S. Lee Spelbring's Blog, page 10
February 15, 2020
D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
D Is For Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m beginning to see what my mom likes about this series. I’m sad that the author has passed and she never got to finish the series (I believe it stops with X).
Anyway, this is about “D” not “X”, lets not get ahead of ourselves. I’m not terribly happy with the ending of this one, but at least Kinsey didn’t have to shoot anyone this time. It was less violent than previous books, but still very dangerous.
I liked all the twists and turns this one had, all the interesting characters involved made for nice read. The characters definitely made the book this time.
February 10, 2020
[Netflix] Movie Review: As Above So Below
As Above, So Below is a 2014 American horror film written and directed by John Erick Dowdle and co-written by his brother Drew. It is presented as found footage of a documentary crew’s experience exploring the Catacombs of Paris. The film was produced by Legendary Pictures and distributed by Universal Pictures, making it the first film in Legendary’s deal with Universal.The film was released on August 29, 2014, and stars Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, François Civil, Marion Lambert, and Ali Marhyar.
This is one of those movies that starts out a bit like Indiana Jones. The main character is off on a dramatic search for a very important historical item that takes her to the ends of Earth until she happens upon THE clue. The one that tells her exactly where historical item should be. So of course she has to go.
If you’re not familiar with alchemical references and lore this movie might make slightly less sense to you, but the horror aspect is still quite applicable even if you don’t know the background. The group gets lost, people go missing, and strange characters arise to provide misleading information, and of course they are in a maze.
It’s been a little bit between the time I watched the movie and made this post, but at this point I have an itch to go back and rewatch this one.
February 3, 2020
[Netflix] Movie Review: The Forgotten
“Tommy (Clem Tibber) is a fourteen-year-old boy who goes to live with his father Mark (Shaun Dingwall) after his mother has a nervous breakdown. Dismayed upon learning that his father is now a squatter in an empty council estate destined for demolition, he nonetheless tries to make the best of it. Tommy is awoken each night by strange noises and on one occasion, finds that he and all of his belongings have been dragged from one side of the room to the other. Growing ever more terrified, Tommy tries to talk to his father but finds him becoming ever more bizarre and disturbing in behaviour.”
I still don’t really know what is going on with this movie. To me it moves really slow. Starts slow, moves slow, ends weird. It is a British film so I do know that makes it somewhat different from the ones produced in the States, but I’ve seen this twice now and still don’t know what to make of it.
Tommy just seems to be our guide through the movie. We follow him, but nothing really happens to him. Things happen to his Dad, his Mum, and the girl he met. I’m just a bit confused with this movie. I wouldn’t call it bad, but I don’t think I’m going to watch it again to find out.
February 1, 2020
Done!: Finish Your Creative Project in One Month by A. P. Lambert
Done!: Finish Your Creative Project in One Month by A. P. Lambert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is really good for motivation to get going on your creative project. There isn’t much for clear steps because it’s for a “creative project” which could be anything from building a table to knitting a sweater. However, I did say it was good for motivation.
The author puts for many ideas and suggestions for keeping you moving forward on whatever personal project you’re stuck on. Tips on staying focused, finding accountability, and keeping on track I’m finding helpful.
I believe I found this as a freebie on Amazon, so it’s worth a read if you’re stuck on a creative project, or even just a personal project.
January 29, 2020
The TBR Tag
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I got this tag from The Book Nut, she was tagged by Kaitlin, but the tag was created by Rachel and Dana. Now onto the prompts!
How do you keep track of your TBR pile?
I use Goodreads (link) for a lot of it, but I do have stacks of books in my house that aren’t on there. So when looking for a book to read next I’ll go to Goodreads first, but if that doesn’t work I’ll go to my book stacks.
Is your TBR mostly print or ebooks?
I would say it’s fairly 50/50. Every couple of months I’ll cruise Amazon(link) for free ebooks, or head to the library for inspiration.
A Book That’s Been on Your TBR the Longest
Goodreads tells me that I have six vying for that title, but the one I want to read the most is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Amazon).
A Book You Recently Added to Your TBR list
The last book I added to my Goodreads list was in Oct 2019 (compared to the oldest which was Oct 2011!), was The Order War by LE Modesitt Jr (Amazon).
A Book in Your TBR Strictly Because of It’s Beautiful Cover
Honestly, I don’t add books to my TBR list unless I physically (or digitally?) have the book. So for this one I’ll just pick the one on my list that fits this prompt: Active Patience: A Simple Guide to Productive Writing by N. C. Harley (Amazon).
A Book on Your TBR That you Never Plan on Reading
Honestly, there really isn’t a book on my TBR that I don’t plan on reading at some point. Having said that, I do have a coloring book on my TBR list, and a person doesn’t typically read a coloring book. It’s this one: Amazing Animals 2: Meditation, Relaxation, and Stress Relief with Unique 34 Amazing Animals (Amazon).
An Unpublished Book on Your TBR That You’re Excited For
I really do not have a book for this. All of them are published, and I’m not that person that I’ll go add one real quick just to answer a question. Sorry, not sorry.
A Book on Your TBR That Basically Everyone’s Read But You
I think a good answer to this one is Percy Jackson and the Olympians Boxed Set by Rick Riordan (Amazon). Even the movies have been out for awhile.
A Book on Your TBR That Everyone Recommends to You
I don’t really have a specific book, but the last book that I even talked about with someone was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Amazon), but only because of the movie that’s either coming soon or out already (and there was a Friends reference). Also, this isn’t technically on my TBR because I read it in 2014.
A Book on Your TBR That You’re Dying to Read
The first one that comes to mind is the Wrinkle in Time Trilogy by Madeleine L’Engel (Amazon). I remember reading the first book in grade school and not really getting it, but liking it anyway. Now I have the Barnes & Nobles collectors edition that is beautiful to look at. I can’t wait until I decide its the right time to read it.
How many books are in your Goodreads TBR list?
At the moment of writing this post I have a very even and pleasing 500. See for yourself.
It is traditional to tag others at the end of a tag post so feel free to consider yourself tagged and leave a link in the comments if you do this tag. I’d love to see others answer the prompts.
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January 27, 2020
[Netflix] Movie Review – The 3rd Eye
This is the first horror movie I’ve watched with subtitles, it’s Indonesian, but that didn’t deter from the quality of the movie. It was a little bit of a culture shock and not everything was explained terribly well (why didn’t they sell the house if they weren’t living in it?).
Anyway, we follow two sisters through the loss of their parents and subsequent cross-country move back to their old house, where something is not quite right. Abel has her third eye open and sees some scary things, Alia doesn’t believe her so they go to the local New Age lady to force her third eye open. What follows is a string of increasingly deadly escapes from dead people.
It also gets increasingly more unbelievable as the movie continues, but it does work…sort of? I’m still not sure if I enjoyed it or if it was just ‘okay’.
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January 25, 2020
Hidden Jewel by V. C. Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Even though I read this one last instead of fourth, I don’t think it made a difference to the story line, much. It did provide a different perspective (Pearl’s) on the story line, where previously it was only Ruby’s. Which shed a different light on Ruby…and it wasn’t exactly a positive one.
I was glad that the main plot points had moved away from men and woman context that most of the plots so far were based on. I could also relate to Pearl’s personal relationship problems, and while that was a part of the plot, it was a small one.
Basically, I liked reading this, I liked the more traditional take on the transition of high school student after graduation, and the non-traditional (Ruby) parent issues, and somewhat traditional parent issues (Beau). By the end of the book it felt like Pearl had found her place and was happy there.
January 20, 2020
[Netflix] Movie Review – Demonic
This is a horror movie told in the same manner as Oculus, through a series of flashbacks as the police investigate a homicide and kidnapping in a supposedly haunted house where years ago another homicide was committed.
The police have one suspect, one missing person, and one person presumed kidnapped. While the police psychologist interviews the suspect, the rest of the officers search the house, recover evidence, and track down the two missing persons.
However, this is not a normal situation, it’s a paranormal situation, which means nothing is as it should be…
I did like the plot twist and never saw it coming, it was quite good. There is quite a bit more to the plot, but as usual I didn’t want to completely spoil everything since this is a movie available on Netflix.
January 13, 2020
[Netflix] Movie Review – The Autopsy of Jane Doe
What stars out as a normal autopsy for a family run morgue quickly turns supernatural for a father(Brian Cox) and son (Emile Hersch).
A crime scene turns up an unexpected corpse, a Jane Doe, and she’s sent off to the morgue to determine cause of death. As the two men begin to do just that, several things turn up strange from the external exam. Then as they cut into Jane Doe, the weird quickly becomes dangerous.
I do like my horror films, especially of the paranormal/supernatural kind, and this is definitely supernatural/paranormal. But, I was never on the seat of my chair, and the jump scares weren’t even that bad, so labeling it a horror film might have been a bit too far. Suspense, yes, thriller, yes, drama, yes even. Horror? Maybe.
However I do not recommend watching it during a thunderstorm, like I did.
January 8, 2020
Tarnished Gold by V. C. Andrews
Tarnished Gold by V.C. Andrews
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ok so I’m reading slightly out of order again, but the last two books in the Landry series don’t follow Ruby’s storyline. This one follows Gabriel, her mother, the other one follows Pearl, her daughter.
Actually, I’m quite glad that the author chose to do a prequel book later, rather than sooner, because it gives the story more interest. Gabriel’s story really isn’t that interesting, but it is a bit more so because we already know about her daughter’s story. Hints about Gabriel’s upbringing are in the first three books so it’s nice to have things come full circle.
However, it’s not a need to read book. You can still enjoy Ruby’s journey without this one. However it does fill in the gaps about Gabriel’s life and the life Grandmere Catherine and Grandpere Jack had before Ruby came along.
All in all it’s a nice addition to the series.
