From Dead to Worse

Things are getting dark in the Sookieverse.  Lots of action (almost non-stop), loads of awful things happening, and of course Alcide Herveaux has gotten himself well and truly written off and out of the running (in my humble opinion... I just can't concieve of Sookie taking him on now or ever).  It's unfortunate because at the beginning he seemed really promising, but the more I get to know him the more repugnant he is.  Eric has gained some points and is actually being quite sweet, I feel really sorry for Quinn who just doesn't seem to get a break,  Bill still impresses me with his constancy but he really doesn't have a chance,  and last but not least my favorite Sam has consistently proven his worth (though I really shouldn't get my hopes up). 
This book in a way was a Spring Cleaning kind of book. A whole bunch of loose ends were taken care of (quite satisfactorily), with the promise of some good things to come.  Naturally, it won't stay that way. 

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

I just had to revisit this book today as I have been reading Agatha Christie's autobiography and I was ever so excited when she began talking about her attempt at writing her very first detective novel. 
I have to say that the experience was pleasurable in that I saw so much more in the book than previous readings.  I appreciated every part that refered to her actual experiences, was tickled pink by them and amused!  I couldn't help chuckling every time I encountered something that came directly from her own life.  She really was a funny old duck, with tremendous talent, and is still one of my favorite mystery writers.  I still haven't finished the autobiography, it's quite a long book, but every chapter is very interesting, and Agatha always wrote in a style that is so relaxing and enjoyable to read. 
I would recommend any day a Christie mystery... just put aside a day for reading, choose a very comfortable chair, wear your softest clothing, drink tea out of your favorite literary mug,  curl up and savor the experience.

All Together Dead

Well Charlaine Harris has absolutely no blahs smack dab in the middle of her Southern Vampire series!  There's no wan attempt at plot or character development, she's already achieved that, so when something new happens, I can just sit back, relax, and enjoy the story, wondering how Sookie will deal with this newest challenge.   This one was absolutely packed with action and mysteries to be solved.  I was just as engaged in this one as I was the very first book, which I think is pretty special and rare in a series.  Six more to go!

Vintage Bradbury

I cannot have too much stuff in my head.  It's a failing, I admit and I work hard to maintain what I do know and have learned.  It just doesn't stay.  There's always so much else to stuff inside, and I think that if I ever tried to stop shoving things in I might just give up and die right there and then!  Where am I going with this?  I am choosing this time to wonder a little about what must have gone through Ray's mind while he was writing these particular stories!    Such an active and expressive imagination, I could never have concieved of any of his worlds.  Lots I can accept because I feel I really understand what made Ray tick at this point, but what about a world where caucasians are suddenly a minority and on the endangered list?  I try not to think about it too hard, but Ray did, and he really put the fear into me!  He's so good at that.
Then of course there is The Veldt.  Such a powerful story which has touched many people I think, so check out this link for a wonderful homage to the story.   The Veldt    I love the video, love the song and try not to get teary eyed (and always do).  I think that if Ray had lived to see it he would have thought it was wonderful and he would just have been tickled about it.

It's a Strain Alright...

It's just one of those lists that I have been trying to fill out... the books to movie one for science fiction.  Or is it the other way around?  I suspect that there is very little that is different between either.  That isn't criticism!  Just merely the statement that you could either read the book or watch the movie and you wouldn't be missing anything.  Crichton's got to be good considering how many of his books have made it onto film. 
It's just not my cup of tea.  In this instance, I think the movie is better than the book because you don't get too bogged down wth the technojargon (which always automatically switches off any interest I may have).  Either version of the movie is neat and nifty in a very insipid paranoia-inducing way, the seventies version for nostaligia's sake (they made so many pre and post apocalyptic shows in that era, it's hard not to be fond of them) and the tv movie that they made in the last decade with newer technology but the same effect (the creepy-heebeegeebee-paranoia effect). 
Secret germ warfare facilities out in the desert ready to blow at any time...yep, that's creepy.  And probably true...

Indulging the Romantic

 Huge fan of Jane Austen?  Can’t get enough of Pride and Prejudice?  Well look no further (well maybe that isn’t the right thing to say as I will always be on the lookout for more fan fiction about Pride and Prejudice!).  This trilogy goes a long way to fulfilling the need for more.  The Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy is very thorough.  Three books about one book, all about  Darcy’s delicious side of the tale, it is very satisfying, doling out not just Darcy’s oh-so-wrong outlook and his struggles to become the man that would be eligible for marriage with Elizabeth Bennet, but sharing other lovely tidbits of Regency Era history, and some nods to the other books that Austen wrote (but I’m not going to tell you much about that…it’s just too much fun to find them on your own).  This is a must-have for a Janeites collection, and be sure to have plenty of Earl Grey tea, harp music, and  of course, an empty weekend in which to indulge yourself completely with this lovely collection of novels.

With this first installment we get to see just how snotty, selfish, ignorant and arrogant our romantic hero is.  But never fear, we do get to see the goodness in him too when we see how loving he is with his sister. I also simply adored Aidan's extras (people not featured in Pride and Prejudice).

I loved how much character development was done here, and the Gothic goodies were so very deliciously macabre.

The wonderful conclusion.  We all know how the story ends... but with this the struggle was so engaging, Darcy's angstful efforts to become our romantic hero (with all its warts etc.,) was epic.  I will be re-reading this in the not too distant furture.

Definitely Dead

Ya know what really 'get's my goat, turns my crank, bee's my bonnet'?  A story that has something missing.  Or rather makes you feel like you have missed something really important, and what makes this even worse, is there are quite a few referrences in the book to the 'thing' you have missed.  If you aren't in the know you are missing something important, so the first time I read this book, I was actually getting agitated thinking that I had missed something, that somehow Amazon.ca had messed up my order ( I had initially bought an eight-pack)...something was wrong because I had never heard anything before about the plot.   WHAT where they talking about!  It was driving me nuts!  So, just in case this is your first time, I can reassure you now, the problem is not with you!  The problem is with the fact that when Charlaine Harris is not writing her novels she is editing and contributing to collections of short stories, many of which are from the Sookieverse which are not one-offs, but little tidbits that advance the story along.  So if you haven't read the short story you could be missing out on something important.  So while it's not essential to read the short fiction for the integrity of the novels, this one, this particular little story featured quite a bit in Definitely Dead, and it was frustrating.  Which is not fair when there is already so much pivotal stuff happening in this book.  Six books in we could be in danger of it all being just filler keeping the space warm for when it gets interesting again, but not in this case.  Quite a few important things happen that further the general plot and develop the characters.  I can't wait to see what happens next!