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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Enchantress of Numbers: A Novel of Ada Lovelace in Books
Apr 2, 2018
Enchantress of Numbers has been making the rounds lately - it seems there's been an interest in books about women in STEM, which is a good thing. Ada Lovelace is considered to be the first computer programmer, though "computers" as we know them didn't really exist at the time. What she wrote was an algorithm for making a machine spit out a specific result - a machine that was never actually built. Still, her contributions to the very early science of computing were invaluable and she is (rightly) revered for them. Sadly, she died in her 30s from ovarian cancer - a loss that undoubtedly slowed down the advancement of early computing.
The early parts of the book are told in third person, about her mother's marriage to Lord Byron, and Ada's own birth. From there, Ada tells the story in first person, as she grows up with her strict mother in English Aristocratic Society.
It is historical fiction, so the author has taken some liberties, though I was a bit confused that in the book she meets Mr. Babbage some time before meeting Mrs. Somerville; Wikipedia says Lady Lovelace was introduced to Mr. Babbage by her mentor, Mrs. Somerville. Odd that the author chose to change that up.
I've definitely read better historical fiction - Philippa Gregory is a personal favorite - but this wasn't bad. It was a little slow, and a little dry in spots, but it was overall good. If you weren't interested in Ada Lovelace or early computing and mathematics I don't think the book would be very enjoyable at all. But if you do like those things, and are willing to put up with a little bit of boredom, it's a decent book.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
The early parts of the book are told in third person, about her mother's marriage to Lord Byron, and Ada's own birth. From there, Ada tells the story in first person, as she grows up with her strict mother in English Aristocratic Society.
It is historical fiction, so the author has taken some liberties, though I was a bit confused that in the book she meets Mr. Babbage some time before meeting Mrs. Somerville; Wikipedia says Lady Lovelace was introduced to Mr. Babbage by her mentor, Mrs. Somerville. Odd that the author chose to change that up.
I've definitely read better historical fiction - Philippa Gregory is a personal favorite - but this wasn't bad. It was a little slow, and a little dry in spots, but it was overall good. If you weren't interested in Ada Lovelace or early computing and mathematics I don't think the book would be very enjoyable at all. But if you do like those things, and are willing to put up with a little bit of boredom, it's a decent book.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Well well well. What a pleasant surprise. Holding is a wonderfully written debut novel by Graham Norton, yes that Graham Norton, and his trademark sense of humour and wit was found throughout the novel.
Holding is set in Duneen in Ireland and focuses on three main characters – Sergeant PJ Collins, Evelyn Ross and Brid Riordan – and the way the mystery affects them as people.
The mystery itself – a buried skeleton found at a building site – was surprisingly on the back burner when you consider this was a mystery novel, however, it was well written and kept me interested in the story.
For me what made the story was the characters. PJ Collins is a Garda and is basically an overweight, middle aged, lonely shoddy copper.
Evelyn Ross is a middle aged woman who fell in love with the wrong man.
Brid Riordan is a middle aged woman who also fell in love with the wrong man – the same man – and is stuck in a loveless marriage drinking her sorrows away.
The book was more about how the finding of those bones affect PJ, Evelyn, Brid and even Mrs Meany and it was written in such a way that you felt for the characters – I personally felt more for Mrs Meany than I did the other characters but the next one would be Brid.
The dynamic between the three main characters was brilliant and the consistency towards the end was good. I think the only thing that put me off was the lack of distinguishing factors between point of view for example, one paragraph would be PJ and the next would be Brid and there would be no line break but other than that it was a very good book!
Definitely recommended.
Holding is set in Duneen in Ireland and focuses on three main characters – Sergeant PJ Collins, Evelyn Ross and Brid Riordan – and the way the mystery affects them as people.
The mystery itself – a buried skeleton found at a building site – was surprisingly on the back burner when you consider this was a mystery novel, however, it was well written and kept me interested in the story.
For me what made the story was the characters. PJ Collins is a Garda and is basically an overweight, middle aged, lonely shoddy copper.
Evelyn Ross is a middle aged woman who fell in love with the wrong man.
Brid Riordan is a middle aged woman who also fell in love with the wrong man – the same man – and is stuck in a loveless marriage drinking her sorrows away.
The book was more about how the finding of those bones affect PJ, Evelyn, Brid and even Mrs Meany and it was written in such a way that you felt for the characters – I personally felt more for Mrs Meany than I did the other characters but the next one would be Brid.
The dynamic between the three main characters was brilliant and the consistency towards the end was good. I think the only thing that put me off was the lack of distinguishing factors between point of view for example, one paragraph would be PJ and the next would be Brid and there would be no line break but other than that it was a very good book!
Definitely recommended.
The Waves
Book
A formally innovative work of modernist fiction, Virginia Woolf's The Waves is edited with an...
The Last Time I Saw You
5.0
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Book
The internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish follows that success with an...
Fiction Mystery Contemporary
Otway93 (580 KP) rated Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) in Movies
Dec 4, 2019
Puppetry (3 more)
Casting
Soundtrack
Story
The second best Roald Dahl adaptation!
In all honesty, I can't find a single fault with this film. It's funny, smart, and superbly made.
From the opening moments, you already have a feeling that it's going to be a good film, but it just gets better as it progresses.
The stop-motion puppetry is superbly done, and I never thought it would be easy to capture such emotion with puppets. The voices (Mr and Mrs Fox provided by screen legends George Clooney and Meryl Streep) are superb, with George capturing the cheeky tone of Mr Fox and Meryl conveying love, anger and a whole other range of emotions perfectly!
One of the best Roald Dahl screen adaptations, in my opinion only beaten by the 1970s hit "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".
From the opening moments, you already have a feeling that it's going to be a good film, but it just gets better as it progresses.
The stop-motion puppetry is superbly done, and I never thought it would be easy to capture such emotion with puppets. The voices (Mr and Mrs Fox provided by screen legends George Clooney and Meryl Streep) are superb, with George capturing the cheeky tone of Mr Fox and Meryl conveying love, anger and a whole other range of emotions perfectly!
One of the best Roald Dahl screen adaptations, in my opinion only beaten by the 1970s hit "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) in Movies
Mar 3, 2020 (Updated Mar 5, 2020)
Let’s be straight: Mrs Doubtfire has faults. It is sentimental, uneven and at times a bit dull, actually. That said, there is one thing that lifts it, and that is, of course, Robin Williams. He exudes personality, and it could be argued this was the peak of his comedy improv powers, as far as his film career was concerned. It is no Tootsie, which it naturally owes a huge deal to, but it does have immense charm all of it’s own, thanks to the key scenes of William’s empathy and caring, that you just can’t fake. So satisfying as both a comedy and a family film that forces us to think about the lighter side of a break-up, where the children are the most important thing. Lots of feels, tons of interesting comment on roles within gender.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Beauty and the Beast (1991) in Movies
Mar 16, 2020
Be Our Guest
Beauty and the Beast- such a classic, with excellent songs like.."Belle", "Gaston", "Something There", "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast".
The plot: An arrogant young prince (Robby Benson) and his castle's servants fall under the spell of a wicked enchantress, who turns him into the hideous Beast until he learns to love and be loved in return. The spirited, headstrong village girl Belle (Paige O'Hara) enters the Beast's castle after he imprisons her father Maurice (Rex Everhart). With the help of his enchanted servants, including the matronly Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury), Belle begins to draw the cold-hearted Beast out of his isolation.
Such a classic movie than their had to remake it. Grr. Like why disney, oh yea i know why $$$. What next a live action of "The Brave Little Toaster".
The plot: An arrogant young prince (Robby Benson) and his castle's servants fall under the spell of a wicked enchantress, who turns him into the hideous Beast until he learns to love and be loved in return. The spirited, headstrong village girl Belle (Paige O'Hara) enters the Beast's castle after he imprisons her father Maurice (Rex Everhart). With the help of his enchanted servants, including the matronly Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury), Belle begins to draw the cold-hearted Beast out of his isolation.
Such a classic movie than their had to remake it. Grr. Like why disney, oh yea i know why $$$. What next a live action of "The Brave Little Toaster".
Cluedo: Classic Mystery Game
Games
App
Clue is the classic mystery game - A grand mansion… a dastardly murder… a gathering of...
The Sound of Heavy Rain
Book
Laughing. Talking. Hours in cafes drinking coffee. Chatting about boys. Girls. Romance. Sharing a...
The Good Terrorist
Book
A group of squatters rebel against Mrs Thatcher and erupt into violence in this politicised novel...