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ClareR (5561 KP) rated Back to Nature: How to love life - and save it. in Books
Jul 20, 2021
Back to Nature was written during the Covid-19 pandemic, and it illustrates how much many people relied on the natural world at a time when we were confined to our own living spaces during the first lockdown in the UK. Those with gardens discovered a space filled with nature, and if they didn’t they avidly watched the Self-Isolating Bird Club on social media every morning to discover tips on how to invite nature into their lives. Those without gardens were able to find little pockets of nature on their daily walks.
This book talks about how we can preserve nature, and how important it is to do so. It talks about how it’s not just up to the individual to put a stop to Climate Change, but it’s also the responsibility of big business and governments globally. It shows the mistakes that have been made, and how local groups are trying to do their bit to save nature.
Chris’ sections look at the big picture, and Megans look at more detailed aspects of nature - which are linked to the wider considerations.
It’s a really interesting, well-written and accessible book.
This book talks about how we can preserve nature, and how important it is to do so. It talks about how it’s not just up to the individual to put a stop to Climate Change, but it’s also the responsibility of big business and governments globally. It shows the mistakes that have been made, and how local groups are trying to do their bit to save nature.
Chris’ sections look at the big picture, and Megans look at more detailed aspects of nature - which are linked to the wider considerations.
It’s a really interesting, well-written and accessible book.
David McK (3185 KP) rated Kingdom of Bones (Sigma Force #16) in Books
Oct 22, 2023
I read this in the latter stages of 2023, approximately 3 years after the Covid-19 Worldwide pandemic had first struck.
It was a little uncomfortable doing so at first, especially as the main driver for the plot was the start of a worldwide pandemic that badly affected the Human Race.
Caused by mans encroachment of, and deforestation of, Nature.
Sound at all familiar?
Indeed, in his foreward the author even states that he debated finishing the novel for that very reason ...
Anyway, once you get past the uncomfortable feeling, what you have here is a fairly standard Sigma Force story, with Guy Pierce and his team racing against the clock to find the cause of, and a cure to, the contagion whilst other members of the team look for a scientific solution.
I have to say, however, that this particular entry didn't gel as much with me: perhaps because of the complete sidelining of Seichan and Guy's home life? Perhaps because I didn't find the heavy focus on the natural world as interesting as those that focus more on history (and mythology).
Whatever the reason, it just didn't come across as enjoyable to me.
It was a little uncomfortable doing so at first, especially as the main driver for the plot was the start of a worldwide pandemic that badly affected the Human Race.
Caused by mans encroachment of, and deforestation of, Nature.
Sound at all familiar?
Indeed, in his foreward the author even states that he debated finishing the novel for that very reason ...
Anyway, once you get past the uncomfortable feeling, what you have here is a fairly standard Sigma Force story, with Guy Pierce and his team racing against the clock to find the cause of, and a cure to, the contagion whilst other members of the team look for a scientific solution.
I have to say, however, that this particular entry didn't gel as much with me: perhaps because of the complete sidelining of Seichan and Guy's home life? Perhaps because I didn't find the heavy focus on the natural world as interesting as those that focus more on history (and mythology).
Whatever the reason, it just didn't come across as enjoyable to me.
David McK (3185 KP) rated Tenet (2020) in Movies
Sep 30, 2022
Massive letdown from Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan has a bit of a name for himself, and a bit of a following.
While I haven't seen all of his films, I have (mostly) quite enjoyed the ones I have seen - The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, The Prestige, Insomnia, Dunkirk and Interstellar - so it's always an event when he releases a new movie.
This particular one had the mis(?)fortune to be released in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when large gatherings put health at risk and when cinemas were struggling after being closed for months on end.
I never saw it on the big screen as a result.
Having now seen it (on Amazon Prime), I'm quite glad that I didn't pay (and put my health at risk) to see it in the cinema - honestly, I found it mostly dull, incomprehensible (in that I couldn't make out half the dialogue) and interminable in length, despite the occasional 'money-on-the-screen' sequence
If you want to see a good 'backwards' story, watch the Backwards episode of Red Dwarf (season 3, episode 1) instead.
While I haven't seen all of his films, I have (mostly) quite enjoyed the ones I have seen - The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, The Prestige, Insomnia, Dunkirk and Interstellar - so it's always an event when he releases a new movie.
This particular one had the mis(?)fortune to be released in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when large gatherings put health at risk and when cinemas were struggling after being closed for months on end.
I never saw it on the big screen as a result.
Having now seen it (on Amazon Prime), I'm quite glad that I didn't pay (and put my health at risk) to see it in the cinema - honestly, I found it mostly dull, incomprehensible (in that I couldn't make out half the dialogue) and interminable in length, despite the occasional 'money-on-the-screen' sequence
If you want to see a good 'backwards' story, watch the Backwards episode of Red Dwarf (season 3, episode 1) instead.
Laura Doe (1350 KP) rated Wish You Were Here in Books
Jan 26, 2022
I didn’t quite realise how much this book would resonate with me until I started reading it. It reminded me sometimes about the awful things that we have lived through the past 2 years but also reminded me how strong people can be.
Diana and Finn are living in New York as the Covid-19 pandemic is beginning, they have planned to go on a once in a lifetime holiday to The Galápagos Islands just as the world seems to be shutting down. Finn, being a surgical resident, has been told that he can’t take time off, even pre planned holidays. While Diana, who is an art specialist working for Sotheby’s, knows that she needs to take time off as a deal she had brokered for a painting has fallen through. Finn tells Diana to go anyway as he doesn’t want to make her sick since he’s working in the hospital.
We then follow Diana exploring the beautiful, scenic Isabela island, and meeting a family who take her in and look after her when she becomes stranded there. She explores the island and although she doesn’t speak the language she manages to get by because she needs to. She has no phone service and very limited access to the internet so she has no way to contact the outside world, but it doesn’t seem to matter too much when you’re in paradise.
The second part of the book was a complete surprise, but a pleasant one. It reminded me of exactly how we were at the start of the pandemic, wiping down anything that came from outside, not opening mail for days and for some of us stripping as soon as we came in from work for fear we’d brought the virus home with us. I am a support worker and so had no choice but to go into work and look after people that had Covid-19 because as much as I was scared, I knew that they needed me more. One line that sticks in my head is also one that I thought myself: “Well if I catch it, I catch it” and that became my opinion for a lot of the pandemic.
It was a nice change that not everything was tied up with a neat little bow at the end of this book, as that’s how life is sometimes. I really enjoyed this book and I feel like it will be one of those that helps us to remember the pandemic in years to come.
Diana and Finn are living in New York as the Covid-19 pandemic is beginning, they have planned to go on a once in a lifetime holiday to The Galápagos Islands just as the world seems to be shutting down. Finn, being a surgical resident, has been told that he can’t take time off, even pre planned holidays. While Diana, who is an art specialist working for Sotheby’s, knows that she needs to take time off as a deal she had brokered for a painting has fallen through. Finn tells Diana to go anyway as he doesn’t want to make her sick since he’s working in the hospital.
We then follow Diana exploring the beautiful, scenic Isabela island, and meeting a family who take her in and look after her when she becomes stranded there. She explores the island and although she doesn’t speak the language she manages to get by because she needs to. She has no phone service and very limited access to the internet so she has no way to contact the outside world, but it doesn’t seem to matter too much when you’re in paradise.
The second part of the book was a complete surprise, but a pleasant one. It reminded me of exactly how we were at the start of the pandemic, wiping down anything that came from outside, not opening mail for days and for some of us stripping as soon as we came in from work for fear we’d brought the virus home with us. I am a support worker and so had no choice but to go into work and look after people that had Covid-19 because as much as I was scared, I knew that they needed me more. One line that sticks in my head is also one that I thought myself: “Well if I catch it, I catch it” and that became my opinion for a lot of the pandemic.
It was a nice change that not everything was tied up with a neat little bow at the end of this book, as that’s how life is sometimes. I really enjoyed this book and I feel like it will be one of those that helps us to remember the pandemic in years to come.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Blood Quantum (2019) in Movies
Sep 3, 2021
"𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘶𝘴."
I know I'm not alone in feeling like this isn't exactly what I was expecting out of it - and normally I'm averse to this recent brand of doom-and-gloom, slow, often derivative apocalypse drama. But I think especially with the recent events in Canada as well as inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic this kind of authentic representation and potent anti-colonialist subtext rings as loud as it ever has - packs a *deafening* emotional wallop. I would have preferred trading out the A24-style blue collar weariness which I thought we were finally done with for something less purposefully sluggish, but on the same coin at least the metaphor actually works - and isn't about a random white person's trauma for the 800th time. Plus it's hard to shake a stick at anything that - at its best - harkens back to the days when "The Walking Dead" was actually good while featuring such strong, tangible moodiness and solid gore in its wake. And the cherry on top, it's only a cool 98 minutes so it's easily forgiven for being a tad messy and not focusing on enough characters properly. Looks mostly great, too - those animated segments 👌👌👌
I know I'm not alone in feeling like this isn't exactly what I was expecting out of it - and normally I'm averse to this recent brand of doom-and-gloom, slow, often derivative apocalypse drama. But I think especially with the recent events in Canada as well as inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic this kind of authentic representation and potent anti-colonialist subtext rings as loud as it ever has - packs a *deafening* emotional wallop. I would have preferred trading out the A24-style blue collar weariness which I thought we were finally done with for something less purposefully sluggish, but on the same coin at least the metaphor actually works - and isn't about a random white person's trauma for the 800th time. Plus it's hard to shake a stick at anything that - at its best - harkens back to the days when "The Walking Dead" was actually good while featuring such strong, tangible moodiness and solid gore in its wake. And the cherry on top, it's only a cool 98 minutes so it's easily forgiven for being a tad messy and not focusing on enough characters properly. Looks mostly great, too - those animated segments 👌👌👌
David McK (3185 KP) rated Les Misérables (2012) in Movies
Jan 19, 2022
I'm still waiting for Miserable Les to turn up ;-)
Les Miserables.
One of those musicals/films that, while I had head of it and did not the broad strokes of, I had never actually seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Set in post-(Napoleonic)war France, this spans about roughly 20 years or so (i think 17, to be precise) starting in 1815 when ex-con Jean Valjean (Jackman) is released from servitude, breaks parole and reinvents himself but is then endlessly hunted by his former jailor Javert (Crowe), taking it upon himself to raise the daughter of seamstress Fantine (an Oscar-winning Hathaway) - as he believes himself responsible for her demise (which he does play a large part in, as he fired her from her job) Cosette, with the final potion of the film set in the 1830s with Colette now all grown up and falling in love with revolutionary Marius (Redmayne) across the barricades.
So, yes, there's some big names in the cast, including also Helena Bonh-Carter and Dacha Baron-Cohen providing the comic relief (and, somehow, I wasn't in the least bit surprised to see her there).
I'm still waiting for that bloke Les to turn up, though.
One of those musicals/films that, while I had head of it and did not the broad strokes of, I had never actually seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Set in post-(Napoleonic)war France, this spans about roughly 20 years or so (i think 17, to be precise) starting in 1815 when ex-con Jean Valjean (Jackman) is released from servitude, breaks parole and reinvents himself but is then endlessly hunted by his former jailor Javert (Crowe), taking it upon himself to raise the daughter of seamstress Fantine (an Oscar-winning Hathaway) - as he believes himself responsible for her demise (which he does play a large part in, as he fired her from her job) Cosette, with the final potion of the film set in the 1830s with Colette now all grown up and falling in love with revolutionary Marius (Redmayne) across the barricades.
So, yes, there's some big names in the cast, including also Helena Bonh-Carter and Dacha Baron-Cohen providing the comic relief (and, somehow, I wasn't in the least bit surprised to see her there).
I'm still waiting for that bloke Les to turn up, though.
David McK (3185 KP) rated Black Widow (2021) in Movies
Aug 8, 2021
The first Marvel movie out of the stables since the start of the Worldwide Covid-19 pandemic; I believe this was originally to be released before the likes of even WandaVision (shown on Disney+).
This was alos released concurrently on Disney+ (behind a paywall) and in the cinema: indeed, this is the very reason for ScarJo's lawsuit against Disney (she says she was told it would be theatres first, then Disney+ and that she only gets a percentage of box office takings).
Anyway, all that aside: this is actually set pre-snap; the majority of it back just after the events of 'Captain America: Civil War' (and thus before 'Avengers: Infinty War'), with Natasha on the run from the US government having broken the Sokovia Accords. It's not long, however, before she receives a package from a previous safe-house (Budapest. Yes, the Budapest mentioned before with Hawkeye: 'remember Budapest?') that leads her into a further adventure, this time involving her surrogate 'family' from when she was undercover in America as a kid in the mid 1990s.
Her 'dad' (David Harbour) 'Red Guardian' steals the show, while Florence Pugh (as her younger 'sister') and Rachel Weisz (as her 'mum') also provide sterling back-up.
Plenty of action, but the film does, perhaps, fall into the common Marvel trap of having a CGI-heavy ending ...
This was alos released concurrently on Disney+ (behind a paywall) and in the cinema: indeed, this is the very reason for ScarJo's lawsuit against Disney (she says she was told it would be theatres first, then Disney+ and that she only gets a percentage of box office takings).
Anyway, all that aside: this is actually set pre-snap; the majority of it back just after the events of 'Captain America: Civil War' (and thus before 'Avengers: Infinty War'), with Natasha on the run from the US government having broken the Sokovia Accords. It's not long, however, before she receives a package from a previous safe-house (Budapest. Yes, the Budapest mentioned before with Hawkeye: 'remember Budapest?') that leads her into a further adventure, this time involving her surrogate 'family' from when she was undercover in America as a kid in the mid 1990s.
Her 'dad' (David Harbour) 'Red Guardian' steals the show, while Florence Pugh (as her younger 'sister') and Rachel Weisz (as her 'mum') also provide sterling back-up.
Plenty of action, but the film does, perhaps, fall into the common Marvel trap of having a CGI-heavy ending ...
David McK (3185 KP) rated The Tomorrow War (2021) in Movies
Aug 27, 2021
I was unaware until a spot of research after I had watched this (via Amazon Prime) that this was actually one of those movies that was originally meant to be shown in the cinema.
And the the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Which - aside from the obvious! - is a pity where this was concerned: I do feel that it would have had more of an impact, more of a presence, on the big screen than on the small.
The plot is a take on the usual timey-wimey (to steal a phrase from the BBCs Doctor Who) type of stuff, where visitors from the future (IIRC, about 30 years or so) arrive in the present to recruit their ancestors to fight in an ongoing war against alien 'White Spikes' invaders: a war which humanity is currently losing.
The film then follows Chris Pratt's ex-military (natch) character Dan Forester, who ends up being one of those drafted to fight in the future: I say drafted, as the tour of duty is only meant to be about 7 days long, but most don't make it back or come back horribly (and psychologically) scarred, so - not surprising - most people try to avoid having to go!
Yes, if you think about it too much your head will probably hurt from all the paradoxes involved ...
Yes, it's enjoyable
And the the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Which - aside from the obvious! - is a pity where this was concerned: I do feel that it would have had more of an impact, more of a presence, on the big screen than on the small.
The plot is a take on the usual timey-wimey (to steal a phrase from the BBCs Doctor Who) type of stuff, where visitors from the future (IIRC, about 30 years or so) arrive in the present to recruit their ancestors to fight in an ongoing war against alien 'White Spikes' invaders: a war which humanity is currently losing.
The film then follows Chris Pratt's ex-military (natch) character Dan Forester, who ends up being one of those drafted to fight in the future: I say drafted, as the tour of duty is only meant to be about 7 days long, but most don't make it back or come back horribly (and psychologically) scarred, so - not surprising - most people try to avoid having to go!
Yes, if you think about it too much your head will probably hurt from all the paradoxes involved ...
Yes, it's enjoyable
Lyndsey Gollogly (2893 KP) rated This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor in Books
Mar 30, 2020
Adam Kay was a junior doctor from 2004 until 2010, before a devastating experience on a ward caused him to reconsider his future. He kept a diary throughout his training, and This Is Going to Hurt intersperses tales from the front line of the NHS with reflections on the current crisis. The result is a first-hand account of life as a junior doctor in all its joy, pain, sacrifice and maddening bureaucracy, and a love letter to those who might at any moment be holding our lives in their hands.
I happened to win this book in a competition @smashbomb it's not something I would normally buy myself but I'm so glad I did! I have laughed, felt physically sick and cried and Adams recounts. After having a lot of issues on a personal level with birthing 4 children one of which was preterm and died at 18 days old I can see the constant struggle in our maternity wards. The second begin now I face endometrial pre cancerous cells and need an Hysterectomy, its quite funny that I chose to read this during our covid 19 lockdown it brought so much home. We should be celebrating doctors like Adam and our staff in the NHS as they keep battling on against budget cuts, long hours, shit pay and a barrage of patient abuse!!! Please read this book and please next time you use our NHS say thank you it goes a long way!!
I happened to win this book in a competition @smashbomb it's not something I would normally buy myself but I'm so glad I did! I have laughed, felt physically sick and cried and Adams recounts. After having a lot of issues on a personal level with birthing 4 children one of which was preterm and died at 18 days old I can see the constant struggle in our maternity wards. The second begin now I face endometrial pre cancerous cells and need an Hysterectomy, its quite funny that I chose to read this during our covid 19 lockdown it brought so much home. We should be celebrating doctors like Adam and our staff in the NHS as they keep battling on against budget cuts, long hours, shit pay and a barrage of patient abuse!!! Please read this book and please next time you use our NHS say thank you it goes a long way!!
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre in Books
Jun 19, 2020
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.
If you read World War Z, you know Max Brooks does an exceptional job at writing the fictional documentary format, making it feel like non-fiction. He does it again in Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre.
Devolution's release is accidently well-timed. The catalyst is the eruption of Mt Ranier. Roads are closed and destroyed by lahars, boiling mudslides. The government is working to help those affected. Outside the eruption zone is Greenloop, a small environmental utopia which consists of smart, completely "green" houses but still contains all of the modern amenities, Since their intention is to go completely green and reduce their carbon footprint, their food deliveries are for a week at a time. What happens when they are cut off and do not have the necessary food or supplies to get through the crisis? The discussion about consumers not stocking up and supermarkets offering farm-fresh items hit home during the Covid-19 crisis.
Oh, and there are also sasquatch they need to deal with. The premise might sound far fetched, but Brooks does a fabulous job of making it seem not only possible but probable. The people seem so real; I cheered out loud at one point.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 6/18/20.
If you read World War Z, you know Max Brooks does an exceptional job at writing the fictional documentary format, making it feel like non-fiction. He does it again in Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre.
Devolution's release is accidently well-timed. The catalyst is the eruption of Mt Ranier. Roads are closed and destroyed by lahars, boiling mudslides. The government is working to help those affected. Outside the eruption zone is Greenloop, a small environmental utopia which consists of smart, completely "green" houses but still contains all of the modern amenities, Since their intention is to go completely green and reduce their carbon footprint, their food deliveries are for a week at a time. What happens when they are cut off and do not have the necessary food or supplies to get through the crisis? The discussion about consumers not stocking up and supermarkets offering farm-fresh items hit home during the Covid-19 crisis.
Oh, and there are also sasquatch they need to deal with. The premise might sound far fetched, but Brooks does a fabulous job of making it seem not only possible but probable. The people seem so real; I cheered out loud at one point.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 6/18/20.