Movie Review: Song for Marion

Song for Marion: with Terence Stamp, Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Eccleston, Gemma Arterton.

What a fantastic film! When I Googled it, it had really bad reviews which strangely enough, just made me want to go and see for myself. After reading the synopsis I thought it sounded like something only people over 60 would watch ( no offence anyone!) but still an interesting movie. While the majority of the people in the cinema were over 60, at least from what I could tell (!), I loved this film so much. I went with my friend and we both couldn't believe how much we enjoyed it.

It follows an elderly couple Arthur ( Stamp) and Marion ( Redgrave), who has cancer. Marion is a member of  the OAPz ( Old age pensioners, z for the 'hip' factor) choir led by the vivacious Elizabeth (Arterton). She faithfully attends even though she is quite ill.

Arthur is an extremely grumpy and pessimistic man while Marion is the opposite and lives her life with happiness and a sunny outlook. When she takes a turn for the worse and dies, Arthur resigns himself to the fact that he will be sad and alone until he too dies. But, with some encouragement from Elizabeth he rediscovers his love of singing and joins the OAPz.

The movie continues with the OAPz entering a prestigious choir competition and some problems between Arthur and his son. It is resolved in the end, in a very realistic way which some critics have cited as being anti-climactic, which I completely disagree with. I thought the end was very moving ( if you've seen this film, let me know what you thought).

I don't know if the people who reviewed this saw the same film as me because I thought it was so moving and poignant. It really brought home to me the importance of family, how precious life is and making the most of your situation.

I would highly recommend this film, if you're in the mood for a well acted, moving and life affirming movie experience.

Have you seen this film? Let me know what your thoughts, just leave a comment here on the blog or send me a tweet @JuliadeRuiter

Movie Review: W.E.

 W.E. with:  Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, James D'Arcy, Oscar Isaac. (2011)

I thought I'd mix things up a bit and review this movie our library recently acquired, which I love. Directed by Madonna, this movie is set in the present day and also in the 1980's. It follows two women- one is the infamous Wallis Simpson, the other a New Yorker with the same name and a keen interest in her life. 

The thing I most enjoyed about the movie was the plot. It changes seamlessly between the two women. Modern day Wallis is somewhat obsessed with the real Wallis Simpson and visits an exhibit about her at a local museum every day. As she examines pieces on display from Wallis' life ( a cocktail glass for example) the film enters real Wallis' world and starts telling her story. Both Wallis' were victims of abusive marriages but I thought Abbie Cornish  (modern day Wallis) did a stellar job of portraying this.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the cast was perfect, the settings were beautiful and the fashion was gorgeous. The whole story had a very glamorous feel to it. The film felt very authentic, for her directing debut I thought Madonna did a great job. I highly recommend this movie.

Twenty-thirteen

Happy New Year everyone!
I'm so excited for 2013- I have a good feeling :)

To welcome in the new year I thought I'd share some of the goals I've made for myself at work this year. ( I left out the ones that only apply to our library). I think a sense of direction is what I need this year, so the list is stuck prominently on the wall right next to my computer.

1:Stay positive
2: Be flexible
3: Work hard on my final two papers for study
4: Get on top of my time management skills/become an organisation queen!
5: Be creative and authentic
6: Apply for the LIANZA 2013 conference scholarship
7: Finish Diploma and Certificate!
8: Publish one blog post a week
9: Read more of what I love

What are your goals/resolutions for the year ahead? You can comment here on the blog or tweet me @JuliadeRuiter

Bring on 2013!!

Julia

Convert

I am proud to announce that I am now an ereader convert! I bought an iPad last week -*happy dance* and made myself download an ebook onto my Bluefire reader app.
I just finished Revived by Cat Patrick last night and I loved the book and the whole ereading experience.

It wasn't all a smooth transition though. At first I didn't like it as the font was too big and the screen was too bright but after a few adjustments I was set :) The only thing I don't like about reading off of the iPad is that it's not very comfy in bed unless you are sitting up. I always read before bed so that was a bit of a bummer. Maybe if I'm good until Christmas, Santa will bring me a smaller Sony ereader like my library has? :)
Our library has a great selection of ebooks and I've been having fun searching our catalogue. This is quite a momentous occasion for someone who swore they would always love actual paper books and never read ebooks and definitely would NOT write a blog post about them!
I still feel a little like I'm betraying the old school books sitting on my shelf but it's just so much fun on the iPad!

I'd love to hear of your ebook experiences, just send me a tweet @JuliadeRuiter or leave a comment here on the blog :)

Julia

Book Review: Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

Woohoo! The 30 Day Book Challenge is nearly finished! This is review number eight :) Just a short review today, as work has been flat out and my brain is kind of overflowing with appointments I have to organise and places I have to be and people I have to text/message/email. It's just been that kind of day.

As far as conclusions to series go, I really enjoyed the final book in Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush sequence. I got just a tad bit involved with Patch and Nora's story but funnily enough I completely forgot that there was another book coming out. So, when I saw it on the acquisitions shelf I admit- I did a happy dance. I couldn't wait to get into it and the story didn't disappoint. Filled with thrills, chills and romance I was engrossed from start to finish.
I like Fitzpatrick's style of writing and the story literally flew by.

There was the requisite plot twist which I actually didn't see coming ( I pride myself on being able to predict storylines), epic battles ( well, for me anyway) and some awesome quotes from Vee.

A satisfying conclusion to a great YA series.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Julia

Book Review: The Unfinished Journals of Elizabeth D by Nichole Bernier

Here comes another review for the 30 Day Book Challenge!

 

I came across this book after I saw it on the trolley of new items for our monthly book chat members. I've been going through a phase of picking out quite melancholy/depressing books e.g.The Provence Cure for the Brokenhearted ( Bridget Asher) and Into the Darkest Corner ( Elizabeth Haynes). When I read the back of this book and saw themes of death, family problems and secrets I knew I had to read it.

 

This book follows two friends- Kate and Elizabeth and is set in post 9/11 America. When Elizabeth passes away from cancer, Kate is left wondering how to cope without her best friend. She finds Elizabeth's journals and begins to read through them. As she does, she realises the Elizabeth she knew was very different to the real Elizabeth as portrayed in her journals.

 

 

What I liked about this book, was that it was very real. The way the characters dealt with grief was real. The relationships bewteen husband and wife and parents and children were real. Elizabeth's journals seemed real. Bernier writes with insight- something I've grown to appreciate in the books I've been reading lately. If you're after a read with some substance, I'd recommend this.

 

I'd love to hear what you think of the blog and of the books I've been reading/reviewing. Just leave me a comment here on the blog or send me a tweet @JuliadeRuiter

 

Julia

 

P.S. I think this might be the longest post title ever!

Book Review: Three Summers by Judith Clarke

This is book review number 3 of my 30 Day Book Challenge. 
 
Three Summers follows Ruth, who survived a  fatal car crash when she was a baby and now lives with her grandmother. She meets a boy named Tam and becomes somewhat obsessed by him. I'm sorry to say I didn't really enjoy this book. It might have the been the style it was written in, or the fact that I didn't really connect with any of the characters, but I just couldn't 'get into' the book. I also didn't like the fact that I couldn't figure out the date the book was set in. This made it hard for me to place what kind of society the characters lived in which was very off putting. The book wasn't awful but I've certainly read better. 
I'd love to hear what you're currently reading and if you have any recommendations for me. Just leave a comment here on the blog or tweet me @JuliadeRuiter

Julia :)

Book Review: The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones

Here comes another 30 Day Book Challenge review! This is another great book written by one of my favourite authors, Nicole Mones. The Last Chinese Chef follows a widowed American food writer, Maggie, who travels to Beijing to find out more about her late husbands secrets. Her trip also doubles as work, as she is asked by her editor to profile Sam, a half Chinese American who is the last in a line of gifted chefs going back to the imperial palace. I read this in a weekend and really enjoyed it. I love reading about food and Mones has satisfied my literary cravings. As she describes the food, I feel I'm eating it alongside the character.

 

" According to the classical pattern he started with a few lacy-crisp deep-fried dishes: pepper-salt eel fillets like translucent little tiles...and an aromatic stir-fry of yellow chives studded with tiny. delicate fried oysters. Back in the kitchen, he stir-fried tender mustard greens with wide, flat tofu-skin noodles and plump, fresh, braised young soybeans. These glistened on the platter in a light crystal sauce. After that there were lamb skewers, delectably grilled and crusted with sesame".

 

The thing I liked most about this book, was how Mones described traditional methods of Chinese cooking. Publishers Weekly described the book as 'Sumptuous' and this is how I would describe it too.

 

A satisfying read but have some snacks ready to alleviate the cravings that are sure to happen!

 

I'd love to hear what you think of the blog or any of the books I've been reading for this challenge. Just leave me a comment here on the blog or send me a tweet @JuliadeRuiter

 

Julia

Let's Make it Happen

I've just been reading the September/October 2012 copy of the American Library Association magazine and I came across an article by Meredith Farkas that I thought was interesting. See the article here: http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/practice/let-s-makeithappen
The article is all about not being scared to bring up new ideas/ways of doing things. I don't think this modern library design in the Netherlands was dreamed up by people who hated change! 

 " If you want to make something happen, the biggest thing holding you back may be you". - Meredith Farkas

Libraries are all about change and for that to happen positively we need people who are willing to speak up and get their ideas out there on the table. 
That said, its not always as easy as this sounds!  I can relate when Farkas mentions that she had only been out of library school for a year when she saw an area she thought could use improvement. When I first started working in the library, I had so many ideas that I felt very passionate about but was way too scared to mention them to anyone! As I've grown in confidence and knowledge though, I don't feel so apprehensive about getting my ideas out there. I mean, whats the worst that could happen? My ideas won't always work or be received positively but that doesn't mean I should stop voicing them. I find it helps to mention it to a trusted colleague first before somewhere like a staff meeting. Then, if they see an obvious flaw you will only be embarrassed in front of them!

In this article Farkas mentions that it's often easier to come up with ideas when you are relatively fresh to the profession. While I agree with that, its also hard because you feel like you don't have any experience/a right to speak up.
Finding or teaming up with people who have a similar vision to you may help. Two brains will always be better than one :) I know for me personally, I have a great team of people I work with that are willing to hear out my ideas and I trust their feedback. This has definitely made me more confident in coming up with ideas and thinking outside the square.

The future of libraries is going to change- that much is obvious. I guess it all depends now on how we ( the passionate, foward thinking people!) are going to approach it.

I highly recommend reading this article- I've also just read on Twitter that Meredith has presented a paper at the LIANZA conference 2012- I have some conference envy right  now! 

Thanks for reading- I'd love to hear some comments from some like-minded people- here or on Twitter @JuliadeRuiter

Julia :) 

P.S. Just realised this is my second post on change- I must love it!