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Awix (3310 KP) rated On the Town (1949) in Movies
Nov 15, 2020
Cheery MGM musical is possibly the only chance you will ever have to see Frank Sinatra belly dancing. Three sailors on leave in New York for a day have various misadventures and hook up with girls who are rather more clued-up about big city life than they are.
Made in 1949, and you can almost taste the buoyancy and optimism of post-war America: there are no social issues to be explored in this film, which is all about being young and carefree and enjoying yourself. Subverts expectations by having some of the girls be much more romantically pro-active than the boys they encounter; this is rather charming and funny. Still, one of those musicals where a lot of the songs are slightly forgettable, but Gene Kelly and Ann Miller dance up a storm every time they get the chance. It's almost pure froth, but rather touching and enormously likeable.
Made in 1949, and you can almost taste the buoyancy and optimism of post-war America: there are no social issues to be explored in this film, which is all about being young and carefree and enjoying yourself. Subverts expectations by having some of the girls be much more romantically pro-active than the boys they encounter; this is rather charming and funny. Still, one of those musicals where a lot of the songs are slightly forgettable, but Gene Kelly and Ann Miller dance up a storm every time they get the chance. It's almost pure froth, but rather touching and enormously likeable.
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated The Shadow Keepers in Books
Dec 9, 2022
220 of 230
Kindle
The Shadow Keeper
By Marisa Noelle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sixteen-year-old Georgia Boone has seen the shadow creatures in mirrors and other reflective surfaces since she was six-years-old. But no one--not even her
brother, the person she’s closest to in the entire world--believes her. She is all alone in the hellish world where crow-like creatures hunt her everywhere she goes
When an afternoon of shopping ends in violence and blood, Georgia is sent to the UK’s most prestigious mental health hospital: Brookwood Hospital.
There, she’s forced to face her fears and answer the question:
Are the shadows real, or is this all in her head?
At Brookwood, the shadow creatures are more present than ever. Each day they grow stronger. With the help of a mysterious boy who lives inside the mirror world, she might be able to prove that she’s not hallucinating and stop the shadows from destroying the human world.
I’ve seen a lot from this author on social media and was really looking forward to reading her work. I was not disappointed this is a great YA with some sensitive issues that in my opinion were dealt with very very well. I could relate to a lot in this book from my teenage years to now. It was such an interesting concept and I’m glad it went the way it did it’s nice to see that people with mental health issues can face our demons and win sometimes whether they are real or not!
Kindle
The Shadow Keeper
By Marisa Noelle
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sixteen-year-old Georgia Boone has seen the shadow creatures in mirrors and other reflective surfaces since she was six-years-old. But no one--not even her
brother, the person she’s closest to in the entire world--believes her. She is all alone in the hellish world where crow-like creatures hunt her everywhere she goes
When an afternoon of shopping ends in violence and blood, Georgia is sent to the UK’s most prestigious mental health hospital: Brookwood Hospital.
There, she’s forced to face her fears and answer the question:
Are the shadows real, or is this all in her head?
At Brookwood, the shadow creatures are more present than ever. Each day they grow stronger. With the help of a mysterious boy who lives inside the mirror world, she might be able to prove that she’s not hallucinating and stop the shadows from destroying the human world.
I’ve seen a lot from this author on social media and was really looking forward to reading her work. I was not disappointed this is a great YA with some sensitive issues that in my opinion were dealt with very very well. I could relate to a lot in this book from my teenage years to now. It was such an interesting concept and I’m glad it went the way it did it’s nice to see that people with mental health issues can face our demons and win sometimes whether they are real or not!
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Sing, Unburied, Sing in Books
Oct 3, 2017
A Toni Morrison novel updated for modern times
This is no doubt a modern day version of reading a Toni Morrison novel. From the magical realism aspect to social issues affecting African Americans, this novel is both haunting and almost poetic.
The story follows a family on their way to a prison, in which the children's white father is due to be released. The teenage boy and his three year old sister are mostly dependent on one another as well as their grandparents Pop and Mam. The mother Leonie is absent, and rather aloof in their upbringing, forcing her son, Jojo to bring up his kid sister. In between are disturbing stories featured in flashbacks and ghostly apparitions, The novel explores interracial relationships, police brutality and even post traumatic stress disorder to a degree.
While it can seem haphazard, going back and forth in time, and random narratives appearing throughout, it leaves the reader with a sense of unease and despair at the violent nature of society. A truly intriguing read.
The story follows a family on their way to a prison, in which the children's white father is due to be released. The teenage boy and his three year old sister are mostly dependent on one another as well as their grandparents Pop and Mam. The mother Leonie is absent, and rather aloof in their upbringing, forcing her son, Jojo to bring up his kid sister. In between are disturbing stories featured in flashbacks and ghostly apparitions, The novel explores interracial relationships, police brutality and even post traumatic stress disorder to a degree.
While it can seem haphazard, going back and forth in time, and random narratives appearing throughout, it leaves the reader with a sense of unease and despair at the violent nature of society. A truly intriguing read.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Passengers in Books
Apr 16, 2019
A highly entertaining, twist filled read
When I first started this book i was a little concerned. The plot about 8 hijacked driverless cars seemed a little thin to be able to stretch over such a long 400+ page book, hug as soon as I started reading it had me hooked.
The 400+ pages flew past in record speed, I just couldn't put this book down. What seemed a fairly similar plot was filled with intriguing and well developed character, as well as some fantastic twists and reveals that I never saw coming. It also features quite a serious commentary on social media and bias and even racism, and despite being set in a society slightly more technologically advanced than our own, you can see the truth in the issues highlighted here. You can also imagine our societies becoming similar to this one in the very near future, which is a very sobering thought. This really is a highly entertaining read, and it's not often I get so enthralled in a story to not see the twists coming!
The 400+ pages flew past in record speed, I just couldn't put this book down. What seemed a fairly similar plot was filled with intriguing and well developed character, as well as some fantastic twists and reveals that I never saw coming. It also features quite a serious commentary on social media and bias and even racism, and despite being set in a society slightly more technologically advanced than our own, you can see the truth in the issues highlighted here. You can also imagine our societies becoming similar to this one in the very near future, which is a very sobering thought. This really is a highly entertaining read, and it's not often I get so enthralled in a story to not see the twists coming!
Ross (3282 KP) rated Surprisingly Down to Earth, and Very Funny in Books
Oct 27, 2020
Funny but at times harrowing auto-biography
I wouldn't say I was a huge fan of Limmy's. I've seen a few of his sketches on youtube and have heard him interviewed on a few podcasts. He seems quite strange and a bit of an odd character. I have read his books of short stories and found them to be brilliantly well-written and original.
His auto-biography starts brilliantly, giving a great insight into the childhood that shaped the comedian. There are funny stories of growing up isolated and playing strange games with strange friends. This gets darker as Limmy ages, as he finds himself looking for danger and things to make him feel alive. This inevitably leads to trouble with the police, and on to drink and drugs and more police trouble.
He seems to have always been looking to try and find somewhere to fit in, a niche in the world where he can be himself and be otherwise left alone, though he is his own worst enemy along the way. Battles with depression, suicide and social issues hold him back at almost every stage. He finally finds his niche when he discovers flash programming. This gives him an avenue for his creativity and silliness, and leads to his genius being discovered, eventually leading to a successful podcast and TV shows - though even those weren't plain sailing.
This is the charming, though at times harrowing, story of a man with so many ideas in his head, but so many issues holding him back, and the battle to overcome demons to do what he wants to do, and to do it his way.
His auto-biography starts brilliantly, giving a great insight into the childhood that shaped the comedian. There are funny stories of growing up isolated and playing strange games with strange friends. This gets darker as Limmy ages, as he finds himself looking for danger and things to make him feel alive. This inevitably leads to trouble with the police, and on to drink and drugs and more police trouble.
He seems to have always been looking to try and find somewhere to fit in, a niche in the world where he can be himself and be otherwise left alone, though he is his own worst enemy along the way. Battles with depression, suicide and social issues hold him back at almost every stage. He finally finds his niche when he discovers flash programming. This gives him an avenue for his creativity and silliness, and leads to his genius being discovered, eventually leading to a successful podcast and TV shows - though even those weren't plain sailing.
This is the charming, though at times harrowing, story of a man with so many ideas in his head, but so many issues holding him back, and the battle to overcome demons to do what he wants to do, and to do it his way.
Cristy Amanda (87 KP) rated Children of Blood and Bone: Book 1 in Books
Sep 28, 2019
A hidden wonder!
Contains spoilers, click to show
This was a "desperation" book buy. I happened to be in my local WHSmiths buying my toddler some books and wanted something new to read myself. I picked this up off the shelf, took a cursory glance at the blurb and decided why not - at the very least it will give me something to read for a few days.
This book was totally captivating and eclipsing! Within the first 5 pages I was hooked and could not put it down. Not consciously hooked straight away as I sometimes am, but in the sense of I literally couldn't make myself stop reading yet didn't know why. Within a day and a half I had finished and was thoroughly torn up to discover I couldn't even get the sequel yet. (So I now have to make do with re-reading it almost continuously which is no hardship!)
The clever descriptive writing soon sucks you into the world of the storyline and convinces you it is not only plausible but very real. The charactors felt as though they were my very own family and I was totally invested in their futures.
Whilst the reason for the book being written is heartwrenching in itself, the story line is so cleverly written to portray the social issues and paradigms of the modern world in an intelligent yet disconnected way. I have never felt such an emotional rollercoaster as I did reading this book. Each time it looked as though they would succeed in restoring magic, my own heart soared with hope. And each time the plans didn't pan out, I personally felt like a candle in the night had been extinguished. The social caste differences and brutal violence were traumatic in their own right, yet to illustrate the point with the demise of some charactors who were pivotal to the aim of the protagonists, really drove home the risks, suffering and sacrifices of the charactors in the story, as well as further illustrate the point of the novel. The ending was totally unexpected and soul-destroying and I am somehow both excited and apprehensive to read the next book upon its release. I don't think any amount of time can prepare me for the adreneline building heartwrenching rollercoaster still to come. I 100% recommend this novel to everyone and commend such an inspirational, thought provoking and clever interpretation and translation of modern day societal issues into fantasy fiction.
This book was totally captivating and eclipsing! Within the first 5 pages I was hooked and could not put it down. Not consciously hooked straight away as I sometimes am, but in the sense of I literally couldn't make myself stop reading yet didn't know why. Within a day and a half I had finished and was thoroughly torn up to discover I couldn't even get the sequel yet. (So I now have to make do with re-reading it almost continuously which is no hardship!)
The clever descriptive writing soon sucks you into the world of the storyline and convinces you it is not only plausible but very real. The charactors felt as though they were my very own family and I was totally invested in their futures.
Whilst the reason for the book being written is heartwrenching in itself, the story line is so cleverly written to portray the social issues and paradigms of the modern world in an intelligent yet disconnected way. I have never felt such an emotional rollercoaster as I did reading this book. Each time it looked as though they would succeed in restoring magic, my own heart soared with hope. And each time the plans didn't pan out, I personally felt like a candle in the night had been extinguished. The social caste differences and brutal violence were traumatic in their own right, yet to illustrate the point with the demise of some charactors who were pivotal to the aim of the protagonists, really drove home the risks, suffering and sacrifices of the charactors in the story, as well as further illustrate the point of the novel. The ending was totally unexpected and soul-destroying and I am somehow both excited and apprehensive to read the next book upon its release. I don't think any amount of time can prepare me for the adreneline building heartwrenching rollercoaster still to come. I 100% recommend this novel to everyone and commend such an inspirational, thought provoking and clever interpretation and translation of modern day societal issues into fantasy fiction.
Michael Apted recommended Kes (1969) in Movies (curated)
Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Status Update (2018) in Movies
Sep 25, 2019
Ross Lynch stars as Kyle Moore, a teenager who after being uprooted by his parents' separation and unable to fit into his new hometown, stumbles upon a magical app that causes his social media updates to come true.
My mum asked me what I'd seen this month and so we went through the list with a brief description of the ones she hadn't heard of. When I got to this one... "It's so much fun, you'd hate it, dad would love it." Mum will watch a lot of things, but daft humour isn't really one of them. Dad and I are all over them though.
I would totally abuse an app that made my status updates come true... of course I'd want to check that it didn't apply things retroactively, and that I could dial my sarcasm back a lot to protect myself from worse self afflicted issues than happen in the film.
It's a fun diversion, a feel good film that has clearly been trying to tick all the boxes on what makes people go to the cinema... bit of wacky mystery, some singing and dancing, a bitchy gay... it's got all the things we love.
My mum asked me what I'd seen this month and so we went through the list with a brief description of the ones she hadn't heard of. When I got to this one... "It's so much fun, you'd hate it, dad would love it." Mum will watch a lot of things, but daft humour isn't really one of them. Dad and I are all over them though.
I would totally abuse an app that made my status updates come true... of course I'd want to check that it didn't apply things retroactively, and that I could dial my sarcasm back a lot to protect myself from worse self afflicted issues than happen in the film.
It's a fun diversion, a feel good film that has clearly been trying to tick all the boxes on what makes people go to the cinema... bit of wacky mystery, some singing and dancing, a bitchy gay... it's got all the things we love.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Art of Death in Books
Jul 1, 2021
The main character in this novel is DI Grace Archer, she is a leading investigator in a series of very bizarre and very cruel murders. There is a very wide variety of diverse and intriguing characters in this novel, and this book is told from multiple perspectives, including the victims and the killer as well. DI Archer is a very complex character, her childhood had its horrors, and she is an outsider in her new police station. But I really admired her strength, sharp mind and complexity. This book allows me to delve deeper into the characters, especially the victims, I think all the victims were suffering from one thing or another, and it was interesting to read about their lives.
The narrative of this book always changes, from the investigation it jumps to new abductions, to personal character’s lives. All these things made the book very fast-paced and enjoyable for me. Even though it is a debut novel, I felt like this book is a part of a series because of the way the author incorporated the details from DI Archer’s past. I felt like I missed the investigations that happened in the past. 😀 I found the plot very multi-dimensional, absorbing and creepy. The topics discussed in this book were grief and loss, traumatic experiences, workplace discrimination, many mental health issues, drug use, domestic and other violence and many many more.
The writing style is very easy to read and enjoyable, but at the same time, it felt unusual, different. (I can’t describe how though 😀 ) The author has experience in cybersecurity, and it was interesting to see, how he highlights the mistakes people do in their daily lives when it comes to our social media and online presence. There are a lot of gory murder scenes in this book, so it might not be suitable for sensitive readers. The atmosphere and the setting of the novel constantly change, depending on the perspective, and I really enjoyed it. The chapters are pretty short, and the whole novel was a page-turner for me. I really loved the ending, it left me very intrigued, and I can’t wait for another book. 🙂
So, to conclude, it is a very rich novel, full of layered and diverse characters as well as a plot that is fast-paced and always changing. I really enjoyed this book, it highlights so many various topics and social issues, you just need to find it.
The narrative of this book always changes, from the investigation it jumps to new abductions, to personal character’s lives. All these things made the book very fast-paced and enjoyable for me. Even though it is a debut novel, I felt like this book is a part of a series because of the way the author incorporated the details from DI Archer’s past. I felt like I missed the investigations that happened in the past. 😀 I found the plot very multi-dimensional, absorbing and creepy. The topics discussed in this book were grief and loss, traumatic experiences, workplace discrimination, many mental health issues, drug use, domestic and other violence and many many more.
The writing style is very easy to read and enjoyable, but at the same time, it felt unusual, different. (I can’t describe how though 😀 ) The author has experience in cybersecurity, and it was interesting to see, how he highlights the mistakes people do in their daily lives when it comes to our social media and online presence. There are a lot of gory murder scenes in this book, so it might not be suitable for sensitive readers. The atmosphere and the setting of the novel constantly change, depending on the perspective, and I really enjoyed it. The chapters are pretty short, and the whole novel was a page-turner for me. I really loved the ending, it left me very intrigued, and I can’t wait for another book. 🙂
So, to conclude, it is a very rich novel, full of layered and diverse characters as well as a plot that is fast-paced and always changing. I really enjoyed this book, it highlights so many various topics and social issues, you just need to find it.
MelanieTheresa (997 KP) rated American Homemaker in Books
Sep 20, 2019
Desperate Housewives meets American Horror Story!
Kim Loomis: American homemaker, social media star, and mortician (alongside her husband, Norman). Unfortunately for Kim, people in her small town just aren't dying quickly enough, so she needs to get...creative.
Melody Morgan: Contract killer on the brink of retirement, or so she thinks. She mistakenly kills a cartel's money man (oops) and is dealing with the fallout.
These are very broad strokes, so as not to spoil anything. There's SO much more going on throughout the story. The other members of the Homemakers Association of Vermont (Brooke, Paige, and Megan) all have their own...issues, let's call them. Are any of these women particularly likable? No, not at all, but for me at least, that didn't take away from the story.
I got an absolute kick out of this book!
(Side note: This may be because I've been watching Why Women Kill (CBS All Access) - although there is WAY more killing happening in this book than on that show. Also, if you're not watching it, why not?)
Fun, smart, and sharply written, American Homemaker has definitely earned its place among my favorite books of the year.
Thank you to the author and BookishFirst for the free copy!
Melody Morgan: Contract killer on the brink of retirement, or so she thinks. She mistakenly kills a cartel's money man (oops) and is dealing with the fallout.
These are very broad strokes, so as not to spoil anything. There's SO much more going on throughout the story. The other members of the Homemakers Association of Vermont (Brooke, Paige, and Megan) all have their own...issues, let's call them. Are any of these women particularly likable? No, not at all, but for me at least, that didn't take away from the story.
I got an absolute kick out of this book!
(Side note: This may be because I've been watching Why Women Kill (CBS All Access) - although there is WAY more killing happening in this book than on that show. Also, if you're not watching it, why not?)
Fun, smart, and sharply written, American Homemaker has definitely earned its place among my favorite books of the year.
Thank you to the author and BookishFirst for the free copy!