A batch of bookish treats to serve up on Mother's Day

As Mother's Day weekend grows near, the choice of presents to buy for this occasion may feel way too standard. Sure, your mom will be happy to receive the usual card/flowers/candy combo but for that gift that keeps on giving, there is nothing like a book.

With that in mind, I have a few suggestions that might help making your holiday shopping a bit easier and maybe you can get an extra copy for your own reading pleasure. First up is a biography of one of the most prominent women in Hollywood who did her best work behind the scenes.

Stephen Galloway's Leading Lady profiles the life and career of Sherry Lansing, who became the first female head of a major film studio in 1980 and her influence brought us such game changing movies as Fatal Attraction, Forrest Gump and The Hours.

 From her childhood days in Chicago to a brief acting stint that landed her a script reader job with producer and future mentor Ray Wagner, Lansing's path through the murky corporate pitfalls and sexist setbacks is well documented. There's plenty of insight into dealing with major stars like Meryl Streep, Michael Douglas and Dustin Hoffman(who was difficult, to say the least) as well as what lead Lansing to leave Hollywood in order to create a cancer research foundation.

You always hear a lot of talk about women in Hollywood but not always their side of the story and this biography is smartly showcasing one of the sharpest ladies that Tinsel Town has ever seen:

Next, we have a salute to those colorful ladies of comic book lore. The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen by Hope Nicholson does more than highlight the mainstream heroines from superhero stories and cartoon friendly creations, it also showcases throughout the decades many of the unsung female leads who paved the way for others to follow.

From Torchy Brown in the 1930s to the likes of Miss Fury during the '40s, we get an introduction to a variety of women and girls with super powers or just super smarts and attitude such as Tomboy, Amanda Waller, Ramona Flowers and the current Ms. Marvel, who make their mark on the times and inspire the next generation of readers along the way.

One of the best aspects of the book is a note for each entry that tells you the availability(or lack thereof) of these characters, some of whom will be hard to find. Based on the amazing backstories that Nicholson provides in this beautifully styled book, these fine ladies will definitely be worth the time and effort to discover their amazing adventures:

For some fictional fare, I wholeheartedly recommend My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman.

The story is told through the eyes of Elsa, a smarter than average almost-eight-year-old girl with a vivid imagination and no other friends than her Granny, who tells her elaborate fairy tales and is willing to do anything to help her granddaughter cheer up after a bad day at school, including breaking into a zoo at night.

Upon her grandmother's passing away, Elsa discovers that she is meant to carry out her Granny's last wishes, namely apology letters for their neighbors whose ties to her family are deeper than she knows. Using her forthright nature and aided by a dog she refers to as a "wurse"(one of the creatures from Granny's stories), Elsa learns a lot about life and how to deal with the hard times that come with it, along with the many grown-ups she encounters along the way.

Yes, the book is sad at times but it's also funny and sweet at unexpected moments. Elsa is an amazing character who comes across as charming,annoying and realistic all at once, not an easy thing to do there. With her love of Harry Potter and knack for seeing the truth in fiction, she's a heroine of epic emotional portions whose journey is as harrowing at times as her favorite literary character is yet uses a very different sort of magic indeed:

If you have a historical fiction fan in your mom, aunt or grandmother, she may enjoy one of  the newest Philippa Gregory sagas. Three Sisters,Three Queens shows the ties that bind and divide among a trio of Tudor ladies, starting with Margaret who becomes the Queen of Scotland and Katherine of Aragon, her sister in law.

Margaret's younger sister Mary becomes a pawn between them as the power plays made by both realms pit them and their children against one another. Even when Mary becomes a queen herself, the royal rivalries only get worse until these ladies realize that they may need each other to survive.

Gregory is a marvel at highlighting the women behind the throne or beside one as they learn to fight on a much crueler battlefield than the men in their lives ever had to. In times like ours, some of those lessons may have to be relearned and hopefully for the better:

 I do hope that this list is helpful for your Mother's Day or spring book buying and if your maternal figure has more books than she can handle at the moment, just get her a nifty new book bag to carry around with her instead. A book bag is always a good gift, especially if you can find one that is truly big enough for all of those necessary reads:

Preparing to take on Stephen King's Dark Tower

With all of the summer movie hype going on at the moment, there is one film that many of us were eager to hear more about and fortunately, we were blessed with a trailer for The Dark Tower.

The movie is set for August, not always a good release time yet there have been breakout hits such as Guardians of the Galaxy(which just launched it's sequel this past weekend) that have arrived in late summer so that date is not an instant cinematic death knell there.

 For those not in the know, The Dark Tower is based upon a fantasy series written by Stephen King that spans seven books,plus a prequel, and there are plans to also have a TV series as well.

For this first film, Idris Elba stars as Roland, the last of the Gunslingers of Mid-World who finds an unlikely ally in a young boy named Jake(Tom Taylor), a resident of modern day New York. Both of them have a common enemy in The Man in Black(Matthew McConaughey), an ancient wizard determined to destroy the Tower which is a source of power that upholds numerous worlds.

 Roland's ultimate goal is to save all realms of reality but that end point keeps getting harder and harder to reach, especially when any help he has along the way is usually rewarded with death:

The trailer looks amazing and if the movie is as half as good, I hope that we get another big screen sequel along with the upcoming TV show. Truth be told, I've only read the first three books in the DT series but now, I feel the time is right to re-invest in this saga.

Not just because of the movie, although it's a huge incentive-I am a long time Stephen King fan and this has become a major work of his, which means that I shouldn't hold off on it, particularly now that it's complete. Also, I did receive a sign from the literary gods and definitely shouldn't be ignored.

As some of you may know, I do some book buying at a local rummage sale at a nearby church during the fall and spring. Well, a week ago, what I do find at the book table but a plethora of Stephen King titles and several of those being illustrated editions of the Dark Tower series. A find like that is pretty rare for a sale like this and one that I knew I would regret not taking advantage of.

 Since I have the first two volumes in my home library, I managed to stock up on Parts 3,4,5 and 7(number six, Song of Susannah I had to pick up elsewhere and the prequel, The Wind in the Keyhole, I'll check out from the library perhaps ).

 Such a thing tells me that my reading project for next year ought to be exploring The Dark Tower books, so that will be one of my book challenges for 2018. It's good to have something like that to look forward to,along with the movie.

Like many fantasy series, The Dark Tower has it's devotees but this isn't the usual epic quest saga there. For one, TDT is a hybrid of several genres with the western being a major influence.

 That steady spoke in the Dark Tower wheel has caused a few folks to grumble about Idris Elba being cast as Roland instead of a Clint Eastwood type, which I find ridiculous. While King has said that movies like The Good, The Bad and the Ugly did inspire the character, he is elated about Elba and if the author is happy, that is more than good enough for me:

Another big influence for The Dark Tower is the King Arthur legend, a story that has been retold and reinvented more times than I can count.

 Granted, many fantasy series have used King Arthur as the root of their story telling tree, however, it's never worn out it's welcome and for good reason.

I don't know which particular version, other than the original source material, that King has as his favorite but I do hope that, movie wise, 1981's Excalibur offered some creative choices to this series.

 I've always enjoyed that bizarrely operatic take on King Arthur with it's gorgeous settings and costumes, along with the grand mythic tone that most of the actors embraced during their performances, especially Helen Mirren as Morgana. Not sure if there's an equivalent character to that wicked witch in TDT yet I'll be on the lookout for one, yes indeed:

For now, it's best to wait for my reading time to begin on(still have a challenge to finish up for this year after all) and even if the Dark Tower movie doesn't do well at the box office, the interest stirred up for established and new readers alike makes it all worth while. As things in the regular world go on, I get the feeling that we'll need to be reminded that there are other worlds that this and who better than Stephen King to be our guide?:

Rounding out my thoughts about The Circle

 Having a bit of birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, I went out to the movies last weekend and checked out The Circle, which stars Emma Watson as Mae Holland, a young woman eager to start a new job at a big league tech company.

Thanks to an assist from her friend Annie(Karen Gillan), Mae scores an interview and lands a customer service spot in The Circle's vast headquarters, a step up from her rather similar job at a humdrum collection agency.

This new position, however, offers her a variety of perks, from health care that can add her parents struggling with medical costs on to better salary and onsite entertainment such as concerts on the weekends. The Circle appears to be a dream come true but is it really?:

For one thing, more and more peer pressure is put on Mae to stay involved with The Circle,even during her off-hours, and Annie grows increasingly frazzled as her work load gets bigger just about every moment.

A strong note of caution regarding the company's motives comes from a new acquaintance,Ty Lafitte(John Boyega), who was once part of the inner circle, so to speak, and nowadays, is sort of a ghost as he keeps a wary eye on the business he helped to create. Showing Mae a few of the places where The Circle stows it's massive data mining, Ty asks her to not get caught up in the company hype:

Yet Mae does just that, particularly after being recruited by the charming and charismatic head of the company, Eamon Bailey(Tom Hanks) into becoming "transparent", meaning that she live her life with a body cam that uploads instantly online for millions of viewers.

Mae even has her parents involved, which leads to a rather embarrassing incident and inadvertently causes an old friend(Ellar Coltane) to be shamed and harassed on and off line. Her willingness to accept the corporate double speak, with such slogans as "Secrets are Lies" and "Knowing is Good but Knowing Everything is Better", gets to the point where Mae forgets that her actions have real world consequences, which troubles a few of her friends but not her bosses:

 
I know that this movie didn't do well at the box office or with most critics yet I have to say that I did like it. Yes, it has it's flaws(which I'll expand upon shortly) but I was never bored by the story and part of the reason for that was Emma Watson's performance.

She really drew you into her character and made Mae compelling to watch, even when she made stupid mistakes like stealing a kayak late at night(you have to see the movie to understand). Watson was adept at making Mae very believable, which added much to the overall plot.

I did like that there wasn't any overt "I plan to rule the world!" scheme presented as the company's goal since that trope has been done to death in many movies in this genre. It felt more like the guys running The Circle wanted to see just how much they could get away with and having an employee base of mostly twenty-somethings who are eager to soak up any pseudo-logic to justify notions such as eliminating personal privacy is a clear bonus to that end.

Yet, the movie seemed to be too subtle for it's own good in hindsight, not to mention making little use of John Boyega's character, who would seem to be a pivotal player but was kept on the sidelines too much.

Tom Hanks was picture perfect in his role as the smooth talking man with a plan and even managed to make some of the awkward dialogue that cropped up at times sound elegant. The vast majority of the performances were good(except for Coltrane, he was pretty sore thumb like at times) and visually, the movie looked great. Yet, it does have a glossy feel to it that I can see putting off a lot of folks watching it who expected more of a fast paced thriller due to the trailers.

I haven't read the Dave Eggers novel that the film is based on and since Eggers worked on the screenplay with director James Ponsoldt here, I have to assume that this is what he wanted. However, from what I have heard, the book is more of a social satire with a much darker ending. Maybe someone else should have adapted the script since quite a bit of that got lost in translation.

All in all, I was entertained by The Circle and there's a lot of interesting ideas being showcased here. Perhaps it's another case of "the book was better" or behind the scenes drama in the editing room that we don't know about. I would recommend The Circle for a matinee viewing(which is where I saw it) or for a future rental. It may not live up to it's full potential but there is some food for thought being served up that's worth tasting and talking about:

Spending my readathon time in The Dead Zone and with Miss Treadway in The Field of Stars

This year's Spring Into Horror readathon(hosted by Michelle at Seasons of Reading) ended yesterday and my standard goal of completing two out of three books was met.

Part of that challenge for me was a Stephen King reread, with The Dead Zone being tapped for that dubious honor. For those unfamiliar with the book, the story is set during early to mid 1970s, when Johnny Smith, a happy go lucky schoolteacher, winds up in an auto accident that lands him in a coma for nearly five years.

Once he awakens from that deep sleep, Johnny finds that the world has changed quite a bit, as the woman he loved,Sarah, is now married to another man and is the mother of a little boy. In addition to that, Johnny's mother has gone full deep into her religious mania while waiting for her son to wake up, convinced that God has special plans for him.

Most troubling of all,however, is the minor psychic talent that Johnny had(starting from a childhood incident) which let him have a lucky streak at a carnival game the night of the car crash is now a full blown phenomenon. With one touch, he can see future events such as a house fire happening to one of the nurses taking care of him and past experiences, particular when a rude reporter questions his ability rather harshly.

All Johnny wants to do is recover from his injuries and live a regular life but time and again, that psychic gift(which is more of a curse, in his opinion) brings him into situations that he can help with but at a terrible cost. One of the more gruesome circumstances that Johnny is brought into is the hunt for a small town serial killer, who happens to be a lot closer than local law enforcement thinks:

While that episode is concluded in a sad yet brutal manner, it's a simple handshake that puts Johnny into what could be the most crucial decision in his life as well as the world.

 During a political rally, he makes contact with showboating candidate Greg Stillson and not only realizes that this man is destined to be a future President of the United States but the cause of WWIII to boot. Upon considering all of the options, Johnny takes the course of action that he knows will not go well for him yet to live with the consequences of not doing anything is unthinkable.

Mind you, Stephen King published this book in 1979, long before a certain reality show/real estate tycoon even considered taking that top spot but some of the similarities between him and Stillson are the scariest parts of this novel. Of course, there's no excuse for anyone to copy the actions of Johnny Smith in real life but I can imagine the chills that Stephen King got from watching last year's election.

Other than that eerie aspect, what really makes this book stand out from most of King's writing during this period is that it's a slow motion tragedy for Johnny Smith, a Job-like figure if there ever was one. He's such a likable guy, the kind of person who would make an excellent teacher, a good friend and a great husband/father.

To see those opportunities slip through his fingers, mainly through no fault of his own, really gets you there. It's a beautifully sad book and I'm not surprised that it was well adapted for a feature film in 1983 as well as became a TV series in the mid 2000s that ran for six seasons.

 Johnny Smith is the classic reluctant hero we all can relate to and hopefully, learn to be better people ourselves from without the need for psychic powers or drastic measures. In a weird way, The Dead Zone can make you more appreciative of what life has to offer:

After that, I tackled Miss Treadway and The Field of Stars by Miranda Emmerson, a debut novel set in London during the 1960s. The plot sounds like your average mystery story yet there's much more going on beneath the surface.

As American actress Iolanthe "Lanny" Green remains missing from the world and newspaper headlines, her theatrical dresser Anna Treadway decides to take matters in her own hands and go about searching for Lanny on her own. Along the way, she picks up a few allies and finds herself in murkier waters than she expected.

 However basic that sounds, things are far from what they seem. Iolanthe's troubles come from hiding her true identity and family connections while the Irish police detective in charge of the investigation has changed his name from Brennan to Barnaby in order to fit with his British co-workers.

 Aloysius, a mild mannered accountant who joins in the search is a Jamaican immigrant who wishes to be the perfect English gentleman but a random encounter with the police viciously alters that goal in life.

 Anna herself is concealing a dark time in her past that Lanny's situation is strongly reminding her of and even her former coffee house boss and his Turkish family are caught up in the far from accepting social mores of the time that come into play here. While I do wish that the resolution of the story was a bit more concrete, Miranda Emmerson creates an engaging and realistic set of characters who you long to know more of and a story that resonates very well in our current times.

This book puts me in mind of the movie The Crying Game, with it's social commentary and heartfelt situations being brilliantly displayed on a standard genre background. While there are vast differences between the two, I do think that Miss Treadway's story would make for a wonderful film that would be extremely suitable as a double feature with that movie:

I did get a start on Louisa May Alcott's A Long Fatal Love Chase,the third book on my TBR here, and so far, it's pretty melodramatic. That's to be expected, given the Gothic flair that many of LMA's "blood and thunder" tales had, and I'll keep up with it.

Meanwhile, much thanks to Michelle for hosting yet another great Spring Into Horror and a warm hello to many of the newcomers who signed on for the frightful fun. I hope that many of you will join us in June when Seasons of Reading has it's  Sci-Fi Summer readathon, which already has me waiting with an-tic-a-pation!:

A slice of Birthday Book Haul cake with a lemony Library layer

So, my birthday was the other day and it was a very nice day indeed. My sister and I went to lunch, I watched an episode of the new MST3K(The Christmas That Almost Wasn't) and we had a lovely family dinner. All in all, a pretty good time.

While my actual birthday cake did not have a book related design, I did get a sweet haul of books as gifts. Before that, I did pick up a couple of promising reads at the library a couple of days earlier, making this a rather rich pile of literary goodness to enjoy. I'll start with my library selections as the icing to my delicious platter of reading treats:

THE TAMING OF THE QUEEN: With Starz showing a new miniseries based on the works of Philippa Gregory, I was in the mood for one of her regal re-tellings and while this particular book is not connected to the War of the Cousins novels that have been adapted lately, it is vintage Gregory material.

The queen of the title is Kateryn Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII and this marriage was her third go-round. While her family is delighted to have Kate in such a high position to promote their agenda, she is less than thrilled for many reasons. One of those reasons is Thomas Seymour, a brother in law of Henry's who is loathe to give her up.

Kateryn is well aware of the need to stay on her mercurial husband's good side, which is not easy considering his need to be seen as the dashing young man he once was rather than the ailing older glutton he has become. While watching her step, she manages to make a few moves of her own by using her intellectual nature to make a few changes for the better.

My first Philippa Gregory was The Other Boleyn Girl and although I've read several other of her works, I still enjoy her Tudor tales the best. This look at the last of the infamous brides of Henry the Eighth should be enlightening as well as engaging:

THE PRICE OF SALT:  This Patricia Highsmith novel was the basis for the 2015 movie Carol, which I meant to see but have not so far. I'm hoping that reading the book will lead me in that direction, as the film version of Talented Mr. Ripley had me reading Highsmith in the first place.

The 1952 novel was published under a pen name, as it depicted a romance between an older woman,Carol, whose marriage is dissolving and Therese, a young shop girl who impulsively starts up a friendship with her.

The two of them fall in love and try to keep their relationship a secret, not an easy thing to do as Carol's ex husband is looking for any excuse to deny her custody of  their daughter. In a way, it's sad that such themes are still seen as controversial but the intense power of Highsmith's writing rises above any small minded views on such things and I look forward to catching up with both the book and film:

Now for my birthday books, which I thank my little sister for most sincerely. I was truly delighted to see Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, a book that I have been waiting for ever since I read her first novel Free Food for Millionaires.

In this book, she traces the lives of several generations of a Korean family that finds their fortune in Japan, with one son pursuing his scholarly ambitions while the other does well with a chain of gambling parlors that feature the pinball like game of the title.

However, there are a few secrets and lies to be discovered along with the cultural displacement that comes with living in a country that is not seen as your true homeland. The reviews, both print and word of mouth, have been wonderful and this book is definitely going to be the gift that keep on giving for me:

Also happy to receive Fredrik Backman's Britt-Marie Was Here, as I recently finished A Man Called Ove(need to see that movie too!).

The leading lady of this novel often resorts to cleaning and organizing messy homes as a way to connect with others but has a mess on her own hands upon finding out about her husband's adultery.

 Britt-Marie decides to move out and settles down in the small town of Borg, a place that barely functions as a community with little to no resources for the few remaining citizens there. Keeping herself busy by restoring the abandoned community center, Britt-Marie gets to know the locals well, including a couple of orphaned children looking for someone to coach their failing soccer team.

It may be too soon to tell but I have a feeling that Backman is going to join the ranks of my favorite authors there, with such heartfelt characters and story telling skills that bring true delight:

 When this book was given to me, I had to start it right away(which is not cheating on my Spring Into Horror readathon since it's non-fiction, in my mind anyway).

 While I'm not sure if Bette & Joan: The Divine Feud by Shaun Considine was a source used for the FX series Feud, it certainly provides plenty of extra insights into what made Bette Davis and Joan Crawford battle on and off screen the way they did.

This edition is an updated one, with two new chapters and a photo spread, and it's like stepping into the pages of a glossy movie magazine from the golden days of Hollywood. Unlike those zines, this book is not shy about showcasing the behind the scenes tension or expanding the biographical backgrounds of two of the biggest cinematic divas and what drove them to fight for top billing in more ways than one:

This was a great birthday and for that, I wholeheartedly thank my family and friends.  Granted, some of them would say that I have enough books to build a house with and/or decorate one but that sounds like the perfect compliment to me:

Sharing my birthday with some new books

Tomorrow happens to be my birthday and this year, it happens to fall on a Tuesday, that one day of the week reserved for new books to be released.

 As a lifelong reader, I find that connection to be the luscious literary icing on my celebration cake, so I thought it would be fitting to highlight a few of the new titles set to arrive on shelves in time for my special day.

First up is Bear Town by Fredrik Backman, set in a small Swedish town where high school hockey is the major sport that rallies the residents. When one of the star players on the team is charged with a serious crime, the town becomes strongly divided and more than one future is on the line.

I recently finished Backman's best seller,which was also adapted into an Oscar nominated film, A Man Called Ove, and it's the intricate development of his characters that makes his writing shine. No doubt that Bear Town will be a winner along the same lines, doing for hockey what Friday Night Lights has done for football:

Next, we have Jamie Brenner's The Forever Summer, where Marin Bishop decides to get over the break-up with her fiance,followed by the loss of her job, at her grandmother's B&B in Cape Cod.

Turns out, Marin isn't the only member of the family who packed trouble in her suitcase as her parents announce that they're getting a divorce while a young woman named Rachel contacts her and claims to be her half-sister.

As she tries to figure things out, Marin takes a chance and bonds with Rachel as they,along with Marin's mother Blythe, shares this summer opportunity to figure out the next stage in their lives. Sounds like a good beach book to take along with you as the warm weather days fast approach us.

Another big author with a new novel out is Elizabeth Strout,whose latest work is written in the interconnected story style of her award winning book Olive Kitteridge.

Anything is Possible also has ties to Strout's prior novel, My Name is Lucy Barton, as several of the characters are from the same small town that her leading lady came from. The scope ranges from Lucy's embittered siblings to an adult daughter finding her estranged mother to be happy in another country and a school janitor finding an unexpected consequence to a new friendship.

Elizabeth Strout has a lovely knack for taking a poetic approach to her prose, making her books practically sing out their humble yet heartfelt stories. It's too soon to tell if this latest one will be an award winner but I'm sure many of her readers will consider it a true prize all the same:

To wrap things up, Wendy Wax gives us a new entry in her Ten Beach Road series with One Good Thing. As the four feisty friends who created the reality house flipping show Do Over fight to regain control of their program, other personal problems threaten to distract them from their main goal.

Maddie is torn between her rock star boyfriend,whose career is on the fast track to revival, and her troublesome ex-husband while Avery has issues on her home front and workplace, due to a renovation of a cottage owned by the woman who helped them out with their last project.

On top of that, Nikki is put on bed rest for the latter half of her pregnancy while Kyra is seeking redemption for the risk she took on their dream by considering a bail out from her son's father that comes with a very personal price to pay. Definitely some prime real estate for your leisure time reading fun.

 There will be plenty of other great books to look forward to tomorrow(and I'll be getting a few as presents, that's for sure) but I'm glad to share my birthday with these wonderful new releases.

So, I'll be checking in later this week and hope that anyone else having another year of living to celebrate with me gets the perfect gift, particularly if it's chosen by a good friend or two who always remember that it's the thought that counts:

Setting up for summer reading with these May and June new reads

I know that we're still in the early stages of spring but summer is not that far off,folks, and it never hurts to plan things a little early,especially when it comes to entertainment.

While we appear to have a seemingly endless amount of blockbuster films and riveting TV ready for our pop culture consumption, there are also a wave of fresh new books ready to join our leisure time TBR piles that could get easily lost in the shuffle for shelf space.

So, here are a few of the upcoming titles for May and June that should make for fun summer reading(and maybe a Mother's Day gift or two):

A DAZZLING DEBUT: In Diksha Basu's first novel, The Windfall, we meet the Jha family of East Delphi, who are used to their modest lifestyle among their housing complex neighbors and friends. When Mr. Jha sells his website for more money than they ever dreamed of, everything feels as if it has to change overnight.

As the elder Jhas plan to move to the wealthy side of town, their son Rupak in America is holding off on letting his parents know about his failing grades at college as well as his very American girlfriend. His father Anil, on the other hand, is overly eager to fit in with his new rich neighbors by buying all sorts of luxury items such as a crystal studded couch, while his wife Bindu is hesitant to adapt to such an elaborate house that requires a guard at the gate and a swimming pool.

 Meanwhile, A family friend, a young widow named Mrs. Ray, is finding a new chance at love due to the Jha's move but can all of these changes really be for the better? I was lucky enough to win a reader's copy of this book from Library Thing and must say that it was a true joy to read.

 The characters are heartfelt and engaging, with plenty of good humor mixed in with a dash of pathos to round things off just right. The book is due out by June 27 and for anyone who enjoys a good rags-to-riches tale with a touch of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House should be all set for the season(June):

ADVENTURES WITH AUSTEN & BRONTE:  We've got some time traveling to do in The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn, as a pair of modern day scholars journey to London of 1815, hoping to claim the full manuscript of Austen's final work, The Watsons.

While posing as a wealthy brother and sister, Rachel and Liam are able to slip into Jane's social circle due to an introduction to Henry Austen, a connection that proves to be more than a simple means to an end with Rachel.

 Things get more complicated as Rachel's bond with the Austen family gives her a bit of guilt regarding Jane's future, not to mention the romantic tension that develops between Rachel, Henry and Liam. This time traveling tale sounds like the kind of lively and imaginative diversion that many of us present day Austen fans love to indulge in(May):

 

Author Sarah Shoemaker shows us a different side to Charlotte Bronte's classic Jane Eyre by introducing us to Mr. Rochester, who we meet at age eight when he is sent away from his beloved Thornfeld Hall to school.

His father makes it clear early on that the estate is intended for older brother Rowland and that Edward must find his fortunes in Jamaica. While there, he finds more heartbreak and betrayal, not to mention a doomed romance with Bertha Mason, a relationship that becomes nearly impossible to break free from.

This background development of such an iconic figure in literature is no easy task and while those who already adore Jane Eyre may be more drawn to this book, it should offer some interesting insights for the uninitiated that might find this new take on the classic novel a welcoming sight indeed(May):

 MAIDENS OF MIGHT: For a new look at comic book lore, Hope Nicholson showcases The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen, where leading ladies of comic art are given their just due.

Yes, Wonder Woman,Bat Girl and Super Girl are highlighted but many other not as well known female characters get their time in the spotlight such as Torchy Brown, one of the first African American comic strip stars who was created by an African America artist, Miss Fury, whose costume may remind you of a certain feline heroine, and Gwen Dylan, a zombie heroine who now has a hit TV show.

With a timeline that reaches back to the 1930s, genre focus that includes graphic novels and online comics and beautiful illustrations, this tribute to comic book women of all ages is an excellent addition to any comic book fan as well as a good guide to learn more about fierce females such as Amanda Waller before the next big movie adaptation(May):

 DOMESTIC DRAMAS: In All The Best People by Sonja Yoerg, a legacy of emotional problems is passed down to more than one generation, starting with Carole LaPorte, who feels that she has a good regular life with her family in Vermont of 1972.

Everyone sees her as a perfectly content wife and mother but when Carole starts to show signs that the mental illness which lead to her mother being institutionalized is upon her, she does her best to hide what is happening.

However, her eleven year old daughter Alison is aware that something is wrong and seeks answers via Tarot cards and a glass box that once belonged to her grandmother. Can this cycle of denial and inadequate coping be broken and hopefully, for the better? An emotional journey for the women of one family that perhaps offers comfort to many readers as well(May).

Edan Lepucki follows up her amazing futuristic novel California with another intriguing dark tale in Woman No. 17, The title refers to an artistic photo taken of Lady Daniels, who is working on a memoir about raising her unusually gifted son Devin and needs a nanny to look after her new toddler while doing so.

The nanny in question, known as "S", has a hidden agenda of her own and while the two women develop a friendship, that bond is not enough to get beyond the upsets that occur as each of them attempts to take the reins of family power. Sounds like a smart slow burn that promises to make this story a riveting must-read(May):

 WEDDING BELL BLUES: The heroine of Sarah Dessen's upcoming novel is Louna, a girl whose regular summer job is helping out in her family's wedding business. Trouble is, she is getting sick of dealing with lovelorn clients and wants to focus on more serious matters as she prepares for college in the fall.

Yet fate keeps throwing a certain someone her way, Ambrose, a charmer with the ladies who finds himself considering sticking with just one person, namely Louna. Yet, despite his sincere attempts to win her over, she has plenty of reasons to hold off on having a summer romance, including the sorrowful memory of a past love.

If you're in the mood for a rom-com type of story that has those bridal trimmings, this may be the sweetheart read to make your heart skip a beat there(June):

There will be many more books to choose from this summer season, no doubt. The trick is to stay focused on what you want and not be distracted by all of the other options for amusement out there. Not easy to do, especially these days but turning that last page of the really amazing book in your hand will make it all worth it:

Enjoying a rollicking Return to the Satellite of Love

Cinema snark fans rejoiced this spring holiday weekend, as Netflix gave us a basket full of giggleworthy goodies(and songs!) with Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return.

Fourteen new episodes of the classic camp fest are now available for your viewing pleasure, with a new cast and crew but the same old flair for movie mockery. Joining bots Crow and Tom Servo is Jonah Heston, the latest Gizmonic employee to be snatched up for bad film duty by a new generation of Dr. Forrester(Felicia Day) and henchman(Patton Oswalt).

While the sets are a bit more snazzy and a slew of celebrity cameos pop up when least expected, the show wisely keeps true to the mission of making awful movies tolerable with endless jokes, pop culture riffs and sheer goofiness. I watched three of new MST3K episodes over the course of the weekend and boy, were they ever MST-ie worthy:

REPTILICUS: A Danish monster movie,re-edited for the American market, from 1961 is the initial outing for the Satellite of Love crew and there's plenty of comedic material here, from a slow moving open to a monster that makes the puppet work of Kukla,Fran and Ollie look like Jim Henson.

With heavy dubbing, an overabundance of blonde women who seem to do nothing more than hover around the youngest man on the monster hunt team and backgrounds so fake that Jonah and the bots sing "Xanadu" more than once, this sad attempt at a European version of Godzilla is rightfully put in it's place:

CRY WILDERNESS: The second feat of endurance for Jonah and his robot friends was this bizarre 1987 film that has an annoying kid named Paul share a bond with Bigfoot.  He gets a mystic message from his forest dwelling buddy that his park ranger dad is in danger and heads out to save the day, mostly by whining.

Why is Paul annoying? Well, he does tend to ignore any attempt by an adult to avoid danger and gets easily frustrated when they refuse to believe him about Bigfoot, even though he has a magic necklace that can summon the badly costumed guy, which would clear up some of that nay saying there!

Of course, the only grown-up who does listen to him is a sleazy bounty hunter type,eager to make money by bagging Bigfoot as the ultimate trophy. This would be a simple plot, if not for the over reliance on stock footage of animals and odd tonal shifts from laughing at raccoons to dealing with cranky locals. Quite a challenge indeed but Jonah and company manage to get through this movie without sobbing in despair:

STARCRASH: I skipped ahead to episode six, as any sci-fi flick from 1978 that has Christopher Plummer and David Hasslehoff playing father and son must be given top priority.

You do have to wait until halfway into the movie before either one of them shows up(Plummer arrives first,btw) but there's plenty of science fiction cheese spread to make those patience cracker snacks munchable fun.

We have an action heroine named Stella Star who dresses like Vamperella at times, a robot helper with a country western accent and a sidekick with unexplained magical powers who fights cavemen with a not-an-official light saber.

The intermission skits, where Jonah dresses up like some of the characters from the film, are great fun and personally, I could have done without the Jerry Seinfeld bit. One of the best running jokes was that the gang kept thinking the movie was over during any major explosion onscreen and trying to leave, which you could hardily blame them for:

All in all, I think this new take on MST3K is great fun and I look forward to checking out the rest of the bad bunch, which includes such gems as The Christmas That Almost Wasn't, Yongary:Monster From the Deep and The Loves of Hercules with Jayne Mansfield.

 Plenty of pop culture misery to feast upon here and who knows, maybe Netflix will allow for some fresher fare to be featured as well? We shall see but in the meantime, let's repeat to our selves that it's a just a show and we really need to relax, so welcome back, Mystery Science Theater 3000, welcome back indeed:

Preparing to Spring Into Horror with another great readathon

A sure sign that winter has ended for me is the announcement of one of my favorite readathons from Seasons of Reading, Spring Into Horror which begins on April 17 and runs until the 30th.

Sign-ups have already begun, with the hashtag #SpringHorrorRAT ready for use on social media. If you haven't done this particular one before, the guidelines are easy to follow. You have to read at least one scary book, whether it be a cozy mystery,Gothic thriller or straight out horror story, in order to join in.

So far, I have three books lined up and each one covers the sinister spectrum on more than one fear front, in my opinion. Here's what I have on my terrifying TBR at the moment:

THE DEAD ZONE: It has become a habit of mine to reread Stephen King novels for this readathon and this season's pick is rather timely to say the least. It was the basis for one of the better film adaptations of King's work and a long running TV series to boot.

The leading man of TDZ is Johnny Smith, a school teacher whose life seems to be perfectly ordinary until the night he and his serious girlfriend Sarah are in a car accident. Johnny winds up in a coma for five years,awaking to a new world and a new set of psychic powers.

At first, he uses his abilities to help solve crimes and prevent terrible disasters but the emotional toll that it takes on Johnny(not to mention unpredictable outcomes to his actions) make those choices harder and harder to make. When he happens to shake the hand of up and coming politician Greg Stillson, Johnny is faced with a decision that could not only affect their lives but the future of the world as well.

This is a book that I haven't read in a good long while and revisiting this story in the times we're living in now makes TDZ all the more chilling there. However, I do feel that this is a look back worth taking and maybe I'll even re-watch the movie,we'll see:

MISS TREADWAY AND THE FIELD OF STARS: I've been looking for the right time to read this interesting mystery and this particular readathon seems to be picture perfect.

 Miranda Emmerson's debut novel is set in London during the 1960s where theatrical dresser Anna takes it upon herself to search for missing American actress Iolanthe Green. She was the last person to see Iolanthe that fateful night and even though official interest in the case has waned, Anna is bound and determined to find her and the truth as well.

She picks up a few offbeat allies along the way,all of whom have one thing in common-each has left their past behind in search of a better life in London.  As their mutual path takes them into some treacherous territory, Anna and her new band of friends must embrace their own haunting secrets as preparation for what's to come of their investigation. This certainly sounds like what folks use to call a "thumping good read" and should go well with a strong cup of tea:

A LONG FATAL LOVE CHASE: This unsung classic from Louisa May Alcott has been on more than one of my TBRs over the years and it's high time that it joined the other LMA titles on my "have read" shelf.

The plot has hapless bride Rosemond fleeing from her charismatic yet cruel husband Phillip Tempest, adapting a number of disguises along the way and finding a new love as well. Think of it as an old school version of the Julia Roberts thriller Sleeping with the Enemy.

This book was actually written two years before Little Women was published, yet held back from the literary world until 1995, when many of Alcott's "blood and thunder" stories started to become more well known. I know full well that Alcott and Jane Austen were not contemporaries but I do think that Jane would've appreciated this Gothic adventure of LMA very much, given her own taste in terror reading:

Since this is a two week readathon, I'm leaving a little room for perhaps another book or two, depending on my page turning pace. Seasons of Reading always makes these bookish events fun and engaging while not tiring you out too quickly as a dance marathon ultimately does. Granted, the one dance marathon I know best is from Gilmore Girls but unlike Babette and Morrie, I don't intend to tap out early:

Celebrating 20 years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer bouts

One of the pop culture highlights of this year is the fact that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is celebrating it's 20th anniversary.

When it first began in 1997, this series about a young woman learning to live with her destiny to destroy vampires(and other evil creatures) gave inspiration along with entertainment not only to the teen audience it was supposed to target but to many of us "grown-ups" as well.

It was a show that flipped genre norms while addressing many social issues relevant to more than one age group,along with some romance, action and tons of good humor. As a way of reliving that small screen magic, I've selected a few of my favorite Buffy throwdowns, those one-on-one battles that showcased the Slayer at her best. So, in no particular order, here are five of my personal picks for "Buffy Vs..."


BUFFY VS. DRACULA: It was smart of the show's writers to wait until Season Five for our Slayer to face off against the most iconic vampire of all time.

 Not only was Buffy's mode of attack well established by that time, she had enough perspective to figure out how best to deal with Dracula, whose method of enthralling his prey threw her off her game at first.

 Once she got a real taste of Drac's power, that jump started her inner warrior goddess skill set into hyper drive. And of course, she was savvy enough to remember that he was fond of repeat appearances:

BUFFY VS. SPIKE,DAYTIME EDITION: Out of all the vampires that Buffy has gone up against, Spike has remained one of her best sparring partners, so to speak.

 From their first encounter in "School Hard" onward, William the Bloody was tops in landing those instinctive blows, verbal and otherwise, that made any fight between him and Buffy worth watching. This particular one from Season Four has the distinction of being their only daylight battle due to Spike finding a certain magic ring that made him invulnerable to sunshine, among other things.

If that wasn't bad enough, he used his most vicious weapon during the fight, that sharp tongue of his as he mocked Buffy's current romance troubles. That wound up backfiring on him, as Buffy was pushed to the breaking point and willing to risk getting a bit burnt in order to take Spike down:

BUFFY VS. ADAM: Personally, I've always thought that Adam from that same season was one of the underrated Big Bads of the Buffyverse(the other being Glory in the following season).

Sure, he didn't fully mesh into the overall scheme of things in that first year of college for Buffy and the gang but then again, in a way he did. The focus of that season was keeping true to family, even if your paths in life were diverging and a mutual threat like a demon human robot hybrid was as good a reason as any to get the band back together.

To ultimately defeat him, Buffy and her friends performed a bonding spell that combined all of their best abilities into one, giving her nearly god like powers. True, a price was paid in order to work that magic but it was well worth it just to see Buffy in Matrix mode:

BUFFY VS. DARK WILLOW: I know that Season Six didn't always go over well with fans, as it's take on Buffy trying to deal with the dullness of the real world after returning from a blissful afterlife had it's ups and downs.

However, once Willow lost control of her magic, due to the death of her beloved Tara, everyone was on board for that wild ride. Upon taking out Warren, the leader of the nerd herd that been trying to be the local Big Bads in town, she went full on Kill Bill to wipe out the remaining members of that sad trio,regardless of their innocence in Tara's demise.

Attempting to save her friend as well as the hapless henchmen, Buffy had no choice but to get into a full on fight with Dark Willow, which was a big deal in more ways than one. In the end, that showdown only managed to stall the wrath of Willow until she found a more suitable target to take down:

Of course, the all-time champion of Buffy fights is Buffy Vs. Angelus in the Season Two finale, where even when his soul was restored, she had no other alternative to delivering that final blow in order to literally prevent hell on earth.

That mix of intensity with heartbreak became the trademark of any Buffy season and what made that show stand out from the crowd of other supernaturally themed TV series that followed in it's wake. There's talk of a revival and/or a reboot yet I truly don't know if that's really necessary.

Granted, that never stops anyone from doing so but in this case, we really don't need to wrap things up anymore than they have been(with the comic book series filling in nicely there). With Buffy proving that she stands the test of time, maybe just this once we could let her legacy rest in peace: