Before I give you a tasty play list of tunes to set the perfect pop culture atmosphere for your Thanksgiving meal,there are two topics that we must mention first. Sadly,beloved science fiction author Anne McCaffreyhas passed away at the age of 85. She died at her home in Ireland,not long after suffering a stroke.
My condolences to her loved ones,which will no doubt be echoed by her many fans throughout the world,along with the writers that she inspired with her vast collection of work. McCaffrey was the first woman to win the Hugo and the Nebula award(given to sci-fi/fantasy writers)and was declared a grand master of the genre in 2005.
Her best known novels were the Dragonriders of Pern series that featured friendly dragons who bonded psychically with their human riders.
That premise held a good deal of sway within the imagination of both readers and writers and paved the way for such future fare as Naomi Novik's Temerairie series,the Eragon novels of Christopher Paolini and even the fiery trio of dragons that escort Daenerys Targaryen in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire saga. While she will be missed,Anne McCafferty's literary legacy will last far and beyond our time.
Our other announcement is more of a friendly reminder to our Agatha Christie contest winner,Beth from Colorado.
Beth,please e-mail me at livingreadgirl@yahoo.com and let me know where I can ship your prize,an Agatha Christie "Queen of Mystery" tote bag, to.
Please title your e-mail "Christie Prize winner",so that it won't get trapped in my spam folder. Don't mean to nag but I do want to send it out to you as soon as possible and I hope you and your family have a very happy Thanksgiving!
Speaking of Turkey Day,I'll be taking the next two days off from this blog so I thought that leaving all of you with a menu of music somewhat suitable for the occasion would be best.
Since many folks like to start off their holiday dinner by saying grace, This "Thanksgiving Prayer" by the late great Johnny Cash feels just right. After all,what's good enough for Dr. Quinn,Medicine Woman should be good enough for anyone:
For a slice of something silly,here's Adam Sandler with "The Thanksgiving song" his tribute to the main dish of the day.
While many people prefer to offer other proteins such as ham,chicken or the well known but not always loved tofurkey,the mainstay on most holiday tables is that gorgeous gobbler. Like the song says,50 million Elvis fans can't be wrong!:
Pop music tends to highlight Christmas more than Thanksgiving as a rule,yet a few songs do seem to count as proper sentiment for that day as well.
Natalie Merchant's video for "Kind & Generous" does have an air of Water for Elephants about it(far ahead of it's time)yet the overall theme of celebrating the goodness of those around deserves some fanciful treatment:
To lift your feet along with your spirits,Mary J. Blige gives us her take on "Family Affair". Being with family is one of those anticipated/dreaded traditions of the holidays that everyone struggles to deal with as pleasantly or painlessly as possible.
What might do the trick is a rousing dance song and this toe tapping tune fills the bill to a T. Even the most cranky in-laws and annoying cousins can loosen up and push their regular drama to the side as they get their groove on in this dancery:
So,Happy Thanksgiving folks and I'll see you next Monday(if you're not cyber shopping,that is). I know that times are particularly tough right now but it's a good idea to assess the positive things in your life and cherish them all the more.
Also,I hope you enjoy a delicious dinner with your loved ones and get to share some laughs along with the stuffing:
As part of my Girl's Night Out this past weekend,I treated myself to a hefty new hardbound book,one that's been receiving quite a bit of praise and scrutiny even before it hit the stores. Stephen King's 11/22/63 falls more into the sci-fi realm than his usual horror story stomping grounds as the name of the game is time travel.
As the title suggests,the core focus of our leading man Jake Epping's journey into America's past is to stop the assassination of JFK. It's a bit of a dying man's request,as his good friend Al(who discovers the doorway that brings you to the year 1958 in the storeroom of his diner)becomes too ill to complete his self appointed mission.
Jake does a trial run at first,attempting to thwart a tragedy closer to home,before making that choice to alter history. He's not without his doubts,of course,because there is no guarantee that preventing one major event like this from occurring will change the world for the better. Yet, being so close to doing so is quite the temptation that not even the most stoic of historians could easily refuse:
While the concept of time travel has been vastly explored in all sorts of fiction and non fiction as well,so has the impact of JFK's untimely demise,from books,film and TV series that debate the unknown factors still surrounding what happened on that fateful day and speculation as to how things might have been different.
No matter how you slice it,the Kennedy assassination is a pivotal moment in time and history that can stir up serious ripples in our pop culture world. It crosses more than one genre boundary,from the expected science fiction takes from the likes of Quantum Leap and Red Dwarf to and even more expected period drama depictions such as Mad Men and even a modern day mystery series like Bones has put their two cents into this already overcrowded hat:
Putting aside the Kennedy assassination for a moment,that whole era holds a strong fascination for many artists and for good reason. It was a time of serious upheavals in society,many of which were meant to improve the lives of those who weren't getting their rights respected.
Regardless of the progress being made in those quarters,the heavy hand of dirty dealings was still packing a powerful punch there,something that started to be acknowledged openly as time went on. One writer whose best literary achievements are based upon the real and the imaged hijinks of the sixties is James Ellroy,a man who can be seen as even scarier than Stephen King there.
His dark obsessions with that time period are as through as King's in some respects and the two of them would certainly have some interesting reminiscences about those days if they ever met up and fell into a conversation. One of the main differences between them,however,is that the monsters in King's books are for the most part imaginary while Ellroy's are all too real:
I'm only in the early half of the book but already,it's proving to be one of those hard to put down reads. As a pretty stalwart devotee of King's work,his balance of the sinister with the sweet is familiar country to me and his recreations of the fifties and sixties do make you feel right at home.
However,much like Jake Epping,this mode of Americana is foreign territory to me from a personal experience standpoint. Fiction allows you to be a tourist in many different times and places,with the advance of technology promising to give you a 3D upgrade,and that sense of realistic unreality is well captured here.
It's especially chilling when you consider the possibilities that fore knowledge brings to the mix. It's one thing to live through turbulent times and quite another to know what happens next before anyone else around you does. Talk about your blurring of the lines between story and the telling of the tale there-very shudder worthy material,if you ask me.
Part of the reason that I think this book is going to be classic is that King was smart enough to let enough time pass before taking this big boy on. He had this concept early on but knew that he wasn't ready to do it justice back then. That's a notion that would benefit many other artists in taking on such big themes as 9/11,for example.
Not saying that you have to make certain topics off limits indefinitely,but putting some distance between you and that particular event might help your creative vision and allow you to gain some real perspective on the matter. Some are able to handle these sticky wickets better than others and at a more rapid pace,granted,but standing back for awhile in order to really drink in the big picture is always a good idea.
How well 11/22/63 is going to do with readers overall(and movie goers,if the film adaptation can get off the ground before the end of this decade)is yet to be seen. The odds are good that this King opus will stand the test of time and bridge more than one gap between generations. I'm more than willing to just keep the pages turning and see what station this crazy train of dark wonders ultimately pulls into,which is a good enough ticket to ride for any reader of any time. Wish me a happy trip into the light fantastical here,folks:
The next to last chapter of Stephanie Meyer's famed Twilight saga,Breaking Dawn:Part 1 got off to a rousing start at the box office,with a nice tidy take of over 139 million dollars.
However,that does not set the true value of the film for fans,many of whom I suspect will enjoy what was brought to the screen despite the various compressions of the plot made for cinematic purposes.
The story begins with preparations for Edward and Bella's wedding,an event that holds a mixture of joy and sorrow for more than one participant. While Bella is thrilled to at last truly be with Edward,some regrets do pop up such as not being able to tell her parents the complete deal about the Cullens and how her married life is going to be far from normal:
Things get even trickier during the honeymoon,as Edward fears that his supernatural strength is a threat to Bella in the bedroom. While their first romantic encounter manages to give their actual bed the worst of the bargain,Edward backs away from any more intimate moments,causing his new bride to long for that earlier enthusiasm:
That issue is quickly brushed aside as Bella is startled to discover that she's pregnant,something that should be impossible given that her husband's a vampire. That news frightens Edward as well and the two of them head for home to see what can be done about this situation.
Edward is determined that Bella's life is priority one over this strange new being growing inside her that may or may not be a threat to the world. Bella believes otherwise and wants to go through with this,regardless of the risks to her health.
Which ever way you look at it,this unexpected complication has an accelerated growth rate that makes any personal choices too late to consider:
All of this brings Jacob reluctantly back into the fold. While he's still frustrated over Bella choosing the vampire lifestyle over him,Jake is just as determined as Edward is to protect her at all costs.
When his wolf pack learns of Bella's impending baby,they vow to destroy all of the Cullens which forces Jake to declare his independence and form a new pack of his own. A major part of the Breaking Dawn novel allows Jake to have his own narrative and growing insight into this vast unexplored emotional territory for him and one of the compromises of the screenplay is that we are only shown such small an amount of that.
Yet,his character is given some room to grow,along with the wolfen brother and sister Seth and Leah who join him in the fight to save Bella and the Cullens. Not a comfortable arrangement there,but both the script and the character manage to make it work:
Even with some snips to the initial pace of the book's story line,Part One of Breaking Dawn does deliver the goods in setting up the bigger battle to come as the Volturi will make their presence(and demands)known in the second half.
Director Bill Condon skillfully adds some interesting visual touches to certain sequences,with a CSI inside-the-body viewpoint during some crucial moments for Bella and a special awakening point for Jacob that is lovely to behold. Ultimately,this is really a movie for the fans and they'll be the ones who appreciate it the most.
While we have another year to wait until the thrilling finale(Part Two is set to be released around this time in 2012),our time can be best filled by relishing and rereading the Twilight series and sharing it with others. Don't be afraid to laugh about it,either,since having a sense of humor about what you like only makes your fan love stronger:
Tonight,I'm going out with the girls to see the next to last Twilight movie,Breaking Dawn,Part 1(which I'll be reviewing on Monday)and while it's no secret that many horror fans are not into this very popular series,I have a bit of a theory about why guys in general vehemently dislike it.
Many women find Twilight objectionable also,citing Bella as a bad role model. While that debate can go back and forth for as long as a vampire's actual unlife span,what I think bothers the fellas so much is that Twilight is proof positive that men are no longer at the forefront of the genre.
From the beginning of mainstream vampire lore,men had charge of the narrative. From Lugosi's Dracula to Christopher Lee in the Hammer films and Frank Langella in the late seventies,vampires were the monster that good guys got to slay in order to keep their women safe. Even mid-eighties fear flicks like Fright Night and The Lost Boys held that bloody banner high:
That all started to change within the 1990s as the ascension of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as a influential cult TV series began.
While the show attracted both male and female fans who appreciated seeing a physically strong yet emotionally vulnerable female battling bloodsuckers and personal demons,that set off a whole host of vampire related books and films that made the women the focal point and took the spotlight off of the men who wanted to lead the charge as Van Helsing type heroes.
Another aspect of the Buffy influence was the increased appeal of the vampire as leading man and viable love interest. Vampires did and still do hold a forbidden romantic lure but with Buffy falling in love with Angel(and later Spike),that opened the door for undead Romeos such as True Blood's Bill and Twilight's Edward to walk through and prove themselves worthy of being with the girl.
Making the monster a life mate is something that can irk both guys and gals,but with the gents,I suspect that the real monster that haunts them is the one with green eyes that are filled to the brim with jealousy:
Perhaps,I'm being too simplistic about this yet the old chestnut of "Why do the good girls always fall for the bad boys" still applies here,I think. There has been some resurgence of vampires as out and out monsters,with the likes of 30 Days of Night,the Will Smith remake of I Am Legend and even both the original and the Hollywood versions of Let Me In.
However,the latter film has had more sway with audiences due to the elements of the sympathetic vampire theme as the driving force for the main characters. While not all male horror fans feel this way,there are a good number of them who long for the time when being a vampire hunter was the sole province of male geeks:
I wouldn't want to deny the men their place as monster fighters but I refuse to do so at the expense of women. Women in vampire fiction and films have found real empowerment here,to the point where one of the supporting players on The Vampire Diaries has gone from perpetual victim to a force to be reckoned with.
Caroline Forbes has been granted real depth of character by becoming a vampire and even tries to help out others,including her werewolf boyfriend Tyler who is too quick to follow someone else's lead. That's quite a step forward and no way should we accept any moves to the back of the pack:
So,if I'm right about this,my advice to you guys is to accept that the new sheriff in town may be both a vampire and a woman at times. That doesn't mean you can't saddle up against a true vampiric enemy but don't be too fast on the draw to keep unlikely allies out of the game. Even if the lady in question isn't a warrior maiden,her strengths are just as valuable as yours. Even when it comes to vampires,all is fair in love and war:
We finally got to the first Quickfire Challenge of Top Chef Texas,where Padma and special guest judge Johnny Hernandez revealed the secret main ingredient for the chefs to prepare.
Rattlesnake was on the menu and despite the scary looking boxes set before the contenders,the reptiles were already skinned and slaughtered.
The prize for this cook-off was immunity and five grand,which went to Dakota for her beer battered snake with zucchini and almond gazpacho. Since it's been a TC tradition that the person who wins the first QF is destined to become a front runner in the competition,great things will be expected of her.
After that,everyone divided into two teams for the Elimination Challenge,which was to make food for a young lady's quinceanera(a rite of passage/birthday party for fifteen year girls in Mexican culture).
Blanca,the girl whose celebration it was,asked the chefs to make mildly spicy dishes and wasn't too demanding in her food requests. She acted very ladylike at the party and gave some solid critical feedback about the food with the judges as well. She may have a future in this business,if that's something Blanca wants to pursue.
Team Green did the best work here,with tasty appetizers such as Paul's shrimp yuzu ceviche with salsa and yucca chips. Judge Tom declared it his favorite app,while Judge Hugh immensely enjoyed Ed's tomatillo gazpacho with jicama and watermelon.
It turns out that Heather has some pastry chef experience and she applied that to making the cake for dessert. Even though the tres leche cake had to have a few dowels set in to steady it,everyone liked it much better than the other team's overly frosted offering.
The star player on Team Green was Chuy,whose family background made him the to-go guy here. While the whole team won,his braised goat with red peanut salsa and home made quseo fresco was a stand out dish.
Judge Tom wasn't thrilled with the steamed cabbage added to the plate but otherwise,Chuy earned some strong distinction that will make him another one to watch.
Team Pink had a lot of misfires,starting with Ty-Lor's summer fritter with avocado mousse. Blanca felt that the avocado was pretty bland while Judge Hugh dismissed it as a hush puppy(and not a very good one at that).
Sarah and Lindsay worked together on several dishes and Lindsay in particular was planning on doing a shrimp ceviche. Unfortunately,she was not a member of the group that went to buy the meat and someone chose to pick up pre-cooked shrimp,which wouldn't work at all for the dish.
That forced Lindsay to switch gears and her food suffered for it. She and Sarah were in the Bottom Four,mainly for using store bought tortillas for the cochinita pibil.
Keith was asked to pack his knives and go,partly due to his soggy enchiladas. The flavors were good but he used a flour tortilla instead of corn,which made the whole thing a bit mushy.
He was also the guy who decided to buy the pre-cooked shrimp. Dude,why would you do that,especially since it wasn't for your dish and you work in a seafood restaurant,so you know how important it is to use fresh fish for certain dishes? We may not be seeing the last of him,since they're doing a Last Chance Kitchen online for eliminated contenders.
Next time, the gang goes to the rodeo and things heat up in more ways than one. Should be a real cowboy shindig indeed!
Street art was the subject of this week's Work of Art,as China Chow allowed the contenders(and mentor Simon)to pick which person to pair up with to make a piece that would cover a large space on outdoor walls by testing their spray paint on her dress.
Immunity is no longer available but the prize here was 30 grand,so everyone was motivated to win. That could explain some of the rude behavior that went on here but certainly not excuse it.
Dusty and Young wound up together and had trouble figuring out what to do at the beginning. Eventually,they did find common ground as their experiences in losing a parent and becoming a parent created a "Universal Conversation."
Thought bubbles were added for people to write on,which tied in nicely with the street art theme and that interaction seems to officially be Young's forte. They won the challenge and get to split the cash,which made them very happy for differing reasons. Dusty had been feeling a little jealous of Young from the last challenge but by collaborating with him,reached a new level of emotional maturity.
Kymia and Sara's "Reroot" was the runner-up for the win and I have to say that it was a truly striking piece. Just like the guys,both ladies had a shared experience that they combined to make a portrait of upheaval from their respected homelands and the feelings of displacement that those moves brought on.
I don't think the judges appreciated it as much as they did Young and Dusty's work and I know that Lola and Michelle certainly didn't,due to their efforts to sabotage the piece by putting the crappy stickers from their pathetic tableaux on it and encouraging observers to do the same.
Lola and Michelle's work(I won't even bother to write down the meandering Panic at the Disco song like title attached to it)was their version of peeking into stranger's windows and not only was the drawing poorly done,the whole thing resembled a juvenile attempt at shocking people with sex.
Putting aside this banal and derivative project for a moment,I was really offended by Lola and Michelle's attitude towards Kymia. The two of them went out of their way to upset her by not sharing the computer scanner(or even acknowledging the fact that she was speaking to them!)and making snide comments about her work.
Lola,especially,was clearly out to get Kymia and her claims of "I was just being devious,like you're supposed to in street art" is total bunk. While I may not always be a fan of Kymia's work,she is far and away a much more talented artist than Lola and a better person to boot.
There is no reason for Lola to be doing this other than her pathetic need to be the center of attention and Michelle is nothing more than a mean girl flunky. Listen up,you two-you ought to be ashamed of yourselves and if you're not,that shows just how small and petty you are. Kymia,I hope that you stand up for yourself and not let these inane twerps walk all over you. Stay strong,sweetheart!
For some even more sad news,The Sucklord was sent home for the "Sucklord and Sarah's Super Big Art Project." It's no surprise that Judge Jerry has been gunning for him to leave and even Judge Bill joined in to razz the Sucklord about the maze that he and Sarah set up.
While it wasn't all that it could have been,it was obvious that more thought and effort was put into this piece than the lame "tiger penis" playset by Lola and Michelle and even the guest judge acknowledged that Sarah's wooden attachments gave it some depth. The Sucklord also defended Sarah during the critique,not wanting her to take the fall for their piece,the mark of a real gentleman.
However,both Jerry and Bill insisted that the Sucklord wasn't using his toy art skills to enhance the work,something that both of them had complained about him doing in past challenges. Remember,Jerry,how you declared to get "medieval" on Sucklord if he chose to include Star Wars or anything like that again? Hello,mixed messages!
Anyway,The Sucklord came out of this competition with the style and honor befitting a true Jedi master and the world is better off knowing him that they are in knowing Jerry,that's for sure. Fare thee well,good sir:
The latest leg of The Amazing Race took everyone to Copenhagen,Denmark where another Double U-Turn was placed in their path.
Some teams were surprised at getting picked to double back but what surprised me was how many of them at the Detour chose to make butter by hand instead of the bunny race option.
Having rabbits run little obstacle courses is a favorite sport in Denmark and those critters were nimble and cute. I could understand being reluctant with larger animals or a big cluster of them but the bunnies were a no-brainer in my opinion. They were easier to deal than learning the three part dance at the Roadblock,which caused more than one team to lag behind. Laurence and Zac wound up going home but at least they got a chance to do the bunny hop:
RANDOM NOTES:
A VERY GAGA THANKSGIVING: No,this is not a SNL skit,folks. Lady Gaga will be hosting a Turkey Day special next week and she'll be singing as well as deep frying a turkey. That last bit should amuse Sookie St. James quite nicely there:
During this time of year,gathering around the family dinner table is a key component to the holidays but it's not just an excuse for sharing your favorite foods. The main point of any annual celebration is to appreciate your loved ones and some great books highlight that notion very nicely.
One that I'm reading right now is Allegra Goodman's The Cookbook Collector,which is loosely based on Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Two sisters with very different outlooks on the world,Emily and Jess,are struggling with life and love on their own terms while trying to convince the other that her way is best.
Despite it's modern day setting and differentiating circumstances,the story does seem to show that the either/or approach to things is not always the best. The book is artfully charming and well worth the wait for paperback release:
Speaking of paperback one of my favorite novels from last year,Simply From Scratch by Alicia Bessette, has undergone a title change. It's now in softcover as A Pinch of Love but the story is still the same.
This debut novel that pairs a young widow with a little girl searching for her mother and believing that the best way to find her is by entering a TV baking contest is a heartfelt story of emotional reconnection. Yes,it is sweet but not at all cloying.
I just hope that the name change doesn't confuse readers who were looking forward to finding it in paperback. Then again,there are plenty of copies available at local libraries with the original title,so checking it out should be as easy as pie:
A book that I'm hearing a lot of good word of mouth about is Friendship Bread by Darien Gee. The plot starts off when grieving mother Julia and her young daughter Grace discover a loaf of Amish Friendship bread on their doorstep,with an anonymous note and a starter set with encouragement to pass on the bread to others.
Julia is disinclined at first to even bother with bread making,but to please Grace,she gives it a try. Soon enough,the bread helps her to reach out and make new friends,who are also getting over personal tragedies.
This culinary chain letter turns out to be a warm and loving path towards bringing neighbors together. Friendship Bread is due out in paperback next May but it might make for a thoughtful gift for that certain someone on your list this season:
Books and food go well with each other and when you add family and friends into the mix,it's the making of a wonderful time indeed. Food might seem a trivial concern under certain circumstances but you'd be surprised at the effect that one dish can make on the family dynamic and how strong a plot point it can be:
One of the reasons that 2 Broke Girls is becoming one of my favorite shows this season is the plan that both of the leading ladies have for opening up a cupcake shop. While Max(Kat Dennings)may be best known for her sour nature and tart comments,her baking skills are truly sweet.
A recent episode had Max being dragged to a pasty decorating class at the behest of Caroline(Beth Behrs) in order to make her cupcakes more commercially appealing. That didn't work out well,for either one of the enterprising gals who felt intimidated by the difficulty in making frosting flowers:
Granted,it'll be awhile before Max gets her shop but at some point,she could use a few sensible tips to improve her work. Therefore,I have gathered together a handful of excellent nominees for the role of Max's mentor and these three ladies and one gentleman are great chefs to emulate for any budding baker.
First up is Elizabeth Falkner,whose San Fran bakeries Citizen Cake and Orson are well known and respected both in and outside of the city. Falkner takes an unconventional approach to pastry,which could make her click with Max right off the bat.
She's also an author and has been both judge and contestant on numerous competition shows(at the moment,Falkner is a leading contender in The Next Iron Chef race)as well as a mentor to others,so Max should consider herself lucky if Falkner stopped in to sample her wares:
Next up is Michelle Garcia,a regular competitor on Food Network Challenge along with her husband Vinny. The two of them run the Bleeding Heart Bakery in Chicago and the atmosphere is very punk rock,which Max will appreciate there.
Michelle has also written a cupcake recipe book,Who You Callin' Cupcake,that showcases her offbeat flair for flavors that Max should check out at the very least. I think that Max and Michelle might get along great,as they both share a bit of "fooditude":
Our lone gentleman here,Ron Ben-Israel may come across as a Willy Wonka mad scientist type on his show Sweet Genius,but the man is a celebrated chef in his own right.
In addition to the many honors he has received for his amazing culinary creations, Ben-Israel loves to teach and while Max might scoff at his mannerisms at first,she could learn quite a lot from him.
Criticism is hard for anyone to take but Ben-Israel does know the art of being constructive with his words while laying down the hammer when necessary. Max may not like that but it can be helpful to savor such bittersweet feedback at times:
Last yet far and away from least,Kerry Vincent and Max would most likely get along as smoothly as oil and water. However,I believe that they have enough in common that could make for a beautiful mentorship.
For one thing,both ladies are strong,self reliant types who aren't afraid to speak their minds. Plus,they both respect hard work and applying yourself to the task at hand. Their start might be rocky but in the end,I wouldn't be shocked to see Kerry and Max sharing a high tea together and a few recipes:
I do hope that 2 Broke Girls lasts long enough to see Max open her cupcake shop and that she does find a pastry mentor to boot. Despite her sweetly crude approach to baking,her cupcake concept is viable and it would a sweet victory for real life budding bakers to see that dream come true,even on the small screen:
With Thanksgiving over a week away,signs of autumn are abundantly clear as the leaves sparkle with new colors and temperatures drop low enough to induce some serious sweater wearing. Speaking of freezing,to prevent your imagination from getting a chill it might be a good idea to heat it up with a book or two from the fantasy section.
To start off our quartet of reading suggestions,let's look at Inheritance,the final installment in Christopher Paolini's celebrated series that began with Eragon.
Our young dragon rider has grown from a simple farm boy to a man intent on ending the reign of terror dominating his country and with the help of trusted dragon companion Saphira,the long awaited battle between them and evil king Galbatorix will decide everything,for better or for worse:
If you prefer a little more girl power,Jacqueline Carey has given us a follow-up to her action packed futuristic novel Santa Olivia that takes her leading lady on more adventures. Saints Astray finds genetically enhanced Loup Garron and her gal pal Pilar free from the confines of Outpost 12 and looking for a way to release their old friends as well.
During her time on the outside,Loup soon discovers that her former sparring partner Miguel has fled from Outpost 12 and is in protective custody on his way to testify in America about the horrible conditions of their isolated community.
When he mysteriously disappears on route,Loup and Pilar risk recapture by going after him and if there's anyone more than capable of kicking down a few doors to save someone here,I highly doubt it:
For fans of Kim Harrison's paranormal fantasy series of novels featuring magically inclined P.I. Rachel Morgan, a more in depth look at her world is now available. The Hollows Insider is filled with fun facts to know and tell about the people,places and supernatural things that our heroine deals with on a daily basis.
Included in these pages are maps,rundowns on the various otherworldly beings that Rachel either fights or befriends such as vampires,pixies and demons,plus spell guides and favorite recipes of certain characters. This handy tome should keep you busy until the next Rachel Morgan book comes along in the new year:
"That's great,Lady T,but don't you know of any books that aren't part of an ongoing series?" Why,yes,I do-Jo Walton's Among Others is set in 1979,where physically and emotionally damaged Welsh teen Mori is starting over in a British boarding school.
She is placed there in order to be far away from her mentally unstable mother whose interest in magic caused the shattering of their family. As Mori struggles to recover from the loss of her twin sister and develop what powers she may or may not have,books become her true source of solace.
Many of the science fiction novels that she escapes into help Mori to find others who share in that literary bliss and create a real healing spell for her soul. No matter what the genre,the magic of books never gets old:
I hope these suggestions are helpful and you can always find more at your nearby bookseller or local library. A very good way to keep the home fires burning in your neck of the woods might be to check out any reading groups in your area that have similar genre tastes and have a few lists of good reads on hand for your perusal. You never know where you'll discover that next amazing book that you must talk about,so keep your options as well as your eyes open,folks:
There's been a revival of interest in fairy tale lore these days in Hollywood,with TV shows and two live action productions of Snow White that all have one thing in common;blurring the line between the family friendly versions and the darker origins of the original stories.
In the Snow White sweepstakes,the first trailer for Snow White & The Huntsman has been released and what really captured my attention here was it's focus on the Evil Queen(played by Charlize Theron).
While the main setting of the plot is more down to earth,with rebels looking to overthrow the current regimen with the help of the outcast princess(Kristen Stewart),her royal wickedness has major magical mojo at her command. She's pretty damn impressive,especially when she consults the magic mirror,and making me want to see this one next June:
I am a total Evil Queen fan,ever since my first viewing of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as a kid. Yes,Snow White is the gal you're supposed to be rooting for and while I do want her to get her happy ending,the Queen was just way more interesting.
From her dynamic cape and cowl ensemble to her obsession about her looks that ultimately sealed her doom,the Evil Queen was and is a show stopper. Her presence seems much more lively than Snow's sappy little sweetheart vibe and I know that I'm not the only one out there who wanted to don her crown:
Julia Roberts is set to be the Evil Queen in the other SW film but she's got a lot of work to do if she wants to make her mark on this role. Being a villain is not something that Roberts has really attempted in any of her previous movies and this one truly sets the bar high.
Even the new series Once Upon a Time has a strong linchpin with their Evil Queen(Lana Perilla)and it would be a shame if such a big movie star was easily overshadowed by a small screen version of the same classic character:
Too bad that we don't have a pop culture magic mirror to offer us a vision of which Snow White story will come out on top in 2012. However,in terms of keeping the persona of the Evil Queen alive and well,no sorcery is required to see that delightfully wicked diva will be just fine now and in the future.
Such a juicy part does threaten to dominate the heroine of the piece and offer prime opportunity for a grand dame to outshine her. The best advice that I can give to either party is,hey all's supposed to be fair in love and war,which applies to screen time,too.
To the Snow Whites who are about to face off on their respective Queens,get ready to rumble,ladies or it won't matter who is the fairest. It's the most memorable that counts in this race:
