27/02/2016

WAITING FOR THE OSCARS, I'VE SEEN A FEW: BROOKLYN

Waiting to discover this year’s winners in a few hours, here's my third Oscar- nominated -movie review. I’ve been recently seeing a few of the nominees. Have you read my post about The Danish Girl? And what about the one about Labyrinth of Lies? Have I seen Leo in The Revenant, you ask? Not yet but ... fingers crossed for him! Promise,  I'll watch it soon.  


BROOKLYN tells the moving story of Eilis Lacey, a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within (from Youtube)

Can I just start saying this film is poignantly beautiful? To have a visual idea of how beautiful it is in every sense,  have a look at any of the close-ups you can find in the web of Saoirse Ronan as Eilis, its protagonist. She is the embodiment of all the beauty in this movie. Pale, sweet features, big blue eyes staring at an unkown, vast, scary world.

26/02/2016

WAITING FOR THE OSCARS, I'VE SEEN A FEW: LABYRINTH OF LIES


Waiting to discover this year’s winners in a few days, I’ve been watching a few of the nominated films. What about discussing one of them each ay till the Oscars Show on Saturday Night?  Have you read my post about The Danish Girl? Here's the second one.

Labyrinth of Lies 


The year is 1958. The war has been over for thirteen years and the Federal Republic of Germany is not only recovering but even booming. But where are the Nazis? Who has ever heard of the death camps? It looks as if everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds in this land of milk and honey... At least, until the day journalist Thomas Gnielka recognizes in the person of a teacher the former commander of the Auschwitz concentration camp... At least, until Johann Radmann, a young prosecutor, decides to investigate the case... Nobody knows it yet but this is the dawn of a new era. Even if the road to awareness will be long and rocky... (from imdb)

25/02/2016

WAITING FOR THE OSCARS, I'VE SEEN A FEW: THE DANISH GIRL

Waiting to discover this year’s winners in a few days, I’ve been watching a few of the nominated films. What about discussing one of them a day till the Oscars Show on Saturday Night? Here's the first one. 


The Danish Girl


Synopsis

Copenhagen, 1926. Danish artist, Gerda Wegener, painted her own husband, Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne), as a lady in her painting. When the painting gained popularity, Einar started to change his appearance into a female appearance and named himself Lili Elbe. With his feminism passion and Gerda's support, Einar - or Elbe - attempted one of the first male-to-female sex reassignment surgery, a decision that turned into a massive change for their marriage, that Gerda realized her own husband is no longer a man or the person she married before. A childhood friend of Einar, art-dealer Hans Axgil (Matthias Schoenaerts), shows up and starts a complex love triangle with the couple (from imdb)

18/02/2016

BLOG TOUR - THE STYLIST BY ROSIE NIXON

My review

Rosie Nixon's debut novel is out!


Enjoyable, glittering, glamorous.

Can being in the wrong place at the wrong time make your life unexpectedly wonderful? Wonder is what Amber Green feels when she is mistakenly offered a job and she’s asked to work with infamous jet-setting stylist to the stars, Mona Armstrong. She finds herself in the high-heeled shoes of a stylist   without the right competence but with surprising improvised talent  - or unbelievable luck? Amber hits the ground running, helping to style some of Hollywood’s hottest stars during the award season: the Golden Globes, the Oscars … a world she had only seen on TV or in magazines.  

"In less than five minutes I'd gone from shop girl to "window dresser extraordinaire" to temporary employee of Mona Armstrong: Stylist to the Staaars!"

From London’s fashion boutiques to Hollywood’s boulevards crowded with fashionable, trendy people Amber’s journey brings her to know more of herself and of her qualities,  which she has never realized she has till that moment. Being trusted makes her believe she can mak it. Isn't  she cheating, you wonder? Mmm… probably she’s just doing her best in what she does best: helping and understanding people in a ... creative way.

17/02/2016

SPOTLIGHT ON ... PIMPERNEL BY SHERALYN PRATT + GIVEAWAY

Pimpernel Pimpernel by Sheralyn Pratt

 They seek him here; they seek him there. For centuries, the elite of the world have sought the Pimpernel everywhere. Some want to kill him, others want to hire him, but Jack Cavanaugh knows that the love/hate relationship comes with the job title. At present, Jack is trying to dismantle an investment scheme centered in Las Vegas, but "trying" is the operative word. It's been a month since he put the face of the scheme behind bars, yet the scam is still going strong. As Jack tries to uncover who has stepped in as the new head, what miniscule evidence there is all seems to point him back to Claire Ramsey, an introverted PhD student studying at UNLV. If ever there as an unlikely head of a investment scheme, Claire's it. She has a genius IQ, but from all Jack has seen, Claire’s intelligence is as much a blessing as a curse when paired up with her acute OCD. Claire can barely make conversation with the cute guy down the hall, which makes it hard to believe she could be the charismatic salesperson who is getting international businessmen to invest $5—50 million a pop. So what is Jack missing? What is the real story behind Claire Ramsey? And once Jack learns it, will he be able to walk away?

  amazon get it  

16/02/2016

COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY - PROPOSALS & POISON BY RACHELLE J. CHRISTENSEN

Proposals and Poison

Proposals and Poison, Wedding Planner Mysteries book #3 Rachelle J. Christensen

“Cozy mystery meets romantic comedy in this fabulous, fast-paced story.” Cami Checketts author of The Resilient One, A Billionaire Bride Pact Romance Love can be a very dangerous thing. At least it seems that way to Adri Pyper, the premier wedding planner in Sun Valley, Idaho. When one of her clients dies mysteriously, Adri takes the advice of the local detective and swears she will stay out of the investigation . . . this time. Luke Stetson's involvement in the case, along with the possibility of a kiss between the two, should be enough incentive to keep Adri out of trouble. But when a dog-themed wedding is almost ruined by a suspect, Adri and her assistant, Lorea, are thrust into private eye mode. When poison enters the picture, even a reluctant sleuth can’t steer clear of danger.

14/02/2016

BAD GRAMMAR = FOREVER ALONE? TIPS FOR LOVE AT FIRST TYPE



Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Is grammar important in our love life? Can bad grammar affects our love relationships? Apparently the answer is: Yes, it is! 





I know you're thinking "here's the usual boring teacher!", but it is not just me, you know. There is evidence . Truth is, Grammarly, the team behind the popular writing app, partnered with the online dating website eHarmony to determine whether the writing skills displayed in people’s online dating profiles affect their chances of finding romance. Grammarly summarized the results, along with other online dating statistics, in an infographic.

13/02/2016

ANNA BELFRAGE, EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN FROM SWEDEN TO ROME: ST BIRGITTA & QUEEN KRISTINA + DOUBLE GIVEAWAY!

To celebrate our recent acquaintance through this wonderful media which is the internet, author Anna Belfrage (check out her wonderful historical fiction novels HERE) wrote this very interesting piece especially for my FLY HIGH! blog. Help me to make her welcome here and enjoy her guest post about two really extraordinary women from the past who travelled from her country, Sweden, to my country, Italy. 


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First of all, mille grazie Maria Grazia for inviting me to do some guesting on your blog. And isn’t it a somewhat magical world where an Italian lady who loves English literature meets up with a Swedish author who writes in English – all because of that marvellous invention, the Internet?

I thought it apt to somehow tie together Sweden, Rome and history in my post. Not the most immediate connection that springs to mind, seeing as Sweden has for most of its existence been a backwater no one really wanted to visit, while Rome has for millennia been right at the middle of things, a must-see place since well before the birth of Christ.

But there are connections: specifically, there are two Swedish women, one from the 14th century and the other from the 17th century, who had an intense relationship with Rome. (It is somewhat coincidental that my books are either set in the 17th century or the 14th century, even if I have as yet not published anything set in Sweden) So today I thought I’d introduce you to St Birgitta of Sweden and Queen Kristina of Sweden, two women who could never be called meek and retiring. Never.



10/02/2016

SPOTLIGHT & GIVEAWAY - LUSITANIA R.E.X BY GREG TAYLOR

The winner of the M.M. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction, announced in June 2015 at the Historical Novel Society Conference in Denver, and a finalist for the People’s Book Prize to be announced in April 2016, Lusitania R.E.X is an historical account of the sinking of the Lusitania replete with spies and secret societies, super weapons, millionaires and martyrs. After being struck by a single torpedo on May 7th 1915, the Lusitania sank in only eighteen minutes. Passengers such as Alfred Vanderbilt, one of the wealthiest men in the world, ignored warnings from the German embassy, confident the fastest ship in the world could outrun enemy submarines. Since the time of her sinking, the Lusitania has been wrapped in mystery and intrigue. Experts continue to debate the cause of the second explosion that sealed her fate after the torpedo struck. Imperial Germany immediately claimed she was loaded with explosives destined for the front. Lusitania R.E.X weaves a tale around disputed facts to create a plausible explanation of some of the mysteries surrounding her sinking.

Author Greg Taylor discusses the history behind his book on a Goodreads video.

09/02/2016

MY KIDS GROW UP AND ... THEY ARE PRETTY SPECIAL - TOMMASO TROIA: FIND A JOB YOU LIKE AND YOU WILL NEVER WORK A SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE

Here's a new story in the series "My kids grow up" dedicated to my former students. Tommaso has always been very active, lively, smart. He was a hard-working student and a self-disciplined boy, though somewhat stubborn, which is, probably, what made him successful in his chosen career. 
He was one of my students for 5 years and he was certainly good at English. Only, it was not an easy task to persuade him to study English Literature. He had other ... priorities! He is an officer in the Italian Army now. And this is his story

Who I was

Hello everybody, my name is Tommaso Troia and, like many of you reading here, I have been lucky enough to be one of  Mrs Spila’s pupils  in my high school years.
In high school I was quite a good student with a passion for swimming, Maths and Physics, who loved studying the English language but  not English poetry and literature. I particularly enjoyed pushing Mrs Spila’s patience to the limit, which is why our beloved teacher will hardly ever forget about me. J
I also spent my spare time playing Magic The Gathering, and studying some computer science on my own.

My Choice

I have to say, I didn’t think about my future much till the fourth year of high school, since I was pretty sure that whatever was in my future, it would be great.
It was right in the middle of my fourth year of high school that I clearly realized what my dream job was. A tough one, both physically and mentally challenging, but with strong values and sound rules to follow. Thus,  when I asked myself what I was going to do in my life, I clearly saw that my choice could be no other than to join the Army. So I started dreaming of entering the Military Academy of  & HModena.
Of course, as I had made my mind, I visited the Italian Army official website and found all the information I needed to enlist, which is what I did.  So, since first step was to pass a series of tests and exams of different types, I started studying and doing some extra exercise to pass whatever test I was to go through.

06/02/2016

SUFFRAGETTES - A MOVIE, AN ANNIVERSARY & A QUOTE

The Anniversary: 6 February, 1918



Let's start with the anniversary, then. The campaign to gain women the vote in Britain had run for decades by 1918. Thinkers such as J.S. Mill had long advocated the reform.  It was WWI which moved the game on – war has often be the locomotive of history. Women had taken on male roles; the armaments industry had based its production on the work of women. As the war progressed, politicians began to discuss how to bring about the change so that justice should be done.  Thus on March 28 1917 the Commons with a huge majority, and the Lords by a far closer margin of 134 to 71, passed the Representation of the People Act, also known as The Qualification of Women Act; on 6 February, 1918 it received royal assent and passed into law.

03/02/2016

COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY - PAINTING RAIN BY ANNETTE K. LARSEN

Painting Rain
Painting Rain by Annette K. Larsen

How do you heal your heart after tragedy leaves you broken? When the person you loved didn’t deserve it and they can’t earn your forgiveness because they’re already dead? How do you move on, and heal, and love?
If you’re Princess Lorraina, you paint. A year ago Lorraina watched Tobias die, and she still doesn't know how she's supposed to heal—or forgive. How can she when she’s still running away? In an attempt to reinvent herself, she steps outside her comfortable life as princess and seeks the tutelage of a master painter—a man who is not at all impressed by her pedigree, and demands not just talent, but emotional honesty. Struggling to learn what’s being taught, she finds herself drawn to someone who not only knows her secrets, but who she once considered far below her notice. Now she is compelled to seek him out despite knowing their relationship would be forbidden if discovered. Staying away from him doesn’t seem possible when discovering him may be the key to healing her heart and rediscovering herself.

pre order on amazon

02/02/2016

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - NOT ALWAYS HAPPENSTANCE BY RACHEL ANDERSON

Not Always Happenstance
Not Always Happenstance by Rachael Anderson 


 Lani has lived in Hana, Hawaii for five years. She’s learned to surf, fish, dive, and manage her grandmother’s bed and breakfast. She’s also learned to take one day at a time the way it should be taken—relaxed and unrushed, savoring every moment. But, like a large wave on the brink of breaking, her life is about to crash out of control. A proposal of marriage, a conniving grandmother, a cryptic Asian woman, and a handsome guest, and suddenly everything calm begins to churn, everything clear becomes confused, and all that was normal segues into peculiar. As Lani struggles against the current to hold her ground, she realizes that she can either continue to fight and eventually lose, or take a take a leap of faith, hold her breath, and ride the wave wherever it takes her. ***This book is part of the Power of the Matchmaker series that features one recurring character—the match maker—but it is a STAND-ALONE novel.***

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