The Good Doctor of Warsaw - Elisabeth Gifford

Set in Poland during the Second World War, this book is primarily the love story of Misha and Sophie, young students who find themselves sent to the Warsaw Ghetto with thousand of  other Jewish families.  Their story is entangled with Dr Janusz Korczak, who cares for hundreds of orphaned and abandoned chidren, giving them shelter and fighting to keep them safe and fed. 

It is a heart breaking read, and as I neared the end I almost did not want to turn the page as I knew there would be no real happy ending for all the characters.   4/5

Human

I found these beautiful short videos on youtube tonight.  It is always delightful to find something so touching like Francines story.  Both such wonderful women telling their stories.

Music Monday - Hunger - Florence + The Machine

Oh Florence I love your weird quirky hits and goofy but hypnotic dancing.

5 Books Worth Reading This Summer - Bill Gates

What a great way to get us interested in some new books to read with this cute video from Bill Gates.  Of course this is done for the US summer, but winter time here is a great time for reading too, especially with the long cold nights ahead.

The Bookshop

This one looked appealing - Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy,  Post War England, a little town, a bookshop - all add up to what should have been a good little movie.  However, I found it a bit dull and boring, missing that bit of spark or charm that would have made it a classic  Sunday night watch.  Instead I found myself nodding off and glad when it was over which made me sad, as I was so wanting it to be better.  For me it felt a bit muddled at the beginning, a slow middle and a disappointing finish.  2/5

Counting Backwards - Henry Jay Przybylo

This one was an interesting little read.  Henry Jay Przybylo is an American Anesthetist and in his books he skillfully combines the two sides of good medical literature - the history of the science and the stories of the patients he treats.  He does a good job of also balancing the scary stories with the good outcomes and made me come away with admiration for the job that he does. 4/5

Wakefield

Well, this was a bit of an odd one.  I like Bryan Cranston as an actor and this movie was his vehicle - as he was the center of the whole film.  He plays Howard Wakefield, a lawyer who has been married for 15 years with two teenage daughters.  One night after a long trip home, he follows a raccoon into his garage, and realizes that he can sit up in the room above his car and have a view of his home without being seen.  After his first night he intends to head home, but then decides to just hang out and take it easy.

I did get slightly annoyed with the whole plot.  How come his family didn't look in the garage?  Why when his wife sees him she doesn't recognize him just because he has a beard?  Where would you take a poop?  I don't know I just didn't buy it.  2/5

Can You Die Of A Broken Heart? - Dr Nikki Stamp

Dr Nikki Stamp is a cardiothoracic surgeon who has written a book about the heart, how it functions, the myths around it and answers many of the questions we might have about this mysterious organ.  She weaves facts about anatomy and physiology with stories about many of the patients she has looked after over the years.  She is a good writer and although a small book, I enjoyed it and felt like it covered lots of topics without too much waffle - my favorite type of medical book.  4/5

Music Monday - Little of Your Love - Haim

I am really loving Haim.  I like their boho, beach, second  hand clothes vibe.  This is a happy song and don't we need more happy music in our lives?

Gifted

This was a 99c special on itunes, and was due to expire, so having the afternoon off I sat down to watch it between housework this afternoon.  It was a story about 7 year old Marie, a pretty smart kid who has been living with her uncle.  He has decided that it is time for her to head to school to be with other kids her age, although for her this brings all kind of challenges due to how smart she is.  Then the interfering grandmother arrives, determined that she knows what is best for Marie, a child she has never been involved with.

A nice slow movie reminiscent of the afternoon movies played during the school holidays - many of which I watched in my teenage years.  4/5

You Can Stop Humming Now - Daniela Lamas

Daniela Lamas has written a book about many of the patients she has looked after in her years in medicine.  As well as talking about the care they receive in the critical units of the hospital, she goes and talks to some of the patients after they have been discharged to see how their lives have been impacted by illness, and how their recovery is going.  For many doctors they often see their patients for a limited amount of time, but the patient may have ongoing problems related to their treatments.

I am a bit of a fan of these types of books, but I felt a little like I missed the point of this one as I came away a little bit like I hadn't learnt a lot or completely understood the point of her book. 4/5

Music Monday - I'll Be There - Jess Glynne

I'd never heard of this singer Jess Glynne before I saw her on Graham Nortons show on Friday night.  I like this song - nice and catchy and poppy.

Step

This was a documentary that I missed at the film festival, but was glad to find as a 99c special on itunes a couple of weeks ago.  It follows several young girls in Baltimore who attend a special academy which focuses on getting all of its students graduated and accepted into college.  The girls also practice each day for their step routine, and are entered into a state competition. 

It is sometimes hard to watch, when you see the girl who goes home to no food for dinner, and the parents wondering how they will afford to send their children to college.  What amazing teachers and community though, supporting these young ladies to be able to follow their dreams.  3/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Churchill

This is one of the recent Churchill movies that have graced the cinema in the past few years.  It is Brian Cox playing the British PM with Miranda Richardson playing his loving wife.  This movie looks at the few days before Operation Overlord, the Allied Invasion of Normandy that helped to end the war in Europe.  It portrays the leader as the complex man that I am sure he was.  Weighed down with responsibility, trying to use keep spirits up when the situation is dire, moody and aging I think the movie does a fair job of trying to portray all of these things in the hour and 44 minutes of the movie.

I guess I am getting old, as there is a generation of youngsters growing up who would not be familiar with Churchill and history, and I guess movies like this are more palatable than the documentaries many of us grew up on. Solid performances and lovely scenery, but ever so slightly dull - 3/5

Met Ball Madonna

The Met Ball had a Catholic theme this year, and I have looked at some of the photos of this years attendees.  Too many celebrities wearing expensive, but ugly outfits.  I only saw this one tonight of Madonna, and thought she actually looked great.  She also looks like she has been laying off the cross fit and low carb diet, and actually looked quite pretty.  She also sang Like A Prayer - awesome.

Wordless Wednesday - My New Favorite Ad

The Flight Attendant - Chris Bohjalian

Cassandra Bowden is living the life, a flight attendant living in New York and travelling to Europe on flights.  However she has her issues, maybe drinking a bit too much and picking up random guys.  When she wakes up in a Dubai hotel room after a big bender, she finds that the passenger she had gone to meet, dead in the bed beside her.

Right from the start I was sucked into this story and wasn't sure where it would it go.  I looked forward to being able to sit down and read a few pages.   5/5

Muisc Monday - Agnes Obel - Riverside

Agnes Obel is a Danish singer songwriter and I am busy listening to lots of her songs at the moment.  They are haunting and beautiful, even though I sometimes can't tell what she is singing.

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Downsizing

It is a cool windy autumn night here in the city, and for this middle aged lady, I am happy to be home as it gets dark.  Dinner was easy and after a couple of shows I thought I would watch Downsizing.  I had seen the trailer and it looked like an interesting one.

Paul and his wife are a bit tired of working the same old job and never getting ahead, not being able to afford their dream home.  A new experiment has now enabled scientists in Norway to be able to shrink people down, allowing for a more sustainable planet as people take up less space and use less resources.  In a minature world, a few hundred thousand dollars allows people to lead a millionaire lifestyle living in mansions with much more leisure time.  Life though will never be quite the system.

I did enjoy a lot of the movie, but it was a bit long and slow.  Luckily Matt Damon is always worth watching, especially as he reaches his own middle age.  3/5

We're Going to Need More Wine - Gabrielle Union

Gabrielle Union is an American actress that I haven't seen a lot of, although she did seem to specialize in  the nineties playing teenagers on various movies.  In this book she talks a lot about growing up in a white middle class suburb and trying to blend in at high school - and trying to prove herself in the movie industry.

She has quite a few entertaining stories and the book was a quick and enjoyable read. 4/5