Things kept moving along on Game of Thrones this week, as Dany prepared to free another city of slaves,Jon and Ygritte discussed their relationship and the most likely outcome for the Wildlings' attack plan and Gendry learned of his true parentage.
Since George R. R. Martin wrote this episode(he does at least one per season), a lot of nifty dialogue was tossed around here,including a mini showdown between Joffery and his grandfather/Hand of the King Tywin. This scene wasn't in the book but you can't blame GRRM for having some fun with these characters, as Tywin elegantly managed to intimidate his psychotic spoiled brat of a grandson while still offering him the respect due to a king:
The other major Lannister scene belonged to Jaime, who had gotten his captors to agree to bring him to King's Landing(on condition that he not blame them for his missing hand).
That deal didn't include Brienne,however and when Jaime found out the vicious fate in store for her, he got the men accompanying him to go back for her.
She had been tossed into a bear pit,with only a wooden sword to fight with and Brienne was doing her level best to fight off that big beast before Jaime showed up. Fortunately, he was able to save her from being ripped apart and forced the man holding her to have her leave with him. Jaime is still in my bad books but this was a nice redemption moment for him:
Mad Men dealt with the aftermath of the spontaneous merger between SCDP and CGC,with Don feeling the need to declare his dominance,as usual. While Ted is a more workaday type, Don likes to be the superstar and his power struggles at work extended to his affair with Sylvia.
The two of them went a little 50 Shades of Grey, as they played a game of capture in a hotel room but soon enough, Sylvia got tired of it and called the whole thing off. Personally, I think that Don was worried about things getting too serious between them and sought to sabotage their love connection,yet still had regrets once it was over and done with. Being impulsive is a double edged sword and Our Man Draper had to take his cuts on the chin there:
It's graduation day on The Vampire Diaries but Bonnie may have a problem showing up, since she's dead. After taking her Expression powers to their breaking point in order to keep Jeremy alive, she woke up to find herself now a ghost.
Fortunately, the power triangle that she set up to destroy Silas is still in play,meaning that she can interact with the living but so can the other Hunters who came back with Jeremy and who want to wipe out Silas themselves.
How anyone is going to get of this one,let alone have time for the whole cap and gown deal, is beyond me but rest assured, Caroline will use her super powers of determination to make it so:
RANDOM NOTES:
FOOD NETWORK STAR: Season nine is set to start in June, with a fresh new pack of hopefuls ready to make their cooking show debut. Let's see if these foodie folk can cut the mustard and then some this summer, especially with the new twist thrown into the mix:
There have been many biographies written about Jane Austen,both fictional and factual, that most newcomers to her life and times might find daunting while established Austenites might feel that there is no need to add another one to their overflowing collections.
However, in the latest Austen bio by Paula Bryne,The Real Jane Austen:A Life in Small Things, a sparkling new take on the material makes this book quite the must read for both sets of Jane Austen readers. Instead of taking the standard chronological approach, Brynes uses everyday objects in Jane's life(as well as her characters) to talk about what may have influenced her choices in the personal and creative paths she took.
For example, a card of lace leads us into Austen's enjoyment of
shopping in such places as Bath and London,as well as the less amusing
subject of one of her relations being arrested for shoplifting just such
an item and spending a brief amount of time in jail(Jane's mother
offered to send both of her daughters to the distressed aunt as company
during her incarceration but that was politely declined).
Well known possessions of Jane Austen come into play also,like the topaz crosses that were brought for her and sister Cassandra by their naval brother Charles,purchased with money earned during one of his campaigns at sea.
The British Navy and the impact that it had on society was a focal point for two of Austen's novels,Persuasion and Mansfield Park, with the cross given to Fanny in MP not only reflecting that generous gift given in real life but the true nature of the giver in both instances as well.
Jane Austen's health concerns(along with the accepted notions of the time period) are talked about in a chapter headlined by a bathing machine,popular at places such as Brighton where Lydia Bennet made her unfortunate choice of husband and political concerns regarding slavery in other countries is looked at through a portrait of a "Daughter of Mansfield."
Austen's playfulness with her nieces and nephews,plus the childish nature of game playing amongst her more grown-up characters is nicely highlighted in the chapter that opens with a box of letters,much like the ones used to pass certain secret messages in a pivotal section of Emma.
Some of the best chapters talk about Austen's writing career,with a royalty check from John Murray as the starting off point for her success at earning enough money from her published novels to allow her to continue onward with her work.
Another chapter showcases her laptop writing desk,that Jane received from her father when she was nineteen. It became as vital to her as the famous writing desk displayed at Chawton,for it was more than just a sign of his confidence in her talents.
That mini writing station gave her the mobility to take her work where ever her social and family obligations insisted that she needed to be and could be rightly seen as the Regency equivalent of the modern day laptop computer:
Paula Bryne is well familiar with Jane Austen's world,due in part to her earlier book Jane Austen and the Theatre,and that sure-handed ease with her subject makes the unusual set-up of this biography feel very natural and secure.
Bryne gives the reader a guided tour into Jane Austen's life and times that definitely takes the scenic route,making the trip seem fresh and new for established fans and allows those new to the Austen scene a breezy yet mentally stimulating look at her world.
The Real Jane Austen is available at a bookseller near you and whether you're in need of a refresher course or a proper introduction, this lovely book fits the bill. The subtitle may say "a Life in Small Things" but as this book proves,Austen's life was quite the widescreen wonder:
With Mother's Day blossoming up this weekend,thinking well of those maternal figures is the obvious train of thought to ride on,yet even the best of those beloved ladies do have a few flaws that in most instances, make them all the more lovable.
Who better to showcase the adoring as well as amusing on occasion mothers(and motherly stand-ins) than Jane Austen, who treasured family ties but did not hesitate to enjoy a few moments of wit about her loved ones for the entertainment value,too. Here are a handful of some of Miss Austen's fictional mothers and their impact on their offspring:
MRS. BENNET: No discussion on this subject could be complete without this particularly passive aggressive matriarch whose eager urgings for her five daughters to be married are kindly meant,if not kindly carried out.
While Mrs. Bennet's methods are not what most "proper" women of her day would have her daughters do to find suitable suitors, she does at least make a credible effort to attract attention to her girls that does catch the notice of certain young men in the neighborhood(even if it's not the kind of attention a couple of them really want)and to make the most of any opportunity, even if that means nagging her husband to do his bit at the expense of her nerves:
MRS. JENNINGS: While the Dashwood sisters do have an excellent mother on hand to guide them in their respective romances, that does not prevent the jolly encouragement of their cousin Sir John Middleton's mother in law whose hints may be broad but her intentions are quite sincere.
After all,as Elinor points out, Mrs. Jennings is a widow with two married daughters and has nothing better to do than get other young women around her married. One wonders what a meeting between her and Mrs. Bennet would have produced-even Mrs. Jennings might have trouble finding Mary and Kitty suitable mates but then, teaming up with other like minded matchmakers seems to be her strongest suit:
MRS. BATES: Out of all the motherly types present in Emma,not much is said about this dear lady(or by her,for that matter).
Nevertheless,one can conclude that she must have been quite a devoted mother indeed,to earn such devotion from her remarkably chatty yet considerate daughter,Miss Bates. Such a generous nature and genuine humility must have been developed early on and by example,although the talkativeness is probably all of Miss Bates' own volition.
However, she is sweet enough to keep her dear mother in step with any conversation they come across during the course of their daily interactions,which gives some of her listeners a much needed break:
LADY RUSSELL: Anne Eliot's motherly replacement did want the best for her by talking her out of getting engaged so young,although it did mean a long time before anyone took notice of her favorite Eliot girl.
Despite the unintentional consequences of her interference, Lady Russell staid true to Anne and the rest of the Eliots,especially during their time of retrenchment. She did encourage Anne as much as possible to seek out other chances for love,provided that those possible suitors were worthy of her attention and the Eliot name.
However,even the most agreeable of daughters tend to go their own way in love and Anne had to do so,regardless of her dear friend's wishes. It's too bad the other Miss Eliot didn't take such well meaning advice,in that case, the benefit of it might have done some real good:
I hope you all have a lovely Mother's Day and even if that special lady in your life is not a Jane Austen fan, I'm sure she would find welcome company amongst the maternal circle gathered in our Dear Jane's fictional families and friends:
It was a two hour finale for this season of The Amazing Race this past weekend and the next to last stop was in Ireland. One of the Detour challenges was to serve a five course meal to folks celebrating the first and last voyage of the H.M.S. Titanic and several flights of stairs had to be endured to bring the food to the waiting diners.
Most of the teams that took up this challenge were thrown by the seating chart,which only listed the choice of entrees for their table. Instead of checking the posted menu, a couple of them went around in circles trying to figure why the meals were not what was ordered.
After that leg was over,it was down to three teams-Hockey brothers Anthony and Bates,roller derby moms Mona and Beth and annoying newlyweds Max and Katie.
All of them went to Washington D.C. to finish up the final leg and after a switchback challenge that involved playing secret agent and fishing through a ball pit to find globes that highlighted the countries visited, the winning team was Anthony and Bates.
Congrats,guys-you played the game well and weren't cranky(*cough*Max and Katie*cough*)or vindictive in your strategies. It would've been nice if Mona and Beth had won,but maybe they'll come back for a redemption run of TAR,who knows? All in all, this was a pretty decent season and I look forward to the next time TAR takes off:
Much has been set up on this week's Game of Thrones, with Jon and Ygritte climbing up the Wall, Rob working on a truce with the Freys and Sansa mourning her upcoming marriage to Tyrion.
However, it is time that we looked in on Arya and at the moment, she's a hostage/guest of the Brotherhood Without Banners, along with Gendry who is eager to use his metal working skills on their behalf. That plan seems to have changed,since Melisandre showed up and paid off the BWB leadership to claim Gendry for her own sinister purposes.
This is somewhat of a change from the source material but I can see where this is going and it really won't alter the intended course too much(semi-spoiler; Gendry is taking the place of a minor character who will be offered up to the Lord of Light to further Stannis' cause but he'll be okay, I'm sure of it). Arya's anger at the Brotherhood and Melisandre for this betrayal is more fuel to the fire that will forge her true destiny and if I were Melisandre, I would not be wanting to run into this steadfast Stark maiden again, fate or no fate:
Don upset the apple cart quite a bit on Mad Men this week, as he got sick of dealing with that creep from Jaguar and broke off business with him on a whim. That unexpected decision threatened to impact on SCDP's plans to go public,along with Pete's father-in-law deciding to take his business elsewhere after running into Pete at a brothel.
Roger and Don chose to focus on the positive,with a golden opportunity to get the account for a brand new Chevy car. However,that deal wasn't totally in the bag for them which lead Don to make another game change by teaming up with a rival ad agency that just so happens to have Peggy on the payroll.
Nice way to bring her directly back into the fold,so to speak and yet, the reception from the rest of the SCDP crew may not be the victory cheers that Don hopes to hear. Charm can only get you so far in life and with people, no matter how long they've been together:
RANDOM NOTES:
RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE: Condragulations to Jinkx Monsoon as the winner of this season's Drag Race and props to Ivy Winters for getting the Miss Congeniality nod. As always, it was fun to attend the church of Rupaul and will be happy to give an amen when called upon for it next drag time,same drag station:
Twice a year,the church near my house has a rummage sale and this past weekend was their spring outing. I tend to pick up a few books at each sale(who am I kidding,the book tables are the first ones that I hit and sometimes the only ones) and while I add a couple of new titles to my home library,the bulk of my purchases were pop culture related.
Starting with the books, I did get two hardcovers,one of which was The Help( the copy I did share with my mother awhile ago was a rented paperback) and the other was Maeve Binchy's Nights of Rain and Stars. The story is set on a small Greek island called Aghia Anna,where several unlikely to ever meet up strangers connect with each other at the local taverna.
Since I just finished another Binchy novel recently(Heart and Soul)that referenced some of these characters,I was happy to scoop this sweet looking book up. Even though Maeve has gone to that great library in the beyond,it's nice to discover more of the wonderful work she left for all of us to continually enjoy:
The one paperback I did buy was Nefertiti by Michelle Moran,about the infamous queen of Egypt as told by her younger sister Mutnodjmet. Sounds like The Other Boleyn Girl set on the Nile and I hope it's as enticing a read as that book was.
I've heard of Michelle Moran before but haven't had the chance to read any of her other historical novels such as The Heretic Queen,Cleopatra's Daughter or Madame Tussand. This book seemed a good place to start as any. The edition that I now have is from Target's book club(didn't even know Target did that sort of thing)and has a special intro by the author,a nifty little bonus there.
Granted,I have a lot of historical fiction in my TBR piles already but this portrait of a legendary Egyptian lady known best by many for her portrait in statue should be a nice change of pace:
Now for the surprises-the first being a press kit for the miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's Bag of Bones for A&E. I did read the book a long time ago but didn't get around to watching the TV movie version when it aired in 2011.
Well, I have my chance now and in quite a package. The press kit is in the form of an old phonograph player with a secret compartment containing a booklet that has the two disc screener of the film and a bonus disc of PR extras.
You can imagine my startled delight at finding such a treasure and am looking forward to watching the movie later this season. It'll be good for when the summer TV season starts to lag,I'm sure:
A discovery like that is a pretty rare gem at a rummage sale but it wasn't the only one to be found. Nearby was a black book that turned out to be AMC's mailer for the Emmy voters in 2011. It has gorgeous glossy "For Your Consideration" photo layouts for such shows as The Walking Dead,The Killing and Mad Men,plus a brief bid for Breaking Bad.
The back pages,however, were chock full of DVDs-season one of The Walking Dead, the first five episodes of The Killing(with pilot included),the first three episodes of the short lived series Rubicon and the complete fourth season of Mad Men. Talk about your pop culture bonanza there,folks! True, the discs don't have any extras there but with the limits on my home entertainment budget these days, this was quite a blessing from the TV cable gods and I am most grateful for it.
I haven't seen The Killing at all but will give it a try(especially with season three on the way) and while the current season of Mad Men is underway, looking back to year four should be a sweet supplement indeed:
Well, it just goes to show that you can never tell what can be found at any rummage,tag or yard sale. One person's trash is another's treasure and sometimes even the trash is worth treasuring,not to mention being able to come back in style or never go out of it:
*sigh* It does get tiring at this point to hear about the never ending court room drama with Lindsay Lohan,who was supposed to check into a lock down rehab facility today but decided to simply stop in and not stay for awhile.
She's out and about yet again,trying to shop around for a better bargain,I guess, although I seem to recall she also has a problem with paying for things before she leaves the store. With the constant state of chaos that Lindsay prefers to be in,it's one of those situations that you can either laugh or cry about and I chose to chuckle here.
Since our dear Lindsay wants to be on the run from the law,she might as well have a few themed musical picks for her soundtrack album. Here's a small sample of what should be playing on her car radio(which is hopefully being driven by someone else):
BREAKING THE LAW: This Judas Priest classic would be a crime to overlook as you head out on the highway to freedom and certainly Lindsay has enough hair to headbang properly to this tune. How familiar she is with heavy metal I'm not sure but certainly many of her fellow inmates know this one by heart:
INVINCIBLE: Pat Benatar's anthem for the 1985 cult movie The Legend of Billie Jean may be well before Lindsay's time but since she still considers herself an actress( although it wouldn't be surprising if they revoked her SAG card after the horror that was Liz and Dick on Lifetime),perhaps she can relate to this troubled teen drama.
While the main characters in this movie are fleeing from the authorities due to a couple of major misunderstandings,their cause was much more just than any of Lohan's flings with the law.
What would really appeal to her here is the title of the song because that is what she thinks she is,apparently, when it comes to any form of incarceration:
BEEN CAUGHT STEALING: Granted,this Jane Addiction's song is rather obvious but then again,so are most of Lindsay's film performances. Given how flip she's been in court(remember that little fingernail flip off to the judge a while ago?), it's not hard to imagine Lohan humming this song to herself on her way out of the court house:
FREE BIRD: While no one wants to see Lindsay go down in a literal blaze of glory, you do have to admit that The Devil's Rejects showcased this song as an excellent last stand tune.
In fact, it might be good for Lohan to watch this movie,as director Rob Zombie is no stranger to wackiness on set. If she's looking for a real career comeback,RZ would be a great choice. He could be the Tarantino to her Travolta,maybe?
After all,this is a guy who managed to make the gruesome likes of the Firefly family somewhat sympathetic by the end of this flick and if he can make pop culture referencing murderous maniacs worth cheering for onscreen, the cinematic possibilities for redeeming Lindsay Lohan with both audiences and critics could be endless:
Oh,well,most likely,Lindsay will scrounge up another lawyer to wiggle her way out of another fine mess and rely once again on razzle dazzle to save her from lock-up. It's too bad that she seems to be happy playing the role of celebrity criminal these days(and I consider Charlie Sheen to be the worst sort of social support she can get) and perhaps one of these days,she'll truly decide to straight up and fly right. All I know is that Judge Judy wouldn't put up with any of this nonsense,not even if Lindsay had Billy Flynn himself at her side:
This next to the last of the legs on The Amazing Race was in Scotland and it kept two teams firmly at the back of the pack,Team Roller Derby(Mona and Beth) and Team YouTube(Joey and Meghan).
Try as they might,these two couples just couldn't surge ahead in order to avoid running neck in neck with one another. There was a Double U-Turn for the Detour challenges,which were to either stuff a haggis(and then taste the final product) or to roll a batch of whiskey barrels over to a dance hall.
Naturally,both teams fell prey to the U-Turn(more of a strategic move on the part of the other front runners than a personal vendetta this time around). It was the barrel rolling that did Joey and Meghan in,causing them to be eliminated but you can't say that they didn't give it their best shot. Buck up,kids,there's always the All-Star version of TAR to shoot for:
A lot of set-ups were made on Game of Thrones this week,as Jaime gave Brienne an earful of the real story behind his nickname Kingslayer, Dany got to know her Unsullied a bit better and Jon Snow got to know Ygritte a whole lot more in the flesh,so to speak
The plan to wed her to Loras was discovered and since Sansa may be "the key to the North"(given that if her brother Rob fails in his quest to conquer and things are looking bad on that front,she's the heiress to Winterfell),Tywin wants to nip this in the bud by marrying her off to Tyrion.
Cersei finds that amusing until her father also demands that she marry Loras in order to quell the "disgusting rumors" about her and Jaime. Sansa is not going to like this and the only one who cares about her feelings on the matter is Tyrion,ironically enough. It's also ironic how Tywin takes no responsibility for how his kids have turned out,especially since most of their issues started on his watch:
Another real world event was depicted on Mad Men as the assassination of MLK made an impact upon the mostly insular lives of the characters. Folks did their best to respond appropriately(except for Harry,what an ass!) but were quite shaken up there.
Don seemed to keep his usual cool for the most part,distracted only by his concerns for his mistress(who went to Washington D.C. with her husband just before it happened) and pretty much forced into checking in on his kids. Megan scolded him about his lack of interest in that department(echoing Betty's complaints that he never makes time for the children),which which rebounded in reflection for Don.
An unexpected bonding moment occurred with him and Bobby,as they went to a screening of Planet of the Apes. Bobby felt the need to reach out to a movie usher,which touched Don more than he anticipated and as he later drunkenly confessed to Megan,made him see his son as more of a person than just a responsibility thrust upon him.
How much this new revelation will affect Don's future relationship with his off spring is yet to be seen,especially as they are growing up and away from him,but if he plans to change that status quo,he should get a move on:
RANDOM NOTES: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: With most of the Originals off to New Orleans(looking forward to that spin-off next year),Stefan and Damon have more time this week to concentrate on awakening Elena's locked down humanity. Their methods,however,are bound to backfire in a rather bloody way:
I celebrated my forty fifth birthday late last week and amongst the great gifts I received(with much thanks to my wonderful family and friends) were a number of my favorite items,books. Since as they say a book is a present you can open again and again,I thought it would be nice to re-open a few of them with all of you.
As expected,some of the books were Jane Austen related such as Syrie James' The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen and Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James. I'm reading the P.D. James first,mainly because I really haven't read her before and want to make up for lost time there.
DCTP takes place six years after the main events of Pride and Prejudice,with Elizabeth and Darcy comfortably settled in his family homestead as well as the prospects for Georgianna to receive more than one promising offer of marriage being very good indeed.
This period of calm is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Lydia,who hysterically claims that her no account husband Wickam has been shot by his good friend Denny somewhere on the grounds of Pemberley. Upon investigating the matter,Mr. Darcy and his cousin Col. Fitzwilliam(who happens to be one of Georgianna's potential suitors) discover that things are not as quite as they seem,even for the devious likes of Wickam.
Jane Austen mystery stories do have a strong following and I've enjoyed the series penned by Carrie Bebis(The Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mysteries) but for such a renowned author in this genre to be taking on Austen like this,I was eager to take a look despite the mixed reviews. I'll most likely post my full thoughts on the book after finishing it yet so far,it is delightfully diverting:
My nonfiction gifts included a collection of author essays,Why We Write,and a book that has become a must-have for Downton Abbey fans.
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey is written by the current lady of the manor,Fiona,the Countess of Carnavon,who offers her estate as the central location for the popular PBS drama. It relates the history of the fifth Countess,whose life and times are rather similar to the back story of Lady Cora Crawley,an American heiress who married an English nobleman in need of a fortune to sustain his family holdings.
Highclere Castle is full of rich history,such as the Earl's partaking in the Egyptian exploration that lead to the discovery of King Tut and the house being opened to wounded soldiers during WWI. This will be a nice read to tide me over until season four of Downton arrives on our shores:
For some time now,I have been dipping into Les Miserables as part of my morning reading ritual and making excellent progress with this massive tome. In part,I think that is due to reading an edition translated by Norman Denny,who really knows how to make such a long literary journey move faster without bypassing any of the lovely scenery prose along the way.
French literature has never been my thing,with the only exceptions being Madame Bovary and Cousin Bette(Balzac strikes me as one of those rowdy relatives you meet at a family reunion who is more than happy to share a few family secrets after a drink or two).
Encouraged by my steady pace with Le Miz,one of my birthday books this year is The Three Musketeers,with Alexandre Dumas being translated by Richard Pevear. I am familiar with the story,due to the various film versions(plus a couple of child friendly editions back in the day) but would really like to sink my mental teeth into one of the big man's major tales of derring-do. Granted,it'll be awhile since I still have a ways to go with Le Miz but when I'm done,D,artagnon and friends will be waiting for me:
Philippa Gregory is one of my favorite writers of historical fiction and for my birthday,I was fortunate enough to get the first three titles in her new series of royal family titles known as The Cousin's War(aka the War of the Roses).
The White Queen is focused on Elizabeth Woodville,whose marriage to Edward the Fifth was one of the sparks that set off the infamous rivalry between the houses of York and Lancaster and who was the mother of the two young princes set to the Tower.
The mantle is taken up in The Red Queen by Margaret Beaufort,who is married at thirteen and becomes a mother and a widow by fourteen.
Despite the political manipulations that force her into two other loveless marriages, Margaret makes her primary goal in life the placing of her son Henry upon the throne of England at all costs.
The torch is then passed slightly back in time for The Lady of the Rivers, where the psychic gifts of Jacquetta are exploited by her future husband,the Duke of Bedford,who has Joan of Arc executed.
Jacquetta believes that her second sight comes from being a descendant of the river goddess Melusina but even she could not see the outcome of her second marriage to Richard Woodville or the impact of the Cousin's War upon her daughter Elizabeth.
The next book after that one is The Kingmaker's Daughter,which I'll be ready for by the fall at this rate,and while I do prefer the Tudors over the Plantagenet clan,these books should be rip roaring fun:
Well,I do have a lot to take in here,in addition to some of my other reading,yet this is definitely more of a pleasure than a chore by far. Books do make wonderful gifts that keep on giving and I'm thankful that many of my loved ones enjoy giving them to me:
The teams on The Amazing Race this week landed in Germany,where they had a number of risky tasks to perform,such as taking a high dive off of a hotel roof and exploring a bizarre labyrinth within a nightclub.
However,the real risk came towards the end,as two teams were neck in neck for the Pit Stop. Team Hockey(Anthony and Bates) and Team Roller Derby(Mona and Beth)were practically on top of each other during the last challenge and it was an out and out foot race to reach Phil first.
The boys made it in just seconds ahead of the ladies,but this was a non elimination leg,lucky for them. Both of these teams have been doing great and playing fair,so it's good to see them both still in the game:
Cheating themes abound on Mad Men this week,as Don wavered between "tolerating" Megan's sexier scenes on her soap opera as well as fending off the advances of her work colleagues(who are clearly a swinging couple,in every sense of the term) and going behind the back of one Heinz executive to court another.
In the terms of his dealings with Megan,Don wants to have it both ways;supportive spouse and jealous husband,so typical of him. Never mind that he's sleeping with her new best friend a couple of floors away,Don still has to act like he's in the right about things,regardless of the muddy moral waters he's wading in.
As to the Heinz Ketchup account,it was one of those bold moves that Don made his career on,but this time out,his former student Peggy gave him a real run for the money there.
In both aspects of his life,Don is slowly realizing that his moves are not as slick as they once were. If he's as smart as he thinks he is,it would be wise to learn a few new tricks instead of relying on the regular stand-bys,but we shall see:
Plenty of plot ground was covered on the last episode of Game of Thrones,with Jaime sinking into sorrow over his missing hands,plans for Sansa to marry into House Tyrell being made and Arya hoping that the Hound would receive true justice from the Brotherhood Without Banners.
The major game change came from overseas,as Dany completed her bargain with the trash talking slave trader in Astapor. With the promise of a live dragon as payment,she was given control over an army of eight thousand Unsullied soldiers and not until the last minute,she revealed the true nature of her plan.
Granted,I've read the book(A Storm of Swords)so this wasn't a complete surprise to me yet seeing it unfold in such a spectacular fashion was one of the best thrills on TV that I've seen in a long time. All hail Daenarys Stormborn,a real mother of dragons indeed!:
RANDOM NOTES:
THE AMERICAN BAKING COMPETITION: The U.S. version of this cooking contest will be arriving in May and while I still think the title needs some work,the show does look like yummy viewing:
With the weather getting warmer these days(slowly in some places),the urge to go outdoors is becoming hard to resist. One good excuse for giving into that desire is to find what's new at your local bookseller,who has a ripe crop of reading goods on display this season.
Of course,spring and early summer is a busy gift shopping time as well,with weddings,graduations and parental holidays to honor. Some of the books suggested here may be more suitable as a present to yourself but at least one or two of them might be the perfect book to give to that person who seems to need nothing yet will need to read this:
A SENSATION FOR THE SENSES
Daphne Kalotay follows up her brilliant debut novel Russian Winter with another look at tormented artists in Sight Reading. Remy and Hazel have not seen each other for twenty years yet a chance encounter brings back a flood of memories regarding the man they both loved.
When Remy was just a second chair violinist in Boston of 1987,she was drawn by the charms of Nicholas,a charismatic conductor still in the throws of love with his new wife Hazel. The passion that generates between Remy and Nicholas changed more than one life and put all three of them on a path each least expected to be on. Kalotay's story telling skills are as fine honed as any orchestra with the spotlight being placed on just the right emotional notes in this tale of tortured love and desire(May):
In Kathleen Tessaro's The Perfume Collector, Grace Monroe finds the life of a 1950s British socialite to be as dull as she expected with not even her recent marriage offering much zest to her days. When an inheritance from a mysterious French woman arrives on her doorstep,however,Grace's interest is rather peaked indeed.
She travels to France to discover what this is all about and learns about the rise and fall of her benefactor,Eva D'Orsey. Eva started out as a hotel maid in New York during the 1920s and went into the perfume business with a man named Andre,who she loved and lost during WWII. Eva's tale inspires Grace to make what she can of this unexpected treasure bestowed upon her. A riveting tale that gives the reader more than one sense of how something simple like perfume can bring new enchantment to life(May):
LISTENING EARS
British actress/comedian Dawn French is not as well known for her books as she is her films and TV shows but perhaps that might all change with her latest novel. The heroine of Oh Dear Silvia happens to be in a coma due to a fall off her balcony and her many visitors to her hospital bed have much to say to her.
From her dippy sister Jo(whose idea of helping her wake up is to bring in a male stripper) to moody ex-husband Ed and the dubious agenda of her housekeeper Tia,the people in Silvia's life are all wondering why she made such a sudden change of life five years ago in disconnecting from her family. That secret is one of the dozens unearthed in this offbeat narrative(late May):
MYSTERY MIX AND MATCH
Alafair Burke's new suspense novel,If You Were Here, has journalist McKenna Jordan looking for the subject for her next big story in the New York magazine she writes for while fielding book offers on a major article. In checking out the video of a women rescuing a teenager from subway tracks,she recognizes an old friend from her time as an A.D.A.,Susan,who has gone missing for a decade.
While seeking out Susan,McKenna winds up opening up an old can of worms having to do with a case against a police officer that ended her legal career. This blend of past and present woes adds to a compelling story line that examines the effect of secret and lies upon one woman's life(June).
Bad Monkey is another tale from the seedy side of Florida that author Carl Hiaasen is best known for. The hapless hero of the story,Andrew Yancy,has plenty of troubles to deal,starting with the severed arm in his freezer.
The reason given for this detached limb involves a story about a boating incident at a "shark luncheon",something that Andrew doesn't buy but is willing to look into as the truth of the matter might help him get a better gig with the local law enforcement than his current position as a health inspector.
Along the way towards discovering what really happened,Andrew runs into a few old friends and oddball new acquaintances( including the widow of the arm's former owner) do their best to help or hinder him in his investigation. Hiaasen's heady mix of humor and criminal hijinks is quite the literary cocktail to down on a hot summer's night(June):
WEIRD SCIENCE
The subtitle of The Resurrectionist by E.D. Hudspeth is "the lost work of Doctor Spencer Black",a Victorian era scientist who did extensive studies and anatomical drawings of supernatural creatures that he felt were the key to understanding human development.
The first half of the book is devoted to Dr. Black's biography,where as the son of a grave robber,he worked hard to achieve his medical degree yet was haunted by his interest in the strange and unusual.
The rest of it showcases the good doctor's amazing illustrations of such fantastical beings as a minotaur,mermaid and even dragons that display their inner workings with creative grace. Anyone who loves fantasy lit or fantasy art will want to add this engaging book to their collection of wonders(May). MIDDLE EAST MEMOIRS
Anna Badken gives us a year in the life of an Afghan village with The World is a Carpet. Badken was a war correspondent who went to Afghanistan more than once in her career and decided to stay for a time to get to know the people better.
The narrative thread of this chronicle is the weaving of a carpet,which would bring enough money upon completion to help the people of Oqa pay for things like medicine for children made ill by "the black cough" and to survive in such a physically harsh climate.
The families shown here(along with brief sketches made by the author) are hardy folk who hold on to their traditions as a way of finding resolve in tough times,something that is quite universal to us all(late May).
Award winning actress Shohreh Aghdashloo discusses her life and times in an engaging memoir entitled The Alley of Love and Yellow Jasmines. Starting with her childhood in Iran during the time of the Shah, she chronicles her journey into acting even in the midst of the growing repressions of the new regime that followed the former one.
Aghdashloo made a number of sacrifices,including leaving her husband,along the way to pursuing her love of acting and found ways to keep in touch with the home land she had to leave behind though her art. Her real world adventures are as moving as any put on film and just as compelling as fiction(June):
So,even with summer reading plans to make,finding good books to read should be more of a pleasure than a chore. Doing what you love,whether it's for work or play,is a joy worth singing about:
While the spring and summer movie season is not always a feast for the eyes of horror fans,even this year offers a few gruesome gems for folks of that persuasion to enjoy. Just this past weekend,musician/director Rob Zombie opened up his latest fright flick,The Lords of Salem,and received a fair number of positive reviews.
The movie stars Rob's lovely wife,Sheri Moon Zombie,as Heidi,a DJ who gets a mysterious box containing a vinyl record that causes bizarre visions to appear to those who listen. Despite the terrifying results of the record,it does get air play and many are drawn to the bewitching power of the music and a concert for the Lords is planned,which may bring down the house in more ways than one:
Despite the fact that the Twilight saga has ended for movie goers,vampires will still be making their presence known on the silver screen this May. Kiss of the Damned stars Milo Ventimiglia as Paolo,a young screenwriter who falls hopelessly in love with Djuna(Josephine de La Baume) who is reluctant to bring him into her eternally dark world.
Once she does,however,more complications arise as her devil may care sister Mimi drops by for a visit. Mimi's flouting of the rules that govern their blood drinking society puts them all at risk and forces both Paolo and Djuna to make choices that test the limits of their love and mutual blood lust:
The ghost story is the little black dress of the horror genre;it never really goes out of style. This July,you'll see the latest spooky number on display with The Conjuring. The movie is based on the exploits of real life husband and wife paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren(Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) who for the most part,tended to disprove rather than prove the existence of haunted houses. However,when the Warrens went to check out the strange goings-on at the Rhode Island farm house where the beleaguered Perron family insisted was under supernatural siege,they soon realized that this was an experience unlike any other they had encountered before:
The true rose among these thorny films,however,may prove to be You're Next. This low budget film takes place at a family reunion,where the Dawson clan seems truly happy to be together.
That good mood is soon shattered by a set of lethal party crashers who make their deadly intentions known right away. As the Dawsons seek safe places to hide,one of their invited guests decides to rise to the grisly challenge of survival and takes brutal charge of the situation. You're Next is due in August and I wouldn't be surprised to see it become the sinister sleeper hit of the season:
While most film goers will choose to bask in the shade of blockbuster fare this spring and summer,I find that it may be best to cool off during those long hot days with a chilling fear flick instead. Such a movie can be frightfully refreshing and provide a real relief from the rest of those 500 days of summer indeed:
