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Cat Danger Allan (29 KP) rated The Princess Bride in Books
Jan 27, 2020 (Updated Jan 27, 2020)
It is still my favourite book in all of the world. And more then ever, I wish I had written it
Contains spoilers, click to show
I watched the movie and loved how closely it related to the fairy tale in the book. We have Wesley and Buttercup who fall in love. However, when Wesley goes to make his fortune his ship is taken by the dreaded pirate Rogers, who never leaves a man alive. So Buttercup in her depression agrees to marry Prince Humperdink. One day Buttercup is kidnapped by a swordsman, a giant and the brains of the group. And so it goes.
This fairy tale has everything you could wish for. True love, a giant, a deadly forest, sword fighting, magic, pirates. You name it, its probably in there.
But what makes this writer so incredible. Is the abridgement section. Goldman writes this as if he's talking about his childhood story, alas this is all a fairytale too. The introduction where he talks about getting a copy of this book for his child's birthday like his father had done for him is one big hoax. He talks about removing all the sections and chapters from the book that never existed. He is just a great writer
The reunion scene he leaves an address to his publishers and promotes people to write in and ask for a copy of the scene. But this writer is so incredible, he replies back to these messages with a new fake story. It is all about how he is getting sued by Florin and cannot release the scene. If you would like to read the response I found a copy on twitter:
https://twitter.com/LettersOfNote/status/1063443712666161154?s=09
I just found that the storytelling was just so perfect, there was nothing you could not enjoy.
This fairy tale has everything you could wish for. True love, a giant, a deadly forest, sword fighting, magic, pirates. You name it, its probably in there.
But what makes this writer so incredible. Is the abridgement section. Goldman writes this as if he's talking about his childhood story, alas this is all a fairytale too. The introduction where he talks about getting a copy of this book for his child's birthday like his father had done for him is one big hoax. He talks about removing all the sections and chapters from the book that never existed. He is just a great writer
The reunion scene he leaves an address to his publishers and promotes people to write in and ask for a copy of the scene. But this writer is so incredible, he replies back to these messages with a new fake story. It is all about how he is getting sued by Florin and cannot release the scene. If you would like to read the response I found a copy on twitter:
https://twitter.com/LettersOfNote/status/1063443712666161154?s=09
I just found that the storytelling was just so perfect, there was nothing you could not enjoy.
I have to admit, when I first started reading this book I did stop several times, look at the cover and the blurb and think “What the heck am I reading?”
This is the first Max Porter novel I have read. He has a very interesting way of laying out his prose which baffles the brain at first, but once you adapt to the flow you just float along with the story. The book is broken up into three parts, and each part is told in a different but distinctive way.
Lanny is a young boy with a gift, a very peculiar gift that his parents can’t quite figure out. So Lanny’s mother enlists the help of ‘Pete’ a local grizzled artist to teach the boy and harness some of his ‘eccentricities’. However, a mysterious event soon throws the lives of Lanny’s parents, Pete, and indeed the whole village in to utter chaos. Questions are asked, relationships are closely examined, but what really lies beneath all that goes on in this little village just outside of London.
One aspect of the book I admired was in part two, after the main turning point of the story. This part of the book is told in sporadic paragraphs of peoples thoughts and deeds during the event. It’s not always clear whose thought or deed you’re reading (and it’s not always necessary to know) but through this episodic storytelling you build up a picture not only of what is happening but how the people involved are feeling about it.
This was very cleverly written and the way that Porter plays with words builds up a very vivid image of the events happening in ‘Lanny’. What Porter has shown us is that in order to tell a good story you don’t necessarily have to write in a smooth and progressive way, sometimes you just have to throw words at the pages and see what sticks!
This is the first Max Porter novel I have read. He has a very interesting way of laying out his prose which baffles the brain at first, but once you adapt to the flow you just float along with the story. The book is broken up into three parts, and each part is told in a different but distinctive way.
Lanny is a young boy with a gift, a very peculiar gift that his parents can’t quite figure out. So Lanny’s mother enlists the help of ‘Pete’ a local grizzled artist to teach the boy and harness some of his ‘eccentricities’. However, a mysterious event soon throws the lives of Lanny’s parents, Pete, and indeed the whole village in to utter chaos. Questions are asked, relationships are closely examined, but what really lies beneath all that goes on in this little village just outside of London.
One aspect of the book I admired was in part two, after the main turning point of the story. This part of the book is told in sporadic paragraphs of peoples thoughts and deeds during the event. It’s not always clear whose thought or deed you’re reading (and it’s not always necessary to know) but through this episodic storytelling you build up a picture not only of what is happening but how the people involved are feeling about it.
This was very cleverly written and the way that Porter plays with words builds up a very vivid image of the events happening in ‘Lanny’. What Porter has shown us is that in order to tell a good story you don’t necessarily have to write in a smooth and progressive way, sometimes you just have to throw words at the pages and see what sticks!
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Money Monster (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Growing up, whenever a political or economic scandal was featured on the news, my father would utter the words, “Follow the money.” This phrase was made famous by “Deep Throat” during the Watergate scandal that eventually brought down the Nixon Administration. In the film Money Monster which stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, this is a question that we start to ask ourselves as a financial investment show is taken captive by a disgruntled investor while it is airing live.
Clooney, who serves as the show’s host, quickly finds himself in the middle of a storm of tension and deception as he and his captor try to discover what happened to over $800 million in investments. The film itself is sufficient as an overview for satisfying our need for some sense of understanding at how corrupt and unstable the financial industry can be. Through much of the film, I found myself wondering about how many people wanted these same answers in 2008 during the financial market meltdowns and the collapse of the housing markets. The film approaches this anger that hit the American working class, but do not delve deeper than the superficial issues and discontent. There is a major lack of depth and this might be a metaphor for the industry itself that is built on confusion, misdirection, and a lack of substance. The plot is simplistic and does not allow for any surprises or twists.
It is a very straightforward movie where a flawed character wants answers. He wants closure. He wants to bring to justice the people who ruined the lives of countless Americans and took advantage of their desire to experience the American Dream. Despite the lack of complexity and a few holes in the storytelling, Money Monster provides a few laughs and leaves the audience asking questions about how deep the problems and corruption may be within our financial system nearly 8 years after the collapse. It makes us want to “follow the money” in the hopes that we will find answers.
Clooney, who serves as the show’s host, quickly finds himself in the middle of a storm of tension and deception as he and his captor try to discover what happened to over $800 million in investments. The film itself is sufficient as an overview for satisfying our need for some sense of understanding at how corrupt and unstable the financial industry can be. Through much of the film, I found myself wondering about how many people wanted these same answers in 2008 during the financial market meltdowns and the collapse of the housing markets. The film approaches this anger that hit the American working class, but do not delve deeper than the superficial issues and discontent. There is a major lack of depth and this might be a metaphor for the industry itself that is built on confusion, misdirection, and a lack of substance. The plot is simplistic and does not allow for any surprises or twists.
It is a very straightforward movie where a flawed character wants answers. He wants closure. He wants to bring to justice the people who ruined the lives of countless Americans and took advantage of their desire to experience the American Dream. Despite the lack of complexity and a few holes in the storytelling, Money Monster provides a few laughs and leaves the audience asking questions about how deep the problems and corruption may be within our financial system nearly 8 years after the collapse. It makes us want to “follow the money” in the hopes that we will find answers.
blueirisfox (125 KP) rated Write to Market: Write a Book that Sells (Write Faster, Write Smarter 3) in Books
Feb 15, 2020 (Updated Feb 15, 2020)
Very concise and to the point. (2 more)
The exercises at the end of each chapter are an absolute gift for new and aspiring writers (and I'd imagine even experienced ones). Each one is actionable and aims towards publishing successfully.
Essential for any authors that want to be self-published (especially on Amazon), as the author is writing from their own experiences.
The only reason I even knew this book existed was because I stumbled upon the authors YouTube channel.
From watching his videos, I understood the level and tone of the advice he would be giving in his books, and I've gotta say, the guy is an absolute gift to the writing community.
Even if you don't buy any of his books, there is so much to learn from him for free on his YouTube channel: from plotting to selling, this guy pretty much has it all.
Saying that, I still 100% recommend buying his Write Faster, Write Smarter book series, because I can't stress enough how amazing his targeted exercises are.
For this specific book in the series, he explains how to effectively sell books to targeted audiences. This can sound a bit controversial, as if you were simply copying an idea and trying to cash in on it. BUT THAT'S NOT IT AT All. Chris Fox himself shuts down the idea of copying hit books quite early on. What this book will do, is explain to you how to use popular tropes to your advantage.
If you're not really sure about this book from my review, check out its page on Amazon and read the first few pages. Better yet, check out Chris Fox's YouTube channel and get a feel for what this guy is like, because at the end of the day we all absorb information differently and find certain things useful that others simply don't.
Anyways, I hope that this helped someone find the tools that they need in order to do Storytelling some justice.
Peace out,
blueirisfox
From watching his videos, I understood the level and tone of the advice he would be giving in his books, and I've gotta say, the guy is an absolute gift to the writing community.
Even if you don't buy any of his books, there is so much to learn from him for free on his YouTube channel: from plotting to selling, this guy pretty much has it all.
Saying that, I still 100% recommend buying his Write Faster, Write Smarter book series, because I can't stress enough how amazing his targeted exercises are.
For this specific book in the series, he explains how to effectively sell books to targeted audiences. This can sound a bit controversial, as if you were simply copying an idea and trying to cash in on it. BUT THAT'S NOT IT AT All. Chris Fox himself shuts down the idea of copying hit books quite early on. What this book will do, is explain to you how to use popular tropes to your advantage.
If you're not really sure about this book from my review, check out its page on Amazon and read the first few pages. Better yet, check out Chris Fox's YouTube channel and get a feel for what this guy is like, because at the end of the day we all absorb information differently and find certain things useful that others simply don't.
Anyways, I hope that this helped someone find the tools that they need in order to do Storytelling some justice.
Peace out,
blueirisfox
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