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Mayhem, Murder and Marijuana
Mayhem, Murder and Marijuana
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Adam Copland is the master when it comes to the legal marijuana business in Los Angeles, California. But not everyone in the business plays nicely. Adam has to deal with the good, the bad and the ugly of this industry. The book focuses on Adam expanding his business to other parts of California as well as other parts of the country. There are a lot of highs and lows he experiences with this expansion. His wife is not happy with the business he is in although it makes him lots of money. Will Adam be able to continue to live and survive being in the marijuana industry?

Thank you to NetGalley and BookBaby/Independent Book Publishers Association for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was excited to read this book because I have an interest in the marijuana industry and how it has changed so much over the past few years. Being legalized in many states for medical as well as recreational purposes. The overall story was interesting and filled with characters I loved to hate, but there were some issues with the writing that made me give the book three stars.

First off, we're introduced to several characters all at once with similar names(Jamal, Jam) and I had to go back to make sure I was with the right person. Then all throughout the book, the main character would go by different names in the same sentence and paragraph. His name is Adam Copland, sometimes it was just Adam, sometimes Copland and sometimes AC. And there never seemed to be any rhyme or reason as to why it was this way. I'm used to a name shift when a person has a title(eg. Dr. Jones, friends may call him/her by the first name or a detective), but not for an average person. At first this left me very confused because I wasn't sure if they were talking about the same person or different people. Other than that, I had to find out what was going to happen.

This is the first book in the series, I'm not sure how many books there will be all together, but I want to know what is going to happen next, because this book left us with a bit of a cliffhanger.
  
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
2019 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Put it down
#secretlifeofpets2 like its predecessor offers nothing new to the #animated film genre in a film thats not only overlong (even at just an hour & a half) but extremely souless too. I hated the #original #secretlifeofpets & im actually a big fan of cgi animated movies too so when we decided to go see this with my nephews i wasnt to excited but i figured it might be an improvement on the first, boy was i wrong. First of all my nephews absolutely #loved this film laughing, sitting on the edge of their seats, talking about the characters & feeling #anxious during the action so while my review is a negative one younger kids will dig its #furry characters, loud action & vibrant colour pallet for sure. Heres why i hated it - i find the pets themselves so visually ugly & lazily designed that it offends my eyes looking at them (seriously some of them or hideous). Dialog is so atrocious & basic you could practically guess what flat one liner would be delivered predictably by almost every one. Story for about an hour felt non existent & i questioned myself on whether id missed a part that told us about the end goal or the #journey the film was taking us on. It was like we had just watched a bunch of 10 minute short films all cut together to make a feature length movie with no payoff. Once the film does finally reach the end we do get an in site into what the film was overall trying to say (#parents arnt alone in bringing up kids, theres always other things that aid in the up bringing & although the world is a #dangerous place #failure & getting #hurt is all part of #learning & growing as a person process) but it just seems it got side tracked along the way. Animation is nice & theres some good looking scenes no doubt but its standard stuff. #Soundtrack wise its quite fun & keeps the films pace lively. Pact full of stereotyping, stolen set pieces from the likes of #toystory, storylines that are all over the place & #jokes that fall flat its hard film for #adults to sit through as it offers nothing as a reward. Your kids might #love it but you might not be able to stay #awake to even notice. #pets #dog #cat #illumination #minions #kids #children #kevinheart #pet #silly #funny
  
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Kyera (8 KP) rated Graceling in Books

Jan 31, 2018  
Graceling
Graceling
Kristin Cashore | 2008 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.6 (16 Ratings)
Book Rating
I enjoyed this fantasy book despite not particularly connecting with the main character. Katsa can be harsh and unrelatable, but the plot of the book is interesting. I listened to the book rather than reading it, so I think that I noticed the writing style/grammar problems less than those who were actually looking at the words.

The premise was fascinating - some people grow into special abilities called graces although each grace is different. Katsa has a fighting grace, which her King has her use to intimidate and harm people. Despite hating it, she never fights against it and accepts her position as a killer. I understand the fear of the King's anger, but cannot reconcile that with allowing oneself to be used and abused in such a manner. She is a fighter and strong enough that no one should be able to command her. Her freedom and her choices should be her own, but she allows herself to be manipulated for a long time.

Po, on the other hand, was very likable. He brings out a better side of Katsa and forces her to realize that she does not have to be the King's puppet. He is intelligent, a revered fighter and kind. I also liked another character, but as they do not have a role until the later half of the book - I'm afraid that talking about them might spoil details.

The world building was decent and I hope that it is expanded in future books, as this is not a standalone. The journey Katsa goes on is chronicled beautifully, but I don't feel like I know the world itself or its monarchies well. There are seven kingdoms and I would not be able to detail customs, names or climate of many of them.

Overall, the plot is relatively predictable although there were a few points that weren't expected. The pacing was steady throughout, but some scene changes and plot progressions seemed to jump forward when the plot would have been better served if they were expanded upon. For example, the conflict of the plot built and then the climax and "resolution" was mere moments so if you weren't paying close attention you may have missed it.

I would recommend this to young adult/teen readers who enjoy fantasy books - and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
  
The Circle (2017)
The Circle (2017)
2017 | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
This movie really shows us where we are headed with technology. It seems like privacy is going to end if we don't do something quick. Having a camera on everyone all the time without permission is such a hard choice to make. The majority of the time there is always a camera watching when we are not in our homes. It comes down to who and how the data is being used.

In this movie The Circle, it show what happens when a non-government company gets involved in make the choice to watch are every move. They make is seem like you have a choice to join them, which most people do. They feel like if they do not they are on the outside looking in and are looked down upon for not being part of the community. It is weird in our society that we care that much what people are doing all the time. I myself have a Facebook account but don't use it all to often. Now I do look at daily to see what other people are up to and see if I missed anything news worthy. But a lot of time it is just people complaining about their life to the masses. Every once in awhile I do see a cute animal video.


This company in this movie takes it one step farther. They want to follow your every move and know your health stats, who your talking to, if you voted or plan to and combining your life in to one program. As much as it seem like it would make your life easier, do you want one company knowing everything about you. I say no. Even the government in this movie was torn on whether or not to take down this company.


This was a well casted movie and a very good script, but I think the timeline of the movie could have been better and there could have been better character development. I would have like to have seen the story of Ty and where he fit in more. Mae's character could have had more plot with the take down of the company.


If you are freaked out at where we are headed with social media or even being watched all the time, you should totally watch this movie. It will probably change your mind about a few things. Enjoy the show.
  
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Eric (3 KP) Aug 20, 2018

I really liked this movie because it does show where we are going in society and social media, but it does teach us that even one person can make a difference to stop the machine and turn things around.

The Graces
The Graces
Laure Eve | 2016 | Children, Young Adult (YA)
7
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Not much of a plot, it was a good ending though
There wasn’t a substantial plot with this one. You had an idea on why River was trying to be friends with The Graces and there were hints here and there throughout the story on what River was really wanting to do all this time. You’re pretty much following River as she makes friends and tries to be part of the in crowd with The Graces.

I didn’t really like River that much in the beginning. You knew why she was wanting to befriend them however at the same time she had a great friendship with Summer and you were hoping nothing would spoil it.

The Graces did have a certain charm to them but at the same time there was also something strange. They’re close knit, secretive, and not your average family. They already had their secrets to start with, and of all the three I’d have to like Summer the most. She was the outspoken one and the rule breaker with at least some semblance of sense and logic that her two siblings didn’t have (those that have read the book would know what I’m talking about).

Back to River. Oh darling. You know this could have gone well if you HAD JUST TOLD THEM. Sometimes I hate reading books where the protagonist has this huge secret because they tend to keep it to themselves until they finally realize it wouldn’t help anymore but by that time, it would mess up a lot of things now would it? And all throughout the book you’re screaming JUST. TELL. THEM. Sheesh.

Although I know I said I didn’t really like her in the beginning, she redeemed herself in the last third of the book. I was expecting her to be sniveling, crying and pleading but she suddenly became this beacon of rage and I suddenly pulled a 180 and loved her instantly. She finally realized who she was and what she was capable of. She didn’t need the Graces at all - well maybe she needed them to put her in the right direction but it was nice to see her pick herself up and be strong about it.

Loved the ending! Such a cliffhanger and I want to know what’s going to happen next now that River has found herself. Sequel is coming out this year! So I’ll be looking forward to it!
  
Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #3)
Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #3)
Laini Taylor | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
7.9 (8 Ratings)
Book Rating
I really enjoyed this series when I started it back when it first came out. Unfortunately for me, being the weird person I am, I decided to wait TWO YEARS after this book came out to actually read it, even though I had bought it when it came out. (Seriously, we are talking not very smart right here.) Because of that, it was kinda hard to get back in the series. I didn't remember a lot of stuff until it was remembered by the characters themselves. When a couple of new characters were introduced, I thought I was already supposed to know them. It was a mess.

Speaking of the characters, I love the little commentaries they have when it is in their point of view. Zuzana and Karou are so sassy all of the time and I just love it. I was also happy that all of my ships were still afloat by the end of the book and I even got some new ones!! (Liziri, am I right?) I am just happy that the characters got to be happy.

For me, maybe because it had been so long since I had read the other books, the story line got very confusing at points. A lot was going on at once and was sometimes hard to follow. I didn't know what was going on at all for the first few chapters, but it started to get cleared up a bit as I went along.

In my opinion, too much happened too late in this book. A whole new conflict started/was revealed with about seventy pages left and was never really resolved which I thought was odd. It was a really cool plot line that could have gone onto another book, but the series is over, so I honestly don't know what to think about that.

Overall, despite my complaining, I really did enjoy this book and the series as a whole. It had a very interesting concept throughout and the characters and their stories were very compelling, which is something I absolutely love about the series. I just think I would have enjoyed it more if I had either reread the previous two books or read this one when it came out.

I would definitely recommend this series to people who want to read something different, because this is certainly that!!
  
The Square Root of Summer
The Square Root of Summer
Harriet Reuter Hapgood | 2016 | Children
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
One word really describes this book…. confusing! for the majority of the book I didn’t really know what was going on. I think the state of confusion was on my behalf as I am not a massive fan of physics and unable to get my head around it.

The Square Root of Summer is Harriet Reuter Hapgood’s debut novel, the story is told from the perspective of Gottie. A year ago her life was pretty good, she had an amazing family, a boyfriend and decent friends and then it shattered all around her. It’s been a year since Gottie’s grandfather died, the family are devastated and have slowly drifted apart as they come to terms with their loss. To make things worse her so-called ‘boyfriend’ left for University/College and the great friends she had are continuing on with their lives without Gottie.

When she receives news that her next door neighbour/best friend Thomas is coming back to England to live after moving to Canada things start happening to Gottie that she just can’t explain.

Gottie is a science geek and loves physics, so when she starts having flashbacks of everything that happened the previous year before Grey’s(Grandfather) death, she tries to understand what is happening to her. Gottie believes that she is traveling back in time through wormholes and vortexes (all that physicy stuff) and soon the summer becomes a mission to find out if you can really time travel.

This book is a coming of age story that includes grief, families,friends, and love. The book shows how much heartbreak a death in the family can cause and that something stressful (major life event) will tip you over the edge. Wormholes and Vortexes were Gottie’s coping mechanism, she enjoyed physics and that’s what helped her. With these flashback’s/time travelling (you decide) it enabled her to start talking to her family and friends again, also finding herself and become the person she wanted to be.

This is a great debut novel set in Norfolk, England. Hapgood managed to include aspects of her German heritage into the book, the family dynamics and characters are complex and three-dimensional, there is bookstores and baking and also to top it off there is a cute romance.What more could you ask for?

I rated this 3 of 5 stars
*I received a copyofthis book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
  
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Louise (64 KP) rated Concentr8 in Books

Jul 2, 2018  
C
Concentr8
2
3.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is set in London in a society where Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is on the rise. Ritalin is a drug that is used to calm children/teens with ADHD, however there is a new wonder drug Concentr8 which has the same desired effects but better and cheaper

The concentr8 program has been abandoned! as a result London is in chaos with riots, looting, and fires.

The novel starts off with 5 teenagers Blaze, Troy, Femi, Lee and Karen, on a whim they to decide to kidnap an employee from the Mayors offices and tie him to a radiator, but they don't really know why. It just happens.

I hadn't heard much about this book or the author when I requested it and the synopsis intrigued me or maybe it was the blinding yellow of the book that drew me in (who knows).

I really didn't like the writing style of this book, every chapter was told by a different person and because they were so short, I had to go back to remind myself who the narrator was. I have never seen writing like this before either, the words are mashed together, eg <b>"It's like all your lifeyou knowwhat's fantasyand whats solid..."</b> It is
like this throughout the book and I had to make sure what i was reading as could be confusing at times.There are lack of comma's, full stops and pretty appalling grammar with thick London accents.

So I researched ADHD and some of the symptoms are impulsiveness, little or no sense of danger, excessive talking, unable to concentrate, short attention span and many more. Which does come across in the characters.

This is one of the mental health issues that hasn't really be discussed in books that much and I was looking forward to it being touched upon. There are also excerpts in every chapter that has been taken from real life twitter accounts, magazines and other sources regarding Ritalin.

The book is very thought-provoking about ADHD, medications that are used, their side effects and diagnosis.

If you are interested in Mental Health and diverse books then have a look.

I personally didn't enjoy this book but made myself finish it (DNF is a rarity)
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Robin Hood (2018) in Movies

Nov 26, 2018 (Updated Nov 28, 2018)  
Robin Hood (2018)
Robin Hood (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Bog-standard looks-like-a-computer-game action movie populated by a mixture of blandly good-looking non-actors and people who should probably know better; would have been forgettable tosh but for the fact that the Robin Hood name has inexplicably been plastered onto something bearing virtually zero resemblance to the legend.

Corrupt establishment has embarked upon a series of foreign wars for its own shady purposes, ordinary people are being screwed to pay for it all, plus their young men are being sent off to die. Good-hearted young chap gets his draft letter in the post and is sent off to Afghanistan, or so it seems, he gets sent home on the grounds of excess heroism only to find that someone has moved Nottingham sixty miles and it is now on the coast and has its own harbour. Needless to say he resolves to become a superhero with a secret identity and sort everything out.

The thing that will kill this movie for anyone who actually cares about the Robin Hood legend is that it seems to have no appreciation of the fact that Things Were Different In The Past, and is fairly up front about it: 'we're not going to bore you with history,' the script announces in so many words right at the start. Well, if you really think history is boring, possibly you shouldn't have tried to make a film with a historical setting, then, but thank-you for making your low opinion of your audience's intelligence obvious from the start.

All the things the legend is actually about, and most of the things you would automatically associate with it (sword-fights, the band of Merry Men, Sherwood Forest, King Richard's ransom) are chucked out in favour of a glib and opportunistic one-size-fits-all form of anti-capitalist and anti-establishment agitprop. You may argue that we've seen the classic version of the story so many times before, and this is about doing something new, but if you get rid of the Robin Hood element of the Robin Hood story, you're left with something pointless and stupid, which is really what we have here. The Disney version with the talking fox is much more entertaining, not to mention historically accurate.
  
Gold In My Veins - Single by Kid Pharaoh
Gold In My Veins - Single by Kid Pharaoh
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Kid Pharaoh is a rapper with Egyptian and Australian roots. Not too long ago, he released a music video for his self-produced single, entitled, “Gold In My Veins”.

“Gold on your neck, but I got gold in my brown skin. See yeah with your frontin’ ways. Your stunting chains and big face hundreds man. You hustling, but tell me what you covering? I never needed all that ‘cause I come from kings. So, what I need a Rollie for? It’s my time. I don’t need no gold to show how I shine. You can quit all that talking and lying.” – lyrics

Shot by Shaq Azhar in Wollongong, NSW, the audiovisual features Kid Pharaoh as the lead protagonist.

He plays an accountant in the office environment of Pharaoh Financial. The accountant comically analyses the expenses of a lavish rapper’s lifestyle. Also, he questions its worth and dismisses its relevance.

“Celebrating my Egyptian heritage and its rich history has always been at the forefront of what I do. But ‘Gold In My Veins’ allowed me to do so in a way that let me explore a new lane of sounds I was yet to touch. Inspired by the bounce and grooves of early 2000s Pharrell and Neptunes produced music I grew up with.” – Kid Pharaoh

‘Gold In My Veins’ tells an interesting tale from Kid Pharaoh’s point of view which claims his hip-hop kingship based on his royal ancestry.

Apparently, the savvy emcee’s soul is made of gold, and he is from a lineage of pharaohs who sat on thrones in the Valley of the Kings.

Later, Kid Pharaoh reveals that no one is messing with him because he’s the best in his city, state, and country.

‘Gold In My Veins’ contains a relatable storyline, braggadocious raps, and lush instrumentation scented with a hip-hop fragrance.

“You can tell these rappers I don’t need to stunt. You can tell these rappers they don’t need to front. With your false claims and your gold chains, I was born from the kings, one thing. You can tell ‘em keep the gold in your chain ’cause yeah I got gold in my veins.” – lyrics

Kid Pharaoh provides a raw and unique voice for an underrepresented Arabic community in Australia.

https://www.bongminesentertainment.com/kid-pharaoh-gold-in-my-veins/