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Mary Poppins (1964)
Mary Poppins (1964)
1964 | Classics, Comedy, Family
It's Supercalafragilelisticexpialadosis
A magical Nanny sent into kind of rescue a family with two small children to straighten them up and act right. The learn a lot but, really with out knowing they are learning. The take amazing trips and adventures, whether it's on the tops chimneys in London or into a beautiful sidewalk painting. However are they really there or is this all imagination. However Mary isn't just their for the children. She is there to show the parents how much of a loving father and mother is needed on an every day basis.
  
A Piece Of The World
A Piece Of The World
Christina Baker Kline | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Until reading Christina Baker Kline’s note at the end of the book, it is impossible to guess that it is based on real people, although, admittedly, it is a little strange to name the main character after oneself. In fact, A Piece of the World is written around a single painting in the Museum of Modern Art, New York: Christina’s World (1948) by Andrew Wyeth, a man who appears and paints this work in the story.

Baker Cline researched thoroughly into the background story of the painting. Christina Olson, the main character of this book, was a real person who posed for Wyeth as he painted this striking picture. Although the overall story is a work of fiction, the dates and key characters are biographically accurate. Beginning in 1939, the narrative weaves too and fro, from Christina’s present day to her childhood and back again. Christina is an ageing woman who can barely walk and lives in a dilapidated cottage with her brother on a hill in the village of Cushing, Maine. Having lived in this state for so long, it is a welcome surprise to be visited by the young Andrew Wyeth who falls in love with the cottage and regularly comes to work on his canvases in their upper rooms. Through their peaceful relationship and flashbacks to her past, Christina’s character development is investigated and knitted together to explain why she has become this recluse on a hill.

Christina had problems from a very young age. After almost dying from a fever, she developed an undiagnosed degenerative disease that slowly ate away at the nerves in her arms and legs. Today, neurologists believe this to be Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease but there were no doctors able to provide this diagnosis at the time. Christina suffered aches and pains growing up and could barely walk in a straight line. Her determination to keep going is admirable and makes her a strong female protagonist.

One day in her early twenties, Christina meets a boy who pays her the kind of attention that she has never received before. Believing his promises that they will be together forever, she dares to dream of having a normal life. The reader, however, knows that the future Christina is alone with only her brother for company, making it heartbreaking to read of their developing romance knowing that it is not going to last.

There is no “happy-ever-after” to this story, nor is there a sad ending. It is an account of a woman who had been dealt a raw deal in life but continued getting on despite it. The end result, the painting Christina’s World, shows Christina as she sees herself. She may not be able to walk but she is still a woman; she made the most of her childhood, she never complained. This painting is her “letter to the World that never wrote to [Her].”

A Piece of the World is a powerful novel about purpose and determination. Christina may not have had a typical, successful life or become famous but she had her daily achievements: crawling through a field for an hour to visit a friend, cooking dinners despite not being able to stand up, carrying on after the end of a romantic relationship …

Written as gracefully as the brushstrokes of a painting with elements of Emily Dickinson thrown in here and there, A Piece of the World is a beautiful piece of work. It is something that can be enjoyed as you are mentally drawn into the storyline, leaving you wondering what happens to Christina and her brother after the completion of the painting. It is a novel the author can be proud of.
  
A Piece Of The World
A Piece Of The World
Christina Baker Kline | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry
10
9.7 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>

Until reading Christina Baker Kline’s note at the end of the book, it is impossible to guess that it is based on real people, although, admittedly, it is a little strange to name the main character after oneself. In fact, <i>A Piece of the World</i> is written around a single painting in the Museum of Modern Art, New York: <i>Christina’s World</i> (1948) by Andrew Wyeth, a man who appears and paints this work in the story.

Baker Cline researched thoroughly into the background story of the painting. Christina Olson, the main character of this book, was a real person who posed for Wyeth as he painted this striking picture. Although the overall story is a work of fiction, the dates and key characters are biographically accurate. Beginning in 1939, the narrative weaves too and fro, from Christina’s present day to her childhood and back again. Christina is an ageing woman who can barely walk and lives in a dilapidated cottage with her brother on a hill in the village of Cushing, Maine. Having lived in this state for so long, it is a welcome surprise to be visited by the young Andrew Wyeth who falls in love with the cottage and regularly comes to work on his canvases in their upper rooms. Through their peaceful relationship and flashbacks to her past, Christina’s character development is investigated and knitted together to explain why she has become this recluse on a hill.

Christina had problems from a very young age. After almost dying from a fever, she developed an undiagnosed degenerative disease that slowly ate away at the nerves in her arms and legs. Today, neurologists believe this to be <i>Charcot-Marie-Tooth</i> disease but there were no doctors able to provide this diagnosis at the time. Christina suffered aches and pains growing up and could barely walk in a straight line. Her determination to keep going is admirable and makes her a strong female protagonist.

One day in her early twenties, Christina meets a boy who pays her the kind of attention that she has never received before. Believing his promises that they will be together forever, she dares to dream of having a normal life. The reader, however, knows that the future Christina is alone with only her brother for company, making it heartbreaking to read of their developing romance knowing that it is not going to last.

There is no “happy-ever-after” to this story, nor is there a sad ending. It is an account of a woman who had been dealt a raw deal in life but continued getting on despite it. The end result, the painting <i>Christina’s World</i>, shows Christina as she sees herself. She may not be able to walk but she is still a woman; she made the most of her childhood, she never complained. This painting is her “letter to the World that never wrote to [Her].”

<i>A Piece of the World</i> is a powerful novel about purpose and determination. Christina may not have had a typical, successful life or become famous but she had her daily achievements: crawling through a field for an hour to visit a friend, cooking dinners despite not being able to stand up, carrying on after the end of a romantic relationship …

Written as gracefully as the brushstrokes of a painting with elements of Emily Dickinson thrown in here and there, </i>A Piece of the World</i> is a beautiful piece of work. It is something that can be enjoyed as you are mentally drawn into the storyline, leaving you wondering what happens to Christina and her brother after the completion of the painting. It is a novel the author can be proud of.

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The Grimm Forest
The Grimm Forest
2018 | Fantasy
Simple (2 more)
Easy to grasp
Every game is different
Unpainted models (1 more)
Can get old if overplayed
Good family game
Grimm Forest is an overall great game. The age range says 14+, but I have a 6 year old who is able to play it with little to no help. The age range probably is in reference to the fable cards and some friends cards, but you honestly don't need to use them. So far, a strategy of just taking an extra resource each time you aren't building something seems to be quite effective. The built in storage is very nice, and makes cleanup a breeze. The artwork is very well done, and their customer service it's top notch as well. A charachter model broke, and they sent me a replacement right away which I received quickly.

The only negative things I have it's that I don't like painting the models/characters, so I wish they came painted (though I know some people really enjoy the painting process). Also, the gameplay can get old, but that's probably because my family couldn't put it down for the first week we had it, so many games were played.

Overall this is a great game that will stay in our family (and away from donating during spring cleaning)!
  
Designed for Haunting
Designed for Haunting
Sybil Johnson | 2018 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Designed for Your Halloween Reading Pleasure
It's a couple of weeks before Halloween, and Aurora “Rory” Anderson and the rest of her painting friends are working on the annual benefit they put on where they sell their work for charity. That changes when Rory gets an e-mail from Zelena, a friend in her painting group that says the e-mail is being sent to Rory because Zelena is missing. As Rory begins to investigate, she learns that no one has seen Zelena for several days. A dead body just increases the stakes. Can Rory figure out what is really happening?

This is a great mystery with several other mysterious happenings that help cloud the issue. Yet as Rory sorts through what applies to the main mystery, she leads us to a clear picture of what happened. It all comes together in a page turning climax. The characters are strong; the new characters do their job of keeping us wondering what is really happening while Rory and the other series regulars were a delight to be around. This book evoked a Southern California Halloween for me perfectly, complete with a potentially spooky sub-plot or two to add to the seasonal fun.
  
Only God Forgives (2013)
Only God Forgives (2013)
2013 | Action, Crime, Drama, International
8
6.3 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
A stunningly beautiful film, every frame is a painting, but also a stunningly violent film. RYAN GOSLING does his usual 10 words a picture when he works with director NICOLAS WINDING REFN and the story is WAY better than their last collaboration 'Drive'. Performance wise it is KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS that own this picture. Talk about domineering. Must also give mad props to cinematographer LARRY SMITH who made everything and I do mean everything so damn beautiful. He may be the only person to get an Oscar nomination from this and he deserves not only the nomination, but the win.
  
We Are Okay
We Are Okay
Nina Lacour | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
9
7.4 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Better Than Okay
This book was an aesthetic in itself. A painting. Sad, simple and so, so beautiful. I loved it a lot. Its complexity was simplified, made easier to understand. You fall in love with the characters, and you can't fall out of love with them again. Marin and Mabel's relationship was so gorgeous- and very elegantly, very casually done. I think this book was beautiful, and so damn elegant. Marin's recovery isn't obvious, and it isn't a huge recovery, but it's certainly amazing. All in all, this book was great, sweet, simple, and oh-so-gorgeous.
  
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Lumos (380 KP) Jun 15, 2018

This is on my tbr list now! Thanks for the great review!

Velvet Underground &amp; Nico by The Velvet Underground
Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground
1967 | Experimental

"I was about 16. We had this great art room in school and an absolutely brilliant teacher, Bob White. This art room was really well equipped with dark rooms and screen printing and painting. Bob was quite happy for us to play records. If you were in there, you could hear what other people were putting on. Somebody older than me was hip and put on Velvet Underground & Nico. That was just so influential. I often think that the ones that have lasted really well for me are songs like 'Sunday Morning', some of the kind of quieter, more reflective ones."

Source
  
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Shonda Rhimes recommended To Kill a Mockingbird in Books (curated)

 
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee | 1989 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
8.6 (96 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"To Kill a Mockingbird just gets better with age. I’ve read Harper Lee’s masterpiece over and over again. It’s a great read at age 11 and 23 and 35. Recently, at 42, I took it on vacation to read again. Age changes the book, like a painting that changes when you look at it from different angles. I used to spend all my time thinking of Scout. Now I spend most of my time focused on Atticus and Tom and Boo Radley. It’s timeless and perfect; I can’t wait to share a copy with my daughters. Especially with my daughter named Harper."

Source
  
The Horse&#039;s Mouth (1958)
The Horse's Mouth (1958)
1958 | Classics, Comedy
3.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"This is not only one of the funniest films ever made, but, as one who has spent time with a number of painters, I could see that it was really about painters and painting. And it was responsible for my first film—a short that ran for almost a year at the Paris Theater in New York. Of course, I’ll always love it. One of the lines I love is when the helper lady asks how you can tell when a picture is finished, and the painter hero looks at her quizzically and says, “You just know.” For me, that was movies."

Source