A new wonderful fantastic romance novel!

I am not a huge romance novel reader, mainly because I think they can be pretty trashy, but I just read this amazing novel that just barely came out called Uneasy Fortunes. The sexual tension is beyond amazing and all you get is some great kissing. Click here to read my review at my other blog! You won't regret it!

Need a gift for a boy 9-14 years old?

If you are trying to find a gift for a boy late elementary to jr high age, check out my review of Noah Zarc by D Robert Pease over at The Crooked Word. It's a space/time-traveling adventure and would be a perfect gift.

Epic series!

The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


4.5 stars is more accurate.
Good grief! I had such a hard time putting this book down. Which didn't bode well for my sleep since it's almost 600 pages long. You wonder (at least I did) when you first start reading this series, knowing it's an epically long series - how can Jordan stretch this story out over that many novels and still make it interesting? By being inhumanly talented as an author and storyteller, that's how.
The short of it? The plot thickens! Duh duh duh! :)



View all my reviews

A powerful story of human connection

The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was published in 1996, so too long ago for "The Crooked Word" to review it. So I'll just post it here :)

This was a book club read. I thought at first it was going to be your normal high school drama, but was so pleasantly surprised that it pretty much ignored most of that. What a beautifully written story of.... how do I even describe it? It's a powerful story of human connections. There you go. And it is so perfectly realized! It slowly draws you in, and then before you know it, you cannot put it down until you find out what happens! But, even beyond wanting to know what will happen is just the desire to spend as much time with these characters as possible. They feel so real and fleshed out.
I highly recommend this book to anyone!

The Speed of Dark

Doesn't the title alone intrigue you? It did me!Click here to read my review at "The Crooked Word" about this insightful and moving novel told from the point of view of a functionally autistic man offered a "cure."

SYTYCD has ended... now what to do with my Wednesday nights?

A (mostly) brilliant season of SYTYCD has ended and now my children will be able to play outside on Wednesday and Thursday nights instead of being ushered inside so mommy can "watch her show." :)  So very many memorable dances this season (and some seriously silly and amateur ones as well)! Perhaps I'll bother you with some YouTube vids of my faves another day when I have time :) But, for now, a link to an editorial I couldn't agree with more about the guest judges:   http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2011-08-11.shtml
Yes, I know, it's written by Orson Scott Card. I promise, I don't always agree with him. But, this is almost the exact article I would write (if I could think straight when I have time to blog) about the differences in approaching guest judging between Christina Applegate (charming, interested in the contestants, helpful) and Lady Gaga (I can't think of phrases to aptly describe the wretchedly horrific, attention-greedy antics).
Just scroll past the review of The Rise of the Planet of the Apes if you want.

Q&A with Orson Scott Card

Anyone who has ever talked to me about books probably knows I have a slight obsession with the author Orson Scott Card. When my husband and I were first married he suggested I might like some of Card's books. I started with Stone Tables, a fictionalized recounting of Moses and the Ten Commandments. I was hooked. From there, I devoured every book of his I could get my hands on and have since read almost every novel, numerous short stories, and regularly read his reviews and political rants on his website (www.hatrack.com). Ever since I read his novel Saints, it immediately became one of my all-time favorite novels. It cozily socializes with the likes of Gone With the Wind, The House of Mirth, and Anna Karennina in terms of epicness, heart-aching beauty, variety and breadth of character, and an honesty of storytelling that is requisite in any truly great story.
Saints follows the Kirkham family through their fall into poverty in Manchester, England in the early 1800's, their subsequent trials and struggle to rise above all that is thrown at them, their introduction to the Latter-Day Saint missionaries, and their moving to and settling in Nauvoo, Illinois where even more heartache and drama are thrown at them. Now, this book was not written for an LDS (Mormon) audience - Card has stated it was written specifically for a non-LDS audience. It deals very bluntly (moreso than any other fictional story I've read) with polygamy, but does not  apologize for, explain, nor justify. It merely explores what some people's experiences with that practice may have been. But not even polygamy is the central topic - it's background. It's part of the setting.
What sets Saints apart from the above-mentioned novels, I believe, is a strength of character that rarely occurs within fiction. Most of the characters in Wind, Karennina, and Mirth are barely hanging on through their trials, bitter, and/or completely engulfed by the ravenous waves of their misfortunes. While Saints certainly has its share of weaker characters, Dinah Kirkham and several others are streched beyond what almost anyone can endure and they endure it. Are they perfect? No! But, that's what helps them be even stronger characters. You don't empathize with perfection. You empathize with a human with foibles and follies who struggles to cope and endeavors to grow from their trials and heartaches.
It took a few years for me to recommend this for our neighborhood book club. Firstly, it's over 600 pages long. Secondly, I did worry that some would be offended by a humanized characterization of the LDS prophets Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. I was very relieved to hear they had the same reaction I did - it only increased their love and respect for these amazing men!
In preparation for leading the discussions, I tried in vain to find a Q&A with Card that was Saints-centric. Failing at that, I contacted him through his assistant on his website to see if it would be possible to submit some questions from the ladies in my book club that he could answer in time to discuss when we met. Despite his many other writing obligations, he consented. I would obviously like to thank him for his generosity! Everyone was very impressed that he took the time to answer our questions!
Before I copy his answers, I would urge you to go purchase this novel, or get a copy from the library. The cover of my copy says, "An epic of independence and devotion, of hardship and fulfillment . . . of a woman so strong that knowing her could change your life." In my case, that absolutely turned out to be the truth. This story of strength and struggle has become a part of me and my perspective in life. It isn't religious fiction - it's historical fiction! Don't not read it simply because the characters in the book believed in a different theology than you! Don't cheat yourself out of reading an inspiring tale of people who sacrificed when they discovered what they believed to be truth!

There are some spoilers in these questions and answers, so if you want to go into the story fresh, don't read this until after you finish the novel.


Here's the Q&A unedited:


1. What inspired you to write this story? Do you have ancestors that came from England or that lived in early Nauvoo ?

None of these characters is based on my own ancestors — I’m a great great grandson of Brigham Young and Zina Diantha Huntington, but they appear in the book as themselves.  Instead, I wanted to do a story very loosely based on the life of William Clayton — my father-in-law, noted LDS historian James B. Allen, wrote a biography of Clayton (writer of “Come, Come Ye Saints” and the scribe who recorded Section 132 and followed JS into plural marriage), and I have used many incidents from his life to provide the core of the story.  Dinah is my own invention, but everything that happened to her happened to somebody.  In a way, though, EVERY Mormon gets adopted into the great pioneer heritage, and what so many Mormons don’t remember is that a large portion of the Mormon pioneers weren’t Americans!  They began their lives as urban English people in the heart of the industrial revolution, so crossing the plains and founding Salt Lake was far more radical to them than to the American converts.  We all are their heirs, whether our genealogy traces to them or not.

2. I’m interested to know if Dinah giving up her children was based on a true story — did that come from a journal for example?

I read several journal accounts like this — several women were faced with that wretched choice.  But remember that in that era, children legally belonged to the father.  If women left their husbands for any reason, there was no chance of their taking their children with them.  What a wrenching choice!

3. Why did you have Porter Rockwell say to Dinah that she was Joseph’s Rachel? I wanted Dinah to be truly happy but this didn’t sit well with me when Joseph chose Emma. What was the character/or you thinking at this point?

Joseph Smith, from all accounts, loved his plural wives and regarded them as real marriages.  But his relationship with Emma always came first, if only because they had been through so much together.  Just because he believed that the Lord required him to set the example in plural marriage did not change the fact that it was terribly painful to do something that he knew would hurt Emma so badly.  So from one day to the next, I imagine that different feelings dominated in JS’s heart.  We get this idea sometimes that people in the past must have had only one attitude or one set of feelings, but human beings have many feelings and attitudes, often contradictory ones, and we are rarely able to sort them out in any rational way.


4. In your mind did Mary, Hyrum’s wife, know about plural marriage or was she strictly thinking she was helping convince Dinah to teach when she suggested that John Kirkham walk her to the neighbors so that Hyrum and Dinah could talk?

I just don’t remember what I had in mind.  If it isn’t clear in the text, I can’t help you.  I wrote this more than 25 years ago!

5. I’ve heard the story of Heber being willing to give Vilate to Joseph and I’m wondering if there is any account of this in a journal that you’ve read or if it’s just Mormon myth (as far as you know). Likewise, the story of Emma getting angry with one of Joseph’s wives and her falling down the stairs. Is there any truth to this?

I read the account in a fairly authoritative source based on Heber’s own account.  If you want, I’ll try to find the original source on that.  (I got all the research material from my father-in-law who was, at the time, Assistant Church Historian.)  Remember, though, that just because something has a source doesn’t mean it’s accurate.  Memory changes, people notice different things, and stories bend to fit present needs.

The falling-down-the-stairs story is more mythic than the Heber/Vilate account, which is definitely accepted by the family as true.  The fall down the stairs is part of the folklore attached to Eliza R. Snow, but she herself never said any such thing to anyone.  Doesn’t mean it wasn’t true.  And Eliza was considerably older than Dinah — she may simply have had a miscarriage and other people came up with a story that blamed Emma.

6. What was the concept behind John Kirkham coming back and claiming he wanted redemption just to sin with a prostitue? When it seemed that toward the end of the novel he had given up that life for good. What do you feel the turning point was for him? Was it when Dr. Bennett hurt Dinah? Did he truly turn his life around?

Everything I had to say about that is in the book.  I created these characters as believably as I could, making them behave in ways that real people behave.  But in general terms, I don’t think people have many “turning points” in their lives.  We are who we are, and while we might deceive ourselves sometimes about our motives or intentions, your core nature will come out.  If you’re a deeply good person, you’ll eventually overcome your pride and selfishness; if you’re truly strong, you’ll overcome temptations.  And if you’re not so good, or not so strong, then that, too, will surface, because your commitments fade in the face of attractive opportunities to sin.


7. When you are doing research for this kind of novel, how do you know what sources are trustworthy?

You don’t.  You make your own measured judgment based on what you know about human nature and the other behavior of both the source and the people the source is talking about.  Fortunately, in fiction I have a lot more wiggle room than a historian would have.  Readers aren’t supposed to take my speculations about motive as “the truth” — merely as one author’s best guesses.


8. You have said people are bothered most by things that actually occurred — can you give a few examples of those?

The idea has been around for years that Joseph’s plural marriages were all spiritual — he never actually consummated them physically.  But it was regarded as very important in the early days of polygamy to affirm that JS did in fact have real marriages with these women.  Emma’s supporters who did not embrace polygamy liked to put it about that JS was never really married to anyone but her, so there are conference talks and many testimonies by early brethren that polygamy wasn’t just preached by JS, but also practiced.  Many people want to deify JS and put him on some lofty plane where he doesn’t touch real life — but that’s simply wrong.  JS was a real person, with foibles and quirks, and he had a physical life as well as, and along with, his spiritual one.  Deifying our prophets is actually the opposite of what we should do — it puts them out of reach, as if they were not participants in human life.  It gives people the idea that we ordinary people can never attain their spiritual level.  The truth is the other way: They are real people and prone to mistakes like the rest of us.  They face all the same temptations and have all the same pleasures and pains.  So if we don’t match their spirituality, it’s not because we CAN’T, but because we haven’t chosen to do so — spirituality, like repentance, is equally within the reach of all of us.

9. Do you think Dinah’s children grow up hating her? Did they ever forgive her?

I always wanted to write their story, too.  I think their reactions would have been different, and vary over time.  When young, they would have been angry and severely hurt; older, having experienced life, some of them would have come to understand her, while others never would.

I think if you get a chance, you should look at Kim Catrall’s experience on the tv show Who Do You Think You Are.  Her great grandfather abandoned the family when her grandmother was little, and she tracks him down.  What he was thinking simply can’t be known — but the responses of the children are fascinatingly diverse.

10. Do you feel Robert was a bad brother because he tried to control others’ lives? Or, was he just misguided, though well intentioned?

Some people think they know best.  They truly believe they’re helping.  And sometimes they really are.  But often it’s also pride and the evil desire to control others.  Fortunately, it’s up to God to judge our motives.  If there’s anybody who has NEVER tried to force someone else to do “the right thing,” raise your hand!  Well, if you raised your hand, you’re just delusional, because you HAVE.  You just didn’t admit it to yourself.  When you withhold information from someone “for their own good,” you’re forcing them, deciding for them in ways they might not have decided for themselves.  And nobody’s motives for such a thing are pure.  You might think you know best; you might be right! — but you’re still keeping someone else from making their own decision.  So I don’t really think of whether Robert was good or bad.  He simply believed he had the responsibility and the right to decide for other people, and under law and custom at the time, he did!  It’s not as if he had Section 121 to guide him in exercising his stewardship.  It is the nature and disposition of almost all men ...

11. Did you have O. Kirkham say Dinah and Charlie’s hymns and poems are mediocre to show his characters critical view? Or because you didn’t want to seem to be basically touting poetry that you essentially wrote?

I don’t actually like O. Kirkham that much.  I know a lot of people like him, and it’s very important to them that people realize that they’re “superior people.”  So I’ve heard a lot of people speak with contempt of Eliza R. Snow and other early Mormon writers.  When they do, they merely reveal their ignorance of the period and of literature, and their arrogance and their hunger for the high regard of others.  It’s just sad.  The poems I wrote are of the kind that the Church’s best poets were writing at the time.  Fashions have changed — but what gets praised today by people like O. Kirkham is actually quite wretched, in my opinion.  Most people who take pride in being intellectuals are merely entrenched in their ignorance.

12. The short blurbs on the title pages of each section, are those the view of O. Kirkham of the events? Or yourself?

O. Kirkham.  Not me.

13. Is there any documentation that Joseph ever have any children by  any of his plural wives?

None whatsoever.  There were claims in the 1850s and 1860s that there was one child born to someone, but these are pious rumors and there is no believable claim.  He may have slept with his plural wives, but NOT OFTEN — his life was too confused, and he was in hiding too much of the time, plus he had to conceal polygamy from the public.  So it’s not really a surprise that JS didn’t father other children.  (The Eliza-falling-down-the-stairs story may have been invented simply to explain why he didn’t have children by his most famous plural wife.)

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2"

When has there ever been a movie franchise (let alone one that's based on books) as successful as Harry Potter? I remember when the books were super popular when I was in high school and I refused to read them (mainly because they were super popular). I can't remember exactly why I decided to read them, I think curiosity finally won out. The books don't get any good until book 3 (movies are the same, in my opinion) - and then they continually get better with each book (and again with each movie).
Who could have known those kids cast as the leads those many years ago would actually grow into very credible actors? Anyhow, the movie...
It has all built up to these 2 hours and 20 minutes and what a climax it is. Now, I'm usually not a big book vs. movie person - they're such different mediums that I don't think comparison is really fair. However, there were some things I missed: the timing of Neville's heroism (I know why they did it, to build up tension, but I feel like it's a bigger moment for Neville in the book), and going back into the headmaster's office after it's all done and the reaction Potter gets from all the old headmasters).
Other than those two things though, it was SUPERB!!!! I balled like a baby, I'll admit it. A few times. The music is perfectly intense where it needs to be. The "last stand" at Hogwarts is fantastic! The break-in to Gringott's had me on the edge of my seat. The two things with the most emotional resonance were the Resurrection Stone with his family (though his poor dad didn't get much of a moment with him) and Snape's memories. Gah! Alan Rickman is one of the most talented actors out there, and I always thought he was oddly sexy. But I digress. The way the imagry combines with the acting and just the revelation of the truth is overwhelming! LOVE IT!
So, if you actually haven't seen it yet, get a babysitter if needed and go!
I only wish I could have seen it in a full theatre (we went to a matinee) - I'm sure there was much clapping and whooping (especially when Mrs. Weasley calls Bellatrix a B****!), but when there's only 10-15 people in a huge theatre, there isn't usually too much vocalized reaction :)

I feel the same was about the movie as I did about the last book:
This is soooo much better than a Harry Potter movie/book deserves to be!

By that I just mean that it excedes all previous installments by so much that it really is only bound to them by the material of the story and not by the calibur of presentation.

9/10 Stars

A good intro to Sondheim's music

There are some shows by Stephen Sondheim that I don't like the music ("Sunday in the Park with George" being one), but overall, I really love that his songs sound like conversations that just happen to be sung. If you want a good introduction to some of his best music performed by an uncomparable cast (Ruthie Henshall, George Hearn, John Barrowman, Bronson Pinchot, and Carol Burnett) then you need to get the DVD of "Putting it Together." It's a musical review with a very flimsy storyline only meant to provide some sort of excuse for the next song. But, they wink at that fact.
The songs are taken out of their original context, obviously, and modernized a bit - I personlly like it!
I seriously cannot say enough good things about it! Here are a few of my most favorites that I could find on YouTube (be aware there is some language and suggestiveness, moderate PG-13 stuff, but just so you're aware):


This first one is Carol and Ruthie killing it on "There's Always a Woman" - comic genius:



And how do you not put the next vid of Bronson Pinchot after that entrance! This is "Buddy's Blue's" - a hilarious look at someone who always wants what they can't have and never wants what they can:



This is possibly the best rendition of "Hello Little Girl," originally from "Into the Woods," where the wolf sings to Little Red Riding Hood. George Hearne plays it like a dirty old man and his voice is pure perfection!



Gah! How do I only choose a few?! Okay only 3 more. I wanted to put in "A country House," which is the perfect example of his songs sounding like a conversation, but whoever had it on YouTube before took it down :(
So, once you get past the fact that Ruthie sings through her teeth sometimes, her control over her voice is inhuman! As evidenced in her rendition of "More" (originally from the motion picture "Dick Tracy," and makes Madonna look like the ametuer singer she really is)And pardon the quality of the picture, it's the only posting of this:



Speaking of inhuman control (and inhumanly good looking!) John Barrowman could sing the telephone book and I think I would still want to listen. Here he's singing "Marry Me a Little" (a completely immature look at marriage)



And lastly, one of the great group numbers. A fast paced one with insane harmony (as befitting Sondheim!):



And there are many many many more gems! I rented it from the library, so you should be able to get it from there. But, I definitely want to own this at some point in the future!

Fantastic fantasy novel...

Eona: The Last Dragoneye by Alison Goodman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the sequel to "Eon: Dragoneye Reborn," and while you could probably read this without having read the first - I would still recommend reading "Eon" and then "Eona." This is just as fast-paced (well, perhaps a little bit slower) as the first and such a page-turner!

The summary on Goodreads is as follows:

"Eon has been revealed as Eona, the first female Dragoneye in hundreds of years. Along with fellow rebels Ryko and Lady Dela, she is on the run from High Lord Sethon's army. The renegades are on a quest for the black folio, stolen by the drug-riddled Dillon; they must also find Kygo, the young Pearl Emperor, who needs Eona's power and the black folio if he is to wrest back his throne from the selfstyled "Emperor" Sethon. Through it all, Eona must come to terms with her new Dragoneye identity and power-and learn to bear the anguish of the ten dragons whose Dragoneyes were murdered. As they focus their power through her, she becomes a dangerous conduit for their plans. . . .



Things I love about it:



A love triangle, but it isn't really a choice between two people she loves.



That all parties involved are powerful - no one is on unequal ground.



The characters are sometimes petty, obtuse, greedy, untrusting. Yes, that's on my list of things I like.



The characters also take big leaps of faith in each other, overcome selfishness (sometimes unintentionally) to protect one another.



The dragon storyline and the twist at the end are fantasticly surprising and yet feel inevitable because she set it up so well.



The intrigue and betrayels.



The pull of power on Eona and that it's truly a tempting god-like power.



Both "Eon" and "Eona" are in my top ten favorite fantasy (I count series as one entry) and are next to "Bitterwood" and sequels for dragon stories. Even if you don't like dragons, these are wonderful books!



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3 fantastic independent films!

I often worry about watching any independent films, you know, with the lack of MPAA ratings and such. Also, some of them tend to apparently believe that you need to be avant-garde or raunchy and "cutting-edge" to be good. So, I stick to those that are recommended, or you can tell by the trailers will be okay. Speaking of trailers, I've included the trailers as well.

Anyhow, I've recently watched three very different, but all superb indies.

1. "An Education"

Firstly, this has a stellar cast - Carey Mulligan (one of the Bennet sisters in P&P), Olivia Williams (who I loved in Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse"), Alfred Molina, and Rosamund Pike (also from P&P, she's so luminescent!), and the superb Emma Thompson. Those were just the names I recognized.

Carey plays Jenny, a 16-soon-to-be-17-year-old student working toward being accepted into Oxford. You're not quite sure how much of this is because she wants to, or her father (Molina) wants her to.

Then she meets David Goldman, an adventurous man over twice her age. David is played beautifully by Peter Sarsgaard (and by beautifully, I mean it's a nuanced and complex performance). Jenny gets caught up in David's world with his friends Helen (Pike) and Danny (played by Dominic Cooper, who seems to just ooze sex appeal with no apparent effort).

I have to admit, I got concerned that this was glorifying what I saw as a potentially dangerous and very inappropriate relationship, but, without spoiling anything, it's not.

I really enjoyed this and found it very touching.

7 out of 10.

2."Sweet Land"

This movie was so fantastically realized! "Twilight" fans will know Elizabeth Reasor, but only by name. She is wonderfully unrecognizable as German immigrant, Inge, who has come as a postal bride for Olaf, a Norwegian farmer in rural Minnesota. The problem is she has arrived post World War I and Germans are viewed with, at the very least, suspicion, if not outright hostility. Alan Cuming is uncharacteristically subdued as Frandsen, Olaf's more outspoken friend. He's married to level-headed Brownie, played by Alex Kingston (who, I guess, was on ER).

Listen, all the performances in this movie are exceptional, from the accents that almost everyone has (American, German, Norwegian, and in between), to the quiet yet compelling realization of their divers characters. But, above and beyond all these is Tim Guinee, who plays quiet Olaf. To have very few lines and have to act almost everything out through looks and reactions, but still get across what you need to is so underappreciated it's almost laughable. His performance is sweet, but strong, a bit naive, but smart. I just can't see enough good things about him - just watch this sweet sweet love story.

Be warned the first 9 minutes are a bit jumbled and a little confusing. Let me save you some headache. An older Lars, at the death of older Inge, remembers when Olaf died a few decades before that Inge told him about how they met. Then you get into the actual story. Get past the first 9 minutes (watch it, it comes around in the end), but just hang in there.

8 out of 10 stars

3. "Arranged"

I cannot say enough good things about this film. Rochel, an orthodox Jew, and Nasira, a Muslim, both work at an elementary school in Brooklyn. We first see them at a meeting where they are all learning how they'll have to deal with many cultural differences in the student body. They strike up a friendship that only strengthens when they both go through their culture's different paths to a somewhat arranged marriage.

It's a quiet movie about two women who want to be strong and also honor their culture, religion, and heritage. If you've ever been on the receiving end of "helpful intolerance" (you know, those people who try to help you escape what they see as an oppresive and unsatisfactory life), you'll empathize when the principal tries to chat with these two teachers and "help" them out. Having said that, there aren't any bad guys (not even the principal) - just people with different lifestyles and viewpoints trying to interact and get along. It does all this without being maudlin, it even pokes fun at it a little when Rochelle and Nasira are at a park and their younger family members are playing and Nasira says, "someone should be shooting a world peace commercial right now."

A beautiful movie! 9 out of 10 stars.

Another book review...

My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I started this book out of obligation. My cute neighbor dropped it off to me and I figured I had to at least try it, despite the fact that it is very much not the kind of book I normally read. I'll tell you what - I was surprised by how often I wanted to pick it back up and find out what happened to the characters! I was actually surprised by some of the plot twists and felt that the whole thing was fun and adventurous.



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A new favorite movie composer

I saw a fantastic movie today, but I can't think straight enough to review it. But I will soon.
But, just real quickly, I have discovered a new film composer whose stuff I'm loving through the movie "House of Flying Daggers." The movie itself was pretty good (great fight choreography, tragic love, gorgeous/beautiful/captivating cinematography), but I loved the music. So, I started looking up other songs by the composer, Shigeru Umebayashi. Beautiful, beautiful stuff!

Here's some of my faves of his that I've found so far...










and this last one is the one that made me fall in love with his compositions in "House of Flying Daggers"

BBC's Sherlock Holmes

I have to confess, I haven't seen many Sherlock Holmes films - the pipe-smoking pompous know-it-all detective aided by the bumbling fool just never interested me, I guess. I did see the Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law movie and thought it was fun and enjoyable. I just recently rented "The Hound of the Baskervilles," which I found out, through the featurettes, was one of Arthur Conan Doyle's most popular Holmes novels.
The only actor I was familiar with was Richard E Grant (A&E's fantastic Scarlet Pimpernell, also the dad on "Penelope"), whom I'm a big of. And he's fantastic in this as well. As Holmes, they cast Australian Richard Roxburgh, who has such an interesting screen presence. He seems a really great mix of being able to pass as an English gentleman, but there's something off about him, which works great.
And Ian Hart as Dr. Watson is personable and SMART! I love that there was geniune frustration between Watson and Holmes.
The supporting cast is beyond fantastic as well. John Nettles, who plays Dr. Mortimer is able to carry off the telling of the legend of the curse of the hound of the Baskervilles - a feat not to be taken lightly. What could have been the most cheesy part of the movie ends up being actually creepy and feels almost Shakespearean.
This movie was superbly done from the acting, to directing, the CGI is a little cheesy, but for a small budget, it was passable. It's eery and genuinely creepy. Love it! I would definitely recommend this one!

Here is the clip of Mortimer explaining the legend. You need to forward it to 7:15, where it begins. It only goes till about 8:30, so super short and will give you a flavor. The whole clip is actually the beginning of the movie if you want to watch the whole 9:40 to get a better idea.

Were you "one of those" who missed "Arrested Development?"

I had caught a few episodes here and there when Arrested Development was on the air and remembered it being funny... boy, was I wrong. It's HILARIOUS! It's right up there with "Scrubs" and "The Big Bang Theory!"
If you aren't familiar with the story line, it's pretty simple:

Level-headed son Michael Bluth takes over family affairs after his father is imprisoned. But the rest of his spoiled, dysfunctional family are making his job unbearable.

You have GOB (pronounced like Job from the bible), Michal's older, womanizing, money-spending, aspiring magician brother, whose tricks don't always work out the way they're supposed to. I couldn't find the clip I wanted of him doing a coffin trick at his Dad's funeral, but here's the opening of his act on stage (he ALWAYS plays this music):




Then you have his twin sister Lindsay, who isn't the brightest crayon in the box. And she is married to former Dr. Tobias Funke, who has the most horrible habit of saying double entendres and not realizing it. Some fabulous person put together this compilation:



You have the baby of the family, Buster, who is still treated like a baby.



You have the patriarch in jail, who at first is finding it a bit pleasant.
Then the matriarch, who is a sharp-tongued ego-centric booze-hound in such a delightful way.
Then you have Michael's son, George Michael, and Lindsay's daughter Maibe who also have their own awkwardness going on.

There are a few fantastic things about this show:
It's all so politically incorrect, but the joke's on the main characters, not the group they're mocking.
Some of the most quotable lines (i.e. After Gob finds out he has a son,
Gob: What is this.... feeling?
Michael: What you're feeling is what most people think of as a feeling.
Gob: It isn't envy. I'm not hungry.
Michael: It's love Gob.
Gob: I know what an erection feels like, Michael. This is the opposite, it's like my heart is getting hard.)

The most crass and vulgar stuff gets bleeped out. Which is NOT a shame. What's funny is knowing that a character is saying something so completely disguisting and how the other characters react to it. The bleeps that I have no idea what they might be bleeping out are just as funny as the bleeps where I do know what they're bleeping out.
It's witty and clever and why wasn't this more popular? Get the DVD's (there are 3 seasons) and be prepared to laugh your guts out!
I leave you with the several variations of a theme on "the chicken dance"

"Kingkiller Chronicles: The Wise Man's Fear" review

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In truth... 4.5-4.75 stars, not that I'm being nitpicky about the rating system or anything :) Okay, here goes:



I devoured a just-under-1,000-page novel in 6 days, which I think says something in and of itself. Though, maybe I just mention that hoping it impresses you. Did it work? :) I know some people have complained about the length, but I was never bored (except for Felurian, more on that later). This is true homage to Tolkein, there's no elves or dwarves, or magic rings - this is Rothfuss' world and he has created a truly diverse and rich milieu, full of culture and history. There are many storytelling scenes and lyrics and poems (like LOTR), but, surprisingly, I enjoyed them and didn't feel the need for them to end. I love both the University and when he's out on his adventures! Any scene with Elodin makes me laugh, Denna is contradictory, but I understand her, Kvothe is courageous, clever, yet stupid in so many ways, and has some rather annoying personality issues, but, then again, I like that - characters should have flaws. I absolutely love the Adem - I found them fascinating! I was worried when the jacket blurb mentioned being involved in politics, but it turns out to be courtly intrigue.



*SPOILER ALERT*



Okay, the only part I really had a problem with - Felurian. Did we have to spend that many pages on the quintessential nerd/geek fantasy? Really? A petite, yet properly volumptious fae (fairy, really) who has dark, long hair down to her waist and runs around stark naked and drives men insane because they can't have her after she's grown tired of them, or even better! Actually kills them in the process of coitus due to the "strain." I'm pretty sure if I had to read about her breasts ONE more time, I think I would have thrown the book across the room. Of course, if there is a guy reading this I'm sure I've just convinced you to read it, even if this kind of book isn't usually your cup of tea, so to speak.



*END OF SPOILERS*



Other than that, I found my high expectations more than met and impatiently wait the next installment. You see, THIS! is why I usually wait for the whole series to come out before I read any of them. :)



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"The Glass Castle" review

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I don't believe I've ever read a memoir before, but I can't imagine all of them are this fascinating. It's like a horrible train wreck you can't tear your eyes from. But, it's also inspiring how much this woman overcame! The drama and neglect these kids were put throught is mind boggling to a parent that anyone could treat their kids this way and be okay with it. Don't get me wrong, there are things that are far worse than what Jeannette's parents did, and there is some evidence in the book there might have been some mental issues; but, there is still some staggering stories. What is most amazing is that the whole memoir neither sugar-coats, nor justifies, nor vilifies her parents.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Some things that left me breathless or wanting to punch her mom or dad:

Uncle Stanly trying to grope her and her mother's reaction being: "Poor Uncle Stanley! He must be so lonely."

Her dad breaking their piggy bank savings for New York.

Her dad taking her to a bar and using her as a distraction and bargaining chip when he knew what the other guy wanted.

Letting a 3-year-old cook hot dogs for herself.

The tiger incident at the zoo!

There are many many others, but the zinger of them all:
Letting your kids suffer starvation, deprivation, extreme weather, when all you'd have to do is cash out your land holdings worth a million dollars!!!!



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There, Their, They're: A No-Tears Guide to Grammar from the Word Nerd

There, Their, They're: A No-Tears Guide to Grammar from the Word Nerd by Annette Lyon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The title of this book is my number one grammar pet peeve :) But, there were definitely some things I didn't know (I have NEVER gotten a grasp on the the whole lay/lie thing). I understood it while I was reading through the blurb on it in the book, but the understanding has apparently taken flight again and escapes me. Oh well, at least now I have a reference to look at.
If you have questions about grammar, but don't want to fall asleep or purposefully bash your head into a wall while trying to figure the answer out, then I HIGHLY recommend this! It's short and there are a few misspellings that weren't caught before printing (doubly embarrassing, I guess, given that the author is a professional editor), but you can't catch everything. Even then, though, it doesn't take away from how informative the book is. It's written in a style that's very "user friendly."
I couln't find it at the library, but if you'd like to borrow my copy, you're more than welcome to, or you can find it on Amazon.com.



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"Inventing George Washington" review

Inventing George Washington: America's Founder, in Myth and Memory by Edward G. Lengel

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If I was to compare this to only history books, it would earn a 5-star rating. It was interesting and very easy to read and follow, but smartly written. Basically it sets out to show the commonly-believed myths about George Washington and how they came to be.

Written by one of the main editors of the George Washington Papers project (therefore having access to ALL of Washington's papers that are still around), you gotta figure he'd know.

He doesn't set out to reveal the "true" Washington, just to reveal how these myths came to be and what they might mean.

I will give him credit that he tries to hide his disdain for the religious myths and those who originated them and those who continue to use them today; though, he's not always successful.

It's only a few hundred pages from what I remember and VERY interesting the whole time. I would highly recommend reading this!





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"Cassandra's Dream" Review

"Two London brothers are hard-up for cash, and both have girls to look out for, too. When rich Uncle Howard comes to town and agrees to help them out, he admits his finances are under investigation, and he asks them to do him a favor and "take care of" an old business relation to keep his trouble under wraps - he says that they're family, and since he always takes care of them, the least they could do is help him out this once, as they're the only ones he can trust." (quoted from summary on IMDB)
What follows is the ethical dilemma they face and how each one handles it.

This movie is superbly written, directed, acted... everything. Why don't they make movies like this more often? It's edge of your seat suspense, but the suspense comes from wondering what the characters will do and how they will cope with it. It's smart suspense. The actor's performances are gripping, but real and never overdone, the music is so good I didn't even notice it (that's a superb score, when it adds to the mood of the moment without calling attention to itself). I've only ever seen one other Woody Allen film ("Matchpoint") which in my mind was mindlessly dull and pointless and somehow managed to get an uncharismatic performance out of Hugh Jackman (Seriously?! How do you even acheive that?). Obviously I'm no expert, but I do feel confident in saying this doesn't feel like a "Wood Allen film" at all, and that's a compliment.

This would be a good date movie because the guy would enjoy it as well. My husband did. Here's the trailer -



Seriously, rent this! It didn't get a lot of attention when it came out, but much more's the shame for that!