Search

Search only in certain items:

CY
Canada Year by Year
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
Canada Year by Year by Elizabeth MacLeod is a wonderful non=fictional book about Canada. The book gives facts from the start of when Canada became a country in 1867 to 2017 when Canada turns 150 years old. The author has picked one event per year to highlight, which includes Nobel prize winners, Olympic champions, government firsts, women’s rights as well as inventions.

Readers will learn about Canadian history through pictures and text. It is perfect for learning about Canadian history whether for being more knowledgable about the country, or doing research for a school project. The book is written in a middle school level but any age from 9 and up will enjoy this informative book about Canada. The illustrations are wonderful and add to the text. In the back of the book there is a biography section about famous Canadians. I would love to have this book part of my classroom library.

I received a copy of this book from Kids Can Press through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
40x40

James (0 KP) rated Soldier Spy in Books

Jul 29, 2019  
Soldier Spy
Soldier Spy
Tom Marcus | 2017 | Biography
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Easy read and informative (0 more)
Felt rushed (0 more)
Hooked from start to finish!
When i saw this book at a service station i remembered the title for future refrence. A few months later i picked the book up for a new read . Now being ex forces myself i found that i tend to stay away from these types of military biography books as they seem full of bravado and people portaying themselves at the big "i am".
However, from start to finish i could not put it down and read the book in 2 sittings. He brushes over his military carear and exlapined how he got involved in the secret service, once hisntraining was complete he explains various actions and what the secret service does in and aroumd the UK, i must admit it was an eye opener as things happen under our noses and the extent that these operators go through. Even to the point of havimg false names, even with their colleagues throughout their carear. Above all a very intresting read and would looking forward to reading other books on the secret service
  
There&#039;s a Riot Goin&#039; On by Sly &amp; The Family Stone
There's a Riot Goin' On by Sly & The Family Stone
1971 | Soul
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This was a component of my youth, really, it harks back to the stuff that would be played here, all those albums I dearly loved. The idea of Sly, that’s it. This dude that just soaked everything up, switched it all around to his advantage, just channelled all the shit that was going on, all this energy. He was really handsome anyway, but he channelled it all into himself. Imagine seeing that for the first time, imagine seeing him leaping out of nowhere. All these albums are quite punky in a way. Even though there’s a lot of maths going on, a lot of overplaying they’re all fucked up, weird people on PCP. The best biography I’ve ever read is Sly’s, its just a diary of everyone accounting for what happened over two years. Towards the end it’s him just getting rid of everyone slowly cos he’s going so nuts, and he’s got a Pitbull terrier called Gun that bites everyone that comes into the room while he’s sat there smoking angel dust."

Source
  
I&#039;d Climb the Highest Mountain (1951)
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951)
1951 | Biography, Drama, Romance
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Good cast. (3 more)
Good acting, even among the children.
Scenery
Not too religious.
Subservient wife role. (2 more)
Some plot holes.
Lack of character development in minor roles.
A sweet, simple feel-good movie.
This is a simple film about a new wife (from the city) who has gone to live with her preacher husband in the country around the turn on the century. It's based on the protagonist's biography. At first, she's unsure that she'll like it or will fit in but she grows into her role as a preacher's wife and grows to love those in the community.

Though the characters are religious, they are not all fire and brimstone about their faith. Instead, the characters are simple, gentle, kind, and moral. The preacher's attitude reminds me of Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird.

Susan Hayward plays the preacher's wife in a very believable way as the character journeys from a new wife to a more well-rounded person. Her character grows through hardship and shows real grit and backbone.

If you like classic movies and long for simpler times, this is a good one to watch.
  
TIME for Kids: Presidents of the United States by The Editors of TIME for Kids is a book that contains a lot of information perfect for middle school aged children.

The book begins with the history of how the presidency began. It then explains the three branches of government and why we have political parties. Then it devotes one to two pages to each one of our 45 Presidents. For each President, there is a section on their basics: birth date and place of birth, date of death, family, years of presidency, political party and vice-president. It gives a brief biography of their time as President and key dates during their presidency. The picture of each President is tastefully done.

The end of the book gives a glimpse into the White House and a couple pages on the famous First Ladies. For your history and political-loving children, this is a great book to keep on hand. It would also be a great reference for all those school projects on Presidents.

I received the advanced reader's copy from Time Inc. Books and Liberty Street Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Irin Carmon, Shana Knizhnik | 2015 | Biography, History & Politics
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Notoriously Good
I have grown up hearing Ruth Bader Ginsburg's name but I have never thought to look her up until she became Tumblr & facebook famous. I've been wanting to read this book ever since I knew of its existence. I just never made the time and whenever an audible credit came available I would find something else to purchase instead. Needless to say, when this audiobook was on sale on Audible I knew it was finally time to buy it.

Notorious RBG is a truly wonderful book. I never knew what Ruth Bader Ginsburg did for women until this book. She really is an inspiration. Learning about RBG was a wild ride. The things this woman has gone through is truly inspirational and I loved how much she has accomplished in her life. Reading this book inspired me to be more. I loved some of the lessons that were told and it shows how important it can be to meet in the middle and still show respect when you hold differing opinions.

All in all, if you're looking for a good biography on an inspirational woman this is the book for you.
  
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
Amy Schumer | 2016 | Biography
8
6.9 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Better than a biography
Until seeing Trainwreck, I didn't really rate Amy Schumer as she's made some other pretty poor films. But Trainwreck was great and I'm pleased to say her book is along the same lines.

This is an autobiography but not. Amy tells us humorous anecdotes and sometimes serious and emotional stories about different aspects of her life. Each chapter has a subject or topic of interest, but it is in no way a linear life story. Instead they're rather jumbled but it all makes sense. Amy has a rather laid back conversation style, which for the most part works as it fits in with the stories she's telling although there are times when it gets too conversational - there are just some things that dont come across as well in writing as they would do on stage. Theres a lot of good heartwarming messages in this book, but of course with a decent amount of humour too. I enjoyed reading this a lot more than I expected and it was nice to find out more about a comedian I knew little about. It womt win any writing awards, but it's definitely entertaining.
  
40x40

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Apr 23, 2020  
"I feel that For Spacious Skies is the ultimate girl power book."

Come read my review for the children's picture book biography FOR SPACIOUS SKIES by Nancy Churnin. "If you're looking for a book with a strong female and beautiful illustrations, pick up a copy of For Spacious Skies," or you can enter the #GIVEAWAY to #win your own signed copy of the book as well as Beautiful Shades of Brown by Nancy Churnin!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/04/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-for.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
As a little girl growing up during the Civil War, Katharine Lee Bates grew up to become a poet, professor, and social activist. She not only wrote “America the Beautiful" but gave this anthem to America as a gift. A member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a suffragist who stood up for a woman’s right to vote and lived to cast her ballot in presidential elections, Katharine believed in the power of words to make a difference. In "America the Beautiful," her vision of the nation as a great family, united from sea to shining sea, continues to uplift and inspire us all.
     
40x40

Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Moonglow in Books

Nov 9, 2017  
Moonglow
Moonglow
Michael Chabon | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Beautifully written
This biography of Michael Chabon's 'grandfather' is a stunning piece of whimsy, the tale of a cranky, old genius that grips and surprises throughout. It is a long, meandering novel masquerading as a memoir, flitting around time and place so that the chapters don't follow consecutively and it's only gradually that we build up a picture of the narrator's family history via the stories told to him by his grandfather.

Despite the fragmented narrative and some aspects considered to be fictional truth, there's real heart and soul here which lifts this novel beyond merely the clever construction, giving it a haunting, poignant undertone.

For me the book is less about the grandfather, but the beautiful, damaged woman with whom he falls in love with. Profoundly affected by her experiences during the Second World War, the narrator's grandmother tells stories to shore up her own sense of self and to hold herself together in the wake of trauma.

While at times it can seem tedious, the author's writing carries it through, moving effortlessly from rambunctious humour to distressing scenes. It is a meditation on families and what constitutes a family when it's not based on blood, histories and accurate memories. A big-hearted and beautifully-written novel.
  
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
Fanny and Alexander (1982)
1982 | Drama, International

"The television cut of Fanny and Alexander, of course, which is the one and only version Bergman approved of. It is called the television version because that’s how it was financed, but this is meant to be seen on a big screen with one intermission. It is Bergman’s final masterpiece. Well, not exactly, as he kept on making great films for years afterward. But in the master plan, this is the last actual film, the closing of his main body of work—others are supposed to be footnotes (they’re not). Initially, this film was overlooked because, in the shortened so-called theatrical version, it lost some of the richness of its texture. It was only gradually, when it was revisited in its full version, that it imposed itself, at least on me, as the key to his whole body of work. I had to fit Topsy-Turvy into this list. It is also a period piece. This misunderstood, underrated biography of Gilbert and Sullivan must be one of the most touching, funniest—and cruelest—depictions of show business, split between art and commerce. We see both the torments of creation and the anxieties of the box office. To me, it compares only with Jean Renoir’s French Cancan."

Source