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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2336 KP) rated In Sunshine or in Shadow in Books

Mar 14, 2024  
In Sunshine or in Shadow
In Sunshine or in Shadow
Rhys Bowen, Clare Broyles | 2024 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not So Restful Time in the Catskills
Summer of 1908 finds typhoid hitting New York City. At the insistence of her husband, Molly heads to visit his mother in Westchester, taking the rest of the family with her. But soon, she is bored and decides to visit her friends Sid and Gus in the Catskills. They are making a reluctant visit to Sid’s family only to have murder crash the reunion. With the police reluctant to let anyone leave until the case is solve, Molly starts investigating. Can she find out what happened?

The book spends only as long as needed getting the characters into position before the story starts. From there, we get some set up, so by the time the victim is found, we have plenty of suspects. I loved watching the investigation unfold, and the solutions was perfectly logical. The suspects get plenty of time to shine, and I grew to like them. And Daniel is on his best behavior here, too. I found it interesting to visit the Catskills just as they were beginning to turn into a summer destination. Meanwhile, some very nasty prejudice is displayed without turning the book into a lecture at any point. Molly’s fans will be rewarded with a fantastic twentieth book.
  
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Sean Farrell (9 KP) rated I am Pilgrim in Books

Mar 15, 2018  
I am Pilgrim
I am Pilgrim
Terry Hayes | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.8 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
This novel has been garnering high praise all summer long so I was very excited to get into it, and I was certainly not disappointed. This suspense novel simultaneously tells the story of a mysterious murder in New York City and a potential terrorist plot in the Middle East that could have unimaginably catastrophic effects for civilization as we know it. The protagonist, who has gone by many names throughout his life, is a compelling and necessarily flawed character. There are certainly things about him that one could find disagreeable, but he is still more than human enough to be worth rooting for. The other primary characters are also fleshed out enough to be equally compelling. As for the plot, it jumps around the world and across decades smoothly and at such a breakneck pace that it gets harder and harder to put this book down as it goes. While the mystery winds up being satisfyingly twisty, it is the terrorist plot that is the main point of the book, and it is easily one of the most plausibly horrifying things I have ever read. Suffice it to say that it has added something new to my list of worries, and I certainly hope that some actions are taken to ensure something like this never happens in real life. This is one of the most entertaining (and harrowing) books I have read this year, and is likely to wind up on more than a few end-of-the-year best lists.
  
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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Ghostbusters (2016) in Movies

Aug 6, 2019  
Ghostbusters (2016)
Ghostbusters (2016)
2016 | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
4
6.2 (74 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
The new “Ghostbusters,” is intended to be a reboot of the “Ghostbusters” films. This time around starring Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, and Kate McKinnon. None of which owned their characters in the first twenty minutes of the movie. Although Wiig and McCarthy are among my favorite comedic actresses, they just were not believable in their roles.

The team starts a ghost chasing business in the middle of New York city, although I never see them collect any money. Like the original, they drive around in a hearse. But this time it’s pink and white.

This time around everything is cheesy and over the top. Even the equipment, while pretty cool at times, is mostly flashing lights. The CGI is pretty terrible quite frankly, making the old graphic techniques used in the original put it to shame.

It’s worth pointing out that, of course, avid fans of the original will go in with a skeptical mindset. However, the movie does in fact build in entertainment value as the characters become a bit more believable. Yet, it remains completely slapstick in its comedic style.

It doesn’t present itself as trying to replace the original, and bringing this point home are the subtle and enjoyable cameos that pop up here and there.

While it’s best described as a slapstick comedy, this “Ghostbusters” is a fun and lighthearted movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

A cartoonish version of something loved by many, I give the “Ghostbusters” 2 out of 5 stars.