Confessions of a Book Whore

The Stupidest Angel

2012-02-09T15:13:00.002-07:00

The Stupidest Angel 
Written by: Christopher Moore 
Hardcover: 306 pages 
Publisher: William Morrow 
Language: English 
November 2005, $15.99 
Genre: Fiction/Humor

‘Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through the tiny community of Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit. But not everybody is feeling the joy. Little Joshua Barker is in desperate need of a holiday miracle. No, he’s not on his deathbed; no, his dog hasn’t run away from home. But Josh is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven year old has only one prayer: Please Santa, come back from the dead. But hold on! There’s an angel waiting in the wings (Wings, get it?) It’s none other than the Archangel Raziel come to Earth seeking a small child with a wish that needs granting. Unfortunately, our angel’s not sporting the brightest halo of the bunch, and before you can say Kris Kringle, he’s botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos, culminating in the most hilarious and horrifying holiday party the town has ever seen.   

+++++++++++++

I am not a huge fan of the holidays. Personally I think that we should go from Halloween straight to New Years, but this is probably due to a broken wrist, lock of money (I absolutely love to buy people presents), my family being very far away, and the fact that it is Winter in Montana. This year I have admittedly been in a bit of a funk. So I decided to pick up Christopher Moore. He makes me laugh and it was Tis the Season so the Stupidest Angel it was. Plus anything with the subtitle of A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror is kind of an immediate read. Its kind of like watching the horrible film Santa Slay with James Caan and Chris Cattan (anyone who has seen it late night during the Christmas season understands this). Plus zombies make everything better especially if it is Santa zombie (who was totally at the Zombie Walk this year). I am also a big fan of Christopher Moore, my favorite book being Lamb: The Gospel according to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. Moore has the irreverent and the bizarre down pat. In a way he reminds me of Terry Pratchett, whom I like a bit better, which is saying some thing.

The Stupidest Angel takes place during the festive Holiday season in the peaceful little town of Pine Cove where the constable has a pot crop out back, his wife is a former Xena like actress with mental health issues, and oh yeah Santa Claus just got murdered as far as little Josh is concerned. Not exactly the way to start Christmas, so Josh prays for Santa not to be dead. Sadly, the angel who hears his little prayer doesn't have the brightest halo of the bunch and so because he isn't sure where Santa was buried raises a small army of the undead who are fed up with the living just in time to crash the Town Christmas Party.

 Things I loved: I loved seeing all of my favorite characters from previous Moore novels (Roberto the Fruit bat, Raziel, Theo and more most notably from Lamb, Practical Demonkeeping, Island of the Sequined Lovenun and The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove) especially Roberto. What can I say he is the cutest little fruit bat ever. With Raybans.

Just then the doors flew open, the wind whipped into the room carrying with it a horrid stench. Standing there, framed in the cathedral doorway, stood Santa Claus, holding Brian Henderson in his red Star Trek shirt, by the throat. A group of dark figures were moving behind them, moaning something about IKEA, as Santa pressed a .38 snub-nose revolver to Brian's temple and pulled the trigger. Blood spattered across the front wall and Santa threw the body back to Marty in the Morning, who began to suck the brains of out dead Brian's exit wound.

"Merry Christmas, you doomed sons' a bitches!" said Santa.

See that is why I liked the book. Between that and the first chapter when it described the town decorating for the holidays as being tarted up like a prom queen. Anything that describes Christmas as "threatening festive doom like a cold sore under the mistletoe," kind of makes me love it. You cannot help but like the utter wackiness of Moore’s books. They are absurd but completely hilarious in all the right ways.

Some of my favorite scenes were the high speed chase of a Christmas tree, the dialogue between the deceased before they started craving brains, mentions of Star Trek red shirts, digs at a lot of stores and industries, and the gifts that Theo and Molly give one another. There are not many books that can make me laugh out loud and this one completely uplifted my holiday spirits. Anything that can do that deserves a shiny gold star.

 Things I didn't love so much: Sometimes all of the jokes don’t work, but the same can be said for Saturday Night Live. And you have to be in the right mood to read something like this. But I think I am always in the mood.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow.

Part of: A Standalone. Though it does incorporate many characters from previous novels, you wont have to have read them to enjoy this.   

Also Recommended: The films Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead. For more humor please try Lamb also by Moore, anything by Terry Pratchett though it is more on the fantasy side and authors like David Sedaris.

 

3.5 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

The Soundtrack for this Post: Daughter by Pearl Jam, Generosity by MIrah, For You by Nerf Herder and My Favorite Game by the Cardigans (this is what I get for Itunes DJ mixes)

Tuesday Trailers: Chronicle

2012-02-07T08:38:00.001-07:00

Found footage is the new trend in Hollywood, but sometimes it looks like it can be done right. Kind of a modern day Akira, but looks kind of wicked.

Every Boy's Got One

2012-02-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Every Boy’s Got One 
Written by: Meg Cabot 
Paperback: 272 pages 
Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Language: English 
February 2005, $9.99 
Genre: Fiction/Romance/Chick Lit 

Cartoonist Jane Harris is delighted by the prospect of her first ever trip to Europe. But its hate at first sight for Jane and Cal Langdon, and neither is too happy at the prospect of sharing a villa with one another for a week – not even in the beautiful and picturesque Le Marche countryside. But when Holy and Mark’s wedding plans hit a major snag that only Cal and Jane can repair, the two find themselves having to put aside their mutual dislike for one another in order to get their best friends on the road to wedded bliss – and end up on a road themselves…one neither of them expected.  

+++++++++++++

As a whole I’m not really a huge fan of the genre called chick lit. That being said I also don’t really go to romantic comedies in the theater either. Which is funny because I really am a die hard romantic. But rom coms are the same almost everywhere: boy meets girl, quirks arise but so does love, lovely bliss but then one of them does something stupid or a complication arises, and finally happily ever after. The names change as do the little subplots, but as I said they are generally a bit the same. There are a few who choose to change it up a a bit or bring something new to the table (I like those ones), but it is rare. The chick lit genre seems to be bodice ripper lite. The heaving bosoms, paperback romance Fabios, and thin plot lies seem to be replaced with wit, modern sensibilities, and a lot of fluff. This is not necessarily a bad thing though. Yes I am the kind of girl that prefers blazing guns, thrills and even gore over smoochie smoochies, but I would also be lying if I said I didn't dip into the cotton candy genre every now and again. As long as you know what you are getting into, you cannot complain when it turns out to be exactly that.   

Sometimes you need a cotton candy fix as I said. Its light, airy, you don’t have to think too hard, its sweet, entertaining and yet forgettable soon after you are done. The same can be said about certain big movie blockbusters that I totally pay for. They are all guilty pleasures but that doesn't make them bad. They are just not Oscar winners or Books of the Year. Now I have read Meg Cabot before, but the YA series she has done (The Mediator series and Missing series). Felling in a bit of a genre rut and wanting to read outside the boxes, I decided to give this a go. How bad could it be right?

Jane Harris, cartoonist of Wondercat, is excited to be going to Europe with her best friend Holly and her soon to be elopement partner in crime Mark. Italy is incredibly romantic and Jane is more than excited. Unfortunately you need a best man/2nd witness as well as this means that Mark’s best friend Cal Langdon will be going as well. It is loathing at first sight for Cal and Jane. While Jane is more than happy to see Holly and Mark get married, Cal thinks it is insane and openly states his lack of trust in love and marriage as a whole. Plus despite being a supermodel dating, award wining journalist he apparently has never heard of her comic strip which is about to optioned for Cartoon Network. Unfolding through a series of journal entries, texts, emails, etc, the story is full of one adventure after another on the road to wedded bliss and loathing turned to attraction.

 Things I loved: It was a quick fun read and as my expectations weren't high and lofty, it did meet those. I haven't really read any of Meg Cabot’s adult work and this filled the cotton candy fix that I was craving. One of the things I liked was the modern epistolary romance. While yes it is a bit difficult to believe that the characters are handwriting, texting, emailing everything even while conversations are going on, it was kind of cute and clever. Its one of those quirks that you forgive I suppose.

I loved some of the secondary characters like Jane’s teenage fan or the emails from parents of both Holly and Mark. I also loved the travelogue quality which is to be expected since Meg had her own version of the story when she got married some years ago. And while yes it was fluffy and full of fairly one dimensional characters it was exactly what I expected it to be. Of course this doesn't mean that I cant be a little disappointed, which brings me to....

 Things I didn't love so much: While I knew that our leads loathing would turn to love, that transition didn't work for me. It was a bit too quick and I found it hard to suspend my disbelief (yes I did it for all of the texting, writing, etc) because of how forced it seemed. Also Jane annoyed the crap out of me. No girl can be that vapid. Sure I love discussing my geeky loves more than I do politics, it however does not mean that I am completely clueless to the world beyond my own personal space. Sure we can discuss Revenge or Fringe or why the Hunger Games movie is probably going to ruin my favorite trilogy of books, but I can also go beyond that. Jane was a shoe obsessed woman that is so stereotypical, then again so was Cal (the tortured, wounded in love jet-setter who needs a good normal woman to sweep him off his feet). But seriously we are supposed to believe that Jane is a successful cartoonist? Instead she was an airhead who spent all of her time obsessed with romance, fashion and makes the worst assumptions about people. Really? That is the modern woman? She is one jumble of feminine stereotypes which is frustrating because I found myself loathing her. But what was I expecting, a sweeping love story that was all about a romance and character development than it was anything else. No. I knew what I was getting into and yet I cannot help but wish there was more to it.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow.

Part of: A series. The Boy Series 
Book One: The Boy Next Door 
Book Two: Boy Meets Girl 
Book Three: Every Boy’s Got One  

Also Recommended: I enjoyed Austenland by Shannon Hale. Other authors to recommend are Sophie Kinsella, and Helen Fielding. For Meg Cabot I would recommend her Mediator series which I still like.

 

2.5 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

The Soundtrack for this Post: Oceans by Puscifer, A Thousand Years by Christina Perri, Lost and Found by Katie Herzig and Gimme Sympathy by Metric.

Songbook

2012-02-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

Songbook 
Written by: Nick Hornby 
Paperback: 207 pages 
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
 Language: English 
October 2003, $14.99 
Genre: Non Fiction/Essays 

"All I have to say about these songs is that I love them, and want to sing along to them, and force other people to listen to them, and get cross when these other people don't like them as much as I do"
-Nick Hornby

What interests Nick Hornby? Songs, songwriters, everything, compulsively, passionately. Here is his ultimate list of 31 all-time favorite songs. And here are his smart, funny, and very personal essays about them, written with all the love and care of a perfectly mastered mixed tape... 

+++++++++++++

“A couple of times a year I make myself a tape to play in the car, a tape full of all the new songs I’ve loved over the previous few months, and every time I finish one I can’t believe that there’ll be another. Yet there always is, and I can’t wait for the next one; you only need a few hundred more things like that, and you’ve got a life worth living.” — Nick Hornby

As a pop-culture geektress I am a big fan of music. FOr a very long time I have been of the firm belief that there is a song for every moment and every occasion. I am fairly eclectic in my tastes and my musical library consists of everything from Bowie to the Beatles, Aimee Mann to Patsy Cline and Muse to Puscifer. Always heavy in rotation are soundtracks because I love scores and also because there us usually a nice variety of tunage within a soundtrack. I also rely heavily on other people’s mixes that are given to me as most radio stations just play the same music over and over again and here in Bozeman even the college station doesn't play my usual tunage.

I always find it interesting discovering another person’s musical tastes, what songs move them, and what musical genres they abhor. i am one of those people that look on itunes for the celebrity playlists as I am always curious to see what they love. And often I have found at least one or two artists or songs that I cannot live without. I know in my own life there were and still are songs that make me think, songs that take me straight back to a particular time and place, and songs that have helped me through a certain stage in my life. Music like my books have been a constant companion and I think that I would be a little lost without it. Even now as I write this post I have itunes dj playing in the background (I’ll post the soundtrack at the end)

Now Nick Hornby wrote a book that has music at its forefront: High Fidelity. Its one of my favorite books and despite the differences one of my fave films as well. Songbook is a collection of essays on 31 songs and 15 albums. The topics range from Nelly Furtado and pop music, to Los Lobos, Aimee Mann and the Boss himself. Now these aren’t reviews of albums, though admittedly sometimes that happens, it’s Hornby’s celebration of music and how each song and each album has affected his life.

Things I loved: As I have said before I am a huge Nick Hornby fan from his books to his collaborations with Ben Folds in the music industry (love ‘From Above’). McSweeney’s commissioned Hornby to write about his favorite songs and that is exactly what he did. It isn't about music criticism and he is hardly the elitist snobs that are in High Fidelity when it comes to music. Its personal and he talks about his career and even his autistic son (the reason why Gregory Isaacs’ reggae cover of Puff the Magic Dragon is so important is one of the best in here). He also talks about inspiration for High Fidelity, why pop songs aren’t the devil and how music has changed over the years. While I wasn't familiar with all the artists when I was done, I went and looked them up and am glad I did. Whether he meant to or not, it was a bit like Nick Hornby’s mixtape to me.

I also understand how music can spur you. How one song can make you want to run or create or just sit down for some much needed me time. I understand how you want music to change the world and how newer bands with fabricated everything are a bit annoying. And I also understand how sometimes a song fits you so perfectly you wonder if the artist wrote it just for you.   “…mostly all I have to say about these songs is that I love them, and want to sing along with them, and force other people to listen to them, and get cross when these other people don’t like them as much as I do.” Isn't this what we all do?

 Things I didn't love so much: There wasn't much I didn't like about this collection of essays. While I didn't always agree with his musical loves or even some of his exploration on music, that is to be expected. I know there are quite a few people who would look at my musical collection and scratch their heads. That is the great thing about music, there is a lot of it out there and there is something for everyone.

In the end it wasn't the best thing I have read in the past year or the past decade. This is not because it was poorly written or I didn't enjoy the subject matter, but didn't capture me completely which is ok. It’s not a book that is headed to the library or the Used Book Barn, but for me something was missing to make it truly awesome. I did get some insight into one of my favorite authors and picked up some music in the end as well. So there is that.

Buy or Borrow: Buy. If you are a music fan and also one of Hornbys...its worth picking up.

Part of: Standalone.

 Also Recommended: I would recommend High Fidelity also by Hornby.

 

3.5 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

The Soundtrack for this Post: Barely Listening by Pilot Speed , Live and Let Die by Duffy, Touched by Vast, Release the Stars by Rufus Wainwright, Spider pig by Hans Zimmer (from the Simpsons movie) and Your Protector by Fleet Foxes. (ooh I may have to do this now...my mix-tapes to all of you)

Origin In Death

2012-02-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

Origin In Death 
Written by: JD Robb 
Hardcover: 347 pages 
Publisher: Berkley 
Language: English 
January 2006, $24.99 
Genre: Crime/Thriller/In Death series (#21) 

"New York Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her partner Peabody enter the hallowed halls of the Wilfred B. Icove Center for Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery on a case. A hugely popular vid star has been beaten to a bloody pulp – and has killed her attacker in the process. After a post-op interview, Dallas and Peabody confirm for themselves that it’s a clear cut case of self-defense, but before they can leave the building, another case falls into their hands. Dr. Wilfred B Icove himself has been found dead in his office – murdered in a chillingly efficient manner: one swift stab to the heart. Struck by the immaculate condition of the crime scene, Dallas suspects a professional killing. Security discs show a stunningly beautiful woman calmly entering and leaving the building: the good doctors final appointment. Known as “Dr Perfect” the saintly Icove devoted his life to his family and his work. His record is clean. Too clean for Dallas. She knows he was hiding something, and suspects that his son, his successor, knows what it is. Then – like father, like son – the young Dr. Icove is killed…with the same deadly precision. But who is the mystery woman, and what was her relationship with the good doctor? With her husband, Roarke, working behind the scenes, Dallas follows her darkest instincts into the Icoves’ pasts. And what she discovers are men driven to create perfection – playing fast and loose with the laws of nature, the limits of science, and the morals of humanity.  

+++++++++++++

I have been reading the “In Death” series by JD Robb for about a decade now after picking up a couple of paperbacks at a garage sale. It was a while before I learned that my favorite thriller novelist was none other than Nora Roberts (I felt the same way when I discovered Elizabeth Peters was Barbara Michaels), but I couldn't begrudge her for being a best selling romance novelist. The thriller/mystery genre is not my favorite though what I have read has made me quite happy.

Its 2059 and Thanksgiving in New York City for Lt Eve Dallas. Even as her husband plans a Thanksgiving feast that neither of them will soon forget, Eve finds herself at the Wilfred B Icove Center for Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery on a case. What Eve and her partner Peabody do not expect to find is the good doctor dead in his own plush office, a scalpel plunged into his heart. When a mysterious and beautiful woman shows up on the security disks leaving the scene of the crime Eve and Peabody find themselves following a trail that leads to genetic manipulation and how people strive for absolute perfection.

 Things I loved: One reason I love the In Death series is largely due to the setting. Set in the near future (near being 50 years from now) each book is like a futuristic CSI with a great leading lady and one hell of a dashing billionaire and former thief husband. I get the best of both worlds: a little romance and a lot of mystery and thrills. What is not to like? Plus having the series set in the future works like the hour long crime drama. Instead of waiting days, weeks, or months for the story to forensically progress, the future’s technology helps solve the crimes and bring out the suspects which moves the pacing along nicely. HOwever, the great thing about Dallas is that she usually knows who did it and the story then becomes a matter of proving it.

Even after 25 books I don’t know how Robb/Roberts does it. I’m still not bored with the series. In this outing I like the questions posed. Its not hard to believe that the perfect being is being bred and created out there for both the rich and as a weapon. It may be a little sci-fi, but hardly implausible when you really think about it.

I love Roarke of course, who wouldn’t? But my favorite characters are Peabody and McNab, Mira and Mavis. I also love the world that has been created. Its a world of hoverlifts, holorooms, Autochefs and licensed companions. The technology is tops and yet people still murder each other. though seriously Eve has the best solved case rate ever.

 Things I didn't love so much: I wanted to see the aftermath of this story and the local and national fallout of it all. The implications are huge and I cannot imagine that Eve wont receive a lot of attention for it. I also wanted to see Thanksgiving dinner because lets face it a meal with Roarke’s newly discovered family along with Mavis and everyone else we have grown to love would have been priceless.

I will say that while I have loved to see Roarke and Eve grow as a couple to that of a married one or even watch Peabody earn her stripes and go from assistant to Detective, I want the progression to speed up. This doesn't mean I want to see Eve barefoot and pregnant as Robb/Roberts has famously said that though it is eventual, Eve’s pregnancy would end the series as a whole. I do want o see Eve begin to deal with her past more and I want Roarke and Eve to get out of the dear god I cant get enough of you, you complete me phase of their relationship to something more playful or perhaps something a bit more realistic. Or hell I want them to fight for more than five minutes or show that every relationship takes time and effort and sometimes it isn't easy, especially when you have two damaged souls. I love that they found one another and balance each other out, but I want more. I feel like in this respect the series is getting a little repetitive when it comes to the romance/sex bits even in the scenes and language that is used. It always just so dramatic and serious.

Buy or Borrow: Buy. I have the rest of them, but I also think that this is a great place for someone new to the series to start as well.

Part of: A series. “In Death” 
Naked in Death
Glory in Death
Immortal in Death
Rapture in Death
Ceremony in Death
Vengeance in Death
Holiday in Death
Midnight in Death, Silent Night Anthology
Conspiracy in Death
Loyalty in Death
Witness in Death
Judgment in Death
Betrayal in Death
Interlude in Death, Out of this World Anthology
Seduction in Death
Reunion in Death
Purity in Death
Portrait in Death
Imitation in Death
Remember When with Nora Roberts
Two-part book: the first part is a present-day Nora Roberts story which sets up the back story for the second part, which features Eve Dallas and has been republished as Big Jack
Divided in Death
Visions in Death
Survivor in Death
Origin in Death
Memory in Death
Haunted in Death, Bump in the Night Anthology
Born in Death
Innocent in Death
Eternity in Death, Dead of Night Anthology
Creation in Death
Strangers in Death
Ritual in Death, Suite 606 Anthology
Salvation in Death
Promises in Death
Kindred in Death
Missing in Death, The Lost Anthology
Fantasy in Death
Indulgence in Death
Possession in Death, The Other Side Anthology
Treachery in Death
New York to Dallas
Chaos in Death, The Unquiet Anthology
Celebrity in Death (Feb. 21, 2012)

 Also Recommended: Of course I would recommend the rest of the series as it is quite good. For romance/thriller authors Elizabeth Peters/Barbara Michaels does a great Amelia Peabody series which is set in Egypt for the most part.

 

3.25 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

The Soundtrack for this Post: Extraordinary Way by Conjure One, The Golden Path by Brian Tyler (From Children of Dune), Dr Evil by They Might Be Giants and Code Red by Tori Amos.

Tuesday Trailers: Para Norman

2012-01-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

What do you think? One you will see?

Snow Flower and The Secret Fan

2012-01-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan 
Written by: Lisa See 
Paperback: 288 pages 
Publisher: Random House 
Language: English 
February 2006, $14.99 
Genre: Historical Fiction

   In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart. 

+++++++++++++

I have always loved books like Memoirs of a Geisha, anything by Amy Tan and historical fiction set in Japan and China. It was one of the books I bought at the library sale after Aly recommended it. Since I spent a good portion of this month in a cast (I broke my wrist at the end of December which required a brand new plate and some pins...part of the way to becoming a Cylon) and not being able to do a whole lot, I decided I should pick it up. Plus I have been a little bored with the urban fantasy genre of late and needed to try something new. Plus Foot binding = painful. So does breaking your wrist. It was ninjas by the way. Ice-skating ninjas.

Snow Flower and the Secret fan begins melodramatically with an aged Lily telling not only her story, but that of her ‘laotong’ Snow Flower. Set in the early 1800’s Lily grew up without many things, but like all young girls she is destined for an arranged marriage which her family can only hope will be advantageous to all. It is a world where daughters are seen as a burden, where a Chinese woman must be subservient to any man in her life, and where the brutal practice of foot binding was one way to improve your standing. Lily has a brutally ambitious figure in her mother, as one fellow book blogger put it, the equivalent of a stage mother from Toddlers and Tiaras. When a matchmaker suggests that Lily will have golden lilies for her feet (something you tried to aspire to) Lily’s mother sees an opportunity. At such a young age Lily’s feet are brutally broken, tied and stunted. But there is a sparkle of sunshine during these years. The Matchmaker also forms an arranged friendship called a laotong with a young girl of higher social standing. This special friendship of ‘old sames’ means that Lily and Snow Flower are formally committed to being best friends for life. Lily and Snow Flower grow up, using an embroidered fan to tell about their losses and triumphs, of marriage, childbirth and war. The story unfolds into a beautiful tale of love, loss, friendship, betrayal and atonement.

Things I loved: I did enjoy this book. It was a quick enjoyable read. See recounts the foot binding process in a horrific way which forced me to wiki it much to my horror later. I loved and dreaded and cringed as I read about the foot binding process. How it was once considered a most favorable trait despite that the women could hardly walk still astounds me. It is a horrible practice, one that still continues though I cannot fathom why. See holds no punches here and for that I am grateful actually. I learned something new as I had only known a peripheral view of foot-binding and the novel discusses it with many details.

As I think about the novel, I cannot imagine growing up in a world where women were viewed with such disregard and servitude was their life. And yet as women we wear high heels, bind ourselves in a variety of lingerie and hold ourselves to such strong and sometimes impossible standards when it comes to beauty that I can relate and sympathize to some degree. What society finds beautiful can deeply influence a person’s life. This theme is something that we can all relate to. Just as we can the importance of a friendship between two women. These women were denied so many things and were so isolated that they clung to each other just to stay sane. They rebelled social mores with their secret language, with their wit and with their closeness to one another.

Once I had read the last page I knew I wanted to learn embroidery and perhaps teach my future daughter, hypothetical as she may be at this point, how to do it as well. I longed for a nice visualization of the fan that Lily and Snow Flower shared.

  Things I didn't love so much: The characters are very stereotypical and superficial and while they are prominent in the story, there lacks any real character depth. Lily is bound by tradition, her view on sex kind of hilarious for a modern woman such as myself, and her views on the world or so narrow and naive I find them hard to believe. Plus how can you like a woman who does what she does in the latter part of the book. But I enjoy reading Lily and Snow Flower’s stories. In some ways I can see how Lily, a young woman who yearned for her mother’s love and approval, who gave her heart away so rarely turns into a hardened older woman and yet I wanted to see that overall journey and have it make sense. Because it didn't. Lily goes from a shy, caring and sensitive friend to a bitter and judgmental woman the higher her status gets. Why? She won. Even if she longed for atonement by the end of the story I didn't care. I just wasnt as emotionally invested as I wish I could have been with Lily.

I cant really say it was well written book. While an engaging story, this is a book where it is more about the journey than it is really about any character development. You learn about foot binding, of customs and rituals and an overall history: the research being quite on pointe. But the Joy Luck Club this is not for me. And yet I cannot fault it too much as I was entertained. It was a quick read that was both heartbreaking and beautiful.

I strongly suggest to all do not see the film. It bears little resemblance to the book other than the title.

Buy or Borrow: Buy. Despite a few flaws, the strength of this book is with the details and the history.

Part of: Standalone.

 Also Recommended: I would recommend anything by Amy Tan my favorite being the Joy Luck Club.

 

3.25 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

Kill The Dead

2012-01-27T18:34:00.002-07:00

Kill The Dead 
Written by: Richard Kadrey 
Hardcover: 448 pages 
Publisher: Harper Voyager 
Language: English 
October 2010, $22.99 
Genre: Urban Fantasy  

James Stark, a.k.a. Sandman Slim, crawled out of Hell, took bloody revenge for his girlfriend's murder, and saved the world along the way. After that, what do you do for an encore? You take a lousy job tracking down monsters for money. It's a depressing gig, but it pays for your beer and cigarettes. But in L.A., things can always get worse.

Like when Lucifer comes to town to supervise his movie biography and drafts Stark as his bodyguard. Sandman Slim has to swim with the human and inhuman sharks of L.A.'s underground power elite. That's before the murders start. And before he runs into the Czech porn star who isn't quite what she seems. Even before all those murdered people start coming back from the dead and join a zombie army that will change our world and Stark's forever.

Death bites. Life is worse. All things considered, Hell's not looking so bad.
  

+++++++++++++

"Hell is hilarious if you're the one in charge." ~ Lucifer

I first read Richard Kadrey a couple of years ago when I picked up Butcher Bird and loved it. It was snarky. It was dark. And it was a hell of a lot of fun. Now it wasn't that I didn't like the first of the Sandman Slim novels, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Butcher Bird so it took me a while to pick up Kill the Dead. I will say that a genre that is so saturated with snarky heroines and a bit way too heavy on the romance, Kadrey’s anti-hero is a breath of fresh air the way that Harry Dresden, Felix Castor, Avery Cates, Matthew Swift and John Taylor are. He is not some dashing hunk of burning love and sometimes you want to hit him with a brick even while you are rooting for him. I like that he is so many shades of grey and while ultimately I think the Sandman Slim novels will appeal overall to a male audience (even though I am the kind of girl to enjoy mayhem and snark, you cannot help but feel some of the characters and subplots are right out of a fanboy’s wet dream. We girls have them, why cant the guys have theirs as well) I dig them and you might too. But maybe that is because I am Smirking and I am a bit on the wee bit odd side. And also I like foul mouthed anti-heros, acerbic wit and plots that give urban fantasy the dark gritty makeover I think its been needing for a while.

Kill the Dead begins a few months after the events of Sandman Slim. Stark is broke and to make ends meet he takes odd jobs and the occasional gig from the Golden Vigil (kind of like Homeland Security but with angels). He starts by tracking down a missing person who just happens to be a missing vampire. Of course in Stark’s world nothing is ever as easy as it appears to be and as per usual Stark finds himself being life’s bitch in one form or another. Now a bit of a celebrity after breaking out of Hell and doing a particular set of damage to the Sub Rosa community, Lucifer comes topside and hires Stark as his bodyguard while overseeing a new film about his life. Bodyguard, just for show - yeah right. Lucifer is not called the Prince of Lies for nothing and almost nothing about his motives are true. Then again what did you expect. Once again Stark Stark finds himself saving the day and not necessarily because he wants to, but what is a guy to do when you are fighting off zombies, trying to be charming to a beautiful Czech porn star named Bridget, and having a bit of an identity crisis as his scars heal and the Angel side of himself yearning to break free.

+++++++++

"Let me make sure I have this straight. The cavalry just rode into town and it's a Czech Gypsy porn-star zombie killer. Have I got that right?"

"Forgive me. I didn't think my life would seem so strange to Lucifer's alcoholic cowboy assassin." ~ Stark, Brigitte

Things I loved: I really want to like Stark, but again in this novel Kadrey seems to make him an ass just for the sake of being an ass. He’s supposed to be some bad ass escapee from hell who fought in the colosseums of hell. Mostly he just complains about his life and his hometown, steals shit because he can (though always complains about his lack of money...hmm) and generally is a bit emo albeit a snarky, chain smoking, profanity ridden sort of emo type. And yet by the end of the book he is that badass he is supposed to be, the acerbic anti-hero who you end up rooting for. He tries to act like he doesn't care and yet he does. He has an amazing sort of identity crisis in this book which was great. His scars are healing not that the angelic side is a bit more active and that is terrifying for Stark because his scars remind him where he has been. And as I said I really like having a male voice and one that is a bit film noir, a bit hack and slash and a lot of snark in it. It is refreshing to read. And Kadrey does snark like no one else and the dialogue is great.   

And I am a big fan of those peripheral characters like Candy, Allegra (Vidoq’s protegee and the girl who used to run Max Overload), Carlos (the Bamboo House bartender and owner) and my favorite Kasabian (who I didn't like the first time around, maybe its because is a head on a Wild Wild West sort of mechanical leg device who digs porn and burritos). And of course who doesn't love old Lucy himself.
And I am a big fan of those peripheral characters like Candy, Allegra (Vidoq’s protegee and the girl who used to run Max Overload), Carlos (the Bamboo House bartender and owner) and my favorite Kasabian (who I didn't like the first time around, maybe its because is a head on a Wild Wild West sort of mechanical leg device who digs porn and burritos). And of course who doesn't love old Lucy himself.

Things I didn't love so much: This book feels a bit chaotic almost as if Kadrey couldn't decide what he wanted to do with his second run with Stark. Then again it is a bit of a filler book as we await the big massive showdown between Mason and Stark...again. Plus Hell may be up for grabs and Heaven may unfortunately see a coup happening. That is kind of awesome, but I will say if you have not read Sandman Slim I feel like you would be woefully lost as even I had a hard time remembering old characters and the new ones and trying to figure out the significance of each.

Its hard to really be angry with the book as the faults and the merits balance one another out. While I both hate and love Stark, I love that the Hell thing is being explored as is an angel wanting to overthrow God. I dig the grittiness of it all, the no apologies approach and yet I want more than fanboy porn. Then again can I really fault Kadrey for it. Nope.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow. Unless you own the first one, then buy.

Part of: A Series 
Book One: Sandman Slim 
Book Two: Kill the Dead 
Book Three: Aloha from Hell (Due October 2012)

Also Recommended: Butcher Bird also by Kadrey, the Avery Cates series by Jeff Somers, the Felix Castor novels by Mike Carey, and Already Dead by Charlie Huston.

3.25 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

When BSG Strikes

2011-12-21T10:50:00.005-07:00

The folks over at Portlandia know how consuming BSG is. And yes if Ron Moore lived here I would hunt him down and force him to make more. Or he could just come out with a new show already.

Game of Thrones Season 2 Teaser

2011-12-20T05:40:00.001-07:00

Here is your Tuesday Trailer for the week. Not a movie but I am about as excited to see Season 2 as I am other geeky goods.

Is it time yet?

The Legend Ends

2011-12-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

Reason #53662 why this Summer is going to rock. Oh Bane.

White Cat

2011-12-18T16:30:00.002-07:00

White Cat 
Written by: Holly Brook
Hardcover: 320 pages 
Publisher: Margaret K McElderry Books 
Language: English
 May 2010, $17.99 
Genre: Young Adult/Urban Fantasy  

Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.

Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories. 

+++++++++++++

I love books I can relate to. Sometimes it is a character, a plot point, a way of speaking or acting, or even a setting. I first discovered Holly Black when a friend gave me Tithe for my birthday. I loved it because it was set in New Jersey and South Jersey is where I graduated high school many moons ago. The Pine Barrens was where I spent my teenage years and frequent visits to the Popcorn Zoo down the road made my summers enjoyable. So I will always have a fondness for Holly Black because of where her Modern Faerie Tale series took place. Not only was it a great series but I could imagine her world full of A&Ps and Wawas just with some fey mixed in. It made the stories that more real and of course my imagination was a very happy camper.

I had been eyeing White Cat for a while now after YA Book Club is over and we browse the shelves for our next pick. It was my turn again to pick and I prayed it would be better than Eyes Like Stars which was just bad. The cover was meh, but I liked the back blurb. Like Leverage but with Hands of Power. I think I was drawn to it because there weren’t your average urban fantasy staples. There are no werewolves, vampires, or zombies. There is magic, in a sense, but a whole new alternative history to go with it.

Holly Black colors a world where a small portion of the population is a bit special. They are gifted with certain abilities that are transferred by touch. Some can give you luck or take it away, others involve emotions, physical which involves pain or healing, dreams, memory, death and the most rare of all transmutation. While Curse Work is banned in the USA, curse workers are mostly involved within the Mafia as muscle, as con artists, etc. After all when who you are is essentially illegal it is not hard to imagine that you go underground and begin to hang with everything else that no one talks about but still exists. Outfits like the Mafia have turned curse workers into something to be feared and why wouldn’t you be when a single brush of a finger could turn your heart into stone or make you forget your life. There are protections such as gloves, gloves, gloves or charms and amulets made of stone that become null once you have been worked. 

Cassel Sharpe grew up in this world. He’s a con artist like the rest of his family, a bookie by trade at his posh boarding school. But Cass isn’t like the rest of the family. He isn’t a curse worker. But he does have secrets of his own, like the fact that he killed his best friend when he was fourteen and that not only did his family cover up the murder but that she was the daughter of the head of the Zacharov family. When Cassel wakes up from a nearly suicidal bout of sleepwalking he is sent home, but he can’t get a dream out of his head, one where he was chasing a white cat but said cat may want to kill him or tell him something important.   Life at home is interesting. His mom is still in jail for having worked an influential person, his father is dead, his grandfather seems a bit crazy and his two brothers are acting odd around him. Something isn’t right. As Cassel’s world begins to both crumble and be far more illuminated than he ever thought, Cass discovers that sometimes the worst con of all is the one that is being played on you.

  Things I loved: As always, spoilers ahead so be wary if you have not yet read the book.   One thing I really like about Holly Black is I think that she times and effort into thinking about the world she creates and how things work in that world. For example though magic is called curse work there are rules to it. Not only is magic uncommon, but it has its price when used. Think you can just make someone forget their life without a bit of blowback forcing you into early Alzheimer’s? There are also ways to tell whether you will be a curse worker, something scientific in fact and once you are known to be a worker, the fact that you have to register. The charms, which may give some protection, only work once and specific charms only work against specific curses. Once you’ve been worked, they break and you are off to find another charm. I like all of these because it keeps her world balanced. So even if you do have the power to transform anything and anyone, it is not without some pretty severe consequences.

But I absolutely love the idea that a touch could be so dangerous. And how that simple fact affects your world as well. I am a toucher. When I talk to someone I usually touch them. For me it forms a connection, the I’m talking to you’ not ‘At you’ sort of thing. Plus it calms me. Touch is taboo in this world. It has to be when a simple brush of someone’s fingertips could make you fall in love or kill you. Imagine how deadly an assassin could be by just brushing a stranger in a crowded street. Scary. Awesome.  

Holly Black does well with a male protagonist and his wife. Sometimes it is glaringly obvious when a writer tries to write a character of the opposite sex. They do or say things that aren’t quite right. I never felt that way with Cassel or even his brothers. In fact I loved the relationship dynamics between Cass and both his brothers and the rest of his family. Family can be quite complicated and like all relationships whether family or otherwise there is definitely some manipulations that occur. How twisted those manipulations may be remains to be seen. But back to Cass. I loved that Cass is a flawed character. After all, he is a con man. But at the core he is a good person and one that you root for in the end. As a teen he makes mistakes. He can be selfish, says and does things without thinking and of course he tries to do everything himself without the aid of others even if it is dangerous. That makes him human and all the more real.

Of course anyone who is into fairytales, legends, folklore and such will see the White Cat connections, but I love how Holly Black made it her own. I also really loved some of the small little things in the book that were just memorable: a house that was obviously that of a hoarder, Sam’s biodiesel hearse (may I have this please?), Cassel’s thoughts sometimes, etc. Also I kind of want to hug Barron a lot. Once you’ve read it, you’ll understand. Plus Cass’s grandfather is just cool. Hitman by night, cranky old grandpa who makes you mow the lawn and take out the trash when you spend summers with him by day.  

Things I didn't love so much: I did have a few problems with this book, but they are minor enough that it didn’t make me obsess or dislike the book. I was disappointed in how clueless Cass was because as a reader I think we see the plot twists coming a mile away. In fact the moment you bring up transmutation, I knew. But then I remember that I have not been manipulated like Cass has. We rely so much on our memories to tell us how the world works, on our relationships, on our lives as a whole. However, if someone tampered with those precious things are you really to blame to not see things the way the rest of the world may see it. Especially when it comes from family, the one place where you should feel absolutely safe? I think I let these little things slide because the story and Cassel’s character as a whole is so engaging that you scoff and move on. There were still some turns I didn’t see coming though.

  Yet, I really would love for there to be a normal character who excels in a world where everyone is paranormal. I would have loved for Cass to just be the norm he wanted to be. Perhaps that is why the reader sees something from a mile away because we know that there has to be something extraordinary about Cassel. We know that he isn’t just a normal and because that is stuck in our heads we see the twists and turns even if our protagonist doesn’t. It’s a minor gripe though, but in YA urban fantasy I really just want to be surprised by author’s choices, to be different in small subtle ways. Meh.

And of course you cannot help but not like the majority of the characters. They are not nice people. Hard to root for a family who is willing to prey on their own.  

Buy or Borrow: Buy if you like Holly Black and her other titles. I enjoyed it and its staying in the Smirking library.

 Part of: A series.
Book One: White Cat
 Book Two: Red Glove
 Book Three: Black Heart  

Also Recommended: If you liked this please read Holly Blacks Modern Faerie Tale series beginning with Tithe. There is also a great anthology of her short stories called The Poison Eaters.

 

3.25 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

An Addiction

2011-12-18T16:15:00.003-07:00

I love books. As I am sure most of you do as well. So there have been two major events this year which have made my to be read pile grow exponentially. One of them was the closing down of my local Borders. The other one was Sunday in which the local library had a fill your own bag with as many books as you can carry and all for a mere $2. I filled three bags. The books were:

  01. The Secrets of the Fire King by Kim Edwards
02. Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
03. Kindred by Octavia E Butler 
04. Are You There Vodka? Its Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
05. Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz
06. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
07. The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
08. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
09. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
10. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
 11. The Most Beautiful Book in the World by Eric Emmanuel Schmitt
12. Artemisia by Alexandra LaPierre 
13. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
14. Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay
15. Return of the Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley
16. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
17. Innocent in Death by JD Robb
18. Barrel Fever by David Sedaris
19. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
20. One Day by David Nicholls
21. X-Files – Ruins by Kevin J Anderson
22. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
23. Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
24. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
25. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
26. Every Boy’s Got One by Meg Cabot
27. The Alien Invasion Survival Handbook by WH Mumfrey
28. Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore
29. Blameless by Gail Carriger
30. Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
31. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
32. Bone by Fae Myenne Ng
33. Monster Island by Christopher Golden and Thomas Sniegoski
34. Revelations by Melissa De La Cruz
35. Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
36. Bloodline by F Paul Wilson
37. Origin in Death by JD Robb
38. Revolt of the Dwarves by Rose Estes

 Total Books: 38 
List Price on Books: $550.27 
Total Spent: $6
Hells yeah!

The Muppets: A Review

2011-12-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

The Muppets (2011)
Directed By: James Bobin
Written By: Jason Segel, Nicholas Stoller
Genre: FAMILY
Time: 1 hr 43 min
Starring: Amy Adams, Jason Segel, Chris Cooper, Jack Black, and of course the Muppets
Plot: With the help of three fans, The Muppets must reunite to save their old theater from a greedy oil tycoon.

Comments: It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights. I am a child of the eighties and so I grew up on the Muppets and all things Jim Henson. I would have been Jareth’s bride in a second especially if Ludo could be my friend within the Labyrinth and I loved the Mythology brought to life in the Storyteller. Of course Fizgig should have been my own little terrifying puppy creature from The Dark Crystal though please let there not be any Skeksis. Sesame Street taught me a variety of things as a child. And finally Kermit and friends made me laugh, made me dream, and let my imagination soar. Jim Henson’s Muppets have always been there even into modern day with my beloved Farscape. But there has always been a very special place for Kermit, Beaker, Animal and even Miss Piggy. They are the Muppets after all. How can you not just love them all to pieces?

 I remember watching The Muppet Show with my mom, singing to the opening theme grinning like a small idiot. I may not have recognized all of the superstar hosts, but it didn’t matter. I have the first two seasons of the Muppet Show on DVD, along with the movies save for Treasure Island and Muppets from Space. The Bohemian Rhapsody cover is watched whenever I am in a bad mood and now I cannot sing it without doing Animals part (Maaamaaa! Mama?) and I bought the Green Album last month with all of its covers of classic Muppet songs. And let’s face it Emmett Otter is kind of a Christmas staple in my house.   There is something about the Muppets. It’s the happy feeling you get after watching. With the Muppets there is hope. And one thing that is great is that the Muppets haven’t changed. Statler and Waldorf are still cantankerous, Fozzie still tells horrible jokes and Miss Piggy still loves Kermie. Even though this film was probably to introduce a whole new generation to the Disney channel generation of the wonder that is the Muppets, I think it was really for kids like me who still refuse to grow up and know all of the lyrics to the Rainbow Connection. The movie is a giant trip through nostalgia and it certainly jerks on the heart strings a bit (especially when Kermit is going through his rolodex and trying to get a guest star only realizing that many of his old human friends have moved on, forgotten about them, or simply passed away). I love Jason Segal for being such a Muppets fan and bringing them back to me and not just because he is Marshall on HIMYM.

 While the film is a little slow to get going, it is a fun roller coaster ride of nostalgia after that. I like Walter and even in the opening scenes when he quickly discovers, as he grows up, that he is not quite like his brother I kind of dig him. The songs that are thrown in throughout the film are fun as well and while Muppet or a Man doesn’t really hold a candle to Its Not Easy Being Green, I found myself singing along with the chorus. Then again I am one of those odd sing in the shower, in my car, and whenever else I can types. Just kooky that way.

 Like many my age who have seen this film and loved it to pieces it was everything I was hoping it to be and a little more that I didn’t realized I needed or wanted. I left the theatre with a giant smile on my face singing Mahna Mahna. My day was complete. I left a happy lady. I think you will too if you love the Muppets still. It was great to see the gang again. Lets hope it wont be another decade before we see them again.  

Rent/Cinema?: Go see it on the big screen. Worth the money. Definitely worth owning as far as I am concerned.  

4/4 popcorns

Immortals: a Film Review

2011-12-01T16:18:00.000-07:00

Immortals (2011)
Directed By: Tarsem Singh
Written By: Charley Palapanides, Vlas Parlapanides
Genre: ACTION/FANTASY/DRAMA
Time: 1 hr 49 min
Starring: Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto and Luke Evans
Plot: Eons after the Gods won their mythic struggle against the Titans, a new evil threatens the land. Mad with power, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) has declared war against humanity. Amassing a bloodthirsty army of soldiers disfigured by his own hand, Hyperion has scorched Greece in search of the legendary Epirus Bow, a weapon of unimaginable power forged in the heavens by Ares. Only he who possesses this bow can unleash the Titans, who have been imprisoned deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros since the dawn of time and thirst for revenge. In the king's hands, the bow would rain destruction upon mankind and annihilate the Gods. But ancient law dictates the Gods must not intervene in man's conflict. They remain powerless to stop Hyperion...until a peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill) comes forth as their only hope. Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes. Rallying a band of fellow outsiders-including visionary priestess Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and cunning slave Stavros (Stephen Dorff)-one hero will lead the uprising, or watch his homeland fall into ruin and his Gods vanish into legend.

Comments: There were a few things I had a grasp on before going into this film. One: Tarsem Singh makes pretty movies and his costumes are lovely which is evident if you have seen either The Fall or The Cell. And Two: Knowing your Greek myths are about as relevant as they were with the Clash of the Titans remake. My expectations were fairly low. I expected to ogle Henry Cavill’s abs, wonder why they let Mickey Rourke be in films, and completely understand why Zeus got so much play if he looked like Luke Evans. Basically I expected to be disappointed about the whole 3D thing and spending far too much money on something that really doesn’t occur and to be entertained by pretty people and pretty art direction. But I also expected the plot to be either convoluted or confusing, a lot of the whole slow-mo gore and again asking myself what Hollywood sees in Mickey Rourke.

I was entertained. I liked it. Call me weird. I am probably a small handful of people that would probably see it again. For those who do not know their Greek mythos this is probably a good thing. If it weren’t for a trident, you never would have been able to tell Kellan Lutz was Poseidon. And they definitely play it fast and loose with Theseus’s tale and yet I kinda dug it. It’s amazing how stories in just a few decades can grow and expand and grow into something legendary, let alone Greek mythos. So a Minotaur in the maze was a crazed bad guy with a bull’s head helmet. When Theseus brings out the head most would not see the human face beneath it even if they knew it to be true. Over time, you just leave out the human bits. It was a nice take on mythology, but maybe that is just me.   I will say I love the costumes, which I know for some is going to be a big giant turnoff. Its Tarsem Singh style and I completely dug the Oracle costumes. I think probably the only distracting thing were the damn helmets for some of the Gods. Other than that they are just part of how visual Tarsem Singhs films are. Speaking of visuals…Henry Cavil is pretty. Had to say it.

  The film does have its flaws, but not so many that I hated it. The casting is okay. As much as I love Stephen Dorff, his lines were laughable and I don’t think to the extent expected. Now let’s talk Mr. Rourke. Sure I am a fan of 9 ½ weeks and the Wrestler was okay, but the man phoned this one in. Hyperion lacks any depth to his character. He’s a bad guy. Whoopie. I don’t understand why? Mostly I see a lot of bigger bad asses as his henchmen while Hyperion does vaguely evil things and Mickey Rourke delivers flat dialogue. But Hyperion isn’t the only one who doesn’t make sense. We have oracles, but then we have a King who doesn’t believe in the Gods to such a point that I just rolled my eyes. I am not saying there aren’t some bad characterizations or glaring plot holes, but maybe there was enough to keep my senses happy campers.   

I know this film won’t be for everyone, but for me it was a guilty pleasure. I kinda dug it in the way that I dig Queen of the Damned or the Fright Night remake. Maybe I am just easily entertained.   

Rent/Cinema?: if you are a fan of Tarsem Singh’s films it is worth a matinee. Otherwise wait to see it when it comes to Redbox. 

2.5/4 popcorns

Tuesday Trailers: Woman in Black

2011-11-29T17:07:00.000-07:00

Woman in Black stars Daneil Radcliffe in a nice little creepy ghost story. I blame it on all the old dolls. It should be making its way into theatres in February 2012. What do you think? Going to put it in your to be Seen List?

A Local Habitation

2011-11-25T16:48:00.003-07:00

A Local Habitation 
Written by: Seanan McGuire 
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: DAW
Language: English
March 2010, $7.99
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Series  

October "Toby" Daye is a changeling, the daughter of Amandine of the fae and a mortal man. Like her mother, she is gifted in blood magic, able to read what has happened to a person through a mere taste of blood.

 Half-human, half-fae, outsiders from birth, most changelings are second-class children of Faerie spending their lives fighting for the respect of their immortal relations. Toby is the only changeling who has earned knighthood, and she re-earns that position every day, undertaking assignments for her liege, Sylvester, the Duke of Shadowed Hills.

 Now Sylvester has asked her to go to the County of Tamed Lightning—otherwise known as Fremont, California—to make sure that all is well with his niece, January O'Leary, whom he has not been able to contact. It seems like a simple enough assignment—but when dealing with the realm of Faerie, nothing is ever as simple as it seems. January runs a company that produces computer fantasy games, and her domain is a buffer between Sylvester's lands and a rival duchy whose ruler is looking for an opportunity to seize control. And that's the least of January's problems. For Tamed Lightning has somehow been cut off from the other fiefdoms, and now someone has begun to murder January's key people. If Toby can't find and stop the killer soon, she may well become the next victim... 

+++++++++++++

Most people know that I am a sucker for everything fae. Maybe I just wanted to be a fairy princess when I was younger. Maybe I still do. Like I have said before I think it is largely due to my parents reading me and telling me stories of the Tuatha, of faerie lore and then Tinkerbell. Authors like Melissa Marr, Holly Black, Neil Gaiman, Charles de Lint, and Emma Bull make a girl like me happy. I love the political intrigue between the Courts. I like the myths and legends of the tales I was told when I was a child. Sadly though I have picked up Rosemary and Rue in the bookstore, I never picked it up and bought it. So when the Borders closed and I got my 80 book pile of goodies, I got Book Two and Three of Toby’s stories. I know, I know I suck for starting at the sequel rather than at the beginning. But hey, I really liked A Local Habitation, so am picking up the first one so all of my gaps of knowledge are no longer missing before I read An Artificial Night.

A Local Habitation begins half a year after Rosemary and Rue ends. October “Toby” Daye is relaxing and enjoying herself for once by hanging out with a few of her friends and imbibing far too much alcohol. One drunk Changeling. Check. See the lovely excerpt below to see how great Toby’s entrance is. So while Tybalt carries her home and she falls into a drunken stupor of sleep, she wakes up to find her vacation short lived when Sylvester Torquil, her liege lord, asks her to go and check on his niece January. Oh and Quentin, a foster of the Court gets to tag along. Simple job right? Except that when they get to January’s office, it becomes clear that everything is not all right. People are dying and dying in ways that even Toby cannot see with her blood magic. And the Night Haunts are not taking care of the bodies. A bit disturbing. It’s only a matter of time before someone else dies and it just might be Toby.   

Excerpt: Several pixies had congregated around a corner store’s front-porch bug zapper, using toothpicks as skewers for roasting a variety of insects. I stopped to watch them, taking the pause as an opportunity to get my balance back. One of them saw me looking and flitted over to hover in front of my nose, scowling.

“S’okay,” I informed it, with drunken solemnity. “I can see you.” It continued to hang there, expression turning even angrier. “No, really, it’s okay. I’m Dao…Dao…I’m a changeling.” Whoever was responsible for naming the fae races should really have put more thought into making them pronounceable when drunk. It jabbed the toothpick in my direction. I blinked, perplexed.

“No, it’s okay. I don’t want any of your moth.”

“He’s offering to stab you, not feed you. I suppose the difference is trivial, but still, one assumes you’d want to avoid finding that out first-hand.” The voice behind me was smooth as cream and aristocratically amused. The pixie backpedaled in mid-air, nearly dropping his toothpick as he went racing back to the flock. They were gone in seconds, leaving nothing but faint trails of shimmering dust in the air. 

“Hey!” I turned, crossing my arms and glaring. “I was talking to him!” 

Tybalt eyed me with amusement, which just made me glare harder. “No, you were inciting him to stab you with a toothpick. Again, the difference is small, but I think it matters.” 

My glare faded into bewilderment. “Why was he gonna stab me? I was just saying hi. And he came over here first. I wasn’t saying anything before he came over.” 

“Finally, a sensible question.” Tybalt reached out to brush my hair back behind one ear, tapping it with the side of his thumb. “Round ears, blue eyes, smell of magic buried under the smell of alcohol…it’s the perfect disguise. Well done. Although it doesn’t suit you.”

My confusion didn’t fade.

Tybalt sighed. “You look human, October. He was protecting his flock.” 

“I said I was a changeling!” 

“And he, quite sensibly, didn’t believe you.” 

“Oh!” I blinked, reddening. “Oops.” Then I frowned. “What do you mean, it doesn’t suit me? I like this skirt!” 

Tybalt pulled his hand away, stepping back to study me. I returned the favor, looking him up and down.

 As the local King of Cats and the most powerful Cait Sidhe in San Francisco, Tybalt rarely bothers to go anywhere that requires him to wear a human disguise. As far as I can tell, it’s not that he feels it’s beneath him; it’s just that he doesn’t care enough about the human side of the city to bother interacting with them. This was one of the few times I’d seen him passing for human, and he wore it well. Tall, lean, and angular, he held himself with a predatory air that would translate into feline grace when he moved. His dark brown hair was short, curly, and banded with streaks of black that mimicked the stripes on a tabby’s coat. The human illusion he wore concealed his sharpened incisors, pointed ears, and cat-slit pupils, but left his simple masculinity a little more noticeable than I liked. I tore my eyes away. 

Saying that Tybalt and I have a complex relationship would be understating things just a tad. I endure his taunting because it’s easier than having my intestines removed by an angry Cait Sidhe. On top of all that, I owe him for services rendered following the murder of Evening Winterrose. Sadly, my being in debt to him encourages him to prod at me even more frequently. It’s getting to be a habit. 

“The skirt passes muster,” said Tybalt, finishing his survey. “I might have called it a ‘belt’ rather than a ‘skirt,’ but I suppose you have the right to name your own clothing. While we’re on the subject of apparel, tell me, were you intending to walk all the way home in those shoes?” 

“Maybe,” I hedged. The straps were starting to chafe my ankles, making walking even less comfortable than it had been to begin with, but he didn’t need to know that. 

“You’re drunk, October.” 

“And you’re wearing really tight pants.” I paused. That hadn’t come out right. “I mean, those are really nice pants. I mean…” 

Crud. 

Tybalt snorted. I glanced up to see him looking decidedly amused, shaking his head slowly from side to side. “Indeed. I don’t suppose you’d consider taking a taxi?” 

“There aren’t any,” I said, feeling as if I’d won a battle with that stunning point of logic. 

“Did you consider phoning for one? I understand they can be summoned.” 

“Didn’t have a phone.” 

“I see,” said Tybalt. “Well, as there are no taxis, and you have splendid reasons not to summon a taxi, and you are, in fact, drunk enough to be making comments about the tightness of my trousers, I believe it would be a good idea for me to escort you home.” 

“I don’t need you to.” 

“That’s nice,” said Tybalt, shrugging out of his jacket and draping it around my shoulders. “You look cold.” 

“I’m not cold.” That was a lie—it was a nice night, but even the nicest night gets chilly after midnight in San Francisco. I pulled the jacket tight, trying to preserve the illusion of dignity. The leather smelled of Tybalt’s magic, all pennyroyal and musk. “I can get home just fine.” 

“Of course you can,” Tybalt agreed, planting a hand on the small of my back and urging me to begin walking. “You are, after all, a perfectly reasonable, competent woman. It’s just that at the moment, you’re so drunk you can’t remember whether or not you’re wearing your own face, and I would really rather not scrape you off the sidewalk.” 

His hand was a firm, insistent pressure. I began to walk, steadier now that I had something to lean against. “Nah, no sidewalk-scraping. You’d find me in an alley somewhere.” 

“Probably true.” 

You can read the full chapter online HERE. 

Things I loved: I enjoyed McGuire’s writing style. I liked that she didn’t over describe settings and lets her reader fill in the blanks. I loved that each character was distinct which doesn’t happen a whole lot. April had her own style of dialogue as did Toby or even Quentin. This book was fast paced, fun and interesting and even though I did begin with Book Two I never felt lost. I just had gaps to fill and a bit more questions than those who had started at the beginning. In terms of plot, as someone who reads a lot of mysteries and watches equal amounts of said mysteries and thrillers, it wasn’t hard to figure out some of the plotting such as Alex and Terrie or even who the eventual killer was. And yet even though I figured out some of the plot twists and turns, I had fun doing it. Just because I had solved it, or thought I had solved it, I didn’t stop reading. It’s a great little ‘locked door’ mystery. There was a nice balance of action, mystery, character development, world building, etc. And as I said the pacing was nice.

I really like Toby. She’s a heroine that yes is a PI/Knight and that definitely has her fair share of snarky comments, is fairly normal. There are quite a few scenes in the book where we really get to see her vulnerability. She is not some overpowered changeling. She has the power to see how someone died through their blood. Blood magic isn’t really that high on the Fae power hierarchy. She is aware and understands her limitations, being both a Changeling and not being as powerful as her mother as a Blood Rider. But as I said she’s pretty normal. The fact that she didn’t immediately connect the dots on some things was frustrating, but it happens. It’s like solving the CSI murder before they all do and then wanting to know why they didn’t figure it out as quickly as you did. And I said, she has flaws, one big one…falling for and continuing to have a relationship with a married man. I enjoy these flaws though. I enjoy her relationship with Luidaeg, her guilt over Dare’s death (even though I don’t know who this Dare is quite yet), her relationship with Quentin, and how Toby will do anything to protect those she cares about. She is a great heroine that I look forward to reading more about.   

I loved the pronunciation guide. As a Celt it bugs me when things are mispronounced. So it is great that she is letting people know how to pronounce things. Yeah. Now people can understand why Bainsidhe is pronounced Banshee. Shiny gold star McGuire.

  Things I didn't love so much: While I like Tybalt, he reminds me far too much of Curran from the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. There was even a ‘here kitty, kitty’ moment. So I guess instead of werewolves, we have werekitties being the go to shapeshifter species, although yes Tybalt is a Cait Sdhe, but you have to admit Curran and Kate have a lot in common with Tybalt and Toby. And also in my head Tybalt looks like John Leguizamo from Romeo + Juliet. I blame this largely on the name. I do like him though. And I love the interaction between Toby and the King of Cats even if it is a bit familiar. I will say that the way she describes cats is great whether they are faeries cats or not.

Admittedly I am a bit lost. Toby has a daughter? She was a fish for 14 years? How does she know Connor? So what’s the deal with Sylvester’s daughter? Etc, etc. This is largely due to my own fault for not picking up book one. Though I would think that there might be more mention or exploration with Toby and her daughter considering he circumstances with April and January. This would have been a great way to really develop that side. By the way loved April even though she reminded me of the creepy little girl hologram from Resident Evil.   

Buy or Borrow: Buy. But don’t start at the 2nd book like I did.  

Part of: A series.  
Book One: Rosemary and Rue 
Book Two: A Local Habitation
 Book Three: An Artificial Night 
Book Four: Late Eclipses
Book Five: One Salt Sea

Also Recommended: Seanan McGuire also writes under the pen name of Mira Grant whose zombie apocalypse trilogy is one I cannot wait to read. For more Fae fun I would recommend Holly Blacks Modern Faerie Tale series as well as the series by Melissa Marr. War for the Oaks by Emma Bull is a fave and amittedly I do have a soft spot for Laurell K Hamilton's Merry Gentry series.

3.5 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

WEDNESDAY WHAT IF PART DEUX

2011-11-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

HOLIDAY FAMILY PART TWO: Happy Turkey Day everyone. Day of gorging yourself with delicious food, watching the game, falling into food coma and then stupidly getting up 5 hours later in pitch black to go wait in line for 4 hours to get a cheap deal on electronics. Or in my case having dinner with my roomies family, then watching the game, falling into a food coma, playing some video games and then waking up not as early as those other schmoes but still early enough and buying things. Anyway, yesterday we had the regular version of your new family for Thanksgiving. This week, it is the family of film and fiction. Have fun. Please share and I will post your link to your answer. Thought I would mix it up and add some more crazy choices today. The Holidays aren’t fun until you have

1. Grandmother: Granny Weatherwax from the Discworld Novels She’s a witch, is prone to occasionally put up signs that read ‘not dead, just resting’. On top of that she reminds me of my granny June. She takes no prisoners, would tell me bad and dirty jokes, would let me just be me no matter what and tell some of the best stories ever.

2. Grandfather: Gandalf the Grey I shouldn’t have to explain this too much. He’s Gandalf. He smokes, drinks, tells jokes and has the best fireworks ever. And oh yeah one of the coolest wizards ever. Plus summers with Grandpa would be amazing in Middle Earth.

 3. Father: Mr. Pendergrass from Easy A If you have seen this movie (which you should) you can understand why Stanley Tucci’s father figure would be awesome except for the part where we would have to watch the Bucket List. He would embrace if not encourage my quirkiness and is just cool.
 4. Mother: Mrs. Pendergrass from Easy A Also kind of a logical choice if you’ve seen the movie. You can’t have Stanley Tucci without Patricia Clarkson. Awesome parents. I imagine that I would also be as adorable as Olive is. And yet geekier. Plus she would share with you, possibly things about her misspent youth, but hey we’d have mother/daughter share time.

 5. Big Brother: Macgyver Cause after we cut his mullet off because it was not an awesome hair choice, Mac would be great. If the oven broke down before the turkey was done, all we would need is a paperclip, some shampoo, a match and some dryer flint and voila. Turkey dinner.

6. Big Sister: Lorelai Gilmore I wasn’t a hard core Gilmore Girls fan, but I watched enough that she would make an awesome big sister. A bit crazy, but balanced because of her cool factor. Slumber parties, spa days, gossip sessions and anything involving boys would be awesome.

 7. Little Brother: Tom Imura from Rot N Ruin
I wasn’t a hard core Gilmore Girls fan, but I watched enough that she would make an awesome big sister. A bit crazy, but balanced because of her cool factor. Slumber parties, spa days, gossip sessions and anything involving boys would be awesome.

 8. Little Sister: Lily from How I Met Your Mother I wasn’t a hard core Gilmore Girls fan, but I watched enough that she would make an awesome big sister. A bit crazy, but balanced because of her cool factor. Slumber parties, spa days, gossip sessions and anything involving boys would be awesome.

 9. Uncle: Indiana Jones > Cause he would take me on adventures. And also possibly get me killed while on said adventures. Fun times.

10. Aunt: Inara Sera from Firefly Not only would having the birds and bees conversation go over so much better, but Inara would have the best stories. Plus she’d make me feel all girly girl. Awesome Aunt.
 10. The Uncle who is not really An Uncle: Hardison from Leverage One: Cause then I would inadvertently meet the rest of the crew. Two: Which means I get to hang with Parker. Yeah. Three: Having the coolest geeky hacker ever would mean great things. Admit it. I would love ‘Uncle’ Hardison to pieces.

 11. Date: The 10th Doctor Allons-y. We would saunter in after a delightful trip from whenever and wherever. I would be an awesome companion. Plus he would be all David Tennant shaped and that doesn’t suck Plus there is always the snogging under the mistletoe later.

THURSDAY CRUSH: Chris Hardwick

2011-11-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Chris Hardwick There is something about Chris Hardwick that makes my girly geek all warm and fuzzy. For those of you who are Doctor Who fans or Walking Dead fans, Chris Hardwick is kind of a big geek about both of them. Yes he hosts shows about both of them, but you know at the core he really is a giant fanboy. And a fangirl such as myself cannot help but find that attractive. Also he isn’t bad on the eyes.

  I first remember seeing him when he hosted MTV’s Singled Out. He was adorable funny and just a little bit of a nerd. Then of course there was Web Soup on G4, his commentary on the I Love the… on VH1 and of course seeing him in shows like CSI or movies like Halloween 2. As a fan of Wired Magazine I have read a few of his articles as well. Last year he re-entered Smirking’s radar when he was on Craig Ferguson for Craig’s Doctor Who special and I genuinely discovered how much of an adorable little geek he was. Then he started appearing on shows about Doctor Who and zombies. Of course now I love him on the Talking Dead talk show which airs after the Walking Dead every Sunday.

WEDNESDAY WHAT IF: HOLIDAY FAMILY

2011-11-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY WHAT IFS:  Tis the season for turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pecan pie and of course spending time with your family. If yours is anything like mine Thanksgiving can sometimes be mundane and then other times a bit crazy. Now I am lucky I have both my blood family and the family I wasn’t born with (also known as the one you make which is just as important, sometimes more so). But what if we could choose our family from our little geeky imaginations? This week we will deal with real people. Tomorrow we will create a family from our own little geeky universes. Please share and I will post your link to your answer.

 1. Grandmother: Helen Mirren
I have such respect for this woman. She is an amazing actress, is witty, intelligent, and would be one of those grandmothers that you would completely bond with and be unafraid to be a bit geeky, a bit snarky and yet she would be one of those grandmothers you would just adore to pieces.

2. Grandfather: Wilford Brimley
The man has a history on top of the whole diabetes thing we are really going to remember him for. He was a bodyguard for Howard Hughes, was an actor, a famer, a blacksmith and even used to ride in the rodeo. Think about the stories you would hear. Plus he played an awesome father figure on television.

 3. Big Brother: Joss Whedon Granted growing up with him would mean a good healthy dose of sibling rivalry, but he would be the geeky totally cool brother who would introduce me to comics, make me feel empowered as much as I might get noogies and keep the laughter coming when it came to the holidays. But I would totally smoke him during a snowball fight.

4. Big Sister: Janeane Garafalo Growing up she would make you laugh as much as she would make you think. Its why I heart her. Dinner table conversations would never be boring. Plus she is adorable. I imagine many interesting people would hang with her and therefore I would spy and lamely try to be part of the group as all little sisters would do.

5. Little Brother: Neil Patrick Harris I really don’t have to explain this choice at all do I? He’s the man. Coolest little brother ever.

 6. Little Sister: Emma Stone She has such an amazing personality on screen, from Easy A to Crazy Stupid Love. Slumber parties, shopping outings, and geek out girly days would be amazing with her as a little sister.

7. Uncle: Neil Gaiman How cool would the holidays be? He would tell great stories, be able to scare and make you laugh as much as he would make you smile and make you completely excitable. He has a great taste in music and also I need at least one awesome bibliophile as my family member.

8. Aunt: Cate Blanchett She is just awesome in all ways. I have a girly crush on her and she would be the favorite aunt I would hang out with all the time. She also has a great fashion sense. Maybe I would get all of the stuff she didn’t want anymore.

 9. The Uncle who is not really the Uncle: Nathan Fillion There is always the family member who really isn’t blood tied to you, but you still call him Uncle. Nathan would be perfect. He’s hilarious, would obviously get along quite well with my older brother and someone I could relate to. He might also make the turkey do a little dance.

10. Date: Ryan Reynolds One: He’s adorable. Two: He is sweet, self-deprecating and extremely funny and talented. Three: He’s tall which means I could wear those kitten heels and not feel like Nicole Kidman did with Tom Cruise. Four: There’s that whole snogging under the mistletoe thing.

Waking Nightmares

2011-11-19T16:09:00.002-07:00

Waking Nightmares
 Written by: Christopher Golden 
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Ace
Language: English
March 2011, $7.99
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Shadow Saga  

When chaos erupts in the small coastal town of Hawthorne, Massachusetts, former vampire-turned-mage Peter Octavian and earthwitch Keomany Shaw arrive to investigate. Years ago, Octavian helped expose the secret existence of vampires to the world, dismantling the Vatican's sorcery corps in order to save his fellow shadows from destruction. But without the Vatican sorcerers, the magical barriers they spent centuries constructing to keep the forces of darkness out of our world are beginning to fail, and things are slipping through. Now an ancient god of chaos is awakening in Hawthorne, its influence spreading...and it's Octavian's fault. If he can't stop it, the blood of all human kind will be on his hands.

+++++++++++++

I have been reading Christopher Golden since I was in college mostly due to his Buffy books. I enjoyed his stuff so much that I began to read more: The Shadow Saga, The Menagerie, The Lost Cities novels and more. I was excited to see another Shadow book although they are now making them Peter Octavian books rather than continuing the Shadow saga as Peter is no longer a vampire as he once was which is fine as it is still set in the same world. What I liked about the Shadow saga was the take on vampires, the role the Catholic church played in not only keeping the shadows in check but keeping them relegated to legends and myth. Such was the Church’s power that it made the shadows be afraid of sunlight, limited the forms that they could take, flight, etc. Great mythos. Now that the Church has been weakened due to their part in the events that took place in the previous books, our world is not as safe as it once was. While the Church did a lot of unthinkable things to the Shadows, they also helped keep the other realms out of ours.

This is the fifth book in The Shadow Saga though it is now the Peter Octavian novels. Peter Octavian, Byzantium Prince and former vampire, has been contacted by an old friend whose girlfriend’s brother is lost in a coma and has plants growing throughout his body, very specific plants. Though he is no longer a shadow Octavian also spent 1000 years in Hell and picked up a few tricks as a sorcerer. Add on the experience (give another thousand years) as a shadow and Peter might be able to help. But long forgotten wood gods are the least of his worries. Keomany Shaw, earth witch and friend has sensed a terrible disturbance from Hawthorne, Massachusetts. Something is wrong. Terribly wrong.

It began with the discovery of an old box from the depths of the ocean and a young college girl named Amber’s prophetic dreams and seizures. Something has been awakened and chaos will come with it. Birds attack, mysterious wraiths prowl around the town, and Hawthorne’s residents have begun to give into their most primal desires and feelings. Peter is going to need help if he wants to save Amber and her town, so along with Keomany and a shadow named Charlotte they do what they do best and that’s fight until you can’t.

Things I loved: The last book of the Shadow Saga was a tough act to follow. It was the end of the Church. It was also The Final Death for a lot of characters you had grown attached to over the series and in a way could have been the end for the series as a whole. But then it wasn’t. It was really great to see earth witch Keomany returning to the fold as well as Octavian himself. Octavian is such a fun character and we have seen him go through a lot. First as a shadow and now as a human sorcerer, a really powerful sorcerer. But even with his Thor like awesomeness, there are things that are bigger and badder than he is. One great thing about these books as I felt like we have come to a new chapter. The first four books were all about the Shadows, The Church and Peter’s journey to who he is now and trying to help his kind. But now we are seeing the fallout from all of those events and decisions and the realization that there are worse things out there than Shadows like Hannibal. Luckily we have Peter Octavian on humanity’s side. Not a bad guy to have. It’s a nice way to continue the series and bring new life into it.

Loved the opening. The opening act involves a flora/wood goddess who has taken over a house as well as its occupants. Awesome. I loved the whole marijuana plants growing where they should not be. Descriptions that were quite lovely and yet horrific = check. Reintroducing us to the badass that Octavian is = also check. Okay I was hooked. From here we head to Hawthrone where the shit-eth hath hit-eth the fan-eth. Seizures, blue lightning, carapace wraiths, strange boxes, chaos filling the streets and one hell of a pissed off goddess. It’s all good times.

Octavian lost a lot of allies in the last book. I can see Golden trying to give Octavian some new ones. I totally dig Charlotte even though all I can see is the red headed chick from the Twilight movies in my head. And this book also had some unexpected twists and turns. Golden, like Joss Whedon or even Robert Kirkman makes you remember that absolutely no one is safe. Hell of an ending and I cannot wait to see more of Cortez and the plans he has in store.

Things I didn't love so much: I cannot quite put my finger on what was missing, but I felt like there was something that didn’t quite work. Maybe it was partly due to the fact that I haven’t read anything with Peter Octavian since …. Came out. Not sure. But there was something that didn’t make me run out to my friends and tell them, you have to read this. I will say that this is not for new readers. I will agree that he doesn’t give you a lot of back story. He doesn’t explain a hell of a lot because well this is the fifth book so for new readers you will not get a whole lot of character development. And yet at the same time as I said before, this really feels like a new chapter in the scheme of things. You just might be confused a lot. Okay yeah a whole lot. Definitely not recommended for anyone new to the Shadow world and Peter Octavian as a whole.

A fellow reviewer had made a comment that Peter was just another PI in a world of John Taylors, Harry Dresdens and more. Understandable that most urban fantasy heroes and heroines are investigators of some sort which sadly makes sense. How are else are we supposed to have the monster of the week. Sadly the paranormal would be less likely to happen if you had a cubicle job or was a retail flunkie. You kind of need a job where there is mystery and exposure to a lot of different things. So while yes, in a way it can be a bit annoying for everyone to be in the same profession you kind of need them to be. Though admittedly it would be funny to have a desk jockey be the one who all the crazy stuff happens to.

Buy or Borrow: Buy if you are a completist like me. Borrow if you have not read the rest of the Shadow saga.  

Part of: A series.  
Book One: Of Saints and Shadows
 Book Two: Angel Souls and Devil Hearts 
Book Three: Of Masques and Martyrs 
Book Four: The Gathering Dark 
Book Five: Waking Nightmares 

Also Recommended: I really enjoy Golden’s Menagerie series which seemed to end just as it started getting good. For more vampire mayhem there are the lovely Books of Blood by Tanya Huff, for more magical fun I would recommend the Matthew Swift series by Kate Griffin and if you are looking for more Golden action there are always his past Buffy books.

3.25 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

31 Days of Halloween: Rocky Horror

2011-10-30T15:41:00.000-06:00

REASON NUMBER SIXTEEN: ROCKY HORROR  Oh how I love Rocky Horror Picture Show. For years it has been a Halloween staple for me. Rocky Horror Picture show is one of my favorite things to do on Halloween. When I was in high school I took part in the show every Saturday at the local theatre. It was a chance to have fun and get bawdy. And Bawdy I was. Plus how could you resist Frank. While the movie is campy fun, the real reason you attend is the Audience Participation which is more fun than I can tell you.

For those of you who haven’t seen the film (shame on you) the story is this: A criminologist reads from a leather bound report titled “The Denton Affair’ about newly engaged couple Brad Majors (asshole…sorry, habit) and Janet Weiss, who find themselves lost and with a flat tire on a cold and rainy, late November evening. Seeking a phone with which to call for help at a nearby castle, Brad and Janet discover a group of strange and outlandish people who are holding an Annual Transylvanian Convention. They watch, still wet from the rain, as the Transylvanians, servants, and a tap dancing groupie dance the "Time Warp", the film's signature song which you are probably singing to yourself right now.  
They are soon swept into the world of Dr. Frank N. Furter, a bizarre and self-proclaimed "sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania". The ensemble of convention attendees also include servants Riff Raff, his sister Magenta, and a groupie named Columbia. Frank claims to have discovered the "secret to life itself". In a scene inspired by the classic Frankenstein films, his creation, Rocky Horror, is brought to life. The ensuing celebration is soon interrupted by Eddie, an ex-delivery boy and partial brain donor to Rocky, who rides out of a deep freeze on a motorcycle. In a jealous rage, Frank corners him and slaughters him with an pickaxe.
 Brad and Janet are shown to separate bedrooms, where each is visited and seduced in turn by Frank, posing as the opposite. Janet, upset and emotional, wanders off to look for Brad, who she discovers is with Frank via a television monitor. She discovers Rocky, cowering in his birth tank, hiding from Riff Raff, who has been tormenting him. While aiding Rocky Horror, Janet seduces him, while Magenta and Columbia view the seduction from their bedroom monitor. After discovering that his creature is missing, Frank, Brad, and Riff Raff return to the lab, where Frank learns that an intruder has entered the building. Dr. Everett Scott, Brad and Janet's old high school science teacher, has come looking for his nephew, Eddie, but Frank suspects Dr. Scott of working for the government investigating UFOs.

Rocky and the guests are served dinner, which they soon realize has been prepared from Eddie's remains. Janet runs screaming into Rocky's arms, and is chased through the halls of the castle by a jealous Frank. Janet, Brad, Dr. Scott, Rocky, and Columbia all meet in Frank's lab, where Frank captures them with the Medusa Transducer, a machine which transforms them into living statues, and then forces them to perform in a cabaret-style floor show.

The performance is interrupted by the appearance of Riff Raff and Magenta, who stage a coup and announce their plan to return to the planet Transsexual. After explaining to Frank that he is not going back with them, they kill him, and in the process also kill Columbia and Rocky. They release the remaining earthlings — Brad, Janet and Dr. Scott — warning them to leave; after they do so, the entire castle takes off into space to return to the planet of Transsexual, in the galaxy of Transylvania.

The narrator then finishes the film by concluding that man is alone—insects crawling on the planet's surface.

31 Days of Halloween: Vampires

2011-10-29T15:35:00.004-06:00

31 Days of Halloween: Vampires, Monsters and Ghosts…Oh My (Vampires)
REASON NUMBER FIFTEEN: VAMPIRES So what is it about vampires that just trips my trigger? Vampires back in my childhood were either of the tall dark and alluring (Bela Lugosi) or the oh crap please don’t eat me (Nosferatu). Then I started reading about them whether it was legends from around the world, thank you Time Life: The Enchanted World and thank you Mom, or Anne Rice. As I grew older of course the sensuality began to creep in, the ideas of living forever, of becoming a predator instead of prey or maybe just being the prey for one night. Then we had the biting and the fangs, something I still love to this day, what can I say. As much as I like the uber sexy aspects of vampires, I also dig the scary ones too. But in all, I just dig them.   

Kindred: The Embraced
" No, because every time I mention this vampire stuff you act like I am crazy. Now there is two possibilities for that... number one...you don't believe that they're real...and number two...you know they are."-Frank Kohanek Kindred: The Embraced aired for a short time centering on the lives and loves of the vampire society of San Francisco. With a fantastic ensemble cast Kindred really deserved to last longer than its 8 episode run or at least that is my opinion. Loosely based off of White Wolf’s vampire: The masquerade RPG the show was a little gothy and little soapy, but what would you expect Aaron Spelling. The story itself centered around five clans of vampires that were fighting to control modern day San Francisco: The Ventrue (the aristocrats and businessmen), The Brujah (thuggish mobsters), The Gangrel (nomadic loners), The Nosferatu (shadowy, disfigured and well just like you are imagining) and The Torreador (the artists and musicians). They live among humans and interact as if they were human. In fact as Julian Luna once said, "We are all around you."

The Ventrue clan, ruled by Julian Luna (the late Mark Frankel), held the most power among the five clans mostly due to the fact that Julian was the Prince of the city and reigned over all of the clans in the city. The other clans leaders formed the Conclave, a ruling council and there were constantly usurpers to Julian’s reign like Eddie Fiori (Brian Thompson) from the Brujah Clan. The Conclave's main rule was to govern the rest of the clans and to maintain the Masquerade. The Masquerade itself was a set of rules, the most important being that their true nature was to be kept hidden from humans. To break such a code was to mean a Blood Hunt and your Final Death. Problem is human police officer Frank Kohanek (C. Thomas Howell) figures out the Masquerade and tries as hard as he can to both understand and bring down Julian whom he believed was to blame for his girlfriend Alexandra’s death who was also Kindred. Insert plot lines that involved a Juliet and Romeo sort of theme, a romance between Julian and a human reporter, and exploring what it really means to be immortal, I thought it was a great show. Though it differed quite a bit from the roleplaying game, as I said I was a happy camper and would let Julian Luna or Cash bite me whenever they damn well pleased. It looked like it was doing okay, but sadly Mark Frankel, was killed in a motorcycle accident and ultimately halted any chances to continue.

Anyone else remember the show?

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Countess Bathory : I own a lot of action figures…remember I be a girly geek. But one of my favorites is this Countess Bathory figure. Some say she was a vampire. I saw she was one twisted bitch who was afraid of getting old. Her story is this: Elizabeth Bathory (1560-1614) lived near where modern day Brtslava is. As a child she was known to fits of rage which apparently continued as she grew older. Married young she was often left for long periods of time as mistress of Castle Sarvar and it was during this time she began to let the evil flag fly. It began by disciplining the young female staff. For example she would stick pins underneath fingernails or execute those who disobeyed or angered her by stripping them and throwing them outside in the middle of winter where they were then doused with water until they froze. Of course when it was summertime she would choose honey and then have them bitten by insects. As stories say she is also famously known for bathing in the blood of her victims which was said to keep her young and beautiful. Sadly the Countess decided to start preying on some of the local nobility which eventually led to her arrest. At her second trial a ledger was introduced, written by her own hand, that noted over 600 victims. Of course on film Countess Bathhory may be best well known when she was played by Ingrid Pitt in the Hammer Film Countess Dracula (1970). You gotta love her.

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The Tales of Alisa Perne : So yeah I am still a fan of Christopher Pike even after all of these years and would gladly be part of the Christopher Pike Book Club. He had a series of books in the 90’s called the Last Vampire which had a young woman named Alisa Perne who believed that she was the last living vampire. Appearing to be 18 and living a life of young wealthy teenager, Alisa was not affected by the sun, holy objects or garlic. She was strong, fast, with acute senses, regenerates quickly from wounds and needs to feed weekly. Over the course of six books, Alisa not only explored her own history as young woman named Sita in ancient India, but encountered old enemies, made new vampires, became human, had a daughter and more. I totally dug those books.

31 Days of Halloween: Day of the Dead

2011-10-27T09:55:00.000-06:00

REASON NUMBER FOURTEEN: DIA DE LOS MUERTOS  As a kid growing up and now as an adult Halloween was as much about the new traditions as it was the old. When I was a kid Samhain was about our family remembering loved ones who have died. In Mexico it’s a national holiday. Taking place on November 1 and 2nd in connection with All Saints Day and All Souls Day it is a celebration of the dead. It also happens to coincide with the Aztec belief that the souls of the dead returned to Mexico with the migration of the monarch butterflies each Autumn. I think what is great about the Day of the Dead s how truly joyous it is. There are parades and costumes, sugar skulls and flowers, skeletons and puppets, family altars and visiting the graveside to not only do necessary weeding and such, but to sit up with picnic baskets and music. For me Dia de Los Muertos reminds me of the dummy suppers and the fond memories we had about those before us instead of making the dead scary.

I have never been to a celebration for Dia de Los Muertos but I would like to some day before I too pass from the mortal realm. One thing I am going to do this year though is make some day of the dead calavera or skulls for the house. Michaels also has these great little sugar chocolate skulls molds that I might be so inclined to make and then decorate for the peeps at work. We shall see. I still haven’t finished making my costume yet.

31 Days of Halloween: Corn Mazes

2011-10-21T20:57:00.000-06:00

REASON NUMBER THIRTEEN: CORN MAZES  

I love corn mazes. Actually I love mazes in general. It’s the trying to find your way out, the confusion and the fun, and then hopefully beating your little brother out so you can hang it over his head. And possibly get a prize while I am at it. Now corn mazes are a product of Halloween and Harvest festivals and kind of ingenuity by farmers let’s face it ($8 per kid or adult to run around like idiots for an hour or two. They have to be making bank).

My sister and I would have so much fun going out to the local maze, it wasn’t scary though corn mazes do bring up films like Children of the Corn, Signs and more. There is something fun to go dressed in black and slink around a corn maze with your friends with only the moon above and your flashlight to light your way. Get all the clues, stickers, etc and a cup of cocoa or candy will be waiting for you at the end. And if you are like my friends and I who are also armed with a camera you re-enact the Blair Witch Project or this year make some Velociraptor heads, put them on sticks and go all Jurassic on the corn maze. Hilarity has to ensue.

31 Days of Halloween: Graveyards

2011-10-20T20:36:00.000-06:00

 REASON NUMBER TWELVE: GRAVEYARDS

Cemeteries are a beautiful thing. Maybe it is a bit morbid, but I find them exquisite. And yet when I die, I don’t want to be part of one. Weird I know. But I am one of those people that will walk through a cemetery to see the names, say them aloud in my own way remember them. I think they are peaceful and full of such rich history and beautiful monuments. I have been to quite a few cemeteries in my lifetime from Salem to New York, to England and to the top of an old hill in Virginia City, Montana.

 For some reason during Halloween it is more okay to go over to cemeteries. Day of the Dead certainly helps, but there are also graveyard tours as well. I’ll get to Dia de los Muertos later, but for now here is a beautiful picture of Highgate Cemetery.

31 Days of Halloween: Apples

2011-10-20T20:32:00.000-06:00

REASON NUMBER ELEVEN: APPLES

 Halloween holds a special place for me not just because of the macabre, but of the things I used to do as a child, customs and games, outings to the orchard and the yumminess of a caramel apple. Apples tend to be in there prominently. When I think of Autumn, apples are just there. You pick them over at the orchard which in itself is a day full of hay rides, hay bale mazes, turkey legs, kettle corn, fresh apple cider and loving all things Harvesty. For Halloween there is apple bobbing and caramel apples, but there were also the apple divinations my mom and I used to do. Plus apples are just yummy.

Apple Cider Recipe:
I love Apple cider. Add a bit of spiced rum and you are set.

Ingredients:
• 6 cups apple cider
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole allspice berries
• 1 orange peel, cut into strips
• 1 lemon peel, cut into strips

Directions:
1.Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan.

2.Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.

3.Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.

4.Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.

31 Days of Halloween Extra: The Hearse Song

2011-10-19T20:19:00.000-06:00

THE HEARSE
  Don’t you ever laugh as the hearse goes by 
For you may be the next to die.

They put you in a black box 
Then cover you up with dirt and rocks.

All goes well for about a week 
And then your coffin begins to leak.

The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
 The worms play Pinochle on your snout.

They eat your eyes, they eat your nose 
They eat the jelly between your toes.

A big green worm with rolling eyes 
Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes.

Your stomach turns a slimy green 
And puss pours out like whipping crème.

Spread it out on a slice of bread,  
And that’s what you eat when you are dead.

31 Days of Halloween: Ghosts

2011-10-19T20:02:00.000-06:00

31 Days of Halloween: Vampires, Monsters and Ghosts…Oh My (Ghosts)
REASON NUMBER NINE: GHOSTS

“Nor crown nor coin can halt time’s flight Or stay the armies of the night King and villain, lad and lass,  All answer to the hourglass”

Ghost: A Spirit of the dead. Archaically it meant the animus or disembodied soul.

There are lots of things that are amazing about Halloween, but the different creatures…oh yes they truly make the season. Ghosts are some of my favorites. Now every culture has ghost stories whether it is the ghost stories from two thousand years ago or from last fall when the friend of a friend was sure they saw a ghostly apparition on the way back from that Halloween party you went to. But ghost stories are definitely part of our culture. When I was a kid my mother would have dumb suppers for our past ancestors (a place setting at the table for those who have died) on Halloween. It was just something we did and in that way ghosts weren’t scary. They were just grandma and grandpa. As I got older I always wanted my very own Casper. An invisible playmate that just happened to be dead (okay I wasn’t thinking about the dead bits). Then I continued to grow up and suddenly ghosts were scary. I loved telling ghost stories. I loved hearing them. There is something about sitting in a darkened room or around a fire trying to scare the shit out of one another with the scariest tale you can come up with. Even better when you try to be your very own Ghost Hunter production armed with your wits and a flashlight.

Now I don’t know if you believe in ghosts, but I do. Maybe it is due to an overactive imagination or my spiritual beliefs, but I believe in them. But I won’t go into all of that, because during Halloween ghosts take on a different joy than the rest of the year. As much as I celebrate the spirits of the dead, I also love to be scared.

The above photo is the Brown Lady and is probably the most famous ghost picture ever taken. The image reportedly shows a ghost descending a staircase at Raynham Hall. It was captured by photographers Captain Provand and his assistant Indre Shira while photographing the historic Raynham Hall for Country Life Magazine in the late afternoon of 19th September, 1936. The story goes is that the woman in the ghost picture is the ghost of Lady Dorothy Townsend. Lady Townsend lived in Raynham Hall Mansion in Norfolk, England in the 1700's. It is said that Lady Townsend's husband, Charles Townsend, suspected his wife of being unfaithful and even though she is listed as having been buried in 1725 many people think that her death and funeral were faked. Instead, Lady Townsend was locked away in a remote part of the house until she passed away some years later. Ever since then she is thought to be haunting Raynham Hall.

Do you have any ghostly stories to tell? Do you believe in ghosts? Have some great ghost movies or ghost books to share? Please do.

31 Days of Halloween: The Worst Witch

2011-10-19T17:25:00.000-06:00

REASON NUMBER TEN: THE WORST WITCH

 Like I said earlier in the month I dig Halloween specials, but there was one particular one that I looked forward to every year. The Worst Witch. Airing on HBO when I was a kid it starred Fairuza Balk who I knew from the Return to Oz and Tim Curry whom I had yet to put him and Pennywise together as the same person.   Mildred Hubble is the worst witch at Mrs. Cackle’s Academy for Witches. Her cat is different than other cats (he’s afraid of riding on her broomstick). She can’t correctly mix her potions or remember all the ingredients to spells everyone else can get. And no matter what she does or where she goes she inevitably brings mayhem with her the way a 12 year old witch can do. As Halloween approaches all the students and teachers are excited that the Grand Wizard himself will be there to watch their broomstick displays. Sadly Mildred has her own nemesis not in the form of Draco Malfoy, but Ethel who could be Malfoy’s cousin or sister who bewitches her broomstick and ruins the entire display. Of course Mildred runs away, but in doing so comes across a horrible plot of evil witches who plan to take over the school. Will Mildred save the day and prove that she is not the worst witch?

Now understandably I understand how bad this is, but how I don’t give a frak due to nostalgic reasons and just how much I still love it. The acting is basic, the plot just amusing and the special effects worse than Tom Baker’s Doctor Who. But I think that is why I still love it. Plus you have the Halloween song in which you discover that there are more things to rhyme with Halloween than you remember. Come on now, sing with me:

Hero

2011-10-18T21:01:00.000-06:00

Hero 
Written by: Perry Moore 
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Hyperion
Language: English
August 2007, $7.99
Genre: Young Adult/Superhero  

The last thing in the world Thom Creed wants is to add to his father's pain, so he keeps secrets. Like that he has special powers. And that he's been asked to join the League - the very organization of superheroes that spurned his dad. But the most painful secret of all is one Thom can barely face himself: he's gay.

But becoming a member of the League opens up a new world to Thom. There, he connects with a misfit group of aspiring heroes, including Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger; Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with his touch; and Ruth, a wise old broad who can see the future. Like Thom, these heroes have things to hide; but they will have to learn to trust one another when they uncover a deadly conspiracy within the League. To survive, Thom will face challenges he never imagined. To find happiness, he'll have to come to terms with his father's past and discover the kind of hero he really wants to be.

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Even after I read my first comic book I was always wondering what would be my superpower if I could have one. I always drawn to Storm and her ability to control the weather or in recent years I think being a memory mimic would be cool. You could fly, you can have the ability of the elements like fire or water. You could be invisible. But what would you do with those super powers. If you had a choice between flying or invisibility which would you choose and why? Would you choose to be invisible so you could spy on neighbors or get into places you shouldn’t. Would you choose flying so you didn’t have to sit in mid-town traffic? Would we choose one or the other because we knew we could use it for good or for selfish reasons? Would you be one of the good guys or one of the villains? I think what is great about superheroes is the lack of normality, that there is something unique and special about you. That you are different and that people can look up to you. Who wouldn’t want to be a Wonder Woman or a Batman? Would you have a secret identity? Would you go solo or have a League?

Finn chose Hero by Perry Moore this month for book club and I couldn’t help but think about all that encompasses being a superhero when I began reading it. Thom is a basketball star and volunteer with kids, but he has some secrets. One: his dad is disgraced superhero Major Might who is responsible for one of the worst tragedies, Two: He may have some superpowers of his own, and Three: he’s gay. It all begins during a basketball game when a rival player gets injured. Drawn, he tries to help and discovers that he can heal injuries. At the same time a player winks at him and stirs up emotions. When Thom unwittingly begins both a victim of a crime and a hero, he gets asked to be part of the League, the same League his father once was part of. Hero thus unfolds as both a coming of age story for a gay teen entwined with a comic book superhero story.

Things I loved: I loved how multi-dimensional this book was. It was more than a superhero story, or a love story, a coming out story or a story about a son and his father. Now it is not without its faults, but I enjoyed it overall. I like Thom. He’s a good kid who is not struggling with being gay, it is just something he knows and feels, but struggling with how the rest of the world is going to perceive him because of this one thing. Now for me and those who have read it as well, what race did you see him as. There are a few clues, but I think Thom is black, but other than a few comments there is never a description. Because it doesn’t really matter. But being gay seems to matter. Even when he is among his rag tag group of probationary superheroes all with some pretty hefty secrets of their own, Thom still feels like an outsider, like it is not okay to be and let everyone know who he really is. But for the most part Thom is normal. He looks at porn, spends hours outside the local gay bar before having enough courage to go inside, he has a first kiss, he makes mistakes. Thoms voice in the first person narration is strong and well developed.

 I love all of the intended homages to the superheroes of my youth. And they have to be homages. For Warrior Woman from her island far away and her lariat is so obvious that it cannot be anything but intended tribute. Just as I love to figure out the voices of actors when they do animated films, I loved trying to figure out all of the different superheroes that Moore was referencing. It made my girly geek happy. Though Moore was obviously a DC Comics fan.

I loved his superpower. The ability to heal others. It may start off small, healing an injury, a grievous wound, but then realizing that healing others pain makes you stronger and that you can harness that ability is awesome. But I think that realization that pain doesn’t always mean a bloody wound means a lot.

I liked a lot of the secondary characters. Ruth especially. While I don’t want to give things away, she made me laugh and cry. Being able to foretell the future is a bitch.

 I liked the relationship between Thom and his father. Sometimes they both make some bad choices. They make mistakes, they try to atone for them. And their relationship is a complex one. It doesn’t help that Thom’s mother disappeared from their life leaving them both to mourn and try and figure out what the hell they were doing. Thom has his own misconceptions about his dad, just as Thom’s father has some about him. They are both trying to live the only way they know how. Those bits of the story were great.

Things I didn't love so much: Maybe it is naïve of me, but I think that being gay would not result in such a ridiculous and stereotypical level of homophobia. Graffiti, Being kicked off of the Basketball team when you are a star player, and burning things into lawns is a bit overdoing it don’t you think? Now I know we have a long way to go when it comes to gay rights and not making it an issue, but I think we are getting there as slow as it is which can be intensely frustrating. One of my best friends is gay and I have another who is transgendered. We live in Montana where most people still think we have bears as pets and don’t understand what technology is but for the most part we have not had any trouble. That has to say something right? And as much as I feel like they didn’t make an issue about his race perhaps, they did make it about his being homosexual. It’s as if in some ways it is his only character trait. But then again this is from Thom’s perspective. Perhaps he feels it is only defining quality and people will judge him by that alone just as he judges himself. Maybe that is what this story is really all about learning to accept who you are on all levels not just one, when you fight to be accepted for all that you are and for the things that are important to you and that there is more out there than just your tiny little slice of life.

I will say that the prose is nothing special and action scenes are definitely not his forte. The action writing was sloppy, confusing and filled with far too many mistakes and plot holes simply because he skimps on writing these scenes with as little detail as possible.

Buy or Borrow: Buy. Or at least borrow.

Part of: Stand Alone

Also Recommended: I would recommend Ash by Malinda Lo, Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan, Devils Cape by Rob Rogers, Superpowers: A Novel by David Schwartz and Ex-Heroes by Peter Clines.

3.50 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

31 Days of Halloween Extra: She Wolf

2011-10-18T19:46:00.000-06:00

SHE WOLF

 I am a TV junkie. Been that way for a while. Now there have been lots of supernatural shows that have come and gone over the years, but She-Wolf was one of my favorites for some odd reason. Right up there with Friday the 13th the series which I will get to later in the month.

Aired in the early 1990’s She Wolf centered on Randi Wallace (Kate Hodge) an American student who is studying abroad in London with famous mythology scholar Ian Matheson (Neil Dickson). Of course it wouldn’t be called She Wolf of London unless poor Randi has her own American Werewolf in London experience with a werewolf on…you guessed it the moors. The series followed the two not only trying to find a cure for Randi’s lycanthropy but seemed to encounter every supernatural mystery and creature that they could possibly find along the way. Which I was okay with.

It was funny as much as it focused on the baddies and had the romance of Randi and Ian which a young teenager like me totally dug. It was just fun. Admittedly it was a bit on the camp side and the effects were what you would expect from a syndicated show in the 90’s. But I wasn’t expecting anything amazing. Remember I also loved shows like Friday the 13th the series, Highlander, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Baywatch Nights with Angie Harmon and Crow: Stairway to Heaven as well as USA’s Silk Stockings. And let’s face it sometimes I still don’t need all the bells and whistles, I just want to be entertained. Eventually the show moved from London to Los Angeles where it became Love and Curses. Ian became a talk show host that explored all things occult and Randi and Ian still searched for a cure.

Did you ever watch it? Or was I one of the few? Have any other genre shows you really miss watching from when you were younger?

31 Days of Halloween: Candy

2011-10-17T18:32:00.000-06:00

REASON NUMBER EIGHT: THE CANDY
Another reason Halloween is such a wonderful holiday is the candy. Once you get past the fact that our parents always told us not to take candy from strangers than implicitly told us to go beg for it one day a year, you realize how great the candy bounty was. And you’re expected to eat all of the candy, fill pillowcases full of it and then lapse into sugar comas and no one really judges you for it. Occasionally you will get someone to add in the non-candy treats like a toothbrush and those tablets you chew so you can see where you brushed and did not brush, coinage, apples, stickers and more. Let’s face it we enjoy being candy gluttons. Actually we like being gluttons all through the Autumn season…Thanksgiving anyone? This is the kid precursor.

As a kid you scoped out your favorite houses and neighborhoods, always making sure to go to the ones that carried full size candy bars (Butterfingers were always my favorite) instead of the bite size ones or had little treats like soda (because we didn’t always have a lot of it in our home so it was a treat). You bargained with your friends or in my case my little brother for the candy you wanted, hoping they would trade with you. It was and still is an awesome holiday.

My Favorite Candies  Mary Janes: These little delights are a mixture of a peanut butter and molasses flavored taffy with peanut butter in the center

Bit o Honey: The candy consists of almond bits embedded in a honey-flavored taffy

Chick o Stick: Chick-O-Stick is an orange stick of varying length and thickness, dusted with ground coconut. The interior of the stick is honeycombed with peanut butter and the orange hardened syrup/sugar mixture that also forms the shell.

Butterfinger: Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger

Snickers: It satisfies

Reeses: Best invention ever = chocolate and peanut butter 

Skittles: Taste the rainbow my friends.  

Blow Pops: Sucker and gum

 Flavored Tootsie Rolls: I like the orange ones 

Laffy Taffy: cause of the bad jokes 

Baby Ruth: I blame it on the Goonies

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Baby Ruth Knock-Off  I am not a big fan of candy corn in general, but what I do love is Candy corn and peanuts together. Put them together and you have a Baby Ruth. It’s awesome.

Sunday Seven: Vampire's I'd Let Bite Me

2011-10-16T17:15:00.000-06:00

I can’t help it. I dig vampires. And when I say vampires, I do mean fanged ones that don’t sparkle, though Robert Pattison can be very pretty sometimes. So here is my top seven vampires in film and television that I would let bite me.

One: Lestat from Queen of the Damned
I know it is a bad film, but look at him (plus the film is still one of my guilty pleasures). Would you really deny a bite from him? Plus he has those hip things that make smart girls like me go stupid, encased in leather. And to be honest he did okay in playing the rocker Lestat, at least about as much as Tom Cruise played the Brat Prince aspect.

Two and Three: Spike and Angelfrom Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
James Marsters again has those hip things that may my mind go all fuzzy. Plus I love Spike. I loved Spike when he killed the Annoying One, I loved his love for Dru and I love that he is a snarky anti-hero for the ages. I would have no problem letting him bite me at all. Same goes with Angel. I wouldn’t even mind a Spike/Angel sandwich.

Four: Henry Fitzroy from Blood Ties
I loved the Books of Blood and while this short lived television show didn’t quite stick with the books, I dug Henry all the same. Plus in the show he was a graphic novelist (rather than romance novelist).

Five: Dracula from Dracula 2000
Its a fairly bad movie, but I still own it. You do have Gerard Butler, Judas theme. Yes please. Plus Nathan Fillion cameo in the film as a priest. Which I would really like to do a Thornbirds with. A lot. Judge me as you will.

Six: Eric Northman from Tru Blood
You just have to look at the picture. Viking vampires at their best.

Seven: David from the Lost Boys
He was kind of a bad ass. Evil vampire gang and all.

Honorable Mentions
Bela Lugosi's Dracula, Alec Newman as Barnabas Collins from the unaired Dark Shadows remake from 2004, Louis from Interview with the Vampire, Damon Salvatore from the Vampire Diaries, Jude Law from the Wisdom of Crocodiles. And Evil vampire Willow from Buffy because its Aly Hannigan. Wouldn't you let her bite you too?

31 Days of Halloween: Scary Movies Part Two

2011-10-15T18:06:00.010-06:00

REASON NUMBER SEVEN: SCARY MOVIES PART TWO
So we had some lesser known horror films that I love, here are a few more and why I love them. Some of these may be a bit more familiar and still completely worth watching as far as I am concerned.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Plot: Brain-hungry zombies shamble through the streets of London, but all unambitious electronics salesman Shaun (Simon Pegg) cares about is his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield), who just dumped him. With the help of his slacker roommate Ed (Nick Frost), Shaun fights his way across town to rescue Liz, but the petty concerns of life keep getting in the way: When they're trying to use vinyl records to decapitate a pair of zombies, Shaun and Ed bicker about which bands deserve preservation--New Order they keep, but Sade becomes a lethal frisbee.
Why It’s Good: I had to have at least one zombie flick in here and despite my love for Raimi and Romero, Edgar Wright is my hero. I love this film. It’s brilliant in its hilarity and snark. It has great performances by all involved and while playing with the genre, manages to do everything it is supposed to do without being too over the top. If you haven’t seen this film, shame on you.

House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Plot: Vincent Price stars as a deliciously silky millionaire married to a greedy gold digger (Carol Ohmart) who refuses to divorce him. When he turns his wife's idea for a haunted-house party into a contest--$10,000 to whoever will spend the night in "the only truly haunted house in the world"--it seems he may have found an alternative to divorce. Five strangers gather to test their stamina, Price hands each of them delightfully twisted party favors (loaded handguns, delivered in their own tiny coffins), and the spook show begins.
Why It’s Good: I have to have at least one of Vincent price’s movies in my list if it is Halloween season and this is one of my favorites. Though I also own and have a soft spot for Dark Castle’s remake with Geoffrey Rush, CGI inkblots ruined it for me. Is it terribly scary? No. Most of it is just campy fun and I would have loved to have seen this back in the day when the skeleton flew at you from the screen. But it has some great witty banter between Frederick and Annabelle and the ending leaves it up the viewer on what really happens in the end. Which I love. Again no horrid ink blots that ruin a perfectly good film.

The Frighteners (1996)
Plot: In the sleepy little town of Fairwater, a monstrous evil has awakened...an evil so powerful, its reach extends beyond the grave. For Frank Bannister (Michael J. Fox), death is a great way to make a living: ridding haunted houses of their "unwelcome" guests." But he's in cahoots with the very ghosts he promises to evict! It's the perfect scam...until Frank finds himself at the center of a dark mystery. A diabolical spirit is on a murderous rampage, and the whole town.
Why It’s Good: Peter Jackson (yep of Dead Alive and Lord of the Rings fame) directed this little gem that is part black comedy, part horror and part thriller. The performances are great especially Jeffrey Combs’ demented little agent. I find it clever and a great little blend of elements. Plus it has few minor chills and I love Michael J Fox. He’ll always be my Alex P Keaton.

 
1408 (2007)
Plot: The cynical and skeptical writer Mike Enslin writes books evaluating supernatural phenomena in hotels, graveyards and other haunted places, usually debunking the mystery. While writing his last book, he travels from Los Angeles to New York to spend one night in the evil room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, which is permanently unavailable for guests. The reluctant manager Mr. Gerald Olin objects to his request and offers an upgrade, expensive booze and finally the reports relating the death of more than fifty guests along decades in the cursed room. However, Mike threatens Mr. Oiln, promising to sue the hotel, and finally checks in the room. Along the night, he finds that guests of room 1408 can check in when they like, but they can never leave the room alive.
Why It’s Good: Old school horror, such as the 5 ½ minute hallway is something that I love. Samuel L Jackson sums it up perfectly when he says that it is just a fucked up room. There is something about this film, that psychological horror that makes my horror girly geek go all warm and fuzzy in a fond fond way for the horrible things that happen in that hotel room. Imagine never escaping. Imagine losing your mind. There is more than ghostly apparitions and spooky bits, it is psychological horror. Prepare to lose some sanity points.

Scream (1996)
Plot: A killer known as "ghost face" begins killing off teenagers, and as the body count begins rising, one girl and her friends find themselves contemplating the "Rules" of horror films as they find themselves living in a real-life one.
Why It’s Good: A I said I am a big horror fan including all of that 80's camp I grew up with. There were rules to the horror films. You drank you died. You had sex, you died. If you were the girl with the big breasts, yep you died too. When Scream came out my sister and I went, excited to see it. We laughed, we grinned at all of the in jokes and by the end we were happily surprised to see a decent horror flick.

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Plot: Two sisters who, after spending time in a mental institution, return to the home of their father and cruel stepmother. Once there, in addition to dealing with their stepmother's obsessive and unbalanced ways, an interfering ghost also affects their recovery.
Why It’s Good: This creepy little Korean horror flick has some truly odd and frightening images that I swear have nothing to do with the overall story, but that I loved all the same. Its a great blend of psychological thriller, horror, drama and a bit more. It was also remade in the US as the Uninvited. For me it's up there with Ringu, the Original grudge, The Original Eye, and Audition.

Poltergeist (1982)
Plot: While living an an average family house in a pleasant neighborhood, the youngest daughter of the Freeling family, Carol Anne, seems to be connecting with the supernatural through a dead channel on the television. It is not for long when the mysterious beings enter the house's walls. At first seeming like harmless ghosts, they play tricks and amuse the family, but they take a nasty turn- they horrify the family to death with angry trees and murderous dolls, and finally abduct Carol Anne into her bedroom closet, which seems like the entrance to the other side.
Why It’s Good: Ok who wasnt completely petrified when you were a kid after watching this film. The iconic 'They're here" to crawling steaks and one hell of a demented clown doll that still has me checking underneath my bed, it is a Halloween staple that I love, love, love. And remember: Rule number one, don't build your house on a cemetery.

Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
Plot: A traumatized Vietnam war veteran finds out that his post-war life isn't what he believes it to be when he's attacked by horned creatures in the subway and his dead son comes to visit him.
Why It’s Good: What can I say about this film. It has some of the creepiest imagery ever and shows how great of an actor Tim Robbins is. Its depressing really how horrific it is for Jacob as he tries to figure out what is real and what is not. From demonic faces in ordinary places to war flashbacks and more, it is a great film that should be watched.

31 Days of Halloween: Elvira

2011-10-15T17:58:00.001-06:00

REASON NUMBER SIX: ELVIRA

Speaking of Halloween staples Elvira has always reminded me of Halloween. You could see her in the grocery stores, her cardboard cutout on a beer advert as common in the beer aisle as candy corn was in the candy aisle. You can’t really ignore her, with her Morticia Adams dress, bouffant hairstyle and enormous tracks of land that rival Dolly Parton. And she hasn’t changed since the time I was a kid either despite the fact that her cardboard cutouts are no longer at the local Albertsons. One of the reasons I also really love Elvira is because she was my horror movie watching buddy when I was a teenager. None of my family likes horror films, but I have always loved them even when they scared me to death (I once watched Nightmare on Elm Street with my babysitter and her boyfriend and was then petrified of water bed for a week. Poltergeist well…Poltergeist had me afraid of everything). I remember sneaking downstairs to watch late night horror schlock when I thought my parents wouldn’t notice. Many of these were from Elvira’s late night show. Thanks to her I watched such gems as Monstroid. Her schtick was great: horrible puns, sexual innuendo and dreadful slapstick. She was like the Cryptkeeper but with really big breasts, always commenting on the film that you were watching together which many times were just as dreadful. But she wasn’t taking herself seriously.

I cant help but think of her when I think of Halloween. How about you?

31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN EXTRA

2011-10-15T17:51:00.001-06:00

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: A REVIEW
“The Harmon family - husband Ben (Dylan McDermott), wife Vivien (Connie Britton) and daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga) move to an old Los Angeles house with a creepy neighbor (Jessica Lange) and an even creepier basement. “ (EW)

I have probably said it before but I am a complete Gleek. I love Glee. I also love anything horror related so when I started hearing that Glee creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk were creating a horror show on FX you could say I was intrigued. How could the same people who give me show tunes and glee clubs every week possibly make anything that would remotely scare me. Oh wait they are the same folks that brought me Nip/Tuck which I loved until the last couple of seasons. But of course I will watch. I am a glutton for anything spooky especially this time of year. So I sat down this Sunday night to watch with anticipated glee, yep pun intended, to see what they came up with.

Starts off great, creepy old house, and a young girl who tells two local neighborhood bullies that they are going to die in the house. There is this great happy little soundtrack as the boys destroy the house with their baseball bats until one of the twin brothers finds a possum that has just had its throat slit and is bleeding out, but they don’t seem to notice this they just notice the basement door open and want to go investigate. Apparently they have never seen any horror films and know that this is a bad idea. The abandoned basement is full of Specimen jars, animals, baby heads you know the kind of thing that is cool, not creepy to a couple of pre-pubescent kids. But it smells down there and so one of the brothers decides to leave thinking his brother will be right behind him. Until it gets eerily quiet. Insert horror movie sequence. It works. Add in an uber creepy opening credits montage and I am interested.

Flash forward to modern day where we meet the Harmons who have just bought said creepy house from the beginning. They are looking for a fresh start. And they need one. You see a year ago Vivian (played by Friday Night Lights’ alum Connie Britton) is still getting over a miscarriage when she goes home only to find her husband having an affair with one of his students. Sure moving to ideallic sunshine filled California seems like a good idea and Daddy Harmon Ben (Dylan McDermot) doesn’t seem to understand why his wife won’t hold his hand or help consecrate the new house. Violet, their teenage daughter is a snarky gloomy young girl who is totally psyched that the previous owners of their new home killed themselves. Whoo hoo.

And this home is an odd one, we have the latex submissive suit hanging in the attack, prophetic little neighborhood girls (yep one from the beginning), the other creepy he girl’s mother who has a penchant for stealing things, being nosy and saying things that are so, so not politically correct (played amazingly by Jessica Lange), a new housekeeper who looks like a glass eyed older woman to everyone but Ben who sees a twenty something in a naught maid uniform and is convinced his wife is apparently giving him the ok to have a little tickle and poke with her, weird disfigured burned guys who like to be voyeurs and give prophetic warnings that the house is completely evil, the evil twin ghosts who died and apparently still linger, cabinets and doors that like to open themselves, weird ass murals, a demon in the basement apparently, voices that are telling Daddy Harmon to go all Shining/Amityville Horror on everyone and more. What could be cozier? Even better when the family that moves in to this horror movie extravaganza is extremely damaged. Nope, nothing bad or twisted could possibly happen.

THE GOOD:
I love Vivian. I like her. I am rooting for her. There is a great argument when Ben wants to get all freaky and she is not having any of it. He asks her how long she is going to keep punishing him, she said that she is not punishing him she is trying to figure out how the hell to forgive him for what he did because all she can see is the look on his face as he was nailing his student and calls him a narcissist asshole (which he is). He says that he was hurting too. Really so you had your dead son in your belly and then had to give birth to him and that is why you were having an affair? Cause that is a good reason. He spouts off statistics on how many men cheat after a miscarriage cause again he can’t be at fault being the all-knowing psychiatrist that he is and also he apparently wants to be a part of those statistics. His retort is that she got a dog when he needed her, so he got a student. Fair trade right? We’ll get to how much I loathe Ben. But this was a great scene. This was real, this was damaged and raw and I felt like I had left the horror clichés behind into a glimpse of the fallout of one family. And I completely felt for Vivian. Even with the hitting and makeup sex afterward.

I also love Dylan McDermott’s ass. What can I say I am a woman. You cannot fault me. Or the Lee Adama towel move. Its one of the few things I love about Ben’s character.

I like the cuts, the graininess, the hyper editing, the weird ass atmosphere of the whole thing. Usually pilots tend to suck, but as odd as this is, I want to watch more. I want to see how crazy it can get. I want to know the history of the house, to see how long they can pull this series off, and see how it all fits together. And I especially want to see how all of the characters fit together: Is Tate the demon in the basement, did Jessica Lange kill the housekeeper?, Who was in the rubber suit? (great expression on Vivian’s face when she is telling Ben the good news and sees him in the doorway, the oh shit what kind of baby am I carrying look) Who is a ghost and who is real? Etc.

The yappy type dog must die soon. I am okay with this.

THE BAD:
Ben crying like some wounded baby after heading to the bathroom to spank the monkey after seeing the new housekeeper heaving some one on one fun of her own. Its creepy. It’s disturbing and I have no sympathy for you what so ever. What you are so broken up because you’re not getting any? Or because you realize it was a douchebag move to have an affair after everything your family went through a year ago. You’re an ass with a great ass. I still hate you. Even if you are slowly becoming crazy possessed by your voices.
 As a woman in the mental health industry I can’t help but say that Ben is a horrid horrid psychiatrist. Seriously your first patient is a teenage boy not taking his medication, who suddenly has a weird attraction to your daughter, and oh yeah has fantasies of going to his school and gunning down all of the people he likes so he can remove them from the misery of this world and your response is….you’re going to be okay. Umm, red flags there dude. Because of course now that said bat shit crazy ghosty Tate is trying to get your teenage daughter to go Heathers on the school bully. Again, Ben, I don’t like you. But at least you did try and call the school. How did that go? Since he is probably a ghost. Did you follow up on that? Probably not.

Wow bullies have grown. At Violet’s school apparently the high school bullies enforce their Queen B Statuses and love for non-smokers and the environment by trying to make Violet eat her cigarette (oh look its Kendra the Bad lamp Slayer from Buffy). But it’s okay it’s just that the bully is a coke addict and is completely willing to go with her new nemesis because she randomly has coke in her basement. Yeah. Sure.

Speaking of Violet. I really want to like, but they are giving her such a mundane character. I am terrified they are going to make her either into this messed up little victim or bat shit crazy like Matt McNamara eventually became. Please don’t. The signs are already there though with her cutting and the falling for Ben’s psycho patient (though cool skull makeup in his fantasy sequence) though thankfully hopefully that was nipped.

In all, I liked it enough that I want to know more, but I do hope that they find their own voice instead of trying to make a messed up Nip/Tuck with ghosts.

A Button for the Universe

2011-10-10T17:05:00.000-06:00

via: Geekosystem.

Let's face it sometimes a button like this would be really nice. If only it were real.

31 Days of Halloween: Pumpkins

2011-10-09T15:24:00.009-06:00

REASON NUMBER FIVE: PUMPKINS

You have to love pumpkins. They are kind of a Halloween and Autumn staple. You have pumpkin pie, pumpkin flavored lattes, carved pumpkins, decorative pumpkins….well you get the idea. Now there are some reasons I love pumpkins. I love the act of going to find your absolute favorite pumpkin, heading to the patch and riding on the back of a horse drawn cart. I love the lore of them and I love the Charlie Brown special of the Great Pumpkin. I love the color of them and the bounty they seem to represent. I love pumpkin seeds and our soon to be annual pumpkin decorating contest at work.

 So why exactly is the significance of pumpkins in Halloween. Well most historians believe that the Celts used to carve apples, and turnips into small lanterns. Whether they carved faces into them to ward off evil is highly debatable because lets face it have you ever tried to carve a cute little jack-o-lantern type face into an apple or turnip. Pumpkins…far easier. Which is exactly what early settlers did. Eventually it became part of Halloween folklore and the carved pumpkin was long associated with the Harvest and Fall before we adopted it as the official mascot of Halloween. In 1900, an article on Thanksgiving entertaining recommended a lit jack-o'-lantern as part of the festivities that encourage kids and families to join together to make their own jack-o-lanterns. Today pumpkin gathering and then carving is an art form all to itself. Case in point:

Ray Villafane: You have probably seen Ray’s artwork at least somewhere during Halloween. Right now on the Food Network he is part of the Halloween Wars show and it is not hard to understand why he has never lost a pumpkin carving competition. He is a toy sculptor by trade and has worked with companies like McFarlane Toys, Sideshow Collectibles and DC Direct. Though in his spare time he carves pumpkins and lately sand. He is an amazing sculptor and by far this is some of the most amazing and just frakking brilliant carving I have ever seen.

To see more of his pumpkin sculptures and other work, visit VillafaneStudios.com VillafaneStudios.com. There’s also a great pumpkin carving tutorial on his website.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PUMPKIN STENCILS: You have to have a great stencil or idea for your pumpkin. I tend to stay away from the Ray type of carving as I….suck at it. Won’t happen. It would look horrible. So I tend to stick to the stencils and being the adorable geek that I am, it tends to be pop culture fun as much as it may be Halloween fare. Here are some of my favorite stencils I have found on the interwebs.

Zombie Pumpkins (Stencils Galore)
Pink Raygun's Templates (Everything from Doctor Who to Thor to Walking Dead Zombies)
Stoneykins (Again tons of free stencils. This one has everything from Blue's Clues to Dexter though you can purchase more)

Any great sites that you know of?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

AVOID PUMPKIN ROT: Last year I had a great pumpkin. My friends and I had a couple of pumpkin carving parties and my piece de resistance was a Jack Skellington pumpkin I was quite fond of. Now luckily I live in Bozeman Montana where there is already snow in the mountains not far from my home and it is only October 9th. I would not be surprised at all if I had snow on the ground before Halloween as it happened last year. And quite possibly the year before that as well. So I feel like my pumpkin tends to stick around a bit more than it ever did when I lived in New Jersey. But it always a bit disheartening when your pumpkin dies before the actual holiday and suddenly no longer looks like Jack Skellington, but crazy toothless version of an eccentric elderly person after a bender.   

There are plenty of tricks out there. Some say spray your pumpkin with WD-40, others say lemon juice or to wet it, wrap it and then stick it in the refrigerator while you don’t want to display it. Pumpkin Masters say that you should soak or spray your pumpkin with a little bit of bleach mixed with water. Apparently this helps ward off the mold and kills insects that would otherwise make your newly carved masterpiece its new little loft of awesome. Do you have tricks or techniques that work for you?

What My Music Says

2011-10-09T15:20:00.002-06:00

Trick of this meme. Put your ipod, mp3 player, etc on shuffle. Write down the song that comes up

1.If someone says, "Is this okay?" You say?
My Wandering Days Are Over – Belle & Sebastian
[Not really sure what this means, other than umm…ok?]

2.How would you describe yourself?
Shy – Ani DiFranco
[Ok that’s kind of creepy. Kind of accurate until you get to know me and then not so much. But it works.]

3.What do you like in the opposite sex?
Strange Days - Prong
[Okay I do like them a wee bit strange. How else are they supposed to love and keep up with all of my geekiness. Plus who doesn’t like a bit of kink]

4.How do you feel today?
Superhero Girl – Eve6
[Off to save the world, One pop culture reference at a time.]

5.What is your life’s purpose?
Snow – Loreena McKennitt
[So not true. Not loving the snow which is coming oh so swiftly here in my part of the world. Maybe I’m a Winter Goddess and I just don’t realize it yet. Maybe I will be a snow machine operator later in life. Hmmm]

6.What is your motto?
Kiss the Sky – Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra
[Works for me.]

7.What do your friends think of you?
Hine E Hine (Maiden, O, Maiden) – Hayley Westenra
[Can I be a fair maiden? If so, where the frak is my Prince Charming? Grin]

8.What do you think of your family?
Hammering in My Head - Garbage
[It’s scary how some of these fit]

9.What do you think about very often?
Rehab – Any Winehouse
[And then others really don’t. Unless it’s rehab for pop culture geekiness]

10.What are you doing this weekend?
Dirty Laundry – Bitter:Sweet
[As per usual]

11. What do you think of your best friend?
The Miracle - Queen
[Pretty much sums it up. She is my best friend and sister after all]

12. What do you think of your significant other?
Imaginary - Evanescence
[Which is funny since I am currently single]

13. What is your life story?
I Never – Rilo Kiley
[I hope that will not be my life story unless I am constantly playing a game of I never and always losing. If it’s that sort of thing, than yeah, but I really should start getting on that.]

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Machine – Regina Spektor
[Umm…please no. I like being human]

15. What do you think of when you reason a person you like?
Let Me Blow Your Mind – Eve w/ Gwen Stefani
[Again, works for me. Just give me a chance is all I am asking.]

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?
Paranoid Andriod - Radiohead
[Not really wedding material, but it could work. Just not a first song.]

17. What will they play at your funeral?
Sorry – Bic Runga
[Me too. It’s my funeral]

18. What is your hobby/interest?
Paper Planes - MIA
[If only the patients would let me make more of them at work]

19. What is your biggest fear?
Tomorrow Never Knows – Carla Azar (Suckerpunch Sndtrk)
[The future can be scary, but more interesting and full of promise methinks.]

20. What is your biggest secret?
Peach - Prince
[That I am a peach? I smell like peaches? I am secretly the new incarnation of Princess Peach? If so, please let me be rescued by someone other than an Italian plumber.]

21. What do you think of your friends?
The Kings and Queens of Old – Harry Gregson-Williams (Chronicles of Narnia)
[I do hold them in fairly high esteem]

22. What is the secret of the universe?
The Lisbon Maru – Fuck Buttons
[Yep. So says my iPod.]

23. What is your theme song?
Running Up that Hill – Placebo
[Certainly it feels like it most of the time.]

24. If you could rename your blog it would be called?
Her Morning Elegance – Oren Lavie
[Certainly not as snarky, but quite beautiful. I kind of like it.]

A Madness of Angels

2011-10-09T15:06:00.003-06:00

Madness of Angels
Written by: Kate Griffin
Paperback: 640 pages
Publisher: Orbit
Language: English
February 2010, $7.99
Genre: Urban Fantasy/The Matthew Swift series

For Matthew Swift, today is not like any other day. It is the day on which he returns to life.

Two years after his untimely death, Matthew Swift finds himself breathing once again, lying in bed in his London home.

Except that it's no longer his bed, or his home. And the last time this sorcerer was seen alive, an unknown assailant had gouged a hole so deep in his chest that his death was irrefutable...despite his body never being found.

He doesn't have long to mull over his resurrection though, or the changes that have been wrought upon him. His only concern now is vengeance. Vengeance upon his monstrous killer and vengeance upon the one who brought him back.

+++++++++++++

Being the world traveler that I am, I have been to London a couple of times. More than that I have been a city girl most of my life. In fact Bozeman, MT is the first time where I have really felt like a fish out of water but it has its own charms. There is something about a city that is indeed magical. It’s the rush of all the various people, of the technology and the spirit of everything that is urban. But there is more to a city than the hustle and bustle. There is a history, and a life that so many would overlook unless you really paid attention. I mean when you really think about it, become an archaeologist and an anthropologist of the city or town you live in, what would you see and discover. I know that Bozeman has its own magic as small as it is. It is the paint on the brick walls, the graffiti of angels on that electrical box or the cast of characters that I meet during my day job. There are the other cities, the tent cities of the transient camps, the small communities where like-minded people live together and near one another, the hum of the trains as they pass through the outskirts of town and a myriad of other things. It is hard not to see that all is extremely magical. So while Bozeman, MT is not exactly the urban capital of the world and would probably a bit more rural and use the hum of nature, there is magic everywhere you look. Kind of crazy when a book makes you look at things a bit more than you did before.

 "We be light, we be life, we be fire! We sing electric flame, we rumble underground wind, we dance heaven! Come be we and be free! We be blue electric angels"

 Matthew Swift wakes up in his own city of magic…London. Granted he’s waking up two years after he was brutally murdered and has no memories of his recent past. He is also not exactly human anymore with powers far beyond his urban sorcerer past, brilliant blue eyes and a penchant for referring to himself as ‘we’. Apparently a lot has happened since Matthew and his body disappeared two years ago. Matthew’s mentor Robert Bakker, a rich and powerful sorcerer, has begun to abuse his power and in Matthew’s missing years systematically began wiping out those of the magical community that would oppose him. Another organization formed to try and combat Bakker and his ‘Tower’, but with little effect. Matthew’s reappearance changes all of this. But Matthew is also out for revenge as much as he wants to help the magical community he once called his own. There are a lot of questions that he needs answering such as who killed him and who brought him back and why are his eyes blue?

Welcome to the Madness of Angels where magicians and sorcerers use the magic and the life of the urban city they reside in. Where one can ride on the wings of the pigeons and listen to the blue electric angels that live on the telephone wires made alive by the wishes and dreams that people wasted or spent as they run through their lives.

Things I loved: So much of an urban fantasy lately focuses on snarky and kick ass women who try to save the world while simultaneously trying to fight her feelings for some hot vampire or other supernatural. The setting is usually secondary, magic comes far too easily and there tends to lack any real magic which is sad since it is supposed to be urban fantasy. Occasionally you have great authors like Mike Carey who change that whimsy into something really creative and awesome. I think Griffin is one of those people. Even more so it takes a special person to make a city come alive when you haven’t been there, or if you have make it seem more real and amazing then you remember it. Kate Griffin did that with the Madness of Angels. I think it is clear how much Griffin loves London and cities and the magic they invoke as it is evident in every bit of this novel. But more than that the ‘city’ is as much of a character as Matthew or Oda or The Beggar King. As I said it is clear how much the author loves her city and wants to make it more than just a background, she wants you to understand how alive and complex it is. And how life is magic and every magical character needs that city to be alive and robust in order to do what they do.   

“In New York the air is so full of static you almost spark when you move; in Madrid the shadows are waiting at every corner to whisper their histories in your ear when you walk at night. In Berlin the power is clean, silken, like walking through an invisible, body-temperature waterfall in a dark cave; in Beijing the sense of it was a prickling heat on the skin, like the wind had been broken down into a thousand pieces, and each part carried some warmth from another place, and brushed against your skin, like a furry cat calling for your attention."

One thing I loved about this book was the first person narration, the feeling of being as lost and confused as Matthew is. While confusing and interesting as he refers to himself as a ‘we’ and an ‘us’ while sometimes also referring to himself as a ‘me’ and an ‘I’, I understand it. It works as confusing as it sometimes can be. Because it all works with this story, she lets you experience what Matthew experiences without holding your hand and telling you straightforward all that has happened. It is amazing how much style there is in this book. Some of the most interesting characters are the Beggar King and The Bag Lady, embodiments of everything that is urban and those lives and those things that so often get overlooked, but have so much importance. Griffin writes them with such imagination they I cannot help but believe in them. Her prose can be lyrical and extravagant, but it works. I was never bored or felt like she was overdoing it. The prose only enhanced the story into a fully imagined movie in my head. I know it’s a good book when I dream about it after reading it.

 Another reason I really loved this book was the use of magic. Matthew needed items, sometimes as simple as a railway pass and the rules it invokes and other times spray paint or a simple card. There were rules to the magic and ones that made sense. So often in urban fantasy magic is just there. It’s innate; apparently everyone has the skills and is rather droll. Magic was cool again with this book. And there were so many different types of magic from magicians and sorcerers to the urban witches and other members of the supernatural community (including the Troll Jeremy also known as the Mighty Raaaarrrgghh).

 It is a lofty book, but one that is self-contained, though again I know there are more in the series. This is refreshing and though I don’t know quite yet, I am quite sure someone could probably pick up The Midnight Mayor and not feel insanely lost.

Throughout the story we also get glimpses of Matthew’s past which includes meeting his apprentice for the first time and his past with Bakker. Like I said, it feels very much like a stand-alone even though I know there is another book.

Finally, I genuinely liked Matthew Swift. Despite being almost a demi-god, Griffin limited his power and made him a really good guy that you wanted to root for. He’s funny and witty (you know how I love the snark), but sympathetic and competent. On the other hand Hunger was just terrifying and makes you afraid of the shadows again. But more than that, he’s not just the big bad monster. You get to see his reactions to other characters, see the relationships that have formed as off as they might be. It was nice. And most of the characters are like this, even Oda as much as you may loathe her.

Things I didn't love so much: This is a fairly lofty book and sometimes the we and I’s get a bit confusing. I also understand that it is a slow build. This isn’t a quick and simple book so if you are looking for lighter fare this may not be for you. Other than that, I got nothing.

Buy or Borrow: Buy. Now I cannot help but compare Griffin to another one of my favorite authors Mike Carey who has an equally great series in the form of Felix Castor, but she has made her own magic in this book. And I look forward to reading more. I really think you might feel the same.

Part of: A series.
Book One: A Madness of Angels 
Book Two: the Midnight Mayor 
Book Three: The Neon Court (Nov 2011) 

Also Recommended: The Felix Castor series by Mike Carey, the Sandman Slim novels by Richard Kadrey, and the Dresden Novels by Jim Butcher. Kate Griffin is also the name under which Carnegie Medal-nominated author Catherine Webb, writes fantasy novels for adults. Catherine's amazing debut, Mirror Dreams, was written when she was only 14 years old, and garnered comparisons with Terry Pratchett and Philip Pullman.

4 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

Grammar in WoW

2011-10-08T16:04:00.002-06:00

via: Dorkly

I know some of you will appreciate that.

31 Days of Halloween Extra: Trick R Treat

2011-10-08T12:22:00.004-06:00

 Trick R Treat:(2007) 
Directed By: Michael Dougherty 
Written By: Michael Dougherty 
Genre: HORROR 
Time: 1 hr 22 min
 Starring: Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox and Tahmoh Penikett 
Plot: Four interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the one guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband.
Comments: It took forever for this film to arrive. I remember seeing a trailer for it in the theatre. Almost two years later they released it on DVD and I instantly picked it up and loved it. Now I love anthology films such as Cat’s Eye, the Creepshow films, The Twilight Zone movie and others. Even better this film is centered around my favorite holiday of Halloween. And essentially this is a love letter to my favorite holiday whether it is trick r treaters, things that go bump in the night and more. And who doesn't love Sam? (Seriously one of the best designed horror ‘monsters’ to come out of a horror film in years. But I love that there is one rule to this film: don’t break the rules of Halloween. It wont end well if you do.

  I think what is great about it are not only some of the visuals in the film but that it balances the scares with the humor. Its a classic Halloween horror film one that I watch with the Great Pumpkin and well the Buffy Halloween episodes. Set on one particular Halloween night, the movie begins with a young troublemaker who picks the completely wrong house to steal candy from. The owner, it turns out, is Steven (Dylan Baker), a school principal who serial kills on the side. Meanwhile, across town, twentysomethings Maria (Rochelle Aytes) and sister Laurie (Anna Paquin) head with two other sexy friends to the local parade, in hopes of bagging Laurie a date. Lurking among them is a vampiric murderer. The third tale involves a group of trick-or-treaters—Marcy (Britt McKillip), Sara (Isabelle Deluce), Schrader (Jean-Luc Bilodeau) and Chip (Alberto Ghisi)—who decide to play a nasty trick on nerdy classmate Rhonda (Samm Todd). Before the night is out, they will learn more than they bargained for about the town's infamous school bus accident urban legend. And, finally, living next door to Steven is the grumpy old Mr. Kreeg (Brian Cox), a man whose mean ways and lack of Halloween spirit come back to haunt him. Throughout there is also the fable of Sam who appears throughout the film as well as a discovery about what happened in the prologue involving a wife who ‘hates Halloween’.

Rent/Cinema?: Definitely worth owning as far as I am concerned.

4/4 popcorns

31 Days of Halloween: Pomegranates

2011-10-08T11:47:00.006-06:00

REASON NUMBER FIVE: POMEGRANATES

Autumn brings about one of my favorite things to eat: pomegranates. They are absolutely, by far, my favorite fruit. When I was a kid I used to think that they were like little rubies and I had as much fun trying to get at the seeds and making an absolute mess as I did actually eating the seeds. They are like candy I tell you. Sadly it is so hard to find them other than fall, so I eat my fill. Thankfully we have things like Pom’s Pomegranate Juice year round which I find to be as equally yummy.

As I said they are messy, but just think you are expending as many calories trying to get into the damn thing and separating the seeds as you do eating them. Plus pomegranates are extremely nutritious and are full of polyphenol antioxidants which beats out that glass of red wine you are drinking. They taste great in salads, at the bottom of a pomegranate martini and a couple of other yummy recipes which I will include.

Give it a try if you have never had one. Completely worth it.

The Myth of Persephone (Smirking Style): One of the great things about pomegranates is the mythic history. There are some that say it was a pomegranate not an apple that Eve brought good old Adam to eat. Of course there is the myth of Persephone and the reason why we have seasons. During Rosh Hashana it is common to eat a pomegranate because they represent fruitfulness. Plus it is said that they have 613 seeds which corresponds with the 613 mitzvot of the Torah. But back to Persephone.

Once upon a time there was a very hot and innocent young goddess named Persephone, daughter of Zeus (King of the Gods) and Demeter (Goddess of the Harvest). She was so beautiful and adored that everyone loved her, some more so than others. Case in point, Hades (God of the Underworld) was so enamored, in that stalker sort of way, that he convinced his brother Zeus to help him gain Persephone as his wife. Of course being Greek Gods they couldn't do it the traditional candy and flowers and lets go out on a date sort of wooing. Oh no. There is less drama that way. Besides Zeus knew that there was no way Demeter was ever going to let her daughter be the new Queen of the Underworld.

So, one beautiful day Zeus caused an amazing flower to bloom in the filed that his daughter was gathering flowers. Persephone naturally saw said beautiful flower and stopped to admire. This is when Hades made his move. He opened a fissure in the Earth, popped out in his chariot, kidnapped her and then escaped back down to his home in the Underworld leaving no one but Zeus and the all seeing sun, Helios to know what had happened.

Demeter had no idea what had happened to her beloved daughter and she searched the earth for her missing daughter. Now it is unwise to make the goddess of the Harvest upset as when she is cranky, heartbroken or lonely crops tend to wither and die. Helios eventually revealed what had happened which only made Demeter even more bitter than before. Famine threatened which was a problem because if mankind perished there would be no one to worship and offer sacrifices to the gods which they kind of dug. Zeus begged Demeter to restore life to the earth, but she refused to do so. Understandable since her one time lover was the same one who helped Hades steal Persephone away anyway.

Understanding the situation was dire, Zeus then sent Hermes down to try and talk some sense into his brother Hades. However, Hades was in love and maybe Persephone had gotten over the whole kidnapped thing and realized that Hades wasn’t so horrible after all. Plus the Underworld was completely horrible. There were the Elysian fields after all. But the Earth was dying and with it, all of us pesky humans. So Hades agreed to let Persephone go. Things are never that easy though like I said when it comes to the Greek Gods. Before his wife left Hades gave Persephone a pomegranate or at least some seeds depending on the myth. The moment she ate it, it bound her to Hades and the Underworld. Take that Demeter.

The result was for part of the year Persephone would reside with her husband in the Underworld and be the Queen to Hades’ King. The rest of the year she would reside with her mother. During the months that Persephone was with Hades, Demeter still angry and bitter and upset about her son-in-law plus probably missing her favorite daughter, refused to let anything grow and thus the winter months occur. Blame the pomegranate. Well that and Zeus and Hades. Winter is their fault.

Pomegranate Clusters: I love to bake. I also love chocolate. Chocolate and pomegranate seeds would certainly make a girl happy kind of like chocolate and peanut butter. *smile* Makes about 50 small clusters.

Ingredients:
3 pomegranates 
1 16 oz. package dark chocolate morsels (Ghirardelli’s 60% cacao) 
Cooking thermometer (optional)

Directions:
 1. Remove seeds from pomegranate into a bowl or dish. (I would recommend actually doing the process under lukewarm water as it softens the skin and also the seeds are easier to at. When performing this task, make sure not to wear anything that you wouldn’t want to be stained. De-seeding pomegranates can be a messy process. Trust me)
 2. When all of your pomegranate seeds are out, lay wax paper on a flat surface. Using your fingers or a spoon, separate the seeds into small bunches of 5-10 on the wax paper to dry. You could also treat it like bark and lay the pomegranates down on a cookie sheet and drizzle the chocolate on top which you then smooth out. Once its dry you can break it up like traditional candy bark. 
3. Melt the chocolate! To do this, you will either need a double-burner or can easily create one by placing a stainless steel bowl over top a pan of boiling water. Now I know you should technically use a candy thermometer, but I don’t own one, so I just wait till it melts down. Let the chocolate cool for a minute or so before spooning it over the seeds. It doesnt have the shiny surface of tempered chocolate, but tastes just fine.
4. Leave your chocolate covered seeds to dry at room temperature (around 60-70°F). Do NOT put them in the freezer! I’m not positive how refrigeration would work, but whatever you do, don’t freeze them! The chocolate will shrink and expand on the pomegranate seeds, causing the chocolate to crackle, and they won’t taste the same. 
5. When the chocolate is completely dry, serve and enjoy!

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Autumn Pomtini: All I can say is...yummy.

Ingredients:
3/4 freshly squeezed pomegranate juice (you can do this by blending and then straining out the seeds) or do what I do and just by some pom wonderful juice)  
1 oz. Orange vodka 
3/4 oz Peachtree Schnapps
 1/4 oz lemon juice
 1 oz. Orange Juice

Directions:   Shake all ingredients and chill. Voila alcoholic yumminess.

Have any other pomegranate goodness you would like to share such as recipes, etc? Let me know.

31 Days of Halloween: The Music

2011-10-07T15:59:00.004-06:00

REASON NUMBER FOUR: THE MUSIC (A SPOOKY PLAYLIST)

I love music as much as I love the rest of my pop-culture fandoms. Of course this time of year just like the Yule season ahead has its own special set of tunes you tend to listen to more frequently than others. I thought I would list my latest Spooky Samhain playlist. You won’t find most of the classics here because I am guessing you already know them. Do you have your own favorite tunes?

31. Bela Lugosi’s Dead – Nouvelle Vague
30. They Nicknamed me Evil - Cinema
29. The Black Rider – Tom Waits
28. I want to be Evil – Eartha Kitt
27. The Boogie Monster – Gnarls Barkley
26. Zombie Zoo – Tom Petty
25. Nightmare Girl – Aimee Mann
24. My Beloved Monster - Eels
23. Humanoids from the Deep – The Killcreeps
22. Man With the Hex – The Atomic Fireballs
21. Double Trouble – John Williams
20. Sally’s Song – Fiona Apple
19. The Skeleton in the Closet – Louis Armstrong
18. Suspiria - Goblin
17. Cry little Sister (Theme from the Lost Boys) – Gerard McMann
16. Vampire Hunters – Wojciech Kilar
15. Season of the Witch - Donovan
14. Spooky – Imogen Heap
13. Little Drop of Poison – Tom Waits
12.Time Warp – Rocky Horror Picture Show
11. Sweet Dreams – Marilyn Manson
10. Transylvania Concubine - Rasputina
9. Witches Song – Juliana Hatfield
8. Excess - Tricky
7. Spiriti – Mediaeval Babes
6. Supserstition – Stevie Wonder
5. I only Eat Candy – Nerf Herder
4. Dracula’s Castle – New Order
3. Danse Macabre – Angele Dubeau
2. Killer Klowns – The Dickies
1. Red Right Hand – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

image: Leontine Greenberg (via Trixie's Treats)

31 Days of Halloween: Scary Movies

2011-10-07T15:41:00.012-06:00

REASON NUMBER THREE: SCARY MOVIES I am a pop culture junkie which is fairly apparent, but geeks are in, so yeah. I love films. Movies kept me sane and before I went into my current field I was once a manager of the now defunct Suncoast which was awesome because I got to talk about movies every day. Now my collection of movies has declined over recent years due to not working in retail, but the one I have currently is fairly extensive. What can I say I am an addict and one of my favorite genres tends to be Horror/Suspense. Now one of the best parts about Halloween are the scary movies. Not that you cannot watch horror films any day of the year, but I especially want to watch them when it starts to get darker, cooler and when I want to scare myself absolutely silly. Because I do enjoy scaring myself. It’s why I like haunted houses and ghost stories. There is something about snuggling up with the lights down low and waiting for that inevitable adrenaline rush.

Now most horror movies do not scare me at all. I love B-movie horror schlock like Friday the 13th (though I will never understand how Jason drowned as a little boy but came back as a hulking menace) and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. These days horror movies are so involved with gore that they forget about having a decent plot or any real scare factors. But there are some movies out there that genuinely give the creep factor. Here are some of my favorites. Most of them may be movies you have not seen as they are not your typical flicks, but if you are looking for a fun evening, I would suggest all of these.

Suspiria (1977)
Plot : Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Banyon, a young American
ballet dancer who arrives at a prestigious European dance academy run by the mysterious Madame Blanc (Joan Bennett of DARK SHADOWS) and Miss Tanner. But when a series of bizarre incidents and horrific crimes (including what Entertainment Weekly calls "the most vicious murder scene ever filmed") turn the school into a waking nightmare of the damned, Suzy must escape the academy's unspeakable secret of supernatural evil.
Why It’s Good : Thanks to my best friend Paul, I learned the joys of Dario Argento. This stylishly beautiful film has the creeps and scares you would expect in a horror film. It has one of the best opening scenes I have ever seen and the bizarre color palette, haunting music, and menacing atmosphere doesn’t stop until the very end. While the plot may be a little convoluted, it doesn’t matter. Any film where a man’s Seeing Eye dog attacks him is certainly worth watching, don’t you think? And Ugh maggots in your hair and hairbrush, it’s enough to make this girly girl cringe every time, but that is why I love it.

May (2002)
Plot : May never really fit in and growing up with a pirate's patch to cover her lazy eye did not make things easier. Even as an adult her best friend and sole companion is a doll given to her by her mother... until she sees Adam. In awe of his beauty especially his hands she pursues a relationship for the first time in her life. But she soon finds out that people are not 100% perfect... only certain parts of them are.
Why It’s Good : I love this film. May is a mousy, socially awkward girl whom you cannot help but love. Angela Bettis plays her with a fragile beauty and her attempts at romance and friendship are ones you can relate on some level to. She spends her evenings confiding in a doll her mother would never let her take out of its glass casing and wishing she had someone to call her own. When she finally feels comfortable enough to venture out and away from her isolation things don’t go the way she had planned. The film is part black humor horror film, part bizarre romance and part tragedy. It’s a great film (I even went as May one Halloween dressed as her Halloween costume) that most people overlooked. They shouldn’t have.

Session 9 (2001)
Plot : A hazardous-materials-cleanup company has been hired to eliminate asbestos tiles and other toxic material from a gigantic mental hospital that had been shut down in the 1980s. But as one member of the team starts to nose into old files in the office, he uncovers a series of tape recordings of psychiatric sessions--nine of them--related to a notorious sexual abuse case. Soon, toxic materials and dark spirits start to merge.
Why It’s Good : For me some of the best horror films are those that rely more on taut plots and build on creepy atmospheres than on flimsy plots and heavy doses of CGI. Session 9 belongs in the creepy atmospheric category. It is a horror film, a thriller, and a psychological character study all in one intensified by creepy shots, spooky sounds and chilling voices that whisper in the dark. I’m not a big David Caruso fan and the fact that I love this film despite him is a testament to how great this film is. One of my favorite scenes involves one of the characters finding some coins stuck in a wall and discovering a treasure, but it isn’t what it appears to be. Excellent film.

Exorcist 3 (1990)
Plot : After the death of Father Karras in the original film, his good friend, Lt. William Kinderman is sent on a mysterious murder investigation. Victim after victim starts appearing, with the blames being placed on an old frail woman. Could these murders relate to demons and possession? And how does the patient, who claims to be the Gemini Killer fit into all this?
Why It’s Good : Of course the original Exorcist is a horror movie staple as it should be. Now most of us forget that Exorcist 2 ever happened and walk on over to the real sequel. I think it is as creepy as the original (hallway scene anyone) and relies more on unsettling you than assaulting you with an overabundance of gore or green bile. Some may find it slow, but it is one that keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are some great moments of dialogue. George C Scott gives a great performance as does Brad Dourif who will always be his character from this film despite my love for the LotR trilogy. A creepy little film that scares you just when you have your guard down and has those iconic memorable scenes.

The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
Plot : During the Spanish Civil War, young Carlos is abandoned at a completely isolated orphanage. The tensions therein have been building for years, exacerbated by the unexploded bomb resting menacingly in the courtyard. Bullies scheme, tempers flare, and a ghost that visits Carlos's bed seems to be the key to it all.
Why It’s Good : From the mind of Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy), whom I adore, comes a film that is more a drama with ghosts in it rather than just a straight horror film. It is stylish and well-paced with a great atmosphere that relies on as much foreboding as your typical horror film. In my opinion it has some of the best ‘ghost’ effects that I have seen with ‘The One Who Sighs’ from the minute little water bubbles to the blood in water effect. The orphanage holds more than the murdered boy and watching it all unfold is a delight. So worth checking out.

The Orphanage (2008)
Plot : The Orphanage pivots on a pretty woman and an unusual child. When her old orphanage goes on the market, Laura (Belén Rueda, Amenábar's The Sea Inside) and Carlos (Fernando Cayo) settle in with their son, Simón (Roger Príncep). Once acclimated to the remote seaside surroundings, they plan to re-open it as a home for special-needs children. Meanwhile, their seven-year-old doesn't know he's adopted or that he has a life-threatening illness. He does, however, have a lot of imaginary playmates. When Simón disappears without a trace, his parents contact the police, but to no avail. Because Laura has been hearing odd noises and having strange visions, they proceed to consult a medium. Aurora (Geraldine Chaplin, speaking perfect Spanish) is convinced they aren't alone. Carlos has his doubts, but Laura makes like a detective and revisits her childhood--through photographs, home movies, and exploration of the spooky stone manor--to determine who or what abducted her son.
Why It’s Good : Speaking of orphanages and horror films that aren’t really horror films, Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Orphanage is amazing. If you haven’t seen this film, you really should. Another highly atmospheric film, it does have jumps even the ones you completely see coming and jump anyway. The film is eerie, thrilling and sad. And let me say you will never *ever* see me play 1,2,3 knock on the wall. Ever. It’s a great film, one of my favorites I think because it does have the creeps and the chills, but it will also make you laugh and cry and smile at times.

The Gift (2001)
Plot : When Jessica King goes missing, all eyes turn to Annabelle Wilson. Not as a murder suspect, but as a clairvoyant. Many of the towns folk go to Annabelle for help, and Jessica's fiancée, Wayne Collins, turns to Annabelle for possible guidance. Annabelle feels that she can't help, but this doesn't stop her from constantly getting visions of Jessica's fate.
Why It’s Good : Directed by Sam Raimi, starring my big girly crush Miss Cate Blanchett, and written by Billy Bob Thorton, this is a southern fired gothic horror tale. The visuals are great (look for Danny Elfman playing a fiddle in a dream sequence) and the soundtrack haunting. Best yet you get some amazing performances by Cate, Giovanni Ribisi and Greg Kinnear. But beyond that there are some great visuals and I am all about the visuals. Some people thought this was too predictable and there are certainly a lot of red herrings, but like my other choices it is a film that relies on atmosphere.

The Strangers (2008)
Plot : Inspired by true events, this heart pounding, nail-biting frightener mercilessly explores our most universal fears, where simply opening the door to a stranger leads to a grueling night of terror one could never imagine. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman star in this relentless suspense thriller that will keep you up at night and make you never want to answer the door again!
Why It’s Good : “Because you were home.” It’s unsettling. It’s creepy and works because of how simple it is. There are no huge sets, creepy CGI effects or even haunting score (though there is one). Instead, it relies on rattling the viewer with a story that could happen. We don’t get a clever back story on the villains. They don’t need one. They are perfectly menacing just the way that they are. The sound design is amazing and a skipping record of folk country music has never been more creepy. In fact just thinking about the unease this film creates gives me the shivers, especially since I live in the middle of the country. And can never ever watch this at home by myself due to said reasons.

The Others (2001)
Plot : Nicole Kidman plays a young woman named Grace who is awaiting her husband’s return from the war with her two young children. They live an unusually isolated existence behind the locked doors and drawn curtains of a secluded island mansion. Then, after three mysterious servants arrive and it becomes chillingly clear that there is far more to his house than can be seen, Grace finds herself in a harrying fight to save her children and keep her sanity.
Why It’s Good : Scary and stylish, this film relies on its haunting atmosphere and chillingly good score to build the suspense. There are no CGI inkblots or over the top makeup, which seem to be modern day ghost story staples. Instead, you have an old fashioned ghost story that will keep you guessing. To this day, this is one of the few horror films that I have been to where the audience actually screamed. It truly is a great film and everything a ghost movie should be.

Frailty (2001)
Plot : Bill Paxton plays the patriarch of the Meiks family, a family that was your average happy 2.5 children type until everything changes after he gets a “Call from God” to destroy the demons that exist on this earth in the guise of humans. He attempts to teach his children this path, but one of them merely thinks his father is crazy. Eventually the truth is discovered, or is it? Also stars Matthew McConaughey and Powers Booth.
Why It’s Good : I loathe Bill Paxton. One of those actors where I try to avoid everything he does. However, I really wanted to see this film when it came out. There was something about it. And it is an amazing film. Not only does it have its creeps and its scares, but it makes you think. Even after the credits have rolled and you have seen every scene, it provokes conversation. It makes you believe, but maybe not the way you would expect. The acting is great, including the two child actors who are in the majority of the film.

What are some of your go to scary films that you watch every Autumn or Halloween season?

31 Days of Halloween: Bats

2011-10-07T14:21:00.010-06:00

REASON NUMBER TWO: BATS
If you know me at all, you know that I am a big fan of bats. I dont know where it started or when really, but I love bats. Have loved them forever. I even think wee little vampire bats like those two are cute as all hell (how can you not think they are adorable). I have stuffed animal bats, little pewter bats, bat cards, bat stickers, etc. Even cute little ones that used to hang from my ceiling. Back when I lived in Sioux Falls, my sister, and I would head down to Omaha to the zoo every year. They have an amazing Nocturnal exhibit which is modeled to look like a cave including an exhibit with a bunch of free flying bats with nothing but a bit of netting separating you from them. I could spend hours there watching them, and I do mean hours. And we're not even talking about their new exhibit in the rainforest building where they are actually flying above you, past you, etc. They made me leave. I even love watching the little Gary Oldman vampire bats eat.

I personally think that everyone should adore them. There’s the whole Batman reference and Stellaluna and the Bats in the Library books. Plus, they get such an insanely bad rap, kind of like wolves due to pop culture and other such things, but they are such an integral part of the ecosystem. I am calling this year the Year of The Bat well actually the United Nations Environmental Program is calling it that, which I am okay with. I mean look at them. Aren’t they adorable.

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Why Bats Are Awesome There are plenty of reasons why bats are so amazing.
One: They are the only flying mammal in the world and there are over 1,000 different species of them on every continent except for Antarctica including the little brown bat which is prevalent in my part of the world. These little guys can eat more than 600 insects an hour. Insects like gnats and mosquitoes which I would rather not have anywhere near me. Basically they are a natural pesticide. Cant complain about that.
Two: They have a fairly low reproduction rate and a long life expectancy – one baby per year and can live up to 30 years if they are really lucky.
 Three: When I was little I was convinced that bats were flying puppies, kind of like fairy dogs. My mom put up bat boxes in the backyard and my dad took me to Carlsbad Caverns so I could see the evening exodus and squee like the adorable little fangirl of bats that I was.
Four: They are extremely lucky in some cultures. In China the bat is a symbol of longevity and happiess while it also represents luck in Poland and in Macedonia 
Five: I mean come on. Look how cute they are. Plus anything that inspired Batman is kind of kick ass.

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Some Misconceptions about Bats Some Misconceptions about Bats:
One: They love to attack your hair kind of like Alfred Hitchcock’s the Birds. Most of this myth is probably from the fact that we, as people attract gnats and mosquitoes. This is dinner, breakfast and lunch for insect eating bats and so what looks like erratic diving towards your lovely hair is actually them just elegantly grabbing food for the day. Trust me your hair does nothing for them. No nutritional value what so ever.
Two: They are blind. Nope. This is probably because people assume they are blind due to their use of echolocation. Which by the way is just awesome. Echolocation is basically high frequency calls that bounce off prey and obstacles. It is so sophisticated that some bats can even distinguish between different types of prey and not collide into one another. And to be honest most fruit bats can see rather well.
 Three: They are all infected with Rabies and will turn you into Cujo. Again not really true. Only about .5% of bats have rabies. However, if you contract rabies, it can be fatal so get all bites from any animal checked.
Four: They vant to suck your blood. Nope. Vampire bats are found in Southern Mexico, Central America and South America and plus they like big and cow blood more than humans. Sorry Edward.

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Top Five Things I am Lusting After This Year (aka Reasons why Etsy is Evil and I am Broke) Problem is finding bats during any other time than Halloween. Or finding cute ones instead of scary ones. So I usually have to get my fill. Thankfully there is a lovely thing called Etsy where apparently other bat lovers lurk.

These adorable little guys can be found over at Mochi Studios at Etsy. One can never have enough plushies. They line my bookshelves and I adore them so much that I have been making my own lately.

You know what's awesome...adding steampunk with bats. Seriously this necklace is to die for and since I am seriously going clockwork like this Halloween for one party I cannot help but want to covet this pendant by Cosmic Firefly.

What bat loving girl wouldnt want all of these gorgeous little guys crawling up her leg in stocking form. Would look great with my little black dress for a pre-Hallows bash. You can get these and more fun thigh highs and stockings over at Tattoo Socks. I could spend far too much money at this store.

More bats. This pillow is awesome. Too bad she sold it already. Though me and my craftiness may have to do an inspired by OutonaLimbDesign's great idea.
Seriously...adorable.

Finally we have this little guy which would look lovely around my neck. Fable and Fury also has some other wicked jewelry...which is why I hate Etsy and it is making me broke.

So there you have it. Reason Number Two on why I love bats so much. Have any bat gems to share? Please do

Run For your Life: A 5K I would Run

2011-10-05T14:25:00.005-06:00

I have been trying to do more running as much as I loathe it. I am a firm believer that you should run only when chased after. However, when the future zombie apocalypse happens we have learned through such gems as Zombieland that rule #1 is Cardio. Cardio. Cardio. I am kind of hoping the zombies are Night of the Living Dead and less 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead remake undead.

Recently I heard about a company called Reed Street Productions that holds a 5K race called Run For Your Lives. Basically it combines your typical 5K along with obstacles and well…flesh eating, virus spreading, want to eat your brains zombies and sadly it doesn’t look like it is the shambling, foot dragging kind. The way it works is all runners have a belt full of flags which the zombies want to eat. If you reach the finish line with at least one flag you have not become zombie bait and you may win a prize once you reach your zombie free haven. There are health bonuses along the way which may save your life as well as multiple ways to finish the race. Also included are 12 man-made and natural obstacles that you must complete. Now you can skip any of them but in doing so you lose your chance at winning a prize. Lose all of your flags and you die. Basically there is a starting line and a finish line, but everything in between is up to you. Survive the hordes and win but be careful that your 5K may turn into a 10K

Right now they have races in Baltimore, Seattle/Portland, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Boston, Austin and San Diego/Los Angeles. I long for one in simple Bozeman, MT. Would be awesome.

For more information on the races and all of the zombie-rific details head on over to runforyourlives.com

Grr Argh

2011-10-05T14:13:00.001-06:00

So much for the post a day, which is difficult when one...your host server is down, there is a mix up transferring domains and so all of your pretty pictures dont show up. And two: your internet is down. Of course it would happen right now. Thank you da for letting me mooch to post this. I promise to catch up this weekend and I will do that clever thing called backdating.

31 Days of Halloween: The Costumes

2011-10-01T17:38:00.000-06:00

Reason Number One: The Costumes

Buffy: It's just ... You're never gonna get noticed if you keep hiding! You're missing the whole point of Halloween.
Willow: Free candy?
Buffy: It's "come as you aren't" night! The perfect chance for a girl to get sexy and wild, with no repercussions.
Willow: Oh, I don't get wild. Wild on me equals spaz.

Def. Costume: A set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Or a set of clothes worn by an actor or other performer for a particular role or by someone attending a masquerade.

The first really big costume I remember as a kid was Wonder Woman, except that I had been dressing up as the Amazon ever since the show came on and my cute little pigtailed brain was convinced that I was an Amazon as well. I love that my mother let me walk around the neighborhood in what was essentially my favorite pair of underoos with an embellished leotard from my dancing youth and some pleather like cuffs to ward off the bullets. I think I even had a lasso. There was possibly a lot of twirling and such. I am sure I was a total hit.

After Return of the Jedi my little brother and I went as Ewoks. I went as Princess Kira from the Ewoks comics books (which are still somewhere amidst the rest of my single issues). My brother went as a miniature Wicket. Everyone thought we were adorable teddy bears. They obviously were not all about the awesomeness of Star Wars (you know before they became a parody of themselves). There were a few geeks that loved my mother’s sewing expertise which slightly proves to me not that not everyone hated Return of the Jedi or Ewoks in general. Regardless I remember a pretty good haul that year as well as a lot of insistence on what we actually were.

Over the years I have had some wicked cool costumes: Jem from Jem and the Holograms, Princess Buttercup from he Princess Bride, A vampire Empress Josephine, A succubus, various Renaissancey maidens, May from the horror film May (cooler of body parts and all), Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, A greek goddess, Samara from the Ring, a witch and a fairy. I am sure there are plenty more I just don’t have mom’s scrapbooks in front of me. Last year I went as a lamia. This year I am thinking Alice from American McGee’s Alice games, bloody knife and all. Either that or up the awesome quotient on the Lamia costume (more scales, more snakes and possibly a snake tail peeking from beneath the gown, ooh and contacts) Though to be honest if I could be in costume on more than just Halloween I would in a second.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Costumes I want to make and wear:
One: Suckerpunch. Sweet Pea was gorgeous.
Two: Leeloo Dallas from the Fifth Element
 Three: A Venetian Courtesan
 Four: Lily from Legend (black Darkness dress) 
Five: Steampunk (It’s the bustles methinks)
Six: Splicer from Bioshock (I already have the bunny mask)
Seven: Inara from Firefly 
Eight: Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace from Battlestar Galactica 
Nine: Liz Sherman from Hellboy (now how to get some pocket fire) 
Ten: American McGee's Alice

So what have been your favorite costumes? Any big plans this year? Do tell.

31 Days of Halloween

2011-10-01T11:32:00.000-06:00

You know that the Halloween season is at hand when the Oreos are orange and black, the caramel apples are prominently displayed, costumes are everywhere, the bookstore starts displaying the ‘scary’ stuff and tv and film starts gearing towards all things Halloween like. Now I love Halloween. Always have. In fact I think I might have been all about the season while I was still a toddler. I always look happy in costume. There is something about the holiday. Even though it is getting colder there is an undercurrent of excitement. There are the pumpkins and cider, pomegranates and autumn colors. It’s the promise of the fire in the fireplace and tucking in at night. I can’t turn the channel without seeing The Shining or The Exorcist and my most beloved Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin special. I love the holiday so much that I am going to attempt to blog every day and tell you exactly why: 31 reasons to be exact. If I am lucky I might post some reviews that have been clamoring about in my brain for the past couple of weeks. Reading = easy. Writing the Reviews = Not as easy. I think it’s the typing. Needs dragonspeak or some such. Let’s see if I can do it. I dare me.

To start you off The Travel Channel has some wicked ‘Weekends to Die For’ programming which includes Making Monsters which follows Ed and Marsha Edmunds who own Distortions Unlimited which specializes in creating all of the animatronic monsters and haunted house designs which yours truly loves to go to. Assisting them in their work is movie monster creator Jordu Schell who is known for his work as a sculptor on films like Avatar, Predators, Galaxy Quest, etc. It starts this Sunday at 9pm ET/PT on the Travel Channel.

Bedlam begins tonight on BBC America which follows the residents of the Bedlam Heights apartments which are haunted by…ghosts. The first episode focuses on one of the tenants who lives and works there and who is visited by her adopted cousin who reportedly can see ghosts and glimpses of past events.

The New Kindles

2011-10-01T11:11:00.001-06:00

I am not a fan of kindles just on principal. I think it is bad enough that people don’t read anymore and that magazines are the new books as are websites. Now I am a firm lover of technology, but books are sacred. Books should smell. They should be tactile. I like my dog eared pages of a well-loved and well-read book. I like the way they look on my shelves. And yet the new kindles may make me change my mind. I may convert…only a teensy bit.

Beginning in November, just in time for Christmas for me there are new price points and pretties for the Amazon Kindle e-reader line. Your regular Kindle is lighter, smaller and apparently faster than its previous incarnations and the display reads like actual paper. It will include built in wi-fi, a book selection of more than 800,000 titles for ten dollars or less and a feature that lets you borrow Kindle books from your local public library which is sweet. Price for all of that loveliness…$79

For an upgrade, the Kindle touch has all of the previous awesomeness, but a sleeker design, the ability to store up to 3,000 books, touch screen access, a text to speech feature and the ability to access audiobooks and MP3s. It will be $99

The Kindle Touch will come with free 3G wireless that doesn’t require an annual contract or monthly fee and will allow you to download books pretty much from anywhere without Wi-Fi. It will be $149

Finally there is the Kindle Fire. Expect a vibrant color touchscreen with an extra wide viewing angle and a dual core processor. You can get movies, tv shows, magazines and of course books. Plus access to the Amazon App store which will tons of apps and games. There is a browsing feature as well as free cloud storage and Amazon Prime members will be able to enjoy unlimited, instant streaming fun. For $199 it will be all yours. Kind of Amazon’s ipad/itouch sort of thing.

You can grab the latest Kindle right now. The Kindle Touch and Kindle Touch 3G will be available on November 21st and the Kindle Fire will be released on November 15th. You can pre-order all of them right now.

Methinks I am going to have to get a Kindle or a Kindle Touch. Please Santa. I swear I’ve been mostly good this year.

Bayou Moon

2011-09-28T14:40:00.003-06:00

Bayou Moon 
Written by: Ilona Andrews
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Ace
Language: English
September 2010, $7.99
Genre: Urban Fantasy/The Edge series

Cerise Mar and her clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands. When her parents vanish, her clan's long-time rivals are suspect. But all is not as it seems.

Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge-and Cerise's life.

+++++++++++++

I have been a lot of places, but I have yet to have visited the bayou which is something I would like to do before I die. I think there is something otherworldly about it. Maybe it is the Spanish moss hanging from the trees, the stillness of the night, the way it looks as if few people have ever traveled or lived there. And then there is something primal. I blame it on the wildlife because how can snakes and gators not be primal. I can see why Ilona and Gordon would be drawn to set their story there.

We first met William, the Changeling wolf, in the last book of the Edge series when he lost the heart of Rose to his best friend Declan. Since then he has been hanging out in the Edge with his comic books and action figures (which is why I think I adore him) until agents from Adrianglian Secret Service ask him to hunt down an artifact hidden in the Mire and take out the other baddies, one of them an old nemesis, while he is out there. Why help them? Well it seems that Spider and William have a past, one that has involved them trying to kill each other for years and involves something that happened to a group of Changeling children. Spider cannot succeed because if he does Rose’s little brother Jack could be Spider’s next victim. In his quest William meets Cerise, a young woman who is hunting for her parents and who thinks that Spider may have them. Add in a budding full on clan war between Cerise’s family and another the Sheeriles, a plot with Cerise’s younger sister Lark, Swamp eels, Mutant aberrations and you have one interesting book.

Things I loved: I love the wife and husband team of Ilona Andrews as they write the Kate Daniels series which is one of my favorite urban fantasy series of late. The Edge series is difficult to classify. It really isn’t Paranormal romance as I find the lead plot isn’t really about the romance despite the fact that each book’s hero and heroine eventually gets together. It’s kind of like The Bourne Identity has some romance in it which makes me happy though not the driving force behind the novel as a whole and yet a bit more heavy on the romance than your average urban fantasy. And well let’s face it, it’s not really urban fantasy either as it takes place in a backwoods swamp where you are kind of dirty, sweaty and muggy all the time. I think someone classified it is as Rustic fantasy. Maybe that is why I like my authors, they are creating their own little genres just like the magic/tech balance and loveliness of their Kate Daniels series. One thing they do amazingly well is set their stage. And the Edge is fun. So is the Mire, the swamplands of the Edge.

As I said this is what Ilona and Gordon do best, world building. The Mire is just as interesting and full fleshed as the Edge is. Like the edge families have grown up together, survived together and carry grudges like the best of them. The Mire itself is where the Weird throws anything they no longer want to deal with so the families are used to doing whatever they need to in order to survive. It’s a hard place to live but Cerise and her family have learned to survive.

This is a long book and yet a very self-contained book. Even though technically a part of a series, it is really only the setting that is constant though characters from previous books are mentioned and occasionally seen. I love that it is its own thing. I have a beginning and an end although enough room to revisit if the authors so chose to do so, but I like that it feels like a one shot because while I love series, sometimes it is nice to have a one shot and not worry that everything will make sense if you just keep reading. Yes, there are plenty of dangling plot threads, but I am ok with finishing the ending myself and not having it written to me as a massive epilogue. And the pacing is good. There was never a time when I was wishing it was 100 pages smaller. It works because I can have everything I wanted, a romance, a thrilling plot, family feuds, monsters and characters I really start to get attached to. (Kaldar’s story is next.)

Speaking of the characters, the one thing I have really enjoyed about The Edge series as a whole are the secondary characters. In this book it is Cerise’s family every last crazy one of them. But the bad guys like Spider are great too. Spider thinks what he is doing is what right no matter how demented it is, he has become the monster and the killer so that others do not have to. I was never confused or overwhelmed by the characters. I just kind of liked them all, right down to a cute little rolpie and Lark who I just want to hug a lot and Kaldar who I want to do other things with. They actually helped develop the story and the world and each other.

And let’s talk about William. I liked him from the previous book. As I said it was probably the comics and action figures that made me like him. But you felt bad when he lost to his best friend. All he has ever wanted was a family, something to call his own. And then his best friend won all of it leaving him to his trailer moping around and feeling lonely. He’s the adorable wolf with a soft spot for children. Plus I like him far more than Declan who is just a bit too perfect. Unlike Cerise, I don’t think William was a clone of Declan with some minor changes.

Things I didn't love so much: I will say that Cerise is awfully similar in some ways to Kate Daniels with her sword as William is to Curran, albeit with differences. Don’t get me wrong swords are sexy. But again it is the this woman is my mate and I must have her because my wolf has claimed her, kind of like Curran did with Kate. And again it is their snarky repartee that belies the yeah you’re sexy vibe. Kind of like the boys hitting the girls in the schoolyard because they really liked them. Only this time I think Cerise did more of the hitting. Lord Bill. Smile. And again Cerise is very similar to Rose. You have feuding families, you have Cerise carrying the burden of the family on her shoulders, taking care of her troubled sibling and then falling for tall, dark and handsome. But the problem is I didn’t like her as much as Rose mostly because I think I was feeling too much the sense of déjà vu in, oh hey I’ve seen her before.

I also really would have loved to have more dimensions to both Lagar and Spider as well as some of the other members of the Hand. I think the potential for a great backstory was there, but kind of got left behind when developing everyone else. It takes a good author for to me sympathize or like even some of the baddies in that oh my god you’re evil and misguided and I am going to go run away screaming now.

I wish I could have had a map to get a better picture in my head of it though as this definitely expands the Edge. So now we have the Weird (yeah magic), We have the Broken (no magic), The Edge is the bits between the Weird and the Broken (Little bit of everything). Then we have the Mire which is inside the Edge and then there are the two New World countries of the Weird (Adrianglia and the Dukedom of Lousiana). It can get a bit confusing and having a visual representation would have been nice.

Finally the ending was bit too anti-climactic and while it leaves room for more in the future it was bit too tidy and neat including Cerise suddenly leaving her family behind to go to the Broken to live with William who is apparently now rich. A little too tidy thank you.

Buy or Borrow: Buy. You basically have a magical Hatfield and McCoy sort of tale that is fun and easy to read. You cannot help but get sucked into the setting and yeah if you like a bit more romance in your urban fantasy this will do the trick.

Part of: A series. The Edge Series.
Book One: On the Edge Book Two: Bayou Moon Book Three: Fate's Edge (November 2011)

Also Recommended: The Kate Daniels series also by Ilona Andrews which begins with Magic Bites. For more less urban fare, The Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris, and The Mercy Thompson Books by Patricia Briggs

3.5 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

NEW FALL SERIES: THE BEST AND THE WORST

2011-09-28T13:52:00.006-06:00

Autumn brings a lot of things. Colder weather, kids back in school, nice sales at the local mall, and new fall television. Of course every series wants to be the next highest rated, but few rarely make it. Having the amazing invention called the DVR I tape, tape tape and then weed out the ones I like, and hate. Here is the score thus far.

THE BEST:  
The New Girl: “Jess (Zooey Deschanel), a charming and freshly jilted teacher moves in with three random guys Nick (Jake Johnson), Schmidt (Max Greenfield), and Winston (Lamorne Morris). Each is at the moment where they are rebuilding their life or choosing their path. Its about four weirdos living together.” (EW) She’s going out to find a rebound. Who’s that girl? It’s Jess. Yep, I am now going to create theme songs for myself. I absolutely love Zooey. She is adorable. I have seen her concert with She and Him and if I could create my tv/movie family, she would be in there somewhere with Stanley Tucci, Emma Stone and Nathan Fillion. Seriously I have not laughed this much in a while. Eric and I were giggling far too much, we’ve decided to institute a douchebag jar and think we would be uber awesome at a Wild West party. It’s not just that Zooey is absolutely adorable, making geeky references to Lord of the Rings, but I love the other characters as well. Best new show thus far. “I like your glasses.” “They help me see.” Worth watching.

Terra Nova: Ooh dinosaurs, odd hieroglyphics, rogue Terra Nova groups and drama oh my. Terra Nova opens in 2149 in Chicago. Its not a nice place to live. You can hardly breathe, population is heavily controlled and eating an orange is like eating a $500 spoon of caviar. Things are not…cool. So it is kind of no wonder Elisabeth (a doctor), Jim (her husband played by Life on Mars’ Jason O’Mara), and their children Josh, Maddy and Zoe decide to volunteer to go on a pilgrimage to Terra Nova. Terra Nova is Earth, just prehistoric Creataceous period Earth that is accessed through a fracture in time to another time stream (eliminates the whole butterfly effect thing). It’s a one way trip but it also means a new start which is kind of what the Shannons need since they had one kid too many and Jim, a former cop got thrown into jail for resisting arrest and then promptly escaped jail…illegally and all. They get there along with the rest of the 10 Pilgrimage and find themselves under the watchful care of Commander Nathaniel Taylor (played by Avatar’s Stephen Lang who apparently is playing a similar role for Spielberg as he did for Cameron). It was fun. A nice little jaunt to Jurassic Park where you cheer when a guy gets eaten by a dinosaur and want to feed the Veggie-asaurus. But more than that it has potential. There are the Sixers (the colony that tried to stage a coup and ultimately left for their own parts of Terra Nova), what happened to The Commander for the first five years when he was living in Jurassic Park with just his knife, Who wrote the math heav hieroglyphics and what do they mean and why is the older daughter wearing River tam’s dress and boots?I think I will keep watching. What can I say it kind of makes me excited for another Jurassic Park. And what could possibly go wrong?

The Secret Circle:Apparently LJ Smith is the new hot commodity right now, The Twilight series for television, which is funny since I was a big Smith fan back when I was a teenager 16 years ago (She was right up there with Christopher Pike and RL Stine). Exec Producer Kevin Williamson brings another Vampire Diaries like teen drama. “Newly orphaned Cassie (Britt Robertson) learns she is a teen witch who must reluctantly bind her powers with five classmates and uncover what happened to their parents 16 years ago – when so many of them, also witches, died – so they can protect themselves. Naturally there is forbidden love: Cassie and already attached Adam (Thomas Dekker) are ‘written in the stars’. (EW)” Thoughts overall: I don’t do teen dramas normally, but two things made me watch to watch it. One: It made me pick up the books again which made me relive a whole bunch of adolescent memories. Two: It involves magic and being the proud pagan heathen that I am I couldn’t help but see how they were going to portray magic. I was expecting a bit of Charmed 2.0 with a new attractive cast and all of the angst and woe of shows like The Vampire Diaries. I was pleasantly surprised. Plus any chance to see Gale Harold being devilish and delicious is pretty much a plus. I am not expecting anything great, but I added this one to the Scheduled Series options on my DVR.

++++++++++++++++++++++ 
THE MAYBES:  
RingerSarah Michelle Gellar of Buffy fame returns to the CW as Bridget, an ex-stripper hiding from the mafia who goes to seek refuge with her wealthy twin sister Siobhan who just happens to ‘commit suicide’ leaving Bridget to assume her identity. Apparently Siobhan didn’t have the plush perfect life and Bridget tries to navigate all the twists and turns Of Siobhan’s life: her husband played by the oh so pretty Ioan Gruffudd, her lover, her best friend, her stepdaughter, the FBI agent trying to find Bridget and more. Admittedly I am watching out of loyalty to Sarah Michelle Gellar and her Joss Whedon days ell that and I really heart Ioan (Solomon and Gaenor…great flick. I watch it whenever I need a good cry). We will see how it eventually plays out. I am willing to give it a couple more episodes.

A Gifted Man: “Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) is a rich, handsome neurosurgeon running a concierge-style practice in New York City. Life is grand…until he begins to have visions of his dead ex-wife, Anna (Jennifer Ehle). Suddenly, Michael’s arrogance starts to crumble as Anna prods him to help the struggling free clinic she has left behind. The drama isn’t confined to the clinics: Michael will also sort out his strained relationship with his New Agey sister (Julie Benz), who believes Anna’s from-the-beyond visits are a ‘gift’” (EW) What can I say I am a sucker for the whole Ghost Whisperer/Medium type genre or Star crossed lovers or Patrick Wilson and Jennifer Ehle. I think it has the potential to be a great little drama that has some nice character stories, some medical drama thrown in and maybe a romance that will make me all warm and fuzzy. We will see though. I figure I will give it another couple of episodes.

Revenge:Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) has meticulously plotted her revenge on the wealthy family who destroyed her father and her life by whatever means necessary. This is her story and it is not one of forgiveness. It opens with a shooting, very much like a Who shot JR? sort of thing which will undoubtedly unfold throughout the season. This is coupled with the Hamptons setting and the lifestyles of the rich and devious like Dallas was. You like Emily/Amanda and while I am sure this is a bit Desperate Housewives like, but I wasn’t interested in the DH. I am interested in seeing Emily’s revenge as well as the vile Victoria get taken down a few pegs and really see how and why Emily’s father was accused of his wrongdoings. So far I enjoyed it. But I am curious to see how it will all come about. Too much backstabbing and I will be bored. Character development please. Somehow I think I am going to get it.

Prime Suspect: A reworking of the Helen Mirren starring PBS/British show about a strong, straight talking detective named Jane who has to deal with hostility from her male colleagues and well all of the bad guys she catches. Tact is not really in her vocabulary, but that is why you kind of like her. Its Maria Bello and I like her. She has that on screen swagger. And you pretty much hate most of her male colleagues. Production value was sleek and the actual crime of the pilot interesting as you navigate through all of the new characters and try to get immersed into all of it. I am not a big fan of procedural shows though of late unless you’re the Mentalist which I love because umm….Simon Baker. But I want to try it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

THE WORST:
Two Broke Girls: “Exec producer Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City) brings us Max (Kat Dennings), a streetwise cupcake making waitress and Caroline (Beth Behrs) a bankrupt ex-heiress who works with Max in a Brooklyn diner and becomes her roommate. Trying to raise enough cash to start their own business, they hand out fliers while dressed as King Tut, help a hoarder organize her apartment, and curse out anyone who stands in their way” (EW) Maybe I have been living under a rock but I don’t know who cowriter Whitney Cummings is other than her CBS Fall Preview show made me not want to watch her show. There were funny moments, Kat Dennings doing most of the work here talking about waiting tables: “I’ve been waiting my whole life, okay? I’ve waited on tables, I’ve waited in bars, I’ve waited on home pregnancy tests.” Or her bit on a certain part of a guys body that makes smart girls go stupid. As a lover of those things on men like Ryan Reynolds, I hear you. Sadly these moments of brilliance were far too few, and everything in between kind of painful. Which is sad because I absolutely love Kat Dennings the way I love Emma Stone in all of their awesome snarkiness. And its not that Beth Behrs was bad, but I was expecting greatness and it fell short. I will watch one more episode in some vain hope that the pilot just kind of sucked. EW seemed to think it was one of the top five new shows to watch. Mostly right now I am wondering how drunk they were when they made that decision.

The Playboy Club: “Nick Dalton (Eddie Cibrian) an attorney and club key holder gets entangled with a novice Bunny (Amber Heard) after she accidentally kills a mob boss” (EW). Wow who knew Bunnies could be so boring and bland which is sad as I was hoping for something more. I thought a 60’s era drama about a Chicago Playboy Club would be interesting. Mostly I couldn’t get invested into at all and watched it mostly because of David Krumholtz, a chance to Shawn Maher (both Firefly/Serenity alumni), and well the Playboy bunnies are fascinating. It’s the costume, and note to self…amazing legs equals two pair of hose. It was just an uninteresting show. Definitely not worth the effort I am afraid and I would not be surprised if it is one of the early cancellations.

Charlie’s Angels: So what do the Smallville creators do after their show ends, remake a classic of course. “Eve (Minka Kelly) the car theif, Abby (Rachael Taylor) the cat burglar, and Kate (Annie Ilonzeh) the corrupt cop – find a new mission in life working for an unseen financier named Charlie (Victor Garber) along with their man in crime Bosley (Ramon Rodrguez).” (EW) It is never a good thing when I can hardly get through a pilot because the show is so bad. Shiny gold star for confusing me and killing off one of the Angels in the first fifteen minutes, but lets face it hot chicks in designer duds cannot detract you enough from the bad acting. In fact Victor Garber’s (Daddy spy from Alias) disembodied voice does the best of the bunch. I wanted to enjoy it but I long for the days of Jacklyn Smith or even Drew Barrymore and Lucy Lui. And is it really wrong for me to wonder that no super woman can actually run after the bad guys in four inch heels? It just doesn’t work. I speculate the same way as my feet will fall off of my feet after the first set of rounds. Yes, we woman do a lot for the sake of looking fabulous, but some things just make me roll my eyes. I really do long for some kick ass heroines on primetime though. These girls just were not it.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

COMING SOON:  
Because I haven’t quite watched them yet, or because they haven’t aired. The ones loaded on the To Watch List are: Person of Interest, Pan Am, American Horror Story, Homeland, Bedlam, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, and The Layover with Anthony Bourdain.

Kitty's House of Horrors

2011-09-26T18:45:00.000-06:00

Kittys House of Horrors
 Written by: Carrie Vaughn
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Language: English
January 2010, $7.99
Genre: Urban Fantasy/The Kitty Norville Series

Celebrity werewolf and radio host Kitty Norville is sceptical when she’s invited to participate in a reality TV show about the supernatural. Being trapped in a remote lodge with an assortment of vampires, psychics and lycanthropes is hardly her idea of a time (especially the vampires!). Still, she can see that making the show could help viewers understand the supernaturals living amongst them are real people, instead of just a freak show, and she agrees to leave her husband and the safety of her pack to join the cast.

At first, it all goes well – until the morning they wake up to find the electricity’s been cut off, the phones are dead, and the crew has vanished. They’ve walked into a trap, and now someone’s about to start picking them off, one by one…

Can Kitty marshal a set of psychics, were-creatures, and starving vampires to escape – or fight back – before they are all killed?

+++++++++++++

I am a pop culture junkie. It’s an affliction I have had since I was a child. I love to watch TV, read books, listen to music, play games and all of that good stuff. When it comes to television, admittedly I am a TV whore and I thank the gods for the wonderful invention of DVR so that I can do all of my running, jumping, climbing up trees and dancing instead of missing all of that good boob tube stuff. The shows I absolutely love are things like House, How I Met Your Mother, Glee, Fringe, Haven, The Mentalist, game of Thrones, Dexter, Walking Dead and Leverage among far too many others. I have never really gotten into the whole Reality Show genre. I have never seen an episode of the Bachelor or Big Brother, maybe half an episode of the Amazing Race. The reality shows I watch are things like Dirty Jobs, The Colony (It was on Nat Geo or one of those channels which dealt with a hypothetical apocalypse…awesome in short cause I could easily insert zombies in there), and yes America’s Next Top Model and oh yes So You Think You Can Dance (love love it). Occasionally I have watched an entire season of Survivor, usually while I am doing laundry or playing on the interwebs. Anyway, reality tv not really my thing. However I loved the idea of a Big Brother with supernaturals. It makes me smile. This is probably why I picked it up, well that and curiosity about this series.

This is the seventh book in the Kitty Norville series (I know, I know bad from to start in the middle. I just didn’t know it was the middle when I picked it up). Kitty Norville is a popular radio show host who just happens to be one of the most famous werewolves in the country. When she gets offered a chance to be on a supernatural themed reality show, she is hoping that it will be what the brochure says: a chance to meet up with friends in a posh cabins in the middle of Montana while convincing one skeptic that there are things out there that may be above the normal. But apparently if you’re Kitty things are never that easy.

Kitty’s housemates in this new version of Supernatural Big Brother are what I think are returning characters from previous outings. There are Tina and Jeffrey (mediums and psychics extraordinaire), Odysseus Grant onstage magician but a bit more than that, Ariel (a fellow talk show host), a former wrestler werewolf, two beautiful vampires and their companion who have a bigger part in the scheme of things, a were-seal (yep I said it, were-seal), and one very cranky skeptic. Everything is fine. Kitty worries about doing something stupid on camera and trying to make the best of a situation. But then people begin dying and Kitty finds herself being part of an 80’s horror flick rather than a heavily edited piece of reality television gold.

Things I loved: One: I think it is hilarious that there is a werewolf named Kitty. It makes me smile. It might be why I picked up the book as I figured the humor would be there. And Kitty is just a great character. Even when people are dying and the situation is grim, she definitely tries to lighten the situation even in an utter act of desperation or the only reason why Kitty doesn’t go screaming off into the night. She just tends to say stuff audibly whereas I keep it all in the head…usually.

I think one of the reasons I liked this was it could have worked as a stand-alone and yet intrigued me enough that I want to read the others. For instance I am assuming both the husband and Cormac have played heavily in previous books and while they were mentioned I didn’t need to know everything about them. Same goes with the impending war. It felt like an X-Files or Alias episode where you had an episode of the week but an overall arc and events that will come to head in later books. Which is nice. However, I will say that I am sure the deaths that occur in this book probably would have had more impact if I had gotten to know them in earlier books. And yet minus a couple of guys, I felt invested with quite a few of them and the way they were picked off was kind of shocking. I love when authors and others (yes I am looking at you Joss Whedon or George R Martin) are willing to take away the characters you want to stick around.

Speaking of characters I kind of loved how normal Kitty’s life was despite all of the action. She is a newlywed with a husband who is a lawyer, despite the whole werewolf bit. They have a friend in prison (nice that someone actually gets consequences for their actions which doesn’t really happen in books especially if it is a character you really like) and for the most part they are kinda normal.

One of my favorite scenes in this book was when Kitty meets up with a bunch of actual wolves (well that and the Anita Blake ssmackdown earlier in the book that made me giggle out loud). It is nice to see that off little juxtaposition in there of the werewolf and the wolves. It was a great little scene but ended far too quickly and had so much potential but then nothing really happened with it. It would be nice if she added something like that and then went with it in some of her latter books.

Things I didn't love so much: If I hadn’t started in the middle I might have felt more of a loss in the secondary characters that did not make it since presumably they are from some of Kitty’s other adventures like I said. I also think Grant was a bit too much of an enigma and easily was more of a hero than Kitty was, but I wonder if I would have understood him more if I hadn’t started in the middle. This being said I still loved all of this subtext going on between Grant and Anastasia (ooh can I please learn more).

I am also curious why in urban fantasy the vampires are always the big bad. There is never really anything above them or equal to them in the preternatural food chain. I understand why this is the way that it is and yet for creatures who are handicapped fairly heavily during the daytime, you figure that some sort of creature could top them and keep them in check.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow if you are new to the series, just to see what you think and if you want to read more. Buy if you are a completest of the series like I am. While yes this book is a bit fluffy in the sense that it is more episodic rather than a heavy hitter when it comes to character development as well as overall arcing plot, I enjoyed it enough that I am curious to read more about Kitty. It was a quick fun read, every bit like the horror movies I love to watch where the monsters are hunting the human ones. I don’t think it took itself overly serious either which was nice. It is what it is and that is fun, quick paced with a lot of humor added in for good measure.

Part of: A series. The Kitty Norville series.
Book One: Kitty and the Midnight Hour 
Book Two: Kitty Goes to Washington 
Book Three: Kitty takes a Holiday
Book Four: Kitty and the Silver Bullet 
Book Five: Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand 
Book Six: Kitty Raises Hell 
Book Seven: Kitty’s House of Horrors
Book Eight: Kitty Goes to War
 Book Nine: Kitty’s Greatest Hits (Short Stories) 
Book Ten: Kitty’s Big Trouble

 Also Recommended: of course there are the rest of the Kitty novels. For strong urban fantasy heroines Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs is one way as is Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews. For more werewolf goodness there are the women of the Otherworld by Kelly Armstrong though I do like something a bit different in the Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine.

3.25 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

Ghost of A Chance

2011-09-25T15:06:00.002-06:00

Ghost of a Chance 
Written by: Simon R Green
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Ace
Language: English
August 2010, $7.99
Genre: Urban Fantasy/The Ghost Finders Series

A brand-new series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Nightside novels!   The Carnacki Institute exists to "Do Something" about Ghosts-and agents JC Chance, Melody Chambers, and Happy Jack Palmer will either lay them to rest, send them packing, or kick their nasty ectoplasmic arses with extreme prejudice...

+++++++++++++

Simon R Green is a clever, clever man. He has created a world I love in the Nightside novels which are chock full of forgotten gods, preternaturals of all types and occasionally giant teddy bears that probably just want and need a really big hug. His new series steps away from the Nightside just like his Drood series, but of course even in the real world there are still things that go bump on the night, quite possibly the day as well.

The Institute has been mentioned in both the Nightside and the Drood series, but this is our first fleshed out, here is the details sort of outing. JC Chance: arrogant leader, Melody Chambers: techno geek who will kick your ass and telepath Happy Jack Palmer, who never really is happy (who can blame him really) make up our fearless team. They are so not Venkman, Stantz and Spengler. After finishing a job at the local supermarket the team heads to an underground tube station where the shiteth hath hiteth the fan…eth. Top of that, the Crowley Project has sent their own team and they really, really don’t play well with others

 Things I loved: Ghost stories these days are fairly rare to find. Most urban fantasy primarily deals with the other supernaturals creatures: werewolves, vampires, faeries, etc. But ghosts…yeah they are not exactly urban fantasy and horrors new poster children. And I do love a good ghost story which is why Mike Carey’s Felix Castor series makes me all giggly. Or why I absolutely love movies like The Orphanage, The Others, or the Devil’s Backbone. Far better than sparkly or vinyl clad vampires. So I have to give Mr. Green a couple of gold stars simply for doing something fresh and new to the genre I love so much.

Another thing that Green is really great at are his descriptions and one wicked imagination that creates some truly horrific things that go bump in the night. Seriously that tube station would have me screaming and then possibly running head long into a wall before curling into the fetal position just to make it all go away. And then I would never ever take the tube again. His monsters and his settings are amazing. You can picture everything in your head and then it all gets ruined when characters open their mouth or the descriptions are about the characters themselves in an utterly stereotypical sort of way.

Things I didn't love so much: Which brings me to the things of course that kind of irked me. Overall this book didn’t work for me. I didn’t like JC, not even in a love to hate him and his convinced superiority (similar to Conan Doyle in the Menagerie series). He was just kind of boring and one dimensional. It was also fairly apparent of how you were supposed to love to hate him. Too forced, too already seen that and read that. And sadly while his descriptions all things oogy boogie, his bios on each character as they were introduced was just jarring and made me like them even less. This is probably because they are all characters without little depth and each of them has the I’m so much cooler than you attitude. And the villains, ok so they are evil because they are all pretty much carbon copies of JC, Melody and Jack except that they all are apparently social deviants of some sort and were supposed to hate them cause the book says so.

I also had a hard time of believing the relationship JC has later in the book. Really? Cause that made sense and was realistic and totally had me rooting for them. Ummm, no…that was my sarcastic blogging just in case you missed that.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow. I didn’t hate the book completely as I actually read the whole thing. I think I mostly disappointed because of how much I really do love Mr. Green and his tales. I wanted to love it and recommend it, but I can’t really do that. I certainly wouldn’t rush out to buy it or lend it. Though I am really hoping that the next will get better. Maybe Simon just needed a holiday or his muse had left for her own holiday in Azerbaijan. In the end the book was poorly written with stereotypical and unlikable characters, and some plot devices that made me want to scream and bang my head against a wall.

Part of: A series.
Book One: Ghost of a Chance Book Two: Ghost of a Smile

Also Recommended: Please please do not think this is how the Nightside Series which I truly love also my Simon R Green. For more ghostly mayhem I would read the Felix Castor series by Mike Carey or The Matthew Swift Urban Magic series by Kate Griffin.

3 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks simply because what Green does best is his descriptions of baddies and monsters

The Reapers are the Angels

2011-09-24T14:37:00.000-06:00

The Reapers are the Angels 
Written by: Alden Bell
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Language: English
August 2010, $14.99
Genre: Dystopia/Zombie/Young Adult

God is a slick God. Temple knows. She knows because of all the crackerjack miracles still to be seen on this ruined globe. For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can’t remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

+++++++++++++

As per usual I am on a zombie kick, though I do not know if it counts as a kick when I try to read as much as I can when it comes to zombie fiction pretty much the entire year and not just as the weather turns colder and I am looking for some thrills and chills. That being said I do know that zombie books are a dime a dozen these days whether it is in young adult or adult fiction. There are so many zombies that they even did Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. A lot of them are not very unique, but occasionally you do find a stand out. Sometimes they surprise you with the way they are written and the characters themselves (Forest of Hands and Teeth), other times on how you see the zombies themselves (Rot N Ruin) or even how realistic a portrayal may be (World War Z). There are also funny ones and then sometimes, just sometimes poignant ones. This is the case for the Reapers are the Angels.

I found it in the young adult section, though I am not quite sure I would have put it there. Now as much as I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, admittedly I am a visual person and I cannot help but be drawn by titles and pretty covers. It is one of the few things that will get me to pick up a book and actually read the back and then of course maybe a page or two in the middle to see if the prose is worth anything. I picked this up at Borders because I loved the title. And then I saw the cover and was intrigued even further with the simple design and yet creepy and interesting at the same time. Then I read the pack, chose my middle page within the book to see if its prose was worth anything and knew I had to bring it home with me.

Like many of the good ones, the zombie apocalypse has already happened. Civilization has collapsed, the world changed into something far different than the one we have now and yet real enough, relatable enough that you can picture every last detail. Twenty five years ago the zombies rose, but that matters little to fifteen year old Temple. There has never been a time without the meatskins. She hasn’t the luxury to dream of a world she one knew and yearn for it because it has never existed if but through pictures and photographs and tales from those who once lived it. Left on her own a long time ago through acts of others and sadly her own, she has traveled the desolate and blighted world in search of redemption and hope and something beautiful because surely such things must still exist amongst all of this death. Through her journey she meets many different characters: a group of men who have learned to survive in new ways, an isolated rich family who has forged on ahead pretending that nothing has happened, a community of survivors who live in a city frightened of each other as much as the landscape that exists outside their defenses and a family of mutants. Normally a solitary young woman Temple accepts Maury, a mute who cannot save himself, into her company as a way to seek redemption for herself and hopefully by the God she feels she has wronged; but also to give Maury a chance at family and a home, something she tragically threw away. All the while Temple is pursued by Moses, a man who feels that Temple’s death is the only way to balance the scales, and that will show Temple that sometimes trying to forget your past isn’t quite as easy as it seems.

Things I loved: Temple is a great character. Again like Mary from the Forest of Hands and Teeth she is not entirely without flaws. Sometimes you do not like her and that makes her all the more real because let’s face it sometimes I don’t always like myself either. She has done many things in her short lifetime, things that she regrets. Of all the monsters in the world, she sees herself as the most dangerous and vile, even worse than the meatskins that prey on human flesh. We never really know the true extent of the horror that she lives with, why she is filled with such self-loathing. She is a wanderer by choice simply because she is too afraid of herself and what she might do, not what the zombies may do to her companions. You cannot help but like her though. She is fiercely independent and strong, clever and intensely tragic because of how damaged and flawed she is. Through it all though she strives to find something beautiful, her desire to see something wondrous like Niagara Falls one of the few things that spurns her to go forward, that keeps her alive and not give into the darkness she is convinced shrouds her soul. It is amazing how she finds beauty and miracles in nature, in the way that an abandoned carousel still stands proudly and yet broken in an old town. This makes her interesting and tragic and beautiful. God I love her.

Moses is similarly a character you both love and hate. In this new world, he truly feels that the only way to make the world right again is Temple’s death. He was a man without purpose until Temple killed his brother. It matters not that it was an accident or an act of self-preservation. For Moses he now has something he must do, a destiny he must fulfill. And yet as the book unfolds the similarities between Moses and Temple starts bubbling to the surface. Not only is Moses her pursuer and assassin, but a father figure, a friend and one of the few people in the world that truly understands her. I think Moses sees a lot of himself in Temple. He too has made some difficult choices and does not absolve himself of a lot of them. Even as he pursues Temple, he does so with a code of honor. Though he is convinced of what the final outcome must be, he respects the younger woman, understands her and in some ways loves her flaws and all.

Of all the characters Maury is the most underdeveloped and one dimensional. In many ways he exists only to show just how alone Temple has been and that she needs companionship as much as she fears it. He helps her even in his quiet helpless way that Temple is a good person and he helps her discover all the things she was convinced were lost to her.

One of the other reasons I loved this book were the undead themselves. The zombies in this book are just background creatures, the set dressing really. It doesn’t matter why the zombie apocalypse happened or how other parts of civilization have crumbled or arisen from the ashes. What matters is Temple. This is her journey, her fate and her future. And yet the way the zombies are depicted is a nice change. This isn’t a world where zombies are around every corner and the driving force of the novel is merely survival. Temple is already a survivor burdened by the guilt of how much she has done in order to survive. The undead are just there, the way that a fly or a mosquito exists. She does not really fear them or hate them, they simply are. They do what they are intended to do, what nature has made them. And indeed she feels some regret in killing them, the way that we might kill a wild animal in self-defense.

The prose is also amazing. There is no conventional dialogue that you would find in a traditional novel nor chapter breaks and the like. Temple is telling you her story, in her words and in her way. Seriously, this book is worth the read just for the writing alone the way I felt the Thirteenth Tale was.

Things I didn't love so much: I didn’t like Millie nor the family at the end. They didn’t seem to fit with rest of the book. Probably because I felt like I had just walked into The Hills Have Eyes instead of the great book I had been reading from the start. It’s more of a nitpick though not something that made me stop reading. I really did wish for a different ending and yet in many ways I cannot imagine another. It just works.

Buy or Borrow: Buy. Though you may find it in the young adult section of your bookstore, I really think it should be in regular fiction. This is not due to the violence or the sexual themes and situations that do occur, but because I think anyone could enjoy it, its story and its themes. You have a mix of horror and violence, beauty, good and evil and more. I would recommend it to any horror fan, those who love zombies and books similar to The Forest of Hands and Teeth or The Passage.

Part of: Stand Alone

Also Recommended: Of course The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. The Passage by Justin Cronin, Feed by Mira Grant, and World War Z by Max Brooks

4 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

Austenland

2011-09-23T14:25:00.000-06:00

Austenland 
Written by: Shannon Hale
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Language: English
May 2008, $12.99
Genre: Fiction

Jane is a young New York woman who never seems to find the right man — perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?

+++++++++++++

I love my friend Finn. Why? Because she knows that even though I don’t read the whole cotton candy chick lit genre, she also is well aware of how much of a Jane Austen whore I am. I will say this now, I have a tendency to fall for fictional characters; Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy being one of them. Who wouldn’t? And yes Colin Firth helped this along quite nicely. So did adaptions of Mansfield Park, Emma, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion. As much as I love my oh so modern life, I cannot help but sometimes wish I lived in Austenland. Maybe it’s because I live by certain Austen rules such as my fault of treating every dating relationship like I hope it to be my last. I am a die-hard romantic. I want to be wooed. Granted wooing might involve horror films, video games and a long discussion on which Star Trek Captain in the best, but the wooing bit would be nice. There is something undeniably romantic about the heroes of Jane Austen’s novels, of the Regency era with the dresses and…well all of it really. Plus I wouldn’t have to really work. I could read, be all crafty and take long walks all day with balls put here and there since no one in Jane Austen’s world actually seems to have a job and even the poor live in manors. I think I also really enjoy that most of Austen’s heroines are spunky. They are not your damsel in distress. Sure they can be fickle and too head strong some times, but they don’t just wait to be married off as society tells them they should. I dig that. I also understand that most of Austen’s novels were social satires not chick lit romances. And yet, if given the choice, especially as a nice Christmas/Birthday sort of gift I would love to go on an immersion holiday. I am really not picky either: Austenland, Tolkienland, Dresdenland, DoctorWhoverse, Harry Potterland, TruBloodtopia, or Holmesverse, Exit to Eden….you name it. I am okay with that sort of gift. Please. Can I have?

Jane Hayes is a thirty something graphic designer who lives in New York City. She is also in love with Mr. Darcy. In fact she blames her lack of love life on Jane Austen and Colin Firth. How can any man compare or really compete with that? Thankfully her great aunt was thinking of her and provides an escape into the realm of all things Regency with a month long vacation in England. But not just any England. An exclusive resort where she will dress, dine, and interact in her very own little Austenland. Immersive therapy is the only way to go and so Jane decides that Mr. Darcy and Jane Austen in general are about to have one last hurrah before the real world makes her finally stop daydreaming and start living. And maybe, just maybe Jane can stop dreaming about Colin Firth and find her own Mr. Darcy.

Things I loved: The perfect little beach read, where happy endings abound and I find myself sighing and asking the PTB, why not me? Jane is in her early thirties, taking the long way around when it comes to finding Mr. Right, convinced that she is utterly going to end up alone and with millions of cats. I get it. So with you and feeling your pain. Her little fangirly secret…Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth which he hides in a potted plant (okay, so you lost me a bit because I sometimes quite obviously let that fangirly flag fly.) But I understand the crush. I feel the same way about Austen, Shakespeare, David Tennant and a certain Canadian named Ryan Reynolds. Oh and there are more: anything remotely related to Joss Whedon, zombies, chocolate and peanut butter, the French language, books, gaming, etc. I understand the need to reign the fangirl in every now and again, especially around less pop culture savvy mortals. Anyway, Jane gets to live out her fantasy and geekiness for three blessed weeks in what will be Regency England. Sadly I don’t get to participate with her, I just get to read about it and nod my head and hate her in the end. It’s what I do. How I cope. How I seethe with jealousy. To be honest minus those bits I just mentioned, I didn’t really love her. She was bit too air heady and neurotic and I couldn’t relate to her at first. Maybe it was because I had to get to know the girl a bit more. Maybe because there was a part of me asking why I was reading chick lit.

When she gets there, Jane can’t immerse herself in fantasyland. Not supposed to have a cell phone, well she cannot imagine living without it for three weeks so she hides her smart phone in her bra. I also understand that. As much as I may want to and love to play pretend for a month, I would be lost without at least a bit of technology. I kind of live and breathe it sometimes. Even after she gets into the empire waist and the bonnets and such, she still isn’t quite there in fantasy land. I get you sweetheart. I would try to affect and English accent but sadly probably sound like the other American woman there (what what, bloke, etc) which is why I would do a crash course with my good friend Merry so I sounded sort of authentic. Even though it was probably with a bunch of people I would never see again I would be self-conscious. So, yes, immediately related to Jane once again. But I loved that the other women in the story had varying degrees of comfort at Pembroke. And that you were not quite sure who was an actor and who wasn’t. Which is why I understood her getting with the ‘gardener for a bit’. If you dig someone and then you keep suspecting that it is all an act because he is paid to live out your fantasy as opposed to the cute actor who is willing to watch the game with you. The resort even understands this. Not everybody is so awesome at the hard core LARPing.

Jane is nervous and scared and funny without really meaning to. She wants a happily ever after, still hopes for it even when she is being far too cynical about herself. Now some people said that they hated that here we have a nice, successful woman. Does this mean she cannot have her happy ending without a man. No, what it means it that sometimes you just want to share your life with someone. If I had wanted the husband and 2.5 children thing, I could have. Instead I chose to discover who I was. I know now. And now it would be stellar to find my Mr. Darcy or My Time Lord or my Malcolm Reynolds. Or to be honest that fellow geek who will go folfing with me, not get mad when I find myself reading a book or playing a videogame for more than an hour, and who likes sushi. I understand that dream of wanting someone to sweep you off your feet, though if I found my knight in tarnished armor I would be more than happy to sweep him off of his feet. I don’t think it is wrong to be a hopeless romantic. I don’t think it is wrong to want to find that happily ever after or hope for that bubbly warm fuzzy feeling when you find that special someone. It is wrong to stop living your life and trying to find that special someone just because you need to have Mr. Darcy and only Mr. Darcy. I don’t think Jane was doing that. I think Jane was like me. Frustrated because she wants the romance which is hard to come by when you are a modern woman. But she never stopped trying even when she told herself, this is it. No more.

And oh how I loved the past relationships breakdown that are spaced throughout the narrative. Yes I could definitely relate. Like the been on three dates and now it has to be a relationship faux pas committed in my youth. Though I will spare you the sordid and not so sordid details of some of my finer and not so finer relationships.

Things I didn't love so much: Admittedly some of it did come off a bit cheesy. And yet I am not expecting Tolstoy here. I am not expecting huge dramatic plot or character depth. It’s like reading one of those chick flicks Finn watches too many of. You know how it is going to end. And you don’t care because it is fun and you smile a lot. But yes the prose isn’t amazing, the dialogue a bit cheesy and forced, certain plot elements contrived, etc. So yes, if I were really a nitpicker I could go on and on about those. But as I said I kind of knew what I was getting into.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow. And yes even though in the end it is a light fluffy almost saccharine story, I cannot help but like it. And figure if there is a happily ever after for Jane. My happily ever after is out there somewhere.

Part of: A series. Midnight in Austenland comes out in January of 2012

Also Recommended: Of course anyone who loved this and hasn't read any of Jane Austen's work, shame on you. Please go read my favorites are Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, and Emma with Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion close seconds. Shannon Hale has also done The Princess Academy, The Books of Bayern and The Actor and the Housewife all of which I haven't read yet but would like to since I loved this so much. Also, this will be a movie in 2012 starring Keri Russell as Jane.

4 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

Rot N Ruin

2011-09-22T18:12:00.000-06:00

Rot N Ruin
 Written by: Jonathan Maberry
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Simon and Shuster
Language: English
September 2010, $17.99
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Zombies

Nearly fourteen years ago a freak virus swept across the world turning those infected from the living into the undead. Benny Imura has grown-up never knowing anything different; his last memories of his parents tainted by the image of them becoming zombies. Now Benny is fifteen, and his brother Tom wants him to join the "family business" and train as a zombie killer. The last thing Benny wants is to work with Tom --- but at least the job should be an easy ride. Then the brothers head into the Rot and Ruin, an area full of wandering zombies, and Benny realises that being a bounty hunter isn't just about whacking zombies. As he's confronted with the truths about the world around him, Benny finds his beliefs challenged and makes the most terrifying discovery of all, that sometimes the worst monsters you can imagine, are human...

+++++++++++++

Anyone who knows me, or at least if you’ve been reading Confessions long enough, know that I dig zombies. Yes, I know they are the new craze (anyone excited about the World War Z movie that is currently being filmed), but I would rather have desiccated flesh than sparkly vampires any day. Point is I love zombies so I was excited that we chose Rot N Ruin from YA book club. It has been sitting in my TBR pile for at least 6 months or more. And the closer I get to autumn, apparently the more I want to read about the zombie apocalypse. Apparently the other girls in book club were excited to read this as well. Though we latter learned that some of them would be utterly screwed if Z day happened. Natalie did say that we can siphon her gas though if we would be so kind to kill her as she will undoubtedly be a zombie. I figure I would do okay. I have camping gear, live in a two story place near the mountains in Montana, own a nice selection of swords and blades, and have at least 2 weeks’ worth of food in my pantry. Though no one can tell how you really would react if it came to pass.

Now with most apocalyptic stories I always find myself wanting to know more about what happens later than I do the actual First Night or even first months or years. Its how society changes with the aftermath, how the way of life we cling to so desperately will undoubtedly cease to exist. Now I have been disappointed in young adult fiction of late. Maybe it is because I am getting older and *gasp* have ceased to relate to the average 15 or 16 year old. For me YA fiction has been frivolous and boring with its prose. I don’t relate to the one dimensional characters and I swear I was neither than vapid or completely shallow like so many main heroes and heroines. I am not sure what I was expecting with Rot N Ruin. Probably more of the same. An Empty but with zombies. I was very pleasantly surprised.

The story begins nearly 15 years after the First Night when the dead no longer stayed dead. Benny has just turned fifteen and finally must choose a profession and join the ranks of the adults or he gets his rations cut in half. He is moody, petulant and knows only one thing….the zombs ruined everything. He was only a baby when the dead refused to stay that way. And all he can remember is that his brother ran away leaving their mom and dad. It doesn’t matter that Tom Imura is one of the best zombie hunters in their town or even area. Benny doesn’t think he is all that especially since he seems to try to avoid violence at all costs not like cool zombie hunters like Charlie Pink-Eye and the Motor City Hammer. Benny tries every other profession, but in the end he becomes his older brother’s apprentice and not only learns the truth about his heroes, but that sometimes the worst monsters in this world are the ones still living.

Things I loved: I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this, especially after reading the first couple of chapters and seeing the “zombie” cards in the front of the book. But I absolutely loved the world Mayberry created. It’s a world 15 years after the zombie apocalypse where two brothers are trying to survive. Normally when you read about zombies, it is all about survival. The zombies are just flesh eating monsters. You are trained to forget that they were once people. It is an us vs them mentality. So while yes, there is a need to clear outlying areas for trade routes, etc, but what is the real purpose of a zombie hunter? The crisis for the most part has passed. Now what do you do once the dust has settled? Now I think if given a choice I don’t think anyone would want to be all zombified. And every zombie in this book was once a person. Admittedly like Benny I had an idea of what the zombie hunters did. I was biased. Then I started thinking about the emotional ramifications, the social, and the spiritual of the First Night. Tom Imura recognizes that each of those souls that he hunts and then peacefully lays to rest was once a father, brother, sister, mother, friend. Their lives were taken from them. So he strives to put them to rest and finally give both the dead…and the living a sense of peace. It’s a hard job. One that would test the limits of anyone. With carpet coats, rendered zombies that forms a liquid to mask your scent, religious cults that fight for zombie rights, and rules of the zombies (such as they gravitate downhill really makes this world seem real. The zombies here are not just a plot device nor are they merely some scary little set decorations. They serve a purpose in the story and because of them we get to see character growth. Exciting.

I also loved that this was less about horror of the zombies, but more about the horror of the humans still living. Humans can be cruel. Sometimes we are worse than the monsters we tell ourselves don’t exist. But let’s face it evil exists. I see it when I watch the news. Which is probably why I don’t watch the news all that much. And after the dust of First Night has ended, who do you think became the hunters. Not your average cubicle worker. I don’t know how to shoot gun. And I would have a hard time killing anything even if it was a zombie because lets face it would still have a face. It would still be human shaped. So I think it would take a certain sort of person to be a zombie hunter. There would be those who would get a perverse thrill, enjoy the freedom of killing and then there would be others like Tom. In a way Charlie and Hammer remind me of the biker from Falling Skies. When the aliens attacked, he had guns, bikes, and knew how to fight back. He’s in charge, not the CEO or the housewife or even the mechanic. He will do what the polite folks will not. But he is not a good man, neither are Charlie and Hammer. It’s not hard to believe that a thug suddenly not only feel that he deserves a free pass on everything, but that normal folks will let him have it because they need him to survive and keep that other world out of their deluded existence safe behind walls and gates.

This is Benny’s story but I cannot help but think that this is Tom Imura’s story as well. He has sheltered his little brother from so much in an effort to protect him. But everyone must grow up and realize that not everything is as it seems. Everyone needs to discover who they are, what their place is in this world and find out what matters and what doesn’t. While yes I do have my zombie plan, I am 88% sure that I will probably die. Mostly because I would be that idiot who wouldn’t notice that my neighbor is looking pasty or have the good sense to use someone I didn’t like as bait and trip him at the right moment. I also know that I want to live. So, if Z day happens I need to find myself a nice sweet samurai like Tom Imura to be all sweet on me. Or Simon Baker’s character from Land of the Dead. You understand what I am saying. I’d even become besties with Lilah because any girl who keeps a cave full of books after the zombie apocalypse needs to be my new BFF.

I also want to applaud Maberry for writing some decent female characters. Nix is not your typical damsel in distress and Lilah certainly is not. It was nice to have that small balance between the largely male cast.

Things I didn't love so much: More of a nitpick. The writing for Benny seems fairly young almost as if Mayberry wanted to write for the Harry Potter age group with his protagonist being more like 12 than the 15 he is supposed to be. Maybe he had to change the age due to the serious violence, themes, etc by his publisher. Maybe he forgot what it was like to be a teenager. Who knows? I do know what I was like when I was 15, despite being the fairly shy, bookish, half tomboy, half artsy little darling. I noticed boys. Yes, probably a bit self-involved and I hate the whole world sort of attitude….I blame it on hormones. But Benny’s age seemed to change with each chapter. I can seem him being this petulant, rebellious young teenager, but only noticing girls for the first time? Really? Plus he has introspective, yes I can see him as a teenager trying to figure out what is real and what isn’t in his world, really discovering who he is, then acting like a ten year old about a pack of zombie trading cards. It was just too up and down as far as the writing goes for him at least in regards to his age. I just couldn’t buy it half of the time.

Also I really didn’t feel that Nix and Benny had any chemistry, so their little romance was a little flat for me. Again I think this is largely due to the writing of Benny as a fifteen year old boy that seemed like a 12 year old a lot of the time. There are some good moments with the romance though such as Benny not understanding why Lilah staring at him in the hey, you’re a guy sort of way might bother Nix.

Some of the characters are a bit flat at the beginning of the book such as Charlie and Hammer who are more idiots with guns rather than cold calculating kidnappers and zombie killers. After all they did start Gameland (which reminds me far too much of the Hunger Games but with zombies, not that this is bad…just saying).

In the end there wasn’t too much of the bad minus some minor plot holes, nit picks. I imagine some of these might get answered in the next book so I wont dwell on them.

Buy or Borrow: Buy. If you are a zombie fan and if you enjoyed other books such as The Forest of Hands and Teeth, this would be good addition to your library.

Part of: A series. Dust and Decay (Book 2) is out now.

Also Recommended: The Forest of Hands and Teeth and the rest of the series by Carrie Ryan, The Walking Dead comic series by Robert Kirkman, Patient Zero also by Maberry.

3.75 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

Left For Undead

2011-09-21T13:58:00.003-06:00

Left for Undead 
Written by: LA Banks
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Bantam
Language: English
January 2009, $7.99
Genre: Urban Fantasy/The Crimson Moon series

Secret government operative Sasha Trudeau earned a long vacation with her lover and fellow Shadow Wolf, Hunter, after the brutal wolf-like attacks that left New Orleans in uproar. But when her team calls with news of vampire slayings, Sasha knows its only a matter of time before another war breaks out among the supernatural denizens of the world…

The vampires are nobody’s allies, but the cold hearted deaths of their own make them even more bloodthirsty…!

+++++++++++++

I was sad to read of LA Banks passing recently. Many years ago I picked up her Huntress novels and absolutely loved them. They were fun and exciting and I loved the world she had created. I hadn’t picked up any of her Crimson Moon novels for some reason though. Maybe I was bored with the werewolf thing, or maybe too distracted by the rest of my ever increasing TBR piles (yes there are more than one, possibly more than 5 or 10 actually) created. When the local bookstore closed and I picked up far too many books, I jumped at the chance to pick up some books I might not have otherwise just due to my current lack of fundage. I know it is bad form to start a series in the middle, but when Borders shut down this was the only one on the shelf.

This is the sixth book in the Crimson Moon novels. I know it is bad form to start at the end, but like I said, but I couldn’t help it. Sasha Trudeau and her lover, Hunter, are trying to relax and recuperate from their last adventure. But of course there is no rest for the…heroic? Shogun, Hunter’s brother wants to talk about his mate and Sir Rodney of the Seelie Court needs to help prevent World War III among the supernaturals. Someone is opening up high profile vampires’ resting places and all fingers point to Queen Cerridwen of the Unseelie Court. Insert faeries, werewolves, vampires, gargoyles and ancient Greek monsters…oh my.

Things I loved: Admittedly I was a bit lost. The secondary characters are less fleshed out, presumably because you already know and love them from reading the previous five books. So it took me a wee bit to try and fill in all of the blanks especially when the main plot revolves around baddies and events that occurred in the previous outing.

I will say the mythos was interesting. Apparently there are shadow wolves and then there are werewolves. The Shadow wolves are able to travel through shadows and into the Demon Realms. An interesting concept. Let’s face it if I cannot have my transporter, I will take some shadow gateways for easy travel. Okay maybe not really easy travel with the nausea and the whole Demon thing.

I also did like aspects of the story. Of course I am a sucker for anything fey. Plus you add some Greek mythology in there and I was quite happy. The whole thing between Sasha and Hunter’s brother was interesting and I was a bit sad that I hadn’t read the previous books so I would have understood that a little more. I did like the whole main plot as well, and yet I didn’t feel like this was anything new. Which is a bit disappointing. The pacing was okay, and I loved falling into the vernacular and prose that is distinctly Banks. I don’t know I was just a bit meh about the whole thing when it was over though. I am going to chalk this up to starting at the end rather than the beginning. Bad Smirking.

Things I didn't love so much: I will say that this is fairly similar to the Huntress series as far as secondary characters. Not only do you have a seer, tactical support, leader, etc except this time it is werewolves instead of a vampire hunter. So in that way I was a bit disappointed. I would have loved to see Banks go out of her comfort zone and try to have some very distinctively new archetypes when it comes to her characters. As I said, read it before.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow. In the end it was too similar to the Huntress series and I was far too lost to really feel any real connection to any of the characters.

Part of: A series. The Crimson Moon novels.
Book One: Bad Blood
Book Two: Bite the Bullet
Book Three: Undead on Arrival
Book Four: Cursed to Death
Book Five: Never Cry Werewolf

Also Recommended:If you are looking for some nice werewolf action, I would go with the Kitty series by Carrie Vaughn, Bitten by Kelley Armstrong or for a coyote the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. I would recommend LA Banks' Huntress series.

2.75 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

Side Jobs

2011-09-02T15:32:00.000-06:00

Side Jobs
 Written by: Jim Butcher
Hardcover: 432pages
Publisher: Roc Hardcover
Language: English
October 2010, $25.99
Genre: Urban Fantasy/The Harry Dresden Series

As Chicago's only professional wizard, Harry Dresden has had cases that have pitted him against insane necromancers, power-hungry faerie queens, enigmatic dark wizards, fallen angels—pretty much a "who's who" of hell and beyond—with the stakes in each case ranging from a lone human soul to the entire human race.

But not every adventure Harry Dresden undertakes is an epic tale of life and death in a world on the edge of annihilation.

Here, together for the first time, are the shorter works of #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher—a compendium of cases that Harry and his cadre ofa llies managed to close in record time. With tales ranging from the deadly serious to the absurdly hilarious—including an all-new never-before-published story—this is a must-have collection for every devoted Harry Dresden fan.

+++++++++++++

So I have a problem for falling for fictional characters. It started with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, has continued with numerous great characters. Surprisingly enough I was and still occasionally am quite shy. I remember sitting outside with a book when I was a kid wanting to be part of Nancy Drew’s little circle of friends so I could help her fight crime and solve mysteries. I wanted to be a member of the Babysitter’s Club, fall in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy and explore Middle Earth. Oh and the characters. Sometimes I want to be their friends, or have them fall madly in love with me. Other times I want to live in their worlds or just be able to say ‘hey, I know that guy’. I kind of want all of the above with Harry Dresden. I first began reading Harry after James Marsters did the audiobooks. So of course bonus there. But I fell in love with the books. Here was Harry, reluctant hero, snarky little bad ass that quite frequently got his ass handed to him. He had a great cat, a dog I could possibly ride like a small horse but whom I would lavish tons of affection on, and was just plain cool. He had flaws (you know like starting a war with some vampires), and an inner monologue that quite frequently sounded like my own sometimes. Plus he was tall. I like tall men. It means I can still wear high heels. *smile* And did I mention the snark. Harry has it in spades. Which of course in my head equals sexy along with his self-deprecating humor.

Jim Butcher created an amazing character and an amazing world in his Dresden series. And then of course he pulled a Joss Whedon on me and pulled the rug right from under me leaving me crying with his last book. I know that sometimes a series can go on forever even past its prime, but I have not felt that way about Harry. I could read about him for quite some time. I worry that this is the end. And am petrified to pick up Ghost Story. I don’t want things to change. I don’t want the magic to end. Which is why like Phoebe from Friends have put the latest novel in my freezer so nothing can change (well not literally, but you get the point and those of you who have seen that particular Friends episode just smiled).

In an attempt to go back to the good old days, I finally decided to pick up Side Jobs which had the ‘Aftermath’ story that takes place a few hours after Changes ends. Thank goodness it was the last story of the book. I was worried. I kept avoiding the back of the book. It scared me. I will admit this is silly. Couldn’t help it. And then I started reading about Old Harry, long before his hand was scarred or he had an apprentice, and definitely before things changed. It was awesome. Still don’t know if I have the courage to read the latest, but somehow I have faith in Mr. Butcher. Gotta have faith, right?

Side Jobs is a collection of the many short stories involving Harry and his brother and even Murphy. I have read a few of them as I have a soft spot of Anthologies and there have been Harry stories in things like Blood Lite, Strange Brew, My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding and more. I own a lot of them, but I am a completest when I love something, plus all of my other Harry books are Hardcover, so now this can go right next to them. There are some new ones as well that I have not read, plus the aforementioned aftermath story that is from Susan Murphy’s perspective. We have Harry before he became the wizard we all know and love, we have Harry trying to have a day off and really not succeeding and we even have a view of Harry from Thomas’s perspective.

Things I loved: I really do love Harry and I love little Anthologies/Collections especially when they involve Harry. I absolutely lobed the little notes from Butcher that tell how the story came to pass, any little tidbits, where it falls in reference to the rest of the Harry Dresden universe and more.

I love that I haven’t got bored with Harry. Even after a decade and more of books, Harry is still Harry. He’s been through a hell of a lot, but at the core he has still held onto his ideals and his morality. He is a good guy, sometimes to a fault, and even a bit chaotic good when I think about it but you love him. You can’t help it. Things have changed, but he really hasn’t which is evident from even the first Dresden story (unlike other fictional characters…cough, cough Anita Blake…cough cough who is now a supernatural porn star rather than snarky necromancer I loved).

Things I didn't love so much: I will say that normally short story collections are a good way to introduce yourself to a particular character or world. However, new fans would be pretty lost despite the chronological order of things. But true blue Harry fans such as myself will be quite pleased.

There are weak stories in this collection, which Butcher admits to, such as “Restoration of Faith” where Harry isn’t even really Harry yet. The writing is a bit poor. So it is wonderful to see how far Mr. Butcher has come not only with Harry Dresden but as an author.

Buy or Borrow: Buy if you are a Dresden completest such as myself. Borrow if you have already collected all of the other already published stories and don’t feel the need to make all the series on your shelf all hardcover or paperback.

Part of: A series.
Book One: Storm Front
Book Two: Fool Moon
Book Three: Grave Peril
Book Four: Summer Knight
Book FIve: Death Masks
Book Six: Blood Rites
Book Seven: Dead Beat
Book Eight: Proven Guilty
Book Nine: White Knight
Book Ten: Small Favor
Book Eleven: Turn Coat
Book Twelve: Changes
Book Thirteen: Ghost Story

Also Recommended: Tales from the NIghtside by Simon R Green, The Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, and the Felix Castor series by Mike Carey.

3.50 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

Sleight Of Hand

2011-09-01T15:28:00.003-06:00

Sleight of Hand
Written by: Peter S Beagle
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Language: English
March 2011, $14.99
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Fiction/Anthology
ARC from Tachyon Publishing

“Magic is back. Peter S Beagle returns with an inspired collection of new fantasy tales that showcases his incomparable mastery and range. In these tales – with settings as different as an impossible reconstruction of the Berlin Wall and the kitchen of Mrs. Eunice Giant (72 Fairweather Lane, East-of-the-Bean, Sussex Overhead) – warrior, monsters, and utterly ordinary people struggle with possession and forgiveness, life and love, hate and death…and the choices that come after everything else has been stripped away by Fate. Inside these pages:

The daughter of a Shark God leaves her Pacific island home, determined to find her mysterious father and hold him accountable for the curse of her own existence.

A dilapidated dragon, a frustrated cop, and an unapologetic author square off over a dangerously abandoned narrative.

An enchantress-to-be sings of power, desire, and the ultimate betrayal of her heart.

In a nothing diner, in a nowhere town, a woman lost in grief learns how to fool Death with one artful shuffle of the deck.

Featuring a brand new Schmendrick tale set before The Last Unicorn, plus twelve other wonderful stories, Sleight of Hand is suffused with a luminous misdirection that moves the soul as much as it fools the eye. Always ready to delight his readers, Beagle proves yet again he is a master magician.”

+++++++++++++

Like most young girls, I was obsessed with unicorns when I was a kid. I had my unicorn sticker book, the stuffed unicorns (one that actually played a tune as well when you wound her up), I had figurines and posters, all of which went so well with the Who, and David Bowie posters and a variety of other things that seemed to go well in my oh so eclectic room. So of course when I saw The Last Unicorn movie I was smitten. As far as I was concerned it was up there with Unico and later Legend. How could I not love it? The animation was beautiful and in it a lovely tale a unicorn who learns to love and regret. It makes you smile and cry. Completely magical and still remains one of my favorite movies. It wasn’t until later in life that I actually picked up the novel that Peter S Beagle wrote. Again completely smitten.

I am not sure why I haven’t read any more of Beagle’s works as I really, really should have. When Tachyon Publishing let me know about few of their new anthologies, I shook my head and raised my hand screaming pick me, pick me. Because lets face it free book sis awesome. Seriously I should work in a bookstore then again I would never make any money. Anyway, glad they picked me. I am not sure what I was expecting though out of Mr. Beagle. I suppose I expected more Last Unicorn type fantasy. I certainly wasn’t expecting to love it so much. Each story just worked for me, even the ones you only like just a little. I found magic again in this set of short stories. That is a wonderful feeling to have.

Now I love urban fantasy. Anyone can tell that it is definitely my preferred genre, but it has been a very long time since I read something that made me want to believe in magic again. You know the feeling - that childlike innocence that anything is possible and that magic and faeries and the impossible do exist no matter how many times someone tells you that they do not. We all had that as kids. I had my insisting that unicorns did exist, but were invisible to anyone who didn’t truly believe they existed and I remember trying really hard to believe when I was a kind. There was something about this new anthology that brought back those feelings. It made me smile and in a way just a little bit sad. Sad, because I am an adult now and perhaps too rational and cynical despite my enthusiastic imagination to really be able to go back to that time.

As the summary says there are quite a few different stories, each with a small foreword letting the reader know a bit of history behind each short story.

Things I loved: My favorite stories were Sleight of Hand, The Children of the Shark God, Bridge Partner and The Woman Who Married the Man in The Moon which was a Schmendrick tale. The prose was great, the stories imaginative and as I said before, it really made me long to have that magic you believed in when you were a kid.

I always find it hard to briefly summarize short stories and tell you why I loved them so much without giving them away, but I will say the stories range from humorous to heart breaking, witty and magical and I really did enjoy the majority of them. I also went and picked up my Last Unicorn DVD and watched it. Even as I write this review I suddenly have America in my hand singing about our lovely last unicorn. It gets stuck in your head. It really does.

As I said I really do love the short story format, they is when they are done right. It helps when you have someone who can master them beautifully. I am not sure why I like them so much. Maybe because it is like an episode of the Twilight Zone, they are short (which is great when you are tired and know that about a chapter and a half is all that you will get before you pass out) with a usually solid beginning and ending. It takes a talented writer in my opinion to write just a few short pages, but in those pages have created solid characters, amazing worlds and a story you don’t really want to end. I wanted more from The Shark God. I loved each of the characters so much, but it was a lovely tale with a beginning and an end. It was enough and yet not. Beagle proved to me that he is one of those writers that can bewitch you in the first few paragraphs and immerse you in worlds you forgot to believe in.

Oh and I loved the cover. Not that this means a lot, but pretty covers are nice.

So I will give you a brief overview of some of the stories. “Children of the Shark God”: yes I loved it. It is a beautiful folkloric style tale of a Shark God who falls in love with a kind yet rather unremarkable young woman. She knows that he is not of her people and who he really is, and yet she loves him all the same with such a brutal sweetness it makes you all gooey inside. She does this despite only being able to see him once a year when he collects his yearly tribute from her people. Their children however want more than just a yearly visit from an absentee father. You could say they are none too pleased with the arrangement. And as they grow older they want to understand their father. The Shark God broke my heart just as his was broken. Beautiful story.

Another stand out was “ The Bridge Partner” which was both funny and creepy with a nice Hitchcockian flair to it. “Sleight of Hand” as I said was another of my favorites. It is about a young woman who has lost everything and in her grief, anger and sorrow strikes a bargain with a dinner theatre magician who is not at all what he seems to be. And it doesn’t turn out the way you expected or how she had planned. After all it is a sleight of hand. It is a heartbreaking magical tale and anyone who has lost something dear to them can relate to its themes.

Despite the serious tone of some of the stories there is some lighter fare which is nice. “The Best Worst Monster” was automatically an adorable animated Pixar like creation in my head as I read it. The giant’s wife from Jack in the Beanstalk recounts her side of the famous tale in “Up the Down Beanstalk. And in “Oakland Dragon Blues” a fictional dragon gets angry with his creator.

Things I didn't love so much: Admittedly there are a few stories I didn’t quite love, but that is going to happen whenever you read an anthology or collection. Of course, the stories I absolutely love might be stories that others didn’t care for as much and the ones I didn’t like they love. There is also part of me that would have loved a bit more explanation on some of the stories, but that is because I really wanted to more about Beagle himself. In all there wasn’t much that I didn’t like and I immediately gave it to my friend to read because I wanted to talk about the Sleight of Hand story.

Buy or Borrow: Buy if you like collections, Peter S Beagle or The Last Unicorn. It’s a worthy addition to any bookshelf. If anything please borrow and read some of these amazing stories, which might be in print elsewhere but I hadn’t read them until now.

Part of: Stand Alone

Also Recommended: For more Beagle I would of course recommend The Last Unicorn. Beagle has also written Tamsin, A Fine and Private Place and The Line Between among some of them. I would also recommend Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman which is a collection of his short stories.

4 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks

Empty

2011-08-20T18:16:00.000-06:00

Empty
Written by: Suzanne Weyn Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Language: English
October 2010, $7.99
Genre: Young Adult//Fiction

It's the near future - the very near future - and the fossil fuels are running out. No gas. No oil. Which means no driving. No heat. Supermarkets are empty. Malls have shut down. Life has just become more local than we ever knew it could be.

Nobody expected the end to come this fast. And in the small town of Spring Valley, decisions that once seemed easy are quickly becoming matters of life and death. There is hope - there has to be hope - just there are also sacrifices that need to be made, and a whole society that needs to be rethought.

Teens like Nicki, Tom, and Leila may find what they need to survive. But their lives are never going to be the same again.
+++++++++++++

I try to be green. I really do. As my Threadless shirt says, “Stop destroying the planet. Its where I keep all of my stuff.” I cannot imagine how my life would be different if gas suddenly skyrocketed to $10 a gallon or $20. I would use my bike a lot more than I do, even if it meant biking 18 miles into work or would I just have to find a new job? Would we use horses, carpool more? Find new jobs that are close? Grow my own vegetables because let’s face it those would skyrocket too as so much is driven in from elsewhere. We’d all become a bit more self-sufficient that is for sure.

We all know that eventually the fossil fuels will be no more. What do we do then? How will our lives change. I think mostly we all hope that it doesn’t happen in our lifetime. This is the premise to Weyn’s book Empty. Lovely concept or so I thought. How different would our world be 5 years after the fuel shortages especially when people begin to hoard gas?

Finn and I were quite excited to read about the concept, hoping for another wicked Apocalypse sort of story, just one that hits a bit closer to home. So she bought copies when our local Borders closed down for all the girls in our young adult book club. Sadly didn’t quite turn out as we expected.

Things I loved: I love the concept, but I wanted more. While I liked the perspectives of three characters, they were all one dimensional and let’s face it, pretty damn stupid. I liked the news articles dispersed throughout which sadly apparently was the one way to show passage of time. I liked showing the worst of humanity in black market stuff (who knew that nail polish would become black market in this near, near future), riots, hoarders and more.

Things I didn't love so much: Lessons learned: girls should wear glasses and less makeup, people should learn to ride bikes and build self-sufficient ‘green’ homes. Oh and yes, love your Mother Earth. I hate it when authors spend so much time trying to drill a message into their readers heads that they think we won’t notice that they have a very thin plot, bad dialogue and more holes in said plot than a piece of Swiss cheese. I get that we should be saving the Planet, that we should be doing more about alternative forms of energy and becoming more self-sufficient in our personal lives and in our communities. I understand that living in a ‘green’ house would be wicked awesome. Who wants to give me a couple million to do so? I didn’t think so.

I think some of my huge issues began in the second chapter because to be honest I was actually kind of interested as of the first chapter. And then it began to go downhill. Apparently teenagers are so vapid and stupid that they are willing to go to the next town over even though gas is $25 a gallon in a gas guzzling truck. Also apparently the world has turned into Jane Austen-land where people have tons of money lying around with no apparent jobs for said expensive gas. Apparently our near future also includes people who don’t know how to ride bikes, who refuse to give up luxuries even though they cannot afford it, where no one has done their part to try and be a bit more eco-friendly and the concept of self-sustainability is about as foreign of a concept as 30 being the new 20 to a teenager these days.

Like I said before there were some great things that I liked about the book. I would have loved a more thorough exploration of what people will do for gas (siphoning, hoarding, etc). And yes the rich will continue to do what they do simply because they can. I guess what I don’t believe is that people will wait until all of the fossil fuels to dry up to change. You would think that small self-sustaining communities would prop up, and yes that others who don’t want to do the work would try and come in and take it. We’d have more smart cars, more public transportation (which seems to exist in abundance in every other country in the world except for own). We’d have more fireplaces, more gardens, solar panels to charge our electronic equipment because I am also a realist in knowing that we really don’t want to give that stuff up. None of this is even explored. Because even though it is in the new future, the town that Tom and Gwen live in has apparently been completely cut off from the rest of the planet and the ‘Green’ movement that has been happening for some years now.

Oh and top of all of Gwen, Tom and Nikki’s problems (egads she must wear glasses and not wear contacts which are made from oil, what is a popular cheerleader type to do) with gas shortage, there is a massive hurricane. This is so Weyn can show you a post Katrina like world where people use canoes to get to the drugstore, where food and medicine riots occur, and Tom can mumble for two sentences that it will suck if his mom might die to the massive amounts of mold which have compromised her lungs. Because what is important is the Green message that Weyn has to shove down your throats.

Ms. Weyn, kids aren’t stupid. It’s true that even when I was a pre-pubescent young woman and then a pubescent young woman that I was fairly self-involved. It’s a bit of a rite of passage. You forget that there is something else out there than Christian Slater and Johnny Depp, your best friend (who apparently is going to live right next door to you and you will never ever, ever grow apart), and trying to avoid doing homework. Mostly teenagers are just trying to survive adolescence in general. We forget that a world is out there. Now, I do that the generations below me are even more consumerist, self-involved and have that over all feeling of self-entitlement, but I also feel this is due to me becoming like my parents and about two years away from shooing the kids of my lawn in a crotchety old voice. I also fear it’s because my generation taught them that it was okay to be that way. (Case in point: unemployment. There are jobs out there, but there are some who would rather just have the government send them a check every month than get that drive thru job which they think is beneath them….or get two jobs. *gasp* But I digress.) Point is, they aren’t that stupid. I know as a future, far future mind you, mom if gas is $20 a gallon, you bet your ass my kid is riding a bike a lot, and you bet that I won’t be handing out precious twenties so they can go gallivanting 30 miles away….just cause. Yep, harshness will be me. Unless of course I suddenly get paid $30 an hour at my job and can afford to give said future offspring $20 which is suddenly the new $5. And a massive hidden ‘green’ home no one has ever managed to find…ever with enough food and power to help these kids town. Umm, yeah. Sure.

As I said there are plot holes aplenty, bad dialogue, one dimensional characters and well the prose isn’t amazing while we are at it. Which is a shame because I really wanted to like this book. I loved the concept and she could have done so much and still get her point across, still give a wee lesson on ecology and being earth friendly. But I think somewhere she was so obsessed in wanting to get her point across that she forgot her audience and that she forgot she wasn’t trying to write a dissertation that 16 year olds would possibly want to read. A very big shame.

Still had me thinking though, so I guess that is something.

Buy or Borrow: Borrow, but only if you’re really bored and convinced I perhaps missed something in my review. I did finish it though, and that says something right?

Part of:Stand Alone

Also Recommended: For some happy apocalypse stories of course I will always recommend The Hunger Games, Divergence or even Water Wars (though admittedly I haven’t quite read that one yet, but the cover sure is pretty and it is in my TBR pile).

1.75 out of 4 happy bibliosnark bookmarks