Thoughts on the Arts

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

2011-05-07T19:03:00.003-04:00

I usually start my reviews out with a brief, spoiler-free, plot-synopsis but I'm having a hard time doing so with this novel. The synopsis offered on the jacket takes you through about the first 2 chapters, and they're short chapters. Suffice it to say, there doesn't seem to be much to the plot that isn't spoiler-y. On top of that, Fuzzy Nation is a reboot of H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy, which I haven't read (yet), meaning I have no idea how much of the original work was incorporated into Scalzi's book beyond what I've read on his website and in the promotional materials provided by the publishers.

What can I say then?

I can say that, after reading Fuzzy Nation, I can't wait to read Little Fuzzy; yet I also have no desire to pick up another book tonight. To me one of the mark's of a good story is that it leaves you reluctant to let it go. In this case, I know that I can read more of this world easily (Little Fuzzy is in the public domain and therefore one need only head to Project Gutenberg to read it) and yet I know that the world will be different from the one I just left. The characters (at least some of them) will be the same, but they will have someone else's voice. The story will have the same over-arching ecological theme, but will have fundamental differences, otherwise there'd be no point in rebooting it.

I'm also still busy digesting Fuzzy Nation. Like Scalzi's other works, Fuzzy Nation forces the thinking reader to recognize that its events aren't completely outside the realm of possibility. Certainly we're well on our way to depleting Earth's natural resources and if we were to head into space and discover planets brimming with those same or similar resources, what would we do? Likewise, I can see the reaction to discovering sentient life on one of those planets could be exactly what happens in Fuzzy Nation. Add to that the moral ambiguity of the main character and it's enough to leave anyone feeling just slightly uncomfortable.

And still, I loved the book. I laughed out loud multiple times and I cried more than once too. In fact, I finished the last sentence with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes.

I have no idea how fan's of Piper's will feel about this new interpretation of his world, but I feel confident that fans of Scalzi's will love it. As for those who consider themselves neither, I'd encourage you to pick it up when it's released on May 10th, the story itself is wonderful and the underlying theme important to remember.

I was provided with a completed copy of Fuzzy Nation for review by the publisher, no guarantee of a positive review was given.

Dreadnought by Cherie Priest

2010-10-28T13:02:00.001-04:00

Vinita "Mercy" Swakhammer Lynch is a Confederate nurse 20 years into the Civil War. Shortly after learning of her Yankee husband's death she receives a letter from the Seattle Sheriff telling her her daddy is sick and asking for her. Mercy hasn't seen her dad since he packed up and left when she was a little girl, but she decides to make the cross-country trek to see him, soon getting caught up in adventure and mystery. What is the drug the men call "sap" and what are it's ultimate effects? How did a large group of Mexicans end up in Utah and are they really eating people? What is in the mystery cars on the train that require a Yankee regiment and the most dreaded Yankee war engine in the country to guard them?

I've never really read steampunk before, unless you count Verne and Wells, so when I learned of a first-come, first-served contest by TOR to get a copy, I entered, knowing almost nothing about it other than "steampunk". I was a bit disappointed, therefore, when I discovered it was also an alternate history and zombie novel; two "genres" that have never been favorites. Zombies in particular give me pause after what they did to Jane Austen. However, I ended up pleasantly surprised.

Though the beginning (100-150 pages) dragged a bit for my tastes, once Mercy was on the train I was captivated. The action was perfectly paced and the mystery given just enough build; and while the book certainly subscribes to a variety of genres, all are done in a way that the book never really feels like a zombie-book, or an alternate history, or even steampunk. Dreadnought is about Mercy Lynch and her journey with the plot devices being secondary.

It turns out, when done well, I do like all these genres. I will certainly be seeking out other Cherie Priest novels in the future.

The New Fall Season - Part One

2010-09-22T15:07:00.002-04:00

I know it's been forever since I posted here. My summer surprised me by being fairly socially driven and I didn't have the time I usually do to watch TV and write about it. But fall is here (or will be tomorrow) and the new fall season has started.

Last year I wrote a lengthy post at the end of the week about everything I'd watched and blogger crashed just as I finished it. I lost the whole thing. So, this time I'm posting a couple days at a time and saving often!

Monday: Monday I watched an old favorite and checked out a couple of new shows. First the old favorite.
How I Met Your Mother- I've been watching How I Met Your Mother since it first hit the air. My Buffy-love compelled me to first turn it on, but it was the funny that kept me coming back. The 6th season premiere pushed the "mother" story-line a bit, which is always satisfying and after a somewhat lackluster 5th season, the laughs were back in full-force with Robin getting over her breakup, Lily and Marshall trying to get pregnant and Barney being Barney. I'm looking forward to the progression of this season's story lines.
The Event- It took me a while to decide whether I was going to watch this one or not. I'm still feeling annoyed and confused by both Lost and Heroes and disappointed by the canceling of The Nine and FlashForward, but I read some good reviews and determined to give it a shot. What I saw was definitely enjoyable. If the network keeps it on the air and the writers and producers can avoid the temptation to make unintelligible goo out of the subplots, this show can definitely be a winner.
Hawaii 5-0-I'm too young to have watched the original, so I can't speak to how it does as a reboot, what I can say is that this is a refreshing change of pace to the traditional cop procedural/forensics-fest we've been subjected to for the last 10-20 years (depending on whether you blame CSI or Law & Order). Instead, Hawaii 5-0 delivers breathtaking scenery, jaw-dropping action, engaging stories and characters and some delicious eye-candy. Yes, it's incredibly unrealistic, but that's what makes it stand out from the crowd!

Tuesday: Tuesday night I kept in on Fox.
Glee-After a weird teaser that had me a bit worried, Glee returned with a vengeance last night. The writing has continued to improve since the first few episodes last season (after which I stopped watching until this summer, it was just too painful). What made the premiere truly glorious though was the (somewhat disturbing) team of Sue and Shu. It just made me happy and I was smiling the whole hour.
Raising Hope-I've yet to make a decision on this one. I'll give it a couple more episodes for sure. On the surface, it seemed like a premise that could become one-note pretty quickly, but the last 2 minutes or so showed some real heart I'm hoping they'll expand on.
Running Wilde- The reviews I read weren't promising, so I didn't go into this one with high hopes. I didn't think it was as bad as others had been saying...I laughed a couple times and I didn't find any of the characters as detestable as some critics did. Regardless, I've been a Keri Russell fan since her Mickey Mouse Club days and Will Arnett could read a phone book and make me laugh, so I'll probably keep watching this one until it's canceled.

Did I miss something you watched? Have a different opinion on a show I covered. Share your thoughts in the comments!

A Council of Dads by Bruce Feiler

2010-05-30T09:51:00.001-04:00

When "Walking the Bible" author Bruce Feiler was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, he wondered what would happen to his twin girls if he died. At only 3-years-old, would they remember him? How could he make sure that they continued to hear his voice? Get his perspective when he was gone. An idea was born. He would talk to 6 men from his life, all of whom represented different aspects of his personality, and form a Council of Dads. When the girls wondered how he would feel or what he would say at a given moment, these men would be there, to be his voice.

This book is a combination of letters and emails written to friends and family during his "lost year" as he calls it, and a look back at why he chose each of the 6 men in the council. He gives us glimpses into his own family, the events that made him who he is. He also lets us sit with him in each meeting as he asked his friends to join his Council. Heartbreaking and uplifting, in the end this book is about love and the lengths we will go through to be remembered.

For the love of Sci-Fi

2010-04-17T19:33:00.003-04:00

I admit it, I totally judge books by their covers.

While killing time in a Borders in early March, I came across a book with an intriguing cover called Your Hate Mail will be Graded, a collection of entries from the blog "Whatever" written by John Scalzi. I'd never heard of it or him, but the blog had celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2008, making it one of the longest running blogs on the interwebs. I ended up buying the book and reading it pretty quickly.

After I finished reading it, I subscribed to the blog on my Google Reader where I came to discover that Scalzi also authored sci-fi novels. This discovery led me to a new realization, while most anyone who knows me would acknowledge that I have a predilection for Sci-Fi TV and movies, it had been years since I'd read any sci-fi (excepting Michael Crichton and Jules Verne). In fact, I can't remember having read any since I switched over from Young Adult to adult novels (you know, back before Harry Potter, when adults didn't read kid's books). I wondered why this was and decided that it came down to covers. The covers of most Sci-Fi novels look cheap and or cheesy to me, I simply don't find them appealing.

So, I made the decision to pick up some Sci-Fi novels and, of course, I started with Scalzi's. So far I've read 1 1/2 of his 4 book Old Man's War series, and I love them. Once I finish this series, I'll be moving on to Ender's Game, Dune, and Starship Troopers amongst others. I've learned an important lesson and made a significant step in my journey of geek-self-acceptance. So, John Scalzi, just in case you have happened to Google yourself and come upon this entry, thank you, you've expanded my horizons and added hundreds of books to my "To Be Read" list!

Time to sign off, the new Doctor Who starts with a special in 7 minutes and I can't wait to see what Stephen Moffat has done with the franchise!

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees

2010-04-14T11:57:00.001-04:00

Almost everyone knows the story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy; and almost everyone has wondered at Jo's refusal of Laurie. How is it that 'spinster' Louisa May Alcott could write so deftly about young love and the heartbreak of romance? Alcott guarded her privacy closely and while she claimed Laurie was based on an acquaintance from her time in Europe, many people have their doubts.

Kelly O'Connor McNees was fascinated by the anomaly. She had been voraciously reading Alcott biographies for years before making the decision to try her hand at her first novel, and Alcott was the obvious subject. She chose a summer people knew little about and created a fictional story of what could have happened.

Well researched and detailed, several of Bronson's well-known friends make appearances, Emerson in fact provides the impetus for advancing the romance when he brings Bronson a copy of the newly published and controversial "Leaves of Grass".

It was a fast read, taking only five hours to finish, but I was entertained the entire time. While this book will certainly never reach the heights of literary greatness it's inspiration did, any fan of Alcott's will enjoy this jaunt into the summer that could have been.

Mathilda Savitch by Victor Lodato

2010-04-07T13:56:00.001-04:00

Mathilda's older sister is dead and her parents aren't handling it very well. On top of that, terror continues to be the big story across the country.

I'd like to be able to give more of the plot, but after finishing this book, I'm still completely unclear as to what exactly the point of it was. Sure, Mathilda learned a little bit about her sister's final days and *seems* to have come to terms with her mother's aloofness, but Mathilda is rather strange and fickle throughout the story and the book ends abruptly.

I can see this being a book that could appeal to some people, but the style was not for me. Mathilda grated on my nerves, alternately whiny and self-righteous, intuitive and down -right stupid, I found her to be completely unlikeable. People may argue that it's our flaws that make us human, which is true and I celebrate the authors who can bring a flawed character to life and make us root for them, Lodato could not. I stayed up late to finish this book solely to get it over with, it's done, the review is written and now I can move on to something I hope I will actually enjoy!

Drake's Bay by T.A. Roberts

2010-02-22T15:56:00.001-05:00

Dr. Ethan Storey is content with his life. He and his girlfriend of 10 years live on a boat in the San Francisco area and he's a tenured history professor at San Francisco State. One Sunday, his girlfriend, Kay, mentions the large Williams Institute they pass on their regular walks is for sale and having an open house. Ethan doesn't know it, but everything is about to change. Soon Ethan is cataloging the library full of books and manuscripts from the 16th and 17th centuries and people are dying.

In the early 20th century, a gold plate was discovered in the area, thought to be placed there by Sir Francis Drake, claiming the area he believed to be the beginning of the Northwest Passage in the name of Queen Elizabeth. The plate was lost and then found again only to be named as a fake. But there's a rumor that Drake's lost log books reside in the very library Ethan is working in and finding those books could mean everything to the family holding the plate.

Gripping plot, baffling mystery and intense history keep the pages turning in one of the best novels of this type I've ever read. While the historical-item-mystery-journey genre has increasingly come to be more popcorn than substance, it's refreshing to find an author that does it right. The pace is generally on target and the writing exemplary. The nautical sections were a bit too in depth for a non-boat person, but there was enough real plot peppered in to make it bearable. All-in-all, a great read I would recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery.

The Intimate Ape: Orangutans and the Secret Life of a Vanishing Species by Shawn Thompson

2010-01-23T09:38:00.001-05:00

'I need to see the Orangutans!' The entire time I was reading this book, I couldn't help thinking about the story my mother tells of taking her then 2 or 3-year-old nephew to the zoo, where his constant refrain was 'I need to see the Orangutans!' It's a sentiment many of the people featured in The Intimate Ape would certainly understand.

Shawn Thompson has created a beautiful book that's not just about Orangutans, but about humanity as well. As he visits zoos, rescue centers and orangutan experts he begins to realize how much we can learn about ourselves by observing Orangutans. Each of his experts has their own ideas of the best way to interact with and rehabilitate Orangutans, but the passion of each for what they are doing the species they have chosen to focus on is evident.

The book itself is not told chronologically. Although Thompson begins by talking about his first trip to Borneo, he jumps around in time quickly and often, which was a bit jarring at first. I soon got used to the lack of a discernible timeline as the stories Thompson told took hold of me.

Each chapter has a theme; culture, gender and conservation to name a few, and in general each chapter focuses the interviews and time spent with one or two Orangutan experts. Thompson's research was thorough and its obvious that it quickly became more than just a book to him.

The book itself is well written, I never found myself bored and I read it in one day. I found myself alternately laughing and crying as I read about the lives and antics of these amazing creatures. The main message of the book came out loud and clear, Orangutans are disappearing and to see them gone would truly be a tragedy. Conservation is key and in the resources appendix, Thompson gives us some ideas of how to help.

'I need to see the Orangutans!' Don't we all.

Ghosts & Lightening by Trevor Byrne

2010-01-18T16:12:00.001-05:00

I tried hard to like this book. Scratch that, I tried hard to get through this book, however, after 150 pages, I've given up.

It's hard to say what it is that turning me off. The lack of a discernible plot line? The weird dashes to denote conversation instead of quotation marks? The incomprehensible (to me) Irish slang? Or my inability to relate to the characters? I imagine it's a combination of all of these.

That's not to say that this is a bad book. I imagine there are plenty of people out there who would truly enjoy it. Perhaps I'm just too old for this type of druggie/slacker Trainspotting kind of tale. Whatever it is, this book is not for me.

A Theory of All Things by Peggy Leon

2010-01-07T17:50:00.001-05:00

The Bennett family has had their share of tragedy. Their mother walked out the door and never came back and a few years later Peter, the eldest, killed himself. Now the remaining children are in their thirties and discovering the impact those early events had on them.

Mary has never left home. When her mother left, she took on the role of mother, raising her brothers and sisters, helping her father in his business and now caring for him in the early stages of Alzheimers. Mark graduated college at the age of fourteen and now works in the astrophysics department of Stanford. Sarah and Ellie are twins and artists. Sarah photographs the homeless and Ellie paints and sculpts on an island in Greece where she lives with her teenage lover. Luke, the youngest, is also an artist, creating mobiles from found aluminum cans.

Then Mark, the socially awkward genius commits some faux pas at a faculty function, Sarah finds a homeless woman who might be their long lost mother, Ellie discovers she's pregnant and her boyfriend leaves her, and the tattooed and pierced Willow attaches herself to Luke, frightening Mary in the process.

Each character has their own 'Theory' of how things became the way they are. Each sees a different time or event as being integral in the shaping of their strange family dynamic. As their individual dramas draw them all back to their family home, each learns a bit more about themselves and their siblings.

A beautiful, touching, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny look at today's American family full of love and secrets that everyone will be able to relate to. Read this book!

The Chester Chronicles by Kermit Moyer

2010-01-02T13:57:00.001-05:00

Chester Patterson is an army brat coming of age in the 50s and 60s. There's not really a plot, instead the novel is a series of stories from Chester's life, starting at 11 or 12 and continuing through college.

The prose was well-written and imminently readable, with some truly stunning passages and the premise, that life is a series of stories we tell to others, was interesting. Unfortunately, the book never truly grabbed me. I felt a lack of connection to Chester, and occasionally really didn't like him. I don't know if it was the unique format, or simply the fact that I have never been an adolescent boy, but I rarely felt involved in his life. Perhaps this was the intent.

Those interested in good prose and slightly pretentious story-telling might enjoy The Chester Chronicles, but anyone looking for a cohesive plot line and affinity for the main character might want to look elsewhere.

My Year in Books - 2009

2010-01-01T15:50:00.006-05:00

This year I set myself a goal through LibraryThing of reading 75 books. I managed 79. In addition to tracking titles, I also tracked how many pages I read, ending with over 27,000 (an average of 75 pages per day!) Other goals are to read at least twice as many new books as rereads and to maintain variety in my reading genres. I did pretty darn well! Here's a look at how I did:

1. Jumble Pie by Melanie Lynne Hauser
2. The History of Now by Daniel Klein
3. The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
4. The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly
5. Fairy Tales by The Brothers Grimm
6. The Vegetarian Table: North Africa by Kitty Morse
7. The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
8. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
9. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
10. The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
11. The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E.M. Berens
12. The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
13. Middlemarch by George Eliot
14. Darling Jim by Christian Moerk
15. The Warden by Anthony Trollope
16. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer*
17. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
18. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
19. The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
20. Internal Affairs by Connie Dial
21. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
22. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
23. The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
24. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
25. The Late Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow
26. The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters*
27. The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
28. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
29. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
30. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
31. The Demi God Files by Rick Riordan
32. His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
33. Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope
34. Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
35. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
36. Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich
37. Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer
38. One for the Money by Janet Evanovich*
39. Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold! by Terry Brooks
40. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling*
41. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling*
42. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
43. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling*
44. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling*
45. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling*
46. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling*
47. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling*
48. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
49. Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
50. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
51. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton*
52. Three Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens
53. On the Couch by Alisa Kwitney
54. The Ancient Greeks for Dummies by Stephen Batchelor
55. Loved Me Once by Gail Hewitt
56. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenger
57. Emma by Jane Austen
58. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
59. Doctor Who: The Time Traveler's Almanac
60. Persuasion by Jane Austen
61. The Lost Constitution by William Martin
62. A Year of Cats and Dogs by Margaret Hawkins
63. Mythology for Dummies by Christopher and Amy Blackwell
64. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame
65. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
66. Doctor Who: A Writer's Tale by Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook
67. Making Mischief: A Maurice Sendak Appreciation by Gregory Maguire
68. Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa
69. A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street by Milam McGraw Propst
70. Ociee on her Own by Milam McGraw Propst
71. The Best of Creative Non Fiction: Vol. 3 edited by Lee Gutkind
72. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer*
73. The Further Adventures of Ociee Nash by Milam McGraw Propst
74. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer*
75. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer*
76. Beer and Philosophy edited by Stephen Hale
77. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
78. The Return by Victoria Hislop
79. Truly, Madly by Heather Webber
*reread

All in all, a lot to be happy about! 13 rereads to 66 new reads. 11 non-fiction to 68 fiction, 22 of which were classics. Also of note I had quotes from two reviews used on the back of the book when it was published and had a question I submitted used in an interview with Gregory Maguire (who said it was a good question!)

My goals for 2010 are to read 100 books and attempt to average 100 pages a day of reading. I want at least 67 of those books to be books I've never read before and at least 15 of them to be non-fiction. Helping me along the way, I'm hoping to read all of Shakespeare's plays this year, some of which I've read before of course, but none since college. That should certainly help me with my challenge!

How about you? Did you have a goal in 2009? Do you have one this year? I'd love to hear opinions or answer questions about any of the books I've listed above!

Truly, Madly by Heather Webber

2009-12-22T19:40:00.001-05:00

Lucy Valentine can't go in to the family business. A freak accident when she was fourteen transformed her inherited ability to see people's auras and match them accordingly, to a form of ESP allowing her to find lost objects when someone touches her palm. When a family crisis leads her parents to take a sudden vacation, leaving the renowned matchmaking business in her hands. Things are going okay on her first day until she shakes the hand of her last client and sees the engagement ring he'd given his high school girlfriend on the finger of a murdered and hidden corpse. Lucy enlists the help of the handsome P.I. upstairs and delves into the mystery.

In reading the synopses and quotes that accompanied my copy of the book, I began to worry. The comparison to Janet Evanovich sent up red flags. Was it the classic over-hyping of a new author? I needn't have worried.

While Truly, Madly shares some similarities with Evanovich's Plum series, notably a motley cast of supporting characters including an eccentric grandmother, the premise is unique and interesting. The book started off slow, and I felt my mind wander for the first 150 pages or so, but the second half of the book picked up the pace and I began to truly care about the characters. By the time I finished, I felt as though I had made a new friend. I even laughed out loud once or twice.

I'd highly recommend Truly, Madly to anyone looking for a fast, fun read. Particularly those who have enjoyed books by Evanovich, Charlaine Harris and similar authors. It's not going to change your life or the way you look at the world, but it will give you a couple hours of escape and sometimes, that's all we can ask of a good book.

The Return by Victoria Hislop

2009-12-21T17:25:00.001-05:00

In an attempt to escape from her unhappy marriage, Sonia starts taking salsa lessons and quickly falls in love with dance. Her friend, Maggie soon joins her and together they plan a trip to Granada to take more lessons and dance the nights away in the local bars. While there, Sonia befriends a grizzled cafe owner, and soon discovers an interest in Spanish history, in particular the Spanish Civil War. Upon her return to England, Sonia's father tells her her mother was from Granada and pulls out some old pictures from those days Sonia has never seen before. One in particular stands out. Her mother, in a flamenco dress and pose, reminds her vividly of the girl she saw on the walls of the Granada cafe. Is it her mother? The only way to find out is to return to Granada and hear the tale of the Ramirez family...

The Return is broken into 3 parts. The first and third parts take place in England and Granada in 2001 and focus on Sonia. The second, and longest, part is the tale of the Ramirez family in the 1930's. Father Pablo, mother Concha, sons Anotonio, Ignacio and Emilio and daughter Mercedes. Their trials and tribulations during the bloody and terrifying war are recounted to Sonia as we, the reader, listen in.

The history was so well researched, that, at times, it seemed Hislop tried to cram in things she'd learned, though they really didn't have anything to do with the story. The narrative focus also jumped from character to character rather abruptly at times, which could be disconcerting. However, the prose was well-written and the story was compelling enough to keep me reading. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction or has an interest in Spain would certainly enjoy the history and the mystery of The Return.

Twilight Saga: New Moon

2009-11-24T15:20:00.002-05:00

While it certainly wasn't a "great" movie, New Moon is light years ahead of Twilight. Considering the movies share a screenwriter and most of the same cast, it seems reasonable that most of the blame for the crapfest that was Twilight can be laid on director, Catherine Hardwick. Where Twilight's absence of a score under much of the movie was distracting and made the film feel unfinished, New Moon featured a depth of sound including birds and crickets in the forest, that brought each scene to life. New Moon also lacked the abundance of dizzying 360 degree shots that were a prominent feature of Twilight. Unfortunately, they were replaced with a plethora of slow motion shots that quickly lost their impact.

The acting was better too. After watching the commentary on the Twilight DVD I'm not sure if the actors were embarrassed with their performances in Twilight, that Hardwick made horrible choices and there were better takes, or some combination of the two, but there were far fewer cringe-worthy moments.

My biggest beef with New Moon, and it's a continuation of a beef from Twilight I didn't even know I had until seeing New Moon, is the added fight scenes in both movies. Without getting too spoilery, let's just say that Edward doesn't come out so well in them, yet those of us who have read Eclipse know that he's pretty bad ass in his fight scene there. I wish they hadn't gone out of their way to make him wussy in these two movies, it will distract me in the future.

Bottom Line: If you saw Twilight and hated it but love the series, give New Moon a try. If you're new to the series, read Twilight but skip the movie and then start watching the movies with New Moon (but keep reading the books too!)

The Further Adventures of Ociee Nash by Milam McGraw Propst

2009-10-20T14:45:00.001-04:00

Eleven-year-old Ociee Nash was born and raised on a farm in Abbeville, Mississippi in the late 19th century. A year after her mother died, when Ociee was only 9, she headed to Asheville, North Carolina to live with her Aunt Mamie. Her adventures there are recorded in "A Flower Blooms on Charlotte Street". Ociee came back home in "Ociee on Her Own" for her brother, Fred's wedding and now she's moving, with her father and her other brother Ben, to Memphis, Tennessee where Fred and his wife live.

Ociee Nash, like Pollyanna and Anne Shirley, has a knack for making people love her. Early in life Ociee learned that a person's appearance has nothing to do with their inner beauty and in her third book of adventures, she once again proves that a caring heart and a willingness to look beyond a person's outside, can break down walls and create friends.

The author has based these books on the life of her grandmother, the real Ociee Nash. Knowing that the books are a fictionalization of a real person's life brings added depths to the major events and lessons in Ociee's life. Though they're intended for an audience much younger than I, I thoroughly enjoyed reading them and would highly recommend them for children between the ages of 8 and 11. If I had a little girl, I know I'd encourage her to find Ociee Nash.

The Best Creative Nonfiction ed. Lee Gutkind

2009-10-19T10:30:00.001-04:00

When I first saw this book up for grabs in LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program, I thought long and hard before I requested it. I certainly enjoy nonfiction, and creative nonfiction sounded very interesting, but I've struggled with essay compilations in the past and worried that this might end up being the same thing. In the end, I decided to risk it and I'm very glad I did.

The Best Creative Nonfiction (3) is full of interesting experiments in writing, both through technique and through subject matter. Some pieces, like "Return to Hayneville" and "What Come's Out" are relatively simple in style but their subjects are simultaneously uncomfortable and wonderful. Other pieces, like "Life in Figures" and "Community College" are stylistically innovative while the subject matter is a bit more commonplace. I was never bored while reading and found myself in tears more that once. ("Open Letter" was absolutely heartbreaking).

More than anything else though, this book showed me that my writing interests are shared by others. I've always thought of myself as a nonfiction writer, better at reports and research papers than stories or plays, but yearned for the outlet of creative writing. Suddenly I've been shown the way to this. It has inspired me to realize that all those semi-autobiographical, barely started novels I've struggled with through my life may be able to find new life in fully autobiographical creative nonfiction. My guess is that's exactly what the editor of these volumes is hoping for.

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa

2009-10-15T09:15:00.001-04:00

Hailey Trosclair has a hard life. Living in modern-day New Orleans, her mother has recently had a miscarriage, her father is an alcoholic and her brother has been arrested several times. When her brother, Cyrus, starts hanging out with an ex-con preacher named Moses, Hailey joins him. Moses believes he's on earth to be the Hand of God and takes it upon himself to punish the wicked. As he becomes more and more violent, Hailey and Cyrus start to doubt what he's been preaching.

The book was well-written, if a little simile heavy, and the dialogue was believable. So why only two stars? It's a simple matter of taste. I've never lived a life like Hailey's and while I'm well-aware that there are many out there who do, I had a hard time putting myself into her head. Many of the decisions she makes were simply incomprehensible to me because I couldn't understand her logic. That's not to say her decisions were illogical, they would have made sense to her and were believable, I just couldn't understand them.

This is where the book fell short, because a truly great book can put you in the heads of people who's life you have never lived and allow you to understand their thoughts and hopes and dreams. It was a disappointment.

A Year of Cats and Dogs by Margaret Hawkins

2009-08-23T17:44:00.001-04:00

When Maryanne's boyfriend Phillip finally moves out, she's left with her cat, Clement and her dog, Bob for company. Her animals quickly become much more than "pets", they are her constant companions, granting her love and loyalty when the rest of the world seems to turn their backs on her. After quitting her job to "find herself", Maryanne discovers a hidden talent, she can communicate with animals. She's soon working at a local shelter as a "dog-whisperer", helping the vet to identify complaints and ensure the wellness of the animals.

This book is many things all at once. It is a book about philosophy, based on the I Ching and subtly comparing the Eastern philosophy of the present being all that matters with the Western philosophy of cause and effect. (Interesting that the same publisher's released a novel about cause and effect earlier this year. A Year of Cats and Dogs makes a good companion piece to The History of Now.) This book is about releasing entropy and learning to live life with a passion.

This is a book about food. Recipes for the food Maryanne prepares are scattered throughout the book. They have names like "Quitting Your Job and Vowing to be Frugal Stew: Chicken Soup for the Sad" and, unlike so many similar books, they're well worth reading. Despite the heavy subject matter of the book, there's a humor that is particularly evident in the way the recipes have been written. Maryanne in fact is a bit reminiscent of Stephanie Plum in the way she reacts to the weirdness that surrounds her with acceptance and sarcasm.

But finally, this is a book about love. In particular about the love that can form between a human and their animal companions (Maryanne dislikes the word "pet".) Anyone who has had an animal in their life like Bob and Clement, will instantly understand the connection Maryanne has with them and their importance to her when her life starts to fall apart. Their are some extremely moving scenes showcasing the love the animals themselves feel, but to share them would spoil the book.

To read A Year of Cats and Dogs, is the matter of just a few hours, but it will leave you with days of ideas to contemplate. If you're an animal lover, a food lover, or a philosophy lover this book will be well worth your time.

Loved Me Once by Gail Hewitt

2009-08-13T09:44:00.001-04:00

Forty-four year-old Maggie McLaurin's father left her the house in Atlanta when he died. Though she lives and works in Manhattan, she's struggling to hold on to the house for her mother, who's doctors say a move would likely exacerbate her Alzheimers. However, the property taxes are climbing while home prices around the country decline and the house is slowly falling apart. When Maggie discovers her mother's doctors will cease to accept Medicaid and she goes into a financial panic. Then she's laid off.

When an ex-boyfriend then offers her her dream job, she takes it against her fiancee's wishes, sure it will save all her problems, but her problems are only just beginning.

A classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover", Loved Me Once was a surprisingly good read. Neither the cover art, nor the book synopsis fully do this well-written story justice. "A Novel of Love, Romance and Business" however, is a wonderful description, as I sit here struggling to find a word to describe it. This is not a "romance" novel. There is romance indeed, but it's not the focus of the story. Nor is the financial troubles Maggie works her way through. Refreshingly, this reads as a true to life look at a woman of today, working, loving and living her life in the best way she can.

There are, of course, some fantastical elements. The romance is a bit over the top and most women aren't given jobs where they're suddenly able to employ a personal shopper and fill their closet with designer labels; but, Maggie herself felt real to me. The author, Gail Hewitt, managed to avoid the pitfall I've been noticing with a lot of books recently of drama for drama's sake. Maggie never over reacts to a situation, she reasons things out rationally and her conclusions generally make sense, though I don't necessarily agree with all of them. All the characters are flawed, but inherently likable, the dialogue is realistic for the most part and never felt clunky and the prose was good.

I'd recommend Loved Me Once to anyone who likes their characters real and their situations slightly heightened. It would make a perfect beach or airplane read this summer. I find myself looking forward the the sequel, Love Me Now and the further exploits of Maggie (and the men in her life) but mostly Maggie.

Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo

2009-08-05T10:17:00.001-04:00

Kate Burkholder grew up Amish in Painter's Mill, Ohio. When she was a young teen a series of murders gripped the town's imagination, ending when she was fourteen and leaving her to question everything she knew. At 18 she left the Amish community and became a cop. Now she's back in Painter's Mill as the chief-of-police and the murders have begun again. Is it the same killer from before, or someone new?

It's a good premise. In the right hands, it could be a gripping thriller, full of twists and turns and heart-pounding action. Unfortunately, Linda Castillo is not the right hands.

The story is told in both 1st person by Kate and in 3rd person from the perspective of other characters including the killer. An unreliable narrator can be a fun way to keep things fresh, however the 3rd person narration was all told in past tense while Kate told her story in the present tense and I found the switches distracting. Additionally, I've never been a big fan of stories told in the present tense as I inevitably find myself wondering why the character is taking the time to journal when running for their life!

I also found the repetition extremely annoying. I'm not sure if the author forgot what she had written or if she just thought the reader might be stupid but the same information was repeated ad nauseum on several occasions. How many times do you have to describe the grain silo? Or tell us who "Pickles" is? I felt I was being condescended to more than once.

The characters were all idiots too. Several times Kate would "notice a red flag" and then promptly forget about it so that she could "notice" it again a few pages later. The "terrible secret from her past" she spends much of her time worrying about seems overdone and the constant harping about it diminishes it's impact over time. The "final reveal" of the secret should come as no surprise at all to anyone who's read a thriller or two before. Finally, Kate's reluctance to involve anyone when she finally figures out who the killer is feels contrived to provide the big climactic scene which ruined it for me.

I did manage to get through the entire book, unlike similar stories I've tried recently, so there are some redeeming qualities, mostly the premise itself. If you are a fan of thrillers and don't care about choppy editing, unrealistic dialogue and incomprehensible intuitive leaps, you'll likely enjoy this book. If, like me, you've reached a point where you want good writing in addition to a good story, this one's not for you.

So You Think You Can Dance week 8

2009-07-30T11:04:00.001-04:00

After last week, I've all but given up trying to predict who's going to win. I can't say that any of the routines really blew me away last night, though many of them were very enjoyable, I just didn't get that emotional connection to any of them. I have decided that if Brandon and Kayla aren't in the finale, it will be a serious travesty, so I attempted to vote for them, to do my small part. I got through on Kayla's line okay, but every time I tried Brandon's I got a message saying the number was not in service, which is troubling.

As to the other four, I adore Evan, but don't think he's very good at other styles of dance, and I truly don't understand why he's never been in the bottom. I'll be happy if he makes it to the finale, because I think he's a cutie, but I definitely don't want him to win. As to Jeannine and Melissa, as far as I'm concerned they're interchangeable. I've enjoyed watching them both, but I don't think they have the star power Kayla does.

So, that's what I have. Nothing left to do now but sit back and see who makes the finale!

So You Think You Can Dance - week 7

2009-07-23T08:27:00.001-04:00

After the first hour and a half of a rather boring show last night (the early exception being Travis Walls' group routine) I was pretty sure the Melissa would be going home this week, not because she's not great, but because some of the other girls have a bit more personality. Then she and Ade did a contemporary routine about breast cancer:

And everything changed. I believe that this routine might have just saved her for another week. It left everyone watching it in tears, the judges, the audience, and myself included. It's because of routines like this that I watch the show. And tonight, we'll get to see more of these powerful routines as SYTYCD celebrates it's 100th episode with some of it's best and most popular routines throughout the years.

There was one more stand out routine for me, and it was not the Brandon and Jeanette military Jazz routine, though the judges certainly seemed to love it. Instead I was floored by Kayla and Jason's hip hop Zombie routine that finished the night. Unfortunately, it's not available in video form yet, but I'll try to get it up later.

So, who will go home tonight? That's very much up in the air. If it were based on dancing, Evan would be the guy going home, he just hasn't been able to bring it the way the other guys have; however, Evan also seems to have a large fan base and has never been in the bottom, so I'd guess Ade will go home instead. As to the women, after Melissa's performance last night my guess is going to be Jeannine, who is amazing but perhaps not as captivating as Kayla or Janette.

Torchwood: Children of Earth

2009-07-20T13:16:00.001-04:00

Okay, it hasn't started yet, so obviously this isn't a review...more a reminder to my like-minded readers that the new Torchwood mini-series starts tonight and goes throughout the week. Torchwood, for those who don't know, is the grown up spin off of Doctor Who. It's NOT recommended for young children, but adult Who fans should find it enjoyable. This is the third "season" starring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness. Check it out tonight at 9 PM, and all week on BBC America!

A review will come once I've seen the entire run.

So You Think You Can Dance - week 6

2009-07-16T13:31:00.001-04:00

I honestly don't have much to say. Last night was once again absolutely amazing! I wasn't a huge fan of the Paso Doble, and hope that Randi and Kupono are the ones heading home based on last night. The rest were all wonderful to varying degrees.

Jason and Jeanine in particular left me in tears, though I have no idea why other than the pure beauty. Unfortunately, I can't find a video with out SPAM on it at the moment, but trust me, it was brilliant.

I also really enjoyed the boys' African routine and the girls' Bollywood routine. It was wonderful to see the group performances and experience dance cultures I'm less familiar with.

That we're on the top ten already is unbelievable. Only a few short weeks and America will have a new "favorite dancer". At this time, it's still anyone's guess who it will be!

So You Think You Can Dance - week 5

2009-07-09T20:47:00.001-04:00

I just realized that I forgot to post anything today and thought I better get something up before the results show!

Last night finally brought the emotion I've been looking for. The Kayla/Kupono Mia Michaels routine made me cry:

And then the Brandon and Janette blew the roof off with a Wade Robson routine to finish the night:

Needless to say, these are the two couples I voted for last night.

There was one problem with the outstanding night. Did anyone else notice that all 6 girls were told they were "amazing" and definite "top ten material". The judges seemed to forget how to do math...

No guesses on who's going home tonight, but I'm going to guess the bottom three will be Randi and Evan, Phillip and Jeanine and Kaitlin and Jason. Let's see how I do!

So You Think You Can Dance - Week 4

2009-07-02T12:06:00.001-04:00

Subtitle: So You Lucked Out and Got Your Own Style:

Seriously! How ridiculous was that?! If they didn't get their own style, they all got something pretty darn close, which, granted, did make for an amazing night of dance. But it also made it completely impossible to pick who's going home!

This week I decided only to vote for the people that absolutely blew me away. So Kayla and Kapono's Sonya contemporary routine and Melissa and Ade's gorgeous Romeo and Juliet pas de deux are safe from me!

I really liked all the dances this week, though the Alien thing didn't really do much for me. I'm also a bit worried for Randi and Evan this week. I love them to death, but if America votes solely on how well people danced, I think they could end up in the bottom 3.

I guess we'll find out all later tonight. Dreading this results show more than ever. I don't know that anyone deserved to go after last night.

Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer

2009-06-29T15:03:00.002-04:00

Like the last Early Reviewer I received, this one could be classified 'Christian Fiction'. Unlike the last one I received, this one could also be read by anyone who enjoys a good story!

Broken Angel takes place in the near future. Fundamentalist Christians have banded together and seceded from the Union, forming their own country 'Appalachia'. They have a large electric fence surrounding their country, both keeping the Outside out and their people in. Border's are strictly controlled by Bar Elohim and his 'Elders'. Appalachia is an intriguing mix of old and new. Cars have been outlawed, except for official purposes. People move around on horseback or on foot. At the same time, everyone is required to have a registered 'vidpod' (it seems to be like a scarier version of the iPhone) on them at all time. This way they can be tracked and recorded. Being found without your vidpod is grounds for arrest. Reading is grounds for stoning.

It is to this new country that Jacob flees with daughter Caitlyn shortly after her birth. He has a secret he can never tell her regarding the circumstances of her birth. He knows as she matures, changes other than the typical will occur and it will be impossible to hide any longer. As Caitlyn reaches the cusp of woman hood, he is discovered and they go on the run, chased by Bar Elohim's bounty hunters. After 3 days, he hands her a letter and some instructions and sends her to find her way to the Outside while he attempts to distract the dogs from her true trail.

Broken Angel is full of twists and turns as Caitlyn moves through her heroes journey. People who seem like the 'bad guys' become good and vice versas. As I read, my allegiances were constantly shifting, though they never left Caitlyn. I was so taken in, that I finished it in just a few hours. The dialogue was readable, the action believable and premise fascinating.

Beyond just be a great read, I was left thinking about Theocracy, Fundamental Christianity and freedom of choice. It's my constant intention to avoid spoilers in my reviews, so I will end by saying that the people most likely to enjoy this book are Evangelicals or 'Mainstream' Christians with leftist leanings like myself, though, I'd truly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a little meat with their thrillers.

Have you read Broken Angel? I'd love to talk about it. I'm hoping to get the next in the series soon.

So You Think You Can Dance week 3

2009-06-26T11:16:00.001-04:00

It's been a crazy week, and I didn't have time to blog before the results show. I also don't really have time to blog now, but I have to say that this is the first week where I was able to call the bottom three on Wednesday night. Can't say that I'm surprised at anything that happened last night.

That's it for me for now I'm afraid. I'll try to find time to expound sometime this weekend!

Merlin

2009-06-24T12:21:00.001-04:00

I better get this in before tonight's SYTYCD!

Last Sunday, NBC premiered the BBC series Merlin. First of all, I'm incredibly excited that instead of make a crappier American version of a popular BBC series (the norm nowadays), NBC imported the series itself, meaning we get authentic accents and locations.

Now, despite the fact that I'm very much an Anglophile and watch what some might think an excessive amount of BBC America (it's even how I took in the coverage on Election Night), I hadn't heard of this show until the week before its premiere when I started seeing commercials for it. I also had no idea that it was a BBC production until I started watching it. However, I'm geek enough to be interested in anything having to do with the Arthurian legend, so I decided to check it out.

Merlin follows the exploits of (surprise) Merlin as a young man in Camelot. His mother has sent him to study with Gaius, the court physician. He has a natural aptitude for magic that goes beyond anything anyone has known. Unfortunately, King Uther outlawed all magic 20 years before, so Merlin must be careful not to be discovered. Unlike most of the Arthurian legends (Le Morte d'Arthur, The Magovinian, Disney's The Sword in the Stone), Merlin and Arthur are the same age. (How on earth was Arthur born without Merlin there to help old Uther?) Arthur is a bully and he and Merlin soon come to blows, until the last dragon of the realm, chained up below Camelot, calls to Merlin and tells him he is destined to guide Arthur. Merlin is, understandably, not too excited about that idea, but does as the dragon says.

Two episodes were shown last Sunday, and it was enough to convince me to keep watching. The cast is a veritable who's who of BBC television. Melin is played by up and comer Colin Morgan, whom Doctor Who fans will recognize from the Season 4 episode "Midnight". The dragon is voiced by John Hurt, and King Uther is played by none other than Giles himself, Anthony Head (who also had a guest role in Doctor Who). There was also a guest spot for Eve Myles, better known as Gwen Cooper to Torchwood and Doctor Who fans.

I look forward to more Doctor Who actor spotting in future episodes. Check it out Sunday nights on NBC.

So You Think You Can Dance, Week 2

2009-06-18T12:30:00.001-04:00

I found last night's performance show disappointing. While the judges certainly seemed to be impressed, there weren't any numbers that made me pick up the phone. Everyone was good, I didn't find anyone great.

This is, of course, the problem with TV versus live. It's impossible for us at home in our living rooms to experience the dances in the same way those seeing it live can. The emotions that I'm sure feel very real in the theater, can feel false at home. An example is Vittolio and Asuka's waltz, which was certainly beautiful, but the emotions it brought out in the judges shocked me. They talked about the "truth" behind Vittolio's performance and I just didn't see it, I saw someone dancing steps.

Truthfully, while technically the dancing may be better this season, I haven't seen any stand out performers yet. I keep thinking back to some of my favorite pieces from last year, and I want to see emotion like this:

So You Think You Can Dance, week 1

2009-06-11T14:24:00.001-04:00

I'm late getting this out, it's been a crazy day, but I wanted to make sure I got my thoughts and opinions down before the results show tonight.

The first thing I have to say it WOW! Last year, by the end of the first episode I'd already picked the final five couples (and I was right), this year I have absolutely no idea who'll be going home tonight, never mind four weeks from now!

There were three performances who really stood out for me last night though, and I voted, once, for all three of them. The first was Phillip Chbeeb and his partner (I'll learn all their names eventually!) and their hip hop routine. Philip made it look effortless and she held her own, very impressive!

The next was Evan Kasprzak and his partner, Jeanine and their jazz routine. His technique blows my mind, it's always so crisp and yet it flows with grace. Unbelievable.

Finally, "naught ballerina" Melissa Sandvig and her partner Ade brought it with their contemporary routine. It's rare to see a ballerina on the show and I love the diversity Melissa brings to the show (someone other than a contemporary or b-boy!) I've also gotta love that she's 29 and still working hard in dance.

Results come tonight and we'll see how the rest of America agrees with me. Of course, we don't have to wait, feel free to tell me how you feel now with a comment!

One final note, did anyone else see Mark from last season sitting behind Wade Robson? He was my favorite last year, and I got all excited!

So You Think You Can Dance, Vegas Week

2009-06-05T08:47:00.001-04:00

First of all, Natalie was robbed! I can't believe they cut her that early, without even a chance to dance for her life! I feel like they were overly concerned about showing her favoritism, because there were people who had way worse dances than that one who got second, third and fourth chances. I'm unbelievably upset about it, I think she should complain and I sincerely hope that other bloggers are equally upset and the producers hear about it.

I also felt terrible for Miami ballet member, Alex, who's Artistic Director wouldn't let him out of his contract to compete. While completely understandable from a business point of view, it effected Alex deeply and I sincerely hope he'll be back when his contract is up, because he took my breath away and I desperately want to see more of him.

Now that that's out of the way, the final 20 have been announced. It's always interesting to see who the producers focus on. It doesn't really seem all that fair to the other people we've not heard anything about. The deck is already stacked against some of them. Who's going to remember Jeanine Mason (I had to look her up) when they've spent so much time showing up Asuka, Kaitlin and Karla? And with the guys it's even worse, poor Jason Glover, Jonathan Platero, and Ade Obayami; I hope they can bring it because the producers have managed to mention them all of once in the last 3 weeks of show, while Maksim and Pono got a bit more help and might hold the audiences attention long enough for the producers wrangling to become obsolete. However, I'm already so invested in Philip Chbeeb and Evan Kasprzak it's going to be difficult for anyone to compete with what the producers have done for them already.

So, I guess based on the auditions, I've named my final four. Of course the beauty of this show is now that the producers have had their say, we start getting our say.

So You Think You Can Dance, week 2

2009-05-29T10:12:00.001-04:00

This week we had four blissful hours of auditions! I'm going to ignore the Leo vs. Sex dance off of yesterday's Seattle auditions, in favor of some truly brilliant dancing.

Wednesday's audition saw the Kasprzak brothers, Evan and Ryan, auditioning separately, but both performing brilliantly.

Then, last night saw the return of popper Philip Chbeeb, who caught pneumonia the week before Vegas last year, rendering him unable to compete. This year, the judges put him straight through to Vegas without watching him dance, however, this year he came with a partner, Arielle Coker (no video yet it seems). They were brilliant together and she was sent straight through to Vegas as well.

One thing I noticed last night was a significant drop in the number of poppers and hip hop dancers auditioning...or at least being shown. It seemed that in addition to the inevitable barrage of Contemporary Dancers, we got more tap, ballet, and ethnic dancing this year. I only hope that we'll get to see more of these styles once the final 20 are announced and the show really gets going.

I also noticed that a large number of people who made it to the final cut last year are headed back to Vegas. It will be interesting to see how things go for them this year. Looking forward to Vegas week! Who do you think deserves to be in the top 20?

So You Think You Can Dance is Back!

2009-05-22T10:30:00.002-04:00

I'm honestly not a huge reality fan, especially shows like American Idol or Dancing with the Stars, however, for some reason, a combination of those two shows, is my favorite summer event! I love watching these aspiring dancers work their way through the auditions to the finals and you can bet there'll be more than one post about this wonderful show as the summer progresses.

For those who haven't seen it before, the show is the creation of Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller, who also created Pop Idol in England and American Idol here. Nigel, a former dancer himself is one of 2 regular judges who are joined each week by one of the show's professional choreographers. Auditions are held across the country and those who make it to the next stage head to Las Vegas for an intensive audition similar to American Idol. Once the final 20 are named they are broken up into partners and each week draw a different type of dance by lottery. Everything from hiphop and krunk to foxtrot and waltz. America votes and the bottom two "dance for their lives", with the judges making the final decision. About halfway through, the partnerships begin changing weekly as well.

Yesterday was the first episode of auditions, featuring New York and Denver. One of the best things about this show is that the judges are rarely if ever mean. Even the young woman who showed up dressed like a lion and dancing with lightsabers was treated well and with as much respect as could be mustered by the judges. While the inspiring young woman with a shortened spine blew them away with their courage.

This is a truly wonderful and inspiring show I'm looking forward to following for the rest of the season! If you watched it, I'd love to see your comments!

Enduring Justice by Amy Wallace

2009-05-18T09:45:00.001-04:00

In my experience, good Christian Fiction is hard to find, Enduring Justice is another prime example. The third book in a series I haven't read, and now never will, Enduring Justice is the story of Hanna Kessler, who was molested as a child, and Michael Parker, her FBI "boyfriend" tracking a white supremacist, although the relationship is unlike any such relationship I've ever experienced. I'm not referring to the lack of a sexual relationship, which one would expect in a Christian novel, but to complete lack of communication or understanding between the two of them. It seems an extremely unhealthy relationship.

In the interest of complete honesty, I'll admit that I was unable to get past the first 100 pages of this book. The prose was painful and dialogue even worse. I couldn't find a single sympathetic character in the book and the two separate storylines were confusing and uninteresting. Hanna, who we're of course supposed to feel for, spent so much of her time whining (internally) I found her completely unlikeable. Some of the whining was justified, I could live with her doubts about telling her family and friends about her childhood secret, but half of the time it was a "why doesn't Michael stop by to have lunch with me" moan, and it quickly grated on my nerves.

Michael, in the meantime, misses Hanna for the first two chapters of the book while she's away dealing with her feelings and then promptly disappears upon her return. Okay, he was called away to a crime scene, but then he makes no attempt to contact her. Then he starts thinking about proposing. SERIOUSLY?!

I refuse to torture myself anymore. I could count on two hands the books I've been unable to finish in my life, normally I'll force my way through, but I won't waste precious reading time on this one anymore.

The Late Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow

2009-04-28T14:57:00.002-04:00

On a rainy, February night, Molly Marx went for a bike ride along the Hudson river and there she died. Was it an accident? Suicide? Murder? It's the question her family, friends and Detective Hicks are asking themselves. In fact, it's the question Molly is asking herself.

She doesn't remember much of what happened that night. It's all too new. As she watches her loved ones from The Duration, she remembers the events in her life that led to her last few days on earth.

There have been other books written from the Afterlife, of course, but this one is unique for several reasons. The author, Sally Koslow, gives Molly new "powers" in the Duration. She is able to hear the thoughts of the living and she can blink from New York to Chicago in an instant. It's a clever device which allows us to know the thoughts of the other characters, while remaining a 1st person narrative. We're also given "flashbacks" to Molly's life, but unlike some other books, these aren't prompted by anything other than Molly herself. While Molly does have a guide to the afterlife, he's more like a mentor who helps her acclimate to her new surroundings.

The ending was poignant, and not at all what I expected. It left me thinking about my own life and the people who are important to me. If this was the author's intention, as I believe it was, then her ideas were realized.

Internal Affairs by Connie Dial

2009-04-13T12:40:00.002-04:00

A cop in the LAPD is found dead in the trunk of an unmarked police car in front of a deputy chief's house. Internal Affairs, follows both the murder investigation and the personnel inquiry following the grisly discovery through the eyes of several people, most notably Mike Turner, the IA sergeant assigned to the case.

Author Connie Dial is a 27-year veteran of the LAPD herself, working her way through the ranks and departments as varied as narcotics and internal affairs. Knowing the author's background lends an almost disheartening realism to the tale of police corruption that unfolds.

At once a murder mystery and a character study, Internal Affairs was most interesting when following the breadcrumb-like clues to the murderer. While I desperately wanted to care for the characters and the personal story of the lead investigator, I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the red-tape bureaucracy at the upper levels of the LAPD, making it much more difficult to understand many of the thoughts and emotions Turner experiences. Several times through the book, reference is made to the workings of a cop's brain and the difference in the way a civilian thinks. I ended up wondering if that was perhaps the problem. Was I getting confused at some of the intuitive leaps and emotional rides because I do not have a cop's brain? I think it's possible.

I very much enjoyed this as a murder mystery. Those more involved in or familiar with city politics and/or police procedure, would likely thoroughly enjoy Internal Affairs. Those with brains more like me would like it, but probably not love it.

Internal Affairs is published by The Permanent Press and will be available in June.

Darling Jim by Christian Moerk

2009-03-31T13:23:00.002-04:00

Three women are found dead. It appears that the aunt has kept her nieces chained up and has killed them, but not before they were able to return the favor. Understandably the discovery opens up hundreds of questions. How was it that no one knew of the niece's existence? What could induce a family to do that to each other? And where was the a third sister?

Then Niall finds a package in the dead letter bin at the Post Office containing one of the girl's diaries, which starts him off on a journey of self-discovery as he solves the mystery of the deaths.

Niall's story is told by a narrator, but we also get to read the diary entries, which describe how an Irish storyteller, Jim, changed the lives of the family of women. Within these diary entries, we also get to here the serialized Fairy Tale Jim tells to the small town near Cork the women came from.

This book tries to be many things at once, and succeeds at most of them. It's a thriller, a mystery, a fairy tale, and a story of familial love. As a thriller and mystery Darling Jim is one of the best I've read. I had a difficult time putting it down and read it in two sittings, desperate to know what would happen next and what had led to the grisly scene at the house in Dublin.

As a fairy tale, it's somewhat lacking. While the stories Jim tells are interesting in and of themselves, the authors attempt to weave the tales into the other events of the story feel clunky and I often felt that conclusions and inferences were being made with no real background. This is when the story felt the most disjointed and occurred most often in the first diary entry and in Niall's story.

It is as a tale of familial love however that the work truly shines. What would you do to protect the people you love most? More to the point, what wouldn't you do? As the oldest of three sister's myself, I often compared my own feelings for my sisters to the feelings expressed in the book and found them to be imminently real. You may grow apart, but when a crisis occurs, it is family that you turn to. As Roisin Walsh, one of the sisters says "Love only those who deserve it. Trust me on this."

Castle

2009-03-11T15:59:00.002-04:00

I probably wouldn't have bothered watching the premiere of ABC's new cop show, Castle, if it didn't star Nathan Fillion, but I'm glad I did.

While at it's heart, Castle is a police procedural show like so many others, it's twist is interesting enough that I'm looking forward to the next episode. In the show, Fillion plays Rick Castle, best selling author of books along the lines of James Patterson's Alex Cross series (in fact Patterson did a special guest spot with Stephen J. Cannell where they joined Castle for a poker game).

When someone starts using his books as a roadmap for murder, Castle is brought in to help solve the mystery. Along the way he meets detective Bennett, played by Stana Katic and discovers in her the perfect heroine for his next book series.

Fillion and Katic have an interesting chemistry, I'm not sure if I believe I love story is right for them or not, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the relationship grows.

My New Comedy Night

2009-02-19T14:21:00.001-05:00

I hereby declare Wednesday night, my new night for comedy! No, not those network sitcoms with no originality to them, my comedy night can be found in the wonderous world of cable, from 10-11, when The Flight of the Conchords on HBO and Important Things with Demitri Martin on Comedy Central make a perfect pair.

For some reason even I can't discern, I haven't yet talked about Flight of the Conchords here, but I will now. A unique half hour comedy show, Flight of the Conchords is a two man "folk-parody band" from New Zealand. Their show combines the best of their songs with a plot-line that follows the naive pair, Bret and Jemaine, as they try to make it in New York. While Bret and Jemaine themselves are hilarious, the comedy is aided by stand-ups Rhys Darby as their manager, Murray, Arj Barker as their friend Dave and Daily Show correspondant Kristin Schaal as their fan Mel. To anyone who hasn't already checked out this brilliant show, the first season is available on DVD and you can catch new episodes on HBO, Sundays at 10 or HBO Comedy Wednesdays at 10.

If you were to ask me to name my top five favorite comedians, Demetri Martin (who played "Demetri" in the first season finale of Flight of the Conchords), would easily make the list, so you can imagine how excited I was upon learning he was getting his own Comedy Central show. Important Things with Demetri Martin, showcases the sketches and "sketches" that make Martin's act so unique. In each episode, a different "thing" is featured and Martin tells jokes, performs in sketches, plays songs and draws cartoons revolving around that "thing". So far he has featured "Timing" and "Power".

Important Things with Demetri MartinWed 10:30pm / 9:30c

Power - Jokes About Power

Joke of the Day
Stand-Up Comedy

Get Funny Ringtones
More Funny Videos

Both these shows are brilliant, I sincerely hope you'll consider joining me in celebrating the New Comedy Night!

The History of Now

2009-01-29T10:19:00.003-05:00

In 1896 an unknown arsonist burned down the Melville Block of Grandville, Massachusetts, after which a small group of well-to-do men banded together to rebuild that block bigger and better than ever. One addition to the block was The Phoenix, an ornate theater that houses first traveling operas and revues and later becomes home to the cinematic greats. One family's fate is irretrievably linked with that theater.

In The History of Now, we focus on various members of the DeVries family through a year in their lives. What makes this book so fascinating is it's exploration of the idea that focusing on one family, doesn't mean following them only. We spend time with a young man in the slums of Bogota, Columbia; a runaway slave on the underground railroad; and a 17th century Dutch family; all of whom have a direct influence on events in this small town family's life.

Klein, who coauthored Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar is a philosophy professor. This book is a look at cause and effect and the idea that every decision and action has an effect on subsequent events. The title comes from the idea that if every effect is also a cause, then what really is now?

The History of Now is ideal for book clubs, philosophy buffs and anyone who just likes a good story with believable characters. This is one of the best books I've read in years and I look forward to more from the author.

Jumble Pie by Malanie Lynne Hauser

2009-01-10T15:50:00.003-05:00

Last week I got an email offering an electronic copy of Jumble Pie, Melanie Lynne Hauser's as yet unpublished first novel. In her introduction, Hauser explains that this is the book that she first brought to her agent, but then her Supermom books were published and this manuscript sits on a shelf. So, until it's published, she's made it available electronically to promote interest.

I've not read the SuperMom books (though I might in the near future) but Jumble Pie had all of the things I look for in a good chick lit book, tests of friendship, complicated parental relationships and an emphasis on a random dessert food, so I dove in and I was not disappointed.

Emily Meredith and Juliet Montague meet in 7th grade Home Ec class, where they create Jumble Pie. Emily is the quintessential overachiever. Her mother tells everyone she meets how Em started talking at 9 months, and it seems she never stopped. She dreams of being a writer and works hard to be different.

Meanwhile, Juliet is dealing with her parents recent divorce and a move to a new school. She is quiet and shy, awkward and believes she's dumb. Her pleasure rests in the domestic, keeping her surroundings neat and orderly, and the comforts of the kitchen. Their relationship is classic codependent, Em is the leader and Juliet the follower.

Then comes college, and as so often happens, everything changes.

The novel does a great job of expressing the life changes that come with growing up, and how often it feels as though our lives are living us, instead of the other way around. While one girl fails, and the other succeeds, neither one really seems to know how they got there. Neither one is entirely sympathetic, Em is selfish and annoying while Jules insecurities tend to grate, but I found myself caring deeply about their friendship and their lives.

I fervently hope that this book will be published, and enjoyed it enough to search out the author's other works. In the meantime, if any of my readers are interested in reading Jumble Pie, you can download your own copy here.

A Rose By Any Other Name

2008-12-30T14:43:00.001-05:00

I've never been a big fan of roses, however, I love the etymology of names and phrases, so I was extremely excited to get a hold of this book and I was not disappointed. I found it fascinating to discover the variety of influences hybridizers use in naming their "babies". I was also amazed to find out that there was a term ("rosarian") for people who devote their lives to the study of roses. Who knew?!

There were a few small disappointments, foremost of which was, since it was an ARC, the lack of color photographs. The letter I received with my copy assured me that the book would be in full color upon it's February release. There was something almost wrong about looking at the colorless pictures provided in my copy. I also don't know if I would have arranged the book in the way my copy was arranged, alphabetically by title. I likely would have tried to create sections; i.e. Famous Names, Rose Types, History and Myth, etc. I found it somewhat distracting to bounce from one type to another. Who knows though, this could be different by the release as well.

I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love of gardening, roses, or etymology. It was a quick absorbing read I can easily see toting with me on my next summer trip to Longwood Gardens or the like.

Leverage

2008-12-08T08:56:00.001-05:00

I'd seen a few commercials for this new TNT drama, but hadn't paid much attention until last night, watching a marathon of the TNT movie series The Librarian. Leverage was to be shown immediately following the movie with no commercial interruption. Watching the commercials, I noticed that three out of the five regulars were all favorites of mine, so I decided to give it a try.

Leverage is the story of Nate, (Tim Roth) a former insurance investigator, who despite being amazing at his job and saving his company millions, was denied coverage for his terminally ill son from that very same company. When a man comes to him, looking for help getting his airplane designs back from the company that stole them, he's promised that this will also hurt his former employer. He is hired as the "honest man" amongst a gang of thieves. I'll stop the description there, to avoid getting spoilery.

The cast was absolutely magnificent. Christian Kane of Angel fame and Gina Bellman, who is very well known in England for roles in shows such as Coupling and Jekyll were both amazing and the main reasons I tuned in in the first place (along with Roth.) The other two cast members, Aldis Hodge and Beth Riesgraf were equally amazing, and while I've not seen them in anything before, I'll certainly be following their careers from now on.

An equal mix of humor and tension this show would be enjoyed by anyone who likes a good caper pick. Think Ocean's Eleven or The Sting and you'll get the idea of the feel of the show. I highly recommend that TV lovers check out this show. Tuesday night at 10 PM.

Broad Street by Christine Weiser

2008-12-05T22:11:00.002-05:00

As someone who spent most of the 90's in a Philadelphia suburb, I really wanted to love this book. I didn't love it, but I liked it. I felt it was a pretty realistic portrayal of life in the early to mid-nineties, though I did find myself occasionally thinking things like, "Would she have really been able to afford to have a DVD player then?" Or," why would the "poor" girl have a cell phone?" Though dates are never officially mentioned, the fact that Kurt Cobain's suicide occurs at the end of the book (I promise that's not a spoiler) places the book squarely in the fall of 1993 through the spring of 1994. Such anachronisms can be forgiven though as the rest of the book puts you squarely during the time of early grunge and pop punk.

There were times when Broad Street felt like any other "chick lit" (of course the heroine's day job is in the publishing industry, I can't think of many in the genre who aren't) but then a scene shows up that veers you right out of the genre. (Other than good old Bridget Jones, I can't think of another chick lit heroine who does mushrooms.) Of course Kit, our narrator, makes the requisite horrendous choices (I mean really horrendous!) when it comes to men, work and life. What's beautiful is that everything isn't tied up in a little bow at the end. Certainly Kit grows and comes to know herself better, but like life, there's always more to learn.

That's the story itself, a few quick notes in regard to the copy. This was not an uncorrected proof as far as I could see. Nowhere were those words printed on the cover and the ISBN and bar code were clearly visible on the back, so the number of typos and grammatical errors was inexcusable (the author used to be a proofreader for goodness sake!) and the prose felt clumpy and stunted at times. However, this was the first time out for both the author and publisher. I'm hoping that this will be the first of more to come from this promising writer.

Twilight - The Movie

2008-11-24T09:15:00.001-05:00

I started out hopeful, as the first line of the movie is Bella in voice over, and it's the same as the opening line of the book. I thought, "Well, that's promising!", and really, they did do a pretty good job of sticking to the book, much better than the last few Harry Potters, for instance. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make Twilight a good movie, or even a good adaptation.

I'm not really sure who to blame it all on. The screenwriter? The director? The actors? I'm pretty sure it was a combination of all three. The dialogue was, at times, painful to listen to, which is the screenwriter (and Stephenie Meyer, as some dialogue was pulled right from the book). The movie was dizzying and vertigo inducing, with a ridiculous number of 360 degree shots, which is the director's fault. Then there was the acting...oh the acting!

I'll start with the bad and work my way to the good. I was quite surprised in the end, as I had fully expected to love Kristin Stewart as Bella and hate Robert Pattinson as Edward and ended up with quite the opposite. I'm sure, Bella must have been a difficult character to play. So much of the book is about what is happening in her head, and even with voice overs (and there were a lot of those) it's difficult to portray thoughts. In the end, I think Stewart over thought it and what ended up on screen was stunted and awkward, and not awkward in the way I imagine Bella to be. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only problem with Stewart's portrayal. It was impossible to identify with movie Bella in anyway, she seemed more inhuman than any of the vampires in some ways. Book Bella may not be a "regular" teenager, but she is definitely human, with her clumsiness and her insecurities. Movie Bella fell down once, (ONCE!) and it was because she slipped on ice! Also, while Stewart was probably trying to seem insecure with all her weird pauses and fidgeting, it just came across as annoying. The panic moment (pretty much the only time she really showed any emotion) at the end when Edward mentions the idea of them not seeing each other, seemed to come out of nowhere. It was like watching a robot who'd watched humans experience emotions attempting to imitate them without ever having experienced them. (On the plus side, if she does New Moon, this could be handy!)

Robert Pattinson, was a big surprise as well, but this time a pleasant one! He was surprisingly good at bringing out the human side of Edward, particularly when Edward was feeling jocular or jerky. The vampire side, was less well defined and the moments of angst simply didn't play. Part of me thinks, those might have gone better with a different costar (maybe one he had some chemistry with) and a different director, as it was obvious that the angst was what the director really cared about.

Most of the other actors were decent. I thought Charlie was great and the other kids in the high school were very good at being in high school. The girl who played Jessica was particularly good. The Cullen family was a bit hit and miss, I liked Emmet and Jasper, but Alice and Rosalie didn't fit quite right. And Carlisle's makeup job was awful! Esme looked a little too much like a mom. Victoria was stunning and what a vampire chick should be and James and Laurent were also good. I would totally watch a movie that focused on them.

Finally, I want to briefly discuss the movie in relation to the book. I actually think they did a decent job of sticking to the book. They added some stuff (a field trip) and took out some (blood typing day) but the remained pretty faithful to the story. The only glaring problem I had with it, (and the others I saw the movie agreed with me on this) came at the end, when Carlisle has to tell Edward to do something that Edward should have done himself. I won't go into more detail, in an effort to avoid spoilers, but if you've read the book, you'll know it when you see it.

In the end, I think I would recommend that people wait for the DVD on this one unless you are a die-hard fan. It's worth a watch, as it could be a catalyst for some interesting discussion, but isn't worth the high price of admission. In fact, with all those vertigo inducing 360 shots, it'll probably be better on the small screen!

BEST NIGHT EVER!!!!!!

2008-11-06T09:19:00.001-05:00

So back in September I saw the New Kids on the Block in New Jersey, where I discovered that they had added a show in Philadelphia, which is much closer to where I live. I discovered that it wasn't sold out yet so I called a friend of mine who has a 1-year-old and therefore doesn't get out much, to see if she wanted to go. After some arm twisting (me: Hey, if we can get tickets to the New Kids in Philly, do you want to go? her: YES! me: Do you need to double check with your husband? her: Nope, I'm going!) she agreed to go.

So she picked me up yesterday about 5 PM and we headed to Philly. After some driving around, we managed to find a restaurant and get a little dinner. We then got to the show and headed to our EXTREME nose-bleed seats. Section 222, way up high and actually a little behind the stage. We couldn't even get a decent view of the screens that would show what was going on on stage, but we didn't care, we were there! It was my friends first time seeing them and she was super excited.

Between opening acts, we were going through the program and talking when a couple of men showed up in our section and started handing out tickets for "better seats". We managed to snag a couple and discovered they were Section 2, row 22 seats 1 and 2! We headed downstairs and found our seats, in the back row of the front center section on the floor!!!!! We were so close we could see the sweat flying off the Kids' faces! Never in a million years would I have thought I would ever have seats that close to anything!

The concert was just as good as last time. High energy and loud! They were big on mentioning the Phillie's big win and the election results. There was a great period after doing their new song "Click Click Click". At the end they pose and the shot is frozen on the jumbo screens and the "pose contest" commences. It was a lot of joking with each other and was just fun to be a part of watching their interaction with each other.

It's still a great show. I'm hopeful that they'll continue to make new music and tour, because I'll definitely go see them again!!!

Oh, and I just need to say this: President-Elect Barack Obama!!!!

That felt good!

Children of Men and The Departed

2008-10-27T11:59:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I found myself in a rare mood. Usually when I watch movies I avoid anything too heavy, I need a little humor to lighten things up (for instance, I love Black Hawk Down because there's humor sprinkled in amongst the bleakness) but yesterday I found myself ready for more.

I found two movies on HBO that I had always been interested in seeing, but had never been in quite the right mood when I had access to them. Each of them are a couple years old, so nothing I say here is likely to be groundbreaking, but I found myself pleasantly surprised by both.

Children of Men is a movie based on the P.D. James novel starring Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. It takes place in the "near-future" (2027 to be exact) in a world where humankind has become sterile, no children have been born since 2009. Most of the world has fallen apart, anarchy reigns. Britain has declared all foreigners sub-human and is forming refugee camps and deporting everyone they can. In the midst of all this, is a pregnant "fugee". Pregnant. While there was some graphic violence, none of it seemed gratuitous, it all served to maintain the jeopardy of the story. In the end I found myself wondering about the attitude portrayed toward foreigners. Is it possible that the world could take such a giant step backward in so short a time? Definitely some interesting things to think about.

After that I watched the 2007 Academy Award Winner, The Departed starring....ummmm....everybody who is anyone in Hollywood. I've never been a fan of "mobster" movies, but this one seemed a bit different, so I decided to give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. Again it displayed graphic violence, but not as bad as I was expecting and again it all served the story. The twists and turns of the cop deep undercover in the mob trying to find the leak in the troopers and the dirty trooper trying to figure out who the "rat" is in the mob kept me interested through all 2 1/2 hours of the film. My only beef, what the heck was in that envelope?! (To say more would give too much away.)

In a rare mood I chose a couple movies I would otherwise have ignored and got quite a treat. It pays to step outside your comfort zone!

Blog Action Day - Poverty

2008-10-15T08:49:00.005-04:00

When I signed up for Blog Action Day, it was suggested that we stick to our usual format. Instead of watching a movie or reading a book about poverty though, I'm going to tell you a little about my job.

About 3 months ago I started working for a small, faith-based community services agency in Wilmington, DE. We have a number of programs geared toward low-income families including food, shelter, and clothing programs. Demand is at an all-time high.

Our housing program focuses on homelessness prevention. We provide assistance for those who are looking for help with back rent or mortgage payments or who need some help with security deposits. Many in this area are living paycheck to paycheck and when disaster hits, tough decisions need to be made. Do I pay my rent or my doctor bills? If I don't get my car fixed, I can't go to work and I'll lose my job. If I don't pay my rent, I'll lose my house. I could pay both and not buy food this month. No one should have to make these kinds of decisions. The last month we have been receiving 50+ calls a day for housing. Of all the people who call, we end up being able to help only about 1/4 of them. While some simply don't qualify, this is more because we don't have the money or manpower to do more, and every person we have to turn away, breaks our heart.

The agency also oversees the operation of 11 food pantries and grocery clubs. At this time in 2007 our largest pantry was serving 30-35 families a day, this year it's between 80 and 100. While the demand has gone up, so have the prices we have to pay, limiting our budget and forcing us to again turn away people who need our help. We had to close our doors for a week at the end of September. Thankfully, the faith community who supports us stepped up big time, donating large amounts of money to get us back up and running and organizing food drives at their churches, offices, and gyms. If things continue, the demand will continue to grow and we may end up needing to close our doors more and more often, something that was only done for the first time this year. (For a little perspective, the agency turns 50 this year.)

Everyday I see and talk to people who are living on social security and food stamps. People who were injured and can no longer work. Single mothers trying to feed, clothe and shelter their children on less than $10/hour. People who are desperate for the basic necessities so many of us take for granted. Children who have never had a winter coat before we give them one. Poverty is right outside your doorstep and the agencies who are working to help are hurting as well. I would encourage anyone reading this to contact your local food bank, shelter or pantry and see what their need is. Organize your own food collection. If you don't have the money, give of your time. It's time for us all to act.

Life on Mars

2008-10-10T08:57:00.001-04:00

I wasn't sure whether I was looking forward to this new show or not. I knew it was based on a hit British TV show of the same name, but let's face it, America's been pretty hit or miss with our British remakes recently. (Remember the American Coupling? The first season of The Office?) It was with some trepidation therefore that I sat down to watch the premiere.

The basic premise is a present day cop gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973, with a car registered to him, an ID that will expire in 1974 and a job at the same precinct he was working out of in the future. I have to wonder, if I hadn't already known all this from the commercials, would the show have been more interesting. Of course, if the commercials hadn't told me all this, would I have turned it on at all?

While the premise has promise, I found the execution lacking in creativity and at times jarring. Within the first ten minutes I had already accurately predicted several "surprise reveals". (Of course the killer couldn't be in two places at once, he obviously has a twin.) One of which I really could have done without; as the lead character (really, I can't even be bothered to remember his name) starts realizing it might really be 1973 he turns around and gets a stunned look on his face. As the camera slowly pans around for us to see what he sees, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. After all, what NY landmark was there in the '70s that isn't now. Even knowing it was coming, the sight of those towers was jarring.

Most of the '70's cops are unsympathetic and unlikeable. We're supposed to feel some sense of jeopardy for the lead's girlfriend, but we didn't have enough time to get to know her or really care. The premise lends itself to comedic moments, but there were none to be found. The one bright spot was the rockin' '70's music on the soundtrack, Bowie, the Who, Zepplin...they were all represented.

All in all, I found Life on Mars disappointing. I doubt I'll be watching another episode, I'll stick with Ace of Cakes at that time period.

Pushing Daisies is back! Finally!

2008-10-02T08:29:00.001-04:00

In my opinion, the best new show last year was Pushing Daisies. Unfortunately it disappeared during the writer's strike and didn't come back....until last night.

I was beyond excited for the first episode and I wasn't disappointed. The relationship between the two lead characters, Chuck and Ned (the Piemaker) grew enormously in just that one episode, you'd think it had had an entire year to develop instead of a few episodes!

For those who haven't watched Pushing Daisies, the basic plot is this: from boyhood, Ned has had a special ability, he can bring dead things back to life with just a touch; fruit, flowers, insects, and yes, humans. There are, however, a couple of small consequences; one, if he brings something back to life for more than a minute, something else must die in it's place, and two, if he touches it a second time, it dies permanently. Ned's best friend as a child was the girl next door named Charlotte, Chuck for short. One day, Ned's mother died and Ned brought her to life, this is when he learned about the 1 minute rule, because Chuck's father then died. (Chuck doesn't know this of course!) Ned's father sent him away to school and Chuck ended up living with her aunts, they never saw each other again...while Chuck was alive.

As an adult, Ned had two jobs. He owned a pie shop, where as long as he was careful to only touch fruit once, he had the freshest most amazing fruit pies around. He also worked with a PI, touching dead people and bringing them back just long enough to ask them who killed them. Then Chuck was killed on a cruise and the PI (Emerson) brought the case to Ned. Ned brought Chuck back to life, but couldn't bring himself to touch her again before the minute was up. Now they live and work together, they are in love, but they can never touch. Intrigued? You should be!

I won't go in to any more plot details. You should know that Jim Dale (who reads the Harry Potter audio books) is the narrator. Kristin Chenowith (the originator of the role of Glinda in Wicked) plays Olive, a waitress at the Piehole, secretly in love with Ned. Chi McBride plays Emerson and Swoozie Kurtz plays Lily, one of the aunts. It's a wonderful cast and a bright cheerful show. Given the basic story line, one could easily expect the show to be dark and dour but everything is pulled off with such matter of factness and humor, it never brings you down. An eclectic mix of fantasy and reality, I would recommend this show to anyone who thinks there could be a little more cheer in the world.

Watch Pushing Daisies, Wednesday nights at 8 PM on ABC!

True Blood

2008-10-01T13:05:00.001-04:00

I recently moved and I now have HBO and Showtime and all that good stuff, so this weekend I watched the first four episodes of True Blood and I love it! It's like Twilight for grown ups!

Based on a series of books by Charlaine Harris the basic idea is that Japan created synthetic blood, which allowed Vampires to "come out". The story centers around Sookie, a human living in Bon Temps, Louisiana (because really is there a better place in America for a vampire story?) who is telepathic (Edward?) and Bill, a vampire, who comes into the bar where Sookie works. So far their relationship is a lot of innuendo and dancing around, but in a way that makes you itchy for more.

There are a lot of subplots revolving around the main pair, a lot of which involve some pretty graphic material of both a sexual and a violent nature, but it fits in with the idea of the show. I'm loving this show and feel much less ashamed about my love than I did with Twilight. I can't wait for next Sunday and I'll be looking out for the books too!

New Kids on the Block

2008-09-26T14:41:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it took me this long to find the time to blog about the concert. Life sure can get in the way!

I was 10 when the New Kids on the block hit the big time, my parents gave me their Christmas album that year and I was hooked. My best friend and covered our rooms with posters, listened to their tapes non-stop, recorded anything they were on, watched the cartoon, read the books (both non-fiction and fiction) and went to their concert when we were in 6th grade (1991). I even met two of them (Joe and Danny) when they were visiting a member of the band Tony, Toni, Tone, who happened to live down the street from my family. They were heady times. I even bought Face the Music when it came out, despite the fact that Nirvana had by then introduced me to the wonderful world of grunge and alternative rock which was to be my main music of choice for my high school years. When the New Kids disappeared, I barely noticed, of course none of them really went away and whenever I heard about one of them doing something else, I always checked it out. I had Joe and Jordan's solo projects, watched Boomtown (starring Donnie) and saw most of his movies, watched the E! True Hollywood Story and saw Jon talk about his problems with anxiety on Oprah. Even though they were gone, they were always on my periphery.

Then came the announcement last April, the New Kids were getting back together! There was going to be a new album and a tour. I made sure to DVR their first big performance on the Today and the second they started singing "The Right Stuff" I was in tears. I was overcome by nostalgia and love for the New Kids. This was my childhood, on TV performing live after 15-years! I talked my younger sister, too young really to have cared, into going to the concert with me and bought tickets. It would be their first major show on US soil in 15 years. Sept. 23, 2008 in East Rutherford, NJ. I couldn't wait.

Finally the day was here. I left work early and drove to my sister's place in record time. The traffic for the show was already getting heavy when we got there, women in their late-twenties and early-thirties (like me) who had left the kids home with their husbands, called up girlfriends they hadn't seen in years and headed out to New Jersey were swarming to the arena. We sat through two opening acts, just waiting for them to get off stage and get on with the real reason we were here. Then....magic.

A brief movie began to play on the requisite jumbo-tron and the screaming started. I won't go into details, in part because, should some happy googler come across this before they see the show, I don't want to spoil anything, and partly because, if I did go into detail this post might never end! Suffice it to say there was a perfect mix of stuff off their new album and their old stuff. When we left, there wasn't a single song I could think of that I wish they had played and they hadn't. Even some solo stuff was thrown in. I couldn't have asked for a better night and if I could get tickets to a second show I would go in an instant.

Joe, Jordan, Danny, Donnie, and Jon were spectacular and I'm so glad they're back!

Let's Talk Emmys

2008-09-22T13:34:00.001-04:00

I'm completely awards show obsessed. Not really with music, the performers are usually people I couldn't care less about, but put an award show on that has to do with movies or TV and I'll be watching.

I headed into last night's Emmy's with a sense of trepidation, last year's ceremony was at times painful to watch and I was concerned that the same would be true last night. And it was. I don't know who's idea it was to have the five people nominated for "best reality show host" as ceremony co-hosts, but I'd be willing to bet their updating their resume today!

I'm sure plenty has been said on other blogs about the "opening" which was not only completely unfunny, but was downright uncomfortable to watch. Thankfully, we didn't see too much of the "hosts" through the remainder of the show and they all but disappeared the last hour, so someone was thinking on their feet.

Another problem with last year's ceremony had been the "theater in the round" attempt. This year they couldn't seem to bring themselves to quite do away with it and there seemed to be some sort of strange bleacher seating not really in the wings, but behind and between the scenery. Weird.

That having been said, their were some truly funny moments in last night's broadcast. Certainly more than 2007 managed. Ricky Gervais was hilarious as he demanded his Emmy (won in 2007 and presented by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to Steve Carrell when Gervais wasn't there) from a petulant Carrell. Don Rickles was....well, Don Rickles. Probably the funniest person all night, refusing to read the teleprompter and riffing on all the idiocy of the night. The last great moment of the evening came when Jimmy Kimmel presented the Emmy for "best reality show host" calling the nominees onstage and reading fake judges statements about each before pulling the infamous "we'll find out who won....right after this break", which, let's face it, they deserved! The only other good thing to say about the show was that (shock!) it ended on time, which I attribute to the fact that it was so horrible, no one wanted to stay there any longer than was absolutely necessary!

In the end, the show was marginally better than last year's but still no where near where it has been in the past. I hope that the Emmy organizers will learn from this year and return to the formula that worked for so long. Get a comedian to host, and just let them riff as needed. They tried to fix something that wasn't broken, and ended up with a huge mess!

Fringe 2

2008-09-18T08:48:00.003-04:00

Having now watched the second episode of Fringe I thought I'd update my previous review a bit.

The second episode continued in much the same vein as the first. While not as visually gory as the first, this time the "ick factor" came from the dialogue. In particular a fairly graphic description of a serial killer's M.O. While they never got around to showing what was described, only "prettied up" aftermath, it didn't stop my stomach from churning every time they cut to the killer and his victim. What if this was the time they were going to show it?

The "ick factor" aside, this episode was slightly easier to understand than the last. There was more character development and a little bit of character mystery thrown in. I also didn't find the camera moves and framing quite a jarringly out of place. I find Fringe and the issues and ideas it raises stimulating and fascinating and I have to say, I think this might just be my newest "must watch". (Like I needed another one!)

Oh and Bonus: That's Denethor (John Noble) playing Walter Bishop! The man sure can do crazy!

Fringe

2008-09-10T08:37:00.002-04:00

So I caught the premier of the much-hyped new J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) show Fringe last night, and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised! I debated with myself whether I was going to watch it or not, I've found that often the shows with that much hype end up disappointing, but in the end....well...there really wasn't anything else on!

The opening scene had me hooked, a plane full of passengers is traveling from Hamburg to Boston during an electrical storm. We see snippets of random passengers until we focus on a man clearly in a state of panic. He pulls out an insulin pen and injects himself. Seconds later he's on his feet, being chased by a flight attendant, he finally turns and something is wrong with his face. Soon the entire plane is infected....

Leave you wanting more? It did me! They're re-airing the pilot later this week, so I won't say anymore about the plot, in case anyone wants to check it out for themselves (Sunday night 8PM on Fox).

While I was riveted by the plot and enjoyed the superb acting (a special surprise, Joshua Jackson who's Clooney-like acting on Dawson's Creek generally annoyed me) I did find myself somewhat put off by some of the photography. I don't necessarily need or want my Sci-Fi shows to be "artsy", which Fringe did occasionally try to be last night. It's my hope that in future episodes, the writers, directors, and editors will realize that their show is at it's best when making up crazy experiments (communicating telepathically with a man in a coma?!) and chasing bad guys and lose all the weird camera angles and lighting choices.

I would encourage my fellow Sci-Fi lovers to check out Fringe but be warned that the opening scene described above is not for the weak stomached! I'll definitely be watching the next new episode on Tuesday!

Doctor Who

2008-09-08T10:54:00.002-04:00

Why, oh why did I take so long to start watching this show? The whole thing is stupendous. Okay, maybe the production values at the BBC aren't exactly what we're used to here in the states, but the writing more than makes up for the occasionally clunky special effects.

While I love every episode I've seen (which means Seasons 1-3, which are available on DVD) I've found that my favorite episodes all seem to be written by Steven Moffat. No real surprise to me, since I have every episode of Coupling memorized!) His episodes tend to have that little extra creep factor I love in a good Sci-Fi show. Case in point season 1 episodes "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances". A child in a gas mask wanders the streets during the London Blitz calling for it's mother, but the child was killed in a bombing a month previous. Anyone who has come into physical contact with him since has grown (yep, grown) a gas mask and other physical injuries to match, zombies who can walk and talk yet with no medical signs of life. I say these zombies can talk, but all they do is call for their mothers...super creepy. This is a double episode and the ending wraps everything up in a beautiful and uplifting way. Well worth a watch.

Another Steven Moffat penned favorite is "Blink" from Season 3. This is the episode they're forced to do once a year where there is very little of the Doctor or his companion (because they're busy filming other episodes!) The episode opens with a girl entering a closed up, spooky old house. She's there to take some pictures and discovers a room where the wallpaper is peeling and a message can be spotted underneath, she begins to peel it away, uncovering the message "Beware the weeping Angel.....Duck.....Sally Sparrow.....Duck NOW" Sally, as she is of course, ducks just in time. The creep factor never lets up and one of the scariest creatures I've ever seen on TV comes to the forefront. The Weeping Angels cannot move when watched, they turn to stone, covering their eyes and looking as any garden statue might, when you look away, or blink though, they can move astoundingly fast...again, the episode ends in a way that wraps up all the loose ends and leaves you feeling like you've taken a satisfying emotional ride.

I'm waiting with baited breath for the fourth season to hit the DVD shelves (Alas, not until November) and the newest season to hit the airwaves next spring, with Steven Moffat at the helm! If you're a Sci-Fi fan who, like me, put off checking out the Doctor's newest incarnation, don't put it off any longer!

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-19T14:08:00.005-04:00

I originally posted this review on LibraryThing for their review contest, the official results of which have yet to be posted.

Update: I won the review contest. Thanks to anyone who voted for me!

I was never sure what it was about this series that drew me in. I read Twilight somewhat unwillingly and had mixed reactions to it as well as New Moon and Eclipse, though each one did seem to get a little better; a little more grounded in real emotion. To this point I hadn't found anything particularly literary about the Twilight Saga, it was more the hidden 12-year-old girl inside of me that loved the books, the more analytical adult in me was horrified throughout much of the books. Now I know Stephenie Meyer was building up to something. Something amazing.

Breaking Dawn is divided into three books and, unlike so many books in this format, each really could be a different book. One of these books is told from Jacob's perspective, much like the epilogue at the end of Eclipse, which was a particularly fascinating move on the part of Meyer. At first it was somewhat jarring to realize I was about to read 200+ pages in a different voice than Bella's, which I had become so used to, but it ended up being my favorite section of the book. It was a genius move on Meyer's part, had we been trapped reading the events Jacob chronicles for us from Bella's point of view, it certainly would have seemed like more of the same. Getting a new and unique perspective on things at a crucial plot turn left the book feeling fresh and helped to reinvigorate me for the end.

As to plot, there's not much that can be said that would not end up spoiling something important. Impressively, all the questions I had before beginning, were answered by the end, as well as some questions I didn't know I should be asking. Many of the plot twists felt unique this time, something different than the usual vampire story or love triangle. By the middle of the book, some relationships had changed in such a drastic way, I was ravenous to see how it would all turn out.

If you have been avoiding this series or tried it and put it away disappointed, I would encourage you to give it another shot. The path to reach Breaking Dawn was at times tedious, and at times frustrating, but having reached the end of Bella's story, I'm glad I gave it the time.

Introduction

2008-08-19T13:23:00.000-04:00

For a while in college I thought about being a critic. Life happened and my path changed, but I still love to review anything I can; books, movies, television, plays, concerts, you name it, I have an opinion. I've had some success in posting reviews on LibararyThing and I've decided to take it a step further and set up this blog so I can review what I feel like, when I feel like it. I hope you'll enjoy what I have to say!