reviews

After You by Jojo Moyes (a book blurt)

/ Karina Pinella / 11 Comments

This is the sequel to Me Before You, which is about an ordinary young woman who goes through an extraordinary transformation after caring for a paraplegic young man with whom she falls in love. At first, After You feels almost anticlimactic because the first book was so intensely emotional; here we’re left to pick up the pieces. But then the plot begins to unfold into another love story. With humor interspersed with some serious themes like loss, separation, and abuse, the book makes for an interesting read. The movie, Me Before You, is now out, featuring Emilia Clarke, who plays the ordinary girl, Louisa Clark.  (I haven’t seen the movie, although I’ve heard it leaves out a serious theme that a movie understandably cannot cover well in a short time.)

[To read a review of Me Before You, check out Bookidote’s review.]

Gone Again by James Grippando (a book blurt)

/ Karina Pinella / 6 Comments

This is the 13th of a book series featuring Jack Swyteck, a defense attorney, who at the beginning of his career defended death row inmates for some agency. As the series continues, we see Swyteck eventually getting his own law practice and jumping into and out of romantic relationships. This particular story line touches on the subject of adoption.  Since this is a suspense story, the focus is on the darker side or challenges of such subject. Interesting twists here as we try to learn what happened to an adopted 17-year-old. Is she still alive? Suffice to say this is one of the more interesting stories in the Swyteck series.

In my earlier review of one of Grippando’s books, I listed all the books I’ve read in the order they were published, including all of the previous Swyteck books. So check out the list if you wish to read his earlier works:
Cash Landing by James Grippando

Subsequently, I’ve read Grippando’s new publications, which I will continue to list below as I finish reading them.

Penny Jumper
Most Dangerous Place
A Death in Live Oak

The Watcher in the Wall by Owen Laukkanen (a book review)

/ Karina Pinella / 5 Comments

This is the fifth of a book series that features FBI Agent, Carla Windermere, who earned the nickname, Super Cop, because of her arrest record, among other reasons. She’s teamed up with Kirk Stevens, a state investigator, who at one time sat in a Minneapolis precinct in the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) division. In this installment, he is now sharing an office with Carla at an FBI office based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. Continue reading →

Marguerite (a movie review)

/ Karina Pinella / 13 Comments

This French film stars award-winning French actress, Catherine Frot, who plays the title role, Marguerite. Loosely based on a real life New York heiress named Florence Foster Jenkins, Marguerite is both sad and funny. Set in France during the 1920s, the movie is about a wealthy woman who aspires to be an opera singer. She’s made herself the generous patroness of her town’s music club, which regularly features talented musicians and classical singers. She also inserts herself in the playbill and decimates the audience’s fine musical senses as she performs.
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Pawn Sacrifice (a movie review)

/ Karina Pinella / 8 Comments

Based on the true story of Bobby Fischer (b: 1943 – d: 2008) and portrayed by Tobey Maguire, who is compelling as the American chess Grandmaster and World Chess Champion. The film unfolds against the backdrop of when McCarthyism (early ’50s) is rampant and a young Bobby Fischer is already showing signs of seeing advanced strategies play out on the chess board.
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The Truth about Retirement Plans and IRAs by Ric Edelman (a book review)

/ Karina Pinella / 10 Comments

April 15 is the last day to contribute to your retirement account for 2015, so I thought I’d talk about this book, which is a reference published in 2014.  Although the book covers various retirement plans, the information is applicable to those who want to save money in general because it discusses various investment products. This is a must read for those earning any amount of money. You don’t have to earn over $5,000/year to get started with a basic IRA.
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Everest (a movie review)

/ Karina Pinella / 13 Comments

An exciting, beautiful, courageous yet ultimately sad movie. I’m sorry for any implied spoilers, but this film is definitely worth a watch. I’ve always been fascinated about people’s desire to take on death-defying adventures. I enjoy hiking and the feeling of strength as my body is being challenged, so I appreciate this kind of action. It makes me want to climb the mountain, but I would likely perish before reaching the first camp.
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Man Up (a movie review)

/ Karina Pinella / 9 Comments

A funny boy-meets-girl movie that primarily takes place over the course of a full day. Without giving too much away, it’s about two women striking up a conversation with one of them unwittingly becoming a matchmaker. The consequences are hilarious and lead to a bunch of amusing scenes. The movie stars Simon Pegg, who plays a 40-year-old man trying to reconcile his feelings of loss over his divorce, and Lake Bell, who plays a socially awkward 34-year-old woman. She’s become cynical about romance because of compounded past hurts.
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Dragon Blade (a movie review)

/ Karina Pinella / 3 Comments

This is an epic film with emotional tugs, a good storyline, and martial arts and swordplay action aplenty. The movie is inspired by true events during the Han Dynasty in China, although to what extent history actually evolved as depicted is unclear. However, it makes for a good story about an elite corps of Roman soldiers led by General Lucius, played by John Cusack, traveling through a popular trade route of that era. Known as the Silk Road, the area is protected by a small group of Asian pacifists led by Huo An, played by Jackie Chan. Both Lucius and Huo An cross paths and start out as adversaries. As they spar one-on-one in the desert, a fast-moving sandstorm forces Lucius to accept Huo An’s offer to stop fighting and agree to his invitation to stay at the city Huo An is in the midst of rebuilding.
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Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell (a book review)

/ Karina Pinella / 3 Comments

This is another addition to the long-running Kay Scarpetta book series about a forensic medical examiner. The newest release starts out with a reminder of one of the memorable characters in the series–a diabolical character who makes you think she is always a step ahead of our heroine, Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a woman of many talents and skills. Although not a practicing lawyer, Scarpetta has a law degree in addition to a medical degree. She’s a certified scuba diver, as well as a gourmet chef. She has her own forensic business now and lives in a posh neighborhood in Cambridge, Mass. with her handsome, highly intelligent FBI agent husband, Benton.
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