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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Red Grouse Tales: The Little Dog and Other Stories in Books
Nov 25, 2019
Related as stories told between friends in the Red Grouse pub, each of these tales has a thread of the paranormal and philosophy running through them, to varying degrees. There are four stories to enjoy (I have also reviewed each of these separately in depth)
The Little Dog is the story of a forester who is forced to work with a much disliked colleague for a week. Each day is tense and stressful, but is Blackman just unsociable or actually evil?
The Crow focuses on a local politician, generally held in high regard but the tale of his life as related by a bitter and dying priest casts doubt on his motives.
The Golden Tup is the tale of a local couple who are notorious for having killed their baby. But just perhaps not everything is as it seems. Has an old evil been awoken?
The White Hart finishes the stories with a very rare thing - a heartwarming and feelgood ghost story that touches on the power that men wield over women, and vice versa.
Each of these tales has a different tone but are a complete story in their own right, even if some make mention of places and events in others. The story telling makes this a great collection to dip into and read. As each story also carries a philosophical theme they have a depth and resonance beyond the actual tale being told.
A good collection of paranormal and interesting stories, definitely worth a read. Each story is also available separately (and I have posted full reviews for them separately too)
The Little Dog is the story of a forester who is forced to work with a much disliked colleague for a week. Each day is tense and stressful, but is Blackman just unsociable or actually evil?
The Crow focuses on a local politician, generally held in high regard but the tale of his life as related by a bitter and dying priest casts doubt on his motives.
The Golden Tup is the tale of a local couple who are notorious for having killed their baby. But just perhaps not everything is as it seems. Has an old evil been awoken?
The White Hart finishes the stories with a very rare thing - a heartwarming and feelgood ghost story that touches on the power that men wield over women, and vice versa.
Each of these tales has a different tone but are a complete story in their own right, even if some make mention of places and events in others. The story telling makes this a great collection to dip into and read. As each story also carries a philosophical theme they have a depth and resonance beyond the actual tale being told.
A good collection of paranormal and interesting stories, definitely worth a read. Each story is also available separately (and I have posted full reviews for them separately too)
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Who Will Cry When You Die? (Hindi) in Books
Sep 24, 2020
This book has 101 suggestions for the reader, of how to improve yourself and your life. Even though there are some great, thought-provoking suggestions, there some with which I don’t particularly agree. I find philosophy rather boring, and no, I am not going to read Seneka. I really enjoyed the quotes which the author used in this book, I think they are quite inspiring. This book is the one, which you have to reread from time to time or read it slowly, rethinking every chapter, and comparing it to your own life and experiences.
I really liked, that the author shared examples from his personal life or from conferences he attended. It made it more realistic and less school book like. Even though I do believe, that this book should be read at least once in a lifetime and kept in people’s personal libraries, I was struggling with it. I couldn’t concentrate properly on it, and my mind kept wondering. The chapters are very short, that is why I was able to finish it, I don’t think I would’ve done it otherwise.
So, to conclude, even though I was struggling with this book, I learned a lot from it. If you enjoy self-help books, this one is a must-have, I believe. I know I will forget most of the things I read, but for now, I might even do a list or two which Robin Sharma recommended. Maybe I will be more successful by doing them. 😀 But for now, do get this book and I hope it will bring improvement to your life 😀
I really liked, that the author shared examples from his personal life or from conferences he attended. It made it more realistic and less school book like. Even though I do believe, that this book should be read at least once in a lifetime and kept in people’s personal libraries, I was struggling with it. I couldn’t concentrate properly on it, and my mind kept wondering. The chapters are very short, that is why I was able to finish it, I don’t think I would’ve done it otherwise.
So, to conclude, even though I was struggling with this book, I learned a lot from it. If you enjoy self-help books, this one is a must-have, I believe. I know I will forget most of the things I read, but for now, I might even do a list or two which Robin Sharma recommended. Maybe I will be more successful by doing them. 😀 But for now, do get this book and I hope it will bring improvement to your life 😀
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated The Reapers are the Angels (Reapers, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
If you're going into this book thinking you'll find an action-packed, zombie-mauling good-time, you're in for a surprise. THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS is literary zombie fiction (yes, you read that right), although it's not too literary it feels pretentious and stuffy, but it's not a totally light read either. There's violence chock full of blood and gore, a semi-solitary road trip, and God. Does it work? Yeah, in a way. The book was serious but there wasn't much depth and it didn't impact me as much as it probably should have. The plot is basically an odyssey, in which many diverse characters appear and we see how the main character, Temple, relates with them. One of these struck me as odd and took me out of the story. Before, the book showed realism and grit, then it came to giant mutants and turned into a sci-fi horror show. Frankly, it was just weird and didn't correlate with the rest of the story. Temple was an interesting character who told the tale well but was a contradiction; she's illiterate but knows words that few people do. Since she's always lived with "meatskins" and has never known the world before, her background doesn't support this and I found it didn't fit with her character at all. I got her but didn't care about her.
Honestly, I don't have much feeling for this book, I liked it but that's all, and while it's a good read, it's not great. If you like a thinking zombie story with philosophy and a stream of Christianity running through it, although it's not too deep, than you just might enjoy this book.
Honestly, I don't have much feeling for this book, I liked it but that's all, and while it's a good read, it's not great. If you like a thinking zombie story with philosophy and a stream of Christianity running through it, although it's not too deep, than you just might enjoy this book.
ClareR (5577 KP) rated The Betrayals in Books
Dec 14, 2020
Firstly, I should say that The Betrayals is a phenomenal book. It opens up a whole new world to the reader. It brought to mind the type of society that I imagine we would have had under National Socialism: men in charge and better educated than women, women expected to know their place, only state sanctioned religion permitted, and those of other religions or schools of thought are ‘disappeared’. I really would have liked to have read more about this outside world, but I don’t feel short changed at only having read about what happens within the confines of Montverre. It is strange actually, that such a major part of Montverre, the grand jeu, is never explicitly talked about. We get the impression as a reader that it’s a performance consisting of maths, music, philosophy and state sanctioned religion. It’s held in extremely high regard: studying it is a sure fire open door to a position of power afterwards.
So what IS The Betrayals about? Well, betrayal, actually. Everyone is backstabbing and lying to everyone else in this book, and they’re lucky if they live to regret it. It’s the cloistered version of Dallas (with less sex)! I loved it. This was a hard book to put down, and one I steamed through far too quickly. This ticks a lot of boxes for me: historical fantasy (double whammy straight away), a mystery to solve, dystopian and a smattering of magical realism. I’m glad it looks like a book that could have a sequel - even if it never as one. It leaves the reader able to make up their own next moves (yes, I do that).
Huge thanks to the publisher for providing me with a NetGalley copy of this book - it was one of my reading highlights of 2020.
So what IS The Betrayals about? Well, betrayal, actually. Everyone is backstabbing and lying to everyone else in this book, and they’re lucky if they live to regret it. It’s the cloistered version of Dallas (with less sex)! I loved it. This was a hard book to put down, and one I steamed through far too quickly. This ticks a lot of boxes for me: historical fantasy (double whammy straight away), a mystery to solve, dystopian and a smattering of magical realism. I’m glad it looks like a book that could have a sequel - even if it never as one. It leaves the reader able to make up their own next moves (yes, I do that).
Huge thanks to the publisher for providing me with a NetGalley copy of this book - it was one of my reading highlights of 2020.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated Turtles All The Way Down in Books
Feb 8, 2018
Excellent descriptions of mental illness (1 more)
Unique main character
Another excellent book from John Green
So what the cover description of this book doesn't explicitly mention is that Aza, the main character, has a pretty severe anxiety disorder. That's really the core topic of the book - her thought spirals and dealing with life while caught in them. I trust John Green to write about these because he also suffers from severe anxiety. He's talked about it in interviews and on his vlogbrothers Youtube channel. (I'm a big Green brothers fan - what's known as a nerdfighter.) So when John Green writes a character with anxiety, I believe that it's a realistic portrayal. I loved the integration of technology in the story - two characters don't just text each other, the text conversation is on the page, formatted differently, so it's obvious these are text messages. I always love books that do that.
There's not a whole lot I can say about the book without giving things away; a lot of John Green's characters tend to wax eloquently about philosophy and things outside themselves, and Aza doesn't do that because she's so trapped within her own thoughts. She can't think of the future or existential dread because she's too worried about the microbes in her stomach getting out of control and giving her diseases. Definitely a departure from his usual story, though it does fit his standard MO of Main character meets other character who profoundly changes main character's life in some way. (There's a third part that is also consistent with most of John Green's novels but it's a spoiler.)
I think the book is a really good book for anyone who loves someone with anxiety. Or even for those who have anxiety themselves, to see that they're not alone.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
There's not a whole lot I can say about the book without giving things away; a lot of John Green's characters tend to wax eloquently about philosophy and things outside themselves, and Aza doesn't do that because she's so trapped within her own thoughts. She can't think of the future or existential dread because she's too worried about the microbes in her stomach getting out of control and giving her diseases. Definitely a departure from his usual story, though it does fit his standard MO of Main character meets other character who profoundly changes main character's life in some way. (There's a third part that is also consistent with most of John Green's novels but it's a spoiler.)
I think the book is a really good book for anyone who loves someone with anxiety. Or even for those who have anxiety themselves, to see that they're not alone.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Cody Cook (8 KP) rated The Satanic Bible in Books
Jun 29, 2018
LaVey echoes a view of man's value and of non-materialist religion which can be easily found in the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche (especially Antichrist) and Ayn Rand. He is incredibly inconsistent on the subject of morality and shows only a cursory understanding of Christian history, doctrines, and the Bible.
LaVey does not view Satan as a person (nor does he view God that way), but as a representation of what man really is in his primal nature-- a violent and lustful nature which LaVey calls good, though he simultaneously argues that certain parts of it (that which would harm children or rape, for instance) are not good-- a dichotomy that he calls hypocritical in righthand path religions such as Christianity. Beyond this tension, he elsewhere seems to argue for moral relativism, creating a vicious circle of nonsense. Because good and evil are falsehoods and God and Satan are non-persons, the spells and rituals he creates are only symbols meant to harness our primal energies, sending them out to accomplish our goals (much like in the Hicks' Law of Attraction books or in The Secret).
A mix of equal parts tongue-in-cheek symbolism and outright charlatanism.
I suspect that this book's teachings would appeal primarily to two types of people: narcissists who want to seem edgy and angry people who have been harmed by institutional religion. In regard to the former, there are more thoughtful ways to be counter-cultural. In regard to the latter, an assessment of the intellectual weaknesses of this philosophy won't remove the hurt or pain they've been through, but hopefully an understanding that the kind of Christianity spoken of by LaVey is not genuine Christianity can remove some of the hatred they feel toward it due to the immoral actions performed by its claimed representatives.
Totally off-topic, but Lavey looks like a bald version of Evil Spock.
LaVey does not view Satan as a person (nor does he view God that way), but as a representation of what man really is in his primal nature-- a violent and lustful nature which LaVey calls good, though he simultaneously argues that certain parts of it (that which would harm children or rape, for instance) are not good-- a dichotomy that he calls hypocritical in righthand path religions such as Christianity. Beyond this tension, he elsewhere seems to argue for moral relativism, creating a vicious circle of nonsense. Because good and evil are falsehoods and God and Satan are non-persons, the spells and rituals he creates are only symbols meant to harness our primal energies, sending them out to accomplish our goals (much like in the Hicks' Law of Attraction books or in The Secret).
A mix of equal parts tongue-in-cheek symbolism and outright charlatanism.
I suspect that this book's teachings would appeal primarily to two types of people: narcissists who want to seem edgy and angry people who have been harmed by institutional religion. In regard to the former, there are more thoughtful ways to be counter-cultural. In regard to the latter, an assessment of the intellectual weaknesses of this philosophy won't remove the hurt or pain they've been through, but hopefully an understanding that the kind of Christianity spoken of by LaVey is not genuine Christianity can remove some of the hatred they feel toward it due to the immoral actions performed by its claimed representatives.
Totally off-topic, but Lavey looks like a bald version of Evil Spock.
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Pisces in Books
Aug 3, 2018
I've been wanting to read this one for a while; you know how much I like my mermaids! This one is male, and not as predatory as other books I've read, but still good. This is one of the books from my summer TBR list, and the second book I've read from that list so far.
I feel like this book is better classified as Contemporary Fiction than fantasy; the existence of the merman is the only magical thing about it. Everything else is an exploration on love, obsession, and the lengths people will go to to meet their needs. Broder manages to wax philosophical but with a frankness that keeps everything relatable; from missing ex-boyfriends to worrying about Tinder dates, to thinking about the empty abyss of the ocean at night, Lucy's inner dialogue speaks to the anxiety within all of us.
I went back and forth as to whether I actually liked Lucy or not. I did like her for most of the book, but then she had to go and be stupid and I'm not sure I can forgive her for that. It does illustrate how far some people will go when they're obsessed with something, so it's realistic, I suppose. But I'd rather the cost had fallen on Lucy instead of the innocent bystander.
The ending of the book wasn't entirely satisfactory. It wrapped up the story, sure, but the next to the last paragraph introduced a question that hadn't otherwise been considered, and leaves it unanswered. Which is a pet peeve of mine. It's not philosophy, it's a question of is she or isn't she, and that's not something the reader can really theorize about.
Overall, I really liked the book. There were a couple of events that annoyed me, but for the most part, this was a good summer read. It largely takes place on the beach, it's at turns funny, sexy, sad, and weird. I think it's mostly deserving of the hype it received.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
I feel like this book is better classified as Contemporary Fiction than fantasy; the existence of the merman is the only magical thing about it. Everything else is an exploration on love, obsession, and the lengths people will go to to meet their needs. Broder manages to wax philosophical but with a frankness that keeps everything relatable; from missing ex-boyfriends to worrying about Tinder dates, to thinking about the empty abyss of the ocean at night, Lucy's inner dialogue speaks to the anxiety within all of us.
I went back and forth as to whether I actually liked Lucy or not. I did like her for most of the book, but then she had to go and be stupid and I'm not sure I can forgive her for that. It does illustrate how far some people will go when they're obsessed with something, so it's realistic, I suppose. But I'd rather the cost had fallen on Lucy instead of the innocent bystander.
The ending of the book wasn't entirely satisfactory. It wrapped up the story, sure, but the next to the last paragraph introduced a question that hadn't otherwise been considered, and leaves it unanswered. Which is a pet peeve of mine. It's not philosophy, it's a question of is she or isn't she, and that's not something the reader can really theorize about.
Overall, I really liked the book. There were a couple of events that annoyed me, but for the most part, this was a good summer read. It largely takes place on the beach, it's at turns funny, sexy, sad, and weird. I think it's mostly deserving of the hype it received.
You can find all my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
Neon's Nerd Nexus (360 KP) rated Parasite (2019) in Movies
Dec 16, 2019
Heavy Is The Head
Parasite is so utterly complex, brilliant and captivating that it brings an entire new meaning to the word perfection. A true revolution in film making with such tightly woven narative, twisted depictions of real life struggles and important intricate messages Parasite is practically bursting at the seems with metaphores, hidden meanings, symbolism and comparisons but whats so great about it is that its never feels forced, in your face or patronising once. Theres certainly a hell of a lot more there if you want to delve deeper thats for sure (just trying to decipher it all now for this review is hurting my head) but theres also plenty there for those that dont want that depth too. This is Korean cinema at its absolute finest mixing so many diffrent genres together flawlessly to create butter smooth tension, spine chilling horror, mind bending philosophy, harsh history, political accuracy, eye watering comedy, touching drama and stomach churning raw emotion. A tale of rich and poor at its core but also a film about entitlement, happiness, human nature, selfishness and ambition Parasite teaches us so cleverly/effectively to have new found appreciation for what we have no matter how little that may be and also to stand together/respect one another and apreciate those close to us before its to late. Being likened to a Tarantino film by many and while I can see the similarities I honestly found Parasite to be genuinely a way smarter, better structured/layered more thrilling and an all round tighter/more interesting movie compared to his work if im honest. I urge anyone that loves and takes cinema seriously to see this without hesitation its unpredictability/intricacy are a true experience to behold (just like the sensation you get when you slip on ice but regain your balance just before you fall) it will leave you cold, breathless, excited and entranced.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Good Luck of Right Now in Books
May 28, 2017
Inspirational
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Play Book comes an inspirational tale about a thirty nine year old man who has lived with his mother his whole life. The Good Luck of Right Now is about how Bartholomew Neil copes with life after the death of his mother. Bartholomew is a very awkward man who has no idea how to cope on his own and so is assigned a grief counselor, Wendy, to help him come to terms with his new situation. Due to his mother’s movie obsessions, this story is told through pretend letters written to famous Hollywood actor, Richard Gere, who is also someone Bartholomew admires greatly.
Matthew Quick’s novel entertains the reader through the mishmash of characters from a cat-obsessed man who is convinced aliens exist, to Bartholomew’s obscure friendship with a bipolar priest. As well as being entertaining this novel explores the rhythm of the universe leaving the reader questioning the credibility of fate and wondering about religion and philosophy.
The way in which Bartholomew views the world and his reasons for writing unsent letters to Richard Gere during this difficult period of his life suggest that he his somewhere on the autism scale. Quick explores mental health issues as well as this beginning with the priest with bipolar and again later in the book when Bartholomew becomes friends with a pair of siblings, Max and Elizabeth.
At times humorous and at others thoughtful, The Good Luck of Right Now is a really interesting novel to read. It is easy to understand Bartholomew’s thought processes and he is a very lovable character. One part of the story I personally did not like, however, was the amount of swearing the character Max does. Although this emphasizes Max’s mental state and is not intended to be an insult, it did get a bit tiresome reading a swear word within every sentence he spoke.
Overall this book is definitely worth the read, especially if you enjoyed The Silver Linings Play Book. In fact, The Good Luck of Right Now may even be the better book!
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Play Book comes an inspirational tale about a thirty nine year old man who has lived with his mother his whole life. The Good Luck of Right Now is about how Bartholomew Neil copes with life after the death of his mother. Bartholomew is a very awkward man who has no idea how to cope on his own and so is assigned a grief counselor, Wendy, to help him come to terms with his new situation. Due to his mother’s movie obsessions, this story is told through pretend letters written to famous Hollywood actor, Richard Gere, who is also someone Bartholomew admires greatly.
Matthew Quick’s novel entertains the reader through the mishmash of characters from a cat-obsessed man who is convinced aliens exist, to Bartholomew’s obscure friendship with a bipolar priest. As well as being entertaining this novel explores the rhythm of the universe leaving the reader questioning the credibility of fate and wondering about religion and philosophy.
The way in which Bartholomew views the world and his reasons for writing unsent letters to Richard Gere during this difficult period of his life suggest that he his somewhere on the autism scale. Quick explores mental health issues as well as this beginning with the priest with bipolar and again later in the book when Bartholomew becomes friends with a pair of siblings, Max and Elizabeth.
At times humorous and at others thoughtful, The Good Luck of Right Now is a really interesting novel to read. It is easy to understand Bartholomew’s thought processes and he is a very lovable character. One part of the story I personally did not like, however, was the amount of swearing the character Max does. Although this emphasizes Max’s mental state and is not intended to be an insult, it did get a bit tiresome reading a swear word within every sentence he spoke.
Overall this book is definitely worth the read, especially if you enjoyed The Silver Linings Play Book. In fact, The Good Luck of Right Now may even be the better book!
StorybookConfectionary (1 KP) rated Call Me by Your Name (2017) in Movies
Mar 9, 2018
The pace is supposed to feel languid like the summer vacation they are having. (11 more)
The characters are developed early on, like Oliver's knowledge of etymology that would be a cliché of the "protagonist as genius" had it not been a simply test.
Elio's name comes from 'helios' or sun and fits his personality in the sense that he is generous with his time, brilliant by definition of his current state of youth in mind and body, and he is restless in love.
The peach scene is heartbreaking.
The fireplace is a cinematographic style we don't see a lot as an Ameeican audience, where the camera stays in one place and we look through Elios for a long time. It should feel discomforting.
Elios' girl approaches him first even though she recognizes he used her and even when she said she was most afraid of getting hurt. She tells him she's sorry to see him sad, that she loves him, and then extends her hand for a reconciliation.
Elios takes her hand only when she promises her friendship is forever. So while romance is fleeting and he has the courage to proceed, he cannot give up the commitment of duration as prerequisite in a friendship.
The flies throughout the movie feel natural to the countryside but can also signify the attraction to: the sweetness of fruit, the rotting of fruit, and the indiscriminatory chances that warmth gives to living things.
These flies deserve an additional block for their amount of screentime, a motif of desire that obstructs the viewer's sight and buzzes us into a haze. We are, unbeknownst to ourselves, directed towards empathy for the characters.
Romance should be prolonged. Teased until it hits a climax and cannot be resisted anymore. Elio and everyone else hits a note of ecstasy once Oliver gives into the beauty of a body.
It's amazing how this story is founded on and driven by the conversations between Greek philosophy and Roman conquests. The Greeks thought sculpture could answer their question about knowledge/beauty.
Romance, because it ends, remains so good, nostalgic, and desirable.
Summer love