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Intervention with Children
Rajinder M. Gupta and Peter Coxhead
Book
Educational psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other professionals are often asked by...
On the Parole Board: Reflections on Crime, Punishment, Redemption, and Justice
Book
Few people experience life inside of prison. Even fewer are charged with the formidable...
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Soul (2020) in Movies
Jan 1, 2021
The second Pixar effort of 2020 is nothing short of excellent. Soul is a wonderful experience from start to finish, dealing with abstract ideas in a touching way, and boasting some of the finest animation out there.
When compared to older Pixar efforts, it's easy to see just how far this sort of thing has come. Soul manages to look photo realistic, despite the cartoony designs of the human characters. It has matured in other ways too - where these films used to be kid friendly adventures with a message lurking within, that's not quite the case anymore. The themes in Soul are very much for an older audience, and sure, there are talking cats and colourful visuals in The Great Before to keep younger viewers involved, but the narrative here focuses on how one can feel like their life is wasted sometimes, how it's easy to feel lost in such a big world, and the acceptance of death. With heavy subject matters at the forefront, the frequently heart-warming and funny screenplay results in an story that is expertly crafted to hit all the right emotional buttons, whilst still being fun, and full of awesome jazz.
Director Pete Docter is of course the man behind Up, Inside Out and Monsters Inc. so it's no surprise that his fourth Pixar feature is one that can stand tall next to those greats. A fantastic voice cast including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Richard Ayoade, Anglea Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, and Rachel House among others, adds the remaining ingredients to ensure that Soul is another magnificent string in Pixar's bow, and is an essential watch.
When compared to older Pixar efforts, it's easy to see just how far this sort of thing has come. Soul manages to look photo realistic, despite the cartoony designs of the human characters. It has matured in other ways too - where these films used to be kid friendly adventures with a message lurking within, that's not quite the case anymore. The themes in Soul are very much for an older audience, and sure, there are talking cats and colourful visuals in The Great Before to keep younger viewers involved, but the narrative here focuses on how one can feel like their life is wasted sometimes, how it's easy to feel lost in such a big world, and the acceptance of death. With heavy subject matters at the forefront, the frequently heart-warming and funny screenplay results in an story that is expertly crafted to hit all the right emotional buttons, whilst still being fun, and full of awesome jazz.
Director Pete Docter is of course the man behind Up, Inside Out and Monsters Inc. so it's no surprise that his fourth Pixar feature is one that can stand tall next to those greats. A fantastic voice cast including Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Richard Ayoade, Anglea Bassett, Phylicia Rashad, and Rachel House among others, adds the remaining ingredients to ensure that Soul is another magnificent string in Pixar's bow, and is an essential watch.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Are We There Yet? in Books
Jul 1, 2021
A heartfelt look at parenting and growing up
Alice Sullivan is an interior designer and mom whose nearly perfect life goes off the rails when her son Teddy gets in trouble bullying at school. The same day she learns her daughter Adrian is having trouble keeping up in second grade. Soon Alice learns Teddy is caught up in a social media battle with another kid and she's rapidly being subjected to the judgement of the other moms. This includes her good friend, Meredith, whose daughter Sadie may be more involved than Meredith realizes. Then, Alice finds herself reeling further when her mom, Evelyn, reveals a long-held secret. Alice needs to stop caring what other people think--and starting focusing on her family. Fast.
This book was one of those happy surprises, where it was even better than I expected. It was real and captivating, highlighting how difficult it is to be both a parent and kid in the digital age. The story is expertly told from a variety of perspectives--Alice, Meredith, Teddy, Evelyn, and Sadie.
West does such a great job of portraying the interconnected people, both kids and parents, in her tale. All are mostly trying their best but often failing while some are judging others. Yet it seems like their world falls apart anyway. Everyone's story was told in such a unique voice, and I could not help but feel so sorry for these kids trying to survive in a digital age, and their parents attempting to maintain some type of control.
Overall, this is excellent book--very timely, realistic, and both heartbreaking and hopeful. 4.25 stars.
This book was one of those happy surprises, where it was even better than I expected. It was real and captivating, highlighting how difficult it is to be both a parent and kid in the digital age. The story is expertly told from a variety of perspectives--Alice, Meredith, Teddy, Evelyn, and Sadie.
West does such a great job of portraying the interconnected people, both kids and parents, in her tale. All are mostly trying their best but often failing while some are judging others. Yet it seems like their world falls apart anyway. Everyone's story was told in such a unique voice, and I could not help but feel so sorry for these kids trying to survive in a digital age, and their parents attempting to maintain some type of control.
Overall, this is excellent book--very timely, realistic, and both heartbreaking and hopeful. 4.25 stars.
BookInspector (124 KP) rated Summer at Sandcastle Cottage in Books
Jul 1, 2021
This book is told from multiple perspectives, Kitty, Apollo and Jemini are sharing their thoughts and feelings. I really liked not only the main characters but all characters mentioned in this book. They all are very realistic, unique and incredibly funny. The protagonists had a difficult past, but I am happy about their present life.
The narrative was very entertaining and enjoyable. I really enjoyed the little twists and turns, that the author incorporated into this novel. The topics discussed in this book were difficult relationships, everyday life, racism, looking for love, friendships and plenty more. One thing that really annoyed me is the term “politically correct” used in multiple places throughout this book. I don’t think it was needed and it irked me a lot.
I absolutely loved the setting of this book. I would love to spend holidays in a place like Firefly Common, where you can go to the beach and enjoy idyllic walks. The book is set during summer, so it was a great escape to somewhere nice during the lockdown. The chapters of the book have medium length, but the story is very entertaining and the pages just fly by. The ending was quite predictable, but I liked the way this story was concluded. There is a short story/prequel to this book called Christmas At Sandcastle Cottage. I haven’t read it, but I hope it would explain the past situations of the main characters better.
So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this funny, romantic novel, filled with intriguing and humorous characters as well as the plot that takes you to a beautiful place and makes you believe in a better life.
The narrative was very entertaining and enjoyable. I really enjoyed the little twists and turns, that the author incorporated into this novel. The topics discussed in this book were difficult relationships, everyday life, racism, looking for love, friendships and plenty more. One thing that really annoyed me is the term “politically correct” used in multiple places throughout this book. I don’t think it was needed and it irked me a lot.
I absolutely loved the setting of this book. I would love to spend holidays in a place like Firefly Common, where you can go to the beach and enjoy idyllic walks. The book is set during summer, so it was a great escape to somewhere nice during the lockdown. The chapters of the book have medium length, but the story is very entertaining and the pages just fly by. The ending was quite predictable, but I liked the way this story was concluded. There is a short story/prequel to this book called Christmas At Sandcastle Cottage. I haven’t read it, but I hope it would explain the past situations of the main characters better.
So, to conclude, I really enjoyed this funny, romantic novel, filled with intriguing and humorous characters as well as the plot that takes you to a beautiful place and makes you believe in a better life.
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 😀
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Releasing The Gods (The Titan's Saga #1) in Books
Jan 11, 2021
This review and more can be found at my blog
https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com
A Romance Reader's Reviews
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.
So this has a pretty quick start. Maisy is celebrating her twenty first birthday with her work colleagues on the beach and is double dared to go up the cliff to the haunted cave at its top, cutting her hand on a sharp rock on the way up. Tripping as she enters the cave, her bloody hand presses against the rock wall and the wall opens to reveal an almost seven foot mountain of a man - Cronus, a Titan - who's been imprisoned for the last 1000 years. After freeing the Titan she now finds herself with a complicated life bond connecting them together meaning they can't be more than five feet apart without agonizing pain which leads to some fun scenes.
I like how the authors integrated social media into this. It is a very big thing in the world today so to see a character who uses it regularly and wants to use it to become famous was rather realistic but I have to admit the self proclaimed hashtag queen used far too many hashtags mentally for me.
Also I think Maisy's name changes how it's spelt somewhere in this book. According to the description above it's spelt Maisy but I couldn't truly tell you if it begins like that and changes to Maisey but since about the 50%-ish mark that's how I've noticed it's been written.
I enjoyed this despite the #hashtags and will be continuing the series when more have been released.
https://aromancereadersreviews.blogspot.com
A Romance Reader's Reviews
This has been borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited Library.
So this has a pretty quick start. Maisy is celebrating her twenty first birthday with her work colleagues on the beach and is double dared to go up the cliff to the haunted cave at its top, cutting her hand on a sharp rock on the way up. Tripping as she enters the cave, her bloody hand presses against the rock wall and the wall opens to reveal an almost seven foot mountain of a man - Cronus, a Titan - who's been imprisoned for the last 1000 years. After freeing the Titan she now finds herself with a complicated life bond connecting them together meaning they can't be more than five feet apart without agonizing pain which leads to some fun scenes.
I like how the authors integrated social media into this. It is a very big thing in the world today so to see a character who uses it regularly and wants to use it to become famous was rather realistic but I have to admit the self proclaimed hashtag queen used far too many hashtags mentally for me.
Also I think Maisy's name changes how it's spelt somewhere in this book. According to the description above it's spelt Maisy but I couldn't truly tell you if it begins like that and changes to Maisey but since about the 50%-ish mark that's how I've noticed it's been written.
I enjoyed this despite the #hashtags and will be continuing the series when more have been released.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Boot Camp (Rock War #2) in Books
Jun 24, 2019
So this is the sequel to Rock War by Robert Muchamore, which is the only other novel I've read by this author. I can't say I loved the first book, but I was intrigued to find out what happened next!
Twelve young bands have earned their big break, and are due to spend their summer in Rock War Manor as part of a new TV show. Among these contestants we have Brontobyte, Jet, and Industrial Scale Slaughter - all of whom we met in the previous novel.
The bands are put through vigorous training, before performing live and having to deal with the nosy media. There's also the added issue of tension among some contestants, such as Jay and his ex-band-mates. There are, of course, some more positive relationships going on too.
This book paints a rather realistic picture of life in the media, with all the ups and down that "fame" can bring. Not that I have any actual experience in this matter, of course.
My main problem with these books is how immature they feel. The language isn't simple, but it just somehow feels childish to me. Not to mention how most characters are a few years younger than me, and remind me of my first couple of years at secondary school.
Despite this, the story is pretty good, and I was really rather shocked by the ending. Again, I'm left wanting to know what happens next?
So although I don't love this book, I don't hate it, and I can see how some people could really enjoy it. So I think it deserves 3.5 stars.
Twelve young bands have earned their big break, and are due to spend their summer in Rock War Manor as part of a new TV show. Among these contestants we have Brontobyte, Jet, and Industrial Scale Slaughter - all of whom we met in the previous novel.
The bands are put through vigorous training, before performing live and having to deal with the nosy media. There's also the added issue of tension among some contestants, such as Jay and his ex-band-mates. There are, of course, some more positive relationships going on too.
This book paints a rather realistic picture of life in the media, with all the ups and down that "fame" can bring. Not that I have any actual experience in this matter, of course.
My main problem with these books is how immature they feel. The language isn't simple, but it just somehow feels childish to me. Not to mention how most characters are a few years younger than me, and remind me of my first couple of years at secondary school.
Despite this, the story is pretty good, and I was really rather shocked by the ending. Again, I'm left wanting to know what happens next?
So although I don't love this book, I don't hate it, and I can see how some people could really enjoy it. So I think it deserves 3.5 stars.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated Dakota Burn (Leine Basso #8) in Books
Sep 27, 2019
Excellent and a must-read series
I seem to have run out of superlatives to describe this series of books by D.V. Berkom and containing the awesome Leine Basso so will just say it's another fantastic read and a must-read addition to anyone's bookshelf be it a physical one or electronic.
With an extremely disturbing but, tragically, all too realistic story line, this book contains subject matter which is distasteful and abhorrent to the majority of the "normal" population however, it is treated with respect and restraint by the author.
Excellent and believable characters litter this book from the goodies to the villains with Derek being a particular favourite of mine along with Jinn who gets better and better with each outing. The setting amongst the bleakness of an oil town in North Dakota is perfect and adds to the atmosphere and darkness of the subject matter.
Full of action and a fair amount of violence, this book is written at a quick pace which had me devouring it at every opportunity with the only complaint I have being that I finished it too quickly!
Another hit for me and I have no hesitation in recommending any of them in the series; you don't particularly need to read them in sequence but I would certainly advise that you do in order to get the most out of the characters and to have a greater understanding of their motivations and thought processes.
I must thank the author for sending me a copy in return for a honest and unbiased review - I can't wait for the next one.
With an extremely disturbing but, tragically, all too realistic story line, this book contains subject matter which is distasteful and abhorrent to the majority of the "normal" population however, it is treated with respect and restraint by the author.
Excellent and believable characters litter this book from the goodies to the villains with Derek being a particular favourite of mine along with Jinn who gets better and better with each outing. The setting amongst the bleakness of an oil town in North Dakota is perfect and adds to the atmosphere and darkness of the subject matter.
Full of action and a fair amount of violence, this book is written at a quick pace which had me devouring it at every opportunity with the only complaint I have being that I finished it too quickly!
Another hit for me and I have no hesitation in recommending any of them in the series; you don't particularly need to read them in sequence but I would certainly advise that you do in order to get the most out of the characters and to have a greater understanding of their motivations and thought processes.
I must thank the author for sending me a copy in return for a honest and unbiased review - I can't wait for the next one.
Andy K (10823 KP) rated Hobo With a Shotgun (2011) in Movies
Aug 31, 2019
One Shell at a Time...
Somewhere between Peter Jackson's Dead Alive (Braindead) and maybe a Troma or Roger Corman classic B movies lies Hobo With A Shotgun.
You have to be in the right mood to watch a movie like this. Watching cool practical effects means everything was performed on the set without the use of separate visual or CGI effects. These were obviously used exclusively back in the day before ILM and the many CGI effect groups which exist today. I still feel generally speaking they are more realistic and don't take you out of a scene like bad CGI does.
Your friendly neighborhood hobo gets fed up with the local town's hoodlum brothers and their father owning the police and generally making life miserable for everyone so he decides to take the law into his own hands and dispense his own quick justice. while he is at it, he also removes other scum from the Earth including pedophile Santas and convenience store bandits.
He befriends the girl toy of one of the hoodlums and she becomes his sort of partner in crime when she is not getting sawed into and generally degraded in every way.
When I was looking through IMDb at the career of now the late Rutger Hauer, I was amazed on how many truly bad movies or most I had never heard of he had done in his career. Not saying he was the best actor, but he did have screen presence (especially in Blade Runner) which not every actor has.
He will be missed.
You have to be in the right mood to watch a movie like this. Watching cool practical effects means everything was performed on the set without the use of separate visual or CGI effects. These were obviously used exclusively back in the day before ILM and the many CGI effect groups which exist today. I still feel generally speaking they are more realistic and don't take you out of a scene like bad CGI does.
Your friendly neighborhood hobo gets fed up with the local town's hoodlum brothers and their father owning the police and generally making life miserable for everyone so he decides to take the law into his own hands and dispense his own quick justice. while he is at it, he also removes other scum from the Earth including pedophile Santas and convenience store bandits.
He befriends the girl toy of one of the hoodlums and she becomes his sort of partner in crime when she is not getting sawed into and generally degraded in every way.
When I was looking through IMDb at the career of now the late Rutger Hauer, I was amazed on how many truly bad movies or most I had never heard of he had done in his career. Not saying he was the best actor, but he did have screen presence (especially in Blade Runner) which not every actor has.
He will be missed.