In short, I love this book. In long, I absolutely love this book. :)
At the bookstore where I work people have been asking for this book regularly. It comes out in paperback next week and I decided it was time to read it.
I regret waiting so long. I have completely fallen in love with it.
I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob :) (sorry, had to throw in a little Veggie Tales there)
The book is completely made up of letters (and words and sentences!) No, I mean correspondance letters and it is woven together masterfully. The voices of the characters are so distinct and real and fresh. I wanted to be best friends with Juliet, to walk around the island with Dawsey, to chat with Amelia, to play dead bride with Kit. In short, I felt like I knew these people. I shared their hopes and dreams and fears and sorrows.
The details of island life were reminiscent of one of my favorite authors -L. M. Montgomery. It's always been a dream of mine to go visit P.E. Island and now I have to add Guernsey to my list of places I want to go. That's how much I enjoyed this book. I finished it today and want to start it over again.
I think I will leave off with one of my favorite quotes from the book - It's on page 11 and all rights belong to Shaffer and Barrows, but this was too beautiful for me not to share -
"That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment."
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Julius Caesar Salad and Hamlettuce
Over on Nikki's blog Batcabbage, Blam and I have been having a grand old time with puns. It started innocently enough and I doubt that Nikki ever anticipated how far we would all run with it. So I mentioned to my family that I was trying to come up with some vegetable puns. So my wonderful father said I could always run with okra - you know, like someone going on the Okra show. Or, Kale to the chief. ::groan::
Then he went out to mow the lawn with that idea in his head and this is the tale he related to us when he came back inside. Get ready for some truly terrible puns.......
Ferns, Romaines, countrymen, lend me your ears!
The ears have been taken by Colonel Corn Wallace.
We need to retrieve them.
Who was that?
General Cabbage, head of the German brigade.
He doesn't look very happy.
He's a bit of a Saurkraut.
What does he have to be unhappy about? I heard he was running away to be married.
He cantaloupe. His sweet pea wants him to work in her father's factory.
The chicken factory outside of town?
Yes, the eggplant.
We could send spies from the purple underground.
How many should we send?
Two beets or not two beets? That is the question.
How many vegetable puns can you squash into one story?
Not enough :)
Then he went out to mow the lawn with that idea in his head and this is the tale he related to us when he came back inside. Get ready for some truly terrible puns.......
Ferns, Romaines, countrymen, lend me your ears!
The ears have been taken by Colonel Corn Wallace.
We need to retrieve them.
Who was that?
General Cabbage, head of the German brigade.
He doesn't look very happy.
He's a bit of a Saurkraut.
What does he have to be unhappy about? I heard he was running away to be married.
He cantaloupe. His sweet pea wants him to work in her father's factory.
The chicken factory outside of town?
Yes, the eggplant.
We could send spies from the purple underground.
How many should we send?
Two beets or not two beets? That is the question.
How many vegetable puns can you squash into one story?
Not enough :)
Castle a best seller in my book
As soon as I saw the premise for the new ABC show, Castle, I knew I was going to like it. I mean, it's a crime show with a writer! How fantastic is that?! It combines two of my favorite things. Then I saw that it was on Monday nights and I was very sad because I have to work every Monday night.
However, thanks to the magic of the internet and the blessing of ABC airing shows on their site, I was able to catch up on it. I missed the pilot episode, but have watched every one since then.
I love this show. First off, Nathan Fillion is absolutely adorable as the never-quite-grown-up author, Richard Castle. The chemistry between him and the rest of the cast completely makes the show for me. Stana Katic as Kate Beckett provides the perfect balance and watching them play off each other is hysterical.
Even cuter is his interaction with his teenage daughter. The scenes with the two of them playing laser tag, fencing or just talking always come off wonderfully.
Then of course there is Castle's mother. She adds just the right touch of zaniness to complete the picture.
Even the secondary police officers are fantastic.
This show is full of humor, but has the right touch of poignancy to keep it grounded.
Off to a promising start, this show is well on its way to becoming one of my new favorites.
However, thanks to the magic of the internet and the blessing of ABC airing shows on their site, I was able to catch up on it. I missed the pilot episode, but have watched every one since then.
I love this show. First off, Nathan Fillion is absolutely adorable as the never-quite-grown-up author, Richard Castle. The chemistry between him and the rest of the cast completely makes the show for me. Stana Katic as Kate Beckett provides the perfect balance and watching them play off each other is hysterical.
Even cuter is his interaction with his teenage daughter. The scenes with the two of them playing laser tag, fencing or just talking always come off wonderfully.
Then of course there is Castle's mother. She adds just the right touch of zaniness to complete the picture.
Even the secondary police officers are fantastic.
This show is full of humor, but has the right touch of poignancy to keep it grounded.
Off to a promising start, this show is well on its way to becoming one of my new favorites.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Completely Uninspiring Clip Show
Just finished watching the Lost clip show "The Story of the Oceanic 6". Wow. I didn't think there was any way to make Lost boring, especially with this season. I mean, this has been like the craziest, most amazing, mind-blowing season thus far. Yet they managed to turn it into one of the dullest documentaries ever.
If I hadn't been following Lost and watchd this episode to kind of catch up I would decide that it totally wasn't worth my while and turn Lost off.
I am a huge Lost fan and I was yawning, playing computer games, surfing the web and chatting with my sister. The announcer was really the last straw. His mundane voice kept any hints of humor or intrigue out of the picture.
Lost, I'm disappointed with you.
If I hadn't been following Lost and watchd this episode to kind of catch up I would decide that it totally wasn't worth my while and turn Lost off.
I am a huge Lost fan and I was yawning, playing computer games, surfing the web and chatting with my sister. The announcer was really the last straw. His mundane voice kept any hints of humor or intrigue out of the picture.
Lost, I'm disappointed with you.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Mama Emily
If there is one thing I would say about Lost it is that they don't believe in coincidences. Everything seems to be carefully plotted and planted...well, mostly everything. The writers and producers are people after all and thus not infallible.
Okay, now that I've gotten completely off subject....
I do not think that it is coincidence that both Locke and Ben have mothers named Emily. How abso-freakin'-perfect would it be if they were half-brothers?
It makes sense. Locke is older than Ben. Emily gets pregnant while seeing someone (at this point we're supposed to believe that it's the original Sawyer, though I have my doubts on that one). Then she gives the baby up for adoption. Later she meets and marries good ol' Roger. After all, her judgment is already proven to be not that great. Emily gets pregnant with Ben and then dies in childbirth.
I know, I know... You're thinking, but we met John's mother. She was in the crazy bin and led him to his father.
But was that actually his mother? Surely it's possible that Anthony Cooper (aka Tom Sawyer aka jerk) hired a woman to play John's mother to reel him in so he could steal his kidney. And that brings me to my other point.
Is Anthony Cooper really John's father? He was a wealthy man who manipulated people for a living. He says something to John that continues to nag at me... "You needed a father figure and I needed a kidney". I would think it would be fairly easy for him to find a lonely man with the same blood type or whatever (I'm not a doctor :) that he could play one more long con on. Why do we ever take anything this show gives us at face value.
However, if Anthony isn't John's father, then the big question is... who is? Someone we know? what other connections could there be with John and the Island - because he's obviously very special.
(On a lighter note... Maybe his father is Richard :D He doesn't age and he would look too old for Emily, even in the 50's and can't you totally see him in a black leather jacket with his hair all slicked back.... hahahaha)
Okay, now that I've gotten completely off subject....
I do not think that it is coincidence that both Locke and Ben have mothers named Emily. How abso-freakin'-perfect would it be if they were half-brothers?
It makes sense. Locke is older than Ben. Emily gets pregnant while seeing someone (at this point we're supposed to believe that it's the original Sawyer, though I have my doubts on that one). Then she gives the baby up for adoption. Later she meets and marries good ol' Roger. After all, her judgment is already proven to be not that great. Emily gets pregnant with Ben and then dies in childbirth.
I know, I know... You're thinking, but we met John's mother. She was in the crazy bin and led him to his father.
But was that actually his mother? Surely it's possible that Anthony Cooper (aka Tom Sawyer aka jerk) hired a woman to play John's mother to reel him in so he could steal his kidney. And that brings me to my other point.
Is Anthony Cooper really John's father? He was a wealthy man who manipulated people for a living. He says something to John that continues to nag at me... "You needed a father figure and I needed a kidney". I would think it would be fairly easy for him to find a lonely man with the same blood type or whatever (I'm not a doctor :) that he could play one more long con on. Why do we ever take anything this show gives us at face value.
However, if Anthony isn't John's father, then the big question is... who is? Someone we know? what other connections could there be with John and the Island - because he's obviously very special.
(On a lighter note... Maybe his father is Richard :D He doesn't age and he would look too old for Emily, even in the 50's and can't you totally see him in a black leather jacket with his hair all slicked back.... hahahaha)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Y: the Last Man and Fables
Up until a week ago I had barely even picked up a graphic novel, but batcabbage over at Nikki's site kept going on about Brian K. Vaughn and then Nikki read them and so I thought, well I can give it a try.
So I read the first three volumes of Y: The Last Man. I pretty much liked it. I like the story premise and I like the graphic novel aspect of it. Way too much language for my taste, but you run into that in almost any modern day novel. Not saying I like it or am okay with it, just saying it is a fact.
One of my coworkers saw me with the books and was surprised because I've said I don't read graphic novels and don't really get the big deal with them. So she said, if I'd read those, I have to read Fables, which is the one graphic novel that she's gotten into. Since we were sold out of volume 4 of Y, I figured, why not. (no pun intended ;) And now I've read the first five volumes of fables. I like this one better for many reasons. One, although there is some foul language it is at a much lesser volume than with Y, but also because it is about fairy tales and that always makes me smile.
All in all, I've changed my view on graphic novels in that I now understand the attraction, but I am definitely not going to become some sort of comic fiend and read everything. I like my plain old books better. But these are fun for a diversion, a change of pace :)
So I read the first three volumes of Y: The Last Man. I pretty much liked it. I like the story premise and I like the graphic novel aspect of it. Way too much language for my taste, but you run into that in almost any modern day novel. Not saying I like it or am okay with it, just saying it is a fact.
One of my coworkers saw me with the books and was surprised because I've said I don't read graphic novels and don't really get the big deal with them. So she said, if I'd read those, I have to read Fables, which is the one graphic novel that she's gotten into. Since we were sold out of volume 4 of Y, I figured, why not. (no pun intended ;) And now I've read the first five volumes of fables. I like this one better for many reasons. One, although there is some foul language it is at a much lesser volume than with Y, but also because it is about fairy tales and that always makes me smile.
All in all, I've changed my view on graphic novels in that I now understand the attraction, but I am definitely not going to become some sort of comic fiend and read everything. I like my plain old books better. But these are fun for a diversion, a change of pace :)
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