Search
Search results
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated We Are All the Same in the Dark in Books
Sep 24, 2020
Stunning, shocking thriller filled with dark twists
Ten years ago, Trumanell Branson disappeared, along with her no-good daddy. But it's beautiful Trumanell her Texas town remembers and mourns. And, despite no arrests, they blame her brother, Wyatt, who lives alone on the old Branson homestead, hated by the entire town. When Wyatt, a trucker, finds a girl in a field of dandelions, he thinks it's a sign. As for the town cop, Odette--who has a long history with Wyatt--she fears the discovery of this girl will only turn the town against Wyatt fully and permanently. But when she goes to retrieve her, she feels drawn to the girl. Odette is haunted by Trumanell's disappearance, and now, the arrival of this mystery girl. As she digs into the past and the present, she uncovers shocking secrets about her town and the night that forever changed it.
"She has a bad, bad mystery to her. I can feel it deep in the hollow of my spook bone, the one my dad broke when I was a kid. My arm is never wrong."
This is an amazing, absorbing thriller that draws you in from the first page. Heaberlin writes so beautifully and lyrically--all these dark and horrific moments unfold in such beautiful prose. Her words astound me.
"There's no chatter about why I'm alone, scared, speeding on a prairie road with trees scattered like sailboats, thinking how my daddy, the town's late great top cop, told me to never come back to this little Texas hellhole unless it was to bury his ashes. Don't try to find the truth about Trumanell. Some answers are left to the by and by."
The characters here are beautiful--flawed, damaged, tender, and painted with a depth that will astound you. Troubled Odette, lost Wyatt, and Angel, the girl found in the field. They form a trio that one is unlikely to forget for quite some time.
This is a dark read--atmospheric and sad, and not always easy to read. Bad things happen in this town. Heaberlin's twists are true stunners. It's rare when a thriller takes me by surprise, but wow, I found myself shocked several times, and even better, unaware of the true culprit. How nice to read a mystery without guessing the ultimate ending.
Overall, this is a superb tale of a town held captive by its own secrets and tragedy. The characters come to life before your eyes through Heaberlin's elegant writing. It's shocking and twisted and one that shouldn't be missed. 4.5 stars.
"She has a bad, bad mystery to her. I can feel it deep in the hollow of my spook bone, the one my dad broke when I was a kid. My arm is never wrong."
This is an amazing, absorbing thriller that draws you in from the first page. Heaberlin writes so beautifully and lyrically--all these dark and horrific moments unfold in such beautiful prose. Her words astound me.
"There's no chatter about why I'm alone, scared, speeding on a prairie road with trees scattered like sailboats, thinking how my daddy, the town's late great top cop, told me to never come back to this little Texas hellhole unless it was to bury his ashes. Don't try to find the truth about Trumanell. Some answers are left to the by and by."
The characters here are beautiful--flawed, damaged, tender, and painted with a depth that will astound you. Troubled Odette, lost Wyatt, and Angel, the girl found in the field. They form a trio that one is unlikely to forget for quite some time.
This is a dark read--atmospheric and sad, and not always easy to read. Bad things happen in this town. Heaberlin's twists are true stunners. It's rare when a thriller takes me by surprise, but wow, I found myself shocked several times, and even better, unaware of the true culprit. How nice to read a mystery without guessing the ultimate ending.
Overall, this is a superb tale of a town held captive by its own secrets and tragedy. The characters come to life before your eyes through Heaberlin's elegant writing. It's shocking and twisted and one that shouldn't be missed. 4.5 stars.
ClareR (5991 KP) rated If I Can’t Have You in Books
Dec 5, 2020
If I Can’t Have You is a story about obsession. It’s funny, serious, disturbing and at times, outrageous. Constance could be a character that would be easy to dislike, but I liked her vulnerability. She is a sad character who has had a troubled upbringing. When she believes that she has found the love of her life, and is then almost immediately let down by the frankly despicable Dr. Samuel Stevens, I felt so sorry for her. And continued to feel for her as he repeatedly uses her. He clearly neither knows or cares about Constance’s depth of feeling for him. She seems desperate as she lets him use her, and even more so as she looks for affection with her housemate, Dale. He certainly seems to have the potential to be a male version of Constance, and it’s clear that she actually feels revulsion with regards to him. But at the same time, she doesn’t want to be on her own.
I think the character of Edward, an elderly man who lives over the road from Samuel, is in part the father figure that she needs and never had. He needs her too. I think things could have been far worse for Constance if she hadn’t have had Edward to consider. Edward is the device that shows Constance is a caring person underneath the obsession. She makes time in her day to care for and visit him. Like the other two men, he is a broken soul - but his obsessive behaviour doesn’t translate in to being careless with people. Instead he is a hoarder of strange knick-knacks. Edward adds an element of humour as well - his relationship with Constance is lovely.
I found it hard NOT to put myself in Constance’s shoes. After all, isn’t that what we as readers do with the characters we read about? How easy would i be to slip from loneliness in to obsession? I hope I never find out, but it’s so well portrayed in this book. This is a supremely uncomfortable book in parts - Constance is used and abused, and she in turn can have some pretty unpleasant thoughts. But perhaps that’s because she doesn’t have someone to really confide in?
I can’t actually believe that this is a debut, and I will definitely be looking out for whatever comes next from Charlotte Levin.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this and to Charlotte for joining in with the chat in the margins!
I think the character of Edward, an elderly man who lives over the road from Samuel, is in part the father figure that she needs and never had. He needs her too. I think things could have been far worse for Constance if she hadn’t have had Edward to consider. Edward is the device that shows Constance is a caring person underneath the obsession. She makes time in her day to care for and visit him. Like the other two men, he is a broken soul - but his obsessive behaviour doesn’t translate in to being careless with people. Instead he is a hoarder of strange knick-knacks. Edward adds an element of humour as well - his relationship with Constance is lovely.
I found it hard NOT to put myself in Constance’s shoes. After all, isn’t that what we as readers do with the characters we read about? How easy would i be to slip from loneliness in to obsession? I hope I never find out, but it’s so well portrayed in this book. This is a supremely uncomfortable book in parts - Constance is used and abused, and she in turn can have some pretty unpleasant thoughts. But perhaps that’s because she doesn’t have someone to really confide in?
I can’t actually believe that this is a debut, and I will definitely be looking out for whatever comes next from Charlotte Levin.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this and to Charlotte for joining in with the chat in the margins!
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated To Tell You The Truth in Books
Oct 8, 2020
A twisty thriller with a disappointing ending
Lucy Harper is a famous writer, known for her crime fiction stories featuring her beloved character, Eliza. Her work has made her wealthy, something that particularly pleases her husband, Dan, a once aspiring writer who now "manages" Lucy's career and money. Lucy and Dan's life and marriage look perfect from the outside, but they are anything but. Then Dan suddenly goes missing. His disappearance reminds Lucy of another time someone vanished from her life: her younger brother, Teddy, who was lost in the woods very near the house Lucy and Dan now live in. Soon Lucy finds herself reminded more and more of her past, which seems to be quickly and dangerously colliding with her present.
"After all, what kind of person creates a character who walks right out of their books and into their life? He would think I'd lost my mind."
I absolutely adore Gilly Macmillan and her books, but this was not one of my all-time favorites. It's still good, though, and twisty, and I will admit that I didn't guess the (rather bizarre) outcome. However, the ending leaves much to be desired and does not wrap everything up, which left me frustrated. (And seemed to kick off a trend in my recent thrillers, where things end with plot pieces left hanging--I'm not okay with this.)
Lucy is an unreliable narrator extraordinaire--ever since she was small, she's had a best friend named Eliza. Why yes, Eliza happens to be the name of her fictional character, as well. Lucy talks to her imaginary friend, who seems to have untold power over her. If this sounds weird and creepy, it is, and Macmillan does a good job with the eerie oddity of it all and allowing us to wonder if we can trust anything that Lucy--or Eliza--say. Knowing who and what to believe is certainly a central theme here.
Dan, meanwhile, is absolutely despicable, and I was not too sad when he disappeared, honestly. The story alternates between present-day, with Lucy's point of view, and the past, around the time Teddy disappeared. It's certainly compelling. All in all, I would have probably rated this 4-stars if there had been a better ending, versus one that felt rushed and forced, without tying up all the loose ends. This is still a good, atmospheric thriller, with plenty of twists. 3.5 stars. And if you want to read more from Macmillan, I highly recommend The Perfect Girl or her Jim Clemo series--all books that I adore.
"After all, what kind of person creates a character who walks right out of their books and into their life? He would think I'd lost my mind."
I absolutely adore Gilly Macmillan and her books, but this was not one of my all-time favorites. It's still good, though, and twisty, and I will admit that I didn't guess the (rather bizarre) outcome. However, the ending leaves much to be desired and does not wrap everything up, which left me frustrated. (And seemed to kick off a trend in my recent thrillers, where things end with plot pieces left hanging--I'm not okay with this.)
Lucy is an unreliable narrator extraordinaire--ever since she was small, she's had a best friend named Eliza. Why yes, Eliza happens to be the name of her fictional character, as well. Lucy talks to her imaginary friend, who seems to have untold power over her. If this sounds weird and creepy, it is, and Macmillan does a good job with the eerie oddity of it all and allowing us to wonder if we can trust anything that Lucy--or Eliza--say. Knowing who and what to believe is certainly a central theme here.
Dan, meanwhile, is absolutely despicable, and I was not too sad when he disappeared, honestly. The story alternates between present-day, with Lucy's point of view, and the past, around the time Teddy disappeared. It's certainly compelling. All in all, I would have probably rated this 4-stars if there had been a better ending, versus one that felt rushed and forced, without tying up all the loose ends. This is still a good, atmospheric thriller, with plenty of twists. 3.5 stars. And if you want to read more from Macmillan, I highly recommend The Perfect Girl or her Jim Clemo series--all books that I adore.
Becs (244 KP) rated The Book Thief in Books
Oct 2, 2019
I have no idea why I didn’t pick The Book Thief up sooner. It was honestly one of the best novels I’ve read so far this year. Scratch that, probably even one of the best novels I’ve read in my entire lifetime. Well, it might actually be a very close second to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo haha.
One thing that I enjoyed while reading was the narrator of the story (death himself) and all the little bits that are thrown throughout the text like this:
***THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN A BOY WHO HATES YOU***
A boy who loves you.
The author takes such a serious and sad topic and throws in love, sarcasm, and happiness. This was such a well rounded, beautiful and classic novel that I just couldn’t put it down. I loved every second of it, even though at first I was a little skeptical. But that’s only because I was in such a sour mood and reading slump when I started The Book Thief.
If you’re looking for a fast read, don’t read this. This took time to read and to understand. To process all that was going on. Markus Zusak doesn’t write The Book Thief in a morbid way that most books about the Holocaust are written, but instead with humor and love and happiness. The good and the bad all intermingled together to create an amazing book that I will be recommending to everybody from now on.
I cried. I laughed. I got pissed. I was stricken with grief, with pain, and with love. I felt that I went through almost every emotion that my body has while reading The Book Thief. And I honestly wanted more.
I wanted more of Liesel’s story after being the only one to survive on Himmel Street. I wanted spin-offs of Rudy and Liesel developing a relationship as they became teenagers and giving me that love story with a tragic back story. I wanted so much more but at the same time, I was content and happy with how the novel ended. I wouldn’t have changed anything about The Book Thief and I will most definitely be rereading it very soon. This is a book that will be cherished for an eternity.
If you haven’t picked up The Book Thief yet, please drop what you’re doing and read it. It will most defiantly change your life.
“And it would show me, once again, that one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death.”
One thing that I enjoyed while reading was the narrator of the story (death himself) and all the little bits that are thrown throughout the text like this:
***THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN A BOY WHO HATES YOU***
A boy who loves you.
The author takes such a serious and sad topic and throws in love, sarcasm, and happiness. This was such a well rounded, beautiful and classic novel that I just couldn’t put it down. I loved every second of it, even though at first I was a little skeptical. But that’s only because I was in such a sour mood and reading slump when I started The Book Thief.
If you’re looking for a fast read, don’t read this. This took time to read and to understand. To process all that was going on. Markus Zusak doesn’t write The Book Thief in a morbid way that most books about the Holocaust are written, but instead with humor and love and happiness. The good and the bad all intermingled together to create an amazing book that I will be recommending to everybody from now on.
I cried. I laughed. I got pissed. I was stricken with grief, with pain, and with love. I felt that I went through almost every emotion that my body has while reading The Book Thief. And I honestly wanted more.
I wanted more of Liesel’s story after being the only one to survive on Himmel Street. I wanted spin-offs of Rudy and Liesel developing a relationship as they became teenagers and giving me that love story with a tragic back story. I wanted so much more but at the same time, I was content and happy with how the novel ended. I wouldn’t have changed anything about The Book Thief and I will most definitely be rereading it very soon. This is a book that will be cherished for an eternity.
If you haven’t picked up The Book Thief yet, please drop what you’re doing and read it. It will most defiantly change your life.
“And it would show me, once again, that one opportunity leads directly to another, just as risk leads to more risk, life to more life, and death to more death.”
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Judy (2019) in Movies
Oct 2, 2019
If I am a legend, then why am I so lonely?
Judy is a fabulous and dazzling look into the finally years of an all time greats life and while it maybe paint by numbers at times Judy takes the surprisingly darker and more depressing route that many other biopics dont dare to. I was gobsmacked to find after that renee zellweger played judy garland as at no stage of the movie could you tell at all. Never been a real fan of Zellweger but here she really has surpassed herself and you literally would be forgiven for believing she was the actual Judy Garland at times, an award wining performance for sure. Judy's pain/struggles are plain to see here and the way Renee manages to portray the sheer depression behind those eyes as well as the switching on of 'the act' when she steps out onto stage to perform are both saddening and admirable (the way the camera shows her eyes change really is impressive). Its clear as a person she just longs to be loved, to belong/find happiness and to live a happy life with her children who adore her and bring her joy and completeness. Seemingly forced into showbusiness at a young age she never had a real chance to discover who she really is and what she enjoys and everyone she gets close to uses her as a puppet adding to the weight on her mind. Yet somewhere in all the sadness I find it so inspirational that she still found the strength and drive to put on a confident happy face and deliver powerful performances. Maybe deep down in a way being loved by the audience was her only glimpse of feeling true real love from someone when away from her children. Cinematography really impressed me as well giving a warm glamorous look when on stage with colours and lights that simply boom off the screen and then a cold, isolated and lonely feel when off stage really giving the movie a unique and immersive atmosphere. Costumes and sets also stun and dazzle as does the music which is filmed so well you feel at times you are sat in the room. Some dialog annoyed me near the beginning and two characters ruined the tone/felt forced but other than that I really did enjoyed this movie dare I say it more than I did Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody. A tragic/sad story that is well worth seeing
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Oct 8, 2019 (Updated Oct 23, 2019)
Believe the hype
Contains spoilers, click to show
Full disclaimer - I have not been a massive fan of any movies DC related since the Dark Knight trilogy. There have been highlights here and there, but it's a been a rough few years to say the least.
I went to see Joker under a pretty neutral assumption - I had heard the good reviews, the bad reviews, and seen the incredibly well put together trailers - but I was still worried that I wouldn't like it.
What I was presented with was quite possibly the film of the year (I can't realistically see anything beating it at this point)
Make no mistake - Joker is a character driven think piece, light on action, and at times difficult to watch.
Jaoquin Phoenix is absolutely phenomenal as Arthur Fleck, and as we watch his descent into madness (or mental freedom depending on which way you look at it), it's hard not to sympathise with him - I felt myself welling up on more than one occasion.
Frances Conroy deserves a round of applause as well, carving out a fading and sad character failing to realise just how low Arthur is spiralling.
The film itself is bleak, painting a realistic Gotham City, on the brink of anarchy, not too dissimilar to how our world is IRL. All it takes is someone ballsy enough to pull the trigger to set it all off.
The film is draped with tense scene after tense scene as the plot builds up to its climax.
The films depiction of mental health issues rings louder than ever, showing us an all too real world that dismisses and laughs at those who suffer with such issues. It's haunting.
The final act is breathtaking - watching Arthur/Joker on Murray Franklin's talk show - when he's underneath the make up, he's a completely different person, threatening, but with a point that makes sense, and that what makes him so sinister.
The much discussed violence is seldom, but impactful, and most importantly, has a purpose as it builds character growth. Everything just seems so wonderfully crafted - hats off to Todd Phillips.
The score is pretty much flawless, hitting all the right notes, as is the cinematography, showcasing fantastic shots continuously throughout.
Joker feels like a true stand-alone, and is concrete evidence why DC should maybe concentrate on one off efforts rather than building an underwhelming connected universe...
It's a fantastic film through and through, and Phoenix deserves an Oscar, at the very least a nomination.
I went to see Joker under a pretty neutral assumption - I had heard the good reviews, the bad reviews, and seen the incredibly well put together trailers - but I was still worried that I wouldn't like it.
What I was presented with was quite possibly the film of the year (I can't realistically see anything beating it at this point)
Make no mistake - Joker is a character driven think piece, light on action, and at times difficult to watch.
Jaoquin Phoenix is absolutely phenomenal as Arthur Fleck, and as we watch his descent into madness (or mental freedom depending on which way you look at it), it's hard not to sympathise with him - I felt myself welling up on more than one occasion.
Frances Conroy deserves a round of applause as well, carving out a fading and sad character failing to realise just how low Arthur is spiralling.
The film itself is bleak, painting a realistic Gotham City, on the brink of anarchy, not too dissimilar to how our world is IRL. All it takes is someone ballsy enough to pull the trigger to set it all off.
The film is draped with tense scene after tense scene as the plot builds up to its climax.
The films depiction of mental health issues rings louder than ever, showing us an all too real world that dismisses and laughs at those who suffer with such issues. It's haunting.
The final act is breathtaking - watching Arthur/Joker on Murray Franklin's talk show - when he's underneath the make up, he's a completely different person, threatening, but with a point that makes sense, and that what makes him so sinister.
The much discussed violence is seldom, but impactful, and most importantly, has a purpose as it builds character growth. Everything just seems so wonderfully crafted - hats off to Todd Phillips.
The score is pretty much flawless, hitting all the right notes, as is the cinematography, showcasing fantastic shots continuously throughout.
Joker feels like a true stand-alone, and is concrete evidence why DC should maybe concentrate on one off efforts rather than building an underwhelming connected universe...
It's a fantastic film through and through, and Phoenix deserves an Oscar, at the very least a nomination.
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Rambo: Last Blood (2019) in Movies
Sep 19, 2019
Last Bore
Rambo Last Blood is a bloody mess of a movie that feels so disjointed from all the other rambo films it will leave you confused and unfulfilled. Its starts of fine enough, we see Rambo in an ordinary life taking care of the farm doing average day to day tasks and growing old but clearly still troubled and haunted by his memories of war. We are then introduced to a couple of people he cares a lot about and from there trouble starts to brew. Problem is this beginning segment is an absolute shambles, not only is it extremely boring and tedious every single character is highly unlikeable, hollow, bland and annoying with no personality either. Then on top of that we have writing and dialog that are woeful almost like no effort was put into them whatsoever and the sad part is we are forced to sit through well over an hour of this too. This hour at times was actually so painful to watch especially for a film that knows most of us are only there for the kills. After waiting that long and sitting through a story that feels like it was meant for a Taken sequel you would think the action would make up for it..... right?. Wrong, while action is ok its still not great coming off more of a brief kill montage more than anything else. Kills are deliciously brutal thats for sure but they feel rushed because the film just cant wait to move on to the next one as fast as it can. All this brutal killing also at times can feel a little ujustified too making me acquire a disconnect from the Rambo we have come to know and love. If this film was meant to be another sequel it fails, if it was meant to be a Rambo tribute it fails and to top it all off it just ends abruptly out of no where with no real conclusion or point to be made. Last Blood seems like it didnt try to be a good film or a fun film and it left me confused, bored and baffled to why it exists at all. There are a few brief over the top cool kills but all in all its a pointless movie thats not worth anyones time. To top it all off my bike got stolen while I was inside watching this too and I have to say I got more excitement from seeing that had happened than watching this crap. Rambo Last Blood more like Rambo Last Bike.
Add Background Music To Video
Photo & Video and Utilities
App
• Add Unlimited background music to videos! • Make your own music videos! • Record your own...
Hravé učení
Entertainment and Games
App
Obsáhlá interaktivní sada pro nácvik základních znalostí pro děti ve věku od 0 do 5 let....
The Heart Knows What the Mind Cannot See
Book
This is a thought-provoking and enlightening exploration of spirituality and perception. The text...
Self Help Mind-Body-Spirit