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The Way We Were
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I can only say that I have been privileged to have been just one of those fortunate evacuees during...
Ruben Ostlund recommended The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) in Movies (curated)
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Nomadland (2020) in Movies
May 2, 2021
Nomadland is a perfect example of cinema about people. The very real people that surround Frances McDormand's Fern are the very heart of this story, as it explores grief, and what it means to leave everything behind, and live out in the wilds, as a nomad. Its narrative feels very human, authentic, and is suitably heartwarming whilst being drenched in melancholy.
McDormand is fantastic as she tends to be. Her performance here is one that comes from someone who has perfected their craft.
The cinematography on display is quite simply stunning. Nomadland is overflowing with beautiful shots and vistas. Chloé Zhao has given us a visual feast to go along with everything else, and it's complimented by a gorgeous music score.
I honestly can't think of a single bad thing to say about Nomadland. I can understand why it might not be for everyone, but I found it to be a wonderful experience. A story that deserves to be told and one that made me question what I'm doing with my own life. Fully deserves all the praise it's getting.
McDormand is fantastic as she tends to be. Her performance here is one that comes from someone who has perfected their craft.
The cinematography on display is quite simply stunning. Nomadland is overflowing with beautiful shots and vistas. Chloé Zhao has given us a visual feast to go along with everything else, and it's complimented by a gorgeous music score.
I honestly can't think of a single bad thing to say about Nomadland. I can understand why it might not be for everyone, but I found it to be a wonderful experience. A story that deserves to be told and one that made me question what I'm doing with my own life. Fully deserves all the praise it's getting.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated House Beneath the Bridge in Books
Sep 3, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
The burning of the wrong person leads to a village being cursed. Years later a car crash leaves three groups of people stranded in a dried up river bed that should be easy to get out of, but isn't. Some take haven in a strange church whilst others find a strange house. Terrorised by a strange monk and a giant toad god they need to find a way out, but who can they trust.
This is the first book by Iain Rob Wright that I have read and I have to say I enjoyed it. There are a number of characters who could be the villain or who could be helping the main cast and the reader is misled through out a lot of the book. The landscape the cast are trapped in is just strange enough to add a bit of unease but not so strange that it takes away form the characters interaction.
It was also nice to find a stand alone novel as there are a lot of series' around.
This is the first book by Iain Rob Wright that I have read and I have to say I enjoyed it. There are a number of characters who could be the villain or who could be helping the main cast and the reader is misled through out a lot of the book. The landscape the cast are trapped in is just strange enough to add a bit of unease but not so strange that it takes away form the characters interaction.
It was also nice to find a stand alone novel as there are a lot of series' around.
Smith's Corner: Layla & Levi (The Heartwood Series #2)
9.0
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Book
Men and trust. Yeah, these two things, in my experience, don’t go hand in hand. The promises I...
Contemporary Romance
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2440 KP) rated Murder Walks the Plank in Books
Oct 16, 2025
Mystery Cruise Ends in Mystery Death
Annie Darling has been plotting a harbor cruise to raise funds for a local charity. But the mystery themed event turns real life mystery when someone falls overboard. While everyone thinks it was an accident, Annie is sure it was murder. But can she figure out what happened before another tragedy strikes?
I’ve been looking forward to this book since the title is so fun. I’m glad to say it lived up to my expectations. Yes, I’m tired of law enforcement not taking Annie seriously, but on the whole, I enjoyed seeing the characters again. The mystery is very well done with plenty of good suspects, twists, and red herrings. Yet things made sense at the end. Since we are now in the era when I was reading mysteries, I enjoy seeing some of those books pop up in the references to real mysteries this series is famous for. If you are a fan of this series, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.
I’ve been looking forward to this book since the title is so fun. I’m glad to say it lived up to my expectations. Yes, I’m tired of law enforcement not taking Annie seriously, but on the whole, I enjoyed seeing the characters again. The mystery is very well done with plenty of good suspects, twists, and red herrings. Yet things made sense at the end. Since we are now in the era when I was reading mysteries, I enjoy seeing some of those books pop up in the references to real mysteries this series is famous for. If you are a fan of this series, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Thumbing Through Thoreau: A Book of Quotations by Henry David Thoreau in Books
Feb 11, 2019
The cover of the book is taken from a beautiful painting of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts where Henry David Thoreau lived and wrote. Unfortunately, the artwork on nearly every page in the text is not nearly as attractive or colorful, and seems rather repetitious after 50 pages or so. According to the cover, Jay Luke's artwork is on the even-numbered pages and Ren Adam's artwork is on the odd-numbered pages, though truthfully I could not distinguish between the two artists' styles.
The book is divided into three sections that each of the quotes could be filed under: "Society & Government", "Spirituality & Nature", and "Love." The quotes that Kenny Luck compiled were indeed thought-provoking. When examining the collection as a whole, I could imagine the kind of man that wrote these words day in and day out. As Luck states: "This book... is my attempt to bring together the best pieces of Thoreau's writings in one collection." Before reading this book, I was not overly familiar with Thoreau's work, and afterwards I realized that the man Thoreau has much in common with my own husband. But I digress.
Some quotes were familiar, such as this one:
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
Many more quotes were unfamiliar, but quite profound:
"I am convinced, that if all men were to live as simply as I then did, thieving and robbery would be unknown."
"What is it [to] be born free and equal, and not to live? What is the value of any political freedom, but as a means to moral freedom?"
"A written word is the choicest of relics."
"The day is an epitome of the year. The night is the winter, the morning and evening are the spring and fall, and the noon is the summer."
"I suspect that the child plucks its first flower awith an insight into its beauty and significance which the subsequent botanist never retains."
"To be married at least should be the one poetical act of a man's life."
"Love is a severe critic."
"The only way to speak the truth is to speak lovingly; only the lover's words are heard."
What I found especially distracting was how the words within each quote varied in font size and color, almost as if Luck did not trust the reader enough to know how to read the work and felt he had to dictate to the reader where the emphasis lay in each quote. While I can not say for sure if this was the aim, I felt like my intelligence was being belittled and undervalued as I flipped through the pages. Plus, these words are Thoreau's, not Kenny Luck's, and only Thoreau would be able to truly say where the emphasis within each sentence should be. Luck is only presuming to make intelligent guesses. While I respect Luck's obsession, which he describes in his introduction, I think he should allow for the words of Thoreau to stand alone, so that each reader can appreciate Thoreau through his or her own interpretation.
"The fact is I am a mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher to boot."
The book is divided into three sections that each of the quotes could be filed under: "Society & Government", "Spirituality & Nature", and "Love." The quotes that Kenny Luck compiled were indeed thought-provoking. When examining the collection as a whole, I could imagine the kind of man that wrote these words day in and day out. As Luck states: "This book... is my attempt to bring together the best pieces of Thoreau's writings in one collection." Before reading this book, I was not overly familiar with Thoreau's work, and afterwards I realized that the man Thoreau has much in common with my own husband. But I digress.
Some quotes were familiar, such as this one:
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
Many more quotes were unfamiliar, but quite profound:
"I am convinced, that if all men were to live as simply as I then did, thieving and robbery would be unknown."
"What is it [to] be born free and equal, and not to live? What is the value of any political freedom, but as a means to moral freedom?"
"A written word is the choicest of relics."
"The day is an epitome of the year. The night is the winter, the morning and evening are the spring and fall, and the noon is the summer."
"I suspect that the child plucks its first flower awith an insight into its beauty and significance which the subsequent botanist never retains."
"To be married at least should be the one poetical act of a man's life."
"Love is a severe critic."
"The only way to speak the truth is to speak lovingly; only the lover's words are heard."
What I found especially distracting was how the words within each quote varied in font size and color, almost as if Luck did not trust the reader enough to know how to read the work and felt he had to dictate to the reader where the emphasis lay in each quote. While I can not say for sure if this was the aim, I felt like my intelligence was being belittled and undervalued as I flipped through the pages. Plus, these words are Thoreau's, not Kenny Luck's, and only Thoreau would be able to truly say where the emphasis within each sentence should be. Luck is only presuming to make intelligent guesses. While I respect Luck's obsession, which he describes in his introduction, I think he should allow for the words of Thoreau to stand alone, so that each reader can appreciate Thoreau through his or her own interpretation.
"The fact is I am a mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher to boot."
Piano Notes Fun - Sight Reading Tutor
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The Best Music Note Trainer on iPhone "There is nothing negative to say about this app." --...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2440 KP) rated When the Grits Hit the Fan in Books
Mar 9, 2018
To help make money in the cold February winter, Robbie Jordan has opened up her restaurant for dinner two Friday’s a month to the Sociology department of a nearby college. Any thoughts she had about this being a calm exchange of ideas goes out the window when one of the professors, Charles, picks fights with two different people. The next afternoon, Robbie is out with her friend Lou when they find Charles under the ice in the nearby lake. Since Lou had fought with Charles the night before, the police are looking at her as a suspect. But with Charles as universally hated as he was, surely Robbie can find a better suspect, right?
Charles’s habit of making enemies serves us plenty of suspects. The lack of clues to point the finger at any single person makes for lots of fun. I was never bored watching the plot unfold. A couple of the series regulars weren’t around for this book, but those who were around were certainly delightful. The suspects were all strong and viable, and the climax was creative and page turning. Can I just say how much I would love to visit Robbie’s restaurant? Seriously, it sounds delightful. (Well, when a murder isn’t taking place, of course.)
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-when-grits-hit-fan-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Charles’s habit of making enemies serves us plenty of suspects. The lack of clues to point the finger at any single person makes for lots of fun. I was never bored watching the plot unfold. A couple of the series regulars weren’t around for this book, but those who were around were certainly delightful. The suspects were all strong and viable, and the climax was creative and page turning. Can I just say how much I would love to visit Robbie’s restaurant? Seriously, it sounds delightful. (Well, when a murder isn’t taking place, of course.)
NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/03/book-review-when-grits-hit-fan-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Irene M (130 KP) rated A Whole New World in Books
Dec 7, 2018
This book has had very mixed reviews… and to be honest I can see why.
The first about 1/3 of the book follows the Disney film pretty much to the letter, and without surprising anyone too much that is when the story changes.
In the film Aladdin gets the lamp… in this book he doesn’t (I won’t write “spoiler” as that bit is written on the front cover) and needless to say the camel dung hits the fan.
Where I think people might not like this book is the style of writing. Without being derogatory to the style this is very fanfictiony. You know those AU stories where one thing has changed? Well, that. At times the language is a bit too modern, it IS set in old Agrabah afterall.
I can see where the author tried to go with the plot, and while maybe not the most highbrow retelling of the story, it also wasn’t as bad as the previous reviews I’d read made it out to be. Certainly not a kids story (a tad gory, character death warning, violence etc) but a logical enough route for the bad guy winning.
Don’t go into this book expecting an epic Disney tale and you might well enjoy it. The author has rewritten Beauty and The Beast and Sleeping Beauty to follow this one, and I’m going to give them a read as well.
The first about 1/3 of the book follows the Disney film pretty much to the letter, and without surprising anyone too much that is when the story changes.
In the film Aladdin gets the lamp… in this book he doesn’t (I won’t write “spoiler” as that bit is written on the front cover) and needless to say the camel dung hits the fan.
Where I think people might not like this book is the style of writing. Without being derogatory to the style this is very fanfictiony. You know those AU stories where one thing has changed? Well, that. At times the language is a bit too modern, it IS set in old Agrabah afterall.
I can see where the author tried to go with the plot, and while maybe not the most highbrow retelling of the story, it also wasn’t as bad as the previous reviews I’d read made it out to be. Certainly not a kids story (a tad gory, character death warning, violence etc) but a logical enough route for the bad guy winning.
Don’t go into this book expecting an epic Disney tale and you might well enjoy it. The author has rewritten Beauty and The Beast and Sleeping Beauty to follow this one, and I’m going to give them a read as well.