Review: #Broadchurch

Gracepoint starts tonight (Thursdays on Fox at 9 pm) it's not exactly a remake of Broadchurch, but it really is. According to the people in charge, it's very, very similar but 2 episodes longer and with a different ending. We'll see. (Plus David Tennant's American accent. Hmm, weird.)

So if you're planning on watching Gracepoint and haven't seen Broadchurch yet, what are you waiting for??

What can I say about Broadchurch? You need to watch it yourself. It's only 8 episodes long and trust me, once you start you won't stop. You can't, really. I'm pretty good at figuring out the whodunit, but this one? Shocked me.

I do suggest putting the volume up if you're not used to hearing UK accents that aren't Colin Firth's, but this small town murder mystery has such real and authentic people you easily and quickly get used to it. As with all small towns, people know everything about you--except all those secrets you hid when you came to the small town to begin with.

Is it a typical small town? Are the residents of Broadchurch also typical? Of course, that isn't the point. the scenery is gorgeous but the people are what make this so remarkable. They're deeply flawed and in only 8 episodes I learned so much about them even as I tried to figure out who the murderer was.

My understanding is that season 2 is on the way. I can't wait!

5 stars.

Log off and read a book

Read this on BBC last week. It's called Divided Attention Disorder? Log off and read a book. I took a couple excerpts from it, and agree. A couple of weeks ago I read the rather detailed plot of To Kill a Mockingbird on wikipedia rather than read the book. (I'd seen the movie, years ago.)

If you work in an office it's quite possible that you suffer from a condition called DAD. Now don't panic it's not serious and nothing a good book or a long walk won't cure.

My Internet browser has 24 tabs open. Among them are three separate attempts to reply to the same e-mail. My online banking session has timed out, and in the corner of my screen a Twitter feed is a never-ending scroll of news and links. Which I click. And click.

What's wrong with me?

What's wrong, is that I may have Divided Attention Disorder, or DAD. DAD encapsulates the growing phenomenon whereby the constant stream of online information could actually be changing the way our brains work.

I first read about this in a magazine while waiting to get my hair cut. The article is quite lengthy. Ironically the only reason I had the attention span to read all of it was that my local barber-shop has no mobile phone reception.

The most unnerving thing that I've read about DAD is the theory that the rewiring of our brains caused by all that time online is affecting the rest of our lives. It is, apparently, encouraging us to seek instant gratification at the expense of deep thinking.

To assess the state of my brain I read a book. It's an Ian Rankin novel. The hero, Inspector Rebus attempts to solve a number of murders in Edinburgh against the backdrop of a G8 meeting.

I haven't read fiction in a while. Something has changed about my response to what I'm reading. Before, I loved to create a mental picture of Edinburgh, of its streets and courtyards. But now in my brain a voice is whispering: "Look it up on StreetView and see for yourself". The story alludes to Inspector Rebus' colourful past: "Google the plot of other books," says the voice.

"SHUT UP!" I scream inside my head.

Eventually, my old brain wins out. After about half an hour, I'm lost in the book. I've
forgotten that it's even possible to communicate through a web of interconnected
computers.

It's a relief to know that my brain is not permanently changed. I can't wait to tell everyone - on Facebook and Twitter.

So the bottom line is: reading helps us relax, reconnect with ourselves and the real world, and entertains us as well. But then we readers knew that, didn't we.

And don't miss my Friday Guest: Dr. Laina Turner-Molaski

Wednesday's Reviews

I haven't had a lot of time recently to read, but this book interested me on many levels. Many moons ago, I saw the movie The Man Who Never Was. At the time, I didn't realize it was based on a true story, or if I did, certainly didn't care. It was a great movie, I adore Clifton Webb, and there you have it. End of story. Until the new book on the behind the scenes of it all, and just last week I read a BBC story on the case.

Operation Mincemeat is the true story of Ewen Montagu's book, based on the plot he helped to create, along with Charles Cholmondeley and...wait for it...Ian Fleming. Yes, that Ian Fleming, who really was a higher up during WWII.

The author could have livened up the prose a bit, it's a large book and extremely dry in many parts, and honestly if I wasn't so interested in the story itself I may not have finished it. But the history behind fooling every Nazi from those who found Glyndwr Michael's body in supposedly neutral Spain all the way up to Hitler is an interesting one.

I recommend the movie, the BBC companion, and the book for hardcore WWII buffs. I'm sure there's a simpler version of this fascinating operation someplace.

Makes me think about plots...

Bald eagle lands on girl

I can not make this headline up. Read it on the BBC site (because their news is less...stressing I'd say and MUCH more far reaching. You can learn a lot about the world by reading them!)

The entire headline is: Escaped bald eagle lands on girl at Bristol hotel which is still a pretty cool headline if you think about it. There's a video, too. You should watch it.