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Travels with My Harp: The Complete Autobiography
Book
Mary O'Hara's life story is something only the most inspired press agent could ever hope to concoct'...
Italian Lakes
Lonely Planet, Cristian Bonetto, Duncan Garwood and Belinda Dixon
Book
Discover the freedom of open roads with Lonely Planet Italian Lakes Road Trips, your passport to...
Lonely Planet Route 66 Road Trips
Lonely Planet, Amy C. Balfour, Karla Zimmerman and Nate Cavalieri
Book
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisher Whether exploring your own backyard or...
LP
Lonely Planet Tuscany Road Trips
Lonely Planet, Duncan Garwood, Paula Hardy and Robert Landon
Book
Discover the freedom of open roads with Lonely Planet Tuscany Road Trips, your passport to uniquely...
pro soccer 2016 game - free football head games
Games
App
Are you a football maniac? Do you have football frenzy? If yes, Best Real Speed Pro football 2016...
Music for the Age of Miracles by The Clientele
Album Watch
The Clientele return in September with Music for the Age of Miracles, their first release of new...
rock
Tides Planner
Navigation and Sports
7.0
Rate It
App
Essential TIDES tool for sailors, divers, canoeists, fishermen, surfers, swimmers, photographers and...
Eilidh G Clark (177 KP) rated Dirt Road in Books
May 13, 2017
Kelman is an expert in understanding people
Kelman’s new novel Dirt Road is story that takes both characters and reader on a journey right from the outset, but the journey is more than it seems. The novel begins in the West coast of Scotland where we learn that Murdo - a sixteen-year-old boy - and his father Tom are mourning the death of their mother/wife and sister/daughter. Searching for solace, they embark on a journey to Alabama, U.S.A to spend time with Uncle John and Aunt Maureen. For Murdo, family is just a happy memory, a moment in time captured in a photograph, ‘The family was four and not just him and Dad’, whilst for Tom, family is the bond that holds them together. Throughout the journey, Tom strives to guide his son and keep him on ‘the right path’, yet Murdo, as we will learn, has a path of his own to find. Stifled by the fathers influence, the boy has a tendency to stray, thus when they reach Allentown Mississippi, Murdo stumbles upon a family of musicians led by Zydeco performer Queen Monzee-ay. Murdo is as drawn to music as his father is to family, the boy himself is an accomplished accordion player, and when he is offered an opportunity to play a set with Queen Monzee-ay in two weeks’ time, we watch as the road between father and son diverges and choice and risk becomes the key plot in the story.
While this may appear a simple story line, Kelman’s exploration into the fragmented relationship between father and son gives the reader an honest analysis of family and grief. The third person narrator, with bursts of free indirect discourse from Murdo, allows the reader both an internal and external insight into the constraints of family. This parallel leaves the reader feeling uncomfortable, yet with a conflicting heart. This is Kelman’s unique writing style at its best.
Dirt Road is more than a novel of grief and family relationships though; it is a novel of risk, of following new paths with uncertainties, about leaving behind the familiarities and safety of the past and following the heart. It is about deep connections; for Murdo this is through music and the feeling of freedom that he associates with music, whilst for the other characters it is about cultural connections and Scottish ancestry. Kelman’s clever use of parallels shows the reader the intensity of human connections whilst suggesting that change and progression is possible. This great novel will linger in your thoughts for weeks after you put it down, and it brings to mind a poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
For the full poem visit (https://www.poetryfoundation.org).
Dirt Road by James Kelman
Canongate Books (14 July 2016)
While this may appear a simple story line, Kelman’s exploration into the fragmented relationship between father and son gives the reader an honest analysis of family and grief. The third person narrator, with bursts of free indirect discourse from Murdo, allows the reader both an internal and external insight into the constraints of family. This parallel leaves the reader feeling uncomfortable, yet with a conflicting heart. This is Kelman’s unique writing style at its best.
Dirt Road is more than a novel of grief and family relationships though; it is a novel of risk, of following new paths with uncertainties, about leaving behind the familiarities and safety of the past and following the heart. It is about deep connections; for Murdo this is through music and the feeling of freedom that he associates with music, whilst for the other characters it is about cultural connections and Scottish ancestry. Kelman’s clever use of parallels shows the reader the intensity of human connections whilst suggesting that change and progression is possible. This great novel will linger in your thoughts for weeks after you put it down, and it brings to mind a poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
For the full poem visit (https://www.poetryfoundation.org).
Dirt Road by James Kelman
Canongate Books (14 July 2016)
Debbiereadsbook (1202 KP) rated Forged Contracts (Tribal Spirits #3) in Books
Apr 11, 2019
straight back up to 5 stars!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
When Finn left, Raven's wall came down. She had been hiding behind that wall, and Finn, for years. Now that barrier is gone, Raven had to face just why she had been hiding, or rather WHO she had been hiding from. Jeremiah didn't want to be pack beta, but Sierra choose him and he would do his best. raven at his side would be a bonus, but would she be there, when she finds out his bi-polar meds are all gone? When Raven's past comes to town, they both have to face up to what they feel for each other and join together with both the Red Rock pack AND the Silver Springs pack when that past turns deadly.
This is book three is the Tribal Alliances series but all can be read as stand alones. BUT I would strongly recommend that you read at least book two, Forged Decisions, before this one. There is much in that book that has a direct impact on this one.
Raven is hiding, she doesn't want to face what she really feels about Jer. When he finds out about her past, she'll be heart broken if she lets herself fall. So she used Finn, and he used Raven too, to hide from those feelings. With Finn gone, she cannot hide anymore and just one kiss explodes the mating bond between them. Raven tries hard, so very hard to not let it develop, but neither she nor Jer can deny it any longer.
And it it GLORIOUS watching them fall! Emotional, dark and deadly, best describes this one!
Raven's past still haunts her, and when the true horror of that becomes clear, Jer goes all Alpha-protect-whats-mine. He pulls his head out his ass and accepts Raven's help to get himself back on track, cos now, not only does his pack need him, as beta, but his MATE needs him too. It takes Jer a while to see what Raven feels, putting the pieces together not quite fast enough, but he does get there in the end.
Raven manages to overcome her past in the most bloody way! The past she had been hiding, the one she didn't want anyone to know about, isn't so much of a secret from Sierra, since she is pack Alpha and Sierra makes Raven see that we all have a past. And that's where it needs to stay, in the PAST.
A previous baddie makes (mostly) good here and I wonder if he will get a book. Be nice, I think, for him to come full circle. He's not the next one, that book belongs to Lucas, of the East Coast Tribe and the Landsliders will be back, making much trouble again!
We slipped a bit from 5 for book one, to 4 stars for book two, but I had no idea why. This one, however, shoots straight back up to 5 stars! One sitting read, and it ain't a short book!
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
When Finn left, Raven's wall came down. She had been hiding behind that wall, and Finn, for years. Now that barrier is gone, Raven had to face just why she had been hiding, or rather WHO she had been hiding from. Jeremiah didn't want to be pack beta, but Sierra choose him and he would do his best. raven at his side would be a bonus, but would she be there, when she finds out his bi-polar meds are all gone? When Raven's past comes to town, they both have to face up to what they feel for each other and join together with both the Red Rock pack AND the Silver Springs pack when that past turns deadly.
This is book three is the Tribal Alliances series but all can be read as stand alones. BUT I would strongly recommend that you read at least book two, Forged Decisions, before this one. There is much in that book that has a direct impact on this one.
Raven is hiding, she doesn't want to face what she really feels about Jer. When he finds out about her past, she'll be heart broken if she lets herself fall. So she used Finn, and he used Raven too, to hide from those feelings. With Finn gone, she cannot hide anymore and just one kiss explodes the mating bond between them. Raven tries hard, so very hard to not let it develop, but neither she nor Jer can deny it any longer.
And it it GLORIOUS watching them fall! Emotional, dark and deadly, best describes this one!
Raven's past still haunts her, and when the true horror of that becomes clear, Jer goes all Alpha-protect-whats-mine. He pulls his head out his ass and accepts Raven's help to get himself back on track, cos now, not only does his pack need him, as beta, but his MATE needs him too. It takes Jer a while to see what Raven feels, putting the pieces together not quite fast enough, but he does get there in the end.
Raven manages to overcome her past in the most bloody way! The past she had been hiding, the one she didn't want anyone to know about, isn't so much of a secret from Sierra, since she is pack Alpha and Sierra makes Raven see that we all have a past. And that's where it needs to stay, in the PAST.
A previous baddie makes (mostly) good here and I wonder if he will get a book. Be nice, I think, for him to come full circle. He's not the next one, that book belongs to Lucas, of the East Coast Tribe and the Landsliders will be back, making much trouble again!
We slipped a bit from 5 for book one, to 4 stars for book two, but I had no idea why. This one, however, shoots straight back up to 5 stars! One sitting read, and it ain't a short book!
5 full and shiny stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated San Andreas (2015) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
As solid as the Rock
Who doesn’t love a good disaster movie? From Dante’s Peak to The Day After Tomorrow, there’s enough city-levelling action in the movie archives to terrify even the most urban of us.
The genre came to a head somewhat in 2009 with the overly cheesy 2012. Directed by Roland Emmerich, aka the disaster movie king, it was a huge box-office success but audiences were turned off by the idea of destroying the entire globe.
After a few years off, the genre returns with San Andreas. But can this earthquake-based blockbuster evoke memories of yesteryear’s disaster flicks?
Dwayne Johnson stars as Ray Gaines, a chief rescue officer with the LAFD and in typical The Rock style, manages to captivate the audience from beginning to end of this exceptionally cheesy yet surprisingly effective movie.
The beautiful Carla Gugino plays Ray’s estranged wife, Emma with Alexandra Daddario taking on the role of their daughter Blake. There’s even a small role for Kylie Minogue, though she is rather unnoticed here.
San Andreas follows the three central characters as they try to reunite with one another after a series of devastating earthquakes along the west coast of America, all of which are predicted by brilliant seismologist Lawrence – a wasted Paul Giamatti.
The film is visually stunning, but as with any in the genre, lacks a defined story with the characters being thrown from one amazing set piece to another. From the very beginning the audience is subjected to gargantuan action sequences including the much-marketed tsunami that acts as a placeholder for the film’s final act – it is absolutely mesmerising to watch.
Johnson proves time-and-time again that he is in the right business. Along with Schwarzenegger he is at his best in films where his brawn is needed the most and it’s certainly the case here. Surprisingly though, The Rock provides a rich emotional undertone due to a horrific past family incident.
Unfortunately, there is such a lack of originality in San Andreas’ story that it’s easy to signpost exactly what is going to happen before it actually does. The reason? Simply because it’s been done to death. Disaster flicks are very 90s with Dante’s Peak having a similar family unit and even in the noughties, The Day After Tomorrow featuring the well-worn reuniting with children plotline.
There are some clever touches however, parts of the film where you would expect generic clichés, it cleverly dangles a red herring and then moves the plot in a completely different direction.
It’s clear to see that disaster movies will always find their audience. Those not looking for a deep and meaningful story and a rollercoaster ride of special effects instead will find much to enjoy here.
Dwayne Johnson is superb in his role with the majority of the other characters falling by the wayside somewhat, and in the end, San Andreas proves to be a solid if not overly original experience.
It’s fair to say though, this film is more than worth the price of a cinema ticket.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2015/05/31/as-solid-as-the-rock-san-andreas-review/
The genre came to a head somewhat in 2009 with the overly cheesy 2012. Directed by Roland Emmerich, aka the disaster movie king, it was a huge box-office success but audiences were turned off by the idea of destroying the entire globe.
After a few years off, the genre returns with San Andreas. But can this earthquake-based blockbuster evoke memories of yesteryear’s disaster flicks?
Dwayne Johnson stars as Ray Gaines, a chief rescue officer with the LAFD and in typical The Rock style, manages to captivate the audience from beginning to end of this exceptionally cheesy yet surprisingly effective movie.
The beautiful Carla Gugino plays Ray’s estranged wife, Emma with Alexandra Daddario taking on the role of their daughter Blake. There’s even a small role for Kylie Minogue, though she is rather unnoticed here.
San Andreas follows the three central characters as they try to reunite with one another after a series of devastating earthquakes along the west coast of America, all of which are predicted by brilliant seismologist Lawrence – a wasted Paul Giamatti.
The film is visually stunning, but as with any in the genre, lacks a defined story with the characters being thrown from one amazing set piece to another. From the very beginning the audience is subjected to gargantuan action sequences including the much-marketed tsunami that acts as a placeholder for the film’s final act – it is absolutely mesmerising to watch.
Johnson proves time-and-time again that he is in the right business. Along with Schwarzenegger he is at his best in films where his brawn is needed the most and it’s certainly the case here. Surprisingly though, The Rock provides a rich emotional undertone due to a horrific past family incident.
Unfortunately, there is such a lack of originality in San Andreas’ story that it’s easy to signpost exactly what is going to happen before it actually does. The reason? Simply because it’s been done to death. Disaster flicks are very 90s with Dante’s Peak having a similar family unit and even in the noughties, The Day After Tomorrow featuring the well-worn reuniting with children plotline.
There are some clever touches however, parts of the film where you would expect generic clichés, it cleverly dangles a red herring and then moves the plot in a completely different direction.
It’s clear to see that disaster movies will always find their audience. Those not looking for a deep and meaningful story and a rollercoaster ride of special effects instead will find much to enjoy here.
Dwayne Johnson is superb in his role with the majority of the other characters falling by the wayside somewhat, and in the end, San Andreas proves to be a solid if not overly original experience.
It’s fair to say though, this film is more than worth the price of a cinema ticket.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2015/05/31/as-solid-as-the-rock-san-andreas-review/