"It hurts when you know you are the least favourite child. When the least favourite child is the only child, it leaves a scar."😭 I'm sure we all have one book we read & questioned how does a person's brain work like this? Feeney's brain, that's constantly pumping out insane stories is one such cerebral matter to me. Twenty years after a baby is stolen from a stroller, sets off a series of events so convoluted that it forks your brain up. Edith (adorable btw), her daughter Clio & Patience, who is Edith's caretaker at the home weave a compelling story that you can't take your eyes off. Oh and there's FRANKIE too! That's already too many characters to keep track of without the insane storytelling & plot line. Feeney decides to open multiple POVs with many timelines, a family tree jumble ALONGWITH a murder?! Did I say she's a genius yet? Mother-daughter relationships make this book compelling while the conflicts are chef's kiss. As I've said in my Feeney reviews before, her nonchalant writing of triggering occurrence like child abduction, murder, abuse is of constant wonder to me. I believe that's what makes her books akin to a drug. The fact that murder is just another plot point in this story & you're concerned about 20 other things in this book simultaneously is hilarious to me. The author reflects you with such expertise, it feels like a well played chess match with Magnus Carlsen - sure, you lose but at least you had fun losing to the maester. For the people claiming they guessed some twists, uh huh sure guys! I believe you. Her Majesty prefers to write domestic thrillers & I must admit her marital discord thrillers are much closer to my heart than Daisy Darker & Good Bad Girl, which is the sole reason for my 3 star rating. Regardless, this book is confusing and I'm not ashamed to admit I ran to google "good bad girl ending explained" as soon as I finished this. My entire expression while reading this book can be summed up as "huhh?!", *confused ooga booga* & *pretending to understand what's happening*. In sum, if Alice Feeney writes it, I read it (& love it). Thank you for existing alicewriterland #boosktagram #bookreview #booklover #thriller #review

What a refreshing new watch! In a sea of repetitive high school movies, we got one that continuously swings between authentic high school experience & absurdist humor. Starts off with 2 best friends getting ready for a fair to impress their cheerleader crushes, Bottoms is so unexpected in its journey! * play equal rights by the lonely island* PJ & Josie are your typical selfish teenagers, who scheme & lie their way through school. While it is HILARIOUS to watch, I also loved that the movie doesn't get preachy about it. Yes, their consequences have actions but we aren't given sappy, cliché quotes as the climax. They end up creating a fight club for self defense & everyone can talk about this club too plus it has THERAPYYY! All the characters are a treat to watch in this story. PJ is a blunt, frank, impulsive one while Josie is a more 'trying to be better but constantly forks up' type. Together, they manage to challenge the jocks in their full glory. GO VIKINGS! Hazel (rubycruzzzz - ma'am, you are sooo attractive) emerges as the sanest, most broken, hottest character of the movie and that gymnasium scene will live in my memory forever. A very close second in terms of entertainment is the teacher who attends this fight club - feminism to women are evil to women are alright - I loved how the movie showed out perspectives of any social issue arises from our lived experience of it. nicholasgalitzine literally said I'm going to show you range. From Prince Henry to Eat Shit, he is INCREDIBLY funny as he promises to not cheat AGAIN. (also havanaroseliu & kaiagerber are so darn pretty & SMART guys!!) The last 25% of the movie is downright crazy & a feast to watch. The chaos, the hilarity of the situation, the absurdity of the solution & the final wholesomeness knock it out of the park. In many ways, this movie is like the show PEN15 by Maya Erskine, it tries to attempt an honest depiction of high school shenanigans. Sennott = genius. I watched this one solely because alex_meyers007 recommended it; so grateful. #movie #netflix #amazonprimevideo #highschoolmovie #new #movietowatch #moviescenes #moviereview #bottoms #bottoms #mustwatch #comedy #comedymovies

A king fortifies himself with a castle,” observed the Count, “a gentleman with a desk. Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov (Sasha) is sentenced to spend his life under house arrest in Moscow’s Metropol Hotel. It’s 1922, and the Bolsheviks have just taken power of the newly formed Soviet Union. The book follows the Count for the next thirty years & what 3 gentlemanly decades!! Sasha, being the aristocrat he is represents the old institutions who has to experience same being dismantled before his eyes. Many a men & women of the show succumb to the pressures of demolition of an aristocratic society; not Sasha. He might not agree with it but his resilience in the face of adversity becomes awe inspiring. He outshines as a gentleman who portrays outstanding dignity & manners reminiscent of a 'bygone era' while adapting to his new circumstances as he becomes a waiter at the Metropol. My favourite aspect about the character is his passion for food. Sasha quickly gains limelight in the hotel for his exceptional palette & a penchant for good food's pairing with wines! The charming quirks of this character are outright hilarious & wholesome. Arising out of this, is a trio of the century. Add to these, a vibrant cast of characters - from little girls to actresses & well bred dogs - the book is a treat. A Gentleman in Moscow is honestly a unique experience. The claustrophobic setting has been narrated in a manner where the reader can't help but feel "the world's your oyster " & "when life gives you lemons.." simultaneously. Seldom does one read a book that is as eloquent as it is fun. Annotation worthy quotes are paralleled by beautiful, detailed, cutest scenes! Though the plot supports many themes as does the life of the Count, it thrives in this chaos. One of the best books I've ever read, I can't wait for the series adaptation & Rules of Civility. #agentlemaninmoscow #gentleman #literary #russia #fiction #metropol #amortowles #heartwarming #mustread #mustreadbooks #mustreads #mustreadbook #mustreadauthor #toberead #toread #readmore #readalot #readsalot #readingismagic #readingcorner #bookstoread

Japan(1600), Lord Yoshii Toranaga is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him, when a mysterious European ship is found in a nearby fishing village. At the outset, Shōgun captured my attention with a highly gruesome cold open followed by a beautiful title sequence. The first episode is epic in all proportions - even though this new world, tons of characters, customs & the politics of the Shōgunate are all dumped on you in quick succession, it does a miracle of keeping you hooked. It overwhelms you, just enough. The show accomodates heavy politics, aspects of colonialism & gender roles in feudal Japan as well as topics of loyalty & honor in a mere 10 episodes. Toranaga's portrayal by Hiroyuki Sanada is THE character to look out for. His centred, measured performance took the cake only to be paralleled by Mariko-sama played by Anna Sawai. Other characters provide due justice to their roles as scheming pawns & bishops. The series focuses a lot on the Catholic-Protestant/Portuguese-English rivalry & its ramifications on the colonial ambitions. What I particularly liked was the proper use of Japanese in almost 75% of the show, this alone gave so much credibility & authenticity to the narrative. This had been a grievance of mine since Chernobyl portrayed its characters speaking in a British accent. I'd rather read the subtitles, but I need the full immersive experience. Further, the creators do not shy away from brutalities, a fact I quite appreciated. Though the Anjin plays a central role to these dynamics, his presence was often a hinderance in my enjoyment of the series. I was already invested too much in the indigenous games occuring to properly care about his character. Though ofcourse I take cognizance of the fact that the Anjin allows us to enter into this closed off society & we slowly descend into this island's drama through his eyes.  contd. in the comments.... #shogun #raidenshogun #disney #disneyhotstar #hotstar #hotstarindia #japanese #annasawai #AncientJapan #historical #historicalfiction #gameofthrones #colonial #colonialism #japan #japanculture #japanfocus #international #globe