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Dana (24 KP) rated Gabriel: A Poem in Books

Mar 23, 2018  
GA
Gabriel: A Poem
Edward Hirsch | 2016 | Essays
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This poem was extremely sad to read. It is about a boy who died and the father who is mourning over the loss.

The boy, Gabriel, had many illnesses and was often overlooked in society. Since they were not illnesses one could see, he was not treated the way another ill person may be: in a way to help them rather than just write them off.

I enjoyed this poem, for the most part. It was heartbreaking to see the decline in the relationship between the father and son.

This is definitely a poem about mourning, but more than that, it shows the helplessness of beign trapped in that mourning. There is a sense of immortality for a parent when a child dies. It is not something that, naturally, should happen, yet it does. Hirsch brings in allusions to other famous people who have lost their children, and attempts to deal with the grief by looking to an example.

In the last few stanzas, there is the disbelief that comes with the loss of your child. It is as if you will see them in just a few moments. Like they will walk through the door and not actually be gone. Hirsch does an excellent job capturing this grief in the little moments. Like when the speaker is driving down the street and expects to see Gabriel reading a menu at some restaurant. Or at the funeral itself, where there should be a note of finality, it is left open because of the expected return.

I really enjoyed this book. I think if you, or someone you know, has been going through mourning, it may help to pick up this poem to know that you are not alone in your grief. That other people are going through the same thing.
  
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
1967 | Pop, Psychedelic, Rock

"What killer pop songs, just killer fucking pop songs. It’s all over the place and I remember looking at it as a kid, just looking at the cover, it’s like a cartoon and at third grade I would play that record again and again. 'Lovely Rita' is probably my favourite song. I remember I had a crush on this girl and at that age you don’t know what girls are about and this song had something to do with my crush on this girl. I don’t know how, but it did, so it brings back memories of a more innocent time in my life for sure. It’s so ingenious and a pure band effort where all the band were listening to each other. I know from reading about that record later that there were a lot of battles but I think the band were at its zenith in terms of allowing each other’s input. Guns was also a band where everybody respected everybody else’s musical opinion - Appetite was a record that was a serious group effort. We didn’t have any away to record ourselves, we didn’t even have a PA, Axl would be singing lyrics into one of our ears while we were playing really loudly in this little room, so the only time we got to hear these songs properly was when we played live –in front of three people sometimes - 'cos there were monitors on stage. Then you’d realise that songs like 'Rocket Queen' were way too long and be shaving them. By Illusion we had a big rehearsal place with a PA and could record ourselves on cassette and hear what we were doing. And we had time, and if you don’t let time get away from you time can be a really great thing if you know how to manage it."

Source
  
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Kyera (8 KP) rated Legend in Books

Jan 31, 2018  
Legend
Legend
Marie Lu | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.8 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
While the idea of Legend is in no way unique, with the recent influx of post-apocalyptic/dystopian storylines in YA fiction, it is still an enjoyable read. It was nice to have the two varied perspectives - the boy from the street and the girl of means. Their story is full of highs and lows, deception, hurt, betrayal and death. Each deals with events in their own way and comes out of the series as a very different person. (Series-wise) <spoiler>I was not entirely satisfied with the ending. It left the reader with the temptation of promise and a what-if, but felt like an afterthought. The epilogue didn't seem as pulled together as the rest of the novel. It felt more like the readers raged against the conclusion of the book and the author tacked this story on at the end to appease them. Remember what tragic things, what relationships, what changes happened at the end that you didn't like? Just kidding, I take it back. Here's a glimpse of the storyline you actually wanted. </spoiler> Other than that I really enjoyed the series and would recommend it.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated Triangle (2009) in Movies

Jun 21, 2018  
Triangle (2009)
Triangle (2009)
2009 | Mystery
8
7.6 (15 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Intriguing, disturbing & original
I watched this entirely based on the review from @Lee and I'm pretty glad I did.

I probably wouldn't class this as a horror as it's not nearly gory or scary enough, but its a very thought provoking and disturbing thriller. It's one of those films that has you wondering "WTF" right from the start - may not appeal to everyone but I love films like this. I love the confusion and the intrigue, but there is a lot of pressure on films like this to get the ending and explanation just right otherwise you wind up unsatisfied and confused. Triangle does very well as the twist ending wraps up a lot of the earlier queries, but it does still leave a slightly ambiguous ending.

If I'm being honest, maybe slightly too ambiguous an ending as I had to look up fan theories online afterwards. And my only disappointment is that halfway through the film i said "this is going to turn out like Lost isn't it?" and on reading the online theories, I wasn't far off!

Slightly dodgy cgi aside, this is a pretty good film and definitely worth the watch. Thanks for the recommendation @Lee
  
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Dean (6927 KP) Jun 22, 2018

I think the biggest clue, if I remember right, is the picture of a boat named after a character in Greek mythology. Love the film.

Happy Death Day 2U (2019)
Happy Death Day 2U (2019)
2019 | Horror, Mystery
Missing the slasher element
Watching this sequel has really made me want to reevaluate & appreciate the first film more than I did originally, as it was actually pretty good. And I dont think the sequel quite matches up to it.

This film takes on a mainly sci-fi theme and whilst this is a smart move to do something different to the first film, I found myself missing the slasher horror. I don't think we really needed this sci-fi based explanation of the events in the first film, like many sequels this definitely suffers from a case of less is more. It's funny though like the original, and there's another fun montage of death scenes to bring in the laughs. There are parts of this story though that are a lot more serious than you'd expect or want, which brings the film down a little. There's no place for seriousness in a film like this!

Overall it's not bad and a refreshing change to a lot of other films that take themselves far too seriously, but it just doesn't quite meet up to the first.
  
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) Dec 7, 2019

Forgot that this came out this year.

Dear Aaron
Dear Aaron
Mariana Zapata | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
6
7.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I feel pretty bad for giving this 3 stars. I normally love this author's books but the first 54% or whatever amount it was with the letters/emails/IM's/text messages I was not a fan of at all. This is the third book I've read with them in, and the first I've actually finished. It just all seems so impersonal. I like to read about the body language and facial features after things get said so I can see how the characters react.

From 54-99% I enjoyed it, that first phone call was so good after so long, and then when they first met at the airport? Sigh... that was so sweet, if I did have a few tears in my eyes like Ruby at the time. Then the slow progression from friends to more...it was cute!

But then came the ending. I wanted more. It was like we didn't really get to see them end happily. And then we were back to the IMing... Ugh.

I think I've pretty much read all the author's books now apart from the Malykhin one, which is next on my list.
  
The Bone Clocks
The Bone Clocks
David Mitchell | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry
10
7.3 (6 Ratings)
Book Rating
David Mitchell is one of the best authors working today, and his latest novel only serves to solidify that opinion. Much like his previous work, "Cloud Atlas", "The Bone Clocks" is structured as a series of unique, but interconnected novellas. Unlike "Cloud Atlas" however, this book functions much more as a logical, complete story. In the first section we meet British teenager Holly Sykes, who runs away from home after a fight with her mother and a bad breakup with her first boyfriend. Each section after that is from a different person's perspective, and is written in their unique voices, with Holly appearing in each to varying degrees of importance. As things move along, it also becomes gradually more and more apparent that something fantastical in nature is occurring and that all the characters so far are somehow involved, before the 5th section, when the book goes into all out fantasy mode. Some don't like the very bleak, sci-fi 6th section that wraps things up, but I personally loved it, and felt it provided just the right amount of closure without being cloyingly sweet. The characters in this novel are all wonderful, and there are bits of brilliant dialogue scattered heavily throughout. The overarching plot is engaging and wraps up very nicely. So many little things that happen in the beginning come back to matter at the end, it is mind-boggling just how much effort Mr. Mitchell must have to put into plotting his novels out. And the very, very end is so satisfying, it qualifies as one of the best individual "moments" in literature this year, possibly this decade. Everything that came before adds together to one perfectly planned out moment, when the ultimate message becomes clear: That everything we do matters, and all of our lives have a purpose. Honestly, I would love to know what happens next.
  
Finding Mr. Wrong
Finding Mr. Wrong
Charlie Cochet | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Finding Mr. Wrong by Charlie Cochet
Finding Mr. Wrong starts off with Matthew having a near-death experience. He is the very successful owner of the family run firm Hart & Home. However, he isn't sure about his cousin, who is coming up with very strange ideas. Following his experience, he speaks to his best friend/PA, Adam, and they decide he is going to find Mr Right. They put down a few things, and then Adam wangles the story out of 'the one that got away'. It is obvious that Matthew has never got over this. Circumstances (and people) conspire, and Matthew and Jax end up meeting again. Jax can't believe his eyes, whilst Matthew is spitting feathers he is so angry. Don't worry, they do work it out... for a while at least.

This story just swept you along, and I thoroughly enjoyed every word. Charlie Cochet is an amazing author, and I have yet to read anything by her that I didn't like. There are a couple of side stories that help to make this the enjoyable read that it is - one is Jax's dad, and the other is Adam. Now, I won't say too much about Jax's dad (Dale), as I feel you should really read it and make up your own mind. As for me, I would say that Jax is a saint, and I honestly don't know if I could have done that. As for Adam, I really REALLY want to know his story. He comes across as very sweet and caring, but he has a history. I know he does. I just don't know what it is just yet. He knew immediately what Rai did for a living, whereas I didn't have a clue! He knows what it's like to be without money too. I really need to know!

With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, this is one contemporary M/M romance that I have no hesitation in recommending. With humour, grit, action, misunderstandings, and a little twist that I never saw coming at the end, this was absolutely wonderful. Definitely recommended by me.

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!