Brother Broken

Sometimes I choose to watch a movie that’s light and refreshing instead of dra matic. Even better if the movie is based on a true story, like ‘The Phantom of the Open’. If yo u’re a golf enthusiast, you’ll love this one. British movie makers are the best at producing comedy, in my opinion. Their knack for delivering great humor goes way back to the days of Monty Python. Mark Rylance plays the role of Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator turned golf enthusiast. Maurice doesn’t allow his shoddy golf game to deter him from entering the British Open. The outcome is as you would expect ― hilarious. Watch the movie on Netflix to find out how he qualified several times to play in a major world golf tournament. Brother Broken Foreword  Clarion Review   https://www.brotherbroken.com/ Follow me on: 

  It’s astonishing that one writer can produce such excellent prose in different dialects. I thought Sebastian Barry was top-notch, writing stories of Ireland with wonderful Irish rhythm on each page. And then I discovered ‘A Thousand Moons’. I hadn’t realized this was the second book in a series, so I missed reading the first book ‘Days Without End’. I’ll get on that right away. I was a pleasantly surprised how he tells the story in a deep-south US dialect of the 18 th century. Ireland comes to America and he effortlessly carries the story in his new natural melodic writing voice. You hardly know you are reading a story, it’s more like being audience to a marvelous symphony. Sebastian Barry’s prose will leave you humming. My other favorite Sebastian Barry books: The Secret Scripture The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty The Temporary Gentleman. Tell me your favorites. Brother Broken Foreword  Clarion Review   https://www.brotherbroken.com/ Follow me on: 

  Brother Broken Foreword  Clarion Review   Alf Reads about pesky kids... Denis needed quiet time to recover from the accident, so Mom and Dad gave him a bedroom all to himself. If he needed to escape the din of the rest of us, he could find solace there. He fixed his room to suit his personality. He organized his stuff with precision and kept his space neat and orderly. There was a Meccano set with all its parts, a stamp and pad collection with no missing stamps, and an assortment of Elgo building bricks. A chess set occupied a prime location next to his bed. He kept his books on a shelf, arranged in precise order. His organizational system intrigued me and drew the attention of all his younger siblings. We were attracted to his room like magnets to metal. Knowing his space was off limits only made us keener to trespass. “Denis, kin I watch you?” I stretched to see above the tabletop. “OK, but don’t touch anything.” He resumed his task, and then added, “Who was in my stuff yeste

  The movie CAKE debuted in 2014. It stars Jennifer Aniston in the lead role of Claire, a woman who suffers from chronic pain. The physical pain Claire endures does not totally explain her fixation on suicide, but there is more to the story than what is initially revealed. I was never a Jennifer Aniston follower until she portrayed this dramatic role. I assumed she could only be tight cast in romantic comedy roles. This was a pleasant surprise and she won me over as a fan. Patrick Tobin adapted his short story to a screenplay, so there is no book to follow-up on. Too bad, because it would have been a great read. Brother Broken Foreword  Clarion Review   https://www.brotherbroken.com/ Follow me on: 

  Fredrik Backman is a Swedish author whose books have been translated into many languages, including English. His voice is unique, one you’ll recognize in all of his books. His debut novel, ‘A Man Called Ove’ quickly became a best seller and was made into a Swedish movie. Of all of Backman’s books I've read, 'A Man Called Ove' remains my favorite. The writing is quirky and I can’t help but be drawn into the story of a cranky old man named Ove, who tries to live a hermit’s life on a busy residential street, where the many other home owners frequently request his assistance. Other books by Fredrik Backman that I’ve read are: ‘My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry’, ‘Britt-Marie Was Here’, and ‘Beartown’. Brother Broken Foreword  Clarion Review   https://www.brotherbroken.com/ Follow me on: 

  Brother Broken Foreword  Clarion Review   Alf Reads about about skull cramps... The next afternoon, John was slouched in a chair in the kitchen when Alex came in from outside. He watched as John sat up, using his elbows to steady himself at the table. “Uncle, what’s wrong with you?” John’s reply to the question came out slurred and slow, with a garbled chuckle: “Too many barley sandwiches last night.” “What’s a barley sandwich?” Alex waited, watching as John tried to light a smoke. But the shakes made it difficult. The little spectator wasn’t going anywhere. John cocked an arm to rest his forehead in his palm. He tilted his head slightly and stared, glossy-eyed, at Alex. They ogled each other for a silent moment. Then John raised his eyebrows as if to convey the burning question, What? “Can you give us rides on the trail bike?” “Do it later, ’kay? I got skull cramps.” He reached for the ashtray, turning his attention away from his nephew. Alex went outside to the backya

  Brother Broken Foreword Clarion Review   Alf Reads about a windshield... When Mitch was six years old, he got us all into trouble with Dad. It happened at my grandparents’ farm. A few of us were sitting on the trunk of the car, waiting to leave for home. Mitch ran a toy tractor down the surface of the rear windshield. One moment, the windshield was in perfect condition and the next, it had morphed into a mosaic pattern of splintered glass. I watched, dumbstruck, as a star burst emerged from the centre of the windshield outward. It looked like a spider had webbed a silica net. Dad was pissed, but the windshield held. As we ventured home that day, all of us in the back seat exhibited forward-focused, model behaviour for a change. We sat quietly so as to not bring attention to ourselves. We tried communicating with hand signals, but the messages were too cryptic to decipher. Dad drove the car down the six-mile stretch of road going home. We rode in silence except for the sound of

  Brother Broken Welcome to  What's in my Video Library  Blog The only thing I like more than books is Movies, but I am very select on genre. If a movie doesn’t both, make me laugh and make me cry, then it doesn’t rate as well. When a film moves me, I look to see if a book exists. I usually find that the book is even better than the movie. This is a very cool movie: “ The Young and Prodigious T. S. Spivet ” You’ll find it on Netflix. It has all the elements of a great movie, which are: it made me laugh, it made me cry. What makes it even better is that it is a Canadian film. I’d take this one over any canned Hollywood or Disney production with its predictable plot… eg: superhero wins the day, again. And… there’s a book. Written by Author Reif Larsen, which I will read soon. Here’s its link in Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18041991-the-young-and-prodigious-t-s-spivet?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=0Tp1BmTgZG&rank=1 Follow me on: