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Smashbomb (4683 KP) created a post in Friends of Smashbomb
Jun 24, 2019
James Koppert (2698 KP) rated The Art of Dying in Books
Nov 13, 2019
The Art of Dying
Very interesting book which looks at the experiences of those who have been around people who are dying and all the strange experiences that are seemingly commonplace. The books purpose is to teach that death is not to be feared and to stop stressing in life as we are only here for a short while.After reading it I am sure in life after death. These are academics whom have researched global experiences and all report people who have died visiting people who are dying before they go and taking them with them. A brilliant book you can learn a lot from.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2072 KP) rated The Subject of Malice in Books
Jul 29, 2019
A Study in Malice
English professor Lila Maclean is attending an academic conference she has helped organize near her university in Colorado, and she is looking forward to presenting a paper, attending panels, and rubbing elbows with the publisher that has accepted her book. The downside is that her rival, Simone, and Simone’s twin sister, Selene, are also attending the conference and trying to make life miserable for her. The conference organizers have some surprises up their sleeves, but the dead body after the opening night dinner wasn’t one of them. Did someone’s academic rivalry boil over to murder?
In this book, Lila is approached by her boyfriend, police detective Lex Archer, about helping investigate because she knows the players and the motives. That stretched credibility a bit for me, but I was having so much fun I didn’t let it bother me too much. There is plenty of malice at the conference, not all of it connected to the murder, and that was enough to keep me turning the pages as quickly as possible until I reached the satisfying climax. Lila is once again a great main character who faces a couple of twists in her personal life in this book. We don’t see all of the supporting cast, but the ones we do see are great as usual, and the suspects are strong as well. The setting of the conference, an old movie studio turned into a resort, added a layer of fun to things as well. All told, I give this book a grade of A+.
In this book, Lila is approached by her boyfriend, police detective Lex Archer, about helping investigate because she knows the players and the motives. That stretched credibility a bit for me, but I was having so much fun I didn’t let it bother me too much. There is plenty of malice at the conference, not all of it connected to the murder, and that was enough to keep me turning the pages as quickly as possible until I reached the satisfying climax. Lila is once again a great main character who faces a couple of twists in her personal life in this book. We don’t see all of the supporting cast, but the ones we do see are great as usual, and the suspects are strong as well. The setting of the conference, an old movie studio turned into a resort, added a layer of fun to things as well. All told, I give this book a grade of A+.
Jo (0 KP) rated The Da Vinci Code in Books
Nov 17, 2017
Controversy all the way through
Contains spoilers, click to show
This isn't the first Robert langdon book of the series but for lovers of history and secret societies this book is an excellent read.
Robert Langdon the academic becomes a tweed wearing indiana Jones in his quest to follow a trail left many year ago that supposedly leads to the resting place of the holy grail
Along the way he encounters the knights Templars and opus dei in there modern form.
The book is an action packed roller coaster ride describing in detail many historical landmarks.
Will you go on a journey with him to find the holy grail
Robert Langdon the academic becomes a tweed wearing indiana Jones in his quest to follow a trail left many year ago that supposedly leads to the resting place of the holy grail
Along the way he encounters the knights Templars and opus dei in there modern form.
The book is an action packed roller coaster ride describing in detail many historical landmarks.
Will you go on a journey with him to find the holy grail
Milleen (47 KP) rated City of Friends in Books
Nov 14, 2018 (Updated Nov 14, 2018)
A light, easy read about four university friends whose lives are full of family, work, love and all going through transitions in their life. Stacey has lost her job as a high-flying city businesswoman and her elderly mother needs care. Beth and her partner are renovating a house and achieving academic success. Gaby spends her days ruthlessly running an empire and her nights controlling a household with a husband and three children. Whilst successful and single, Melissa's past love catches up with her and her teenage son. The characters are endearing in their honest approach to mid-life changes. Their lives will resonate with anyone who has endured, or even encountered, the juggling act of being a modern woman.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Denial (2016) in Movies
Aug 18, 2017
Story is vital especially after recent events
A very important film given the spate of holocaust denial in recent days. This is about the renowned libel case brought by the Holocaust denier and self- proclaimed historian David Irving against American academic Deborah Lipstadt. Lipstadt referred to Irving as such in a book and was subsequently sued and taken to court in the UK. It's a powerful account of how such bogus offensive claims about the Holocaust are allowed to be published without any accountability. Having visited Auschwitz and Birkenau, watching this film was emotional enough for me let alone the survivors which I can't even compare or imagine. So it's great that a film can counteract such ludicrous claims in this day and age. Fabulous acting all round.
Milleen (47 KP) rated If We Were Villains in Books
Nov 14, 2018
Everyone has compared this book to Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History’ with its tight knit cast of students taking their academic pursuits to dark places. However, M.L. Rio has succeeded in delivering something a little sharper, more believable but just as debauched. This may be because the students outlined in this story are actors, Shakespearean actors no less. We begin with Oliver Marks release from a ten-year jail sentence, as he reveals all to the detective that put him behind bars. Thrust into the world of the Baird, we all know the far reaches that actors will go to for a part, how their egos are as big as oceans and their morals contained in a drop. Day takes the reader back to the night in question and “the truth will out”.
Ari Aster recommended The Piano Teacher (La Pianiste) (2001) in Movies (curated)
Aasiyah Sidat (34 KP) rated A Study in Scarlet in Books
Jul 5, 2018
Although I might be a fan of historical fiction, books that were published before I was born are not ones I usually pick up.
Don't get me wrong, there are some brilliant writers; Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, the Austen's, all amazing writers, brilliant minds, but their writing style doesn't appeal to me. I would only pick up their books because of an academic reading list, and since academia doesn't need me to read fiction, I avoid it.
A very wise person recently told me that avoiding things is something I should avoid. Which is one of the reasons why I love this read harder challenge, taking you out of your comfort zone and expanding your reading is the best way to gain perspective.
Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2017/01/read-harder-1900-1950.html
Don't get me wrong, there are some brilliant writers; Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, the Austen's, all amazing writers, brilliant minds, but their writing style doesn't appeal to me. I would only pick up their books because of an academic reading list, and since academia doesn't need me to read fiction, I avoid it.
A very wise person recently told me that avoiding things is something I should avoid. Which is one of the reasons why I love this read harder challenge, taking you out of your comfort zone and expanding your reading is the best way to gain perspective.
Continue reading my review at: https://www.readsandrecipes.co.uk/2017/01/read-harder-1900-1950.html
ClareR (5577 KP) rated H is for Hawk in Books
Jan 14, 2018
A surprisingly fabulous memoir!
Helen Macdonald is an Academic and a Falconer. She loses her father and decides to get a Goshawk and train it - they're notoriously difficult to train; but the connection they have is special. T H White features heavily in this, and his memoir of training his Goshawk is recounted alongside Helen's own story. His first attempt with a Goshawk was disastrous (I believe he became more successful after.).
This is a very moving story: we see Helen trying to 'become' more like a Hawk and not need people after her father's death. The descriptions of nature and the hawk are amazing, and i loved the language she used. A brave story in a lot of ways, to admit to mental health issues and her own (perceived) shortcomings. The end is particularly sad - but I'll leave it to you to read it and find out why!
This is a very moving story: we see Helen trying to 'become' more like a Hawk and not need people after her father's death. The descriptions of nature and the hawk are amazing, and i loved the language she used. A brave story in a lot of ways, to admit to mental health issues and her own (perceived) shortcomings. The end is particularly sad - but I'll leave it to you to read it and find out why!