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The Soviet Gulag: Evidence, Interpretation and Comparison
Book
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent archival revolution, Aleksandr...
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated My Absolute Darling in Books
Dec 31, 2017
Really struggled to get into this
This is one of those love/hate type of books, and unfortunately I fall into the latter camp. An extremely triggering and sensitive subject tackled here by author Gabriel Tallent - the topic of child sexual abuse written in the perspective of a young girl, Turtle, and her relationship with her father, Martin, who is responsible for abusing her. As she develops, she becomes more aware of her situation and the precarious horrors that she faces.
The major issue here is the gratuitous language used by the author, to describe Turtle's violent circumstance - it almost sounds pornographic rather than terrifying. While I can see Tallent's attempts to show Turtle internalising the language used by her father, it becomes overused and cliched. The pair are portrayed as gun-toting, hill-billy, survivalists and at one point, are even seen to read Deliverance. It is hyperbolic by the end in her bid to find justice, and for many survivors - this just isn't the case.
It does make sense why so many women have criticised his writing, he should probably try to stick to something a little closer to home.
The major issue here is the gratuitous language used by the author, to describe Turtle's violent circumstance - it almost sounds pornographic rather than terrifying. While I can see Tallent's attempts to show Turtle internalising the language used by her father, it becomes overused and cliched. The pair are portrayed as gun-toting, hill-billy, survivalists and at one point, are even seen to read Deliverance. It is hyperbolic by the end in her bid to find justice, and for many survivors - this just isn't the case.
It does make sense why so many women have criticised his writing, he should probably try to stick to something a little closer to home.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I can't say it's bad, because I've taught 95% of the projects before. they're great projects! But as an artist and art instructor, I've seen kids do more than what is in this book (for some of the projects). Some of the projects are very simple things you could find over the internet. Some are things you do in elementary school. It's got a broad mix of really cool projects with a lot of potential, and really dull projects that I know kids don't really respond to very well.
However, I did find three or four projects that are pretty cool, that I'm definitely implementing aspects of in my extended camp this summer!
That being said, this book is great for students who want to do art but don't have any kind of local art class institution, teachers who are looking for a good collection to fit a wide age range, and maybe homeschool parents who want their kids to have art but don't know where to start.
Kids art class teacher? not so much. You probably already know them.
However, I did find three or four projects that are pretty cool, that I'm definitely implementing aspects of in my extended camp this summer!
That being said, this book is great for students who want to do art but don't have any kind of local art class institution, teachers who are looking for a good collection to fit a wide age range, and maybe homeschool parents who want their kids to have art but don't know where to start.
Kids art class teacher? not so much. You probably already know them.
Lou Grande (148 KP) rated The Endless (2018) in Movies
Jul 20, 2018
I saw Benson and Moorhead’s Resolution (2012) back when it was released, so I was excited when I saw they would be teaming up again for The Endless. Especially when it was marketed as Lovecraftian with a cult theme. Maybe I built it up too much in my mind, because I was really disappointed.
Two brothers have escaped from a UFO Doomsday cult and participate in deproframming while eking out a meager existence. Until they receive a cassette with a message from one of the cult members. They decide to return to “Camp Arcadia” to “get it out of their system.”
The Endless is a slow burn that ultimately fizzles. It involves time travel and something vast and infinite in the woods. Normally I’d be right on board, but this movie was really...boring. I’ve never seen a bunch of white guys that looked so similar, and the setting gets monotonous after a too-long run time of 112 minutes. There are callbacks to Resolution that answer questions for that film, but raise more for the one you’re watching. The effects (when utilized) were meh. I expected cosmic horror and got—well, nothing, really.
Two brothers have escaped from a UFO Doomsday cult and participate in deproframming while eking out a meager existence. Until they receive a cassette with a message from one of the cult members. They decide to return to “Camp Arcadia” to “get it out of their system.”
The Endless is a slow burn that ultimately fizzles. It involves time travel and something vast and infinite in the woods. Normally I’d be right on board, but this movie was really...boring. I’ve never seen a bunch of white guys that looked so similar, and the setting gets monotonous after a too-long run time of 112 minutes. There are callbacks to Resolution that answer questions for that film, but raise more for the one you’re watching. The effects (when utilized) were meh. I expected cosmic horror and got—well, nothing, really.
Lorna Cant (51 KP) rated The Nightingale in Books
Jan 14, 2020
I honestly thought this was going to be a run of the mill WW2 story, but I was so wrong! These two sisters, one young, vivacious and spirited, the other older, settled and inclined to play it safe are so different, yet where it really counts each are as brave as the other.
Isabelle, the younger, is wild and impetuous. When Nazis invade their home town, she immediately wants to fight, regardless of the consequences. Taking an active part in the resistance she belies her years.
Older sister Vianne is more conservative. Married since she was 16, living in the family home that has been theirs for generations she is settled, keeps her head down and doesnt want to draw attention to herself.
Appearances can be deceptive. Even with Nazi officers billeted at her home, she proves that a mother is willing to do anything to protect her children, especially with her husband interned in a POW camp.
The stories these women have to tell are extraordinary, each of the finding in themselves a bravery they didn't know they had until they had to find it. Beautifully written, heart breaking. Extraordinary.
Isabelle, the younger, is wild and impetuous. When Nazis invade their home town, she immediately wants to fight, regardless of the consequences. Taking an active part in the resistance she belies her years.
Older sister Vianne is more conservative. Married since she was 16, living in the family home that has been theirs for generations she is settled, keeps her head down and doesnt want to draw attention to herself.
Appearances can be deceptive. Even with Nazi officers billeted at her home, she proves that a mother is willing to do anything to protect her children, especially with her husband interned in a POW camp.
The stories these women have to tell are extraordinary, each of the finding in themselves a bravery they didn't know they had until they had to find it. Beautifully written, heart breaking. Extraordinary.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Naked Jungle (1954) in Movies
Jan 29, 2020
Nothing to do with Keith Chegwin, thank God. Slightly stodgy romance as plantation owner Charlton Heston sorts himself out with a mail-order bride and gets more than he bargained for in the form of Eleanor Parker. He is very stern and formal and calls her 'Madam' a lot; she is self-willed and feisty; sexual tension hangs in the air like the pong from a backed-up toilet but they seem stuck in an impasse until ferocious marabunta ants start swarming through the neighbourhood. (The ants only appear in the final act of the movie; one could wish they'd turn up sooner.)
Hard to say which is more awkward to watch nowadays, the depiction of the locals or the gender politics, but there is a certain camp fun to be had once the army ants finally show up: there are various scenes of people watching the ants through binoculars, while Heston's aargh-I'm-being-eaten-alive acting is as earnestly stoic as you might expect. Just about succeeds at what it sets out to do, and the structure of the story is solid, but very old-fashioned and corny.
Hard to say which is more awkward to watch nowadays, the depiction of the locals or the gender politics, but there is a certain camp fun to be had once the army ants finally show up: there are various scenes of people watching the ants through binoculars, while Heston's aargh-I'm-being-eaten-alive acting is as earnestly stoic as you might expect. Just about succeeds at what it sets out to do, and the structure of the story is solid, but very old-fashioned and corny.
Merissa (12698 KP) rated Together Bound (Sentries #2) in Books
Jan 9, 2020
TOGETHER BOUND is the second book in the Sentries series and we continue with Todd and Nicky's story. I would definitely recommend reading this as a series as we deal with the same characters in the same world and if you don't, then this may not make any sense at all!
Todd and Nicky go undercover at a slave rehabilitation camp to try and find out if the Chancellor has gone crazy or not. It turns out he's not crazy, but he's not himself either! This is a dangerous mission, more so for Nicky in many ways, but Todd has his own battles to fight too.
I loved returning to their world and seeing how they interact with each other. I don't think this was as "hot and heavy" as the first book but there are definitely moments where Todd goes Alpha!
There is a great cast of characters in this book and I would love to hear more from them in future books. A fantastic ending that wraps up this part of their story nicely whilst leading onto the next... which I CAN'T WAIT FOR!!!
Definitely recommended by me and bring on the next!
Todd and Nicky go undercover at a slave rehabilitation camp to try and find out if the Chancellor has gone crazy or not. It turns out he's not crazy, but he's not himself either! This is a dangerous mission, more so for Nicky in many ways, but Todd has his own battles to fight too.
I loved returning to their world and seeing how they interact with each other. I don't think this was as "hot and heavy" as the first book but there are definitely moments where Todd goes Alpha!
There is a great cast of characters in this book and I would love to hear more from them in future books. A fantastic ending that wraps up this part of their story nicely whilst leading onto the next... which I CAN'T WAIT FOR!!!
Definitely recommended by me and bring on the next!
The Lightless Sky: My Journey to Safety as a Child Refugee
Gulwali Passarlay and Nadene Ghouri
Book
'To risk my life had to mean something. Otherwise what was it all for?' Gulwali Passarlay was sent...
Them: Adventures with Extremists: Picador Classic
Book
With an introduction by Russell Brand What if a tiny, shadow elite rule the world from a secret...
What a Thing to Say to the Queen: A Collection of Royal Anecdotes from the House of Windsor
Book
About thirty years ago the Guardian first published two amusing anecdotes about the Queen Mother....