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Barren Island
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How does one remember a world that literally no longer exists? How do the moral imperatives to do so...
Fiction
Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage
9.0
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Book
The best-selling novelist and memoirist delivers her most intimate and powerful work: a piercing,...
Biography memoir arts entertainment
The Golden Age
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The Golden Age is an immensely satisfying and generous-hearted story about displacement, recovery,...
Fiction
Larchfield
Book
It's early summer when a young poet, Dora Fielding, moves to Helensburgh on the west coast of...
Fiction
Defiance: The Life and Choices of Lady Anne Barnard
Book
The first major biography of eighteenth-century writer and socialite Lady Anne Barnard. Born in...
Biography history
Merissa (12058 KP) rated Black Hearted (Black Knights Inc: Reloaded #2) in Books
Oct 23, 2023
BLACK HEARTED is the second book in the Black Knights Inc: Reloaded series. I haven't read the first book in this series but I don't feel as though it impacted me greatly, although I do believe it would have been better if I had read it.
Sam thinks of Hannah as the thirteen-year-old little sister to his ex-girlfriend, not realising that she is now twenty-nine, with thoughts and dreams of her own. It doesn't help that most of those dreams revolve around Sam, the childhood crush she never grew out of. Hannah walks away at one time (presumably after the first book finishes) but some time down the line, she needs Sam's help. Hannah has been framed and is classed as a traitor. She goes to the one person she knows will help her.
I found this story to be both fast-paced and also slow-burn, as the multitude of events and miscommunications built up. Told from the third person, you hear from Sam and Hannah, but I loved the snippets from Eliza and Fisher. And the poetry quotes were exceedingly well chosen.
A story filled with terrorism, hacking, love, and miscommunication. If these things float your boat, then I can definitely recommend it.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 23, 2023
Sam thinks of Hannah as the thirteen-year-old little sister to his ex-girlfriend, not realising that she is now twenty-nine, with thoughts and dreams of her own. It doesn't help that most of those dreams revolve around Sam, the childhood crush she never grew out of. Hannah walks away at one time (presumably after the first book finishes) but some time down the line, she needs Sam's help. Hannah has been framed and is classed as a traitor. She goes to the one person she knows will help her.
I found this story to be both fast-paced and also slow-burn, as the multitude of events and miscommunications built up. Told from the third person, you hear from Sam and Hannah, but I loved the snippets from Eliza and Fisher. And the poetry quotes were exceedingly well chosen.
A story filled with terrorism, hacking, love, and miscommunication. If these things float your boat, then I can definitely recommend it.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Oct 23, 2023
Lucy Buglass (45 KP) rated The Kindergarten Teacher (2018) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
It’s always nice to see teachers encouraging and motivating their students, but in Sara Colangelo’s The Kindergarten Teacher, this is taken to a terrifying new level. Based on an Israeli film of the same name, it explores the line between encouragement and obsession. What happens when a bored kindergarten teacher meets a child prodigy? That’s what this film attempts to answer.
When teacher Lisa Spinelli (Maggie Gyllenhaal) meets pre-schooler Jimmy (Parker Sevak), her life is flipped upside down. Lisa attends poetry night classes, but her work is frequently criticised by teacher Simon (Gael García Bernal). Her family life is unsatisfactory, with her two children underachieving in her eyes. Because of her dissatisfaction with her life, she finds herself latching onto Jimmy and attempting to live vicariously through him. The film takes the two of them on a journey, where Lisa does everything she can to nurture Jimmy’s talent.
The pair’s first encounter happens when Jimmy reads out a poem, which Lisa believes to be way beyond his age group. Throughout the film, she encourages him to write more and more, and the scenes where Jimmy reads his work aloud are captivating. This is Parker Sevak’s acting debut, and he is a seriously impressive child actor. Because the level of poetry in the film is so advanced, he speaks incredibly clearly which stuns both Lisa and the audience. He was the stand-out performance for me, and at the age of 5, manages to steal the show. I am keen to see more films starring him in the future.
That doesn’t mean Gyllenhaal’s performance was bad. In fact, this is probably my favourite of hers in such a long time. Her tenacity and passion are admirable at first and then turns into obsession very quickly. The dark turn her character takes genuinely shocked me, even though it’s inevitable she’s going to do whatever it takes to get her own way. Despite this, I felt sorry for her throughout, which is a testament to the strength of Gyllenhaal’s acting. Lisa does questionable things, she lashes out, yet I was still hoping for a better outcome. I was hoping she’d see sense one way or another. She’s a problematic character for sure, but she doesn’t have to be this way. I felt like she had the power to stop what she was doing.
The film’s pacing worked very well for me, slowly building until the final act. I loved the way it ended, as it left me with a sinking feeling. The last line by Jimmy broke my heart, and if you’ve seen it for yourself, I’m sure you’ll understand why. The screenplay is brilliantly written and tells an incredibly controversial story of what is essentially child exploitation. Jimmy’s young and impressionable mind is taken advantage of based on his talents, resulting in a series of increasingly concerning events. Just when you think Lisa can’t cross any more lines, she does, and it’s enough to shock anyone.
I was completely glued to the screen for the entire third act. If you’re looking for a fresh, thought-provoking drama then I would certainly recommend this. Maggie Gyllenhaal is at the top of her game in The Kindergarten Teacher, delivering a performance that leaves audiences feeling conflicted. This is certainly a heavy film, but I’d also consider it a must-watch and a cautionary tale for the modern age.
https://jumpcutonline.co.uk/review-the-kindergarten-teacher-2019/
When teacher Lisa Spinelli (Maggie Gyllenhaal) meets pre-schooler Jimmy (Parker Sevak), her life is flipped upside down. Lisa attends poetry night classes, but her work is frequently criticised by teacher Simon (Gael García Bernal). Her family life is unsatisfactory, with her two children underachieving in her eyes. Because of her dissatisfaction with her life, she finds herself latching onto Jimmy and attempting to live vicariously through him. The film takes the two of them on a journey, where Lisa does everything she can to nurture Jimmy’s talent.
The pair’s first encounter happens when Jimmy reads out a poem, which Lisa believes to be way beyond his age group. Throughout the film, she encourages him to write more and more, and the scenes where Jimmy reads his work aloud are captivating. This is Parker Sevak’s acting debut, and he is a seriously impressive child actor. Because the level of poetry in the film is so advanced, he speaks incredibly clearly which stuns both Lisa and the audience. He was the stand-out performance for me, and at the age of 5, manages to steal the show. I am keen to see more films starring him in the future.
That doesn’t mean Gyllenhaal’s performance was bad. In fact, this is probably my favourite of hers in such a long time. Her tenacity and passion are admirable at first and then turns into obsession very quickly. The dark turn her character takes genuinely shocked me, even though it’s inevitable she’s going to do whatever it takes to get her own way. Despite this, I felt sorry for her throughout, which is a testament to the strength of Gyllenhaal’s acting. Lisa does questionable things, she lashes out, yet I was still hoping for a better outcome. I was hoping she’d see sense one way or another. She’s a problematic character for sure, but she doesn’t have to be this way. I felt like she had the power to stop what she was doing.
The film’s pacing worked very well for me, slowly building until the final act. I loved the way it ended, as it left me with a sinking feeling. The last line by Jimmy broke my heart, and if you’ve seen it for yourself, I’m sure you’ll understand why. The screenplay is brilliantly written and tells an incredibly controversial story of what is essentially child exploitation. Jimmy’s young and impressionable mind is taken advantage of based on his talents, resulting in a series of increasingly concerning events. Just when you think Lisa can’t cross any more lines, she does, and it’s enough to shock anyone.
I was completely glued to the screen for the entire third act. If you’re looking for a fresh, thought-provoking drama then I would certainly recommend this. Maggie Gyllenhaal is at the top of her game in The Kindergarten Teacher, delivering a performance that leaves audiences feeling conflicted. This is certainly a heavy film, but I’d also consider it a must-watch and a cautionary tale for the modern age.
https://jumpcutonline.co.uk/review-the-kindergarten-teacher-2019/
The Story contains excerpts of the NIV Bible in a modern day format, as if the Bible was a novel. The text fills up the full page rather than the usual two columns, and it it has the regular paragraph breaks and quotation marks. History and explanations are italics, poetry is indented, and events and dialogue are in regular body text.
One thing I really like about this version is the quotes. In many Bibles it's hard to tell when someone is saying something, or quoting something from somewhere else. In this version, it's very clear, because it sets it in a block quote, with proper quotation marks.
Again, this version is excerpts. It's not the full version. It's not something that can be referenced, because the books and chapters and verse numbers aren't shown. It's separated into chapters with titles rather than the traditional books and chapters.
This is good and bad. Good because I think it would be easier for some people to read, and maybe more friendly to teens who are just trying to get an overall grasp of the Bible. It's not so great because then if you say "Wait, where is that in the Bible, and what chapter/verse is it?" it's not going to be easy to find.
I think The Story is a nice way to read the Bible in a casual setting, or for a small group or Bible study for people who want to get the big picture of the Bible and want to see how it ties together on a larger scale, but it's not really suitable for intensive study (which is fine; you need both).
One thing I really like about this version is the quotes. In many Bibles it's hard to tell when someone is saying something, or quoting something from somewhere else. In this version, it's very clear, because it sets it in a block quote, with proper quotation marks.
Again, this version is excerpts. It's not the full version. It's not something that can be referenced, because the books and chapters and verse numbers aren't shown. It's separated into chapters with titles rather than the traditional books and chapters.
This is good and bad. Good because I think it would be easier for some people to read, and maybe more friendly to teens who are just trying to get an overall grasp of the Bible. It's not so great because then if you say "Wait, where is that in the Bible, and what chapter/verse is it?" it's not going to be easy to find.
I think The Story is a nice way to read the Bible in a casual setting, or for a small group or Bible study for people who want to get the big picture of the Bible and want to see how it ties together on a larger scale, but it's not really suitable for intensive study (which is fine; you need both).
I had to read this book of poetry for my Modern Elegy English course at my school and I found it very interesting. This was the first elegy we had read by a female author, even though we are well over half way through our quarter. I found the poems themselves very convoluted, but they were still fascinating.
I loved the structure of the book itself. It was made to look like a continuous piece of paper, much like a timeline to which someone's life may be measured against. I thought it was really cool the way Carson would pull in the definitions of the words in Latin only to reveal about half way or three quarters of the way through that is was because she was translating an old poem that had originally been written in Latin. That gave it the sense that everything was pulled together.
One thing I enjoyed about this poem was how different it was from other elegies I have had to read over the course of this quarter. Instead of only lauding the deceased, Carson makes them realistic. She does not make them out to be some saint-like, or even god-like creature that had done no wrong. In giving them flaws and pointing those flaws out, the poem itself becomes more realistic and approachable.
I loved how it looked like everything was just scanned in, as well. It gave an informal quality to the poem that, again, makes it accessible to wider audiences than the more traditional elegies might.
Overall, this was a pretty cool poem! I suggest you pick it up if you want to read something different.
I loved the structure of the book itself. It was made to look like a continuous piece of paper, much like a timeline to which someone's life may be measured against. I thought it was really cool the way Carson would pull in the definitions of the words in Latin only to reveal about half way or three quarters of the way through that is was because she was translating an old poem that had originally been written in Latin. That gave it the sense that everything was pulled together.
One thing I enjoyed about this poem was how different it was from other elegies I have had to read over the course of this quarter. Instead of only lauding the deceased, Carson makes them realistic. She does not make them out to be some saint-like, or even god-like creature that had done no wrong. In giving them flaws and pointing those flaws out, the poem itself becomes more realistic and approachable.
I loved how it looked like everything was just scanned in, as well. It gave an informal quality to the poem that, again, makes it accessible to wider audiences than the more traditional elegies might.
Overall, this was a pretty cool poem! I suggest you pick it up if you want to read something different.