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ClareR (5603 KP) rated The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho in Books
May 7, 2024
The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho was a real eye opener of a novel. I listened to the audiobook, read so well by the author, Paterson Joseph.
This is the true story of Charles Ignatius Sancho, fictionalised somewhat, but only so that the modern day reader can begin to grasp what living in London as a black ex-slave in the mid-1700’s would have been like. And whilst Sancho may have had a more privileged life than most, it wasn’t his own life to live until he ran away from his first owners - sisters who used him as their entertainment.
Charles has a fear of the slave catcher, and rightly so, as they could kidnap any black person and sell them into slavery - whether they had escaped or been freed. These men were a constant threat.
Charles though, catches the eye of a duke who helps him to become educated, and he even works for the King for a while. He ends his life as a business owner and the first black person to vote in Britain. All of this from a life begun on a slave ship.
I don’t think it really matters how much of this book was fictionalised - we can never exactly know what went on in his head, but we can have a fair guess - and I like to think that Paterson Joseph has really caught the essence of the real Charles Ignatius Sancho. I liked Charles very much, and the love he shows for his son through the letters included in the novel are so touching.
I’d recommend this book, it’s a great read (or listen - I can definitely vouch for that!).
This is the true story of Charles Ignatius Sancho, fictionalised somewhat, but only so that the modern day reader can begin to grasp what living in London as a black ex-slave in the mid-1700’s would have been like. And whilst Sancho may have had a more privileged life than most, it wasn’t his own life to live until he ran away from his first owners - sisters who used him as their entertainment.
Charles has a fear of the slave catcher, and rightly so, as they could kidnap any black person and sell them into slavery - whether they had escaped or been freed. These men were a constant threat.
Charles though, catches the eye of a duke who helps him to become educated, and he even works for the King for a while. He ends his life as a business owner and the first black person to vote in Britain. All of this from a life begun on a slave ship.
I don’t think it really matters how much of this book was fictionalised - we can never exactly know what went on in his head, but we can have a fair guess - and I like to think that Paterson Joseph has really caught the essence of the real Charles Ignatius Sancho. I liked Charles very much, and the love he shows for his son through the letters included in the novel are so touching.
I’d recommend this book, it’s a great read (or listen - I can definitely vouch for that!).
*＊✿❀ Maki ❀✿＊* (7 KP) rated Welcome to Night Vale in Podcasts
May 2, 2018 (Updated May 3, 2018)
amazing writing (2 more)
variety of music
Cecil Baldwin could read me the phone book
Welcome to Night Vale
I normally can't do podcasts. I'm incapable of just sitting and listening to narration.
I forced myself to listen to Night Vale.
The first episode left me intrigued. By the third, I was in love.
Night Vale fills a hole in my cold, robotic heart that I never knew was there. It's got Lovecraftian overtones, but it's so much more than that. It's a well-written, smart, progressive story that rewards you for listening to it multiple times, and for paying attention to the narrative.
Not much in Night Vale isn't made important later. It's incredible how some innocuous comment from one episode will eventually be so important to the story.
And the writing is DAMNED funny. Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor work well together.
I forced myself to listen to Night Vale.
The first episode left me intrigued. By the third, I was in love.
Night Vale fills a hole in my cold, robotic heart that I never knew was there. It's got Lovecraftian overtones, but it's so much more than that. It's a well-written, smart, progressive story that rewards you for listening to it multiple times, and for paying attention to the narrative.
Not much in Night Vale isn't made important later. It's incredible how some innocuous comment from one episode will eventually be so important to the story.
And the writing is DAMNED funny. Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor work well together.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) in Movies
Oct 5, 2018
Jamie Lee returns!
Coming off the pukefest that was the Curse of Michael Myers, filmmakers had nowhere to go but up.
Seeing Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode alongside younger versions of Michelle Williams, Josh Hartnett and Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave me a thrill. Unfortunately, the screenplay is substandard and doesn't really give the characters much to do.
Since she was last seen, Laurie has gone into hiding with her teenage son and is now a teacher at a private school in California still haunted by the events on Halloween 20 years ago.
The last act redeems the film a little with the family reunion and final confrontation being enjoyable and nostalgic; however, when the film ends I still had the feeling like an opportunity to make a truly great horror film was wasted.
Seeing Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode alongside younger versions of Michelle Williams, Josh Hartnett and Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave me a thrill. Unfortunately, the screenplay is substandard and doesn't really give the characters much to do.
Since she was last seen, Laurie has gone into hiding with her teenage son and is now a teacher at a private school in California still haunted by the events on Halloween 20 years ago.
The last act redeems the film a little with the family reunion and final confrontation being enjoyable and nostalgic; however, when the film ends I still had the feeling like an opportunity to make a truly great horror film was wasted.
David McK (3248 KP) rated Inception (2010) in Movies
Nov 20, 2019
Remember Leonardo di Caprio from Titanic?
He's virtually unrecognizable here.
Mind-bending action/adventure by Christopher Nolan - who directed The Dark Knight trilogy - following a team of crooks who specialise in extracting information from their targets subconscious whilst said target is asleep.
When a job goes wrong, Cobb (di Caprio) is thrown a lifeline by his target (Ken Watanabe): rather than stealing information, he wants him to implant an idea in another persons subconscious i.e. Inception.
With a quite impressive cast list - Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, that-now-grown-up-kid-from-Third-Rock-From-The-Sun (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Cillian Murphy, this might take a while to get going but is undeniably visually impressive once it does!
(snap-poll: does the spinner stop spinning at the very end? Yea or Nay?)
He's virtually unrecognizable here.
Mind-bending action/adventure by Christopher Nolan - who directed The Dark Knight trilogy - following a team of crooks who specialise in extracting information from their targets subconscious whilst said target is asleep.
When a job goes wrong, Cobb (di Caprio) is thrown a lifeline by his target (Ken Watanabe): rather than stealing information, he wants him to implant an idea in another persons subconscious i.e. Inception.
With a quite impressive cast list - Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, that-now-grown-up-kid-from-Third-Rock-From-The-Sun (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Cillian Murphy, this might take a while to get going but is undeniably visually impressive once it does!
(snap-poll: does the spinner stop spinning at the very end? Yea or Nay?)
Dick Cavett recommended The Third Man (1949) in Movies (curated)
Kim Pook (101 KP) rated 50/50 (2011) in Movies
Sep 10, 2020
After suffering for a while with back pain and night sweats, 27 year old Adam goes to the doctors and discovers he has a rare form of cancer with only a 50% chance of survival. This is a story of how he tries to come to terms with his diagnosis. There's happiness, sadness and of course struggles. It shows the reality of how having cancer can affect not only you but those around you too, including the harsh reality of a loved one walking away because they can't handle it.
The movie was enjoyable for the most part, but I do think they should have just kept it as a drama only, rather than try to make it a comedy too. Joseph Gordon Levitt did a fantastic job, but I felt seth rogens scenes needed toning down, they were too full on for this kind of movie.
The movie was enjoyable for the most part, but I do think they should have just kept it as a drama only, rather than try to make it a comedy too. Joseph Gordon Levitt did a fantastic job, but I felt seth rogens scenes needed toning down, they were too full on for this kind of movie.
ClareR (5603 KP) rated The No-Show in Books
Jan 3, 2023
The No-Show is Beth O’Leary at her best, and I think she’s just made it on to my auto-buy list of authors. She’s made me smile, cry and feel huge amounts of empathy for the characters in this book.
The way she has woven the stories of Miranda, Siobhan and Jane together was so clever, and I reached all sorts of (incorrect) conclusions. I have to admit to not liking the main male character, Joseph Carter, much to begin with, but he is portrayed to be something he isn’t at the start - and that’s all I’ll say about him!
This is sold as a romance but as with all of Beth O’Leary’s novels, they’re much more than that. There’s a mystery threaded throughout this, and there’s a mental health theme as well.
This book was perfect, wonderfully narrated too, and I can’t wait for Beth’s next book.
The way she has woven the stories of Miranda, Siobhan and Jane together was so clever, and I reached all sorts of (incorrect) conclusions. I have to admit to not liking the main male character, Joseph Carter, much to begin with, but he is portrayed to be something he isn’t at the start - and that’s all I’ll say about him!
This is sold as a romance but as with all of Beth O’Leary’s novels, they’re much more than that. There’s a mystery threaded throughout this, and there’s a mental health theme as well.
This book was perfect, wonderfully narrated too, and I can’t wait for Beth’s next book.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Chosen Ones in Books
Oct 20, 2018
I have never read anything by Howard Linskey before but if this book is anything to go by, I won't be making that mistake again ... what a great read and even though this is book number 4 in the series, I don't think it's totally necessary to have read the previous ones. Yes you may miss out on some of the back story and relationship building that has gone on before but I think there is enough provided to give you a good idea but not so much that it becomes tedious.
The writing flows well making it easy to read and with great characters, creepy and disturbing storyline and a great ending, I have no hesitation in recommending this to those who enjoy a good police procedural with a psychologically thrilling edge.
Thanks go to the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review and for introducing me to another fantastic British author.
The writing flows well making it easy to read and with great characters, creepy and disturbing storyline and a great ending, I have no hesitation in recommending this to those who enjoy a good police procedural with a psychologically thrilling edge.
Thanks go to the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review and for introducing me to another fantastic British author.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated We Were Soldiers (2002) in Movies
Jul 22, 2020 (Updated Jul 22, 2020)
The Hearts of Brave Soldiers
We Were Soilders- is a little long and some what slow but wants it comes to the war/action it does a excellent job and does a excellent job depicting the true story of the first major battle between the United States and North Vietnamese forces and the brave soilders who went out and fought for our country.
The plot: Based upon the best-selling book "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and journalist Joseph L. Galloway, this compelling war drama depicts the true story of the first major battle between the United States and North Vietnamese forces. It is a film about uncommon valor and nobility under fire, loyalty among soldiers, and the heroism and sacrifice of men and women both home and abroad.
Its a excellent history war drama and if you havent seen it. It is a must.
The plot: Based upon the best-selling book "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and journalist Joseph L. Galloway, this compelling war drama depicts the true story of the first major battle between the United States and North Vietnamese forces. It is a film about uncommon valor and nobility under fire, loyalty among soldiers, and the heroism and sacrifice of men and women both home and abroad.
Its a excellent history war drama and if you havent seen it. It is a must.
