Search
Holy Rosary Deluxe Version
Reference and Lifestyle
App
Available in English, Spanish, Italian, French and Latin. Includes Divine Mercy (Novena and the...
BookblogbyCari (345 KP) rated The News: A User's Manual in Books
Aug 5, 2018
I believe this book has the wrong title. Let me explain.
Despite having the title “The News: A User’s Manual”, the book reads like a wish-list of how de Botton wants news journalists and media editors to present and publish the news. Furthermore, if it was intended to be read by the layperson, de Botton must have had the dual intention of increasing the lay reader’s vocabulary. Several of the words I looked up in my offline dictionary app weren’t to be found.
I liked how his views were presented though - this short book is split into 8 main topics: politics, world news, economics, celebrity, disaster, consumption and a conclusion. Each topic is split into further sub-topics, and each of the points being made in these sub-topics is numbered and lasts about a page. This organization doesn’t disrupt the fluidity, however, and the way that points are made in such small sections provides the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on each point made.
It presents the author’s views on what the news should ideally be and how it can enrich us. He made numerous valid points, but for the purposes of this review, I will concentrate on those I consider to be the most important. The book is written for a British audience, using several British news story excerpts to highlight de Botton’s points. His points are all well put and I didn’t really want to have to paraphrase them for this review for that very reason.
Firstly, the perception that political news is boring is not a minor issue. Often there is an important matter which fails to engage us, and we can react more strongly to matters which affect very few people.
Another valid point is how the process of the reader developing views on serious issues on which so little information is actually conveyed, makes us feel like we are being ruled by crooks and idiots who seem to be ignoring logical solutions. The news fails to explain why difficult decisions are so difficult.
On celebrity news, de Botton portrays hero worship as childish and demeaning, a sign that we find ourselves inadequate. He argues that celebrity news should be used as a self-improvement tool, focusing on what we can learn from the individual.
De Botton believes that the purpose of dramatic tragedies should be so we can compare ourselves to the villain, that the stories read like fables and imparted a moral statement. We are a hideously flawed species, he says, and the criminals need to be humanized if we are to learn anything from these kinds of stories.
And on that note, I shall say I have learned something from this book. The contrast de Botton demonstrates between how the news is portrayed and how it ought to be to best enrich us, will ensure I will take his comments into consideration when I read/watch the news or am deciding on my personalization of news received on news apps. The purpose of the editors may be to sell advertising space, but my intention in perceiving the news is to obtain a fair and accurate perspective of the world around me.
Despite having the title “The News: A User’s Manual”, the book reads like a wish-list of how de Botton wants news journalists and media editors to present and publish the news. Furthermore, if it was intended to be read by the layperson, de Botton must have had the dual intention of increasing the lay reader’s vocabulary. Several of the words I looked up in my offline dictionary app weren’t to be found.
I liked how his views were presented though - this short book is split into 8 main topics: politics, world news, economics, celebrity, disaster, consumption and a conclusion. Each topic is split into further sub-topics, and each of the points being made in these sub-topics is numbered and lasts about a page. This organization doesn’t disrupt the fluidity, however, and the way that points are made in such small sections provides the perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on each point made.
It presents the author’s views on what the news should ideally be and how it can enrich us. He made numerous valid points, but for the purposes of this review, I will concentrate on those I consider to be the most important. The book is written for a British audience, using several British news story excerpts to highlight de Botton’s points. His points are all well put and I didn’t really want to have to paraphrase them for this review for that very reason.
Firstly, the perception that political news is boring is not a minor issue. Often there is an important matter which fails to engage us, and we can react more strongly to matters which affect very few people.
Another valid point is how the process of the reader developing views on serious issues on which so little information is actually conveyed, makes us feel like we are being ruled by crooks and idiots who seem to be ignoring logical solutions. The news fails to explain why difficult decisions are so difficult.
On celebrity news, de Botton portrays hero worship as childish and demeaning, a sign that we find ourselves inadequate. He argues that celebrity news should be used as a self-improvement tool, focusing on what we can learn from the individual.
De Botton believes that the purpose of dramatic tragedies should be so we can compare ourselves to the villain, that the stories read like fables and imparted a moral statement. We are a hideously flawed species, he says, and the criminals need to be humanized if we are to learn anything from these kinds of stories.
And on that note, I shall say I have learned something from this book. The contrast de Botton demonstrates between how the news is portrayed and how it ought to be to best enrich us, will ensure I will take his comments into consideration when I read/watch the news or am deciding on my personalization of news received on news apps. The purpose of the editors may be to sell advertising space, but my intention in perceiving the news is to obtain a fair and accurate perspective of the world around me.
Gareth von Kallenbach (977 KP) rated The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Life for Peter Parker, (Andrew Garfield), has become interesting to say the least. He is juggling the delicate and complex balance of being Spider-man as well as a high school senior and boyfriend to Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone).
His enthusiasm for his wall crawling alter ego is evident from the start as he still is as fast with a quip as he is with his webs and fists when taking down the bad guys of New York.
A chance encounter with an ultra nerdy yet brilliant Oscorp employee named Max (Jaime Foxx), puts a series of events into motion that will put the city and Spider-man on a collision with a severe danger.
When a freak accident transforms Max into a being capable of becoming and discharging pure electricity, the passive aggressive Max has an outlet for his pent up anger and hero worship and sets to make all those who ignored him pay.
At the same time, internal politics have left Oscorp in the hands of young Harry who learns he has limited time to solidify his position and legacy.
All of this would be enough for anyone to deal with but Peter is conflicted by his love for Gwen and his promise to her late father to stay away from her for her own safety.
Peter also has to content with his Aunt May (Sally Field) and unlocking the mystery of his parents who left him with his Aunt and Uncle years earlier never to return.
If this sounds a bit heady for a comic book based movie then you will not be surprised with the first ¾ of the film. It does contain some great 3D moments of Spider-man slinging his way around the city and some good moments of action but mostly the audience gets character introductions and plot expositions.
When it does get to the action, it does so in a very sleek and stylish way but one that is so obviously CGI created that it plays more like a video game.
For me the liberties taking with the characters and the history of the series were a bit much at first as what they came up with for Electro is not even close to the way he is portrayed in the comics.
Thankfully the final act of the film delivers and sets up future films in grand style even though the trailers tease content that is barely in the film and would have made for a great addition to the film.
Garfield and Stone have great chemistry with one another, and Foxx does his best despite in my opinion being very miscast for the role.
Director Marc Webb is clearly a fan of the source material and I am eager to see what he comes up with for future installments.
As it stands, “The Amazing Spider-man 2”, is an enjoyable summer film but not as good as the film that preceded it and could have been so much more.
http://sknr.net/2014/05/02/amazing-spider-man-2/
His enthusiasm for his wall crawling alter ego is evident from the start as he still is as fast with a quip as he is with his webs and fists when taking down the bad guys of New York.
A chance encounter with an ultra nerdy yet brilliant Oscorp employee named Max (Jaime Foxx), puts a series of events into motion that will put the city and Spider-man on a collision with a severe danger.
When a freak accident transforms Max into a being capable of becoming and discharging pure electricity, the passive aggressive Max has an outlet for his pent up anger and hero worship and sets to make all those who ignored him pay.
At the same time, internal politics have left Oscorp in the hands of young Harry who learns he has limited time to solidify his position and legacy.
All of this would be enough for anyone to deal with but Peter is conflicted by his love for Gwen and his promise to her late father to stay away from her for her own safety.
Peter also has to content with his Aunt May (Sally Field) and unlocking the mystery of his parents who left him with his Aunt and Uncle years earlier never to return.
If this sounds a bit heady for a comic book based movie then you will not be surprised with the first ¾ of the film. It does contain some great 3D moments of Spider-man slinging his way around the city and some good moments of action but mostly the audience gets character introductions and plot expositions.
When it does get to the action, it does so in a very sleek and stylish way but one that is so obviously CGI created that it plays more like a video game.
For me the liberties taking with the characters and the history of the series were a bit much at first as what they came up with for Electro is not even close to the way he is portrayed in the comics.
Thankfully the final act of the film delivers and sets up future films in grand style even though the trailers tease content that is barely in the film and would have made for a great addition to the film.
Garfield and Stone have great chemistry with one another, and Foxx does his best despite in my opinion being very miscast for the role.
Director Marc Webb is clearly a fan of the source material and I am eager to see what he comes up with for future installments.
As it stands, “The Amazing Spider-man 2”, is an enjoyable summer film but not as good as the film that preceded it and could have been so much more.
http://sknr.net/2014/05/02/amazing-spider-man-2/
<i>This eBook was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review </i>
After being out of print for sixty years, <i>Ilsa</i>, one of Madeleine L’Engle’s first novels has been republished, giving readers the chance to discover the rare, little known story. L’Engle is recognized as the author of <i>A Wrinkle in Time</i> and a selection of young adult novels, however <i>Ilsa</i> is an example of L’Engle’s ability to pen a much darker story.
Fundamentally a love story, <i>Ilsa</i> is set in America during the first half of the 1900s. Whilst this gives it an historical context to current readers, it would have been the present day when the story was originally published. The narrator, Henry Porcher, first meets the titular character at the age of ten, shortly before his family whisks him away to temporary accommodation many miles away. In this brief introduction, Henry falls in love with Isla, despite her being three years older than him. From this point on, Henry’s mind and heart are filled with thoughts about Ilsa, and is saddened that his family possess antagonistic opinions about her and her father.
Henry and Ilsa come from entirely different backgrounds. The Porcher’s are a large family with an air of superiority, a stark contrast to the humble lodgings of Ilsa and her naturalist father, Dr. Brandes. Whilst Henry’s parents look down on Dr. Brandes, Ilsa views the Porcher’s as rich and biggity. Yet, Henry and Ilsa are happy to be friends – a <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>-esque relationship, unfortunately with romantic attraction only falling on one side.
Despite his hopes, Henry realizes that Ilsa will never be his. By the age of twenty-four, he already feels like a failure, yet he continues to shadow and worship Ilsa without a care to how his life turns out. Henry painstakingly witnesses Ilsa’s transformation from girl to woman, marrying a man who does not deserve her, becoming a mother, a widow, and finally suffering health wise. Forfeiting his chance of career and marriage, Henry experiences the darker side of love, and pays the price of unrequited love.
For a story about love,<i> Ilsa </i>contains no romance or passionate scenes, and once Henry loses his childhood naivety, it begins to become rather dull. The reader will initially anticipate a happy ending, but the lack of a climax reveals that this will not be forthcoming. <i>Ilsa</i> is far more interesting at the beginning of the novel, a time when anything could happen, but becomes increasingly disheartening as it goes along.
Having not read the celebrate author before, I have no idea how <i>Ilsa</i> compares to the more popular of L’Engle’s novels. Personally, I am not impelled to seek out any of her other books, however that does not mean I deem<i> Ilsa</i> terrible. For fans of L’Engle, this book is certainly worth seeking out, particularly this edition, which contains a brief biography and selection of photographs of the author throughout her life.
After being out of print for sixty years, <i>Ilsa</i>, one of Madeleine L’Engle’s first novels has been republished, giving readers the chance to discover the rare, little known story. L’Engle is recognized as the author of <i>A Wrinkle in Time</i> and a selection of young adult novels, however <i>Ilsa</i> is an example of L’Engle’s ability to pen a much darker story.
Fundamentally a love story, <i>Ilsa</i> is set in America during the first half of the 1900s. Whilst this gives it an historical context to current readers, it would have been the present day when the story was originally published. The narrator, Henry Porcher, first meets the titular character at the age of ten, shortly before his family whisks him away to temporary accommodation many miles away. In this brief introduction, Henry falls in love with Isla, despite her being three years older than him. From this point on, Henry’s mind and heart are filled with thoughts about Ilsa, and is saddened that his family possess antagonistic opinions about her and her father.
Henry and Ilsa come from entirely different backgrounds. The Porcher’s are a large family with an air of superiority, a stark contrast to the humble lodgings of Ilsa and her naturalist father, Dr. Brandes. Whilst Henry’s parents look down on Dr. Brandes, Ilsa views the Porcher’s as rich and biggity. Yet, Henry and Ilsa are happy to be friends – a <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>-esque relationship, unfortunately with romantic attraction only falling on one side.
Despite his hopes, Henry realizes that Ilsa will never be his. By the age of twenty-four, he already feels like a failure, yet he continues to shadow and worship Ilsa without a care to how his life turns out. Henry painstakingly witnesses Ilsa’s transformation from girl to woman, marrying a man who does not deserve her, becoming a mother, a widow, and finally suffering health wise. Forfeiting his chance of career and marriage, Henry experiences the darker side of love, and pays the price of unrequited love.
For a story about love,<i> Ilsa </i>contains no romance or passionate scenes, and once Henry loses his childhood naivety, it begins to become rather dull. The reader will initially anticipate a happy ending, but the lack of a climax reveals that this will not be forthcoming. <i>Ilsa</i> is far more interesting at the beginning of the novel, a time when anything could happen, but becomes increasingly disheartening as it goes along.
Having not read the celebrate author before, I have no idea how <i>Ilsa</i> compares to the more popular of L’Engle’s novels. Personally, I am not impelled to seek out any of her other books, however that does not mean I deem<i> Ilsa</i> terrible. For fans of L’Engle, this book is certainly worth seeking out, particularly this edition, which contains a brief biography and selection of photographs of the author throughout her life.
Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated Wendy, Darling in Books
Jun 17, 2021
Have you ever wondered what happened when Wendy, John and Michael returned from Neverland? Wendy, Darling by A. C Wise is about to reveal all, but let me warn you, it is far from a fairytale!
Life post-Neverland for the Darling children has been difficult to say the least. Upon their return Wendy was struck with a serious fever, their parents were casualties of the Titanic, Michael has recently returned from WWI with his own ghosts and John has financial struggles. However, from Wendy's perspective, these all pale in comparison: John and Michael have done the worst thing imaginable they have forgotten Neverland!
Wendy's refusal to let go of Neverland and her dogged determination to make her brothers remember their adventures causes great friction within the Darling family. Wendy finds herself labelled as a hysterical woman and is even confined to an asylum after raging at her siblings.
This is just one of the methods Wise uses to address the misogyny of the original Peter Pan story and it is a particularly harrowing one: the abuse Wendy faces at the hands of her "carers" is brutal and unforgiving in its detail. To everyone surrounding her, Neverland is Wendy's sickness, an imaginery world that she is hiding behind. However, several years after her release from St Bernadettes, Neverland still lives on in Wendy's memories and now it is catching up with her. Now Peter is flying out of her window again... with Wendy's daughter Jane in tow!
Wendy returns to a very different Neverland to that which she left. Although the island always seemed to play to Peter's every whim this time there is a dark, evil edge to it. Wise really plays on the fact that everyone idolised Peter in the original fairytale but this Peter has a barbaric, sinister personality along with a dangerous secret. Can Wendy rescue her daughter from the boy she used to worship? One thing is for sure, they're not playing a game anymore!
A. C Wise's writing almost hypnotises the reader, flitting between characters and time periods with ease without losing our interest. The undercurrent of a locked-away secret and the juxtaposition between Barrie/Disney's Neverland and Wise's makes this a real page turner.
Wendy herself is a flawed heroine but in my opinion that is the best kind. She has overcome so much loss and trauma and, although she still feels the pull of Neverland, she finds that motherhood has a much stronger claim on her heart and can provide her with so much more power than she ever imagined.
Wendy, Darling is an unflinching retelling of Peter Pan with a feminist edge. A. C Wise kidnaps and transports her readers to a dark and ominous Neverland which harbours a monstrous secret. Wendy and her daughter are on an adventure of fear, loss and grief. There is no make-believe in this fantasy land.
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Wendy, Darling comes with trigger warnings for kidnap, death, trauma and abuse.
Life post-Neverland for the Darling children has been difficult to say the least. Upon their return Wendy was struck with a serious fever, their parents were casualties of the Titanic, Michael has recently returned from WWI with his own ghosts and John has financial struggles. However, from Wendy's perspective, these all pale in comparison: John and Michael have done the worst thing imaginable they have forgotten Neverland!
Wendy's refusal to let go of Neverland and her dogged determination to make her brothers remember their adventures causes great friction within the Darling family. Wendy finds herself labelled as a hysterical woman and is even confined to an asylum after raging at her siblings.
This is just one of the methods Wise uses to address the misogyny of the original Peter Pan story and it is a particularly harrowing one: the abuse Wendy faces at the hands of her "carers" is brutal and unforgiving in its detail. To everyone surrounding her, Neverland is Wendy's sickness, an imaginery world that she is hiding behind. However, several years after her release from St Bernadettes, Neverland still lives on in Wendy's memories and now it is catching up with her. Now Peter is flying out of her window again... with Wendy's daughter Jane in tow!
Wendy returns to a very different Neverland to that which she left. Although the island always seemed to play to Peter's every whim this time there is a dark, evil edge to it. Wise really plays on the fact that everyone idolised Peter in the original fairytale but this Peter has a barbaric, sinister personality along with a dangerous secret. Can Wendy rescue her daughter from the boy she used to worship? One thing is for sure, they're not playing a game anymore!
A. C Wise's writing almost hypnotises the reader, flitting between characters and time periods with ease without losing our interest. The undercurrent of a locked-away secret and the juxtaposition between Barrie/Disney's Neverland and Wise's makes this a real page turner.
Wendy herself is a flawed heroine but in my opinion that is the best kind. She has overcome so much loss and trauma and, although she still feels the pull of Neverland, she finds that motherhood has a much stronger claim on her heart and can provide her with so much more power than she ever imagined.
Wendy, Darling is an unflinching retelling of Peter Pan with a feminist edge. A. C Wise kidnaps and transports her readers to a dark and ominous Neverland which harbours a monstrous secret. Wendy and her daughter are on an adventure of fear, loss and grief. There is no make-believe in this fantasy land.
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Wendy, Darling comes with trigger warnings for kidnap, death, trauma and abuse.
BobbiesDustyPages (1259 KP) rated American Gods in Books
Aug 30, 2017
I could live in this book
Contains spoilers, click to show
Short and to the point:
From start to finish I just did not want to put down American Gods, I just always really enjoy Gaiman's writing style he manages to create a world within a world that just feels so effortless and downright real. Their are so many amazing characters and most of them I just wanted more of, also with the amount of character we have we really get something that we never do and that is people of color represented and it is WONDERFUL .This is one of those few books that as soon as I was finished I wanted to turn it over and start reading again.
Characters:
Shadow Moon - I could wax poetics about Shadow, he was quiet and kind of dry and usually that would have me think a character is kind of boring but just not with Shadow he drew me and made me fall in love. It was a so a happy surprise to have a main protagonist who is a person of color which is something that is need so much nowadays.
Laura – I really loved how Laura was handled, most characters who died the way she did would have been either thrown aside or made to be hated but that is not the case here, I love how she helps Shadow and her love for him really comes through but also that we do see her as her own person.
Mr. Wednesday - What can I say about Wednesday besides from the moment you meet him I don't trust him but like Shadow I can't help what wanting to follow him where he's taking me.
The Gods - even though there are a lot and I mean a lot of characters throughout the book I found myself never feeling overwhelmed by them Gaiman really found a way to give them all a voice but in no way overshadow the plot or any of the other characters.
Plot:
We meet Shadow a few days before his release from prison he is taken into the wardens office to me given the devastating new that his wife Laura had been killed, when he is released from prison he meets a strange man know as Mr. Wednesday who offers Shadow a job to accompany him across America so he can recruit others to fight in an upcoming war, The Old Gods vs. The New Gods.
The story takes you to so many places and you meet so many just unique characters I love the differences between the gods how the old are left to do what they have to service feeding off of any belief they can get and how the new gods aren't at all what I thought I was going to be getting because let's face it there are not as many religious gods any more instead we worship TV and technology the way the Greeks worshiped the gods of Olympus.
Personal thoughts:
I could not get enough of American Gods even though the book was pretty hefty and it took me sometime to finish I still wanted more, Gaiman just creates such a wonderful and unique worlds that I could stay lost in them forever.
From start to finish I just did not want to put down American Gods, I just always really enjoy Gaiman's writing style he manages to create a world within a world that just feels so effortless and downright real. Their are so many amazing characters and most of them I just wanted more of, also with the amount of character we have we really get something that we never do and that is people of color represented and it is WONDERFUL .This is one of those few books that as soon as I was finished I wanted to turn it over and start reading again.
Characters:
Shadow Moon - I could wax poetics about Shadow, he was quiet and kind of dry and usually that would have me think a character is kind of boring but just not with Shadow he drew me and made me fall in love. It was a so a happy surprise to have a main protagonist who is a person of color which is something that is need so much nowadays.
Laura – I really loved how Laura was handled, most characters who died the way she did would have been either thrown aside or made to be hated but that is not the case here, I love how she helps Shadow and her love for him really comes through but also that we do see her as her own person.
Mr. Wednesday - What can I say about Wednesday besides from the moment you meet him I don't trust him but like Shadow I can't help what wanting to follow him where he's taking me.
The Gods - even though there are a lot and I mean a lot of characters throughout the book I found myself never feeling overwhelmed by them Gaiman really found a way to give them all a voice but in no way overshadow the plot or any of the other characters.
Plot:
We meet Shadow a few days before his release from prison he is taken into the wardens office to me given the devastating new that his wife Laura had been killed, when he is released from prison he meets a strange man know as Mr. Wednesday who offers Shadow a job to accompany him across America so he can recruit others to fight in an upcoming war, The Old Gods vs. The New Gods.
The story takes you to so many places and you meet so many just unique characters I love the differences between the gods how the old are left to do what they have to service feeding off of any belief they can get and how the new gods aren't at all what I thought I was going to be getting because let's face it there are not as many religious gods any more instead we worship TV and technology the way the Greeks worshiped the gods of Olympus.
Personal thoughts:
I could not get enough of American Gods even though the book was pretty hefty and it took me sometime to finish I still wanted more, Gaiman just creates such a wonderful and unique worlds that I could stay lost in them forever.
Ibadat - Quran Qibla & Mosque finder
Lifestyle
App
** Most Popular Quran app on Store ** ** More than 100,000 Downloads ** ** Amazing user experience...
Indian Doll Diwali Celebration
Games and Lifestyle
App
Wishing you Happy Diwali & Prosperous New Year! Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu festival of lights...
India Panchang Calendar 2017
Lifestyle and Utilities
App
The Panchang is ancient spiritual and scientific calendar system based on the positions of the...