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Natalie Portman recommended Sun Under Wood in Books (curated)

 
Sun Under Wood
Sun Under Wood
Robert Hass | 2020 | Fiction & Poetry
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"In college, I took a poetry class with Jorie Graham, an amazing poet. She directed me to Hass, and his stuff moved me so much. His writing is very American, spare, clean. And manly. There’s a ruggedness to his poems. One in particular I’ve always loved is called ‘Dragonflies Mating.’ It combines a sense of abandonment in childhood with natural images. I don’t even know exactly what it means, but I think that’s what poetry does—it evokes all these feelings without our really understanding why or how it’s done."

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Trey Edward Shults recommended Paterson (2016) in Movies (curated)

 
Paterson (2016)
Paterson (2016)
2016 | Comedy, Drama

"I just finished editing my new movie and I basically haven’t slowed down since the shoot in August, so I’m playing catch up on a ton of things I missed. This film has stuck with me like crazy. I’m trying to find some normalcy in life again and writing ideas for a new movie in my note pad, spending time with my girlfriend, and taking care of my cats. I think there is inspiration and beauty in so many small things all around us… This movie has latched on to me and hasn’t let go."

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Postcards from the Edge
Postcards from the Edge
Carrie Fisher | 2011 | Fiction & Poetry
9.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Carrie was nominated for an Emmy posthumously, and I was asked to accept it on her behalf if she won. So, I reread “Postcards from the Edge,” and it’s such a joy. It’s written in letter form and includes a poem she wrote to her grandmother. There’s such incredible lyricism to her writing, which was not as simple as just documenting her own personal story. I don’t know how she coped with a brain working at warp speed; that she got a good chunk of it down was a relief for her, I’m sure."

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The Farewell (2019)
The Farewell (2019)
2019 | Comedy, Drama

"I watched “The Farewell” nearly too late to include it on this list, but thankfully was able to write in and add it at the last minute. I adored this film, not least for its beautiful simplicity. The camera work was gorgeous but never drew attention to itself, the writing was subtle yet smart and emotional, the acting honest and on point. I’ve read quite a few articles about this film and the challenges of getting it made and I’m so grateful it happened without compromises. More like this!!"

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At The Earth's Core
At The Earth's Core
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"I was 12 or 13 when was introduced to the fantasy/adventure books written by the author of the famous Tarzan series, and first read this novel. The idea of a huge mole machine burrowing to the center of the earth and discovering flying reptiles and other dinosaurish creatures was magical. The writing style now seems somewhat formal and clumsy, but as a young reader I was whisked along into the unknown. Later, in the 1930s, the author has Tarzan make the journey, too. How could that not work?"

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Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"I saw this when I was twenty-five or twenty-six and really confused about my work. I was so discouraged and had stopped writing, and this movie made me excited to start working again. Akerman was doing something with pace and composition and time that I’d always wanted to do but had been too chicken to acknowledge or go toward. Watching this made me realize that you should make the kind of art you want to see, which sounds kind of obvious but was a big revelation to me at the time."

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Deepak Chopra recommended Space, Time & Medicine in Books (curated)

 
Space, Time & Medicine
Space, Time & Medicine
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"Fellow physician Larry Dossey made a risky leap in 1985 by applying the new physics to medicine (the book’s foreword is by Tao of Physics-author Fritjof Capra). Mainstream medicine was still spooked and skeptical over the mind-body connection, and here was a doctor speculating on Bell’s Theorem and relativity, making connections between the quantum and the very basis of physiology. Seeing the human body burst into a cloud of subatomic particles thrilled me. No book has been more influential on my own writing career, and Dossey’s intellectual courage was an inspiration."

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Risk Taker (Mixed Messages, #3)
Risk Taker (Mixed Messages, #3)
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
DNF @ 68%

I struggled with this from early on. It wasn't as engaging as the previous two and I didn't gel with the characters half as much. The smoothness wasn't there either and it all felt rather awkward, the writing rather posh and a lot of the words I had to look up on the kindle's dictionary because I had no idea what they meant.

The best bits for me were the mini letters the boys had written to each other about the pranks they played on their parents at the start of every chapter.
  
No Such Thing
No Such Thing
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The author has a way of writing sci-fi romances that makes me WANT to read them, especially considering sci-fi isn't one of my favourite genre's. She writes such compelling stories of characters that you grow to like and care about.

That aside the storylines are pretty interesting too. This one spanned 15 years, although it missed out the middle bit; we got the 17 and 19 year old ones and the 32 and 34 year old ones. Sweet, first love to hot, still first loves.

Another great story from the author.
  
I Need A Hero (The Five Sisters #1)
I Need A Hero (The Five Sisters #1)
V.A. Browning | 2012 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
5
5.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
2.5 stars.

It was quite short and sweet but I didn't really feel any connection to the story or the characters and I'm not sure why.

The writing was also a little too stilted/formal for me at times too, so I kept putting me kindle down to do something else and coming back to it after a while.

I'm also not really feeling many contemporary romances that aren't New Adult at the minute, so at a later time I might give this another read and my rating may change.