Tuesday 24 June 2014

Book Review of The Examined Life by Stephen Grosz


Synopsis
Echoing Socrates' time-honoured statement that the unexamined life is not worth living, psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz draws short, vivid stories from his 25-five-year practice in order to track the collaborative journey of therapist and patient as they uncover the hidden feelings behind ordinary behaviour.
These beautifully rendered tales illuminate the fundamental pathways of life from birth to death. A woman finds herself daydreaming as she returns home from a business trip; a young man loses his wallet. We learn, too, from more extreme examples: the patient who points an unloaded gun at a police officer, the compulsive liar who convinces his wife he's dying of cancer. The stories invite compassionate understanding, suggesting answers to the questions that compel and disturb us most about love and loss, parents and children, work and change. The resulting journey will spark new ideas about who we are and why we do what we do

My Musings
Very thought prokoking and enjoyed it more than the Skeleton Cuboard but I am not sure you were supposed to be 'enjoying' that book anyway!!
I did at first find the short chapters annoying as they gave no conclusion but then I realised that the process was ongoing. There is no 'conclusion' to life or peoples issues. Insightful and gives a lot to think about long after you finish the book. I like his style

If you like this you might also like
The Skeleton Cuboard by Tanya Byron

Sunday 15 June 2014

Film Review X-Men Days of Future Past


Synopsis
The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

My Musings
A cast to make the mouth water and Brian Singer back on board after X Men 2, what could be more perfect. Well its much better than X Men 3 and put a lot of wrongs to right from that movie and carries on well from the prequel but Singer has created a juggernaut that he barely contains, just.
I loved the premise of past and present x men coming together in one movie. Being a huge Wolverine fan and Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique these two really hold the picture together.
Watch out for a star turn from Quicksilver. BRILLIANT. The fans loved him so much that apparently he is definitely going to be in X Men Apocalypse. Good News.
The thing that keeps this film going is the actors. They are so stellar. There are great scenes of character development and really that is what will keep X Men fans hooked. Dinklage was lost as the villain and should have been given more to do or be evil with. Don't ask about the plot. All you need to know is the Xmen are fighting the Sentinel and need to save the world from them.
The action mainly comes in the shape of Mystique which is amazing but I found the end fall a little flat.

Still enjoyed and still will be looking forward to the next installment!