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Colin O'Donoghue recommended The Conversation (1974) in Movies (curated)
BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Killing Choice in Books
Jul 1, 2021
This novel is told from multiple perspectives, sharing the thoughts of a very wide variety of characters. The detectives Finn and Paulsen are the ones tasked to solve murders that happened in a very strange circumstances. This crime story is very strongly driven by it’s characters. There are a lot of thoughts shared not only by police, but by the victims’ family as well. The characters are very different and all of them troubled, none of the character is happy in this book. 😀 Every character analise different topic and different feelings, and it does become a little overwhelming sometimes. I really enjoyed the diversity and inclusion of the characters in this book, I like wider representation of people.
As I mentioned before, this novel is more character driven than the plot, that is why, I think the investigation part was quite thin in this book. The surprising discoveries just kind of appear, missing the juicy surprises while investigating. I think all the thinking parts made this book seem quite slow, but on the other hand it allowed the reader to get to know the characters better. I liked that this book has different storylines, and it was interesting to see how all the stories get connected at the end. The topics discussed in this book were all possible aspects of grief, family relationships, drug dealing, guilt, council estate life, mental health issues, revenge, and many more.
The writing style of this book is enjoyable and easy to read. The setting of this book keeps changing, depending on the character, and I really enjoyed that. When the book has many perspectives, I find it difficult to know who is who, especially when their names and surnames are being used without one another. Personally, I prefer either names or surnames, otherwise I am wondering who that person is. 😀 The chapters are pretty short and the pages just flew by for me. I liked the ending of this novel, it rounded up the story very nicely.
So, to conclude, it is a very thought provoking crime story, filled with complex and deeply troubled characters as well as a layered plot. It is a slow burner, that allows the reader to delve deeply into the character’s world.
As I mentioned before, this novel is more character driven than the plot, that is why, I think the investigation part was quite thin in this book. The surprising discoveries just kind of appear, missing the juicy surprises while investigating. I think all the thinking parts made this book seem quite slow, but on the other hand it allowed the reader to get to know the characters better. I liked that this book has different storylines, and it was interesting to see how all the stories get connected at the end. The topics discussed in this book were all possible aspects of grief, family relationships, drug dealing, guilt, council estate life, mental health issues, revenge, and many more.
The writing style of this book is enjoyable and easy to read. The setting of this book keeps changing, depending on the character, and I really enjoyed that. When the book has many perspectives, I find it difficult to know who is who, especially when their names and surnames are being used without one another. Personally, I prefer either names or surnames, otherwise I am wondering who that person is. 😀 The chapters are pretty short and the pages just flew by for me. I liked the ending of this novel, it rounded up the story very nicely.
So, to conclude, it is a very thought provoking crime story, filled with complex and deeply troubled characters as well as a layered plot. It is a slow burner, that allows the reader to delve deeply into the character’s world.
Natasha Khan recommended Symphony No. 3 by Henryk Gorecki in Music (curated)
ClareR (5874 KP) rated A Thousand Ships in Books
Sep 13, 2020
How could it be anything other than ‘Epic’ when it’s Greek Mythology involved?
A Thousand Ships is the story of the Trojan War as experienced by the women. Greek mythology is always centred around the men - after all, it was men who original myths down (The Iliad and The Odyssey both having been written by Homer). Women are side characters who have things done to them, rather than them being the ones doing things - unless they’re a goddess or a witch. Although witches and nymphs don’t seem to come out of these stories particularly well either 🤷🏼♀️
I’ve always loved reading Greek myths and legends, and I’m really enjoying the resurgence of these tales. Told with a modern eye, they can tell us something about ourselves today. We still experience war and loss (there has clearly been no learning experience over the time span between Troy and the modern era), and women are still the ones who shoulder the worst outcomes during and after a war.
It was fascinating to learn about these women, and I particularly liked Penelope’s letters to her husband Odysseus, relaying information about his unbelievable voyage and rather circuitous route home: all information gleaned from bards and their songs. A sensible person would want to know how the singer got the information to write the songs!
The Trojan women sections were really where the true heroes were. These were the women who had lived through a ten year siege, lost their husbands, brothers, sons and families, and were shared as slaves amongst the conquering Greeks. And that includes the poorest as well as the richest of women - Hecabe, Queen of Troy, amongst them.
This book was on the shortlist for the Women’s Prize 2020, and it deserved to be there. I loved reading this, and I now need to read the book written before this (The Children of Jocasta - it has sat patiently waiting on my bookshelf!) to get ready for Haynes’ book about Pandora and her jar!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
I’ve always loved reading Greek myths and legends, and I’m really enjoying the resurgence of these tales. Told with a modern eye, they can tell us something about ourselves today. We still experience war and loss (there has clearly been no learning experience over the time span between Troy and the modern era), and women are still the ones who shoulder the worst outcomes during and after a war.
It was fascinating to learn about these women, and I particularly liked Penelope’s letters to her husband Odysseus, relaying information about his unbelievable voyage and rather circuitous route home: all information gleaned from bards and their songs. A sensible person would want to know how the singer got the information to write the songs!
The Trojan women sections were really where the true heroes were. These were the women who had lived through a ten year siege, lost their husbands, brothers, sons and families, and were shared as slaves amongst the conquering Greeks. And that includes the poorest as well as the richest of women - Hecabe, Queen of Troy, amongst them.
This book was on the shortlist for the Women’s Prize 2020, and it deserved to be there. I loved reading this, and I now need to read the book written before this (The Children of Jocasta - it has sat patiently waiting on my bookshelf!) to get ready for Haynes’ book about Pandora and her jar!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020) in Movies
Sep 16, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
25 years after their Bogus Journey, Wylde Stallions are on the verge of splitting up only to be told that they only only have 70 minuets to wright and perform the song that will bring harmony to, not only all of time but reality itself.
Bill & Ted Face the Music is an amalgam of the two previous films that is designed the trilogy or pass it on to the next generation and is split into two narratives. Bill and Ted head to the future to try to find the song, save their marriage and avoid being killed by robot from the future whilst their daughters have their own Excellent Adventure, travelling back in time to put the ultimate band together.
Bill & Ted Face the music tries to replicate the feel of the previous films and, for the most part succeeds, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter both do well in portraying an ageing Bill & Ted who are trying to live up to their destiny whilst keeping their lives together as well a number of future Bill and Ted's who all have their own agenda and it's nice to many of the original cast back in their original roles, even George Carlin makes a cameo as Rufus (kind of).
New comers to the franchise, Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine do a fair job as Thea and Billie, Bill & Teds teenage daughters, both of whom are exactly like their respective farther's but more modern.
The only two complaints I would have is that the robot is very annoying, he's meant to be but it just doesn't seem to work. Also I didn't know who Kid Cudi was (Showing my age and musical tastes here).
Bill & Ted Face the music is great, fun film that is, in essence, a tribute to the enjoyment and power of music, it fails only in the fact that it doesn't really have an effective bad guy, it tries to replicate De Nomolos, or at least his robots from Bogus Journey but, like Excellent Adventure it would have worked (almost) without him as he was really only used for one reason.
Oh and FYI there is an end of credits scene so make sure you sit through to the end.
Bill & Ted Face the Music is an amalgam of the two previous films that is designed the trilogy or pass it on to the next generation and is split into two narratives. Bill and Ted head to the future to try to find the song, save their marriage and avoid being killed by robot from the future whilst their daughters have their own Excellent Adventure, travelling back in time to put the ultimate band together.
Bill & Ted Face the music tries to replicate the feel of the previous films and, for the most part succeeds, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter both do well in portraying an ageing Bill & Ted who are trying to live up to their destiny whilst keeping their lives together as well a number of future Bill and Ted's who all have their own agenda and it's nice to many of the original cast back in their original roles, even George Carlin makes a cameo as Rufus (kind of).
New comers to the franchise, Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine do a fair job as Thea and Billie, Bill & Teds teenage daughters, both of whom are exactly like their respective farther's but more modern.
The only two complaints I would have is that the robot is very annoying, he's meant to be but it just doesn't seem to work. Also I didn't know who Kid Cudi was (Showing my age and musical tastes here).
Bill & Ted Face the music is great, fun film that is, in essence, a tribute to the enjoyment and power of music, it fails only in the fact that it doesn't really have an effective bad guy, it tries to replicate De Nomolos, or at least his robots from Bogus Journey but, like Excellent Adventure it would have worked (almost) without him as he was really only used for one reason.
Oh and FYI there is an end of credits scene so make sure you sit through to the end.
Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated Decimation: Son of M in Books
Nov 30, 2020
In the voice of a goth-wannabe, darkly-attired conductor's voice: <i>"All aboard, the Angst Express is now departing..!</i>
I was quite pleased with David Hine's "Rebirth" storyline on Top Cow's THE DARKNESS. During my extended read of most of what made of HOUSE OF M, and the subsequent M-DAY stuff, I learned that Hine helmed DECIMATION: SON OF M, a 2006 mini-series that dealt with Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) and how he comes to terms with being de-powered. I was anticipating a great read, one that would make sense, as well as leaving me satisfied as I said goodbye to HOUSE OF M and all that followed it. Sadly, that was not the case at all!
The story itself seemed to be written well enough. However, I felt Pietro's almost nihilistic mood was too much to bear! Yes, losing your super-quickness was something that would take time to fully settle into, it was not the end of the world! Nor was it worth kidnapping your daughter Luna from her mother, the Inhuman Crystal, or stealing terrigen crystals from Attilan!
While the mini-series title, SON OF M, made sense, the story should have been titled THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL! Seriously, this was probably one of the most depressing mini-series (next to Morrison's WE3, which I loved, but, sadly, will not re-read as my depression is staring to rear its unwelcome head in my life again!) I have ever read! it probably should have a warning or something, especially if you are someone who is trying to keep their depression in check!
I am giving this mini 2 Stars out of 5, simply because a I think Hine is talented, even I did not like this story, and b) Roy Allen Martinez turned in some super-tight art! Mind you, I was not really pleased with Medusa's visual reworking, nor the "porn star-esque" figures given to Medusa and Crystal! However, that aside, I quite liked Martinez's art!
In conclusion, all I can say is don't read this if you are having a bad day/week, SON OF M will only make the bad day worse! 'Nuff said!
I was quite pleased with David Hine's "Rebirth" storyline on Top Cow's THE DARKNESS. During my extended read of most of what made of HOUSE OF M, and the subsequent M-DAY stuff, I learned that Hine helmed DECIMATION: SON OF M, a 2006 mini-series that dealt with Pietro Maximoff (Quicksilver) and how he comes to terms with being de-powered. I was anticipating a great read, one that would make sense, as well as leaving me satisfied as I said goodbye to HOUSE OF M and all that followed it. Sadly, that was not the case at all!
The story itself seemed to be written well enough. However, I felt Pietro's almost nihilistic mood was too much to bear! Yes, losing your super-quickness was something that would take time to fully settle into, it was not the end of the world! Nor was it worth kidnapping your daughter Luna from her mother, the Inhuman Crystal, or stealing terrigen crystals from Attilan!
While the mini-series title, SON OF M, made sense, the story should have been titled THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL! Seriously, this was probably one of the most depressing mini-series (next to Morrison's WE3, which I loved, but, sadly, will not re-read as my depression is staring to rear its unwelcome head in my life again!) I have ever read! it probably should have a warning or something, especially if you are someone who is trying to keep their depression in check!
I am giving this mini 2 Stars out of 5, simply because a I think Hine is talented, even I did not like this story, and b) Roy Allen Martinez turned in some super-tight art! Mind you, I was not really pleased with Medusa's visual reworking, nor the "porn star-esque" figures given to Medusa and Crystal! However, that aside, I quite liked Martinez's art!
In conclusion, all I can say is don't read this if you are having a bad day/week, SON OF M will only make the bad day worse! 'Nuff said!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) in Movies
Jan 8, 2021
Fair play to this series, it's took 7 movies to get into telekinesis superpower territory, and it's predictably silly.
Part VII suffers from a few mishaps - like earlier entries such as 3, 4, and 5, it takes a little while to get going. Whereas Part VI was extremely well paced in comparison, this follow up feels like a step back in that regard. Final Girl Tina (Lar Park Lincoln) is kind of Interesting, and has a bit of backstory for padding, but everyone else just kind of sucks. Another bunch of boring unlikable teenagers - a far cry from Tommy Jarvis and Megan from Part VI. Also, The New Blood is yet another 80s horror that fell victim to the MPAA, resulting in an entry that has toned down gore - ashame as that's what half the fun is about!
With all that said, there are a load of positives here as well. The main plus is of course Jason. This is the first film with Kane Hodder under the mask, and it shows. His Jason isn't just intimidating, but takes an absolute beating. Being a stuntman before playing the iconic villain paid off. The final showdown between Tina and Jason is genuinely entertaing as hell. Her powers are more than a match for Jason, and Hodder shows off some astonishing stunt work as he gets set on fire, thrown through a staircase, thrown through the floor, electrocuted, trapped in a house that gets blown the fuck up - it's pretty brutal and it's great to watch. He also looks fantastically gruesome. The make up work and design is top tier, possibly the best Jason appearance wise in the whole franchise.
The final showdown also portrays how fucking absurd Part 7 is - from Jason inexplicably having increasingly exotic weapons in each scene throughout the runtime, to the ridiculous final moment (no spoilers, but it made me laugh out loud with how stupid it is).
Some memorable and creepy shots here and there, paired with another great score by Harry Manfredini also help to make Friday the 13th Part VII a stupidly enjoyable, if hugely flawed slasher. Trashy, but hard not to love.
Part VII suffers from a few mishaps - like earlier entries such as 3, 4, and 5, it takes a little while to get going. Whereas Part VI was extremely well paced in comparison, this follow up feels like a step back in that regard. Final Girl Tina (Lar Park Lincoln) is kind of Interesting, and has a bit of backstory for padding, but everyone else just kind of sucks. Another bunch of boring unlikable teenagers - a far cry from Tommy Jarvis and Megan from Part VI. Also, The New Blood is yet another 80s horror that fell victim to the MPAA, resulting in an entry that has toned down gore - ashame as that's what half the fun is about!
With all that said, there are a load of positives here as well. The main plus is of course Jason. This is the first film with Kane Hodder under the mask, and it shows. His Jason isn't just intimidating, but takes an absolute beating. Being a stuntman before playing the iconic villain paid off. The final showdown between Tina and Jason is genuinely entertaing as hell. Her powers are more than a match for Jason, and Hodder shows off some astonishing stunt work as he gets set on fire, thrown through a staircase, thrown through the floor, electrocuted, trapped in a house that gets blown the fuck up - it's pretty brutal and it's great to watch. He also looks fantastically gruesome. The make up work and design is top tier, possibly the best Jason appearance wise in the whole franchise.
The final showdown also portrays how fucking absurd Part 7 is - from Jason inexplicably having increasingly exotic weapons in each scene throughout the runtime, to the ridiculous final moment (no spoilers, but it made me laugh out loud with how stupid it is).
Some memorable and creepy shots here and there, paired with another great score by Harry Manfredini also help to make Friday the 13th Part VII a stupidly enjoyable, if hugely flawed slasher. Trashy, but hard not to love.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Tell Me It's Real (At First Sight, #1) in Books
Jan 12, 2021
This review and more can be found at my blog
https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com
A Romance Reader's Reviews
Well, right from the start this had me laughing as Paul introduced himself. It was very frank and pretty much laugh-out-loud at times. He doesn't have the best opinion of himself, bless him, but he's so fun. And then he meets eyes with Vince while out at his friends drag queen performance at a bar/club and things go from there. Vince is not backing down about his intentions to date Paul, while Paul cannot believe that this younger, attractive, really nice if slightly dumb man, wants him and fights it tooth and nail.
They have a text conversation about a third of the way through the book that almost had me laughing like an idiot. The text faces that Vince was sending Paul were frigging hilarious. The Sex Face one is going to stick with me for a long time: >_<
And let's not forget Paul's parents. Oh. My. God! They are so funny it's not fair. I almost had tears streaming down my face at one point. They all go to nan's house for a meal and ignoring Johnny Depp, the homophobic parrot, they get into a conversation about how they met and it's stuff like this that has me crying with laughter at times. Vince, bless him. Not the smartest but he's a real sweetheart.
"He was choking to death in a restaurant," Vince explained
"I was not!" I said.
"On like a burrito or something."
"It was spinach."
"Anyway, he would have died had I not done the haemorrhoid manoeuvre."
"Heimlich. It's Heimlich."
There were so many conversations like this, with some crazy stuff being discussed and I LOVED it! They were such a cute couple and they gelled so well. It was so obvious they truly needed each other at the time that they found each other. Paul needed to let himself be loved and Vince needed someone to be there for him after a family issue. It was amazing!
I'm going to be keeping my eye out for other books in this series.
https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com
A Romance Reader's Reviews
Well, right from the start this had me laughing as Paul introduced himself. It was very frank and pretty much laugh-out-loud at times. He doesn't have the best opinion of himself, bless him, but he's so fun. And then he meets eyes with Vince while out at his friends drag queen performance at a bar/club and things go from there. Vince is not backing down about his intentions to date Paul, while Paul cannot believe that this younger, attractive, really nice if slightly dumb man, wants him and fights it tooth and nail.
They have a text conversation about a third of the way through the book that almost had me laughing like an idiot. The text faces that Vince was sending Paul were frigging hilarious. The Sex Face one is going to stick with me for a long time: >_<
And let's not forget Paul's parents. Oh. My. God! They are so funny it's not fair. I almost had tears streaming down my face at one point. They all go to nan's house for a meal and ignoring Johnny Depp, the homophobic parrot, they get into a conversation about how they met and it's stuff like this that has me crying with laughter at times. Vince, bless him. Not the smartest but he's a real sweetheart.
"He was choking to death in a restaurant," Vince explained
"I was not!" I said.
"On like a burrito or something."
"It was spinach."
"Anyway, he would have died had I not done the haemorrhoid manoeuvre."
"Heimlich. It's Heimlich."
There were so many conversations like this, with some crazy stuff being discussed and I LOVED it! They were such a cute couple and they gelled so well. It was so obvious they truly needed each other at the time that they found each other. Paul needed to let himself be loved and Vince needed someone to be there for him after a family issue. It was amazing!
I'm going to be keeping my eye out for other books in this series.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Little Grave (Detective Amanda Steele #1) in Books
Jan 17, 2021
I admit I don't read a lot of American crime; I've nothing against it but I just happen to prefer my crime books to be set in the UK however, this one caught my eye and I thought I'd have a bit of a change and, overall, I was very satisfied.
The blurb, as you can see, is a long one and sets the scene very well for this solid start to a new series.
Amanda is a complex character and was difficult to get to like at first but this was understandable given what she has experienced; she did grow on me at the end as she started to work through her grief and the true Amanda came out however, I admit to nearly giving up on her but glad I didn't.
As the blurb says, Amanda is investigating the murder of the man who killed her husband and daughter but can she be objective and why is she getting threatening phone calls telling her to back off? She doesn't of course, otherwise there wouldn't be a book, but this is not a straightforward murder and does it have anything to do with the murder of the man's business partner and an exotic dancer or is it just a coincidence? The closer Amanda gets to finding out, the closer she gets to discovering the answers are closer to home than she could ever imagined.
The plot was great, the pace was good and the characters were explored just enough to wet your appetite to want to get to know them more, particularly Trent, but what I felt was really well explored was the grieving process that Amanda was experiencing. I really got a sense of her total desolation and how little things triggered memories of her dead loved ones and how this impacted on her every waking minute because, let's face it, if you had lost your entire reason for being, I'm sure you'd be the same.
Like I said at the beginning, this is a solid start to a new series and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Many thanks to Bookoutre and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
The blurb, as you can see, is a long one and sets the scene very well for this solid start to a new series.
Amanda is a complex character and was difficult to get to like at first but this was understandable given what she has experienced; she did grow on me at the end as she started to work through her grief and the true Amanda came out however, I admit to nearly giving up on her but glad I didn't.
As the blurb says, Amanda is investigating the murder of the man who killed her husband and daughter but can she be objective and why is she getting threatening phone calls telling her to back off? She doesn't of course, otherwise there wouldn't be a book, but this is not a straightforward murder and does it have anything to do with the murder of the man's business partner and an exotic dancer or is it just a coincidence? The closer Amanda gets to finding out, the closer she gets to discovering the answers are closer to home than she could ever imagined.
The plot was great, the pace was good and the characters were explored just enough to wet your appetite to want to get to know them more, particularly Trent, but what I felt was really well explored was the grieving process that Amanda was experiencing. I really got a sense of her total desolation and how little things triggered memories of her dead loved ones and how this impacted on her every waking minute because, let's face it, if you had lost your entire reason for being, I'm sure you'd be the same.
Like I said at the beginning, this is a solid start to a new series and I am looking forward to seeing what comes next.
Many thanks to Bookoutre and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
Debbiereadsbook (1424 KP) rated Daddy's Girl in Books
Jan 29, 2021
Gotta Love Total Surprises!
I love it when a book surprises me and I've only my self to blame! And the clue to what surprises me, is in the title, and that's all I'll say about that!
Kyron needs an omega to get him pregnant, ASAP. Tolly needs money ti keep a roof over his and his fathers heads. Perfect solution? Kyron pays Tolly to give him a son, so he can inherit the vineyard as is written in the will, and then part ways. But the longer they spent together, the more they think that neither will be able to walk away.
Kyron had a bad experience with an omega, and he doesn't WANT one, but he NEEDS one, else he will lose everything. Tolly has also had a negative experience with alphas. The animosity between them is so heavy in the beginning, you can almost taste it. But that melts as time goes on and it was so wonderful watching the ice thaw around both their hearts.
I LOVED not being able to put all the clues together as to the who was wrecking everything for Kyron. LOVED that. Got it totally wrong so well played there, Ms Sue! The WHY as well threw me!
The clues are there, people, they really are, as to what might happen and I was not putting them together fast enough, nor correctly. I loved the references to the history of this world, and the people in it, and what happened before. I loved that for some random reason Tolly is the way forward for these people. I am curious as to whether this will be a series, and I might have missed that announcement, somehow, but I feel there is more to come from this world and the people in it.
I didn't find it overly explicit, but I liked that it wasn't. It's more about the falling for each other, what happens to the vineyard, and the missing pieces of their history that matter here.
And then that surprise! *Enough said!*
5 full and shiny stars, here's hoping for more!
**same worded review will appear elsehwere*
Kyron needs an omega to get him pregnant, ASAP. Tolly needs money ti keep a roof over his and his fathers heads. Perfect solution? Kyron pays Tolly to give him a son, so he can inherit the vineyard as is written in the will, and then part ways. But the longer they spent together, the more they think that neither will be able to walk away.
Kyron had a bad experience with an omega, and he doesn't WANT one, but he NEEDS one, else he will lose everything. Tolly has also had a negative experience with alphas. The animosity between them is so heavy in the beginning, you can almost taste it. But that melts as time goes on and it was so wonderful watching the ice thaw around both their hearts.
I LOVED not being able to put all the clues together as to the who was wrecking everything for Kyron. LOVED that. Got it totally wrong so well played there, Ms Sue! The WHY as well threw me!
The clues are there, people, they really are, as to what might happen and I was not putting them together fast enough, nor correctly. I loved the references to the history of this world, and the people in it, and what happened before. I loved that for some random reason Tolly is the way forward for these people. I am curious as to whether this will be a series, and I might have missed that announcement, somehow, but I feel there is more to come from this world and the people in it.
I didn't find it overly explicit, but I liked that it wasn't. It's more about the falling for each other, what happens to the vineyard, and the missing pieces of their history that matter here.
And then that surprise! *Enough said!*
5 full and shiny stars, here's hoping for more!
**same worded review will appear elsehwere*