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Dishonour and Obey
Dishonour and Obey
Graham Brack | 2020 | Crime, Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Thank goodness Master Mercurius is back! He might not like the idea (he’d rather be with his books at the University of Leiden), but I most certainly do!

This time, it’s 1676 and Stadhouder William of Orange wants Mercurius to join the delegation going to England to interview his possible future wife. This future wife is the 14 year old niece of King Charles II, and William wants to make sure that she’s a good Protestant - and not a Catholic like her father. Of course, nothing seems to ever run smoothly for Mercurius, and this trip is no exception. It’s not long before Mercurius is required to use his powers of deduction when one of the Dutch party is found dead. And he has clearly been murdered.

It’s no secret that I love these books. Mercurius’ reluctant humour really appeals to me, and this observational humour is used when we look at King Charles and his court. Mercurius’ observations of the royal court and their loose morals is, at times, laugh out loud funny (well, I certainly snorted in a very unladylike fashion, anyway!). I think I actually genuinely love Mercurius, and I can’t wait to read more.

Many thanks to Sapere Books for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
  
Killer of Sheep (2007)
Killer of Sheep (2007)
2007 | International, Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Charles Burnett. It’s a really incredible film, shot all in black and white, 1970s, it’s Watts in Los Angeles. And it’s this guy who works in a slaughterhouse. They put it out in theaters, I think a year and a half ago, and I raced out to go see it live. The soundtrack is just so provocative, it’s so of that time. It was shot for less than $10,000…It’s a remarkable, remarkable film, and when you watch it, it’s just so profound."

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A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet
Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Billingham | 2009 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.8 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
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
  
Stuff You Should Know
Stuff You Should Know
Society & Culture
8
8.3 (8 Ratings)
Podcast Rating
Josh Clark and Charles (Chuck) Bryant are the very charming co-hosts for a very informative Podcast. They wander off on little tantrums that I find rather endearing. Stuff you should know covers a multitude of topics, common and not so common. My favorite episodes are the Halloween story time they have. I also really enjoyed the How a Flea Circus Works and The Future of Renewable Energy where they did a rare interview (which I usually hate with a passion) with Bill Gates. If random knowledge is something you love to have and share this is a podcast for you.
  
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Rachel Unthank recommended A Love Supreme by John Coltrane in Music (curated)

 
A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
A Love Supreme by John Coltrane
1965 | Jazz
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"This is a record I've just fallen in love with. I've known Miles Davis and some Charles Mingus before, but this is something else. I was given it as a present, and I've just been captivated by it. It's so packed with emotion, and it takes you to all these different places in love: struggle, pain, joy, transcendence, chaos and calm. 

It also feels so complete in the story it tells musically. And to have this whole new musical adventure now, to be thrown into this other world, in this music I never listened to when I was younger, is really exciting."

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The Night of the Hunter (1955)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
1955 | Drama, Mystery
9.0 (5 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"The Night of the Hunter was Charles Laughton?s only film as a director and its poor reception pretty much killed his directing career. It?s a remarkable debut and there?s no other film quite like it. It?s very reliant on imager from back in the days of D.W. Griffith and it?s strikingly designed and extremely dark. I saw it at a kiddie matinee when I was a child and I was just terrified. It has such a fairy tale atmosphere about it that it probably speaks more directly to children than it does to adults."

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