Saturday with Boo and Mister-- Arrgh Mateys!

A Happy Halloween to ya from Captain Jack (Mister) Sparrow and Miss Elizabeth (Boo) Swann!

Aren't those fabulous costumes? Disney shopping, clearance. I'm very proud of myself. They had exactly ONE size left of each and they were each the RIGHT size! (Well, okay, I wish Boo's were one size bigger, but it works just fine.) Mister's has boot-like covers to go over his tennis shoes, but they're big and floppy and I don't think he'd be able to walk in them... assuming he left them on to begin with. :D

One funny note-- (okay, two) Mister calls a pirate an "arrgh" and thinks all skulls/skeletons are pirates. (Boo also used to think that.)

Oh, and this is Popper, Mister's Pirate Puppy.

I think he's going trick or treating with us...

Isn't he cute? Mister INSISTED upon the pirate costume at Build-a-Bear last December. (After trying to insist upon a pro sports outfit... but any of the options available in Disneyland would have made Daddy cry. They didn't have any of Daddy's teams in any sport.)

72 Virgins by Avi Perry

3 stars
R- 3.5
Language, Violence
Source- Virtual Book Tour

I really struggled rating this book. On the one hand, it's a pretty good story. International intrigue, terrorism, good guys, bad guys... guys in between...

Arik is enjoying the idea of freedom after several years working with the Israeli military. But now Mossad wants him for an undercover mission-- possibly years long. And they're willing to go pretty far to get his cooperation. He says thanks, but no thanks, and heads off to Bali with Rachel, his girlfriend. When they're kidnapped, though, everything changes, and Arik finds himself pulled into a double life filled with terrorists bent on achieving their final rest in paradise.

But I had a hard time connecting fully with the characters. They weren't overly compelling to me. I can't pinpoint anything. Character development was good, I just didn't connect with them. And while there were things about the story that were cliche or somewhat contrived, it was, overall, a pretty good story.

On the other hand, the editing was terrible. Really really terrible. And unfortunately I'm pretty sure this isn't a galley. I hope it is, but I don't think it is.

Now, to be fair to the author, I don't think English is his first language. Which would probably explain the odd punctuation, awkward sentences and word choice errors. But that's what editors are for! So I guess the blame really falls on the publisher for that one.

As a reader though, it's VERY VERY VERY distracting. And that could be why I couldn't connect with the characters.

Which is terribly frustrating, because it's really hard to separate it all out in my head. If the editing had been good, this would likely be a fairly different review. But I'm kind of an editor at heart, and I just can't overlook blatant mistakes. They drive me crazy and they deeply affect how I feel about a book.

I would LOVE to see this redone, maybe with a bigger publisher that can provide proper editing.

Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers

5 stars
R-0

In the great British tradition, Whose Body? is a great mystery featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, who plays at detective since, really, what else is he supposed to do with his time?

Loved it, of course.

But am I the only one that hears Percy from Scarlet Pimpernel when reading Lord Peter? There's something about the cadence of speech... :D

This is the first mystery featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and I'm looking forward to reading more! Very Agatha Christie. :D

Now I just have to figure out what order the others should be read in... any ideas? I hate that it's not easier to figure out the order of some series...es... however you make that plural.

Guest Post-- Rolf Hitzer

I'm so pleased to welcome Rolf Hitzer to the blog today! (See my review of his book Hoodoo Sea.) I asked Rolf Hitzer to tell us a bit about genre classification and his inspiration for his totally unforseen ending!

The inspiration to pen Hoodoo Sea evolved from a documentary I had watched on the Discovery Channel. The program was about how technologies were advancing to achieve speed-of-light travel. My novel starts with this capability existing now in the plot and the story assumes it is science fiction.

However, just as the plot takes a twist during the test-flight through the Bermuda Triangle, the genre also moves from one place to another. As a new author this decision was taking a risk as publishers recommend against this writing style. To be honest, at the time I wasn’t conscious of the genre shift from science fiction to horror/thriller, my thoughts were consumed with the progress of the story.

Upon completion, I never read the book until late this spring when I had received the Galleys. Looking back when I was seeking representation for my manuscript, I had listed the novel in my query letters as science fiction because that’s what the first chapters were in my submissions.
Between the agent, proofreaders and editors, each had a different opinion on the novels genre. In the end it was decided to submit the book as science fiction to the range of publishers as opposed to horror, or the third label as a religious story, which had caught me by surprise. In my heart Hoodoo Sea is a horror story because good is battling over evil with the stakes being deadly. Britt, when you had posed the question as to what genre I thought the book really was, I had mentioned to you that I wasn’t entirely sure? I still feel that way.

As I was reaching the end of the novel I had mixed emotions on how the story would eventually play out. Like yourself, I don’t wish to give the ending away and I will select my words carefully. My original intention with the two characters, Scott and Deedee, would have made a feel good and predictable ending in the book. I had some anguish with the direction I ended up taking with these characters in order to have a unique story. Even now I second-guess this decision, but my desire to throw the reader off track and have them scratching their head had made my mind up on how I ended the novel. I knew it would be another risk.

My fears were put at ease when I had received an email from a reader. He is a criminal investigator and one of the things he takes pride in is his ability to successfully predict the outcome of a novel. When he had read Hoodoo Sea, he didn’t see what was coming and he was thoroughly entertained by it. That being said, I have also had the opposite opinion. Mission accomplished, I think?

Readathon Wrapup

So I finished my third book a little before 9 last night-- just shy of 12 hours reading.

And decided I was done.

Yes, I could have read more, and yeah, it was kind of disappointing to only read 3 books... especially since I've managed three books in a day other days too...

But really, I wanted to chill with my husband. Go figure, huh? He works long hours and we don't get to just chill as often as we'd like. So I figured it was a good place to stop. :D

I did read a book I own, AND a Reader's Choice book, so those are good things. :D

Next time around I hope to play for real!

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis

5 Stars
JF

Super cute and super quick.

This engaging quick read is all about Emma-Jean Lazarus, the weird outsider... and a fair amount about Colleen Pomerantz, the nice girl who cares far too much what everyone thinks.

When Emma-Jean finds Colleen, who is not really a crier (Emma-Jean notices these things), sobbing in the bathroom, Colleen asks for help. And with those simple words, Emma-Jean walks through the door that has always separated her from her classmates.

And through a series of (mis)adventures of sorts, Emma-Jean must find a way to live in this strange chaotic world. 'Cause 7th graders are nothing if not illogical.

And you know, I remember that feeling; 7th grade is a weird time. Really weird. Thirteen-year-olds are aliens, I tell you.

All in all this was a really fun, cute read that I would totally recommend.

There's also a sequel, Emma-Jean Fell In Love, which I now need to get my hands on. :D

An Evening Update

2 and a half books. That's progress, right?

In 9 hours.

Give or take. Since again, I didn't bother adding up all the little distractions... Though I did take a full hour off to help clean up toys, fix dinner (well, nuke it), and put away clean laundry. Clean laundry is my nemesis. I simply cannot keep up with putting it all away. With young children I literally do laundry at least 3 days a week and often have 2-4 loads sitting around waiting to be sorted and put away. Sigh. But I put 3 loads aways tonight. More or less.

Other distractions include Mister needing a diaper change and cuddles after his nap. He always needs to sit with me for a bit after a nap. Also, Boo getting her slinky caught in her hair. Again. Letting Mommy DO her hair would prevent this, but whatever. I'm not great at doing hair and she knows it.

But, heaven be praised, she did find Mister's Nemo book. Which is good. It's been AWOL for 2 naps and one bedtime and they weren't pleasant, I tell you. He has very strong feelings about having to go to sleep without his Nemo book. Maybe I should buy a spare... Last night we had to let him take his new tugboats to bed as consolation. All three of them.

I have weird children.

Back to my mystery/thriller/Reader's Choice that I'm halfway through!

Update 1--- Mildly Discouraged

Five hours. And only one book read. And it's not even a long book.

Sigh.

But hey, I finished it. (It was Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers.)

And I didn't track how much of that 5 hours was really spent on distractions.... Mister got new toys last night at an extended family birthday dinner and they just HAD to be opened. Boo can't find a doll she hasn't even thought about in months and months. (I got rid of it. Shhhh, don't tell her.)

And for some strange reason they both wanted lunch at the normal time. Demanding children. :D

I now need to find something more substantial to eat than the flavored wheat thins I've been eating....

And then I have to keep from dosing off. That's the other reason I've only finished one book. That whole waking up at 4:30 thing is killing me. Started to dose a few times already!

Alright, off I go again!

My Little Readathon-- Here We Go!

So it is just after 7 am my time. I've been up since 4:30.

Oh good, you're thinking. What a great jumpstart on reading, right?

Um, no. I've been up that long because my sinuses are once again invading my brain... and because Mister has decided that he needs to get up before 6 daily.

We are NOT morning people at my house. My brain does not function before 7, plain and simple. Anything earlier than that is simply TOO EARLY.

BUT, it is now AFTER 7. I have taken as much medicine as I can without causing myself problems and I've had almost all my requisite chocolate milk.... So it's time to really get started.

Even though I'm a couple of days late (what's new, I'm always late...) I'm going to include some of the memes from the weekend for updates!

Beginning with, the little mini challenge that got everybody going on Saturday.

1. What are you reading today? Um, I don't know. Sad, huh? As soon as I finish this post I'm going to go look at my library stack and pick something.
2. 3 facts about me-- I refuse to function before 7 am; I could probably eat my weight in Cheetos; my desk is an absolute disaster area.
3. How many books in your TBR pile for the readathon? I didn't make one. I have my library pile of... 17 or so books plus a stack of review books plus all the over 200 books I own but have never read. It's all fair game.
4. Do you have any goals for the readathon? Um, no. Because really at this point I have no idea what the day will bring. I'm just going to read as much as I can.
5. The last question is not applicable as this is my first "readathon" and we're stretching that as it is.

So off we go!

**If you aren't interested in Readathon updates, that's all you're going to get from me today. Sorry. I have a review scheduled for tomorrow though!**

Readathon Weekend!

CONGRATS to everyone who's finished up the Readathon!! Hours and hours read. Thousands (literally!) of pages!!

In the "better late than never" category, I spent last night and this morning reading posts and commenting-- I commented on a good 100 posts! (Since I usually sign up for comment emails, this also resulted in literally hundreds of emails!)

I tried to get all the readathon posts in my google reader, but my computer started having conniptions, so I know I missed a few. Sorry!

Also in the same category, I'm going to see how much reading I can manage tomorrow! Sadly, Shannon Hale's Bayern books haven't come in yet (I have the first three on hold!) but I've got lots of other options. It's also the last week for Reader's Choice, so hopefully I can get through a bunch of those.

I'll probably post a few times throughout the day tomorrow, but I'm not letting myself get on Twitter. And I probably won't check my Google Reader until Tuesday.

:D

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton

*Today was supposed to be my little readathon.... except that I made a huge major I-am-so-stupid miscalculation! I may still get a chance to do some reading, but not a lot. I think I'll try again Monday....*

4 stars
R- 3

Friday Night Knitting Club meets.... hmm.... Twilight? Not quite. Lisa Shearin's books? Closer maybe. Still not quite.

Chloe Hobbs, knit shop owner and Sugar Maple's de facto mayor, is 30 and single. Which is a problem when you're the last of a magical line destined to protect your little town.

Oh, and did I mention she's stunningly, disappointingly human? Not a drop of magic(k) to be found.

And with the protective spell's power weakening... well, let's just say Chloe's life is getting complicated.

Then a stranger from out-of-town falls through the ice and drowns (which seriously never happens).... and the state authorities start asking questions. Like why Sugar Maple has no police force. And why they file no death records. So naturally they send a cop. A very human cop.

Fun story. Very paranormal and more romance than I expected (much lighter on the mystery part), but still fun. Narration trades off between Luke (the cop) and Chloe, which sometimes meant I had to stop and think about who was talking, but overall I liked it.

Not sure if this is a stand alone or the beginning of a series... could go either way. (ETA: then again I could do something smart like google the author. The sequel is called Laced With Magic.)

My big pet peeve-- a minor character's name changes in the course of the book. In chapter 3 his name is Andy and near the end of the book his name is Jack. Drives me crazy when things like that happen. Not really a big deal in terms of plot and all, but still. Editing errors make me nuts.

All in all, good stuff. If you like the paranormal stuff, you should definitely try this one.

Shudder by Jennie Hansen

5 Stars

R- 0

LDS fiction

Source- review copy from author/publisher

I'm a regular reader of Jennie Hansen's blog, and was thrilled when she contacted me to ask if I wanted to review her latest work.

Shudder is an LDS suspense/fiction about two friends whose lives just aren't going quite as planned. (Though technically "suspense" isn't how Jennie Hansen intended her book to be classified, which she blogged about last week. I think it works, though.) First, Clare breaks her wrist. Under circumstances that seem more and more suspicious to Darcy... then Claire's boyfriend decides to become their new roommate. Um, no. I'm totally with Darcy on the "so what if he's a returned missionary, we're not getting a male roommate" thing.

So Darcy moves out. And things just kind of get weirder.

This was a pretty quick read and I really enjoyed it. Good characters (though Clare comes off as kind of an idiot, it's unfortunately a trap that all too many women fall into) and a fun story.

Definitely recommended and totally clean.

Oh, and over at Jennie Hansen's blog, she does contests twice a month! This time around she's offering Shudder! Go check it out!!

My Own Little Readathon

So this weekend is the 24 Hour Readathon. And of course it had to be this Saturday. The Saturday when I already have 4 overlapping things to do/places to be. At least.

Sigh.

So I'm going to hold my own little readathon on Friday. Well, I might start Thursday night. We'll see how it all goes.

Pulling an all-nighter is out of the question this time around, but I'll bet I can read a good 12 hours. Maybe. If my kids let me. :D

For everybody else participating, good luck! Have fun! Read lots!

With any luck I'll get through a few more Reader's Choice books before the end of the month...

The Crucible-- what I forgot to say

Totally forgot to put this in my review, but here it is. (You can scroll down for the rest of the review if you missed it.)

I find Reverend Hale fascinating. I really need to find some nonfiction on him, because if he really was as he's portrayed in the play.... I'd love to know more.

This man comes to Salem so confident, so convinced that he knows the town's troubles and can fix them all.

And then, slowly, through the play it dawns on him what he's unleashed on this unsuspecting town. But it's too late. Things are in motion and there's simply nothing he can do to stop it all from spiraling out of control.

And so he leaves. He leaves and travels to other towns to try to keep the madness contained to Salem.

And then he comes back-- to convince people to lie to save their lives. He knows they're inocent. He's realized what was happening in the court. And while he knows a false confession is wrong, he feels justified in saving lives.

Anyone know anything else about him? Got any suggestions of books I could read about him?

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Reread
5 stars... still :D
R- 2? nothing graphic

From the introduction-- "In 1692 nineteen men and women and two dogs were convicted and hanged for witchcraft..."

Huh? Two dogs? Seriously??

How did those trials go? "Confess, Fluffy!"

Sorry, feeling a little punchy.

Seriously, though, how does one convict a dog of witchcraft? Do you think they really hung the dogs? That's just weird. (I mean, if it were black cats that would make a little more sense...)

Confession: I absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt believe that, had I been born in Salem at the appropriate time, I'd have totally been burned/hanged/whatever as a witch.

Anyway, the play. I love this play. I loved it when I read it in high school and I love it now.

I also seriously ticks me off. People are idiots. I mean, really, who thought this process through? No one, I tell you. Confess or die. Whether you're guilty or not. *shudder*

I also love the movie. You know, the one with what's-her-name playing Abigail. You know who I mean. She's in Little Women too. Winona Ryder. That's her name. (Yes, I actually had to IMDB that. So sad.) In fact, I think I need to check that movie out from the library and watch it again.

So, anyway, if you haven't read it, go do it. It's not long. It's fabulous though.

The Way He Lived by Emily Wing Smith

5 Stars
R- 2

"Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child must work hard for a living,
But the child that's born on the Sabbath day
Is fair and wise and good and gay."

This nursery rhyme is the structure of The Way He Lived-- and it totally works.

(Even if it's totally grammatically wrong. Because as my AP English teacher liked to say: "People are who's, not which's or that's, except for those who are witches with hats.")


I mentioned this book during Banned Books Week because it's come under fire in Florida. Now I've actually read it. I sorta kinda almost see the concern..... but not really.

I'd totally give this to my teenage sister (and likely will) while there are a LOT of other books I won't, even if I liked them.

Now, if books without a ton of resolution bug you, this may not be for you. Of the 7 main characters (6 narrators, one omnipresent) you come away sort of feeling like you know what's up with... say 3 of them.

Since Joel (the title character) is omnipresent and yet not at all present, one can only draw inferences about him. Having finished the book, the only things I'm positive about-- he was a really nice guy and he's dead. There are other ideas floating around my brain, but I can't be sure about any of them.

Tabbatha is Monday's child. Except she's not the pretty one, she's the smart one. She's also Joel's older sister.

Adlen is Tuesday's child. She's the debate captain and was Joel's debate partner. Except she hates debate.

Wednesday's child is Miles and full of woe does not begin to describe where his head is at. Joel's best friend, the only one who was with him when he died, has serious issues.

Claire comes next-- Joel's little sister. And go far she certainly does.

Norah is the epitome of giving and caring... Miles' little sister all but runs the household. What no one realizes is that she was in love with Joel and is just as broken as Miles.

Saturday's child-- Lissa-- probably has the most resolution in the end. She was Joel's neighbor, Miles' girlfriend, and it's just as hard for her. But she's also perhaps the most ready to move on.

This is not an easy style to pull off. Each narrator has their own distinct voice and style. In fact, each section is written differently. One is blog entries, then there's first person and third person sections. Most authors couldn't make that work.

All in all, brilliantly written and it really makes you think. Totally recommended.

Saturday with Boo and Mister-- Mimics

You missed my crazy kids, didn't you?

I thought so.

SO. We have reached 2 very different stages of mimicry in our house.

Exhibit A- Mister the Mimic. All dressed up on his birthday. yep, he's cute.

And for the most part, so is his mimicry.

He's at that stage where he just repeats stuff you say. 'Cause, hey, I'm still learning this whole talking thing, Mom.

Prayers are hysterical. Because he'll copy what's being said whether it's "his turn" or not. And really, how do you discipline a kid for praying?

Listening to him talk to tv characters is also highly amusing. Which coincidentally is a nice segue to....

Exhibit B-- Boo the Mimic. In typical tv-zone-out mode. (Though, ironically, I don't actually think the tv was on when I took this picture. Go figure.)

Boo's mimicry is.... less cute. Let me give you an example--

"Mom, we need Oxiclean because it gently removes tough stains."

or

"Mom, Kotex pads have leak guards and move with you."

Sigh.

This is why I hate other tv stations. They show commercials. And when it's not "Mom, I want THAT!" it's repeating the promises in the commercials... verbatim. As if listening to the tv weren't bad enough.

It's just a stage, right? (And yes, she repeats lines from tv shows too. Out of context. Sometimes amusing.... sometimes.... not.) She has a freakishly good memory, but the mimicry is a stage right?

I hope so.

Otherwise she going to grow up with Mommy and Daddy constantly quesitoning if what she's saying is really her or if she's quoting some show again....

The Everafter War by Michael Buckley

5 stars
R- 0
JF- Book 7 in The Sisters Grimm
Source-- Library

Definitely the darkest book thus far. Go figure, with "war" in the title and all.

Once again, I really enjoyed this latest installment! It is darker, though. The little skirmishes of the previous books have escalated to full-on war... and Sabrina's reunion with her parents isn't exactly all she had hoped for.

Sabrina herself really does quite a bit of growing up in this book, which is good, because the whining starts to get old at some point. I only hope and pray that there's no relapse in the next one.

We also finally learn the identity of The Master-- the nefarious leader of the Scarlet Hand. I wasn't completely 100% suprised, but it's definitely a twist.

Of course, you learn it at the very end, so most of the fallout will be in the next book. In case you were wondering, and I'm sure you were, the next book (according to Amazon, at any rate) will be called The Inside Story and comes out May 1st. Figures. Yet another book I have to wait at least 6 months for.

(I thought about saving this one for Fairy Tale Week, but didn't want to wait that long!)

Snow Blind by PJ Tracy

5 stars
R- 2... maybe 2.5

Another great installment in the Monkeewrench mysteries.

Okay, I will warn you, this one is creepy in a "are vigilantes ever right in what they're doing" kind of a way.

Possibly the creepiest one yet. Well, maybe not. Dead Run was dang creepy.

The beginning is slightly confusing, as you have multiple seemingly unconnected threads to the story, but don't worry, they all come together.

We also meet an interesting new character-- Iris Rikker-- who is unfortunate enough to have a homicide almost right outside her office... on her first day as sheriff. Add in the fact that she never worked anything but the dispatch desk BEFORE becoming sheriff and you can see how bad her day is going. (And don't worry, you do in fact find out the whys and hows of her ending up as sheriff to begin with. It was kind of driving me crazy until the pieces started coming together.)

It's also creepy in a "how well do you really know people" and "what secrets do people live with" kinda way.

It's a great read, though. Unfortunately, I think I've run out of Monkeewrench books for the time being. Next one doesn't come out for about 6 more months....

Other than reading Monkeewrench first, I'm not sure it's vital to read the others in order, but for those keeping track, here they are in order:
Monkeewrench
Live Bait
Dead Run
Snow Blind
Shoot to Thrill (April 2010)

Wordless Wednesday-- The Difference

A year makes!! Happy Birthday this week, Mister!!

Fall Fesitval Recipe Exchange

Okay, yeah, the 12th was yesterday, but I love this idea.

Even though I don't cook. Really.

This great idea comes from the fabulous Amy of My Friend Amy.

Go check out all the other great recipes. I had to start a word doc to keep them all. :D Seriously, go. I gave you the link there. ^

Anyway.

When I do cook, I tend to make things up as I go. Which makes sharing the "recipe" a little tricky, but here goes.

Curried Squash

Ingredients:

butternut squash (or whatever squash. I like butternut)

fresh garlic (I used like 5-6 cloves. I like me my garlic)

You could also totally use onion.... I just don't always have any around

butter/margarine

ummm.... what else did I use?

Oh yeah--

Chicken broth (or bullion or veggie broth... whatever.)

Oh yeah, how much... um. I used like 1 1/2 - 2 cups for half a squash. It was very saucy... verging on soupy. Which is fine if you're going to pour in over rice.

curry powder-- to taste. I don't measure spices

Cumin-- just a dash or so...

salt and pepper (freshly ground pepper is my preference) again, to taste

French vanilla yogurt. Like... half a container or so... give or take...

(I warned you about my recipe-writing skills)

Okay, so you want to put the butter and chopped garlic (and/or onions) in a sauce pan of appropriate size to saute briefly. I hate to saute them too much because I feel like you lose some flavor.

Add squash (which you should have cut into chunks.... after peeling of course) and add most of your seasonings so they start really flavoring the squash.

Toss all that together for a bit (not long, mostly just to coat everything) before adding your sauce.

Here's what the sauce should be-- your broth, additional spices (I'm seriously heavy-handed about my spices) and the yogurt all mixed up well. I use a whisk.

Pour into sauce pan with the squash et al. Bring to a boil for a couple of minutes and then simmer for a while. How long you simmer will depend on a)how done you want your squash and b)how thick you want your sauce. The sauce doesn't thicken as much as I thought I would, so I ended up adding some flour to thicken it up. It was still pretty runny, but over rice that's perfect.

I actually ended up serving mine over the Parmesan Risotto I made the same night. (Which ended up quite thick and sticky, since I used a different kind of rice, but was excellent. Especially with the curry... yum.)

Clear as mud, right?

Hoodoo Sea by Rolf Hitzer

(Amazon has gone insane. If you can't see the cover, I apologize.)

4 Stars
R-2 (refreshingly clean!)
Very very little language for this type of book!
Source- received copy as part of a Virtual Book Tour

So not what I thought it was going to be. Like really really not.

How to classify it? I'm not sure. It's a bit Sci-Fi, which I expected.... a bit paranormal, okay that's cool.... and very Christian, which I didn't see coming. I absolutely cannot decide where on my shelves to put this!

And for the type of book, shockingly clean. Which I'm sure is the Christian influence, though it took me most of the book to fully make the connection. There is a little sex, but it's not in the least bit graphic. AND it reconfirms for the character why casual sex is a bad thing! Not a lot of that in books today.

It starts out as your typical sci-fi. A four person crew about to test out a brand new ship for NASA. One with light speed technology. Very hush, hush. No one knows about the test flight that doesn't happen.

All is going pretty well, until they enter freaky fog over the Hoodoo Sea-- that's the Bermuda Triangle, in case you were wondering. Then all sorts of crazy things happen. Like flying through a blue tunnel and landing in the Stone Age.... or some alien equivalent.... or something. (And through it all, second-in-command James continues to be an absolute jerk... not quite dumb or loveable enough to be the village idiot, but seriously... what a moron.)

Now, I'll be totally brutally honest here-- this is a first novel and you can tell. The writing could have used more polishing and the editing wasn't fabulous (though my copy might be a galley or ARC, not sure). And I really wish some things had been filled out more, like the tension between the US and Canada. Some of the dialogue was a bit stilted or awkward.

But hey, it's a first novel. First novels tend to be rougher around the edges. I'm curious to see what Rolf Hitzer will do in the future.

Now the ending (nope, not going to tell you) was abrupt. And utterly bizarre. And sooooooooooooo not something I saw coming.

Holy cow.

In fact, I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it, and given how much I read that's nigh unto miraculous.

And it's really sticking with me. Can't seem to get it out of my head.

Which is why I am now DYING to hear what you all think of it! So go read it. It's short, I'll wait.

:D

Make Ahead Meals, A Recipe Guest Post

Huge thanks to Jane Doiron for this fabulous guest post! Don't these look yummy?

A Delicious Make-Ahead Dessert
~Mini Cheesecakes~
By Jane Doiron

If you’re a cheesecake fan like me, you’ll enjoy this yummy make-ahead recipe!

Mini Cheesecakes
1¼ cups Graham crackers, crushed
¼ cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup sugar
1 (21 oz.) can cherry or strawberry pie filling

~A Day Ahead~
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 18 regular muffin cups with paper baking cups. In a small bowl, mix the Graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup sugar, and butter. Place 2 tablespoons of the crumb mixture in each muffin cup. Press down on the crumbs with something flat to form a good crust. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the eggs, lemon juice, and sugar and beat until smooth. Fill each baking cup with about 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture. Bake the cheesecakes for 17 - 19 minutes or until they crack. Cool the cheesecakes in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool. Place the cooled cheesecakes (with the paper liners still on them) in a covered container and refrigerate overnight.

~Before Serving~
Remove the paper liners and top each cheesecake with 2 tablespoons of pie filling. Keep refrigerated. Makes 18 mini cheesecakes

Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms by Jane Doiron

Source: E-book for review for Virtual Book Tour.

So I have a confession... well two.

First, I was supposed to pos this Saturday. Oops.

Second, I don't cook.

I mean, I know how and all, but I don't really love to... if my husband is home it's totally his job. If we need to take something to a get-together, you can bet he's in charge of that too. (Unless we're taking jambalaya or curry, which I actually make.)

And frankly, half my problem is that I start thinking about dinner at oh... 5 pm. Since my kids go to bed at 7 and generally take their sweet time eating, that just doesn't cut it.

So really I was THRILLED about reviewing this book. Absolutely thrilled!

The book starts off with some awesome time-saving tips. Dice veggies the day before, double recipes you love and freeze half for another day, things like that.

And then you have recipes. Lots of them.

One that really caught my eye-- Shrimp Dip: easy, quick and tasty!

That's like 4 of my favorite things in one!

Rhubarb Struesel Bread-- I'd never had rhubarb until a few months ago and can I just tell you, that sounds dang good.

I LOVE how big the section on Breads and Breakfast is. It just makes me happy. We really never cook for breakfast, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE to make breakfast for dinner or have muffins or breads for snacks. The Zucchini Apple Bread may simple HAVE to be made this week.

There are so many amazing recipes in this book. I'm actually excited to cook, and let me tell you, that just doesn't happen around here a whole lot.

AND, in the back of the book she's included some great measurement charts! Always a good thing to have at hand!

The Face of Evil

So, after posting about The Scarlet Pimpernel last week, I was thinking-- Some of literature's best characters... are totally evil.

For example-- Chauvelin (seen here played by a very young Ian McKellen) and Iago (seen here played by Kenneth Branagh). Love to hate 'em.

I mean, really, listen to Chauvelin singing "Where's the Girl?" and tell me there's not something freakishly compelling about the man.

No really, go, go listen now. I'll wait.

You can download it for 99 cents--Where's The Girl (LP Version) or you can listen free if you have an account on Kazaa or Napster.

Or you can watch it on Youtube-- not the most fabulous sound and it comes in part way through, but the best clip I found. (I don't like that they actually kiss in this one, though.)

But I digress. What was I talking about?

Oh yes, evil. Why is it evil is so compelling?

Iago is possibly one of the best-written characters in literature... and there's not a single nice or redeeming thing about him.

And we've already talked about Chauvelin's complexity and intensity. (And that song... *shivers*)

So what is it about these evil characters? And it's not just the men-- of all the characters in A Tale of Two Cities, the one that has stuck with me is Madame DeFarge.

And frankly, I think really good villains are harder to write. I know I could never match the complexity of Chauvelin. Not sure I'd want to try.

So what is it? Or am I the only one that's fascinated by the evil side of things? I'm not, right?

(To quote the fabulous Phineas and Ferb-- "A hero is a hero, but everybody loves a great villain.")

Clash of the Gods-- Part 2

So a while ago I did a little review on a new tv show on the History Channel-- Clash of the Gods.

Last week, I caught part of a new episode and decided it deserved a "review part 2".

The subject for the episode? Beowulf!

Now, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Greek mythology, but I was so interested and excited to see the show branching out from that!

Granted, I didn't catch all of the Beowulf episode (I was too busy finishing Sea Glass!) and while it was covered in a college lit course.... well, let's just say it must have been one of the courses I was taking in the depths of depression, because I don't remember a lot. I don't think I actually read much of it.

But I am more or less familiar with the story.

Anyway. One point they brought up that I found really interesting was that the original legends of Beowulf were rewritten with a more Christian philosophy to make them acceptable. I hadn't thought of that before, but it makes sense.

So from there a lot of the show dealt included the various Christian symbolisms and interpretations of different scenes in Beowulf.

I really need to catch a rerun so I can watch the full episode (no more On Demand at our house.... it's very sad). I'm curious to see what others they showcase in upcoming episodes! Might there be an Arthurian episode in near future?

Oh the possibilities.....

:D

Okay, so I wrote this post days ago-- BEFORE the episode on Tolkien (which I cannot decide how to spell).

The Tolkien episode was interesting, though I really wish they'd made it a 2 part and gone into more detail! There's SOOOOOO much in the Lord of the Rings, let alone looking at The Hobbit or The Silmarilion (which is also likely spelled wrong-- sorry).

Really, they just scratched the surface.

It was really interesting, though. I recommend catching a rerun!

The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

You thought I'd forgotten, didn't you?

But I hadn't.

But I almost wish I had.

You'll note this review has no ratings. Because I don't know. I didn't finish it.

I wanted this to be a light, happy, funny tale. And in some ways it was... and then it also wasn't.

(And can I just say, the cover is really bugging me. Their heads are all cut off. Grr.)

Maybe I'm a shallow reader, but I didn't want to deal with the tensions in her marriage (which she was causing, though she didn't mean to) or the Bishop who just didn't come across as all that caring, or any of the rest of it.

***SPOILER ALERT***

And I sure as stinkin' heck didn't want to deal with her husband dying of cancer. (And yes, I actually wrote yesterday's post BEFORE reading this, but hello, way to illustrate my point.)

It's contrived. First his marriage breaks up then her husband dies, clearing the way for them to fall into each other's arms. (I did read the last chapter.)

Now, before I get flamed into obscurity, I'm sure it's not that simple. There were a good 150 pages I didn't really read, so clearly something else happened, but still.

And, frankly, it makes their whole friendship a bit... suspect.

I have mixed feelings on the subject of having close close friends of the opposite gender other than your spouse. I have always been one of those girls who gets along better with guys, and yes, there are still a couple I'm fairly close to, but not so close that it would threaten my husband or infringe upon our marriage in any way. As time passes, we talk less. Not because there's anything wrong with our friendships, but just because that's the way life is.

But at what point does a friendship become an emotional affair? Can you really have THAT much invested in another man emotionally? (I'm feeling flashbacks to the Jayson Wolfe books..... similar problem, but not quite the same. It's a little different if you were like siblings before your marriage. Heck, it's a little different if you KNEW each other before.)

Anyway, I'm bugged. And yes, I absolutely acknowledge that a) the dialogue was great and b) if I were in a different mood or had known it was more serious, I may have had a completely different opinion.

I'm sure this book totally works for a lot of people. If it sounds like your thing-- check it out. There are lots of laugh out loud moments. Overall, though... not working for me.

Hail the Almighty Love Triangle

Actually, please don't. I'm getting sick of them.

There's only one good way out of a love triangle-- bring in another character to make two couples.

The more common ways out, however, are--

1. Kill someone off
2. Make someone a bad guy
3. Leave someone hurt and despondent

Now, assuming both guys (aren't all the triangles a girl and two guys? Seems like it.) are equally likeable, none of those solutions are going to make readers (or viewers) real happy. (Yeah I know, there's the occasional "everything just works out fine" but really, how many of those are there?)

But it gets so predictable. Last week my husband and I weren't even half-way into the pilot episode of a new (to us, anyway) tv series when we started discussing when the one guy would die since the other was clearly going to be the love interest in the long run.

Which brings up another peeve.

Why is it that tv shows feel the need to draw out romantic tension to the point of the insane??? I'm sorry, but if you let the characters get to the point where the only natural thing to do is put them together, will you please for the love of all that is good and holy STOP TRYING TO WRITE CRAZY SCENARIOS TO KEEP THEM APART! It's ridiculous.

But we've bought into this as a society. Shows tank when they give in and put the characters together. Now in terms of writing, I figure there are 2 reasons for this. One-- the show was not strong enough without the romantic tension, or it got so wrapped up in the romantic tension that it can't survive without it. Which I call bad writing. Two-- the characters shouldn't really have been put together to begin with. Which I also call bad writing.

Okay, I'm putting away my soapbox now. And having some chocolate. :D

Tidbits You May or May Not by Interested In...

** Clash of the Gods on History Channel tonight-- The Monsters of Tolkein.
How cool is that? I mean, really. I'm so there. (I am a nerd)

** It has been snowing at my house today. Sigh.

**I think I have a migraine... again. Double sigh.

** Boo's hair is possibly long enough to donate to Locks of Love again! Hooray! (She's so sick of hair brushing that she wants her head shaved.) Mine's long enough too. Double hooray!!

**.... Nope, that's all I've got.

Sea Glass by Maria V Snyder

5 stars
R- almost 3

I love Snyder's books.

I really need to go reread the Study books. I miss Yelena and Valek.

Now, don't get me wrong, we see Yelena in Sea Glass, but we see more of her brother than of her. I love Leif, so that's okay.

In some ways, Sea Glass is a typical "no one believes me, but I'm right, so screw them all I'll do it myself" kind of fantasy, but it's also more.

And I SOOOOO didn't see the ending coming... holy cow. What an awesome twist. (Nope, not going to tell you what it is. You'll have to read it.)

And can I just say, I am finding a nice, normal romantic relationship kind of refreshing. I'm getting tired of love triangles and romantic tension drawn out to the point of ridiculousness.

I now absolutely CANNOT wait to read the third installment in Opal's story, but I have to wait. Never fear, though, the statement in the back of Sea Glass saying that the next book comes out in 2011 is a MISTAKE. It will be out in 2010. Phew. I believe the intended title is Spy Glass and I'm seriously going to go nuts waiting.

So go forth and read, folks. But if you're new to Maria V Snyder's work, start with Poison Study. Everything makes far more sense when you start at the beginning.

Saturday with My Bookcases

So there's a new challenge over at S. Krishna's Books that I've been debating. A Clear off your Shelves challenge.

As in actually reading books you own. With a percentage as a goal.

Which means needing to actually know how many books you own that you've not read.

I actually gave up counting eventually, estimating the last bit, but the number is alarming.

Somewhere in the 250-275 range. There are around 40 on my mystery shelf alone-- that I haven't read, not total books. And just for the sake of full disclosure, no, I'm not counting reference books, text books, or our nice old classics that we have because they're cool. If I were, the number would be much much higher. And we won't even talk about the kids' picture books. I know I haven't read all of those.

Now, over at S. Krishna's Books, her goal is 40%. I don't think I'm that crazy... I mean daring... committed? Whatever it is, I'm not it. To read 40% of my books in 2 months (the challenge runs through the end of November) would be.... slightly insane. I read fast, but that's like 100 books!

So yeah, 40% isn't going to happen.... And really, October is also the last month for Reader's Choice and I'm very very behind. So I'm not sure what to do.

I need this kind of challenge. I never read books I own. Unless I'm rereading them. Books I own have no due date!

I think rather than a percentage, I'm just going to declare a number. I shall try to read 20 books I own. Hmm... 20.... yes, 20. I'll make some of them my yf/jfs to save time. :D

I think I may be insane.

The Scarlet Pimpernel-- A Multimedia Review

This was the absolutely beautifully brightly stress-free part of this last weekend-- seeing The Scarlet Pimpernel at Hale Centre Theatre!!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the music-- I'm totally wearing out the cd. Or I would be, if I hadn't just ripped the whole thing to my computer. But still. Seriously, it wouldn't be at all shocking to me if my kids started singing about the guillotine around the house.

This was my chance to finally see it live.

If you live in Utah (well, northern at any rate) and haven't been to Hale Centre, you really really need to! They do a fabulous job.

The woman who played Marguerite was FANTASTIC! Though sadly it seemed like the leading men fell slightly short. Percy Blakeney was played by a great actor who clearly has a great voice, but his acting got in the way of his singing a bit, which just didn't work for me. The real sadness, however, was Chauvelin, whose singing just kind of... fell flat. Don't get me wrong, he had a fine voice... but the emotion and depth just wasn't there.


Chauvelin is evil, don't get me wrong. But there's such a richness, depth and passion to his character-- especially in the musical! He has some of the most passionate, gut-wrenching songs in the whole play! Now I'm not saying the guy was a bad actor, I just think he may have been miscast. Or I caught him on a really bad day. Heaven knows the pollen in the air is killing me. Maybe he has allergies.

Now in the movie, Chauvelin was played by Ian McKellan. Can't go wrong there, right? Though sadly it's not a musical. I love musicals. Raised on 'em. (Though my parents did get rid of Grease after my 7-ish year old sister was singing "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" at the top of her lungs while riding her bike around the neighborhood.)

Anyway-- I did like Jane Seymour as Marguerite, though if I were trying to think of who to cast she wouldn't spring to mind. And I quite like Anthony Andrews as Blakeney.


It's interesting to compare the movie and the musical. In the musical, how and why and when Blakeney becomes the Scarlet Pimpernel is a little more clear than in the movie, while in the movie (I think it's in the movie... I guess it could have been the book) Marguerite running off to France makes more sense.

The movie and musical combine elements from more than one of Baroness Orczy's books. There's a whole slew of Pimpernel books. I've read at the very least... 2 of them. They start to run together, but I enjoyed them.

It's been a while, so I can't speak to how clean they are. I don't remember anything major. I wouldn't, however, recommend taking any child under 12 or even 14 to the play. (I was amazed at how many young kids were in the audience!)

All in all, I recommend the books, movie and play!

Really, I do. The music in the play is brilliant. There's more than one soundtrack option, and while the Original Broadway Cast Recording is my preferred listening option, you should really try the The Scarlet Pimpernel (1991 Concept Cast) (also sometimes called the Miami Cast, I believe) which has a couple of songs that didn't make it into the final production. "Now When the Rain Falls" is a personal favorite.

(This could be the longest review I've ever written.)

September-- a Retrospective

Because what I usually call these posts escapes me at the moment.

(I warned you yesterday, my sinuses are taking over and I have very little intelligent to say.)

Anyway.

12 books in September.

8 of those were read in the first week of the month.

Hmm. There's something unbalanced about that.

3 were Reader's Choice, 3 were rereads, only one was a JF, one was nonfiction, 2 virtual book tours, less than half of the 12 were mysteries. :D

Also muddled through some more of Mormon Scientist. I'm starting to think I simply won't be able to finish it. Sigh.

Interesting note-- only 4 of the books were stand-alones. I read a lot of series. Only 3 of the books I read in August were stand-alones. And here I thought I wasn't more interested in series than I am stand-alones. Interesting what numbers can tell you.

Speaking of Numb3rs... I still haven't watched the season premiere. Something else was on my husband wanted to see and since I can watch Numb3rs online, he won. (Actually I wanted to see the other thing too. Though it completely escapes me at the moment what said other thing was. Hmm.) All I have to say about the Numb3rs premiere is if they try to go back to Charlie and Amita hemming and hawing about their relationship, I may scream.

Just you wait, I have a whole post dedicated to ranting about such things next week.

I know, you can't wait.

:D