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TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Wings Like a Dove in Books
Feb 23, 2021
Wow…
This book was so thought provoking. I really enjoyed getting to know all these characters. They were very well developed and Camille Eide really wrote a great background for the characters. There were so many tough subjects covered in this book from racism, prejudice, preconceived notions and religious persecution. Camille Eide incorporates all these subjects seemingly effortlessly to help make this book a very compelling read and one I found hard to put down. I especially liked how everything pointed back to Gods provision in our lives.
The book did start off a little slow, but once I got into it, I really did enjoy learning about the time period and the characters in the story. The plot was great, it had some great ups and downs and got my emotions readily involved.
Overall, I give this story a 4 out of 5 stars for the great characters, the very compelling storyline and for Camille Eide’s way in dealing with some heavy subjects. I recommend adding this book to you must read pile.
*I did receive this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
This book was so thought provoking. I really enjoyed getting to know all these characters. They were very well developed and Camille Eide really wrote a great background for the characters. There were so many tough subjects covered in this book from racism, prejudice, preconceived notions and religious persecution. Camille Eide incorporates all these subjects seemingly effortlessly to help make this book a very compelling read and one I found hard to put down. I especially liked how everything pointed back to Gods provision in our lives.
The book did start off a little slow, but once I got into it, I really did enjoy learning about the time period and the characters in the story. The plot was great, it had some great ups and downs and got my emotions readily involved.
Overall, I give this story a 4 out of 5 stars for the great characters, the very compelling storyline and for Camille Eide’s way in dealing with some heavy subjects. I recommend adding this book to you must read pile.
*I did receive this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated The Devil's Own (1997) in Movies
Jul 4, 2021
I don't know what's worse: a film that's underwritten and knows it, or a film which sets up such thought-provoking themes only to immediately ditch them by the wayside (which this one is). It's so frustrating how this had most of the elements just on principle alone to be really, really good and it still wasn't. Seemingly intentionally unexciting, so much so that Brad Pitt's middle-schooler-impression-of-Daniel-Day-Lewis-from-𝘐𝘯-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦-𝘰𝘧-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 accent is actually the best part of it. Gets semi-engaging in the last 45 minutes if only because it finally gets some of the right look + feel for what this wants to be, but even then it's got no bite and is disgustingly pro-cop (a cop who shot dead an unarmed victim multiple times then tried to force everyone to cover it up and doesn't regret it can be redeemed without doing anything!). Poises itself to go over issues of oppression, nationalism, trauma, violence, and what happens when they all intersect - but never does. Harrison Ford is so bland here, too. Doesn't even care about its own story, what a fucking shame. This really coulda been something.
Felipe (17 KP) rated Arrival (2016) in Movies
Dec 7, 2020
Excellent speculative movie even if it was somewhat optimistic.
Contains spoilers, click to show
This movie poses and excellent problem of what it would be like if an advanced alien species visited Earth and what form that would take. I found the design of the aliens and the extent of their technology to be interesting but what I found more fascinating was how they were able to come up with a language that is at one time alien but also somewhat familiar using basic linguistic theory that is common to all languages and yet come up with something completely out of the box. Despite being an excellent film posing complex and thought provoking questions, I found the timeline and the flashbacks to be confusing and the ending of the film posing more questions than answers. The telling of the story is as complex as a tesseract or 4th dimensional hypercube trying to describe itself to a three dimensional cube. There simply is no common frame of reference to begin to understand the multidimensionality of the film.
Having previously read and enjoyed "Stalker" by Lisa Stone, I certainly wasn't going to pass the opportunity to read this one and I wasn't disappointed.
What we have in "Taken" is a complex and gripping story of the abduction of 8 year Leila whose life is far from perfect being the daughter of a mother (Kelsey) prostituting herself and fighting addiction who has already had her older children taken from her.
Told from multiple points of view, we get a real insight into all the main characters which is not as confusing as it sounds believe me ... it works really well and, I believe, it makes the characters more believable and memorable.
The pace is perfect, the plot is absorbing, despite it being a little unrealistic in parts, and I did get the twist fairly early on but it was such that I continued to question myself until it was revealed.
Overall, a thought-provoking and enjoyable read which deals with some difficult subjects that, sadly, are prevalent within today's society but without the usual gratuitous violence which made a refreshing change.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
What we have in "Taken" is a complex and gripping story of the abduction of 8 year Leila whose life is far from perfect being the daughter of a mother (Kelsey) prostituting herself and fighting addiction who has already had her older children taken from her.
Told from multiple points of view, we get a real insight into all the main characters which is not as confusing as it sounds believe me ... it works really well and, I believe, it makes the characters more believable and memorable.
The pace is perfect, the plot is absorbing, despite it being a little unrealistic in parts, and I did get the twist fairly early on but it was such that I continued to question myself until it was revealed.
Overall, a thought-provoking and enjoyable read which deals with some difficult subjects that, sadly, are prevalent within today's society but without the usual gratuitous violence which made a refreshing change.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK / HarperFiction and NetGalley for my copy in return for an unbiased review.
AJaneClark (3975 KP) rated Trust Me, I'm A (Junior) Doctor in Books
Oct 26, 2020
Junior Doctor... Scrubs or Grey's Anatomy brought to life?
Max Pemberton's Trust Me, I'm a (Junior) Doctor is a very frank and humorous account (very tongue in cheek) of his time as a Junior Doctor. Reading this was very much like immersing yourself in a real life version of a Grey's Anatomy, Scrubs or Night Shift style TV show.
I found this to be a very easy read, demolishing the pages in a day (ok, I was sat round a pool with beer on tap, but still...) It was a well written and thought provoking account with recurring appearances of his housemates and colleagues. It humanises the role of a doctor and the struggles of long shifts balanced with maintaining a social life, family responsibility and just trying to exist.
Pemberton details how the NHS operates, and the trials and frustrations of a Junior doctor launched into frustrating, physically, mentally and emotionally draining role in medicine.
Reading this gave me a new found admiration for those on the front line working round the clock, whilst combating the very real frustrations of red tape, senior doctors and mental health.
I would recommend to any reader who enjoys this genre!
I found this to be a very easy read, demolishing the pages in a day (ok, I was sat round a pool with beer on tap, but still...) It was a well written and thought provoking account with recurring appearances of his housemates and colleagues. It humanises the role of a doctor and the struggles of long shifts balanced with maintaining a social life, family responsibility and just trying to exist.
Pemberton details how the NHS operates, and the trials and frustrations of a Junior doctor launched into frustrating, physically, mentally and emotionally draining role in medicine.
Reading this gave me a new found admiration for those on the front line working round the clock, whilst combating the very real frustrations of red tape, senior doctors and mental health.
I would recommend to any reader who enjoys this genre!
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Day of the Triffids in Books
Sep 5, 2019
Famous and highly influential British catastrophe novel. The collapse of global civilisation, after what appears to be an encounter with a comet blinds the majority of the world's population, is made even worse by the existence of sentient, mobile, lethal carnivorous plants, genetically engineered before the disaster. It sounds schlocky written down like that - and most screen adaptations end up that way - but Wyndham's dry, cultured, understated voice means this is a chillingly plausible and deeply affecting depiction of the end of the world.
In some ways this is very much of its time, but in others it is a remarkably prescient book, touching on issues such as the weaponisation of satellites and genetically-modified foodstuffs. It is also a vehicle for Wyndham to explore some of the key issues of his novels - the moral decisions faced by survivors, and the conflict between the individual and the collective. The structure of the plot is somewhat idiosyncratic, and accusations that this is the kind of catastrophe where the really bad stuff just happens to other people may have some weight to them, but this is an immensely readable and thought-provoking book which still feels relevant today.
In some ways this is very much of its time, but in others it is a remarkably prescient book, touching on issues such as the weaponisation of satellites and genetically-modified foodstuffs. It is also a vehicle for Wyndham to explore some of the key issues of his novels - the moral decisions faced by survivors, and the conflict between the individual and the collective. The structure of the plot is somewhat idiosyncratic, and accusations that this is the kind of catastrophe where the really bad stuff just happens to other people may have some weight to them, but this is an immensely readable and thought-provoking book which still feels relevant today.
Cosmic Queries
Book
In this thought-provoking follow-up to his acclaimed StarTalk book, uber astrophysicist Neil...
Hello (from Here)
Chandler Baker and Wesley King
6.5
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Book
A witty and thought-provoking YA love story set during the COVID-19 quarantine, written by two NYT...
YA
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post
Nov 21, 2022
The Hollow Inside
10.0
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Book
Sadie meets The Glass Castle in a smart, gripping, and twisty YA debut about a girl seeking to...