Sandra Says Blog

  Should I be made to feel bad for not having a Smart Phone? Early 2019 I booked tickets, over the phone for a show in Londo n. They asked me when I booked “ To download the Website App on my Smart Phone so they could send me the tickets” . I told them I didn’t have a Smart Phone capable of downloading said App. So they suggested that if I take my bank card and some form of I.D , which I opted to take my passport, then everything will be linked to that and basically , “my card is my ticket” . Imagine my surprise when I then received an Email near to the Show date saying “ Your tickets have been sent to your Smart Phone ” . I panicked , where had they sent my ticket s ? And some venues don’t re-issue tickets once they have been sent out. So I phoned the number I had booked with. They proceeded to re-assure me “my card is my ticket” . The day of the show arrived, although I changed bags and purse I was sure to slip my bank card, the information I wrote down while I wa s bo...

  All American Girl by Meg Cabot This book is told from the prospective of the middle child, of the Madison family, Samantha, Sam for short, who prefers art to German lessons. She has a strong creative side. Much to her mum Carol’s disapproval. One of the things I like interweaved into this book, is the ‘Top Ten Lists’, Sam composes, they are written in a good clear way and enhances what we learn about who Sam is. I really feel for Sam, having a younger sister, Rebecca and an older sister , Lucy , with their own various issues, with Sam stuck in the middle and her life being arranged by her mum for her, especially Tuesday’s and Thursday’s after school, I see Sam has lost some of her control of her life. However, school is important and she should make more of an effort in her German lessons, over all. I am glad, initially, that Sam gave the art class a chance. It is brilliant to read how, we as the reader, also get an art lesson. Art is not who has, done the best or perfe...

  This highlights, be careful where you go for your ‘Hen/Bachelorette party’ however, the warning is, I feel, real despite this also, I feel, she is up to something.  This is real, I mean how far can a sister interfere in her sister's life. I do believe him, but this is still a mystery. Why do I feel that things are not as they appear? This is intriguing, I like it. This is a very modern film as ‘Sick days’  has now become ‘Mental health days’. Modern, yes, but doesn’t roll of the tongue like saying ‘Sick days’. The statement ‘Who’s ever heard of the groom picking out the brides dress’ they haven’t heard of the program ‘Don’t tell the Bride’  on Reality TV. where the groom to be plans the wedding and it is a surprise on the day of the wedding for the bride. I believe I know what is going on, right or wrong, I won’t give it away, my theory. I do, for now, know yes, obviously he is lying. Ok, I’m right. It is real ad she has to be careful knowing what she knows and her...

  The Boss Baby If you want to know where babies come from? T hen this is a unique, original take on the subject. This film is a cross between Toy Story with Tom Hanks, Mrs Doubtfire with Robin Williams, Mary Poppins with Julie Andrews and Mission Impossible with Tom Cruise. Although this seems a strange mix of films these do all come together in various elements and works. To start with , it looks very predictable, when the baby’s face gets powdered and not his backside like the others and when the dummies are being distributed , you still kind of see what could happen but they t urn it around just in time. J ust the thought of it , is still funny . It shows that having a baby in the family is not all bad , although changes do occur , but when the 2 boys get together and see the advantages . There is one mad scene where the older brother Francis Francis (Voiced by Steve Buscemi) is arguing with the Boss Baby ( Voiced by Alec Baldwin) but when it is seen from the mum’s...

  Bridget Jones Mad about the Boy, written by Helen Fielding, This book was first published in 2013, 14 years after the book Bridget Jones the Edge of Reason back in 1999. We now see Bridget, having married Mark Darcy , now widowed in her fifties and left to bring up their 2 children Billy and Mabel 6 and 4 . This book sees Bridget coping/dealing with single parenthood, getting back into the dating game , through dating sites, and trying to write a screen play. Mark however, hasn’t left Bridget destitute, she has a nice house, a nanny Chloe, a lifestyle where it seems, it doesn’t matter if she works or not and Billy a nd Mabel go to a private school. There are some funny moments but some of it seems a bit unbelievable, not real. Any problems with finding a baby sitter are miraculously solved even though one time it was Daniel Cleaver who by the end of the book ended up in a clinic, having mistaken Washing up liquid for an alcoholic drink. If he was that out of it on h...

  Well that was a surprise and well acted as well. What is he saying? Yes, it does make a lot of sense. There is also a program called ‘Unusual Suspects’ with Mocean Melvin as Narrator, so yes, in many ways than just this film, he is right in what he is saying. I like the insight that was highlighted, however, after a slight diversion, it would have been nice to know what all the ‘Nine’ characteristics are at this point. Oh, an amusing pun, that wasn’t meant to be it seems, oh dear. Ok, so I like snow but even I have to admit/agree that the holiday resort does look ‘Beautiful’. It is lovely scenery. I am not going to criticize the place or the vacation/conference. It was a bit sneaky though overall. Even more sneaky, it seems she is going to be more involved than she wants to. I know I suppose we are meant to, but I do have a bad feeling about this ‘Play’. Wow, yes, ‘Do it right’ right. I don’t think he wants to ‘Repeat that’. It was amusing to see his face. Well that was an amusin...

  The Escape by C.L. Taylor Jo Blackmore has had a traumatic time of it, and as a result, the people around her, don’t believe her, or thinks she has misinterpreted an incident with Paula. There is a fine line between support and the thinking that Jo has over reacted. Jo has agoraphobia, and this is portrayed in a way that teach es the reader, that this phobia, doesn’t always result in the sufferer being unable to go outside, but once they are out, they are unable to process normal, everyday, sometimes stressful incidents without panicking. I always thought if you suffered from this phobia you just couldn’t go out, so this has a learning element to this book and has been well researched. Paula is clever, Max (Jo’s husband) is an investigative journalist, has this put Jo and their daughter Elise in danger? Should they have called the police? Answer ‘ yes ’ to both, but due to Jo’s condition it is described and man ipulated to look like Jo has an innocent incident all wrong....

  The Sailor’s Ransom by Brian Thompson When I read the back of this book, the description of the story, I read it twice to get the proper gist of it. The description is very detailed, making it a long and intense paragraph. When I started reading the book, I did wander where the story was going, but once I got to chapter 7 out of 17, the story became clearer. Bella Wallis, being a writer, but under the name Henry Ellis Margam , is a good basis to the story, and she gets inspiration from the different experiences throughout. I would also like to know , where going to find Molly Clunn , a ‘Down on her luck’ performer in music halls, fits into the story of true love, but a father, Sir William Skillane , wanting a different husband, for his daughter, Mary. We do find out why Molly Clunn is in the story, it turns out, Sir William Skillane is a ‘Slum Landlord’ and Molly was living and died in one of his slums. It is good, that it is portrayed, that people are looking out for...

  The Ghost at Brooklands Museum by Mark Richardson If you like car racing, ghosts and time travel this is the book for you. This book cleverly includes all of it. Brooklands is the first purpose built racing track, it opened in 1907 in Weybridge Surry. This book is based around the 500-mile race held at Brooklands back in the 1930s . Jake Elmbridge has moved into a house that has been built on what was part of the Brooklands race circuit he can see some of the track from his bedroom window. This book is researched well and captures the area around what was the track and what is now the museum really well. When I visited recently I went to the supermarket that is mentioned in this book and it is so well written, it was like I was standing back there again. There are ghost stories associated with Brooklands and this although a clever fictional one the cars in this book are part of the exhibit at the museum. Jake meets the ghost of Sir William Hugh-Laurel racing his ca...

  Taking the Titanic by James Patterson (Book Shots) In this book the facts about the Titanic are cleverly interweaved into this story. T he story is a solid, well written idea. However, I don’t think this book would be as popular if it wasn’t based on or used the Titanic and had been overlaid onto another unknown ship. The kidnapping story line is good but being on a ship, yes a big one and there are places to hide, but the characters are still confined to a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with no way off. I can’t help feel that with a big enough search party it would hinder the plot afoot , even without the ship sinking eventually getting in the way of the plan . The ending seems a bit far-fetched and shows a lot of artistic licence, but it is nice to see the characters intending to reform. This is not one of the best stories set on or around the Titanic I have read, neither is this one of the worst. So this book is still worth reading if you have an inter...

  Paul Blart: Mall- Cop Paul Blart (Kevin James) has a lot of enthusiasm and dedication, however he is living with his mo m (Shirley Knight) and daughter , Maya ( Raini Rodriguez) and is a failed state trooper, turned mall cop. He takes his job so seriously, he is borderline obsessive, but this is not a bad thing, to be dedicated to your job. He has a crush on Amy ( Jayma Mays), who works on a wig and hair extensions stall at the mall. The chemistry between them is well thought-out and written and is realistic to what does happen. A new recruit has joined the team Veck Simms (Keir O’Donnell) it is fun to watch Paul train up Veck , although he does make some good points about the mind being better than a gun. Later on we see how Paul out smarts the criminal gang, with only a few minor mistakes along the way though. The film is heart-warming with a fantastic soundtrack, on the face of it, choosing music for a film about a mall and the security officer protecting it, ...

WARNING SPOILERS Carousel (1956) When this film starts, it is lovely how they show the people in heaven cleaning the stars, it is a nice touch and beginning . After the opening credits, and after Billy Bigelow (Gordon MacRae ) and Julie Jordan (Shirley Jones) meet at the Carousel, the script is a bit weak However, it works for the film. The part where Julie’s friend Carrie Pipperidge (Barbara Ruick ) is crying is poorly acted and unnecessary. The film is dated and the part where Carrie sings about being a ‘ meek wife ’ hasn’t stood the test of time. Mostly the songs work well during the film. Some of the film is still relevant today, the part where Billy a bit of a rogue says “You’re a funny kid” to Julie when she stays with him on the path. This proves the theory that there is someone out there for everyone. This is nice to see and during this scene they sing one of the classic songs in the film ‘If I Loved You’ The film is a mix of a musical ghost story, love story and...