Lance Greenfield's Blog, page 28
May 14, 2019
Book Review: The Tall Man by Phoebe Locke
The Tall Man by Phoebe Locke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Based upon a true story, this account of what happened when three schoolgirls were psychologically manipulated into committing the most horrendous and chilling crime, is quite gripping.
Investigative journalist, Greta, strikes up a relationship with Amber as she tries to unravel the historical facts behind events that led up to Amber murdering somebody in the woods. The clever part is that we don’t find out the identity of Amber’s victim until the final chapters.
I struggled with the skipping back and forth in time between 1999, 2016 and 2018. That made my head spin.
The first 30% of the book ran at a good pace and the last few chapters were so compelling that I just could not stop reading. However, I found that the middle chapters of the book, the majority, were slow-moving, monotonous and repetitive. That’s a real shame. If the author had put some effort into maintaining the pace of the beginning and the end, it would have been a true thriller.
This is a great story, but it is only an okay read. I wouldn’t recommend it if, like me, you have many other books in your TBR mountain.
RIP Doris Day
in a Hitchcock movie…
OK. I am stretching the truth to the limits here, but I was actually IN the film, The Man Who Knew Too Much, alongside James Stewart and Doris Day
[image error]
Opening Scenes
Read about how that happened by following this link to a previous post
Note: You may also be interested in Elizabeth Ducie’s interview with me from 13th May.
May 13, 2019
Elizabeth Ducie Chats with Lance Greenfield
I thoroughly enjoyed my interview with Elizabeth Ducie, writer of many books, from thrillers to non-fiction advice on the business of writing.
You can read my review of one of them, Deception, here.
Follow the following link to read the full interview with accompanying photographs. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed chatting with her.
Elizabeth Chats With …
… Lance Greenfield
Book Review: Deception by Elizabeth Ducie
Counterfeit! by Elizabeth Ducie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a well-crafted and very believable tale of deceit and intrigue. The pace is good and is maintained throughout. I love the characters, who continue to reveal hidden secrets from first to last. As Suzanne seeks the truth, she, and the reader, wonder whom she can trust and whom she cannot. There are plenty of surprises.
I enjoyed the whole story and the conclusion, which leaves itself open to many possible paths for the next instalment.
May 5, 2019
Your company’s untapped growth lever? IT.
[image error]In this article. Stephen Franchetti, Slack’s VP of Business Technology, speaks to us about using IT to drive business growth. This quote from his introduction, hits the nail on the head.
“With a focus on business strategy, architecture and interoperability, IT can shift its focus away from cutting costs to actually driving growth for your business.”
I like his emphasis on keeping it simple and the idea that delivering a project to its go live date is not the end of the story. My thoughts are that we should always be striving to reach the horizon. Thin about this. You never actually reach the horizon, so your journey is continuous. We should also always be striving for perfection.
This is a good read. I commend it to you.
Original article: Your company’s untapped growth lever? IT.
Life with Millie
Eloise and Millie – cuddle time!
Nothing can fill the warm place that Eloise and her family hold in their hearts for dear Henry.
Even I feel that pain from afar. I played a big part in bringing them together. Henry was such a lovely, loving dog.
But it is wonderful that Millie has found a new place in their hearts. She is a lovely dog, who obviously appreciates their love, demonstrated by her desire for maximum cuddles.
Suffering the loss of a family pet might seem trivial to some, but for those who have shared their lives with a four legged friend, that loss can be devastating.
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April 29, 2019
Book Review – Reach For The Sky: Story Of Douglas Bader, Dso, Dfc by Paul Brickhill
Reach For The Sky: Story Of Douglas Bader, Dso, Dfc by Paul Brickhill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Inspirational WWII Pilot
My Mum bought me this book when I was about 12 or 13. I still have it on my bookshelves, and the sight of where she cut off the corner of the paper cover, where the price had been, with her pinking shears, brings back fond memories.
As for the book: it is the inspirational true story of WWII RAF fighter pilot, Group Captain Sir Douglas (Dogsbody) Bader CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, FRAeS, DL.
Despite losing both his legs during peacetime, he signed up again when the Second World War broke out, and flew Hurricanes and Spitfires in the Battles of France and Britain. He was one of “The Few.” Despite being always in trouble with senior officers for his rebellious nature and his forthright challenges to authority, the intrepid pilot became a popular British hero. Deservedly so, in my opinion.
Eventually, he was shot down over France and captured by the Germans. He spent the rest of the war in Prisoner of War camps, and directed his trouble-making at his captors. He escaped, was re-captured, and imprisoned in the infamous Colditz Castle.
This is a fascinating, and truly inspirational story. You cannot fail to be moved by it. I have read this book several times, and it never fails to lift me. What a man he was! If you haven’t already done so, get your hands on a copy as soon as you can.
By the way, a film of this book was made with Kenneth More starring as Bader. It is very rare that I think that a film is as good as the book that it is based upon, but this one makes the mark. You should see it.
April 28, 2019
The Decamile of Life
Celebrating the Life of Tony Greenfield
[image error]From Chapeltown to Broomcroft
Is a mere ten miles:
A decamile, mas o menos.
That’s not a long way,
But it took me almost eighty-eight years.
I taught you all to estimate,
And to understand the errors.
Fifty-two thousand and eight hundred feet
Sounds like a very long way,
But it took me over thirty-two thousand days.
That’s less than twenty inches a day!
But consider this:
I went via Bedford and Brocksford,
Healey and Hillsborough,
Grenoside and Millbush,
Lyme Regis, Lake District, Peak District.
I went to Barcelona, Budapest,
Linz, Oslo, Rimini,
Dortmund and Gothenberg,
Copenhagen, Helsinki,
Katmandu, Quito and Marrakesh.
Skiiing in the Alps . . . AND on the River Tay.
Around the world, along my way.
Fiji, Bangkok and Chang Mai.
Nelson, New Zealand
To see my brother. I’d have liked to stay.
Sydney and San Francisco,
The Amazon rain forest,
Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru,
Rio Napo and the Andes,
Islas Galápagos too.
I’ve dined in Turin and Cagliari,
And Venice and in Rome,
In Ljubljana and in London,
Paris, Wroclaw and Stockholm,
In Tel Aviv and Vienna.
And I’ll tell you this.
Everywhere I dined,
All over the world,
I’d spill gravy down my pink tie,
And I’d ALWAYS check my flies.
. . . THAT’S a lie!
So my life was just a decamile,
A very remarkable decamile,
Thirty-two thousand days.
Every inch and every minute,
For all of us, here today,
Has been full of laughs and smiles.
Have fun!
© Lance Greenfield 2019
Book Review – Get Dressed: The Monsters are Coming by Sarah Howlett
Get Dressed: The Monsters are Coming by Sarah Howlett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really love the concept of using rhyme to encourage children to get themselves dressed, eat their breakfast, brush their teeth and their hair and put their coats and shoes on, ready to go out.
I also love the delightful illustrations of the monsters, who are friendly and only a little bit scary.
Some of the verse seemed to be slightly disjointed to me, but the author had a tune in mind which works with her children, so I am sure that it will work for most parents and their youngsters.
There is a four-line verse for each stage of getting ready. Learning the verses might become as much fun for the parents as putting clothes on will be for their offspring.
April 21, 2019
Etchings In Stone
Wow! The power of the lyrics of “Etchings in Stone” grabbed my emotions and squeezed them hard until rivers of tears flowed down my cheeks.
I didn’t even know John Beam in life but he has had a profound effect on me today.
