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The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook (Yeo Valley)
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Not just a name on a yoghurt pot, Yeo Valley is a real organic farm in the picturesque West Country....
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Sin & Lightning (Demigods of San Francisco, #5) in Books
Jan 8, 2021
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.
This starts with Lexi and some of the crew heading up a mountain in the hopes of recruiting a strong rock/stone giant to their crew as they gear up to appear at the Magical Summit in a few months time where Kieran will hope to become the recognised Demigod of San Francisco. Kieran doesn't know where she's heading and they're all hoping to get the giant on side before he realises. Then a ghost who used to be a spirit walker gives Alexis details of someone else who'd be good for the team and they head out after him, too. There's also the issue of Lydia, a Demigod of Egypt, who has invited them to her territory after being caught sneaking around their property. Kieran is hoping for an alliance with her so they go.
I do still really love this group of people. They are one big extended family that look after each other and compliment each others abilities magically. The new additions are great characters and I quickly grew to like both of them. I loved watching them all kick arse in this at the end. I was willing them on and grinning like an idiot at times.
There was a little twist/surprise at the end revolving around Magnus, Lexi's dad, that has me intrigued to see what might go down in the last book at the magical summit, so I'm off to go borrow it from the KU Library.
This starts with Lexi and some of the crew heading up a mountain in the hopes of recruiting a strong rock/stone giant to their crew as they gear up to appear at the Magical Summit in a few months time where Kieran will hope to become the recognised Demigod of San Francisco. Kieran doesn't know where she's heading and they're all hoping to get the giant on side before he realises. Then a ghost who used to be a spirit walker gives Alexis details of someone else who'd be good for the team and they head out after him, too. There's also the issue of Lydia, a Demigod of Egypt, who has invited them to her territory after being caught sneaking around their property. Kieran is hoping for an alliance with her so they go.
I do still really love this group of people. They are one big extended family that look after each other and compliment each others abilities magically. The new additions are great characters and I quickly grew to like both of them. I loved watching them all kick arse in this at the end. I was willing them on and grinning like an idiot at times.
There was a little twist/surprise at the end revolving around Magnus, Lexi's dad, that has me intrigued to see what might go down in the last book at the magical summit, so I'm off to go borrow it from the KU Library.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2434 KP) rated Murder on Fifth Avenue in Books
Nov 7, 2020
Death at a Gentlemen’s Club
When a member of the Knickerbocker club dies one afternoon, everyone assumes it was a heart attack – until they move the body and discover that he had been bleeding. Midwife Sarah Brandt’s father, Felix Decker, is a member of the club, so he immediately calls Detective Sergeant Frank Malloy to investigate. The victim was Chilton Devries, the head of a wealthy family. However, Frank soon learns that Chilton was not a well-liked man. With Sarah using her status in society to gain access to the family, the two begin to gain a long list of suspects. But who actually killed the man?
It’s always a pleasure to return to Sarah and Frank’s world, and this book was no exception. I enjoyed the fact that, in addition to who and why, we were trying to figure out how. That added a nice twist of the book. I try to space out authors because I start to pick up on some of their plotting techniques, and that did enable me to figure out a couple of twists early, but I was still left puzzled by many things until I reached the end. I was hooked, staying up late two nights in a row to finish it. The characters are strong, and the series regulars provided some moments that made me laugh out loud as I read. I’m anxious to find out what happens next thanks to a tease at the end of the book. I may have been late to this series, but I’m so glad I started it.
It’s always a pleasure to return to Sarah and Frank’s world, and this book was no exception. I enjoyed the fact that, in addition to who and why, we were trying to figure out how. That added a nice twist of the book. I try to space out authors because I start to pick up on some of their plotting techniques, and that did enable me to figure out a couple of twists early, but I was still left puzzled by many things until I reached the end. I was hooked, staying up late two nights in a row to finish it. The characters are strong, and the series regulars provided some moments that made me laugh out loud as I read. I’m anxious to find out what happens next thanks to a tease at the end of the book. I may have been late to this series, but I’m so glad I started it.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Knife (Harry Hole #12) (Oslo Sequence #10) in Books
Nov 15, 2020
Entirely unnecessary
I've had this book on my shelf for quite some time but have held off on reading it purely because the synopsis sounded like it completely rewrites all of the good work in the previous few books. And I'm afraid to say that I was right.
The previous books turned Harry Hole into a rather respectable person but without losing his impressive deduction and detective skills. His life is pretty much sorted. This book completely erases that and pushes Harry back into his alcoholic mess and also ruins his relationship with Rakel. I hated this. Was it really so hard for Nesbo to write a Harry Hole book that didn't completely ruin his entire life at the same time? As even the reveal at the end of this book just further adds to my despair of how much Hole and his life has been ruined.
There are some glimpses of the well written story you'd expect from Nesbo in this, but even the writing is very convoluted and drawn out. This book is at least 100 pages longer than it needs to be and features far too much unnecessary rambling and description. If it had been cut down, it may have made the plot a little easier to absorb.
I'm probably biased by my preconceptions about the plot of this book, but i really didn't enjoy it and even started skim reading towards the end. The whole initial plot plus the surprise twist ending just completely ruins Harry Hole to the point that I really hope this is the last book.
The previous books turned Harry Hole into a rather respectable person but without losing his impressive deduction and detective skills. His life is pretty much sorted. This book completely erases that and pushes Harry back into his alcoholic mess and also ruins his relationship with Rakel. I hated this. Was it really so hard for Nesbo to write a Harry Hole book that didn't completely ruin his entire life at the same time? As even the reveal at the end of this book just further adds to my despair of how much Hole and his life has been ruined.
There are some glimpses of the well written story you'd expect from Nesbo in this, but even the writing is very convoluted and drawn out. This book is at least 100 pages longer than it needs to be and features far too much unnecessary rambling and description. If it had been cut down, it may have made the plot a little easier to absorb.
I'm probably biased by my preconceptions about the plot of this book, but i really didn't enjoy it and even started skim reading towards the end. The whole initial plot plus the surprise twist ending just completely ruins Harry Hole to the point that I really hope this is the last book.
Lindsay (1779 KP) rated The Gold Digger (True Colors #9) in Books
Nov 23, 2020
This book is about two sisters though one seems to be doing something quite fishy. That fishiness seems to come out when a brother comes to town looking for his missing brother. We have Belle Gunness who seems to cry a lot or seem to be mean.
Why does the town seem to pick on a guy named Ray? Ingrid seems a bit naive about what her sister is doing but she loving her sister and children. Is her sister Belle a murder or looking for easy money? The town seems to think nothing of it when men go missing or think they just leave suddenly.
We do see that Ingrid and Nils seem to connect after meeting each other. They seem to take their time getting to know each other and courting. The plot of this story is deep and detailed. The story is done well. It just seems like found out who the killer is quite quickly. It just seems that Nils had to convince Ingrid and the town sheriff or the real killer and not the one they keep pulling in to question.
There are some surprises when it is all revealed and solved. Though there is still a twist at the end as well. There seem to be a mystery and lots of crimes. This is good in the sense that it tells some history of American crime and historical fiction and crime. It is a true crime. I rate this 4.5 Moons (stars).
Why does the town seem to pick on a guy named Ray? Ingrid seems a bit naive about what her sister is doing but she loving her sister and children. Is her sister Belle a murder or looking for easy money? The town seems to think nothing of it when men go missing or think they just leave suddenly.
We do see that Ingrid and Nils seem to connect after meeting each other. They seem to take their time getting to know each other and courting. The plot of this story is deep and detailed. The story is done well. It just seems like found out who the killer is quite quickly. It just seems that Nils had to convince Ingrid and the town sheriff or the real killer and not the one they keep pulling in to question.
There are some surprises when it is all revealed and solved. Though there is still a twist at the end as well. There seem to be a mystery and lots of crimes. This is good in the sense that it tells some history of American crime and historical fiction and crime. It is a true crime. I rate this 4.5 Moons (stars).
Merissa (13398 KP) rated Expectant Moon (Gladstone Shifters #1) in Books
Jun 8, 2021
Expectant Moon is the first book in the Gladstone Shifters series and it takes you to a current world where things are changing. Here we find Evan, a Delta, and Ben, an Alpha. Their two lives are separate at the start but once they meet, fireworks explode!
I found the beginning of this book to be slightly discombobulated, simply because we shift from one time to another, with different characters being introduced each time. HOWEVER, stick with it because each of those characters and situations is incredibly important to the overall story arc.
Once this story progressed, I was completely hooked. I loved this history of how times and attitudes had changed, how ways of life were forgotten and how they really needed to be remembered. Luckily for everyone, Jack is on hand to help and Evan will make sure it continues.
There was enough steam to melt my Kindle - which I loved! You really get a two-for-one deal with this book as Jack and William are magnificently interwoven with Evan and Ben - only in the literary sense! There is also pain, hate, tenderness, love, and hope.
Really, this was an amazing read that I thoroughly enjoyed. An amazing start to a new series with intricate details and new situations giving a brilliant twist to the 'standard' MM Paranormal Romance genre.
Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I found the beginning of this book to be slightly discombobulated, simply because we shift from one time to another, with different characters being introduced each time. HOWEVER, stick with it because each of those characters and situations is incredibly important to the overall story arc.
Once this story progressed, I was completely hooked. I loved this history of how times and attitudes had changed, how ways of life were forgotten and how they really needed to be remembered. Luckily for everyone, Jack is on hand to help and Evan will make sure it continues.
There was enough steam to melt my Kindle - which I loved! You really get a two-for-one deal with this book as Jack and William are magnificently interwoven with Evan and Ben - only in the literary sense! There is also pain, hate, tenderness, love, and hope.
Really, this was an amazing read that I thoroughly enjoyed. An amazing start to a new series with intricate details and new situations giving a brilliant twist to the 'standard' MM Paranormal Romance genre.
Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) in Movies
Jul 4, 2021
That final trap is as heart-stopping and clever a piece of political commentary that's been put into any horror film this decade thus far - but the rest (I'm immeasurably disappointed to report) is a bland, run-of-the-mill police procedural which only occasionally resembles a 𝘚𝘢𝘸 movie. Don't know whose idea it was to have less gore and crappier traps but fire them immediately. I think outside of that grievous oversight the other major problem is that this tries to be both a Saw movie as well as a modern movie - way less of the 2000s scary crackhead camerawork + editing, much fewer unnerving layers of overexposed shots, and now a clean frame replaces what was once a grimy sheen of iconic dilapidation. If you want this franchise to stay ahead of the pack in a day in age where even the cheapest indie flicks can have solid gore, you can't be this polished. No cutting away from the action right as it happens, and don't be afraid to cling onto what worked during its inception just because the passage of time may have left those trends behind - with this kind of cleanliness it's too easy to see the inherent seams of these things. Also you'd have to be an idiot not to see this 'twist' coming from a mile away. But Chris Rock is awesome in the last 20 minutes when he's snapping at everybody. Without a shadow of a doubt the worst film in the series.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Saw (2004) in Movies
Jul 4, 2021
Now *this* is more like it. Cruel, grimy, and goofy in just about equal measure - I sorely underrated this deservedly revolutionary gem the first time I saw it. Uses aspects which are unfairly maligned by other horror/thriller filmmakers who claim to be 'above' them much to its advantage; you're going to sit there and tell me that sped-up series of 360 shots around the reverse bear trap wasn't totally fucking awesome? Elements like that tap so deeply into that primal survival instinct which few other films of the genre even dare to explore, let alone as well as this does. The acting gets a lot of shit but tbh Cary Elwes and - in particular - Leigh Whannell are stellar as these two clashing personalities that effortlessly carry the entire movie on their backs. The decision to play up these performances akin to a WWE episode (even confining them to a stage-like arena for weaponized melodrama) adds even further to its untouched singularity. Could you imagine the direction of Wan with the gore of the sequels? Goddamn what an A1 product that would be. Just a concoction of ideas that work beautifully together: from the memorable aesthetic to its dastardly smart premise it's about as engrossing as can be. The twist is still just as riveting as it was back then if only because of the sheer commitment to delve into such gonzo levels of outlandishness. The fact that 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘭 turned this one's iconically atmospheric music into a cringe 21 Savage song tells you all you need to know about it.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Mortuary Collection (2019) in Movies
Oct 16, 2020
The Mortuary Collection is the latest in a long line of Creepshow style horror anthology films, a particular sub genre that can be hard to pull off, but director Ryan Spindell rises to the challenge pretty damn well.
The short stories presented here escalate in tone and subject as the film progresses, starting off relatively fun, but getting increasingly darker and in depth. This is something that the characters comment on between the segments, showing a nice sense of self awareness, but not going over the top with it.
Some of the later stories are hard to watch at times, and are quite emotional in places, especially the one that features actress Sarah Hay as a woman in a vegetative state. It's a genuinely sad story, topped off with some fantastic creature design. An interesting mix to say the least.
The stories are all good in their own right, but are tied together with a clever twist and a satisfying conclusion.
The main character is Montgomery Dark played by a brilliant Clancy Brown. He has a proper Phantasm/Tall Man/Angus Scrimm vibe to him (definitely no accident) and is suitably creepy as this movie's story teller.
The film is pretty damn visceral, and employs both practical effects, and decent digital effects to achieve what it does. It's all looks disgustingly awesome. It also has a great music score by Mondo Boys to compliment all the creepiness.
I was pleasantly surprised by The Mortuary Collection. It's a good time, a competent anthology film, and well worth a watch for horror fans.
The short stories presented here escalate in tone and subject as the film progresses, starting off relatively fun, but getting increasingly darker and in depth. This is something that the characters comment on between the segments, showing a nice sense of self awareness, but not going over the top with it.
Some of the later stories are hard to watch at times, and are quite emotional in places, especially the one that features actress Sarah Hay as a woman in a vegetative state. It's a genuinely sad story, topped off with some fantastic creature design. An interesting mix to say the least.
The stories are all good in their own right, but are tied together with a clever twist and a satisfying conclusion.
The main character is Montgomery Dark played by a brilliant Clancy Brown. He has a proper Phantasm/Tall Man/Angus Scrimm vibe to him (definitely no accident) and is suitably creepy as this movie's story teller.
The film is pretty damn visceral, and employs both practical effects, and decent digital effects to achieve what it does. It's all looks disgustingly awesome. It also has a great music score by Mondo Boys to compliment all the creepiness.
I was pleasantly surprised by The Mortuary Collection. It's a good time, a competent anthology film, and well worth a watch for horror fans.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Black Christmas (2019) in Movies
Dec 17, 2020
Fuck I really hated this.
Ignoring the politics side for a moment - it's a hugely poor horror film. It's devoid of any scares, it cuts away from any gore, and perhaps worst of all, it has the audacity to be called "Black Christmas" - which is quite simply one of the best slashers ever made.
Did this film even start as a Black Christmas remake? It basically goes: Men are shit - some people get killed offscreen - weird supernatural twist - oh shit, it's Black Christmas, better throw in a glass unicorn sculpture.
The supernatural part is something I'm not mad at actually - at least it tried something different rather than being a straight re tread.
Then of course, there's the aformentioned politics, which is what most people's issue is with this film. Feminist messages in horror movies can be hugely effective - the original Black Christmas does it well for example - but I can't help but feel that the message this version putting out there is severely mishandled. As a guy, I am willing to hear how I'm wrong in this instance, but it feels sooooo over the top with what it's trying to do. It's not too hard to be on board with for the most part, but the final scenes really go for it - I mean the lines "you're insane!" "No, we're just men" - really!? It just feels very in the nose to me.
Other than that, this film is turd. It gets a star for Imogen Poots and the creative snow angel death scene at the start. Watch the original instead.
Ignoring the politics side for a moment - it's a hugely poor horror film. It's devoid of any scares, it cuts away from any gore, and perhaps worst of all, it has the audacity to be called "Black Christmas" - which is quite simply one of the best slashers ever made.
Did this film even start as a Black Christmas remake? It basically goes: Men are shit - some people get killed offscreen - weird supernatural twist - oh shit, it's Black Christmas, better throw in a glass unicorn sculpture.
The supernatural part is something I'm not mad at actually - at least it tried something different rather than being a straight re tread.
Then of course, there's the aformentioned politics, which is what most people's issue is with this film. Feminist messages in horror movies can be hugely effective - the original Black Christmas does it well for example - but I can't help but feel that the message this version putting out there is severely mishandled. As a guy, I am willing to hear how I'm wrong in this instance, but it feels sooooo over the top with what it's trying to do. It's not too hard to be on board with for the most part, but the final scenes really go for it - I mean the lines "you're insane!" "No, we're just men" - really!? It just feels very in the nose to me.
Other than that, this film is turd. It gets a star for Imogen Poots and the creative snow angel death scene at the start. Watch the original instead.
