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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Jun 26, 2020  
Stop by my blog, and check out the awesome playlist for the coming of age novel ALL THINGS LEFT WILD by James Wade. Enter the GIVEAWAY to win a signed copy of the book!

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
After an attempted horse theft goes tragically wrong, sixteen-year-old Caleb Bentley is on the run with his mean-spirited older brother across the American Southwest at the turn of the twentieth century. Caleb's moral compass and inner courage will be tested as they travel the harsh terrain and encounter those who have carved out a life there, for good or ill.

Wealthy and bookish Randall Dawson, out of place in this rugged and violent country, is begrudgingly chasing after the Bentley brothers. With little sense of how to survive, much less how to take his revenge, Randall meets Charlotte, a woman experienced in the deadly ways of life in the West. Together they navigate the murky values of vigilante justice.

Powerful and atmospheric, lyrical and fast-paced, All Things Left Wild is a coming-of-age for one man, a midlife odyssey for the other, and an illustration of the violence and corruption prevalent in our fast-expanding country. It artfully sketches the magnificence of the American West as mirrored in the human soul.

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/06/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-all-things.html
     
I Like That About Her
I Like That About Her
Aleks Mitchell | 2017 | LGBTQ+, Young Adult (YA)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Great Characters (1 more)
Good Flow
Some Editing Errors (0 more)
A Great Coming Out Book
This book was very well written. It hits on the angst of fist love, especially if that is a LGBTQ love. I really do not think people understand how hard it is to accept that you may be gay when all your life you are told it is wrong. I think Mitchell really did a fantastic job of introducing and confronting those issues with believable characters. I read this book in one sitting.
  
Onward (2020)
Onward (2020)
2020 | Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Wow. Pixar once again delivers a tear-jerker that is a fun, exciting family film. Ever since I saw the trailer, I knew that I wanted to watch this film. It just looked too good to pass up. And I was not wrong. Pixar delivered so hard with this movie. Props to Scanlon for incorporating a personal piece of his own life in this film. Also, Chris Pratt and Tom Holland both killed it in their roles in this film. I absolutely will watch this again!
  
A Christmas Candy Killing
A Christmas Candy Killing
Christina Romeril | 2022 | Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sweetly Festive Debut
Identical twins Alex and Hanna have made a life for themselves in a small Montana town, where they have opened Murder and Mayhem, a combination mystery bookstore and chocolate shop. In the time they’ve been here, Alex has become friends with Jane, one of their neighbors. Jane invites Alex over to view a true crime show because she believes that one of their neighbors is the killer still at large at the end of the episode. But when Alex arrives, she finds Jane’s dead body. The police think it was a robbery gone wrong, but Alex wonders if Jane was really onto something. Can she find the killer?

Between the culinary cozy theme and the Christmas setting, I have to give this debut a chance. I’m glad I did. The first couple of chapters had a bit too much background on Alex and Hanna, but once the murder happened, things picked up. I appreciated how the clues were folded into the story. Not that I figured out the killer using them. The characters are good, but they could be a little stronger. Likewise, the setting is good, but could be a little stronger. Both of these are minor complaints since I am definitely ready to visit my new friends and this location again soon. I enjoyed the Christmas timing as well. This is a delicious debut.
  
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Gail (4 KP) rated Simply Crazy in Books

Jun 4, 2018  
Simply Crazy
Simply Crazy
Jenn Hype | 2017 | Humor & Comedy, Romance
8
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
Simply Crazy by Jenn Hype
Four stars
I had so much fun reading this book. From the opening pages to the very last sentence. I was invested in knowing how this would all end. Blake was everything you want to be fun, happy, confident and herself. From the beginning you only got truth from her. Yeah she was a little crazy but what’s life without some insanity. Cj was mouth watering good looking. He was brooding and silent. Who wouldn’t want to drive him crazy just to see if he looked better with a smile. The story felt almost to good to be true. I almost didn’t like Blake because I could never guess what was real or fake. Yeah she just went with what ever popped in her head but was that really her or her way of covering up her emotions? Cj's flip from wanting her out to wanting to be with her was confusing. He was all about getting her out but then he turned around and fell in love? His personality changed too fast. It didn’t seem natural and like Blake I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. With that being said I still enjoyed the flow of the books. The suspenseful moments and the drama. The ending was super crazy and just how I have come to expect Blake to act. The author did a really good job with this story and I am looking forward to see what comes next. I hope it’s a book about Michelle and Brady.
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Adrift (2018) in Movies

Jul 10, 2018  
Adrift (2018)
Adrift (2018)
2018 | Action, Adventure, Drama
A very sad true story
I hadn't read many good reviews for this film so I honestly hadn't been expecting much, but it is actually quite good.

The film works well as it doesn't follow a linear narrative which would've been a little boring. Instead it opts to throw us straight into the immediate aftermath of the disaster, but flashing back to the couple and how they met, and how they came to be at sea. It also helps that Shailene Woodley is a great actress and very engaging and believable. This film wouldn't have worked half as well without her in it. Sam Claflin is perhaps a tad underused and I think there parts of this that maybe go a tad overboard (sorry) on the romance side. The effects may be slightly dodgy at times but the scenes at sea and in the aftermath are so harrowing and disturbing enough that it takes your mind off everything else. There is also a small "twist" in this which even I didn't see coming, which was quite refreshing. My only criticism is that despite it's short run time, the film does drag in a few parts and most of this run time is spent either on the boat or in flashbacks. Very little time is given to the ending so it feels a bit rushed and not quite wrapped up properly.

Overall though a very good and heartwrenching true story. Definitely one that could put you off sailing for life!