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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2506 KP) rated Foul Play at the Fair (Celebration Bay, #1) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Liz Montgomery has moved to the town of Celebration Bay to help run the many events and festivals that are a key to the local economy. However, when a juggler is murdered at the harvest festival, her first event, might her career stop before it truly gets going?
The characters were so well developed I was pulled into this book, feeling the weight of each new revelation that Liz uncovered. The result was a rich mystery that I savored while still being pulled to discover who the ultimate villain was. I can’t wait to read more in this series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/09/book-review-foul-play-at-fair-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
The characters were so well developed I was pulled into this book, feeling the weight of each new revelation that Liz uncovered. The result was a rich mystery that I savored while still being pulled to discover who the ultimate villain was. I can’t wait to read more in this series.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/09/book-review-foul-play-at-fair-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017) in Movies
Feb 12, 2018
Nothing says knockabout comedy like a truck bomb
Raucous action-comedy odd-couple movie with uptight protection agent Ryan Reynolds having to get laid-back hired killer Samuel L Jackson to the court on time so he can testify against evil despot Gary Oldman (one of his 'just here for the cheque' performances).
Some good jokes and well-mounted action but you have to wonder about a movie which thinks there's nothing tonally weird about including scenes of women and children being cold-bloodedly murdered or terror attacks on western cities in what's essentially a knockabout comedy. Some genuinely funny moments and nice chemistry between the two leads, but hard to get past the fundamental moral vacancy of it all.
Some good jokes and well-mounted action but you have to wonder about a movie which thinks there's nothing tonally weird about including scenes of women and children being cold-bloodedly murdered or terror attacks on western cities in what's essentially a knockabout comedy. Some genuinely funny moments and nice chemistry between the two leads, but hard to get past the fundamental moral vacancy of it all.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Winchester (2018) in Movies
Dec 9, 2018
Dull and predictable
I’m surprised that someone as talented as Helen Mirren would stoop to being in this, it’s really well below her abilities. As a scary/horror film, Winchester is sadly nothing new. It’s entirely predictable, pretty boring and the scares are not very scary at all. I can’t really say anything good about it, as even the cast had very little to work with. It reminded me a little of the 13 Ghosts film, but even that was a hell of a lot better than this. I’m intrigued to know more about the actual events that the film is based on, but there are so many better horror films out there, I really wouldn’t bother with this one.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated Quiet Girl in a Noisy World: An Introvert's Story in Books
Jul 12, 2018
I think this book should be required reading for everyone. I would have given this book a 4.5 star rating so I rounded up to 5.
Debbie Tung was able to explain introversion better than any other book I have read. The stories were accurate and relatable. They showed the anxiety and the thought processes that I have gone through. I really appreciated the honesty in this book.
The drawings were well done, and they enhanced this graphic novel a lot. All in all, this is a good graphic novel that can show introverts that they're not alone and show extroverts that there is nothing wrong with being quite. Seriously, just read this.
*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Debbie Tung was able to explain introversion better than any other book I have read. The stories were accurate and relatable. They showed the anxiety and the thought processes that I have gone through. I really appreciated the honesty in this book.
The drawings were well done, and they enhanced this graphic novel a lot. All in all, this is a good graphic novel that can show introverts that they're not alone and show extroverts that there is nothing wrong with being quite. Seriously, just read this.
*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Misery (1990) in Movies
Oct 11, 2018
Brilliant
I need to be very honest now, despite being a massive film and Stephen King fan, I have never seen Misery until now. I’ve read the book many times, but for some reason I never got round to watching the film, and I’m pretty ashamed of myself.
This is one of the best Stephen King adaptations out there. Kathy Bates is phenomenal as Annie, she plays her perfectly. James Caan would never have been my first choice as Paul Sheldon, but he does very well. The entire film is so true to the book, it’s surprisingly good. Whilst I wouldn’t call it a horror film, it’s definitely one of the best thriller films out there despite its age. I can’t fault this film at all.
This is one of the best Stephen King adaptations out there. Kathy Bates is phenomenal as Annie, she plays her perfectly. James Caan would never have been my first choice as Paul Sheldon, but he does very well. The entire film is so true to the book, it’s surprisingly good. Whilst I wouldn’t call it a horror film, it’s definitely one of the best thriller films out there despite its age. I can’t fault this film at all.
Roxanne (13 KP) rated Nyctophobia in Books
Nov 14, 2018
<b>2 Star Rating</b> __
This ended up being quite a difficult read for me as I found it very slow paced, there was so much build up to pretty much nothing in my opinion.
I found each character quite annoying and fairly dim to be honest as who really buys a property without seeing half of it? Not a lot of the storyline made a lot of sense and there were quite a few errors in the writing which was pretty distracting.
It wasn't all bad as there were a couple of chilling scenes but unfortunately they were very short lived, I wanted more scenes like that.
The idea for the story is indeed very original but in my opinion isn't very well executed.
Nevermind...
This ended up being quite a difficult read for me as I found it very slow paced, there was so much build up to pretty much nothing in my opinion.
I found each character quite annoying and fairly dim to be honest as who really buys a property without seeing half of it? Not a lot of the storyline made a lot of sense and there were quite a few errors in the writing which was pretty distracting.
It wasn't all bad as there were a couple of chilling scenes but unfortunately they were very short lived, I wanted more scenes like that.
The idea for the story is indeed very original but in my opinion isn't very well executed.
Nevermind...
David McK (3731 KP) rated Star Wars Omnibus: X-Wing Rogue Squadron, Vol. 3 in Books
Jan 30, 2019
The third and final of the X-Wing omnibus editions, which contains the following 5 stories:
In the Empire's Service
The Making of Baron Fel
Family Ties
Masquerade
Mandatory Retirement
Well, when I say stories it's really one story arc told over all 5, with most of that arc concerning Baron Soontir Fel who (according to one panel) Vader had his TIE prototype made in order to avoid being beaten in sims by Fel. Set before the novels, the arc also takes in Ysanne Isard's - the main villain in the X-Wing novels - rise to power, but also leaves some plot elements hanging.
This, I felt, was the best of the three omnibuses: pity it was just in time for the series to end.
In the Empire's Service
The Making of Baron Fel
Family Ties
Masquerade
Mandatory Retirement
Well, when I say stories it's really one story arc told over all 5, with most of that arc concerning Baron Soontir Fel who (according to one panel) Vader had his TIE prototype made in order to avoid being beaten in sims by Fel. Set before the novels, the arc also takes in Ysanne Isard's - the main villain in the X-Wing novels - rise to power, but also leaves some plot elements hanging.
This, I felt, was the best of the three omnibuses: pity it was just in time for the series to end.
ClareR (6106 KP) rated Slaughterhouse-Five in Books
Jun 22, 2019
This was not an easy read, and was odd in places (but that's the point of it, right?). If I'm right, it's about the pointlessness of war, and of living and dying. Anti-religion, anti-government, anti-war, basically. The act of the main character being able to move seamlessly through time gave the impression that everything had already happened, will happen again, and is yet to happen.
Confused yet? I was. Well, I was until I read some passages several times, and flicked back to certain parts. Honestly, I'm glad it wasn't any longer. This was hard work, and decidedly harrowing in places. I'm glad I've read it at last and I do like a book that's a challenge!
Confused yet? I was. Well, I was until I read some passages several times, and flicked back to certain parts. Honestly, I'm glad it wasn't any longer. This was hard work, and decidedly harrowing in places. I'm glad I've read it at last and I do like a book that's a challenge!
Sarah Betts (103 KP) rated Suicide Squad: The Official Movie Novelization in Books
Dec 30, 2019
this book was an odd one. it gives a little more back story on June and Harley but is weirdly censored, as in Harley's "shit" is replaced with "stuff" in attempt to make a story about murderers being deprived of their civil liberties and set up to die more palatable to kids.
it's well-written in some parts and not so much in others. the author wants you to know that Harley is super duper sexy and crazy. repeatedly, because apparently this could not be shown by her actions and people's reactions to her.
basically if you hated the movie, you'll hate the book.
if you dug the movie the book delves further into the Harley/Joker dynamic and flashes it out. sort of.
it's well-written in some parts and not so much in others. the author wants you to know that Harley is super duper sexy and crazy. repeatedly, because apparently this could not be shown by her actions and people's reactions to her.
basically if you hated the movie, you'll hate the book.
if you dug the movie the book delves further into the Harley/Joker dynamic and flashes it out. sort of.
Kelly Rettie (748 KP) rated Nintendo Switch in Tech
May 1, 2020
LOVE IT
Brilliant console, super graphics for size and all my favourite games being released on it.... all was well until I decided to get a switch lite as a replacement to discover that save data could not be transferred across. I lost over 200hours of gameplay and had to start all over again.... The controllers on this machine are also a bit flimsy and dont feel secure. Have had to replace the controller 3 times and I note this is not played by kids so has not been rough handled. If save transfer was possible and controllers were a bit more sturdy it would have been a 10