
Cobblestones ā A New Orleans Tragedy
Book
The turbulent history of Post-Reconstruction New Orleans collides with the plight of Sicilian...
Historical Fiction Crime True Events

Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Casting JonBenet (2017) in Movies
Aug 27, 2017
The film is about the notorious 1996 case of a six year old beauty pageant participant, JonBenet Ramsey, who was found dead in her own house even though her family said she had been kidnapped.
One of the most important things about this documentary in particular is the fact that it is completely in the perspective of random people who have no connection really with the crime itself. Instead by creating a fake film about this true crime, they reveal the actors' own perceptions and prejudices against the case and against the people involved.
It is also vital to notice while the other documentaries were created to raise awareness and educate the public about levels of corruption in society and institutions - this seemingly does nothing but instead actually is a bit of a mockery towards the young victim of this crime. The actors throw out wild theories instead, and so you know little about what actually happened.
On the upside it is shot absolutely beautifully, so it looks like an art film. A bit disappointing really.

BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated Scythe (Arc of a Scythe #1) in Books
Feb 7, 2018
Scythe takes place in a Utopian future ruled by an all knowing AI called the Thunderhead that pretty much runs the entire world and surprisingly hasn't gone all HAL on the world. This is also a future where everyone has not only achieved immortality but they can also turn back the clock and return back to their 20's if they so please, but to handle the growing population certain people are chosen to be Scythes or a type of Grim Reapers for an age of immortality that are treated like celebrities but also feared like gods.
The story follows two teens named Rowan and Citra who are chosen to train as future Scythes a job neither one of them want, which is actually supposed to be a kind of requirement to becoming a Scythe. Throughout their training, we are introduced to different Scythes and what it means to be legal murders and how even a perfect world corruption and evil still manages to take hold.

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Throne of Fools (The Omaran Saga #2) in Books
Nov 26, 2019
To some extent this book does suffer from being a bridge between the rather self-contained first book and the rest of the Saga and so rates with me as the weakest of the series. But its still better than the strongest books of other series, helped by Cole's take on worlds and creatures, neatly sidestepping creations that might be construed as 'Tolkienesque'. And indeed the whole saga has a very much darker and more brooding tone than anything set in Middle Earth.
As a bridge between the first and subsequent books this works well, setting up the nature of the threat that must be tackled as well as cementing the characters, Wargallow, Ottermar and Sisipher in particular. The actual narrative is perhaps less engaging but perhaps should be viewed as the framework which holds together the necessary threads being woven for the end of the saga

The Unexpected President: Chester A. Arthur--His Life and Times
Book
When President James Garfield was shot, no one in the United States was more dismayed than his Vice...

The Victoria Letters: The Official Companion to the ITV Victoria Series
Helen Rappaport and Daisy Goodwin
Book
The official companion to ITV's hotly anticipated new drama, The Victoria Letters delves into the...

Fighting Spirit: The Autobiography of Fernando Ricksen
Fernando Ricksen, Vincent De Vries and Barry Ferguson
Book
Fernando Ricksen is a fighter. As a footballer, he carved out a fearsome reputation for Rangers,...

My Two Italies
Book
The child of Italian immigrants and an award-winning scholar of Italian literature, Joseph Luzzi...

In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs: A Memoir of Iran
Book
A superb, authoritatively written insider's account of Iran, one of the most mysterious but...

Isabella of Castile: Europe's First Great Queen
Book
In 1474, a twenty-three year old woman ascended the throne of Castile, the largest and strongest...