Music Monday - The Sound of Music - Crosswalk the Musical

It is a bit of a dreary Monday here, with a cool Southerly blowing about outside.  Luckily there were some tasty leftovers for dinner, so time to relax this evening.  I thought I would show this Crosswalk Musical - The Sound of Music which made me smile.  I have a soft spot for the sound of music.  I grew up knowing one of my aunties had seen it at the cinema over 17 times.  I am not that big a fan, although I realize that now I am older, I probably have seen it that many times.

Into the Gray Zone - Adrian Owen

This is a fascinating book written about neuroscientist Adrian Owen, who works with patients in vegetative states.  His search is to find out if these patients are aware?  Are they trapped in bodies that won't work, but still know who they are and what is happening to them?  For the past couple of decades he has documented his research and tells us about a few of his most memorable patients.  Using new pet scanning and functional MRI techniques, he is able to reach some patients, to find that although they can no longer get their bodies to function, some are able to communicate.

Interesting and amazing stuff to find out what these clever clinicians are working on, and what the future may hold for medical knowledge. 4/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Paris Can Wait

After a Friday night out - it felt fine to shut the curtains, and eat my gourmet dinner of beans on toast and watch Britains Got some Talent.  Then it was movie time, and what better to lead off my budget evening at home then a $1 movie. 

Paris Can Wait is the story of Anne played by Diane Lane, who is married to a busy movie producer.  In Cannes for the festival, she skips travelling with her husband and accepts a lift from one of his friends, the charming Frenchman Jacques.  Rather than taking her directly to Paris, she becomes frustrated as their journey takes some time as he continually stops for food and wine, and to visit friends.  However, by the end you can see Anne relaxing and enjoying the trip and the company.

How I wanted to be seduced by this movie, but somehow there was a lack of charm and beauty in the movie.  The food scenes felt a little flat and there was a little too little sweet countryside and vistas, and too many shots of motorways and trucks.  Sadly just a 3/5 from me.

The Geurnsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

Well look at me - having a Friday night out in the city (although I was home by 9pm).  One of my friends texted to see if I wanted to go and see this movie, and I was happy to be able to go as I had been looking forward to it.  I had attempted to read the book when it came out in 2008, but hadn't been able to get into it.  However when I saw the trailer for the movie, I knew it was something that would be right up my alley.

This is the story of Juliet Ashton, a young author who begins a correspondence with a pig farmer on Geurnsey Island, who tells her about how they formed their bookclub during the German occupation.  Going to the island she meets the bookclub members and finds her life about to change.

The movie was very charming and sweet and there was nothing I would change.  Filled with Downton Abbey faces,  beautiful rural and village scenery, and shots of wartime London every design detail was perfect.  The clothes, makeup and hairstyles were the right shade of muted and worn and just seemed lived in and made me warm and happy.

There were tears from some of the older ladies around me, although I didn't sniffle it was touching and memorable.  5/5

Eternal Life - Dara Horn

I picked this one up by impulse while walking through the library, and was glad that I did even though I have a huge pile waiting to be read at home.  This novel is the story of Rachel, who living in modern day New York looks back on her life - her long life.  Born 2000 years ago, she makes a sacred pact that will leave her having to leave behind or lose scores of husbands and children, as she is not able to die, but to continually start over and over.

I felt like I was straight into the story  could picture ancient cities and Roman soldiers, could feel the hot desert heat in my head - a sign that I am enjoying the story.  4/5

Ask Me About My Uterus - Abby Normal

Abby Normal  writes about her battle with chronic pain due to problems relating to her endometriosis.  In this memoir she describes her battles to get heard by doctors as she returns again and again with excruciating pain, and finds herself being referred to therapists implying that her illness is in her head.  She did have a bit of a horrible childhood with an anorexic mother who controlled her daughters food intake, limiting her meals and leaving her hungry and ignored. 

At 16 she applied for legal emancipation from her parents. and sought to support herself and earn enough money to attend college.  However her education is interrupted as she finds herself unable to attend due to her medical issues.

I plodded along with the book and while I sympathized with her problems, I didn't come away learning much or being left with much of an impression of the author. 2/5

Hitler, My Neighbor - Edgar Feuchtwanger

The author of this book grew up as a child of a wealthy German Jewish family,  in an expensive apartment in Munich Germany, across the road from Adolf Hitler.  He recalls his childhood and the times he saw his infamous neighbor.

It is quite the story to tell, but it felt a bit manufactured to me.  I certainly can't remember discussions from when I was six years old in such detail.  In such a scary time to be Jewish, the family were lucky to be able to survive intact when so many around them perished.  I would have liked to have known more about the people that surrounded their family at the time. 2/5

A Quiet Place

I was really looking forward to this one, and for once in a long time the movie didn't disapoint.  I like a horror, although I steer clear of the Saw variety of movie, this one was an old fashioned premise.  Right from the start, you know what to be scared of - the monsters  will get you if you make noise.  Rather than getting a slow build up, you are dropped right into 3 months after the monsters have taken over.  Emily Blunt and John Krasinski play mother and father trying to protect their three young children on their rural property. 

The movie was evenly paced and kept me feeling tense throughout - which made me happy and I would have to say I enjoyed this horror more than any I can think of in the past decade, hard to fault.  5/5

Voyage Of Time

This one was on a 99c special on Apple ITunes, so I added it to the list.  I thought it might be a nice soothing watch about the beginning of life on earth before I had to head off to my shift today.  So once a few chores were done, I heated up my lunch and sat down to watch.  There were some dreamy beautiful sequences showing earth and the cosmos, but I was somewhat annoyed with the footage of mentally ill street people pushing each other about, annoyed with Cate Blanchett narrating with such a plummy accent and then 20 or so minutes in there was a scene of cattle being slaughted outside a temple I think, anyway all the blood and distressed animals was enough to make me turn the movie off.  So I don't know how it ends.  0/5

This is Going to Hurt - Adam Kay

If you love Greys Anatomy and dream of being  a doctor, the kissing in cupboards, the flirting while operating and the gift of one or two patients a day who all recover than this may not be the book for you.  Adam Kay works in the NHS and his book is a taste of the reality of most working doctors, the frantic shifts, demanding patients and life and death decisions all while looking long long hours with little to no time off and lucky if you can grab a sandwich between patients.

It's not all grim, there is a lot of humor there and the writer has done a great job of pacing the book and keeping us entertained.  It made me wonder how any doctor gets through their training without having a breakdown. 5/5