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The Cupcake Queen
Book
A confection of a novel, combining big city sophistication with small town charm. When her mother...
Womens Fiction Contemporary Romance YA
Charlotte (184 KP) rated Flawless Witness in Books
Apr 29, 2023
Oh, the feels
Trigger warning for this short, powerful book. There's abuse, emotional trauma, mention of suicide and stalking.
Flawless Witness is eye opening for both victims of a narcissist and people who have managed to avoid this kind of relationship. It opens the reader's mind to looking a little deeper when talking to people.
It reminded me of a short relationship I had with a man like that, controlling, always playing the victim and self-centred......just like Jonathan.
Suzanna is great, she's relatable and down to earth. The questions she asks herself and how she works her way through things shows the strength of character she has. Also how important a good support network is.
A thought provoking read that I'd recommend for daytime reading so there's plenty of thinking time. Also, book group worthy, would make for fantastic conversations.
Trigger warning for this short, powerful book. There's abuse, emotional trauma, mention of suicide and stalking.
Flawless Witness is eye opening for both victims of a narcissist and people who have managed to avoid this kind of relationship. It opens the reader's mind to looking a little deeper when talking to people.
It reminded me of a short relationship I had with a man like that, controlling, always playing the victim and self-centred......just like Jonathan.
Suzanna is great, she's relatable and down to earth. The questions she asks herself and how she works her way through things shows the strength of character she has. Also how important a good support network is.
A thought provoking read that I'd recommend for daytime reading so there's plenty of thinking time. Also, book group worthy, would make for fantastic conversations.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Foreigner (2017) in Movies
Jan 1, 2018
Disappointing
Jackie Chan films used to be fun, entertaining and action filled, but sadly that looks to be a thing of the past.
Although this was watchable and it wasn't boring enough to turn it off, it was just so predictable and by the numbers. You knew exactly what was going to happen before it did, and some of it is a little but farfetched. It's nice to see Jackie Chan back again and the fight scenes were alright, but there was a large part of the film where he wasn't even present. The majority of the film was just talking too, where was all the action?
I'm also not entirely sure if a film about terrorists, the IRA and bombings in London (on a bus too?!) is what we want to be watching at the moment considering there's enough of it in real life on the news.
Although this was watchable and it wasn't boring enough to turn it off, it was just so predictable and by the numbers. You knew exactly what was going to happen before it did, and some of it is a little but farfetched. It's nice to see Jackie Chan back again and the fight scenes were alright, but there was a large part of the film where he wasn't even present. The majority of the film was just talking too, where was all the action?
I'm also not entirely sure if a film about terrorists, the IRA and bombings in London (on a bus too?!) is what we want to be watching at the moment considering there's enough of it in real life on the news.
Ross (3284 KP) rated Athletico Mince in Podcasts
Jan 9, 2018
On the surface this is a football podcast. I wouldn't normally listen to those but the allure of Bob Mortimer was too much to resist.
The first couple of episodes are very football focused (pun intended) and just need to be endured. They are very much finding their feet and settling into a pattern.
After that we are off into the realms of Bob's imagination as his features ("wife's questions", "Gangs of the EPL", "Scottish tales" etc etc) emerge into the world. All of these features show the kind of quirky comedy that Reeves and Mortimer are known for, but for once it is clear how much of this Bob contributes.
The features are all hilarious or at the very least entertaining and the result of two football fans talking a bit about football but generally just larking about.
Possibly my favourite podcast.
The first couple of episodes are very football focused (pun intended) and just need to be endured. They are very much finding their feet and settling into a pattern.
After that we are off into the realms of Bob's imagination as his features ("wife's questions", "Gangs of the EPL", "Scottish tales" etc etc) emerge into the world. All of these features show the kind of quirky comedy that Reeves and Mortimer are known for, but for once it is clear how much of this Bob contributes.
The features are all hilarious or at the very least entertaining and the result of two football fans talking a bit about football but generally just larking about.
Possibly my favourite podcast.
KatieLouCreate (162 KP) rated The War of the Worlds in Books
Sep 18, 2017
Ahead of its Time
Personally, I was pleasantly surprised when reading this book. I did not expect it to be so wonderfully written and the concepts Wells comes up with are well ahead of his time. Its actually pretty extraordinary. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. He reflects on the condition of man and allows you to consider man's behaviour and the aliens. Although I knew the ending (who doesn't?), I still enjoyed the read. The only thing I was disappointed at was that the narrator was a little anti-climatic at the end. What could have been an enticing ending was brushed off as the narration took a different path. It seemed to focus on the wrong things to me. Instead of talking in more detail about the aliens demise, he moves on after briefly mentioning it to focus on something else. Nonetheless, I highly recommend this book.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Hunger Games in Books
May 10, 2018
I usually don't read books in this genre, I like to read about things that can really happen. So many of my friends were talking about what a good book it was, I decided to give it a try. The first couple of chapters were ok, I even stopped reading it for a couple of weeks to read something else. But once I got about half way through, I couldn't put it down. I was anxious to see what was going to happen next. Katniss is a young girl who is chosen from her district for the Hunger Games. Each year young people have to fight to the death to see who survives. Crazy right?? Well all that she has go to through to make it to the games and through them, are very interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something a little different to read.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Dirt (2019) in Movies
Mar 30, 2019
A little fluffy
I can't claim to know much about Motley Crue, however this film version of their best selling book just seems a little too fluffy and light. It seems to gloss over or make fun of some of their exploits and doesn't seem to want to be as hard hitting as it could be. Yes it does show some more serious moments, but it altogether just feels like it's trying to be a bit silly and entertaining.
Some of this works, like the talking directly to the camera, but most of it just feels a little lame and cheesy. The cast are alright but nothing special, and I think Iwan Rheon is a much better actor than the small part he had.
Overall this wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either, it just seemed like a poor imitation and copy of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Some of this works, like the talking directly to the camera, but most of it just feels a little lame and cheesy. The cast are alright but nothing special, and I think Iwan Rheon is a much better actor than the small part he had.
Overall this wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either, it just seemed like a poor imitation and copy of Bohemian Rhapsody.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Jurassic Park III (2001) in Movies
May 24, 2019
This is where the sequels really start coming off the rails
The third Jurassic Park movie is pretty poor. For multiple reasons.
The main reason has to be the script - it has to be - because the acting talent is not bad by any means.
Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni - all great actors in my opinion.
But it's hard to connect with any of them throughout the run time (I swear I hear her shouting "ERIC" in my sleep sometimes)
A lot (not all) of the practical dinosaurs have been replaced with shoddy CGI, and to top it all off, the movie just ends. Very suddenly! And I can't figure out why... It's a good deal shorter in run time than the first two. Maybe Joe Johnston just got bored.
On a final note, is a velociraptor talking a low point for the franchise? Or hilariously great? You decide (ALAN)
The main reason has to be the script - it has to be - because the acting talent is not bad by any means.
Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni - all great actors in my opinion.
But it's hard to connect with any of them throughout the run time (I swear I hear her shouting "ERIC" in my sleep sometimes)
A lot (not all) of the practical dinosaurs have been replaced with shoddy CGI, and to top it all off, the movie just ends. Very suddenly! And I can't figure out why... It's a good deal shorter in run time than the first two. Maybe Joe Johnston just got bored.
On a final note, is a velociraptor talking a low point for the franchise? Or hilariously great? You decide (ALAN)
Jcadden76 (64 KP) rated Small Town Murder in Podcasts
Jun 15, 2018
Great research (2 more)
The hosts are amazing
They put a funny spin on a serious topic
Humor about murder - who would have thought.
This podcast may not be for the faint of heart but I love it. James Pietragallo and Jimmie Whisman are the hosts of this show. The two comedians lend their wit and humor to a serious topic and it works. They are upfront with the fact that they are in no way making fun of the victims but they are going to be humorous in their discussion of the topic.
Now, when they say Small Town, they are not kidding, they are legit talking about tiny towns with weird murders, lots of murders or somewhere in between.
This is a podcast that you need to give a shot. Give it the 3 episode challenge and see if this long-form podcast doesn't find a place on your playlist.
Now, when they say Small Town, they are not kidding, they are legit talking about tiny towns with weird murders, lots of murders or somewhere in between.
This is a podcast that you need to give a shot. Give it the 3 episode challenge and see if this long-form podcast doesn't find a place on your playlist.
Nicole Hadley (380 KP) rated The Toad in Books
Jun 18, 2018
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
The Toad by Elise Gravel is part of the Disgusting Critters Series. It is a non-fiction picture book about all things toads. The book shows how toads relate to frogs, their habitat, and food. It also shows that there are different kinds of toad breeds. Beyond talking about the different kinds of toads, the readers learn about their skin and the bumps. Readers learn that the pests that toads eat help to keep the insects at a reasonable amount so we humans don't have to deal with them as much.
The text in the book is presented in an easy way to read which is both entertaining and funny. The illustrations are a great visual that accompanies the text.
I received an advanced readers copy from Penguin Random House Canada and Tundra Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Toad by Elise Gravel is part of the Disgusting Critters Series. It is a non-fiction picture book about all things toads. The book shows how toads relate to frogs, their habitat, and food. It also shows that there are different kinds of toad breeds. Beyond talking about the different kinds of toads, the readers learn about their skin and the bumps. Readers learn that the pests that toads eat help to keep the insects at a reasonable amount so we humans don't have to deal with them as much.
The text in the book is presented in an easy way to read which is both entertaining and funny. The illustrations are a great visual that accompanies the text.
I received an advanced readers copy from Penguin Random House Canada and Tundra Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.