Confessions of a Shopaholic

All these fabulous things are happening for her and Rebecca Bloomwood is still shopping. She’s probably not even near being recovered. Of course, if she was, there wouldn’t be a series of books about her. Confessions of a Shopaholic was fantastic. Easy to read, hilarious and exciting. I could barely put it down!

I love the change in Becky. Yes, she is definitely still a Shopaholic, but she’s realized what is important. She grows up, though the final letter is very ominous. I’m sure it is part of a nice set up for the next novel. Which I’m absolutely going to read. Sophie Kinsella has me hooked.

Check out her website!
http://www.sophiekinsella.com/

Homeland

R. A. Salvatore’s Homeland is religious fanaticism to the extreme. What really happened to the drow people to make them this way? There is no love or happiness or peace. There are only schemes and betrayal and the quest for power. There is no family loyalty as we see siblings killing each other for their places in the hierarchy.

In Drizzt, we find something different. Did Drizzt inherit some kind of innate goodness from Zaknafein? We see Zak as someone good who is trapped by the rules of drow society. He does what he can to stay true to his beliefs, but he trains warriors and kills for House Do’Urden. With no where else to go, Zak thinks this is all he can do. There is compassion in Vierna, we see it in scenes with both Drizzt & Zak. As Zaknafein thinks, if he had the time with Vierna that he had with Drizzt would she be more like her little brother?

Is this compassion in Zak’s blood? Are there any others who share his bloodline? Like Vierna, are there priestesses who must flail themselves for having “impure” thoughts? Are there males, like Drizzt, who don’t want to kill, but are forced to become warriors. Is this just an enigma? Or could all drow leave the ways of Lloth if they were given a different upbringing, a choice?

I see in the Academy children being given weapons and told to kill. They are berated with hate-filled rhetoric each day. Each day, they grow to detest peoples and races they’ve never even seen. When someone questions this “schooling” they are made an example of. I find this a familiar scenario in our world.

Children of Men

Children of Men was intense. By the end of the movie, I was on the edge of my seat in anticipation. I wanted so much for there to be a happy ending. I wanted to see hope restored to a hopeless world. But even the ending had me yelling at the screen.

My husband asked me, as we were really beginning to understand what the world had become, would/could this world actually be a reality. My answer was, yes. Could you imagine the panic if we were suddenly unable to have children? What would be the point of anything? No children, no future. Nothing would be maintained; nothing new would be built. What is the point of progressing with technology or anything if there would be no one around to appreciate it? It would be watching the slow decay of our species.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

What a great novel! I could barely put it down. I probably could have sat and taken in the whole thing in a day if I had the time. It is just so interesting. So fanciful and real at the same time.

I loved the characters! I loved the step-sisters. They weren’t so evil after all. Cinderella wasn’t the perfect maiden either. The step-mother was a little evil though, not totally. Her goal was always to create a better life for herself and her daughters. She just did not always abide by her own moral preachings.

The reader sees how reality can create a fairytale. If these actions are passed into history, if words are misconstrued, it can evolve into a magical story. I love the twists at the end. I love the epilogue. I love that the real ending to this tale isn’t tied pretty with a bow. There is love and hate, life and death.

The Halfling’s Gem

Bruenor survived. I’ll take their explanation. In the Forgotten Realms, it seems plausible. Especially with his recover time before he joins the others. The Halfling’s Gem wouldn’t have been the same without him.

Almost a perfectly happy ending though. Everyone is at peace. Goals are reached. A grand party about to ensue. Then Regis arrives. The beginning of a another adventure, yes?

I have to say, I’m hooked. I want to know what happens to these characters. Not just the main characters, but all the interesting people they’ve met along the way. Alustriel, the Harpells, Malchor. They’ve traveled to such interesting places too. I know that I’ll be lost in the Forgotten Realms for years to come.

Stranger Than Fiction

Stranger Than Fiction was so existential. It was like Descartes’s evil demon. But you eventually could hear the evil demon narrating your life. You knew things were happening to you because of the evil demon. You decide to search for the evil demon. When you find her, you realize, this demon is not evil. She’s just a writer trying to tell a story.

There’s also an essence of determinism/pre-determinism here. How many choices are your own? How many have been decided for you? Does free-will play a factor in Harold Krick’s story? Could he have changed his story if he wanted to? We could even talk about cause and effect. Harold’s appearance to Karen certainly caused her to make a change. The narrator’s voice caused Harold to change his behaviours. There is just so much to think about with this film…

Streams of Silver

Streams of Silver was very exciting. I could barely put the book down. Every day I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to Drizzt, Bruenor, Wulfgar, Regis and Catti-Brie. They are just so fabulous. I really do like that Salvatore includes strong female characters in his testosterone filled novels. There are no characters more manly than Drizzt, Bruenor and Wolfgar, each in their own way. I enjoy how each character has evolved from the first book in The Icewind Dale Trilogy. They learn more about the world, each other and themselves. I was concerned that they would become just standard fantasy archetypes, without depth, but that is not the case. The world around them is changing, so they change too.

Spoilers Below


Bruenor fell down the gorge on the back of a big black dragon, while on fire! How could he possibly survive?!? On Fire!!! My husband told me that fantasy novels are a lot like comic books. No one really dies… at least, not that often. The main characters always find a way back. If Bruenor just fell down the gorge on the back of a dragon, I could maybe believe it. The dragon broke his fall or something. But he was ON FIRE! That’s the part that gets me. He’s not Gandalf! Some all powerful wizard. He’s a dwarf. He may be an excellent fighter and a very wise, learnèd dwarf, but he’s a dwarf… and he was ON FIRE! Did I mention that he was on fire? I’m a little stuck on that p

Anil’s Ghost

Anil’s Ghost really is haunting. I finished it a couple days ago and it’s still with me. Of course, I read In The Skin Of A Lion and that’s still with me too. Michael Ondaatje is one of my favourite authors. I know when I pick up one of his novels, I will not be disappointed.

The reader really feels for Anil. She’s so displaced from her heritage. She just got out of a destructive relationship. She is unsure of her relationship with her “best” friend. She comes to a country that should feel like home and she feels like a foreigner; Anil is foreigner wherever she goes. The story is so intense and mysterious. The ending leaves so many questions.

Something I really liked about Michael Ondaatje’s writing is the way he introduced new characters to the storyline. It was done it through the whole book, but I only became consciously aware of it when he introduced Gamini. Instead of having a character come into the story, then give the reader a little back ground on him, Ondaatje gives each supplementary character their own little story. Before Anil and Sarath come across Gamini, we learn about him in a separate chapter. I noticed this too with the introduction of Palipana, but only with Gamini did I realize he was consistently doing this.

I wonder how the Sri Lankan government responded to this novel…

Spiderman 3

I feel like I just watched three Spiderman movies. There was a lot packed into the last 2½ hours. It felt crowded. You definitely had to pay attention.

Though that wasn’t difficult. I found myself sucked in, not just feeling for Peter Parker, but for Mary Jane. Maybe it’s a girl thing, but I empathized so strongly with Mary Jane as we watched “Spiderman” with another girl. You could definitely feel for Harry too. The action sequences were so well done; the effects were fantastic.

Was it the best of the three? Some say yes, some say no. I say no. I think I liked the second one the best, in terms of story at least. The third movie does leave it open for a fourth installment, though I’ve heard that’s not guaranteed. I think I’d only like to see a fourth one, if they had Harry come back. There’s something about the dynamic between the three friends that makes you want to watch them. I don’t know how, just bring him back. Or maybe I just have a crush on James Franco.

The Prestige

The Prestige was surprisingly great. I suppose I didn’t take much note of it when it was out in theatres. We decided to watch it this past weekend, I had only vaguely heard of it. I did not realize that I would be seeing Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson. All actors that I think are fantastic. They were fantastic in The Prestige.

There were so many twists and turns. The story constantly looked back to the past for the answer to present problems. The movie is haunting; filled with death and secrets and lies. It is with me still. The twist at the end is so unexpected. Though, it seems obvious now. The simplest answer, after all. However, with everything that happened during the course of the story, the end could have been anything.

No Day Long Enough

This book, No Day Long Enough contains an article written by my husband's grandfather. He had a phD and taught at U of T. The article is about "explosives and propellants" research during World War II. He was literally a rocket scientist.

chapters.indigo.ca: Books: No Day Long Enough

For further information, check out the following website:

http://www.campxhistoricalsociety.ca/activities.htm

Taltos

I think Michael is my favourite character through the whole Mayfair saga. He’s resilient & clever. He loves his wife and has given over everything to be with her. He contains an innocence that the rest of the Mayfairs lack. Michael doesn’t submit to destiny, he tries to make his own fate. He believes in everyone’s innate goodness, until they prove him wrong.

Did Ash realize his beautiful redhead was Michael’s daughter? I think he did when Michael waved to him at the porch. Ash only wanted the best for his people. Maybe he finally found it. No more lonely towers.

Taltos is likely the best of the three Mayfair books. In my opinion, at least. I enjoyed it far more than The Witching Hour and Lasher. I was eager to read every word. I found myself thinking about the story throughout the day. I would have to tear myself away constantly. If time permitted, I could have read the book in a day or two.

I wonder what will happen to Rowan… To Michael… To young Mona… Mary Jane, Pierce, even Morrigan. So many of them are young. So many of the Mayfair witches could have a story to tell.

Murder in Mesopotamia

What a great story! I thoroughly enjoyed Murder in Mesopotamia. Agatha Christie was such a brilliant writer. Her characters are always so vivid. They have their outward appearances, but as the mystery goes on, Hercule Poirot, the greatest detective, gets deeper into their personalities. Little tidbits are revealed.

Murder in Mesopotamia is the third book of Agatha Christie’s I’ve read. [See previous post (http://loniseye.blogspot.com/2006/08/abc-murders.html) The ABC Murders.] Though the detective (star/hero) is Hercule Poirot, the story is always told from someone else’s perspective. In this case, Nurse Leatheran is given the task of writing an account of what occurred when Mrs. Leidner was murdered because there has been some kind of public questioning of the events. Poirot is not even the person who asks her, it is Dr. Reilly, a common associate. I have noticed that it is always someone different who narrates the case, someone who was involved, but who is also objective. Nurse Leatheran certainly makes her feelings about all individuals involved (including Poirot) clear. I suppose it would be difficult to fully describe the machinations of the detective’s mind and perhaps it is a way for Christie to keep the reader guessing until the end.

Ghostrider

How lame! It started off looking like a movie from the 80s. On the whole it only had a couple good points, but nothing that made up for the entire lack of originality. Some parts were close to the actual comic, but I would totally sacrifice that for a movie that was entertaining. I was sorely disappointed.

This is the Ghostrider! The ride with Carter Slade was just cheesy… I was waiting for them to team up, only to have nothing come of it. There need to be more effects, more fight scenes! Not just him taking out the bad guys. There was no real battle. Those elemental things were no challenge for him at all! Maybe they tried to make up for it when Ghostrider fought Blackheart, but even that was bad. It could have been so much better.

I think the actually script was okay. If you listen to the words they’re saying, there is real potential there. It’s just how the words and scenes were interpreted. Eva Mendes was a good choice for Roxanne. I just don’t think she really got a chance to show her anger and then her eventual move to forgiveness and understanding. She goes so quickly from ‘I love you’ to ‘I hate you’ to ‘I love you again’ without much thought. Nicolas Cage… well… I think he might have been too old to play Ghostrider. I don’t care that he wore a rug and whatever else to look younger, that’s fine. I think he could have been a good Ghostrider too, if they (especially Slade) didn’t insist on calling him ‘kid’ all the time. So maybe it isn’t that he was too old, maybe it was that they were trying to make him younger, because seriously, Nicolas Cage is 42.

It had potential and they messed it up. Just because X-Men, Spider-Man and Fantastic Four have spawned amazing franchises, does not mean that ever comic movie can. It lacked something. More than something, it lacked a lot. Hopefully, they’ll learn that they can’t ride on the coattails of excellence, they have to make it for themselves.

Inkygirl: Daily Diversions For Writers

Interesting blog. Funny comics and good links. Check it out!

Inkygirl: Daily Diversions For Writers

Vote for the Worst

I checked out this website today: Vote for the Worst. One of my bosses said I should take a look. He, myself and another co-worker watch American Idol all the time (even though we're up in Canada), because it's entertaining. I missed last week's episode where Brandon was voted off. I wasn't terribly surprised, I didn't think he would win. But I was a little surprised to find out it wasn't Sanjaya. He's a cute kid, but I think he's too young for this competition. I also think he's a good singer, he just doesn't use his voice well enough. This is when my boss told me about votefortheworst.com. I've read through some of the site and these people have a point. This show is constructed to make good television, not just good singers. I don't think I'd necessarily do what they wanted, but it's an interesting way to see how the general public can control one of the most popular television shows and the media.

Some of the people who email this site are really mad though. They're telling whoever runs Vote for the Worst to "rot in hell" and saying a lot of other angry things. I think that's a little extreme. One persone did say that they should use this power they've garnered for world peace or ending poverty or something like that. I agree. The internet is a powerful tool and if it can get a few hundred thousand people to vote for one particular singer, maybe it can get all those same people to donate $1.00 to the One Campaign (US) or Make Poverty History (Canada). That's the kind of power I'd like to see.

I definitly think you should check out votefortheworst.com. It's hilarious. But afterwards, do a good deed, just so your karma balances out. :)

Lasher

Welcome to the world of Lasher, the demon/ghost/spirit that has attached itself to the Mayfair women for thirteen generations. Why? That’s how many generations of breeding it took the spirit to create a witch powerful enough to give birth to it… to make it flesh. He is the Taltos, ready to breed and make more of his kind.

They fight. Rowan fights to regain her life. Michael fights for his wife. The Mayfairs fight to keep the family safe. The Talamasa fight for something we’re not exactly sure of. Lasher fights to live.

Lasher is filled with all kinds of twists and turns. You feel one way about the demon, then sympathy arises. But is it part of his power? Are his words designed to make you want to help him? Is it all lies? You really want to know.

I thought Lasher was a great book. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series of the Mayfair witches. There is now a connection with the characters. I want to know what happens to them. I want to know if Michael and Rowan will ever be happy.

300

Absolutely Fantastic!! Utterly Amazing!! I thought 300 was fabulous. It is the most beautiful war/action movie I’ve ever seen. The fight scenes were beyond intricate. They were graceful. There was a sheer beauty to each moment, each movement. Every frame could be a still photograph. Completely visually stunning.

Through these images, a real, emotional story was told. You feel for these men. These warriors stand for Sparta and all of Greece with no support. They fight for their freedom. In every second you watch, you can feel their struggle. Queen Gorgo was the perfect counterpart to King Leonidas. She was strong and fought for Sparta. This was a woman who would do anything for her husband. She is a warrior in her own right, skilled with a sword and ready for her battles.

Even the music was brilliant. It flowed with the story perfectly. It never seemed out of place or inappropriate. It only served to enhance the feelings on screen. The composer was wonderful.

I think I am running out of words to describe this movie. I loved it! 300 did not need any big names or hype. The story and images are worth seeing all on its own. The acting was perfect. It has validity, talent and substance. I want to see it again.

Men With Brooms

I love this movie!!! It’s so funny and super sweet. I love the big world of the small town. It’s so Canadian. With a special appearance by The Tragically Hip. Paul Gross, Leslie Neilson and Molly Parker just made me feel so good today! Men With Brooms keeps you smiling the whole time. There’s not much more I can really say about it…. I loved it. I could watch it a hundred times and still keep laughing. Everyone should watch it.

Check out the official website on the men and the brooms!
http://www.serendipitypoint.com/menwithbrooms/frameset.asp

PRISM international

I’ve been reading a few issues of PRISM international (44:4, 45:1 & 45:2). It is a literary journal produced by the University of British Columbia, though no member of the UBC faculty or students of the Creative Writing program may submit their work for publication. However, after graduation, there is no stopping them. The journal includes short fictions, non-fiction, poetry and interesting artwork on the cover. I do have to say, I’ve read some great work from some amazing authors. I’ve also read works not to my taste.

In issue 44:4, PRISM published their fiction contest winners. Honestly, I didn’t really like the first place winner. It was well written and a decent story, but I found it too “regular” or something. The second place winner, to me, screamed second. It was a great story, but something in it said that it couldn’t quite make it to first. I thought the third place story, Ingénues by Ibi Kaslik should have won. It was an amazing story. Utterly fantastic. I loved Mara. I hope to hear more from this writer. Below is her website. She has a book out too… I think I might be picking it up.

http://ibikaslik.net/

45:1 is the following fall issue. I think it contained a great collection of stories. I found many of the stories interesting. 45:2 came in the mail not that long ago. I love the front cover art (I don’t always like the front cover art). It also contained their Non-Fiction Contest winners. [Non-fiction bothers me a little bit. It’s the internal knowledge that what I’m reading pretty much happened and what I’m reading could be quite disturbing.] The winner and runner up were both quite compelling. I encourage the purchase of this issue for just those two pieces. PRISM is one of the few literary journals I find myself returning. They seem to regularly choose amazing authors with intelligent work.

Visit their website for more information:
http://prism.arts.ubc.ca/index.htm