Tips for Tuesday - Books: The Sleepwalkers & The Time of My Life Dirty Dancing; & Movie: The Manifestation

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Books: The Sleepwalkers & The Time of My Life Dirty Dancing

Today we are talking about The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas. Evelyn's mother-in-law gifts her and her new husband, Richard, a honeymoon on a Greek Island. However, the island holds many dark secrets. The innkeeper is not very friendly and only has eyes for Richard, and young people are always appearing than quickly disappearing only to be replaced by other young people.  Then, there's that couple who recently visited, and then mysteriously drowned. As if that weren't enough, their time on the island forces Evelyn and Richard to face dark truths of their own.

This is a very somber novel. None of the characters are likable not even Evelyn. It doesn't even make sense why she and Richard would be together based on their past history.

The format of the book makes it hard to get through as well. It is only one long chapter with occasional changes of point of view which makes it hard to tell what is happening when. Even after reading the whole book, not everything that happened in it is completely clear. All in all, it is confusing and hard to follow.

Today we are recommending The Time of My Life Dirty Dancing by Andrea Warner. This book is an examination of the much-loved film, Dirty Dancing. Although clearly the author is extremely fond of her subject, this book is far from a puff piece just promoting the film and not really look at very deeply. Neither is it a completely unbiased thorough analysis of the film. Rather, it is an examination of the ways in which the film was surprisingly groundbreaking from its young female protagnist to its central abortion plotline. If you have never liked Dirty Dancing, this book is not going to make you fall in love with it, but if you have always enjoyed it, this book will give you a new appreciation for it. If you haven't seen it, and you plan to, I wouldn't recommend reading the book as it contains numerous spoilers.

Movie: The Manifestation

Today we are talking about The Manifestation. After attending a self-help guru's seminar, a failing day trader begins manifesting a younger version of his wife to guide him and help him turn his luck around. This film is somewhat creepy and disturbing but also fascinating and compelling. It quickly draws you in and keeps you wanting to know more, but even in the end you're not really sure what happened.

The Manifestation is available for purchase and rental digitally.

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