The World That We Knew - Alice Hoffman

From the first page I knew that I loved this book.  Telling the story of two young women in the Holocaust, it is weaved and laced with a magical touch.  Lea whose mother Hanni senses the coming clouds and sends her away, Ettie who escapes with her sister and Ava who is sent to look after the young Lea.   Such a touching and moving book about love and grief which are bound together, and such a unique original story telling style.

I found myself relieved to read such a beautiful book on the last day of the year as it gives me hope for more fiction in 2020. 5/5

The Giver of Stars - Jojo Moyes

In 1937 a young Englishwoman Alice marries a wealthy handsome American Bennett, and goes to live with him in rural Kentucky.  The marriage is not what she expects, and in order to fill in her time, she takes a job with the rural packhorse library service.   Joining a remarkable group of women, she travels the country trails and roads  distributing books and magazines to women and children, many of whom have little contact with outsiders and little to no education.

I was just waiting for a touch of magic from this book, and I was a bit umoved and even bored by it.  I am sure it will make a great ensemble movie, I can picture it easily easily being adapted.  3/5

Who Am I, Again? - Lenny Henry

I kept smiling while I read this book by Lenny Henry about his youth and entrance into the world of comedy.  Growing up in a large family, he was able to escape by starting his career at the age of 16.   I could picture the author the whole time I read this book, and imagine the audible version would be awesome. 4/5

Midnight In Chernobyl - Adam Higginbotham

I was a teenager when the explosion in reactor four at Chernobyl happened, and watching the news was not often a priority for me, so reading this as a grown up was a bit eye opening.  A lot of the technical explanations and physics were a bit over my head, but the personal stories made it a fascinating and horrifying read.  The amount of corner cutting and incompetent mismanagement of building and servicing a nuclear reactor were astonishing to read and it is a wonder that more people did not die as a result.  Scary stuff. 4/5

A Mild Touch Of The Cancer - David Downs

David Downs is a New Zealand comedian/businessman who thought he was just having a bout of the manflu but was diagnosed with non Hodgkins Lymphoma two years ago.  He kept us entertained by writing about his experiences on his blog and in the newspaper.  Bringing together all of his stories about his treatment in this book, it was a good read full of optimism and hope and the power of family and good friends.  4/5

Star Wars - The Rise of Skywalker

Summer seems to have skipped us at the moment, and it was a windy overcast day and by early evening it had started spitting.  So a winter jacket was grabbed and I headed to the cinema to see the final Star Wars Movie - The Rise of Skywalker.  Friends had tickets for a special opening day event so it was nice to join them.  I won't give away the plot, if you've seen other movies in the series you know what you are in for anyway, lots of running, looking serious, good vs evil, a few guns, a couple of light sabres, a few slugs and lots and lots of CGI.  I also often thought that this new movie making has introduced a lot of politically correct characters, and that the white male is now portrayed as the bad guys in this movie.  How far we have almost come.

It was ok, I wasn't particularly moved and it all was a bit flat for me.  The story was pretty simple to follow this time, and it did circle back to encompass earlier movies which was nice.  I think for me the best part was that I got to see the movie in the same cinema that  I saw the first film in 1977 as a 9 year old with my parents.  3/5

The First Breath - Olivia Gordon

This is a book about the authors experience of being a mother to a small baby and their Neo Natal experience.  As well as telling us her own story she also interviews other parents and looks into how this special branch of medicine has evolved, with newer procedures developed every year.   Olivia also meets up with parents and children several years after their time in the unit, and it is nice to hear stories about these children as they grown bigger and stronger.  4/5

The Collaborator - Diane Armstrong

I have enjoyed many of Diane Armstrongs earlier books, and she writes fiction and non fiction that seems centered on the World War II experience.  This one fell a little flat for me.  I did enjoy the parts based  on young  Australian journalist Annika and her search for what happened to her family in Budapest in the War.  So much of it however seemed focused on a trial that occurred after the war and I struggled to read it,  particularly with the second half of the book dragging for me. 3/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Ophelia

Again the weather has turned grey and windy and it was a night for settling down on the couch.  I meant to see this one at the cinema, but many dramas seem to be only shown for a week or two as they are pushed out by superheroes and car chases, things I am not interested in at all.  Anyway as you may guess from the title, this is the story of Ophelia of Hamlet fame.  The movie was certainly beautiful, the castles and the dresses and even the men looked good without being stuck in skin tight leggings.  I was somewhat distracted by Clive Owen in a crappy hairpiece. 

Daisy Ridley played the title role well, the story just came across a little muddled without a lot of focus.  I wanted to say I understood it all, but it felt like it was a long time since I read Hamlet.  We studied it at school which is now over 30 years ago, and in the mid nineties I saw Ralph Fiennes play the title role in London.   Seeing the beautiful Victorian paintings of Ophelia in London made me love the character even more.   So 4/5 for this one.

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - A Dog's Way Home

Grey and windy seems to be the way of the weather at the moment when we want some summer sunshine.  So after a few of the chores were done it was time to sit on the couch to watch a movie before getting ready for work.  I love my pets, so I always knew this one was going to be ok, but am always ready for this type of story to bring a tear to my eyes.

We meet Bella - a puppy who has a bit of a rough start, but finds a home with Lucas and his mother.  Of course she gets lost and has to find her way back home, as that is the title of the movie.  Lots of feel good and sad moments in the story, and a bit of awkward looking CGI effects sprinkled throughout.

Still I'll give it a 4/5 as it is certainly watchable and I might see it again if it comes on the tv for free.

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Mary Queen of Scots

I gathered up my corset to sit on the couch on this windy and wet night to sit and watch Mary Queen of Scots.  Saoirse Ronan glows in the role of the Queen who has to fight just to survive.  There is a lot of beauty in the film, the spectacular scenery of Scotland, the wonderfully Elizabethan palaces, gorgeous costumes and elaborate hairstyles.  The character fulled faces of a mostly British group of actors and actresses in the supporting roles,  who are unafraid to show their wrinkles and grey hair makes the movie more interesting.

Like many modern films it traded  a little more style than substance and could have done with more time spent in the writers room.  It just all felt a little flat, with  little build up in the story and not  quite enough spark to make it either magical or memorable.  I guess it is hard within a two hour period to tell what is quite a complicated story about her life , but I walked away thinking that while I was happy to have seen this once, I will remember it more for Soirses performance than anything else.  3/5

Coming Soon - Emma

Be still my corseted heart.  Although it looks rather cheesy, I still can't resist seeing a bit of Jane Austen at the cinema.  I wonder if any modern stories will still resonate in 200 years time?

Music Monday - Ophelia - The Lumineers

I needed this tonight.  I've watched it a couple of times lately and it soothes me.

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Swimming With Men

After a busy day for me (two trips into town and two meals out), it was time to come home and settle down on the couch.  Swimming with men, is a story about middle aged accountant Eric, who is struggling with his marriage and life.  So he finds himself joining a group of guys doing synchronised swimming.  I did enjoy it, although it was set as a comedy, there weren't really any laugh out loud moments.  The balance between drama and comedy was ok, but it was somehow lacking the magic moments or charm of a Full Monty or other ensemble comedies.  It was more of a Sunday night amusement.  4/5

Renia's Diary - Renia Spiegel

This one is a hard one to write about.  A true story of a young Jewish girl Renia, growing up in Poland during the second World War.  Isolated from her mother and younger sister, she misses them deeply.  I just found that most of this story was about her pining for her boyfriend and worrying about her friendships, like most teenagers with little mentioned about what is going on around her.  The most interesting part was the final chapter about what happened after the war, and how her diary was discovered. 1/5

The Hand Maid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

I've read the original novel several times over the years, watched the movie, and enjoyed the current tv series very much, so I thought I would reread the story as a graphic novel.  It is pretty true to the original story and makes it digestible in one quick and easily read.   Its pretty grim stuff.

I am sure that most people are aware of the story.  In a not too distant dystopian future in the country of Gilead, furtile women are transformed into handmaids whose job is to produce babies for their infertile ruling classes.  The story centers on Offred, a young woman who is separated from her young daughter and husband, and tries to figure out how she can escape from this rigid controlled society.  4/5

Music Monday - Down By The Water - PJ Harvey

I have only just discovered this tune, and can hear it playing in my head several times a day.  I'll obsess over it for a while and then probably forget about it for a while. 

Face It - Debbie Harry

Debbie Harry singing Heart of Glass with Blondie in 1978 marks a sort of growing up for ten year old me, I felt like this must be what being an adult was like.  I so wanted this book to be more rock'n'roll, more punk rock, but beside from the odd bit of name dropping it was all a bit meh.  Maybe she waited too long to write the book, but is seemed a bit boring and dull - the opposite of what I wanted from her, I expected her to be the cool, hip funny girl.  She has got to travel the world and meet scores of interesting people over the decades, but most of this was barely mentioned. 

I think my expectation of a memoir is to learn more about the person, and to hopefully come away knowing more about them and liking them even more than when I started.  Neither of which I achieved after reading this book, which just left me feeling sad.  2/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Gloria Bell

OMG I feel special.  A movie targeted at me - a middle aged lady.  I'm too old for super heroes and car chases, and as I'm not a pensioner yet I'm not really that enthralled with the grey parade of pensioners that are wheeled out to grab the grey dollar.  I am that forgotten customer, the middle aged lady. 

Gloria played by Julianne Moore,  is in her fifties, divorced and still working while dealing with her young adult children who are getting on with their lives without her.  She spends her weekends getting dressed up and going out to dance to old tunes.   She meets Arnold, but he comes with his own baggage and things aren't too dreamy and smooth. 

Look, it was quiet and at times made me a bit sad, but it was saved by the luminous Julianne Moore, and the soundtrack that makes me think it is worth a 4/5.

The Body - Bill Bryson

I think that considering all the shows and movies we watch and read, most of us know surprisingly little about our own bodies.  Bill Bryson has a way of giving us all the information we like in easily readable and entertaining chapters without overwhelming us with lots of dull information.  Even though I work in a medical field and have read a lot of books, I still found this a quick and amusing read even though it was a solid 400 pages.  5/5

Cilka's Journey - Heather Morris

This is another of those stories that will stay with you.  The author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz follows up on filling in the story of Cilka Klein, one of the characters of the earlier book, but this definitely can be read alone.   As a 16 year old sent to  Auschwitz Birkenhau she is picked out because of her beauty and abused.  It is hard to imagine what horrors a girl had to see and do in order to survive in such circumstances.

When the war ends, she is then charged by the soviets with being a collaborator and given a 15 year sentence to a Siberian gulag.  There the horrors continue, with little to eat, hard labor digging coal and being abused by the male prisoners,  but she is able to find friendships with the women she is imprisoned with and help work in the hospitals and ambulance. 

Sitting in our warm and cozy homes it is hard to imagine what women like this went through during the war, and wonder if we would have had the strength to survive. 5/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - The Aftermath

I'm just about all movied out here.  It has been a mega week of watching lots of shows in the evenings and I saved this for a Saturday night viewing.   Dinner was eaten, the living room was hoovered and it was time to sit on the couch with a bunch of grapes.

It felt like a welcome back to Kiera Knightly, as she seems to play this delicate 30s/40s type of women very well.  She seemed to be everywhere a few years ago, and then I guess she slipped away to have some babies of her own and have a life.  She is perfect in this role as Rachael Morgan, who comes to Hamburg in 1946 to live with her husband, all breathless  pouty looks and quiet tears.  They are to live in the requistioned house of German Stefan Lubert and his daughter Freda and all characters are dealing with their own grief and worries about how they are to move on post war.

I guess its more Sunday night cinema than blockbuster but it suited this middle aged lady quite well.  4/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night Double Feature - King of Thieves + The Mule

This middle lady is blowing out the internet budget this week, watching 2x movies tonight.  It was blowing a gale out there, and it is easier to sit at home on the couch in comfy clothes and spend little to no dollars on entertainment.  Yes - I have turned into my father quicker than I expected.

King of Thieves is a British film based on the Hatton St safe deposit burglary that occurred in 2015.   Led by Michael Caine, it is a distinguished group of actors all of whom I had to google as I was surprised at their ages and how old they looked in the movie.  I liked that it was kept mainly serious, and there was no need to make this heist film a caper, like so many of the ones that have come out recently.  A solid 4/5.

The Mule - well I have to say it is pretty amazing to think that Clint Eastwood plays the main character, and directed and produced this film at 89 years old.   It too is based on a true life story of a simple flower grower, who after threats to foreclose on his home, takes on a job of delivering drugs.  Passing unsuspected across borders, he manages to make several runs, all increasing in value each time, but little does he realize that the DEA are on his tail.  It is somewhat of a quiet movie, but I just felt like telling Clint that he looked tired, and in need of a good long rest on a lazyboy with his feet up.  I guess that is not really in his nature, and one has to admire his work ethic.  4/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Second Act

Because I am middle aged and becoming rather stingy, the thought of wasting 99c by missing out on watching my apple itunes specials appalled me.  So I buckled in and ate my dinner, while watching this Jennifer Lopez vehicle Second Act.  While I get its heart of gold, working girl vibe, it was a pretty lame effort.  Jennifer Lopez plays Maya Vargas, an assistant manager at a value shop who gets looked over for promotion and the job is given to someone with a college degree.  So she looks elsewhere for new work, and due to some social media assistance lands a big job with a beauty company.

It is one of those movies, that seems to wrap up all the cliches from other movies without having much charm or wit of its own.  I wanted to like it, I was in the mood for a bit of feel good fun, but it all came over a bit flat for me.  2/5

Middle Aged Lady Night - Free Solo

So I watched this one last night, as time was running out on the 99c specials, it was time to knuckle down and watch.  I am glad I did, it is a bit of a stunner.  Alex Honnold is a 34 year old American, whose sport is to free climb rock faces.  In this movie, a team follow him as he attempts to climb the 914m high El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.  It is almost a shear rock face, and he climbs without any ropes, and the views alone filmed for the documentary are enough to have made me feel dizzy as I sat on my couch.  I was partly entranced, but mostly horrified.  Not the sport for me.  4/5

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

It is hard to stop thinking about this book, one of the autobiographies from Maya Angelou, focusing on her life from the ages of 3- 17.  When you think that it was first published in 1969,  50 years ago when stories like this weren't talked about, how revolutionary it must have been.  I think I read this first over 30 years ago, but it still felt fresh and even more relevant reading it now.  How this came from a time when people knew hardships and poverty in a way we can't really understand.  I can see why this book has continued to be read over the decades.  5/5

Music Monday - Lover - Taylor Swift

I love the dollhouse quality of the video. 

All The Flowers In Paris - Sarah Jio

Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her accident or what went on in her life before, and we meet Celine struggling to survive during the war with a young daughter and father to protect.  I have been on a bit of a run with WWII stories, so I may have been a bit jaded when I read this novel.  Normally I like Sarah Jio novels but I wasn't as drawn into this one as others.

I always get a bit frustrated at stories like this.  One where the thirty something living in a huge Paris apartment, seems to have unlimited funds, isn't worried about paying rent or bills or worrying about a job.  She also seems to have no other family or friends that might be concerned about her.  I couldn't quite believe elements about Celines life either.  I wasn't sure how many florists would have survived in the war, who was out growing flowers?  I am sure that rations would not have had a relatively poor family eating pastries at breakfast, when only a 1/3 of a loaf was rationed for the week.  Having lettuce and tomatoes when it was snowing outside or going to a cafe for a salad just didn't seem realistic to me.  It was just these small things that made me lose a bit of interest in the story.  3/5

Over The Top - Jonathan Van Ness

Jonathan Van Ness has come to my attention via Queer Eye on tv, but I have listened to some of his podcasts and watching his Instagram feed always makes me smile.  He is charismatic and real, and I always watch him and think how he would be the perfect party guest and a bonus as a hairdresser he could fix your hair.

In this book he is pretty honest about his past, his childhood sexual abuse, growing up knowing he was gay, being bullied for a lot of his life and his sometimes dubious lifestyle choices as an adult.  It may be challenging reading for some, but I enjoyed it and his real voice came across in this memoir.  I think as I finished this book, that I just liked him even more that I had when I started. 5/5

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Ben is Back

This is one of those movies that I no longer go to the cinema to see.  That kind of all too serious drama just gets me down, and often watching at home I find myself wandering away from the television or getting distracted.  Ben is Back is about the relationship between mum Holly (Julia Roberts) and her drug addict son Ben, who surprises the family by turning up at Christmas when he is meant to be in rehab.

Although a somewhat predictable story line, I was surprised that I watched the whole movie.  Great performances from everyone especially Julia Roberts.  I thought at first she was a bit sappy, but as the movie went on she showed her strength.  4/5

The Work I Did - Brunhilde Pomsel

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up this slim book.  I had seen a couple of small clips about this woman Brunhilde Pomsel, who during WWII worked as a secretary to Goebbels, and seemed to flit in the inner circles of Nazi elite.

 I found her memoir somewhat contradictory, she was of the opinion that she was unaware of what was happening, but knew the Jews were being sent away to camps.  I also understand that at the time she was probably a bit of a young woman more interested in fashion and men, rather than politics, but she was right in the midst of everything living and working in Berlin.  Still for a woman who lived to 106, you can understand that her memories of what happened 70+ years ago must have faded somewhat, there is no remorse or accountability.   2/5

The Volunteer - Jack Fairweather

This is the true story of Polish farmer and reserve Calvary officer Witold Pilecki, who volunteers to enter Auschwitz to try and get honest reports or what is happening inside the camp and forming some type of resistance.  What he finds of course, is far and beyond what he had imagined, the murder of thousands of men, women and children which at the time was mostly unknown to the wider world.

It is at times quite the harrowing read, and I had to set the book aside several times in order to process what I had read.  His story though deserves to be more widely known, and I am sure many more people will know who he is because of this book.  4/5

The Mother-In-Law - Sally Hepworth

Lucy is married to Ollie with three small children, and no matter what she says or does, she can't get along with her mother-in-law Diana.  This story gives us multiple points of view and swings between the past and present, but for once I didn't get to confused and could follow the storyline pretty easily, which made it a quick and enjoyable read for me. 4/5

Lock Every Door - Riley Sager

Jules has just about hit rock bottom, when she applies for a job working at a famous New York landmark  All she has to do is to house sit a fabulous penthouse apartment for 3 months and be paid for it.  Of course nothing is quite as simple as it sounds, and things begin to look sinister quite quickly.  I did feel the menace in the story and was waiting for probably more spookiness than it offered, as I realized about half way through what was going on.  Still it was a pretty evenly paced Gothic horror that didn't fizzle out at the end like so many.  4/5

Music Monday - Justin Timberlake & Chris Stapleton - Say Something

I seldom listen to the radio anymore, and find new songs, or old songs like this one on youtube.  I have been out of the loop for sometime now that I keep finding songs that I haven't heard before like this one.

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Saturday Night needed filling in before the rugby game started late, so it was time to catch up on some of the 99c specials I have on my apple tv.  I really like Melissa McCarthy as a person when I have seen her being interviewed and in many of her roles.  I am not a big fan of most of her movies however, as they all seem to be the same over played simplistic plots, with stories that seem to be written by 12 year olds.  She - I believe is better than that.

So in this movie, it is nice to see her take on a more dramatic role, and a more realistic wig/no makeup look to play author Lee Israel.  When she loses her job and with nothing waiting in the wings for her to write, she takes it upon herself to embellish and forge letters from celebrities from the past.  Passing them off as real, she realizes that she may be able to pay for her rent and drinks as long as the scam lasts.  Melissa does a stellar job of playing the acerbic and at times rude Lee, who seems to not realize that her star has ascended and her glory days are behind her.  Yet we can see that she is witty and clever and like most of us, is just looking for love and a way to survive the rat race.

I did however find it a bit drab and was shocked by what was under her bed!!  3/5

Mad Girl - Bryony Gordon

Mad Girl is a memoir by Bryony Gordon about her experiences with mental health issues.  She talks about growing up with alopecia and OCD, and dealing with drinking and drug addictions in her twenties.  She is honest and funny, although at stages I just wanted to sit her down and tell her to grow up and act like an adult. I guess she came to that conclusion on her own, with a little bit of help. 

The more stories that get told like this though the more it must help people realize that they are not alone , that everyone  has their own issues to deal with.  4/5

Downton Abbey

I have been wanting to see this one for a while and thought I had better get to it, before it disappeared from the cinema.  It is worth it to go and see on the big screen and I don't think that about many movies.  I would have to say that it was pretty much perfect and exactly as you would expect.

All the team showed up, and they are busy getting the big house ready for the royals, so they are all a flutter dusting, polishing and getting all spiffy.  I kept thinking, that in these crazy times, we all yearn for a bit of simplicity, for going back to the good old days, and Downton encapsulates all that.  Characters we know, going about their business as usual. 

So I'm going to say that it did bring a tear to my eye, so for that it is worth a big old 5/5.

The Writing On The Wall - Juliet Rieden

Juliet Rieden is an Australian journalist, who only after her fathers death discovers his story and the fate of his family members in Czechoslovakia during the Second World War.  While on a trip to Prague Juliet visits the  local Synagogue and notices several names listed on a memorial that share her same last name.  Realizing that they be related to her, she searches for the history of the Rieden family, a family that her father barely mentioned.

It makes me sad that we now have reached a period in time when most of the survivors of the war are now gone, and for most that their stories are lost also.  For many, they didn't want to speak about their experiences and so for the next generation they know little of what their families went through.  I just felt sad reading this book, that the authors father didn't share stories about his grandparents and aunties and uncles that he grew up with.  3/5

The Note Through The Wire - Doug Gold

This is a fictionalized novel about Bruce Murray a young New Zealand Prisoner of War and his chance encounter with Josefine Lobnik, a young Yugoslavian resistance fighter.   Such a nice unique war story that is based on the true story of his in-laws and how they got met.  It was so nice to read a story that sadly had to be based on letters and articles as like so many of their generation, they didn't talk about their experiences, and to have this story before it is lost.  4/5

The Blink Of An Eye - Rikke Schmidt Kjaergaard

This is a small book that tells a big story about Rikke Schmidt Kjaergaard, a young mother and wife,  who within a day or so falls terribly ill with bacterial meningitis, ending up in Intensive Care for weeks.  As she remains unconscious for weeks, it is her family that document what is happening to her and the struggles that staff have to keep her alive.  Although this horrid disease changed a lot in her life, forcing her to relearn basics like eating and walking again, she was lucky to survive.  It was a compelling read. 5/5

You'll Never See Me Again - Lesley Pearse

When Bettys husband returns from the war a shell of the man he was, she realizes that she will be trapped with him and his shrew of a mother.   Escaping, she finds a new life for herself, but she wonders if she will be able to escape her past.  Finding a new life as Mabel, she finds new friends and supporters and begins to have the life she deserves. 

I felt comfortable with this book as soon as I started it, and it was an easy read all the way through as many Lesley Pearse stories are.  She is comfortable with telling stories of women finding there way in the world, when they were often restricted by the society rules of the time.  When without money, you were often forced into doing what the family wanted and unable to choose your own path . 4/5

Something To Live For - Richard Roper

Andrew is a bit of a loner.  He lives by himself in a small flat and works for the local council.  When people die in council properties with no family or friends, it is up to Andrew and his team to see if they can discover next of kin, and to organise funerals for the deceased.  His best friends are some other online model train enthusiasts and Andrew is content to live alone without anyone to bother him.

His problem is that he has been avoiding his sister and may have happened to have told a couple of lies to his work colleagues.  Of course you know that there are going to be consequences to his action.  Look I liked the concept, but the character of Andrew felt very familiar to me and  quite like the main character in a movie I saw a couple of years ago called Still Life.  4/5

Music Monday - Bright Horses - Nick Cave

Such a beautiful song from Nick Cave and his new album Ghosteen.  I am loving the fantasy bucolic cover. 

Middle Aged Lady Watch - Mrs Wilson

Today was a strike day for us, so even though I had visions of going out to the movies and having lunch at a local cafe, after a late shift last night I just rolled over this morning, and woke up at a leisurely pace.  As there wasn't going to be any pay for today I saved some dollars, and dressed myself up in comfy pants, a warm hoody and slippers.  Just as I hit the couch with my toasted sandwiches for lunch and a big glass of apple juice, the temperatures dropped and a hail started before the rain set in.  A good choice to stay at home in the end.

Mrs Wilson was a 3 part mini-series that I recorded earlier in the year and I like the ability to sit and watch it in one go, so that I may follow the story a bit easier.  Based on her grandmothers story, the actress Ruth Wilson plays her grandmother Alison Wilson.  When her husband dies suddenly, Alison Wilson discovers that she was not the only wife of husband Alec Wilson (played by Iain Glen).  She also finds out that a lot of his past stories were in fact lies, and she sets out to find out the truth for her and their two suns.

I really enjoyed this period set piece,  which flicked between the early 40s and 60s as it told the story of their first meeting and early marriage and their life 20 years later.  Ruth Wilson is always an interesting watch, and such a good actress, being believable as both the young naive  20 year old and the older more jaded mother.  A satisfying cold day on the couch watch.  4/5

The Perfect Wife - JP Delaney

Abbie wakes up not sure of who she is and the man at her side saying he is her husband. So she starts to seek out what happened to her, finding out some unsettling truths. I won't give away the main points of this book, as that is the true basis of the story, and it does a good job of trying to confuse you on whose version of the truth is real.

I did keep having more questions as I went through the story and thought that there were lots of plot holes. Still it is a unique story that has enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. 3/5

Music Monday - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

This was the first video I watched on youtube today, and then I got sucked into an hour of watching music videos, mostly from the 1980s, but came back to this one.  I still love this song, and this is a beautiful version played live at the Albert Hall, London. 

Middle Aged Lady Movie Night - Suite Francaise

I do remember that I read the book years ago that this movie is based on, but I didn't remember what it was about.  So  I added this one to my watchlist on Apple TV, and had to watch it last night so that I didn't waste my 99c investment.  Suite Francaise is a Second World War Drama.  Lucille is a young French woman played by Michelle Williams, who is living in a small village in a large house with her mother in law Madame Angellier (Kristin Scott Thomas). 

After the Germans occupation of France, a German Officer Bruno (Matthais Schoenaerts) is billeted at their home.  He is quiet and unassuming and plays the piano, gradually charming Lucille.  When one of the local farmers kills the officer billeted at his home, the whole village is searched to find him and the local Viscount is threatened with execution if he is not handed in.

I did enjoy the quietness of this movie, and thought that they did some things very well.  The touches and looks between Bruno and Lucille were well done, but I would have thought that they would have been more discreet at the time.  I liked the production of this movie, the houses and villages where they filmed, the womens clothing, hats and hair and makeup all felt authentic and not over done.  4/5

Last Witnesses - Svetlana Alexievich

This is a bit of a tough read in many ways.  The author spent several years in the 1980s interviewing Russian adults who had been children during the Second World War.  Now translated into English, this book is pretty harrowing.  We know nothing about them as adults, only their names and professions, but and we get a brief glimpse into their lives.  We only get a page or two and their experiences are often just about one particular incidence or day. 

These adults tell us about how as children many of them saw family members, siblings, neighbors and parents killed in front of them.  Starving and forced into eating bark off trees, grass or even dirt to try to survive. How children as young as 10 going off to work or at 12 trying to sign up to fight.  Children left alone after their homes and villages are burnt to the ground, left in the forest or with strangers, and some put on trains and sent to Siberia or to concentration camps.  So many experiences that so hard for us to understand in our modern world.  Yet part of you is reminded that these were the lucky ones, the ones who survived such hardships and got to grow up when so many children died or were killed.  5/5

Music Monday - You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones

It's interesting what you can end up watching on youtube.  Sometimes the videos make me smile, and the comments can be quite entertaining as well.  Found here if you want to look.  Anyways a bit of classic rock for Monday.

Run Away - Harlan Coben

Look it was a solid start for this book, with a fast paced promise of a real action thriller, but about 1/2 way in it all began to be a bit forced and spun out into a bit of silliness.  Harlan Coben is a top notch writer, and he usually is able to give you an even paced story with lots of twists and turns.  I think I was thrown when there was a two part narrative for a while which didn't make sense for some time.  I just wanted to hear more about the story that the story was based around, Father Simon who is searching for his daughter Paige.  Paige has been missing for some time, living on the streets with her drug addict boyfriend Aaron. 

So I was a bit disappointed by the time I reached the end.  It all seemed to reach a unbelievable climax to the story and I felt a bit let down.  Sadly not one of my faves.  3/5

The Last House Guest - Megan Miranda

Littlepoint Maine is a summer town, where the tourists come for their holidays renting expensive holiday homes.  Sadie is from the wealthy family running the show and she makes friends with Avery who lives with her grandmother after the death of her parents.  When Sadie goes missing on the night of a party, a small group of friends are all suspects.

While I got the premise of the story, it all fell a bit flat for me and didn't really resonate as all the characters were not particularly likable or memorable, although I could picture the windswept rocky coastline and pricey holiday homes in my head, the characters themselves seemed wispy creations. 2/5

Critical - Matt Morgan

I like the honesty of this book, like many of the recent medical memoirs published it talks more about taking care of the patient, of doing what is best for them, rather than doing heroic measures at any cost.  Dr Matt Morgan is an Intensive Care specialist who melds the stories of his patients, with his own life and experiences and also  provides motivation for the reader to look at their own lifestyle choices and how they may affect their future health. 

I like any book that provides conversations around end of life choices and how we should all discuss our options well in advance, sharing with our loved ones what we would want to happen.  When confronted with these choices in real life, it makes it so much easier when we know how our family would want to proceed.  4/5

The Farewell

It is the $11.50 special at the lighthouse cinema today and I had wanted to see this one at the Film Festival, but missed out on tickets.  It is the story of Billi  who is living in New York, but has a close relationship with her grandmother Nai Nai.  When her grandmother is diagnosed with lung cancer, it is kept from her, but the whole family comes to see her to see her with a family wedding happening at the same time.

It is mainly a drama, and veers only a little into the comedy side which is nice as it seems like something we can all relate too, even if it is trying to show us the Eastern importance of family.  Most of us can relate to the mum left in the kitchen to help cook, while dad and uncles drink too much and all the Chinese food made me hungry.  I had to go and have some dumplings afterwards.  3.5/5

Music Monday - Truth Hurts - Lizzo

I found this one on youtube today and I keep listening to it as it makes me smile. 

Maid - Stephanie Land

This is not the book I thought it might be from reading the cover.  Sure for Stephanie Land  her life is not working out how she imagined it. After leaving her partner trying to  raise a young daughter mainly on her own is pretty tough.  Living with a new unsupportive partner, Stephanie takes on jobs for house cleaning services.  With minimum wages she struggles to pull in a couple of hundred dollars a week, and once she leaves to live with her daughter alone in a  small studio apartment there are only pennies to spare each week.

Don't get me wrong I admire the heck out of a single mother like Stephanie who obviously loves and cares for her daughter and puts her needs above her own, often going without food or any treats in order to provide for her child.  I did however get annoyed with her unprofessional attitude towards her clients, going through their cupboards, trying on clothes and even looking at clients family members ashes. She also seemed to not be looking for any alternative jobs that may provide more consistent hours or higher pay rates or gotten work on the weekends her daughter was with her father?

I grew up with second hand clothes and toys - I was lucky though as my mother was able to look after me, but as a child my dad worked three jobs and did night school to provide for us.  Hats off to parents like Stephanie doing it by themselves.  3/5

Promise Me You'll Shoot Yourself - Florian Huber

This is a pretty confronting book.  It mainly concentrates on eye witness accounts of what happened in one particular town at the end of the Second World War in Germany.   In Demmin a population of aprox 15,000 people had the numbers swelled by refugees.  The retreating German army blew up the three bridges surrounding the town as the Red Army advanced.  Mass panic arose, and hundreds of people killed themselves and or their families rather than be trapped, raped or killed.  The book is pretty graphic in its descriptions, and it is a part of history that I was unaware of, and it seemed that had been hidden until relatively recently.  The numbers vary in different reports from the one town from several hundred to thousands.  4/5

The Daughter's Tale - Armando Lucas Correa

In 1939 thinks have become hard for young Dr Julius, his wife Amanda and their two young girls Lina and Viera.  After Julius is arrested and their bookstore is torched  Amanda is forced to make the hardest of choices to save her daughters.  Based on a true story you can't help but feel for how hard things must have been as nowhere in Europe is safe from the War.

I enjoyed the setting of the book and the characters, I just felt a little short changed with some of it as there was little depth.  To be German in a small French village during the occupation would not have been without many challenges especially attending school.  I wanted to hear more about the girls and their experiences which seemed a little thin.  Still it was a good read, just not a great one. 4/5