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How to Teach Meditation to Children: A Practical Guide to Techniques and Tips for Children Aged 5-18
David Fontana and Ingrid Slack
Book
This is a new edition of the classic guide to teaching meditation to children - one of the first and...
The Essential Louise Hay Collection
Book
Internationally bestselling author Louise L. Hay is a metaphysical lecturer and teacher with more...
TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated The Outlaw's Daughter (The Haywire Brides, #3) in Books
Feb 24, 2021
The Outlaws Daughter is the third book in the Haywire Brides Series by Margaret Brownley. It can be read as a standalone (I haven’t read the other in this series yet and got along just fine), I will be going back and reading the rest of the books in this series though.
I loved Texas Ranger Matt Taggert in this book! His balance between doing his job and his feelings for Ellie-May was interesting to see. I thought that there was good chemistry between the two main characters and that Matt showed respect for everyone involved. Ellie-May is a great southern Momma (at night when she hears a noise, her first thought is to reach for her shotgun under her pillow!), she is a well-behaved lady who takes care of those around her, and she loves her kids. She is someone I would love to meet in real life. The plot of this story was interesting, it had fast-paced scenes and slower-paced scenes, and I liked the western feel to the town. It kept me engaged throughout the story. I liked the small town where everyone knew everyone, which is not always a good thing, but it was cool to see the town interact with the characters.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the fun characters, the cool western town, and the storyline
I loved Texas Ranger Matt Taggert in this book! His balance between doing his job and his feelings for Ellie-May was interesting to see. I thought that there was good chemistry between the two main characters and that Matt showed respect for everyone involved. Ellie-May is a great southern Momma (at night when she hears a noise, her first thought is to reach for her shotgun under her pillow!), she is a well-behaved lady who takes care of those around her, and she loves her kids. She is someone I would love to meet in real life. The plot of this story was interesting, it had fast-paced scenes and slower-paced scenes, and I liked the western feel to the town. It kept me engaged throughout the story. I liked the small town where everyone knew everyone, which is not always a good thing, but it was cool to see the town interact with the characters.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the fun characters, the cool western town, and the storyline
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Raging Star (Dust Lands, #3) in Books
Jan 6, 2021
2.75 stars.
It's been a long time (late 2013/early 2014) since I read the first two books in this series and apart from Saba, Jack, Emmi, Lugh and DeMalo I'd forgotten everyone else and what the plot was about, other than DeMalo creating a new world.
I must have liked its style (no speech marks and words spelt how they sound) at the beginning but I found it rather tedious in this one, which is why it's taken me so long to read it. I could only read 10/15 pages in one go before I had to put it down and do something else for a bit. It was only within the last two days that I decided it was time I finished it since it had been on my *currently reading* shelf for 10 days, way longer than I normally spend on paperbacks.
I'm not too sure I liked the ending either. I was kinda expecting more in relation to Jack and Saba. I understand that he was a little put off after he found out what had transpired but I still thought he'd get over it because of his feelings for Saba but I suppose it's been left open enough for something to happen between them as I really liked them together in the previous book.
Not one of my favourite endings to a series ever but not the worst either.
It's been a long time (late 2013/early 2014) since I read the first two books in this series and apart from Saba, Jack, Emmi, Lugh and DeMalo I'd forgotten everyone else and what the plot was about, other than DeMalo creating a new world.
I must have liked its style (no speech marks and words spelt how they sound) at the beginning but I found it rather tedious in this one, which is why it's taken me so long to read it. I could only read 10/15 pages in one go before I had to put it down and do something else for a bit. It was only within the last two days that I decided it was time I finished it since it had been on my *currently reading* shelf for 10 days, way longer than I normally spend on paperbacks.
I'm not too sure I liked the ending either. I was kinda expecting more in relation to Jack and Saba. I understand that he was a little put off after he found out what had transpired but I still thought he'd get over it because of his feelings for Saba but I suppose it's been left open enough for something to happen between them as I really liked them together in the previous book.
Not one of my favourite endings to a series ever but not the worst either.
David Byrne recommended La Incompara Celia by Celia Cruz in Music (curated)
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Rules of Attraction (2002) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
Bracingly twisted, disturbing 110 minutes of sex-crazed, sleazebag college sociopaths and the unenviably depressing lives they lead. A more quintessential Bret Easton Ellis film than even 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰 in showcasing his deliriously warped sense of the world. A university 'romance' drama soaked in booze, coke, apathy, sex, and a seething disdain for living well - naturally I loved it in all its parasitic debauchery. One of the most quietly experimental films of the early 2000s and also one of the fewer ones from that era that actually has a righteous soundtrack and tolerable sense of style. James Van Der Beek is a beast - existing on some other religious, primordial plane of existence that we can't comprehend in our current timeline just yet - and every other performance isn't too far behind. We should probably check up on the people who view this as some sort of misunderstood Truth Serum though, I just love it because it's fucked up tbh and I unashamedly dig me some rich slime. Loathes its characters but never superficially, like it *really* does - revels in the glee of inflicting cruelty on these horrid people but backs it up with tangible emotion to create this hypnotic clash of feelings. Couldn't take my eyes off it. I shudder to even use this now meaningless saying but... I'd be hard pressed to say you could have gotten away with making this today.
Awix (3310 KP) rated My Octopus Teacher (2020) in Movies
Oct 4, 2020 (Updated Oct 4, 2020)
Netflix sea-life doc that sets out to be moving and inspiring and just ended up making me shout at my laptop a lot. A bloke going through some sort of mid-life crisis does the usual thing and gets involved with a younger female: the twist is that she's an invertebrate. Never mind 'My Octopus Teacher', based on what he says - 'I was overwhelmed by my feelings for her,' etc - 'My Darling Octopus' might have been a better title. Same old story: Man meets octopus, they swim around together for a bit, octopus loses arm in shark attack, he nurses her back to health, she has several hundred thousand children behind his back, etc.
Quite apart from the weirdness of the subject matter - what did the bloke's wife think of all this? what, for the matter, did the octopus think was going on? - there's something very dodgy about the way the film is presented. The story is presented as something that's already happened, so are we watching reconstructions of the events? Is it all a staged or confected narrative? Has someone told the octopus actually appearing in the film it's basically in the role of Kim Novak at the end of Vertigo? Stunning photography and images of sealife, naturally, but rather than informing the viewer about octopuses - which are fascinating creatures - it just unloads a lot of sentimental, anthropomorphised cobblers on them. Best watched with the sound turned down and appropriate sea-life noises playing.
Quite apart from the weirdness of the subject matter - what did the bloke's wife think of all this? what, for the matter, did the octopus think was going on? - there's something very dodgy about the way the film is presented. The story is presented as something that's already happened, so are we watching reconstructions of the events? Is it all a staged or confected narrative? Has someone told the octopus actually appearing in the film it's basically in the role of Kim Novak at the end of Vertigo? Stunning photography and images of sealife, naturally, but rather than informing the viewer about octopuses - which are fascinating creatures - it just unloads a lot of sentimental, anthropomorphised cobblers on them. Best watched with the sound turned down and appropriate sea-life noises playing.
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Raven King (All for the Game, #2) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
So this one picks up a few days after the events of the first with everyone dealing with the death of one of their team. Neil has slowly been pulled into Kevin and Andrew's crew and is coming to terms with the fact that Riko has it in for him.
I do feel a little like this series should have been reviewed as one thing, really, as the story continues across all three but it would be one thick arse book if the author had done that.
Every single team member has grown on me a lot with this book. They are finally coming together thanks to Neil who has been straddling both halfs of the team, starting to settle into his life at Palmetto and making friends. I thought Nicky summed it up brilliantly with this quote:
"Oh, you just might be the best thing to happen to the Foxes."
This one has some dark scenes in it like the first but they affected my feelings in regards to a certain character more this time around. I'm just glad that Neil was being a super sleuth and managed to put it all together with all the little titbits that had been thrown out.
I've already started book 3 because I am slightly obsessed with this series right now, despite its lack of romance up to this point. Will review it when I'm done!
I do feel a little like this series should have been reviewed as one thing, really, as the story continues across all three but it would be one thick arse book if the author had done that.
Every single team member has grown on me a lot with this book. They are finally coming together thanks to Neil who has been straddling both halfs of the team, starting to settle into his life at Palmetto and making friends. I thought Nicky summed it up brilliantly with this quote:
"Oh, you just might be the best thing to happen to the Foxes."
This one has some dark scenes in it like the first but they affected my feelings in regards to a certain character more this time around. I'm just glad that Neil was being a super sleuth and managed to put it all together with all the little titbits that had been thrown out.
I've already started book 3 because I am slightly obsessed with this series right now, despite its lack of romance up to this point. Will review it when I'm done!
Merissa (13600 KP) rated Nothing Special in Books
Jun 26, 2019
Nothing Special by Jay Northcote
Nothing Special is a sweet and heart-warming story about two men who seem opposite at first glance. Noah is pale, Sol is tanned. Noah is an indoors guy most of the time, Sol is outdoors. The list goes on, but what that doesn't show is just how much these guys mean to each other.
Noah has a hard time believing it, but Sol does his best to show just how much he thinks of Noah. I loved how their first date just continued! Although we have two main characters, the emphasis is on Noah, and his feelings of inadequacy, not helped by a certain waiter.
This story IS sweet. It is also hot at times, and not just to the heatwave London experiences during the story. The pacing is smooth, the characters are interesting, and the descriptions are perfect. A brilliant story for me to read in the garden, as I wilt under a heatwave myself.
Noah is Something Special, but it takes Sol for him to believe it. Everyone is special in their own way. They just need to find the person who makes them shine, instead of trying to tamper them down. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Noah has a hard time believing it, but Sol does his best to show just how much he thinks of Noah. I loved how their first date just continued! Although we have two main characters, the emphasis is on Noah, and his feelings of inadequacy, not helped by a certain waiter.
This story IS sweet. It is also hot at times, and not just to the heatwave London experiences during the story. The pacing is smooth, the characters are interesting, and the descriptions are perfect. A brilliant story for me to read in the garden, as I wilt under a heatwave myself.
Noah is Something Special, but it takes Sol for him to believe it. Everyone is special in their own way. They just need to find the person who makes them shine, instead of trying to tamper them down. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise, #1) in Books
Sep 5, 2019
3.5 stars.
Hmm…This is my first book by the author and though I have her “My Favourite Mistake” on my amazon wishlist I haven’t got around to buying it yet.
For me, this started good. We understood her animosity to the brothers and everything and we could see for ourselves how much of an arse Zach was while Zan was a man of few words and dark, bottomless eyes. I just didn’t quite seem to catch the bit where her feelings changed. Yeah, we as the reader knew that Zan wasn’t so bad and he may have done stupid things in the past but he’s changed now, but when did Lottie figure it out because she never really gave him a chance to talk to her?
That being said, I did like the characters (though there are quite a few by the end and I got confused a bit between Audrey and Trish). On the other hand, Lottie and her twin brother Will’s “twindar” was very impressive. If that really happens when you have a twin, I am impressed and wish I had one. I really liked Stryker too, he seemed like a chilled out kind of guy who could talk a lot of sense, I wish I had a friend like him. Looking forward to his and Katie’s story when it’s released.
It was quite a sweet story when they finally got together and the bad guy got his comeuppance in the end.
Hmm…This is my first book by the author and though I have her “My Favourite Mistake” on my amazon wishlist I haven’t got around to buying it yet.
For me, this started good. We understood her animosity to the brothers and everything and we could see for ourselves how much of an arse Zach was while Zan was a man of few words and dark, bottomless eyes. I just didn’t quite seem to catch the bit where her feelings changed. Yeah, we as the reader knew that Zan wasn’t so bad and he may have done stupid things in the past but he’s changed now, but when did Lottie figure it out because she never really gave him a chance to talk to her?
That being said, I did like the characters (though there are quite a few by the end and I got confused a bit between Audrey and Trish). On the other hand, Lottie and her twin brother Will’s “twindar” was very impressive. If that really happens when you have a twin, I am impressed and wish I had one. I really liked Stryker too, he seemed like a chilled out kind of guy who could talk a lot of sense, I wish I had a friend like him. Looking forward to his and Katie’s story when it’s released.
It was quite a sweet story when they finally got together and the bad guy got his comeuppance in the end.