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Figgy Rolls (2 KP) rated Educated in Books
Jun 5, 2019
Frightening.
This was a fascinating insight into growing up in an extremely religious family. Also an essential expression of why health and safety regulations, and child protection laws, are absolutely necessary. Kudos to the author for surviving this experience with grace and courage.
Karen Goodsell (3 KP) created a post
Nov 19, 2017
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Wishful Drinking in Books
Aug 14, 2017
Actually quite sad reading it post-death
This is almost a bittersweet memoir about the great Carrie Fisher who battled mental health issues, substance abuse, and being brought up in a slightly dysfunctional family. It is witty, snarky and sarcastic despite all the upheavals. It begins with her experience with electroshock therapy and her subsequent loss of memories. The book is also short and filled with interesting images from her life, so it's a treat to read.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Goodbye, Vitamin in Books
Sep 5, 2017
Poignant look at how Alzheimer's affects an entire family
A wonderful but tragic look into the downward spiral of a professor with Alzheimer's through the perspective of his daughter. With short bursts of journal entries and quirky anecdotes, she documents how quickly his health deteriorates. It's bittersweet for the most part, given the nature of the subject but it is juxtaposed with the unravelling of her own life, which becomes less significant when she focuses on her father. A great read.
KarenRC (6 KP) rated The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae in Books
Jul 23, 2018
This book is an enjoyable, 'heart'- warming story about dealing with learning to live a 'normal' life after not knowing whether you were going to have a life at all. It also touches on the very important subject of organ donation being opt-out instead of opt-in, which is a very important cause. All in all, an easy read that covers all bases - family, love, friendships, health, grief. I found the back and forth between past, future, blog, news reports a bit confusong at times, but not enough to detract from the book.
Alexis Taylor recommended Patient: The True Story of a Rare Illness in Books (curated)
Dutch (59 KP) rated Experimemtal Film in Books
Mar 11, 2019
Experiments in film
When Lois Cairns stumbles upon a mystery that points towards a lost chapter in Canadian film history she jumps at the chance to make a name for herself and revive a career as a film critic that has long been on the slide.
Enlisting the help of a former student she becomes embroiled in the tale of Lady Midday and the tragic Whitcombe family.
The first part of the book very much focuses on Lois, her husband Simon, their autistic son Clark and her mother Lee with whom she has a strained relationship. Lois has seen her career fail, her health is not far behind and she feels guilty at the inability to love her son the way she feels she should.
As the story of Lady Midday unfolds she finds herself sucked into a story much darker and terrifying than she ever could have imagined.
Experimental Film is what I would call a gentle ghost story with the majority of the book focussed on Lois and her family and the struggles she must overcome to maintain her health, her project and ultimately her son.
I enjoyed the story but would not call it a horror story but rather a character focused tale with a subtle dash of the supernatural and a book worth seeking out.
Enlisting the help of a former student she becomes embroiled in the tale of Lady Midday and the tragic Whitcombe family.
The first part of the book very much focuses on Lois, her husband Simon, their autistic son Clark and her mother Lee with whom she has a strained relationship. Lois has seen her career fail, her health is not far behind and she feels guilty at the inability to love her son the way she feels she should.
As the story of Lady Midday unfolds she finds herself sucked into a story much darker and terrifying than she ever could have imagined.
Experimental Film is what I would call a gentle ghost story with the majority of the book focussed on Lois and her family and the struggles she must overcome to maintain her health, her project and ultimately her son.
I enjoyed the story but would not call it a horror story but rather a character focused tale with a subtle dash of the supernatural and a book worth seeking out.
Caffeinated Fae (464 KP) rated You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) in Books
Jul 10, 2018
This book was just the book for me. I found myself in love with Felicia Day's quirky and unique experiences. This book is full of fun, horrifying, and hilarious stories that shows the reader just how awesome she is.
Felicia didn't hold back in this book, you get an in depth look into her life and how she became who she is today. You learn about her depression, her health issues, her friendships, and her family.
I'm so glad that I purchased this book. It was quirky and hilarious and I loved every minute of it.
If you're looking for a fun geeky experience, this is the book for you.
Felicia didn't hold back in this book, you get an in depth look into her life and how she became who she is today. You learn about her depression, her health issues, her friendships, and her family.
I'm so glad that I purchased this book. It was quirky and hilarious and I loved every minute of it.
If you're looking for a fun geeky experience, this is the book for you.
TheDefunctDiva (304 KP) rated I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020) in Movies
Oct 11, 2020
I thought about ending it...halfway through
Contains spoilers, click to show
It’s a month later, and I’m still wondering where this movie was going. Maybe I’m just not deep enough. Maybe my family was in the middle of a mental health crisis and I just couldn’t tolerate anything other than minimal plot and/or explosions. I liked the concept, but was disappointed in the end result. Summary: it was weird. By the time we got to the scene with the animated pig, I was pretty exasperated. I loved the music and the dance scene, however. So I just upgraded it from a 4 to a 6.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Kingdom of Us (2017) in Movies
Oct 22, 2017 (Updated Oct 22, 2017)
Poignant, heartbreaking and complex
Another superb documentary film on Netflix exploring the complexities of bereavement, in this case, a family of seven children and their father who took his own life.
The filmmaker follows the journey of the Shanks children, now teenagers and young adults, who six years later are still trying to make sense of their loss. Issues include mental health problems, and dealing with trauma especially with four of the teens suffering from autism. Each person deals with it differently, ranging from creating music, becoming philosophical, to having a full-blown nervous breakdown.
Mother Vikie is incredibly stoic, attempting to keep order despite the horrendous upheaval from the death. There's some disturbing scenes in which the children discuss finding a note in which their father had originally planned to kill them before committing suicide. It is heartbreaking to watch how it has both scarred and shaped the family, but they courageously attempt to pull together as one unit. A must-watch documentary.
The filmmaker follows the journey of the Shanks children, now teenagers and young adults, who six years later are still trying to make sense of their loss. Issues include mental health problems, and dealing with trauma especially with four of the teens suffering from autism. Each person deals with it differently, ranging from creating music, becoming philosophical, to having a full-blown nervous breakdown.
Mother Vikie is incredibly stoic, attempting to keep order despite the horrendous upheaval from the death. There's some disturbing scenes in which the children discuss finding a note in which their father had originally planned to kill them before committing suicide. It is heartbreaking to watch how it has both scarred and shaped the family, but they courageously attempt to pull together as one unit. A must-watch documentary.