Love Sick
Book
Here, leading clinical psychologist, Dr Frank Tallis, explores our age-old preoccupation with love...
Overcoming Traumatic Stress: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques
Claudia Herbert and Ann Wetmore
Book
Those who go through a catastrophic life experience often feel permanently changed by the impact of...
ClareR (5674 KP) rated Girl in the Walls in Books
Mar 21, 2021
A young girl has the ability to disappear into the walls of a house and live alongside the people who live there without their knowledge. Now if that doesn’t sound like a ghost story, then what is she? I think that the girl wanted to be like a ghost - themes such as grief and belonging are prominent in this novel. The only attachment the girl has, is to the house itself - she seems to have no family or friends.
There is such an eerie feeling to this book that really unsettled me, and as the boys who live in the house start to realise that someone else is living there with them and look for outside help, the anxiety is tangible. Frankly, there were some breathtaking moments of the “Oh no!” variety.
I honestly can’t believe that this is the authors debut novel - it’s really that good.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to A. J. Gnuse for reading along with us.
Veronica Pena (690 KP) rated Julie & Julia (2009) in Movies
Jan 15, 2021
As much as I love Meryl Streep and I truly think she is an amazing actress and deserves every bit of credit she is given, I think the true star of this film was Amy Adams. I think that she is magnificent in her complexity, in her humanity, in her portrayal of such a happenstance. Julie Powell decided to do something on a whim and she ended up with this and Amy Adams plays that very well. I think that she makes it easy to feel inspired and moved. You go through the stages of elation and grief and exhaustion with her and you almost wish you could be there to comfort her. But Eric says everything you never could.
I think this is a really special film. I'm sad it took me this long to watch it.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Island in Books
Jan 30, 2021
This book is The Famous Five on steroids; although there are six of them and no dog! Full of action, thrills and tension but it also explores many of the issues that young people have to face growing up such as mental health, death, grief and relationships but it does so with ease and with sympathy and understanding.
The characters were really well developed and although not all of them I particularly liked, they all felt right somehow. The setting was perfect and so well described that my hair frizzed due to the humidity! The pace was good and the writing style was easy to read so much so that I raced through quite quickly.
This is a great thriller for people of any age even though it is primarily aimed at young adults and I want to thank HQ (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.
_RainAllTheTime (17 KP) rated Ugly Betty - Season 1 in TV
Sep 4, 2019
The show does bring up important isses, such as Betty's fathers immigration issues, Christina's trouble with trying to raise funds for her husbands medical treatments, grief, feeling you don't fit in etc. Unfortunately some of the other important issues didn't age well......
For example the storyline of Alexis being transgender. The use of some of the words, the use of the wrong pronouns (at the beginning), the use of some of the phrases leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. I understand that in 2006 people weren't in much light towards those kind of issues as we are today but still, that storyline hasn't aged well.
Another example is the body shaming, again another issue which wasn't as spoken about then as it is today but another storyline that didn't age well.
All that a side, the show is still enjoyable and Betty is a very loveable and sweet character who we get to see grow and become more confident as the seasons go on
Version Control
7.7
Rate It
Book
The compelling story of a couple living in the wake of a personal tragedy. She is a star employee of...
What it Means When a Man Falls From the Sky
2.0
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Book
A stunning collection of short stories from Caine-Prize shortlisted and Commonwealth Writer’s...
Fiction
War and Turpentine
Stefan Hertmans and David McKay
Book
Shortly before his death, Stefan Hertmans' grandfather Urbain Martien gave his grandson a set of...
Historical fiction
Crimson
Niviaq Korneliussen and Anna Halager
Book
This is the story of a group of friends, on the cusp of adulthood, exploring life, seeking...
Fiction LGBTQ