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During a Pandemic
During a Pandemic
Ashley Perrotti | 2021 | Children
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If you are looking for a book that will help your child or children understand what happened a year ago. This book named "During a Pandemic" by Ashley Perrotti is a good fit. It is simple and understandable for a child or anyone to understand what a pandemic is.

The book explains the pandemic and the changes that are going around. It makes it understandable for children. The pictures are simple and drawn well. It shows you what's essential in life. It does not over complicate what everyone is going through with this book.

This book happens to be for children. Still, it has been put into simple words and pictures to understand what was happening around us for the last year; it is still going on today. I love that this explains and is delivered to understand. I did see that throughout the book.

We see what we changed for others, while this explains keeping people safe and learning to deal with the changes that would keep ourselves and our family safe. You will learn about what the pandemic is or what the word means with this straightforward book. Children will learn as well. It will be easy for them to understand.
  
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ClareR (6037 KP) rated The Trunk in Books

Jan 29, 2025  
The Trunk
The Trunk
Kim Ryeo-Ryeong | 2024 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well, I didn’t know how much I needed to read Korean literature until I read The Trunk!

Inji works for a secret branch of a well-known matchmaking agency. Men who would like a wife without the long term commitment, hire a Field Wife. She fulfils their every wish, be it domestic or sexual. Inji’s current husband is a repeat contract. He’s not very good at being a husband, and reinforces Inji’s opinions on marriage: unnecessary and unfulfilling. And then there’s the possibility of domestic violence and exploitation.

To be fair, this doesn’t paint a great picture of marriage in (this case) Korea. Inji doesn’t even refer to her husband by name. He’s just “husband”, which makes him almost incidental to the story.

There’s a lot going on in this novel: family dynamics, exploitation, modern slavery, death (by suicide?), prostitution.

And what is the trunk in the title? I personally think it’s Inji’s personal baggage: the emotions, feelings and responsibilities that she carries around with her all the time. This trunk goes with her between field husband, her family and her flat. She’s never without it.

Is it the thriller that it’s sold as? I don’t think so, but it is a very interesting glance into life in Korea, and I really enjoyed it.
  
Blood of the Damned - Thorn (Vaughn Winery #1)
Blood of the Damned - Thorn (Vaughn Winery #1)
JP Sayle | 2025 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
BLOOD OF THE DAMNED - THORN is the first book in the Vaughn Winery series, which takes place in the Divergent Omegaverse. I was happy to see Derick and Lane make an appearance too!

Ledger has left his ex and his old life behind in LA, moving to Bumf?ck, Nowhere for a new job at Vaughn Winery. What he doesn't expect is to meet his mate and everything that comes with it! Thorn is in town to meet his new employee, and doesn't think the omega who is his mate is one and the same, so he is ecstatic when he finds out. Together, their romance moves forward at breakneck speed, culminating in Ledger being pregnant, which raises a whole bunch of questions that they might not like the answers to.

This was a great introduction to the series, and I can't wait to see both Calvert and Dacian meet their mates. Definitely recommended by me, and I hope to see more of Thorn and Ledger in future books.

** Same worded review will appear elsewhere. **
 
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
 
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 15, 2025
  
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
2022 | Action, Drama
The very definition of "Summer Flick"
There is absolutely no denying it - TOP GUN: MAVERICK is the very definition of a “Summer Blockbuster” movie - the kind of film that will appeal to a wide variety of audiences who want nothing more than to escape into a world of heroes (and villains), good vs. evil, with lots of fast chases and things exploding.

And that is just what you get with the sequel to the 1986 hit - a summer blockbuster, which will do well at the box office - just don’t expect tricky plot developments or in-depth character examinations. The plot and the characters are just there to deliver the blockbuster goods.

Bringing back the main character from the first TOP GUN film, Tom Cruise as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, TOP GUN: MAVERICK shows Maverick 30 years (or so) after the events of the first film with “just one more” mission to go. Maverick is brought back to train a dozen hot-shot pilots, including one that is the son of his best friend - a friend who’s death Maverick has been traumatized by during the past 30 years.

Cruise, of course, is perfect in this role. He has the right blend of arrogance and charisma to pull of the fine balance needed between these two traits. Jennifer Connelly is on board as the requisite love interest and she more than holds her own with Cruise in what is an underwritten role as are all of the roles in this film by writer Peter Craig (BAD BOYS FOR LIFE) with Direction by Joseph Kosinski (OBLIVION).

Miles Teller (the son of the man who Maverick is mourning, who blames Maverick for his dad’s death), John Hamm (the a-hole boss that thinks that Maverick is “writing checks his body can’t cash”), Glen Powell (the arrogant young hot shot) and the rest are all one-note caricatures that leaves the audience not really caring about their fate.

Only Val Kilmer (reprising his role as “Iceman” from the first movie) comes out of this unscathed for his character is suffering from throat cancer and cannot speak above a whisper (much like Kilmer in real life). It was good to see him on the big screen again.

But…you don’t come to this film for the characters, you come to this picture for the high-flying action sequences, and…in the last part of this film…you get ‘em in spades! Unfortunately, you get way too LITTLE action in the first part of this film, it’s mostly nostalgic fond remembrances of the first film, so I found myself wriggling in my seat waiting for the action that I knew was to come.

It’s the perfect summer movie and one that is far more superior being seen on the big screen. It is the type of flick that one doesn’t have to pay to close attention to, but when it does grab your attention, it does it well…enough.

If you have the need…the need for speed…you can do much worse than TOP GUN: MAVERICK.

Letter Grade: B

 7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
X (Kinsey Millhone, #24)
X (Kinsey Millhone, #24)
Sue Grafton | 2015 | Mystery
6
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The plot of "X" opens up with the story of a woman attempting to steal a painting. Then Grafton switches to present day, catching us up with Kinsey. "X" details several threats - mainly Kinsey trying to track down a recently released felon for a client and Kinsey working with Pete Wolinksy's widow to assist her with finding some files related to an IRS investigation. There's also a subplot involving Henry and Kinsey's new neighbors.

I have to state up front that I love Grafton and I love Kinsey Millhone. I hope they never make this series into a film, because I have my own picture of Kinsey in my mind, and I don't want anyone to ruin it. I started reading this series in middle school (!) and look forward to each and every release. Alas, while I enjoyed "X," it seemed a bit lackluster compared to many of Millhone's previous Kinsey efforts.

If you've read any Grafton book (or truly any mystery), you can envision that Kinsey's disparate cases will somehow overlap at some point. Her cases are fairly interesting, though Kinsey hems and haws a bit about her past with Pete. The side plot with Kinsey and her new neighbors (while somewhat appalling) just drags on, which makes me sad, because it involves Henry, and I do enjoy Henry.

Overall, it's a quick read and also good to catch up with Kinsey. However, I found myself wishing we could progress a bit more with Kinsey's personal life (besides Henry). Though perhaps the book represents how stagnant Kinsey feels in life? Hard to tell. But I do hope the next book brings her a little more excitement and happiness in both work and her personal life.
  
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Lee (2222 KP) rated Venom (2018) in Movies

Oct 5, 2018 (Updated Oct 16, 2018)  
Venom (2018)
Venom (2018)
2018 | Action, Sci-Fi
A bit rough around the edges, but pretty enjoyable overall
Contains spoilers, click to show
The run up to seeing Venom has followed what seems to be a bit of a growing trend for me recently - tickets go on sale for a movie that I'm very excited to see and despite the slightly average trailers, I grab a ticket and hope for the best. Then in the days beforehand, a load of negative reviews appear online and I really hope that they're all wrong, like they all were with Hereditary. Recently we've had The Nun, then The Predator, and now Venom. I was really hoping this wasn't going to be three in a row!

A space probe is returning to Earth. We hear the astronauts communicating with a team back home. They're talking about some 'specimens' that they're bringing back, and then something goes wrong onboard and the rocket crashes to Earth, landing somewhere in Malaysia. The probe belongs to bio-engineering company Life Foundation, and the specimens they're carrying are symbiotic lifeforms. Life Foundation are all over the crash site, with only one of the astronauts surviving, barely. Meanwhile, CEO Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) is very excited by the symbiotes and returns them to the lab, becoming obsessed with assimilating them into animals. Obviously he has plans to eventually (as quickly as possible) try this out on humans. Apparently, it's all for the good of the planet or some guff like that.

Meanwhile, we're introduced to investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his girlfriend Anne (Michelle Williams). He's basically the most unconvincing journalist I've ever seen in a movie, but the montage of clips seems determined to tell us otherwise. He has his own TV show! It's great! He's helped to uncover injustice, righted wrongs, and is apparently a nice down to earth guy. When he secures an interview with Carlton Drake from Life Foundation, he's ready to uncover some dirt, but his boss warns him not to overstep the mark. Of course, he doesn't listen, stepping over the line and getting himself fired. He also manages to lose girlfriend Anne in the process.

The next chunk of the movie is just Tom Hardy moping around, and it's not that great. I don't know if it's the script, the acting, or both. It's interspersed occasionally with scenes involving Carlton Drake looking to expose the symbiotes to human subjects - the homeless, the poor or the just plain stupid - and you start wishing they'd just hurry up and bring Venom and Eddie together, in the hopes that things will pick up a bit. Luckily, once that does happen things do pick up considerably and Tom Hardy is so much better suited as the crazy man who's feeling a little bit unwell than the sad, boring journalist. There's a good level of humour from that point on too, along with some fairly decent action.

Unfortunately though, Venom suffers from some of the same dreadful editing that The Predator did. Scenes that seem to just prematurely end suddenly and successions of rapid cuts during some of the action, making it difficult to see just what the hell is going on. Overall it's a bit rough around the edges, and definitely not as slick as your standard Marvel movie (this one is just 'in association with Marvel'). That being said, this was in no way the car crash movie that many of the reviews had lead me to believe, and on the whole I actually really enjoyed it.

A decent mid credits scene sets up some exciting potential for a further movie, but I feel they really need to tighten things up a bit in order to make another one worth seeing.
  
Marnie (1964)
Marnie (1964)
1964 | Classics, Mystery
Mediocre Hitchcock - but still pretty good
Heading into 1964, Alfred Hitchcock was on quite a roll. He had just rolled out - in order, VERTIGO (1958), NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959), PSYCHO (1960) and THE BIRDS (1963) and his anthology series ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS had made him into a household name throughout the world. So it was with great anticipation/expectation that the world awaited his next major motion picture.

And while this film, MARNIE was not the critical or commercial success of his previous outings, it still has enough good in it that makes it a worthwhile film to watch.

Starring Tippi Hedren (THE BIRDS) and Sean Connery (fresh off his James Bond success in DR. NO and FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE), MARNIE is, basically, a "two-hander" (a film that is primarily focused on conversation between 2 people) about an habitual thief, Marnie, with deep psychological troubles who is loved (and handled) by a man who is seeking to get to the root of what makes her tick.

And..in someone else's hands..this film could have been overly melodramatic, but in Hitchcock's adroit hands, it is a deep and disturbing psychological thriller that succeeds more often than it doesn't.

Starting with what works, Hitchcock's Direction (obviously) is at the fore. He knows how to play out a moment - especially a scene where Marnie steals from a safe. Hitchcock locks the camera in place and plays the scene with no music and just letting the events play out. It is a typical suspenseful Hitchcock scene and very well done.

The other thing that works is the performance of Connery. His charm and screen charisma shines brightly. making a problematic character like the one Connery portrays seemingly benign. Also...Tippi Hedren's performance at the end of this movie almost rescues her character...almost.

What doesn't work? Well...let's start with the title character, Marnie, as played by Hedren. She just doesn't have the charisma and charm of Connery and never really brings her character to life. She overacts at times when she has one of her "episodes" (I would think that both Hitchcock and Hedren share the blame for this) it is almost laughable in it's over-acting and she just seems in over her head with this role. It is said that Hitchcock had the film and role of Marnie written specifically as a comeback vehicle for Grace Kelly. It is too bad that this didn't come to pass, as I would have LOVED to see what an actress of her caliber would have done with this role.

The other thing that doesn't really work for me is the 2 characters at the forefront of this film. Both Hedren's Marnie and Connery's Mark Rutland are not likeable (though, as I said earlier, Connery's charm and charisma rescue's the Rutland character), but neither of these characters are ones that us, the audience, particularly care for - and that is a problem with a film that is pretty much focused on these characters.

Not one of Hitchcock's best...but still good...and the ending almost makes up for the weaknesses of the earlier parts of the movie.

Letter Grade: B

7 stars (out of 10) - even mediocre Hitchcock is till pretty good.

And...you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
  
Husbands and Other Sharp Objects
Husbands and Other Sharp Objects
Marilyn Simon Rothstein | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
so funny - LOL funny (0 more)
HYSTERICAL
This book is HILARIOUS! 9 LOL STARS!!

Some favorites....
••• "Is bread still considered white once toasted?"

••• "I hate the term “baby lettuce.” Worse is “Boston baby lettuce.” It’s not bad enough you’re eating the baby. You have to know where it comes from."

••• "People I knew hardly ever called on the landline anymore, which was good because I liked to keep that phone open for insurance types who mispronounced my name and financial advisors hawking upside-down mortgages."

And those are literally from just the first 10% of the book!

I LOL'd from beginning to end. If you need some humor in your life, please do yourself a favor and get this book! You won't regret it.. I chuckled, I guffawed, I made all the silly noises that describe laughter. But get this - there is divorce, infidelity, cancer, family issues, heart attacks... and I still made all those silly noises!! Never have I laughed out loud so much from a book.

Marcy Hammer is done with her marriage. Despite a lifetime of memories, three adult kids and a pretty comfortable life, it's inexcusable what Harvey has done. She's got a new man in her life, but Harvey will not let her go. She's determined to get him to file, and move forward with the divorce. But while her own marriage is ending, her daughter Amanda gets engaged, and her marriage is just beginning.

The wedding planning is the bulk of the story - and it is hysterically insane. From beginning to end between thieving in-laws, silly traditions, and just having her kids meet Jon her new boyfriend, nothing is simple, everything involves some sort of challenge or confrontation - but Marcy takes it all in stride - doing her best as a mom, a friend, a partner - and her sense of humor truly shines in this book!

I loved Marcy, she is witty and feisty, and her family is just as dysfunctional as you'd want in a great book. The writing is sharp and quick, and I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish.