Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

Mini Movie Reviews

I am not providing synopses for the following movies. If you want to know more about them, please follow the movie poster links.

The Shining (1980, directed by Stanley Kubrick) - Oh dear. I know many of you really like this movie. Even prefer it over the book. I was bored the entire film, only keeping it on because I wanted to be able to say I'd seen it. The acting, especially Duvall, was horrid. I'm usually not picky about the movie matching the book, but they left out some of the best scenes from the book. I also never felt a connection with any of the characters or even to the story. It wasn't remotely scary. I was unimpressed and wish I could get the time I spent watching The Shining back.

Red Dawn (2012, directed by Dan Bradley)- I loved the original Red Dawn (1984, directed by John Milius) movie. Probably more than it deserves. I thought the cast was great and it was fun. Okay, so it was a bit cheesy, but I don't care. When I was a teen, I created an entire fantasy world around that movie, including myself among the rebels. I started to write a book along those lines. So, I went into the remake a little apprehensively. Yet, I had to see it. I had to know. And I liked it. Not quite as much as the original, but I thought it was just as fun as the first movie. It's action packed. Not really believable, but at the end of the day, I was glad I watched it. But glad I missed it in the theaters.

The Call (2013, directed by Brad Anderson) - I like Halle Barry. And I like action movies. Even some of the bad ones. This one is pretty intense. I liked this movie quite a bit--picked up a few tips in case I'm ever locked in the trunk of a car (I sure hope there's paint cans full of paint!)--until the end. As my husband pointed out though, this paves the way for a sequel.

Olympus Has Fallen (2013, directed by Antione Fuqua) - I divide much in my life into two sections--the before Mouse and after Mouse periods. Before Mouse, high body counts in action movies bothered me less. I knew it was just a movie, after all. That isn't to say I felt nothing--it still bothered me to some extent. Nowadays, I cringe and can't help but think that those people dying on the screen are someone's father or mother or child . . . I feel more emotional. I still know it's not real, but it's harder to stomach. This movie had a high death count. An extremely high death count. Still, Olympus Has Fallen was somewhat entertaining, but, ultimately, I found it to be unoriginal and completely unbelievable.

Have you seen any movies recently?

© 2013, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Where Is Your Bookmark?

A very small collection of some of my bookmarks.

Some of you spent this past weekend deep in your books, taking part in Dewey's Read-A-Thon. There's always so much enthusiasm around the event--I can't imagine though how any of you get any reading in with all the Twitter chatter, mini challenges, and blog hopping that takes place. Somehow you do it though! I hope those of you who did take part had fun and got in all the reading you hoped to.

Although I didn't participate, I did manage to squeeze in some reading time this weekend, finishing off two books, one of which I have been reading for a couple of months. Both were very different books: one a paranormal/urban fantasy novel, The Water Witch by Juliet Dark, and the other being literary fiction, A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea by Dina Nayeri. I hope to spend some time this week writing up reviews. I've actually got a handful of reviews of books I have been reading ready for you. Or at least they're mostly ready to go. They need a good polishing before I post them.

In audio, I am listening to Wally Lamb's The Hour I First Believed, narrated by George Guidall. It's over 25 hours long, so it will be a while before I finish it. I'm about four hours into the book, having just finished the chapter where Caelum, the lead character, reminisces about his childhood and his relationship with his father. The book is set around the time of the Columbine school shooting. Caelum's wife, Maureen, was a school nurse, on campus at the time of the shooting. This book is pure fiction, but it deals with the impact such a tragedy has on a person--on a family. At least that's what the book's description says. Really though, the book is about so much more.

I most recently started reading D.A. Mashini's mystery, The Missing File, set in Israel. It's still too early to offer up an opinion, but so far so good!

Let's not talk about my progress--or lack there of--with War and Peace. I haven't given up, but I have definitely stalled.

What are you reading right now?

Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where

participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a

book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.

An opening may not make or break a book, but they are important. Especially for someone like me who needs an instant hook or else I might start looking elsewhere.

Opening of The Missing File by D.A. Mishani:

Across the desk from him sat a mother. Another mother.

She was the third he had seen this shift. The first had been too young, and pretty too, with a tight-fitting white T-shirt and wonderful collarbones. She had complained that her son had been beaten up outside the school hard, and he had listened to her patiently, promising that her complaint would be dealt with seriously. The second had demanded that the police send out a detective to follow her daughter and find out why she speaks in whispers on the telephone and locks her bedroom door at night.

Would you keep reading?

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Cat Thursday: "I think I'll rest here for awhile."

Welcome to the weekly meme hosted by The True Book Addict that celebrates cats; their foibles and humorousness and the joy they bring. You can join in by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you made or came across, cat art or share with us pics of your own felines, then post your link up at The True Book Addict.

My Anya.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Bookish Thoughts: The Fairfolk in Knob's End: Book 1: The Daughters of Annwn by Rachel Armstrong

The Fairfolk in Knob's End: Book 1: The Daughters of Annwn by Rachel Armstrong

Featherweight Press, 2013

Fantasy (YA); 218 pgs

I worry that many people will pass over this book because it is from a small press, but I hope you won't. I really, really, really hope you won't.

The author approached me about reading this book when she heard that I was struggling with a more serious read, wishing I had something lighter. It's her first foray into Young Adult Fantasy, a genre I've started to read more and more in recent years. I have read two of the author's previous books, both mysteries, and so knew there was a good chance I would like this book. And, oh my gosh, did I ever!

This is one of those rare fantasy novels that cast a spell on me as I read, where even when not reading, I feel like a part of me is still inside the pages of the book. Fantasy novels most often have that effect on me, in truth, especially the really good ones.

From the Publisher:

As if losing her mother and moving to live with her grandmother in Knob’s End wasn’t enough to contend with, sixteen-year-old Sophie James soon discovers that her new best friend is more than the average high school girl. Nerys is a magical Tylwyth Teg from the land of Annwn, and has been forced to seek refuge from a terrible fate.

Unless the people of Annwn can find a way to break the pact made with the sinister Coraniaids some two thousand years before, Nerys and her sisters will be forced into marriage and their homeland will be changed forever. Sophie and Nerys need to find the Dagger of Everlasting Truth and destroy it. The problem is no one knows its location, and, with so many lives in mortal danger, there is no time for mistakes. Lies are told and danger lurks around every corner, yet there persists a whisper of a human girl who may hold the key to their salvation, a girl with the gift of prophecy. Could Sophie be the one?

I didn't always like stories about the fae and their kindred. Only in recent years have I really been drawn to them. Gaelic mythology is so interesting, and I enjoy seeing it brought to life in literature.

Rachel Armstrong has created an interesting world, that sits alongside our own. Knob's Hill, by all accounts, is an ordinary place. Humans go about their daily lives, not realizing a door into another world lies right on their border. Annwn is a beautiful place, but darkness threatens it and tensions are high.

Nerys is a Tylwyth Teg, hiding among the humans and avoiding a fate that will mean the downfall of her people. It's clear there is something different about her the minute we meet her. Sophie knows this on some level too, only she can't quite pinpoint it. Ever since Sophie came to town, she's noticed little things--things that make her question her reality.

Sophie is the kind of girl I think I would have gotten along very well with at the age of sixteen. She is bookish, smart, athletic, and kindhearted. As the story unfolds, Sophie grows more confident and finds a strength inside herself she didn't know she had. I suppose in some respects, looking back, Sophie seemed too perfect some of the time, but it wasn't something I really noticed as I read the book, and it didn't hurt my enjoyment of it.

Sophie comes across many unexpected allies in her search, and many of them found their way into my heart just as Sophie did. I was especially fond of Cadoc the Wanderer (okay, so I have a little crush on him). I think my most favorite character, however, was Tegwen. I was quite moved by her story and admired her strength.

The Fairfolk in Knob's End is an adventure quest story that takes readers deep into the land of Annwn. Sophie sets out in search of the Dagger of Everlasting Truth, facing obstacles along the way. There is romance and action, politics and moral dilemmas, and magic, both good and bad, just as one might expect. I have to say, the action scenes were quite intense! The author's descriptions of them put me right in the middle of them. There was more than one moment in the book when I found myself holding my breath a few times, suspecting the outcome, but still concerned for the characters.

I hated to leave Annwn when the story came to an end. Fortunately, this is the first book in a series, and it only touches the surface of a a world I would like to get to know better.

Rating:

(Very Good)

You can learn more about Rachel Armstrong, aka Liz Strange, and her books on the author's website.

Source: E-copy of the book provided by the author for review.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Cat Thursday: Happy Birthday, Parker!

Parker was just a little kitten when I first met him. He was living in the parking lot of the courthouse where I worked at the time. He was very people friendly, often seeking out attention. I wasn't looking for a cat to bring home. I already had a dog, and I'd never really been a cat person. A persistent coworker put the pressure on though, and I eventually gave in.

Parker didn't immediately come to our house. I took him first to the vet where he spent the night after being neutered and given a general well check up. The next day, April 18, 2002, Parker came home for the first time. We celebrate the day as his birthday (even though he was probably about 6 to 8 months old at the time).

It didn't take long for my husband and I to fall in love with Parker. He settled into our family quite well. He and Riley became bosom buddies that first day. Parker is sweet and even tempered. He can be playful and vocal when he wants to be. He is bold and is rarely shy around strangers. He is a nurturer. He comforts Mouse when she is upset and has been a good mentor to Anya. Parker is my little angel.

Happy Birthday, Parker!