Tips for Tuesday - Books: Winterland & Films: Hollywood Signs

We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any products, and/or visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

Books: Winterland

Today we are recommending Winterland by Rae Meadows. This is a haunting novel about the disillusionment of life and making a life when the one you get isn't necessarily the one you want or when you get the one you thought you wanted, but it isn't necessarily what you thought it would be. Young Anya's life is marked by the disappearance of her mother when she was a young child. Then,  she is chosen to train for the elite Soviet gymnastics program. Although it s allegedly a great honor to be chosen to compete for the glory of her country, it is a life full of separation from her family and friends, difficult training methods, deprivation of food, and more. Eventually, she will have to come to grips with whether it is all worth it.

Since the main part of the story revolves around gymnastics,  there is a lot of gymnastics terminology within the book including numerous gymnastics moves that are named but not really described.  Thus, if you don't like or are not that famiiar with gymnastics you probably will not enjoy it. If you do know enough about the sport to stick with it though, it takes a fascinating albeit fictional look inside the harsh Soviet training methods, whether winning at all costs is really worth it, and whether or not you can ever truly win if you lose yourself in the process. 

Film: Hollywood Signs

Hollywood Signs is an intriguing look at the world of autograph collecting. From fans who just want the encounter with their favorite stars, to people trying to make a living off other people's names, to those who engage in downright stalkerish behavior in pursuit of their alleged hobby, this film covers it all. The film features numerous stars including Tom Wopat, Eric Roberts, Karan Ashley, and Bruce Campbell as well as clips from quite a few movies and TV shows. Please be strongly advised that is definitely not a  film for children of any age due to inappropriate images shown during a section on Adultcon. 

Hollywood Signs is available now digitally and on demand.

And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.