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Melanie Caldicott (6 KP) rated Goodnight, Brian in Books

Apr 29, 2021

Goodnight, Brian

Steven Manchester | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry

2.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

The concept of this book originally interested me and I found the first few chapters where the tragedy that caused Brian's disability is uncovered takes place moving. However, I quickly grew tired of Mama and found her a very manufactured, unrealistic character who was just too "perfect". Her "clever" answers in how to bring out the best in Brian and the myriad of problems the rest of the family faced seemed to serve no other purpose than to allow the author a platform from which to preach at us. This, in my opinion, was painfully unsubtle and fiction should not be used as a vehicle for moralising, but to merely describe the experiences of characters, their feelings and reactions which provoke thoughts and empathy within the reader. I did not finish this book as the sermonesque style ultimately became unbearable!

Kudos

John Lydon recommended Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O'Connor in Music (curated)

"For some weird reason Sinéad O’Connor came back into my life. I re-indulged and reconnected with her and I was such a happier person for it. I go through long periods of forgetting and then I’ll just have major sessions and listen to just that for weeks on end. I thought the way she handled “Nothing Compares 2 U,” the Prince song, was genius. It is so moving and sad. I must be a sentimentalist and I’ve never realized until now. Oh, and Dolly Parton runs through all of this by the way. I’m a Dolly man—you can all knock “9 to 5,” but I love it. One of the greatest tragedies of my life so far is that I’ve never been able to make it to Dollywood. I think I’d have a hoot."

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Carlos Reygadas recommended Robocop (1987) in Movies (curated)

Robocop (1987)

1987 | Action, Sci-Fi

8.0

(87 Ratings)

Movie Favorite Watch

"RoboCop is one of the few films I remember from my early youth. When I was in sixth grade, I had a friend whose grandfather had a movie theater at home in Mexico City and he took us there and showed us the film several times. I was just blown away. I loved the rhythm, the intensity, and the honesty. Everything was straightforward but meaningful and deeply felt. The actors were unknown to me and so ordinary that it made it all so real. This was also probably the first time in my life that I realized that sound in cinema could be so important. I could hear every bolt in the machine moving, and it was the first time I realized that what I was hearing was actually artificial sound, which was what made it all so real."

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Patricia Heaton recommended Ruggles of Red Gap (1935) in Movies (curated)

Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)

1935 | Classics, Comedy, Drama

(0 Ratings)

Movie Favorite

"Charles Laughton plays an English butler whose British lord loses him in a poker game to a cowboy from Red Gap, Washington. Ruggles is the butler, a manservant, and he’s forced to move to America, and this cowboy doesn’t [Heaton goes into cowboy twang] feel comfortable having a manservant because it’s ‘Merica and every man is his own man and we have freedom. He tries to help Ruggles become a free man and Ruggles’ family’s whole tradition was being menservants to people. He finds it very hard to embrace American freedom. It has really funny, terrific, and moving performances, and not very many people watch it — or have even seen it or heard of it. I make my boys watch it every Thanksgiving. I’m like, “Boys, it’s that tiiiime!” and they’re like, “Noooooooo, not Ruggles.” but I think they’ll come to appreciate it."

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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated The Allure of Julian Lefray (The Allure, #1) in Books

Sep 6, 2019

I liked this. It was fun, it was sweet, it was hot in places. It was a quick easy read for me but I wasn't 100% into the story.

It was nice following Josephine's journey from relatively unknown fashion blogger moving from small town Texas to the Big Apple in the hopes of finding her dream job. Little did she expect to find love along the way.

Julian was pretty cool, too, though I didn't feel we got to know him as well as we did Jo.

Lorena was my type of girl (minus the drugs of course), she was fun, told it how it was and didn't particularly care who she upset in doing so and was very into her fashion designing by the end.

I'm not that into fashion but it was nice to see Josephine's journey unfold.