like, 'I want to buy comic books and Marvel cards', so of course I transcribed School Days. Journey to Love and School Days became really personal to me. It was just like, I felt like this was my n**, and I felt like this was who I am; I identified with those two albums. I didn't even discover the self-titled album until later in life; I was very much married to School Days and Journey to Love. I think that Journey to Love is still very much a story to me that I feel resonates in my mind and body. I don't know what you would call it musically, but I paraphrased the album on my very first album, sonically."

Source
  
Idle Gossip
Idle Gossip
Renee Patrick | 2022 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Can Lillian and Edith Find the Deadly Truth in Some Gossip?
Lillian Frost and Edith Head have been summoned to the office of famed gossip columnist Lorna Whitcomb. Her “leg man,” someone who goes out and gathers the gossip for her column, is the police’s prime suspect in the death of Glenn Hoyle, one of his sources. But Sam Simcoe says he is innocent and only found Glenn’s body. Lorna all but blackmails Lillian and Edith into helping clear Sam’s name of the crime. The pair intend to do as little as possible, focusing on the names on a list found in Glenn’s trashcan. Does one of those names hold the key to unraveling the murder?

As always, this was a great trip back in time to the Hollywood of 1940. Real people and fictional characters rub elbows on these pages. I suspect that a few more of the characters might be real people I just didn’t recognize, but I don’t mind since it helps keep the line between real and fictional blurry. And they are all great characters that kept me engaged. The plot is strong, with several revelations before we reach a surprising yet perfectly logical climax. If you enjoy old Hollywood, this series is a must read, but anyone who appreciates a great mystery will be glad they picked it up.