A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
ISBN: 9780552772884 This book I loved. Loved. But I should have guessed, I’ve loved most of Russell’s books. I wasn’t hugely fond of part of Children of God, as I recall,...
14 August 2009
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
ISBN: 9780007200283 This is the story of a collection of different characters; Ugwu from a small village who becomes a Houseboy to Odenigbo, a university professor. His lover Olanna. Her twin...
11 July 2008
The gone-away world by Nick Harkaway
ISBN: (Proof: 978043401866) 9780434018420 See also: mebelitheBookseller.com ; Book Geeks ; Extract A while back there was a comment left on the blog asking if I wanted a copy of The...
11 May 2008
Hotel Rwanda dir. by Terry George
This is a film with impact.
The opening voice-over is a speech on the radio, an anti-tutsi speech, broadcast on Hutu Power radio, over a black screen so as to really let us hear the words. It describes the flaws, reveals the prejudices in Rwanda, tells the viewer of the cockroach infestation the Hutu people will have to wipe out. This is then contrasted by the opening scenes; In Kigali airport we see Paul (Cheadle) collecting fresh lobsters to serve in the hotel where he works as house manager. It shows a bustling, growing, on the up city. But on the way back to the hotel we are introduced to the undercurrent of tension that is played out so well throughout this film.
9 December 2007
Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell
ISBN: 9781400064717 See also: Excerpt ; Interview with author I’ve read two other books by Russell; The Sparrow, which I loved, and Children of God which was very good, but just...
6 December 2007
Black Juice by Margo Lanagan
ISBN: 0575077816 A Once Upon A Time reading challenge read. See also: Margo Lanagan’s blog ; LibraryThing ; Scooter Chronicles ; The Merchant Princes ; The Genre Files ; Emerald City...
13 May 2007
The Lives of Others dir. by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
In 1984 in East Germany the secret police, or Stasi were everywhere, watching everything. This film details the activities of one officer, Wiesler, as he monitored a popular playwright. Wiesler doesn’t believe that Dreyman could possibly be as pro the party as he makes out. Too arrogant. So he suggests keeping him under surveillance, just in case. His superior officer doesn’t agree, at first, but then Minister Bruno Hempf mentions that perhaps he isn’t such a fan, and that perhaps Dreyman isn’t a favourite. It turns out that Hempf is more than interested in Dreyman’s girlfriend, the actress Christa-Maria Sieland, and so would like nothing better than to remove his rival by having him arrested and taken away.
20 April 2007
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Or the evening redness ISBN: 0679728759 See the child. He is pale and thin, he wears a thin and ragged linen shirt. He stokes the scullery fire. Outside lie dark turned...
6 February 2007
Rocky Balboa dir. by Sylvester Stallone
It isn’t often that you describe a boxing film as sweet. It isn’t often I describe a film as sweet and mean that in a positive light, but if I was...
27 January 2007
Friday’s Child by Georgette Heyer
ISBN: 0099468042 ; Wikipedia entry “Do not, I beg of you, my lord, say more!” uttered Miss Milbourse, in imploring accents, slightly averting her lovely countenance, and clasping both hands at...
19 December 2006
Thud! by Terry Pratchett
A Discworld novel ; ISBN: 0552152676 Lspace wiki ; Grumpy Old Bookman ; One More Chapter Relations between dwarfs and trolls have never been all that great, but, with the death...
12 December 2006
Pan’s Labyrinth dir. by Guillermo del Toro
El Laberinto del Fauno I really wanted to go see this film ever since I heard about it, and yer wan at the desk who tried to put me off by...
28 November 2006
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