Wednesday, October 31

Happy Halloween & Movie Review: The Return of the Living Dead (1985)





Image result for happy halloween

Film Title: The Return of the Living Dead
Length: 1h 31 min
Released: 1985
Genre: Comedy , Horror , Sci-Fi 
Rating: R
Where I Got It: Friend's copy


SUMMARY:

When two bumbling employees at a medical supply warehouse accidentally release a deadly gas into the air, the vapors cause the dead to rise again as zombies.





TRAILER:
N/A

REVIEW:
Ohhhh horror films! They are the best especially around this time of the year. 

We decided to watch an oldie but a goodie. I have never seen this one before so I was excited! Zombies are gross and scary. These ones especially since they are pretty hard to destroy. 

The story follows two employees at a medical supply warehouse who accidentally release a deadly gas into the air. Unbeknownst them that this gas can cause the dead to rise as zombies! WHO ON EARTH DECIDED MAKING THIS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA????? Ugh. But yes, the dead are rising and the town is in shambles. What makes it worse is that the only real way to kill these zombies is by burning them. The normal way of removing the head does nothing. What to do? What to do? Mmmm

Ooooh the 80’s for sure had hilarious scary films. They are scary and gross, but you can’t help but chuckle especially with the clichĂ© characters they introduce. Freddy, the young employee, and his friends are a bunch of weirdos. Freddy and the girlfriend are the most normal ones of the group. The rest of them are super freaks. But they certainly did add an element to the story for sure. 

I loved, loved, LOVED the twist. It made me sad, but it was really good. It makes sense…after thinking about it….but I didn’t expect it. Certainly entertaining and it add a layer to this gory mess. 

Zombies are gross and these are probably the grossest from all the films I have ever seen with Zombies. Kuddos! What makes them so bad and gross is that you can’t kill them. Not really. Plus, they are smarter than your average zombie. They also don’t move slow which would put me at a disadvantage for sure. UGH! WHAT WAS IN THAT GAS!?!?!?!?! If you want to be scared of zombies be scared of these nasty things. 

The ending was awesome. I mean…what else can you do? BUT is it really a solution? Darn those idiots. 

Yessss, this was pretty scary, but like I said earlier I chuckled a lot. SOOOOOOO CHEESY! I felt like I was drowning in a cheese bath. Typical 80s film. The effects and costumes were decent but there were times I just had to shake my head at it. So yes, you will have to take this oldie with a grain of salt. 

There was one scene that really, really bugged me. I didn’t want to see it and it made me super sad. Ugh. I now it was fake, but that poor pup. SOB!

Overall, I enjoyed the film. I wanted a good zombie film and I got one. Not your typical slow, dumb zombies that seem to be the norm lately. These are fast, strong, and smart. They want brains and they will get them dangit. 80’s cheesy but still good and one of the best zombie films for sure. There was that one scene that made me sad and mad, but what can you do? I’ll give this 5 stars. 

Tuesday, October 30

Tell Me Something Tuesday: Celebrating Halloween


Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post on Rainy Day Ramblings where Rainy discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog.



What do you like to do to celebrate Halloween?

I love, love, LOVE Halloween. One of my favorite holidays of the year! There are so many things I like to do to celebrate this lovely holiday. 

1) Decorate my home. Now that we bought a house I have had to buy so many more decorations. Going from an apartment to a house is a huge jump.

2) Eat candy. Umm. Duh. LOL

3) Watch scary/creepy movies. Nothing is better than warming up to a scary movie! Slashers are my favorite of the genre. 

4) Dress up! This year we had a Halloween party and for the first time, we decided to have a costume party. So fun! But yes, I love dressing up and being something I'm not. This year BF and I inadvertently dressed up as a couple. We won the couple's contest, but it was totally unplanned. LOL. I was a 18th-century lady and he was a pirate. We made up the story that he killed my hubbie and I am a widow (which explains my dress). 



Image may contain: 2 people, including Jip Higashi, hat, beard and closeup


My friend who helped me set up (unofficial co-host) dressed as Holly from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. She won "Sexiest Costume" and "Best Overall". 

Image may contain: Sarah Wagner and Carole Rae, people smiling, closeup



Our other friend won "Most Creative" for being a female Harry Potter (not pictured is her homemade broom)



I'm bummed I forgot to take pictures of all of the winners. The troubles of being a hostess indeed!

Here is a list of the other winners though!

*Creepiest/Scariest - "Sexy male" inmate
*Funniest - Waldo
*Most Boring - Someone who didn't dress up got this. But was wearing a "Sherlock Holmes" shirt and we dubbed her as a FanGirl. LOL


Mamyia and Ralph even dressed up! :)





Monday, October 29

B's Monday Review: The Highlander Who Protected Me by Vanessa Kelly



Book 1 in the Clan Kendrick series
Author Vanessa Kelly
Narrated by Ruth Urquhart
Publication date Oct 30, 2018
Running time 13 hrs 3 min
Historical romance
For review

My Thoughts:
Royal is one of those wounded heroes. And with that I mean his leg aches from a war injury, a bad one. Who wants a second son with a limp?

Ainsley was, oh my, she was the sassy one. But she was also a spoiled darling of the ton. Still, she was a good clever woman with some tongue on her.

These two met in a previous series, where he tries to elope with her and she is all in your dreams! Which I never understood, but now I do.

Instead we get to see their first meeting and how he could never forget her. Then they meet again in Glasgow in that other series I mentioned. But this one really begins after that. He pining for her and she hiding a pregnancy! Whaat I thought? What happened? Because her family does not even know, so something must have happened and obviously nothing good. I did feel for her, poor woman. And she would have been blamed every time. It is always the woman's fault.

The book does take some time to get going. She gives him her baby because no one can know. The secret she is hiding is easy to know, but there is some other big secret too, but honestly that secret was not big and could have been dealt with. I also did not get why the father would have had any say. It was his words against hers, and Royal who said it was his kid. Oh well, drama and a baddie is always needed.

It could have been shorter. Maybe take away some of the dialogue. Shorter is always nice.

Conclusion:
A good book. A good baddie that you want to kick in the nuts. Two people that love each other, but take ages getting together. And one cute baby. I also liked that she was pregnant, you do not see that around a lot in regency books. It dealt with harsher things in life.

Narrator
I really like Ruth Urqhart. Her accent is wonderful. I have listened to a few of her books and they are a joy.



Full Synopsis
Lady Ainsley Matthews, heiress and darling of the ton, was expected to make a magnificent match. Instead she's hiding on a remote Scottish estate, terrified that her vicious former fiancĂ© will use her pregnancy to force her into marriage. One man can help her—Royal Kendrick, son of a distinguished Highland clan. Though a mistake drove them apart long ago, Royal is the only person Ainsley trusts to protect her baby—even if that means agreeing to never see either of them again . . .

Scarred in body and soul by war, Royal suddenly has a purpose—caring for an innocent babe and thereby helping the woman he can't stop loving. But when Ainsley ultimately returns to Scotland, determined to be a real mother to her child in spite of the risk, there's only one solution: marriage. And only one likely outcome: surrendering to the desire that's simmered between them for so long, no matter how dangerous it may be . . .

Sunday, October 28

Joint Review: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys






Hello all! Blodeuedd and I will be discussing "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys. Blodeudd is in blue and I am in red. 





Author: Ruta Sepetys
Title: Salt to the Sea
Genre: Historical Fiction & YA
Pages: 393
Published: February 2nd 2016 
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library



World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety.

Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people—adults and children alike—aboard must fight for the same thing: survival.



What a good choice this ended up being! :D

Yes, phew! We can pick a few good ones at least, among all the rest.

Yesss, it takes a few baddies to get to a goodie. Sooo...I will admit this now….I had never heard of this tragedy! :S I swear I learn something new every day with WWII. So much happened during that war.

I think I might have heard of it. Maybe when they talk about a ferry catastrophe hear, I am sure they would have mentioned this too. It sounded familiar, but I sure did not remember how many! Omg so many!

I think that is what shocked me the most and I am surprised this wasn’t at least mentioned (even briefly) in the numerous classes that I took that we learned about WWII. So many people died. So many innocents. Tragic.

It did say at the back that they Germans glossed it over cos so many died! They wanted to keep morale up, and yes the Soviets did not mention it either cos they were total dicks! Which makes it so horrible. I mean when it said at the back that bodies washed up years afterwards…

It makes sense and the rest of the world didn’t have a heart bc they hated the Germans so much. We still don’t talk much about the German POV during the war.

SO true. I feel there are more books like this lately. And each time I am horrified. The last one dealt with this totally normal woman, not a Nazi, just a German woman and it was the end of the war. I did not realize that the Soviets came in and like raped everyone, everyone, everyone! Because who cares about Germans!

Yes, the Soviets were just as bad as the Germans. I felt so bad for Emilia. Poor girl.

Rape and pillage. Wtf! When I read this I was so freaking glad that our war with them ended in a “loss”, whatever Soviet. At least we kept our independence. Thank you Gods! War makes monsters of people.

War is evil and everyone is impacted especially the poor and the women. So sad.

Was it WW1 where more civilians started dying than soldiers, or something. War is so evil. Sigh. But ok back to the story! I liked all the POVS except Alfreds. Yes yes, I get that we are not supposed to like the nazi, but he was so dull and full of himself. Little shit like he was.

I believe so. With the increase of deadlier weapons and bombs...the civilians died during war shot up WAY more than any other war. But yes, I enjoyed all the POVs. Alfred’s though? No. But it was interesting. He certainly had some serious issues for sure. He was creepy and a mindless Hitler-lover robot. It was a good balance of the story. We get to see what our poor heroes have to deal with. They have little chance since the majority of soldiers are brainwashed. I didn’t like his pov and I found it...dull sometimes...but I felt it was necessary to give a counterbalance. Made me like the others more for sure!

I just wish I would have been happy to hate him, but now I was bored by him. His pov was so uninteresting. The only interesting part was the truth about his girlfriend that he writes too. I guess she could have made even a follower interesting, but that did not happen. It dragged down the book a bit for me.

I can agree with you on that. He’s POV didn’t get interesting until 3/4th of the way through the book when he actually aided with moving the story along. What a creeper!!!!

I liked Emilia, oh so heartbreaking! Juana was ok, but a bit too nice ;) And I liked Florian, I was unsure if I liked him though, but I did. He had depth. He could have been a good villain if he had been one.

Emilia’s story was my favorite. She broke my heart and I loved her. Poor girl, poor girl. Joanna was okay...I was unsure of her at first and I didn’t trust her. Not sure why...but I felt like she could turn on a dime. Not that she was BAD, but I got the feeling she was a survivalist and would do what had to be done. I liked Florian a lot. He was the most complex character. I adored Ingrid too. My poor heart!

Ack Ingrid! Oh and the old guy! SO many good side characters too. But yes I liked Florian the best, that thing he says, She is Poland or whatever it was almost made me cry. Damn war!

The old guy and kid???!!! Ugh! My heart. Yes, the characters and even the side characters really and truly made the story. The story was SLOW moving if you really look at it, but I feel the characters carried the load and made it a good story. Florian was a sweetie.

It was sort of slow, and at the same time not. And then it moved so fast. I did feel it moved too fast at the end. I had expected to cry, cos hello! SO MANY PEOPLE DIED! But it moved so fast so I was swept away and did not really have time.

I was a little bummed by that...it felt...anticlimactic sort of. All this build-up and then BOOM. Sink and done. I wanted to cry. I cried with Ingrid, but I wanted more feels at the end there.

Alfred and the lack of feels was the negative part for me. It was still good and one of those stories you should know. But yes for a ship catastrophe not a lot was about the actual sinking of the ship.

Maybe the author did it on purpose? IDK. But I felt like there needed to be more. I especially wanted more of an epilogue as well. I wanted closure and feels. The ending was my main issue. Alfred’s POV was too, but once he actually played a part in the story, I didn’t mind his take on things even though he is creepy and insane.

Maybe. Maybe she did not want us to cry too much. And not drag it out like Titanic. Who knows. Because at the same time I liked those short paragraphs, it was very in your face, omg!

Maybe...and maybe it was symbolism? Such a big event went pretty much unnoticed by the world. I for sure went online and did some further reading to learn more. Maybe that was her aim?

To research on your own is always good, so that might have been it too. It did make me want to know more.

Who knows. But yes, I did have to read more. I was dying to know more on this since this was all new to me. So! What did you think of the format of the book?

I did like that there were many POVS (well 3 would have been better ;). And it did give us an insight into different fates. The Prussians, those with German descent that were allowed to come to Germany, Poles and well a certain nazi. Oh and every time, poor Poland. They sure suffered.

I liked it too. I think it worked well. The author made it easy to follow and I liked how we got to see them all react to something like the gunshot or the boat being blasted. It was a fun way to tell the story and it worked well.

Ah yes, the gunshot at the beginning. Yes, I liked how that was done.

And yes we flipped flopped a lot, but I still feel like I got to learn more about them from their own POV and from the eyes of others.

I do not know what else to say. I liked that we learned about this. Should be mention how many died? I am sure people think like Titanic, but haha, that was nothing compared to this. I liked how she showed how regular people suffered and how different nationalities thought about things, or yes suffered. Everyone suffered. I also liked how it tied into another book I read by her, Joana’s cousin is briefly mentioned and she was the heroine there. Oh that book made me cry

I’ll say it! Like 9,000 people died (give or take depending on what you read). So many lives lost. So many of those people were innocents. 5000 of them children. SICKENING! When I read this I wanted to die. So sad.
Ugh! I need to read that book. Maybe I can get some of the answers I want about Joana and her cousin!

The 5000 children were beyond sad. I know many ships were sunk, it was war after all, but so many!
Yes, read the story about her cousin. It tells of the many people Soviet sent to Gulags. If you had one clever thought in Lithuania off to the Gulag with you.

*checking Goodreads* Oooo I already have it on my TBR list. Hahaha funny. But yes, now I am more inclined to want to read it!

S was not that old when I listened to it, and there is this scene with a newborn, omg, the tears! You will see. The aftermath of war is just as bad. Ugh Soviet! Yes I do really dislike them. They are our neighbor after all.

Yesss, we had that long “war” with them too. Evil and monsters especially during WWII. They got away with it while Germany had to pay for their evil deeds. Sickening for sure. War makes people into terrible things like we said above. Books like this are reminders about how cruel war is. Worth the read for sure.

We should never forget, because so many do. Or do not know it happened, or deny it. Which is really the worst thing in the world. But to all those who want to learn more then read this book. It is worth it, and I do wonder how it is in audio...hmmm.

I was thinking that myself. I bet it would’ve been okay. I think I liked reading it though. And yes, read this or another book about this.

And I can’t stop thinking what treasures might lie at the bottom of the Baltic. THose divers had seen something.

I do wonder!

Page 4! No wonder this took some time to write. Better wrap it up :) Good book! Good luck with the next one!


Yesss, good book! We certainly chatted a lot! Worth the read. *fingers crossed* Hopefully, the next one is good too!



About the Authors
Carole and Blodeuedd have been blogging a long while now. The last couple of years the epic duo have been discussing books, watching movies, and even wetting the pen and sharing their stories with the worldwide web. They both love cats, chocolate, and a good story.





Saturday, October 27

Saturday Movie Night: The Kissing Booth (2018)








Hello everyone! This month Blodeuedd and I are reviewing, The Kissing Booth. 




Blodeuedd is in red and I am in green.



Title: The Kissing Booth
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Running Time: 1h 45min 
Rating: TV - 14
Released: 2018

A high school student is forced to confront her secret crush at a kissing booth.













TRAILER: 






DISCUSSION: 



*waves* I am happy with our choice!

You are? We are talking about the movie right?

Yess, the Kissing Booth?

But it was so meh, and that girl was an idiot.

I didn’t think it was bad. Not amazing, but I think there is a lot to talk about. It was no “To All the Boys”. I did want to smack her though.

Ok yes it was not that bad. I could enjoy it, but that girl was so stupid. Yes yes, Noah was too overprotective at times, but at other times. OMG girl, do you KNOW what could have happened?!?!

I guess you can’t control who you love, but honestly...I feel like if she had been upfront with Lee earlier the vast majority of this drama could’ve been avoided. Hiding it for SOOOOO long was dumb. And Noah was a player. No matter how much I liked him I would have ignored him. He was a jerk.

Yes the whole we made this pact when we were 6 was stupid. Just tell your BFF that you like his brother and try it out. The drama was so over the top. And yes again, Noah might have been all hunky to all the girls, but she should have known better and stayed away.

Coming from someone who IS dating one of my best friend’s brother...it is better to just be honest. And yes, the drama was SO melodramatic. This whole film was cheesy, but a fun cheesy minus the drama. I laughed a lot.

I really hate the don’t date my friend thing. SO many romance novels have it. And this is 30 year olds who is all do not go there. Ok so here they are younger, sure, but who cares. Let her date the brother. It did not even feel like Lee was, yes why was he mad? Cos she broke the pact? It really felt like that was the only reason. It was so melodramatic as you said. But yes it would be awkward when they break up. But that is life!.

I get being 6 and saying, “Ya no...don’t date family.” makes sense then, but as nearly adults? Get over it. If I kept to every pact I made at 6 I would get nowhere in life. And as my friend said, “I would rather have my brother date a friend bc I would get to see you more at every holiday!” I think Lee was more butthurt over the fact his popular, cool brother got something that was solely his. I think Lee was selfish. Elle belongs to no one but herself. Plus LEE you have a gf...you want Elle to die alone?????? So rude.

You are right there. It did feel like do not date my bestie! She is the only thing I have!  You have a GF. Poor Elle, but I also felt like Elle should not have hid it. It made it so much worse, will they never learn!

Nooppppee. Now if it was a one or two time kiss. Sure. But they hid a whole relationship from EVERYONE. So many lies. Now...what did you think of the ending? I liked it up to the airport and her getting on the bike….okay….so what? No conclusion? Is there a sequel? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?! That was my biggest fault with the movie.

I really did not like the end. It felt depressing. And no conclusion. It felt like ok they will never see each other again. At least I took it like that.

Same here…. Like college is just college….don’t be so dramatic. Plus...he will come home. Calm down.

Oh he is not turning. He does NOT LOVE ME:

She told him not to turn! Ugh she drives me bananas

Cheesy fun, but it tried too hard, and please let us discuss what an idiot she is. Like when she gets drunk as a skunk and he saves her. Or when she does a striptease in a looker room and gets angry cos he says no… god!

I knooooow I wanted to smack her. If she acted like that in real life no one would applaud her she would be shamed.

We know HS is a shitty place, and no one slut shamed her for that striptease? God, that school is awesome!

RIGHT! There was no shame whatsoever for anything she did. And why would you go out in that skirt???? Put a normal pair of pants or leggings on and go out. Deal with the issues then. OR call off. Sorry - no excuse for looking like a skank and then getting mad at people teasing you.

So there is short and there is showing your ass. ALso those omg girls wore whatever they wanted,I am sure she had other things. I did not understand that dress code

Neither did I. I’m sure she could’ve skated by one day. I feel like she wanted the attention.

That shirt, *shakes head* I would have been mortified.

I would’ve called off if I didn’t have any extra pants or skirts. Sorry, I am not pinning that target on me. What did she think was going to happen especially when the wind blew???!!! And can I say..she is pretty and all that, but why was EVERY SINGLE GUY IN LOVE WITH HER?????? Was it just for the fact she was forbidden fruit??? I didn’t get it.

I wish someone had told her her ass was hanging out, but then she should have seen it. Her DAD should have told her. And yes why was everyone in love with her?

I would never let my kid leave the house with that skirt. I think it was the forbidden fruit thing. Noah told everyone to stay away from his friend. I think he was in love with her from the start.

I wish that had been clearer since he was all you are like a sister. But yes let us believe that and be happy. I hope the next cute movie netflix has on is more To all the boys

Yessss, that is the only theory I have. I want the sequel to the other movie. I still need to read book 2 though

The thing is that they took things from book 2 and put it here, at least a few things.

Ahhh makes sense. Do you think they’ll have a sequel for this movie?

Oh no, not more drama. Like he goes to College and she is all is he cheating!? And then she sees instagram pics and loses it. SO she goes out to party and makes out with someone and he finds out, and well you see

I just want a for sure HEA. LOL that is all I want. I am glad they didn’t try a love triangle. My poor heart wouldn’t handle it. So overused.

I did wonder about the brother, but I am glad they did not go there

I was worried for a moment there, but then they brought in the GF for him so it worked. I think they did good to get Lee a girl so we wouldn’t be scared of a love triangle.

Yes and she was nice too :)
So your turn next? More cheesy stuff perhaps? :=D

I liked her. :)
Ummm, did I pick this one? I can’t remember…

I honestly do not know..wait, maybe you did say this one

Yess, I think I picked the movie and you picked the book.

Ack, then I have to pick something! I fear it will not be this good. Must investigate

I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!!!!!!!!!





Friday, October 26

Audiobook Review: I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott

Author: Susan Holloway Scott
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Title: I, Eliza Hamilton
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Pages: Audiobook
Published: 2017
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

“Love is not easy with a man chosen by Fate for greatness . . .”

As the daughter of a respected general, Elizabeth Schuyler is accustomed to socializing with dignitaries and soldiers. But no visitor to her parents’ home has affected her so strongly as Alexander Hamilton, a charismatic, ambitious aide to George Washington. They marry quickly, and despite the tumult of the American Revolution, Eliza is confident in her brilliant husband and in her role as his helpmate. But it is in the aftermath of war, as Hamilton becomes one of the country’s most important figures, that she truly comes into her own.

In the new capital, Eliza becomes an adored member of society, respected for her fierce devotion to Hamilton as well as her grace. Behind closed doors, she astutely manages their expanding household, and assists her husband with his political writings. Yet some challenges are impossible to prepare for. Through public scandal, betrayal, personal heartbreak, and tragedy, she is tested again and again. In the end, it will be Eliza’s indomitable strength that makes her not only Hamilton’s most crucial ally in life, but his most loyal advocate after his death, determined to preserve his legacy while pursuing her own extraordinary path through the nation they helped shape together. 



Yet another Founding Father I knew little about. I knew of his accomplishments but not of his personal life. And who better to see this man than through the eyes of his wife? I couldn't resist checking this out. 

Now, Eliza and Alex met during the war. They were just friends and then it slowly became a love and romance. It was cute to see sensible Eliza lose her heart. I liked her a lot and I can relate to her in a lot of ways. I liked Alexander too but he always seemed so addicted to his work. Which is a good trait, but he was too proud. Too easy to offend. A trait that would cause his death. Not a spoiler since it is common knowledge that Alex would lose his life to a stupid duel. Men >_> 

I enjoyed this. It took a while to really get into it. Not sure if it was the story or the narration, but it took me a while to really get comfy with the story. Maybe it had to do with the fact I know how this romance ends? So sad. 

The narrator was good and I think she did a good job with the voices and the time periods. 

It makes me want to read more about the other Founding Fathers since I have learned so much from the last couple. 

The ending left me a little empty. I wanted more of a conclusion of the kids. I know a hair, but I wanted to know what happens to everyone else. I get the timeframe is only a few years down the road with Eliza writing down her journey and romance, but still... I wanted more. 

This was fun. Learned a lot and got to see Alex in a new light. I also really adored Eliza. She was fun to follow. Loved her. The ending left me wanting more and the beginning was a hair slow. The narrator did a good job once I got used to her voice. I'll give this 3 stars.