Sport, RL, Book Reviews and the film meme
Jan. 9th, 2011 08:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99I knew there was something I meant to tell you all yesterday.
Martin Koch finally won a ski-jumping competition. He's been 2nd and 3rd far, far too often. But this time he won, at the ski-flying at Harrakov. The thing which pleased me wasn't just him winning, although that made me very happy indeed, but the fact that all the Austrians, the people he'd just beaten, were there to congratulate him. They do strike me as being a proper team, even though they compete against each other.
But then again, it seems to be a think throughout the ski-jumpers because they're all really friendly, even up to the coaches. Yesterday, Mika Koriankovsky (spelling variable), the Finnish coach, gave the Czech coach a high five after one of the Czech jumpers had a great jump.
And now there is snooker :D
And also Leicester City drawing with Man. City :D It's been a good weekend for people/teams I like.
~~~~
I have just about finished my first draft of corrections. Remind me that this is no excuse for ice cream and cinema. It is however, an excuse for the gym.
~~~~
Book Reviews
There's a very strange feel to this novel. It's almost like it can't decide what it wants to be, a sort of cosy, chummy murder mystery like Midsommer Murders, or something more along the lines of a psychological murder mystery. I think that in the hands of an author who wrote more clearly, this is a mixture that could work well, but this is not that author. It took me until about chapter four to figure out who was narrating, and who said what frequently confused me.
The behaviour of the characters also didn't sit well with what we knew of them. Characters who had been blackmailed and had managed to keep their secrets from everyone but the blackmailer were suddenly blabbing about them to the investigating character, which shows an awful lot of trust, the reason for which is never explained.
I think the book just doesn't quite work.
A very interesting and fun book, which clearly explains the processes which are used to make a variety of modern day objects.
While this book uses imperial measurement, which would ordinarily annoy me, it does at least stick to them and uses only them. I also don't mind the way it mostly focuses on US manufacturers, as it appears to have been written for the US market. This also explains why some of the terms used are different to the ones I am used to being used for particular processes.
The diagrams are clear and concise, although a few could have been clearer, I'm thinking particularly of the description of the CD making process and zip production. Unfortunately, these are also the processes where the written descriptions are at their weakest.
I really like the cover of the book, which is covered in denim made to look like the pocket of a pair of jeans. It contains some of the description of how jeans are made, and is not only interesting and different but also means that the buyer can judge if they want to buy the book. If you don't like the style of the descriptions on the front, I don't think you will like the rest of it. I was enchanted, even though I suspect I'm slightly older than the target audience.
1. A to Z of Almost Everything: The Compendium of General Knowledge by Trevor Montague
2. Geometric Puzzle Design by Stewart T. Coffin
3. The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd
4. An Incomplete Education, Revised Edition by Judy Jones
5. Amazing School Records: Kids Who Teamed Up for Success (Guiness World Records Special Student Edition) by Ryan Herndon
6. A Platypus, Probably by Sneed B. Collard
7. Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job by John Mongan
8. The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J. Stanley
9. The New Baby at Your House by Joanna Cole
10. The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class by David S. Kidder
I have one of those books, the QI book, I just haven't got round to reading it.
No unsuggestions
~~~~
Film Meme - Day 15 - Favorite film sequel
There can be only one, and that is Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail, even if it's apparently really called Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
It's fun and it works on the same terms as the first film while building from it.
Day 1 - Favourite Foreign Language Film
Day 2 - A film that is underrated
Day 3 - A Film That Brings Me Unadulterated Happiness
Day 4- A film cliché that you love
Day 5 - Favourite love story in a film
Day 6 - Favorite actor/actress
Day 7 - Most surprising plot twist/ending
Day 8 - Best Opening/Closing Credits
Day 9 - Best soundtrack/score to a film
Day 10 - Favourite classic film
Day 11 - Favourite black and white film
Day 12 - A film that permanently altered your point-of-view
Day 13 - A guilty pleasure...
Day 14 - A film that you used to love but now hate
Day 16 - Favorite film character
Day 17 - Favorite film quote
Day 18 - The best overall cast in a film
Day 19 - The most hilarious film you've seen
Day 20 - A moving (emotional) scene
Day 21 - Favorite film from your favorite actor/actress
Day 22 - Favorite Academy Award acceptance speech
Day 23 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 24 - The best page-to-screen film adaptation
Day 25 - Favorite film villain
Day 26 - Favorite film poster
Day 27 - A film that you wish you had seen in theaters
Day 28 - Favorite film from your favorite director
Day 29 - A piece of trivia from a favorite film
Day 30 - Your favorite film of all-time
Martin Koch finally won a ski-jumping competition. He's been 2nd and 3rd far, far too often. But this time he won, at the ski-flying at Harrakov. The thing which pleased me wasn't just him winning, although that made me very happy indeed, but the fact that all the Austrians, the people he'd just beaten, were there to congratulate him. They do strike me as being a proper team, even though they compete against each other.
But then again, it seems to be a think throughout the ski-jumpers because they're all really friendly, even up to the coaches. Yesterday, Mika Koriankovsky (spelling variable), the Finnish coach, gave the Czech coach a high five after one of the Czech jumpers had a great jump.
And now there is snooker :D
And also Leicester City drawing with Man. City :D It's been a good weekend for people/teams I like.
~~~~
I have just about finished my first draft of corrections. Remind me that this is no excuse for ice cream and cinema. It is however, an excuse for the gym.
~~~~
Book Reviews
There's a very strange feel to this novel. It's almost like it can't decide what it wants to be, a sort of cosy, chummy murder mystery like Midsommer Murders, or something more along the lines of a psychological murder mystery. I think that in the hands of an author who wrote more clearly, this is a mixture that could work well, but this is not that author. It took me until about chapter four to figure out who was narrating, and who said what frequently confused me.
The behaviour of the characters also didn't sit well with what we knew of them. Characters who had been blackmailed and had managed to keep their secrets from everyone but the blackmailer were suddenly blabbing about them to the investigating character, which shows an awful lot of trust, the reason for which is never explained.
I think the book just doesn't quite work.
A very interesting and fun book, which clearly explains the processes which are used to make a variety of modern day objects.
While this book uses imperial measurement, which would ordinarily annoy me, it does at least stick to them and uses only them. I also don't mind the way it mostly focuses on US manufacturers, as it appears to have been written for the US market. This also explains why some of the terms used are different to the ones I am used to being used for particular processes.
The diagrams are clear and concise, although a few could have been clearer, I'm thinking particularly of the description of the CD making process and zip production. Unfortunately, these are also the processes where the written descriptions are at their weakest.
I really like the cover of the book, which is covered in denim made to look like the pocket of a pair of jeans. It contains some of the description of how jeans are made, and is not only interesting and different but also means that the buyer can judge if they want to buy the book. If you don't like the style of the descriptions on the front, I don't think you will like the rest of it. I was enchanted, even though I suspect I'm slightly older than the target audience.
1. A to Z of Almost Everything: The Compendium of General Knowledge by Trevor Montague
2. Geometric Puzzle Design by Stewart T. Coffin
3. The Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd
4. An Incomplete Education, Revised Edition by Judy Jones
5. Amazing School Records: Kids Who Teamed Up for Success (Guiness World Records Special Student Edition) by Ryan Herndon
6. A Platypus, Probably by Sneed B. Collard
7. Programming Interviews Exposed: Secrets to Landing Your Next Job by John Mongan
8. The Millionaire Mind by Thomas J. Stanley
9. The New Baby at Your House by Joanna Cole
10. The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class by David S. Kidder
I have one of those books, the QI book, I just haven't got round to reading it.
No unsuggestions
~~~~
Film Meme - Day 15 - Favorite film sequel
There can be only one, and that is Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail, even if it's apparently really called Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
It's fun and it works on the same terms as the first film while building from it.
Day 1 - Favourite Foreign Language Film
Day 2 - A film that is underrated
Day 3 - A Film That Brings Me Unadulterated Happiness
Day 4- A film cliché that you love
Day 5 - Favourite love story in a film
Day 6 - Favorite actor/actress
Day 7 - Most surprising plot twist/ending
Day 8 - Best Opening/Closing Credits
Day 9 - Best soundtrack/score to a film
Day 10 - Favourite classic film
Day 11 - Favourite black and white film
Day 12 - A film that permanently altered your point-of-view
Day 13 - A guilty pleasure...
Day 14 - A film that you used to love but now hate
Day 16 - Favorite film character
Day 17 - Favorite film quote
Day 18 - The best overall cast in a film
Day 19 - The most hilarious film you've seen
Day 20 - A moving (emotional) scene
Day 21 - Favorite film from your favorite actor/actress
Day 22 - Favorite Academy Award acceptance speech
Day 23 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 24 - The best page-to-screen film adaptation
Day 25 - Favorite film villain
Day 26 - Favorite film poster
Day 27 - A film that you wish you had seen in theaters
Day 28 - Favorite film from your favorite director
Day 29 - A piece of trivia from a favorite film
Day 30 - Your favorite film of all-time
