that no one can hear the whispers
they’ve lit the world so bright
that no one can see in the dark
they’ve told so many lies
that no one knows the truth now
they’ve ruined all of nature
and told us to play in the park
Bella’s Journey — Joseph R. Lallo
Sometimes a writer makes you feel that you should read everything they write, including the children’s stories — and hey, why not.
If you’ve got a young child, or an old one, especially one who likes unicorns, then this is a lovely little read. Joseph does writes nice children’s stories.
Originally only available to Joseph’s Patreon subscribers but now also in the collection Paradoxes and Dragons.
Joseph’s Page
#fantasy #unicorns #josephrlallo
Castaway — Lucy Irvine
A very well written book that’s let down completely by whoever converted it into Kindle format.
As Lucy tells the story of her year on Tuin with G, she intersperses it with excerpts from the diary she wrote while on the island. For some reason, the person who converted this book decided that the diary excerpts would be published in a print size that is so small it’s illegible, so one has to keep stopping and greatly increasing the font size for the diary excerpts and then reducing it back to normal for the rest of the writing. You spend the whole book yoyoing font sizes in this way. I have no idea why anyone would publish a book in this way, it isn’t clever, it isn’t artistic, it’s crass and completely ruins a good flowing read.
Ok, rant over, all the yoyoing aside, the writing is incredibly candid and Lucy really does bare it all.
Anyone familiar with Chris McCandless’ story from Into the Wild will be aware of how much negativity and lambasting that Chris received posthumously for his stupidity and unpreparedness. The only difference between Chris in Alaska and Lucy and G on Tuin is that Lucy and G were lucky enough to be rescued by the kindness and generosity of their Torres Straight Island neighbours, and that the poisonous beans that Lucy stupidly ate just made here incredibly sick for a couple of days and didn’t kill her. Yet those who survive against the odds, purely by the miracles that appear when least expected, are labelled as successful, applauded and celebrated while those whose miracle fails to show are labelled as idiots, lambasted and possibly given a Darwin Award. But hey, at least both kind get films made about them.
I could get into a full on judgemental view of Lucy and G’s behaviour, attitude and outlook, both positive and negative, but i won’t. Some might read this book and side with Lucy, some might side with G, and some might think both are as bad as each other.
All that aside, if you enjoyed Into the Wild, then you may find this just your cup of tea.
Lucy’s Page
#lucyirvine
Mindhunter — 2 Seasons
This series is based on the true story of the ‘Behavioral Science Unit’ of the FBI in the 1970’s. This is the team that invented the term ‘serial killer’ and began the now fully accepted practice of criminal profiling.
It’s very interesting and very factual. It’s like a documentary but acted out instead of narrated.
Season 1 was really good and season 2 doesn’t disappoint either.
Sadly, there isn’t going to be a third season.
#5t4n5 #mindhunter #tvandfilm
Wolf Country — Tunde Farrand
I’m surprised that this book has got so many good reviews, it really doesn’t deserve them.
The whole world is changed overnight into a dystopian caste system that virtually everyone seems to accept without much question simply because they get a free house and a job. Even though they all know that as soon as they can’t do their job they’re either euthanised or thrown into the walled off lawless slums to be at the mercy of cruel and evil, gangs.
It basically takes a bunch of dystopian themes and throws them together for the sake of a story, but it doesn’t really hold together as a story. There just seems to be this acceptance that everyone in the whole world just accepted this system and goes along with it because they all clamour to be high spenders. Like everyone would just give up social care, social security, pensions, etc., just so they can have a free house, be a slave and strive to be a high spender.
The book spends most of its time telling us how horrible and cruel the new system is with our protagonist and her husband not doing very well, only for the last small part of the book to find a bizarre way to allow them and their few friends to live happily ever after — The End!
Basically, it’s just about passable, and it’s just about readable, but not much else can be said. If you’re looking for a good dystopian story then your time and money will be better spent on something else.
Tunde’s Page
#dystopian #tundefarrand
The Orville — Season 2
This show just gets better. Everyone’s settled into their characters really well, the main galactic story line is ramping up, while the short episode stories are usually quite humorous while managing to keep a serious side to them — like holodeck porn addiction.
This parody is just as good as TNG, DS9 and Voyager as it brings something to the genre that those 3 couldn’t because they always took themselves so seriously. Being a parody, The Orville absolutely does go boldly to places that the real Trek series couldn’t go to, and that’s good. It’s what i was hoping for in the post Voyager universe — a bit more grown up story lines, like yeah, people are going to be just as fucked up in 400 years as they are today, they’ll just have different toys to get fucked up with. Instead, all we got from the Star Trek label was immature garbage in Enterprise and Discovery which, quite frankly, have been a step backwards and a dumbing down of the franchise. Fingers crossed, Picard will, once again, come to the rescue.
#5t4n5 #theorville #tvandfilm
The Curious Heart of Ailsa Rae — Stephanie Butland
Having really enjoyed Lost For Words, i soon added this, Stephanie’s second book, to “The Pile” — and i’m really glad i did.
A great story about a heart transplant patient who spent the first 28 years of her life dying while first waiting to get onto the transplant queue and then having to wait for a suitable heart, all the while knowing that someone else has to die in order for her to survive. And then, once she has her new, second hand heart, she then has to learn to live — not live again, but live for the first time. How does one live a normal life when they’ve never had a normal life?
Mixed into this is the missing father thing, who did a runner when he found out his new born daughter was dying from a defective heart. Then there’s the ex-boyfriend, dying from liver failure due to hepatitis, also needing for a transplant to save his life; the celebrity actor who needs a cornea transplant to save his eye; and plenty more besides, crammed perfectly into this little book.
What’s also good about this book is how Stephanie has brought the world of blogging into the story. The story is half told through Ailsa’s blog posts which are interspersed throughout, which gives Ailsa’s character a much more genuine feel.
Here we are in a world crammed with social media, blogs, vlogs, posts, comments, polls, flame bait, click bait, trolls, likes, dislikes, etc., and i’m surprised to not find more books using these styles of communication within their narratives. I think a lot of writers are a little worried to jump into this new way that humans have found expressing themselves, but Stephanie certainly got it right with Ailsa, and i hope to read more of this kind of story telling in the future.
And, just like Lost For Words, Stephanie throws in a nice little romance thing, and just like Lost For Words, i felt it was just the right amount for the story and never overdone.
So, my final view is that Stephanie is a really good writer and this book is really good. Stephanie jumps bravely into the deep end of transplant issues and swims amazingly well bringing out the real issues being faced by all sides, donors, recipients, families, friends, life before, life after and other things besides. And Stephanie manages to package all this into a really good, well written story. It’s well worth a read.
I find Stephanie’s writing similar to Ruth Hogan’s, so if you like Ruth’s books then i’m sure you’ll enjoy Stephanie’s just as much, and vice versa too.
Stephanie’s Page
#stephaniebutland
The Orville — Season 1
Shows how much i keep up with current TV shows, i only just came across this. So it got a good binge watching.
For those who really enjoyed Star Trek TNG and Voyager but were always a little annoyed that no one ever went to the toilet, swore, gossiped, got hangovers, smoked spliffs, etc., then this is for you.
It does have its serious sides like TNG used to have, but mixed amongst it all is just normal people with the normal work complaints, bizarre quirks, habits and things. Even the replicators have “Cannabis Edibles” on the menu.
So i’ll definitely be watching season 2 when i get some time spare to binge it.
#5t4n5 #tvandfilm #theorville
American Gods — Neil Gaiman
I had a quick look at the TV show and very quickly decided that i wanted to read the book instead, and i’m rather glad i did. I absolutely, totally, enjoyed Stardust — which was the only one of Neil’s books i’d read before — so i was hoping i was in for another super reading treat with this.
So, suffice it to say, i still have no idea what the TV show was like, and having read the book i really have no interest because the book is so good i just don’t want to spoil the memory of a great story. But i’ll most certainly be reading more of Neil’s books though.
This book really has just about everything going on in it. There’s a dark satirical edge to it, a murder mystery thing, a love story, folklore, lots of action, lots of gods and goddesses and other mythical creatures, and many other things besides. How Neil managed to tie it all up into one complete story is outstanding writing to say the least.
What struck me most about it was the dark satirical edge that i found within it. How so many modern countries are turning their backs upon the old ways and enslaving themselves to modern ideas and ideologies. The continuous tension between those that would hold us back and those who would drive us forward, and the battles that happen when one or both push it too far. Yes, we all see it played out in the political realm every day, conservatives v modernisers, but underlying all of that are the beliefs and ideals of everyone in society and who gets to control and dictate them.
And in the middle of it all is our protagonist, Shadow. What a character. He’s thrown into this world of gods and goddesses as each side attempts to attract him to their school of thought. Just like the political classes, the corporatocracy and religions as they all attempt to enslave us into their ideologies and use us in their battles for ultimate power.
So yeah, super duper read. It’s a big, big book but well worth the time.
Neil’s Page
#fantasy #neilgaiman
Perpetual Grace Ltd
One absolutely whacky, strange, weird, but brilliant piece of television.
They didn’t skimp on the acting quality: great casting, great actors and great acting all round. Everyone suits their character and plays them extremely well.
The cinematography is excellent.
The script is awesome, fun, twisted, bizarre, yet all making complete sense at the same time.
All in all, it’s just perfect. Get watching now. There’s only 1 season so you can binge watch the whole ten hours on your next rest day.
Get it…
Get the rhythm…
Get the rhythm…
There ya go…
There ya fucking go…
#5t4n5 #perpetualgraceltd #tvandfilm
The Addiction Recovery Workbook — Paula A Freedman PsyD
For 99p this grabbed my curiosity. It’s been over 5 1/2 years since i quit smoking, over 2 years since i quit alcohol, but i keep hold of a few nagging little addictions — like too much cocoa/chocolate/coffee and vaping — which i keep trying to rid myself of but keep finding myself back at. So i gave this book a go with an open mind.
It certainly made me re-think a lot of things about addiction, especially my previous love of alcohol. And it’s also given me some ideas on moving forward with my life from here and next steps i might take.
It’s difficult to judge how much value any of these addiction books will be to anyone. It all depends on the addiction, the reason, the circumstances, the too many variables of life to mention. But i do think there’s something in this book for most people who are wanting to deal with one or more of their addictions.
It’s approached well, the beginning of the book being about wanting to quit and preparing to, then moving onto actually quitting in the middle of the book and finally to post addiction life.
So for 99p in a Kindle deal, i think it was a really good bargain. I certainly got a lot out of it, and if you are serious about getting sober and off your poison then give it a read. No, not all of it will speak to you, but read enough books like this and do a pick and mix of ideas and techniques from each of them that work for you and you to can soon be on the road to a life without addiction — if you really want to.
At the end of the day, it’s up to you. Reading any book on addiction recovery can only help so much, it’s you that has to really want it, and if you do then books like this will have some good help and advice for you.
Paula’s Page
#paulaafreedman
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