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Me Before You
Me Before You
Jojo Moyes | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry
6
8.3 (59 Ratings)
Book Rating
Louisa Clark leads a calm and simple (perhaps even boring) life in her village. She has a job in a cafe, she lives with her parents, and she has a boyfriend, Patrick, who is predictable, even if she might not actually love him. But one day, Louisa's life is turned upside down when she arrives at work and finds out the cafe is closing. Forced into the world of unemployment, Lou eventually ends up as a caregiver for the Traynor family -- specifically Will, a quadriplegic, a once active and passionate man whose life was changed irrevocably by an accident. Confined to a wheelchair, unable to move most of his limbs, and in great pain many days, Will's life is nothing like it was before. However, when Lou arrives in his world, she brings a bit of joy and fun to his otherwise bland days. However, neither of them realize how much they will change and affect each others' lives.

This was an interesting book, for sure. I'd avoided it for a while, hearing how sad it was, and frankly, I have enough of that in my life. But it eventually came up in my library queue, and I decided to give it a shot, basically because I'd read Moye's "One Plus One" and really loved it. I will try not to reveal much of the plot, for those who may not have read anything about it. However, I'll say the book touches on timely topics such as assisted suicide. Should Will be confined to his chair for the rest of life, living half a life, much of it in pain? What role should his family play in his life, and in his decisions? And how much responsibility does he owe his family and those who care for him? All deep questions, for sure.

The book is enjoyable purely on the strength of Lou's character. Just like "One Plus One," Moyes has an uncanny ability to create a main character whom you start to inhabit, love, and root for - quirks, frustrations, and flaws included. Lou is real and you can't help but like her. It's a fast read, as well - I tore through it in less than two days. There's a sequel out now, and I'm a little sad that I just put it on hold at the library, and I'll have to wait a while to find out what happens - but perhaps that's for the best.

Anyway, I was definitely drawn in by Lou's voice. A lot of her character and situation hit home, in a weird sort of way - her being trapped in her life by fear and an inability to get out beyond the confines of the life she'd created for herself. Her relationship with Will is a fascinating one, for sure. The ending of the book is tough, and without spoiling anything, leaves you feeling a bit deflated. I felt a lot of complicated emotions about it all, which I suppose is the sign of a good book, but kept me from pushing it up to a full 4-star review. Still, a mesmerizing read.
  
    Habit - 21 day routine

    Habit - 21 day routine

    Lifestyle and Productivity

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    Cultivate Life Transforming Habits in 21 Days This application helps you stick to a certain...

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Melja Gregory (2 KP) rated The Name of the Wind in Books

Jan 5, 2018 (Updated Jan 5, 2018)  
The Name of the Wind
The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.2 (74 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great writing and unexpected twists (0 more)
Never expect an end to a great series
Wonderful book but a warning, don't expect to finish the series. The author seems to literally postpone writing the last, or at least next, book in the series for anything, and I mean anything. Like playing video games, and he brags/laughs about it on his social media. So not sure I should recommend this book no matter how good the series is, because the author seems very unmotivated to finish the cliffhanger you are left with in the second book.
A great series that may start a bit slow, but picks up fairly quickly as we go throughout the main characters life. The first book leads into the second, and the second should lead to a third, but once again the problem is you are left in the second before what feels like the big climax that if the third ever happens should be an epic conclusion.
  
The Incredibles 2 (2018)
The Incredibles 2 (2018)
2018 | Action, Animation, Comedy
The animation (2 more)
The plot
Character development
The bright lights (0 more)
Contains spoilers, click to show
I really enjoyed this sequel that I had been waiting years for. The animation in the original is good but somehow they got even better for the sequel.

The plot was interesting and it was nice to see how the Parrs dealt with life after the events of the first movie. And seeing the kids actually saving the day and taking lead, rather than only helping.

I liked getting to see Helen take a bigger superhero role while getting to see Robert connect with the kids, who had their own normal kid problems not related to powers, mostly (for Violet and Dash at least). And Jack-Jacks powers and interactions with Edna were a delight.

I did not like the bright flashing lights that got the movie the seizure warnings. Just looking at them was painful, causing a headache, and that's without having issues with seizures.

But overall, I really enjoyed this movie.
  
    The Club

    The Club

    Mary Martin

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    In The Club you will find glamour, intrigue, gossip and the story of everyday life for the members...

McFarland USA (2015)
McFarland USA (2015)
2015 | Drama, Family
8
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
HEADLINE:

McFarland USA

plot

Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach. He sees that some of the students are worth starting a cross-country team and turns seven students with no hope into one of the best cross-country teams.



What lessons did you learn from this story (theme/moral)? What do you think others will learn from it?

One man can open eyes, and not just one or two eyes but a whole family, team, school, community. Its not about where you are that truly matters, it’s about the people you are with here that truly matters. Even if you do not get the results you wanted to have when the final second ticks off the clock, you are, and you will always be a winner. No matter how much success you have on your own you are alone, so do it as a team, that way you are and never will be alone.

PARAGRAPH #4 What group of people would like this movie? Who would you recommend it to? Who would you not recommend it to?

i would recommend it to anyone who likes to run either cross country, track and field or running in general. i would also do the same to someone that likes a good storytale movie about life struggles and overcoming the odds.

What is your final word on the film: Is it good or bad?

Everyone from the creators of the movie to the extras of even the smallest scenes of the movie

RATING SYSTEM:

crap

poor

decent

even

Good

Great

perfect

I give the movie McFarland USA a movie rating of 6.
  
    Speedometer+

    Speedometer+

    Navigation and Utilities

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    Speedometer+: • places a highly accurate speedometer in the palm of your hand • dedicated...

Dixieland (2015)
Dixieland (2015)
2015 | Mystery
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: One Last Score starts as young man Kermit (Zylka) is release from prison and returning to the preverbal wrong side of the tracks where the families struggle to make ends meet. He returns home to his mother Arletta (Hill) who wants him to stay out of trouble, his neighbour Rachel (Keough) who is working to help care for her sick mother, with her latest job being as a stripper.

Kermit and Rachel strike up a friendship for the bonding of their own struggles, supporting each other through this tough time. This brings Kermit back to the life of crime, the one he promised to star away from in an attempt to escape the dead-end town with Rachel.

 

Thoughts on One Last Score

 

Characters – Kermit is the former criminal that returns to his trailer park home to try and rebuild his life, he wants to be a barber, but is drawn back into his life of crime as he falls in love with Rachel and the two want to escape their dead-end town. Rachel is trying to help her mother paying for medical bills which leads her to a life of stripping, the two bond and plan to escape this life and start over.

Performances – Chris Zylka is good in the leading role, he works well with Riley as we see just how desperate his makes his character feel in what seems like a hopeless situation. Riley Keough shows her talent in this role as the woman that is left with her back against the wall.

Story – The story here shows the tough lives people can be living in America with little money, we see how two people that have turned to a life they didn’t want try to make ends meet in an attempt to escape this style of living. This shows us how another side of America lives which isn’t the side that gets shown enough, the side that are forced into lives they can’t handle, that are dangerous and at times illegal. The pace of the story is slow, but that does help the final pay off in the story which makes you think at times.

Crime – The crime world that Kermit is going into is only scratched on the surface, while we know he doesn’t want to be deeper in, this shows us how on the lines he wants to be to survive.

Settings – The film shows us with the settings the poorer parts of America, the ones living in the trailer parks trying just to get by each day, this helps us understand the characters struggles.


Scene of the Movie – The Lake.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The strange interviews through the movie, while I understand it reflects real life people, we lose something about the characters we are following.

Final Thoughts – This is a slow burning story that shows the tough times in America, it shows the desperation for two people to escape in a job they would never want to do, but must do.

 

Overall: Bleak view on America