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The Best Ending To A Book by Briane P.

August 14, 2011 11:28 AM EDT | recommended: 6 | comments: 8

The Domes: The Arid Dome by Nichole D.

August 26, 2011 09:39 PM EDT | recommended: 6 | comments: 38

Book Review: Nightwoods by Paul M.

September 05, 2011 12:39 AM EDT | recommended: 1 | comments: 6

Book Review: Other Kingdoms by Paul M.

September 14, 2011 09:08 AM EDT | recommended: 2 | comments: 5

Tim Gunn Settles It~Kirstie Alley "Not A Size Four!" by August Lady

September 17, 2011 05:08 PM EDT | recommended: 1 | comments: 19

Dead Set (full length movie) by Nellie (Night of Torture)

September 22, 2011 10:43 PM EDT | recommended: 1

Kathy Griffin Loses Her Boy Toy-Levi Johnston And Bristol Palin Get Engaged! by August Lady

July 14, 2010 01:42 PM EDT | recommended: 1 | comments: 10

Taylor Momsen Is The Face Of Madonna's Clothing Line by Stephanie J

July 15, 2010 03:58 PM EDT | comments: 1

M. Night Shyamalan's "Devil" and His Own Road to Redemption by Michael Kane

July 16, 2010 01:05 PM EDT | comments: 1

Big Brother Week 2: The Producers Have Been Sabotaged by Michael Kane

July 16, 2010 02:34 PM EDT

Comments: 1

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	thank you J W. Feb 1, 2012, 10:34pm EST

The Perils of Stephanie Plum ~ Book Review of ‘High Five’ by Janet Evanovich by La Lady Lisa Westerfield

January 31, 2012 09:40 PM EST | recommended: 4 | comments: 5

‘High Five’ is my second Stephanie Plum book, my first was ‘Plum Spooky’ which I think I liked better than ‘Five’ (part of the numbered series versus outside the numbers/the ‘Holiday’ novels) because it had some paranormal stuff going on. I give Evanovich credit in that I’ve read two of her books, out of sequence no less, and felt very at ease knowing the characters and the previous storylines in terms of how they affect the plot of the book I’m reading.

Let’s face it; no one picks up these books hoping for a complicated thriller. They are fast pace mind candy novels where bounty hunter Stephanie Plum goes from one misadventure to the next with clownish grace. Every chapter has something going on and it usually results in poor Plum losing a car, mucking up a party dress, or juggling a man. How the woman ever finds time to feed her hamster I’ll never know.

I would give better details about what happened within the pages of ‘High Five’ but I finished the novel about two weeks ago and literally find myself grasping for the details primarily because Evonovich’s Plum books are escapism at its best. You are taken out of the moment of your daily life and placed in the shoes of someone who is more inept than yourself, and probably sexier, but still likeable. I recall now, one of the storylines was about how Plum’s uncle was missing and no one particularly cared. However his wife, Plum’s maternal great aunt, felt that she needed to go through the motions although she enjoyed spending money on things she always wanted that her tight wade self-serving cheating husband always nixed.

From what I recall from ‘Plum Spooky’, ‘High Five’ had several characters who wanted to see Plum dead. In fact in ‘High Five’ sometimes those out to do her in became entangled with others who also mean Plum harm much to their chagrin. My biggest complaint about the series is that a few of her sidekicks are too over the top in their second banana roles. I wonder if anyone feels Evanovich’s Lula borders on a tired stereotype? Granted I only have two books to judge her on, but it seems as if Lula is too eager to use a gun, too willing to refer to her past as a prostitute, and too okay with wearing clothes described as two sizes too small.

Overall I enjoyed ‘High Five’ although I confessed earlier I didn’t find it the most memorable. I purchased it at Sam’s for four bucks and felt I got my money’s worth…if I had paid more I might have been more critical. I am not inclined to go out and read all of the Plum novels, but if I run across another of her books for the same price I would happily pick it up.

Comments: 5

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	Neat ...☀★¸¸.☆.¸¸ . ✶¨. ¸ .✫¨.¸¸.✶*¸¸.☆.¸¸ . ☀Be Inspired CL Mareydt Feb 1, 2012, 6:39pm EST

July 2010 Book and Movie Diary by La Lady Lisa Westerfield

January 30, 2012 12:10 PM EST | recommended: 2 | comments: 13

I wrote more in July than in June apparently. As always the diary starts at the bottom and works its way to the top. I warn you that plots are revealed and that these entries make up my gut reaction to things I read or saw on the silver screen.

Cleopatra’s Daughter

July 31, 2010

I guess the book isn’t going to be a series. She ends up marrying Juda and is happy about it when she finds out that he was the Red Eagle. When they moved to his kingdom they did do something about slavery. Augustus killed Selene’s twin brother Alexander when he turned fifteen and became a man instead of a boy. She built a mausoleum for him. In the author’s note where she gave updates about the characters she said that Livia poisoned Augustus at his request which doesn’t sound probable – like who would have known that A) she did it and B) that he requested it.

Cleopatra’s Daughter

July 31, 2010

Marcellus is now married to Julia. Selene is on the brink of being 15 and probably married off. For most of the year they have been Livia and Augustus free. They all had fun on the Isle of Capri. Selene warned Julia not to wear Selene’s read silk for a veil because that was what she wore when her mother celebrated the last big party before everyone died – Selene thought it would be bad luck. She has been insulting Juda so that probably means that she will be married off to him. He has been given a territory of his own, which makes him a king in his own right. It is next to Numbia where his father was king before.

New Moon

July 31, 2010

I liked how Meyer used the pages for passing time with chapters labeled as months. Good quote on page 117. Bells is between nothingness and pain so she walks through life as a zombie, ironically she starts to come back to life after seeing a zombie movie. In her unconscious voice she hears Edward and of course she is driven to hear him further by courting danger. She has pissed Jessica off in all sorts of colors. Mike Newton has much more of a role in the book. I remember her working for his parents’ sporting goods store from the first time I read the book.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

July 30, 2010

Edward just dumped Bella and I’m trying to psyche myself up for hundreds of pages of self loathing. It would be interesting to read Edward’s point of view about the situation. Interesting conversation about spirituality and souls between Bella and Carman. Her insecurity about being around Edward becomes very tedious. I thought it was interesting how Edward thought that by being around Bella he becomes less off putting by other humans (maybe that was in the ‘Midnight Sun’ draft). I didn’t remember the first time, but she is rescued by a werewolf. I suppose there was a reason why she didn’t like celebrating her birthday.

Cleopatra’s Daughter

July 29, 2010

Selene has found out that her brother is gay and in love with the man who is her mentor architect/stepfather figure’s son. Marcalus has been gone for ten or eleven months in a military campaign in Gaul fighting the last country in Iberia that was independent of Rome. The Red Eagle is still out and about. Julia and Marcaus were making love in the whore district of Rome – naught-naughty. During their vacation in Capri they finally lived in the lap of luxury, but they only did so during the month of August. I think this is going to be a series, she is still only 14.

Cleopatra’s Daughter

July 26, 2010

I wonder if the author is trying to jack with the fans of ‘Rome’. Pollio is one of the characters and Octavian went to visit his villa on Saturian (Dec 17) and his young 13 year old bride gave birth to a daughter that he then demanded to be taken out with the trash. An evil ugly little man that makes him quite unlikeable. Octavia’s 19 year old daughter was married to Agrippa. Livia arranged for Gallia the slave to be raped by an older icky senator. Serene wants to sell her crown in order for Gallia to buy her freedom – she doesn’t want Gallia to know that the money came from her.

Salt

July 25, 2010

And I thought she wasn’t going to be a Russian spy planted in the U.S. after her parents died in a car wreck, but she was. I liked how she gradually became more badass as the story progressed. I’m sorry she was reunited with her pooch because we all love a good reunited with a pooch story. I picked Liv as a bad guy and then the movie shifted and I thought maybe I was wrong…but I’m never wrong and he too was a Russian plant – good boy by the movie makers in diversion. Cat thought Angelina was too skinny to pull most of the action off as we are led to believe, but then again, can have the movie stars do anything remotely like their stunts? If Cruise had stuck with this role than there would be reports about how he saved a life during one of the chase scenes. I thought the movie was fun, a little bit like ‘Mission Impossible’ and a lot like those Matt Damon films – ‘Jason Bourne’. Angelina rocks the blonde wig as well as her other disguises. A sequel is already in the works. I suppose it has moral ambiguities to the story line, but she is one of the few stars, both male and female, that can open a film like this.

Cleopatra’s Daughter

July 25, 2010

Selene saved Octavian’s life when they were at the theater because she recognized that one of the archers looked like he was about to let an arrow fly. Octavia asked why she saved him and she replied because he was the future. She knew that if he had died chaos would rule in Rome and the 13 families would all fight each other again. She has some doubts about Gailla and her ties to the Red Eagle – also Marcelius might be tied to the action. She is studying architecture with Octavia’s lover and she is impressing him with her drawings. Julia’s mother has to watch her from afar. Livia is still horrible.

Inception

July 23, 2010

An unbelievable movie but very long, and it feels long as you are watching it. Title for the review – ‘Dream Weaver’. It is also the sort of movie that you have to watch all the way through too or you are going to lose chunks of it – not like say, ‘Grown Ups’ where you can leave for a bit and come back and Sandler is telling another version of a fart joke. Christopher Nolan has a cast of actors that he always likes to work with. Add the kid from ‘3^rd Rock from the Sun’ to the list – he is up for the part of the ‘Joker’ for the next ‘Batman’ film. Lots of actors and lots or roles on this movie. I think this movie is the best of its genre and if you pay attention you don’t feel lost although the movie has multiple layers to it – it takes a damn long time for that van to hit the water. I loved the ending and later considered if the rest of the gang made it out of their dreams or if they too are languishing in a limbo. Some of the scenes could have been cut, but I’m glad that they weren’t. I think for the son of the billionaire his story was nice. I liked how the pinwheel was in her father’s official last will. The wife part was scary, especially seeing her jump from the window.

Cleopatra’s Daughter

July 22, 2010

Serene has been given a message from an Egyptian priest to meet him at the temple of Isis which is located outside of Rome proper. She tries to runaway but Juda captures her and kills a man who was about the rape her. Her brother is taking to Roman life, but she still wants to return home. Livia is just as bad in this novel as she was in ‘I, Claudius’. She is more like Octavian’s secretary than wife and it sounds like he cheats on her as well. There were some bad omens when they first wed and when they had a child together it died in child birth. Most Roman women married four or five times during their lives with their father’s always deciding for them whom they would be a wife to.

Twilight

Mayer fades in and out of portraying Bella as a strong teen. I can see the connections on how she has always meant to be a vampire after rereading the book. Edward is moody and conflicted most of the time which is fine considering that she does have him laughing at times. Bella’s human friends run the gamete of being hot and cold for her and one of the guys actually shows up at her house thinking that she agreed to go to prom with him – awkward. Obsessive teen love. I can’t help but think that the story line between Tara and that vamp on ‘True Blood’ is inspired somewhat by Bella and Edward.

Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran

July 21, 2010

So far so good, everything that she has written about thus far seems historically true – as much as I know. Moran outlines the characters at the beginning which is a huge help (more writers should do this for readers to keep track). This is the first time I have seen Cleopatra spelled with a K which the novel says is traditional Greek spelling. I image that Serene (meaning moon) will by married off to Juda – at the moment she is crushing on Octavian’s nephew who is doomed to die – ‘I Claudius’. Her little brother Ptolemy died on the trip from Egypt to Rome.

Twilight

July 21, 2010

Jasper is a lot more involved in the storyline than he was in the movie. He power to calm is used a lot with Bella, especially when she falls for James’ trap of kidnapping her mother. She is very dramatic and is constantly thinking about Edward. Alice also plays a much bigger role. Some foul up about James in that Edward didn’t read his mind that he had tried to kill Alice when she was human in the 1920’s, but a powerful vampire turned her before James was able to finish the job – instead he killed the other vampire. I kind of wished they had the scene of the Phoenix airport in the movie because I remember it from the first time I read the book.

Twilight

July 19, 2010

I think it was page 375 or so when the villains are finally introduced to the storyline. The book has Edward being much more obsessive with Bella than the movies. Everything he says and does is measured. His temper seems more sharp because she is clumsy and he thinks she will do something that will draw out the blood. Alice seems more friendly in the book. Esme is more mothering considers Edward more of a son than in the movies. What does it say about Americans, or the world at large, that we women seem attractive to an obsessive yet handsome male?

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

July 19, 2010

It was much better than I imagined. It has been getting a lot of grief in the press for not being good, but I found it extremely entertaining. It is has been awhile, if ever, that I have found Nicolas Cage a looker, but he had a mighty fine hair weave in this film. I was more concerned about how the kid would come across considering his unorthodox looks, but he did fine and was believable as a hunk – he was fine in ‘Tropic Thunder’ as well. The storyline fit and didn’t feel odd. There were Harry Potter elements to it, but no more than expected. I liked the marriage between magic and science – nice job Disney. The ode to Sorcerer’s Apprentice was fun as well. Recognizable faces. The film didn’t break new ground when it came to special effects. The ending was a bit dry perhaps, I hope they bring back the magician in the sequel although with box office as it is I doubt there will be one. I liked the transition between the boy and the young man. The ring bit felt original. Great family film, more bling than the family films – the low budget ones – that Disney used to produce in the 60’s and 70’s. Review title – A Side of Magic.

Flower Children

July 16, 2010

There were a lot of brilliant ways the story could have gone, but didn’t. The third person- first person narrative didn’t work, especially the part about their paternal grandfather…and especially since the book didn’t go anywhere. At the end you don’t know if the second daughter really had a baby or didn’t. You didn’t even know which direction the kids went. Their existence was seemed peaceful and their parents seemed to generally love them without exploitation although they were very open with them in terms of adult relationships. Page 195 had a usable quote. The bad boy influences were introduced at the end and three fellow classmates (all girls) committed suicide. The book was minus a plot. Title; Not a V. C. Andrews production?

Ramona & Beezus

July 14, 2010

I was surprised at how much I really enjoyed this film. I’m calling the review a G rated film for a Depressed Economy. These books are older, --- loved this as a child but the filmmakers were able to transition them to a more modern sensibility. What’s his face was adorable as the dad. I loved the scene where he danced with Ramona on a swivel chair. There were some laugh out loud moment. The car was great and so was crashing through the ceiling. The cat dying brought tears to my eyes along with the bit about her running away and discovering her father’s drawings of her in red boots. The young actress was great as the awkward but well intentioned Ramona. Sandra Oh was funny as usual – no one can deliver a dry line like she can. Lots of minor names with recognizable faces were in this film. Selma Whatever, the sister’s boyfriend was too average looking for her. She needed someone who had some heat. The house seemed small, like freakishly small with the sister’s sharing a room with an unsafe looking bunk bed. I loved the idea of the father and Ramona drawing together. The mother bit was cute when she packed her suitcase to runaway with a bowling ball and everything else that was heavy.

Twilight

July 13, 2010

I didn’t remember that Edward in the book had actually planned on who he would kill Bella if she told that he blocked the car from hitting her. He comes across a lot more creepy in the book, especially with the idea that he watches her sleep and she didn’t know. He told her that he was jealous of the boys that kept asking her to the dance but was elated when she kept turning them down. Lady Gaga song ‘Alejandro’ where her boyfriend is more like a dad. Speaking of which, her dad disconnects some cables in her car when he thought that she might sneak out and meat up with one of the boys in the community.

Flower Children by Maxine Swann

July 13, 2010

This is a short novel. So far there are four children being raised in the backwoods of Virginia near Washington D.C.. Their mother has kicked their father to the curb but he takes the children places in his car – it sounds like he could be fucked up most of the time. She has various boyfriends herself. One took revenge on hunters after they killed their dogs by blocking access to their land by falling trees. They go to school with one other flower child but don’t hang with her much because they are trying to fit in. The two girls are older than the two boys.

Official Book Club Selection

July 19, 2010

Her correspondence with Woz slowed the book down some…yes, I get it, you were never really a couple. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I loved how she took glee when Andre Argassi came out that he was a meth head – it put some pieces back into the puzzle. I loved how she outted Brooke Shields for being a wigger after she made that film with the dreadlocks. I think at times she pushes the laughter too hard and seems desperate – which isn’t ever funny, but she has made her mark in comedy and for women in comedy and that is what really counts.

Official Book Club Selection memoir

July 12, 2010

Kathy reminds me of an old vadvillian. She lays out all of the prescription pills and spilled pudding in her memoir. Her hubby took 72,000 from her checking account. I wanted to know what happened to him and if she still has a relationship with his sister who was the one who introduced the two of them. I think she was kind about Brooke Shields but I wonder if she is going to talk about her in future chapters. I think her parents are so charming. Her father started to do commercials both locally and nationally. Great story about Steven Spielberg.

Grown Ups

July 10, 2010

If being grown up meant that one had to act like these guys then I think I would prefer to be Peter Pan. This is a horrible movie which doesn’t even pretend that it wasn’t a flimsy excuse for Adam Sandler to gather a bunch of his SNL alumni to be in a film dealing with hot daughters and fart jokes. Movies like this are the reason Sandler has such a horrible reputation with people who have above average IQs. There was no plot to speak of and I think most of the lines were improvised, but not in a particular funny way. I suppose there were a lot of inside jokes that the audience wasn’t privy too, but I don’t think we are missing much. The women in this film probably shouldn’t have even been there because they are barely window dressing whose primary purpose is to set up tit jokes. Actually it is a pity that Sandler and gang didn’t take this film more seriously because there is the comedic talent and the premise is a strong one. The director needed a firmer hand. It probably was a brilliant move on Sandler’s part because what heterosexual man doesn’t want to go on a summer vacation with Selma Hayak?

The Karate Kid

July 10, 2010

Jaden Smith is on track to be a tween sensation. It took a year for him to learn the karate movies. Co-starring in a movie with Jackie Chan I’m sure didn’t hurt either. I think the most shocking thing about this film was how his mother just seemed to abandon him in Beijing as if she had simply moved across town. There was no mention as to who or where his father was, which of course leaves an opening for Jackie Chan the English speaking maintenance man. Further, isn’t China supposed to be a Communist nation? They aren’t even pretending in this movie that was filmed in China. Jaden finds a love interest in a violin playing girl set to get into a special school. While he is flirting with her he is beaten up by some locals led by a boy who has no use for someone flirting with his girl. Of course the all leads to Jaden entering a karate championship where all of the aggressive boys end up favoring Jackie Chan because he isn’t a ‘bad teacher’ like their master who advises them never to show mercy. Overall, I thought this was an entertaining film albeit it is predictable, but it was probably ripe for a remake and the remake was done well. There were some very nice scenes of China.

Official Book Club Selection

July 9, 2010

The book is getting a little punch drunk going over her life after ‘Suddenly Susan’ was dropped from being NBC’s shitcom. Kathy created a niche for herself once again making a deal with a comedy club to do a routine during their slow Wednesday nights. She developed an underground following with the gays. Funny she didn’t get any support from Hollywood which makes me think that once again Hollywood is out of touch. I think her MTV show sounded hilarious with her parents acting out parts from Survivor, MTV should have kept that going for a while. She had a great story about Andy Dick in Jacksonville, Florida.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

I’m rereading the book since it was 2008 when I last read it and wanted to see with the movies and such if my impressions of it have changed. I still think that the dialogue she has created for the characters still rings true. I haven’t gotten anywhere near the parts that I thought were originally very awkward. Bella seems to be a stronger character than I originally remembered. It is a shame that Meyer has permanently delayed the telling of Edward’s story because her work was leaked on line. I would like to have known when he first became aware of Bella.

Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin

July 9, 2010

A fascinating tale of breaking into Hollywood when you are not great looking but have ambition. I love how she and a few other women decided to carve their own niche into the comedy scene by creating their own spaces. Women and men vary when it comes to what they think is funny. She writes about her brother Kenny who died before she became famous. She thought he was a child molester and let everyone in the family know it. She even reported him to the authorities. She speaks fondly of her shit com even though she knew it was a shit come at the time.

Comments: 13

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	La Lady, Your photos with summaries are too wonderful! My favorite is the pic with New Moon. Genius. You do have a sense of humor. I am envious of all of the books you were able to tick off in June. I'm . . . Tracy Wallace Feb 1, 2012, 4:08pm EST

Monday Writing Essential - January 30, 2012: A Winter Tale by Greg Schiller

January 29, 2012 09:08 PM EST | recommended: 20 | comments: 62

You would think they would slow down.

An hour ago, the State Patrol dropped the blizzard gates and padlocked them shut. I-90 is closed. I-35 is closed. But just a few miles away no one is slowing down.

The concrete is slick with black ice and torrents of snow flow across the freeway; still they will not slow down.

Slowing down is not something a guy does when he has forty grand sunk into a pickup truck; for that kind of money, the truck is his life and he can’t afford to miss a day of making the most of it, especially at factory wages.

On Hwy 14, just east of Owatonna, a pair of headlights rush out of the blizzard and set like binary stars below the horizon of my trunk; he is that close. It is his way of telling me to go faster.

I try, but when I do I get that queasy weightless feeling that says my tires are no longer holding the road and the wind is nudging me toward the ditch, so I slow back down. The lights in the rear-view mirror loom even larger.

Obviously, I'm a wuss. Obviously, he is not. To prove it, he guns his engine to pass.

It is not a graceful maneuver – more like a fish-tailing swerve to the left, but he doesn't make it. The unplowed snow between the lanes grabs his wheels and twists him sideways. I dodge for the shoulder. He slides, spins, straightens out and roars off. Still he will not slow down.

I reach a patch of barren road. Here the landscape is flat, open and exposed. There are no trees, no buildings, no hills, no snow-fences - all the way west to the Rockies and the wind makes the best of it.

I see something I've never seen before. In the rivulets of snow snaking across the highway, each wisp appears double, once for itself and once for its reflection in the ice.

It is too slippery to be on the road. Thank God there is an exit up ahead.

I catch a flash of violence out of the corner of my eye but cannot afford to turn to see it.. At the top of the ramp, I wait until my hands stop trembling.

Again, a flash of violence. This time I turn to see what it is.

A white tsunami, thirty feet high, engulfs the median as a pickup plows broadside into the ditch. The SUV behind him swaps ends as he too flies off the road, exploding a snow-bank.

Headlights bounce, brake-lights flicker, beams of light slant through the blowing snow at odd-angles.

It's like an artillery barrage of SUV’s and trucks - exploding into plumes of white as vehicle after vehicle spin into the snow banks.

Still, they will not slow down.

***

This week’s writing challenge: tell a winter tale. Any tale with winter as a theme will do.

Tell us about a snowball fight.
Tell us about a toboggan ride.
Tell us how you got stuck and met the tow-truck driver of your dreams.
Tell us about a nightmare of a ski-instructor.
Tell us how you were dared to lick a metal post. (No, don't do that, it would be too embarrassing.)

***

Post your article to Gather Writing Essentials.
BE SURE TO TAG your submission with MWE. Note: I search for articles using the tag "MWE" If you don't tag it right, I will not find it.
Include "Monday Writing Essential" in your title.

***

Last week's challenge to write about revealing photos drew the following responses:

THE WEDDING PICTURE [Monday Writing Essential - January 23, 2012: Old Photos] by Joann B.

Oh, That Photo! ~ for Monday Writing Essential by JOHN BECK

Explain This.--old photoes by karen vaughan

Not Just Any Wedding Photo- Monday Writing Essential by Cathy J.

Weekly reminder:don't forget to recommend an article that you like (to learn why, read Ann Marcaida's article Attract More Writers and Artists to Gather!).. Also try to place a comment on at least one article and say more than you liked the piece. Tell the author what worked and what needs work.

Comments: 62

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	Thanks Diana, people do get crazy behind the wheel. Greg Schiller Feb 1, 2012, 3:01pm EST

June 2010 Book and Movie Diary by La Lady Lisa Westerfield

January 29, 2012 05:41 PM EST | recommended: 2 | comments: 6

Apparently I didn’t write a lot in my Book and Movie Diary for this month. I don’t know if I was busy doing other things but I suppose it is what it is. Like always the entries start from the bottom and go to the top. Even though I haven’t always been the most loyal to my diary efforts, I must admit that it is fun to look back on them. I think with ordinary journals about your life you can be caught up with the drama of whatever was happening and often you don’t want to revisit; however with diary about book and movie entries it is a lot of fun to revisit. I especially enjoy not giving a crud about the spelling.

Knight and Day

June 28, 2010

Although it didn’t make that much money over the weekend, this was a fun film. It was nice to see Tom Cruise living up to his former superstar potential. It is a shame that the advertising for this film feels off. The poster for it looks like a James Bond poster from the 1960s. Cameron Diaz is still beautiful, but she is an aging beauty which made this movie all the more interesting for me. She wasn’t heavily made up and her hair seemed to flow naturally. Tom was even somewhat cute although I still think of him as a midget. I liked how the film started in Wichita and ended up in some very glamorous settings. It was unexpectedly funny – which has always been part of Cruise’s charm. The action sequences were marvelous and the script dialogue was good. The sequences were so good that I want to see the film again in order to watch them carefully. Actually this film reminded me of movies from an earlier era – it was definitely about the stars. The romance surprisingly worked as well. The underlining theme was about taking a chance on romance. I liked the dress with the boots combination – I miss the 90s.

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough

June 14, 2010

Already the story is off to a smashing start. The dear perpetually vexed Mrs. Bennet has met her maker after seventeen years of living alone with her daughter Mary on an estate that Darcy has arranged for the two of them so that he doesn’t have to be vexed by his mother-in-law. Although 38 and unmarried time has been kinder to Mary than it has to her sisters. Mary’s spots have cleared up (19^th century clearacell) and her one crooked tooth has been fixed. Lizzie in particular is in an unhappy marriage.

Sex and the City 2

June 11, 2010

I loved this movie. There were some great fun-loving scenes including the girls karoking to ‘I Am Woman’. I also enjoyed when Miranda and Kristin Davis talking about motherhood and drinking their sorrows away. I liked the dresses although Carrie goes over the top with the hat she wears for ___’s wedding. I liked the idea of celebrating a gay marriage. I think they could have done without Liza, especially if they put her version of ‘Better Put a Ring on It’ on the soundtrack CD. She looked sickly as well. The issue with Mr. Big wasn’t that overwhelming although she ends up kissing Adian and then the two of them run off in different directions. Miranda finally came off as fun and letting go of her Type A traits, although they come in handy. Kristin Davis’ nanny didn’t wear a bra but she turned out to be a lesbian so she didn’t have to worry about her husband cheating on her. Rose, her youngest, cried all the time and was worthy of being put up for adoption. Samantha is going through menopause and ends up being arrested in a foreign land for kissing a man – prelude before having sex. They have to scat or be charged $22,000 a night.

The Girl with No Shadow

June 11, 2010

Things seem to be coming to a head. Vivian is starting to rediscover herself and has thrown Terry to the wayside, especially after he was mean spirited in reference to her children. She saw that he has a retarded adult son that he has never been able to cope with. Reux might be on the run. A told him that he is the father of her sister. Z discovered Vivian’s try identity and realizes that she was kidnapped as a child and that her own mother is 49 and owns a hotel. A’s boyfriend thinks Z is evil because of the dark cast she puts off in photos.

Splice

June 10, 2010

I loved this movie, it is a small gem. Anything Sarah Polley is in is going to be intriguing. The idea is that two scientists who are a couple outside the lab have created a new species in order to develop drugs. They have Fred and Ginger, but Ginger morphs into a man and both she and Fred kill each other during a medical conference. The corporation they work for want them to concentrate on the new species, but they want bolder experiments so they work to splice human genes into one of their creatures. Sarah gives the creature her DNA without her boyfriend knowing it until later. At first she is very maternal to the creation which lives despite various factors. The creature has some understanding and grow rapidly. She can’t speak but can spell and calls her mother NERD because of her shirt, thus she is named DREN because that is nerd backwards. While growing up they find out that she can breathe in water. Part of her embryo development is outside the mechanical womb. Eventually they discover she has wings along with a sex drive. She seduces him, and later when she switches sexes she rapes her mother, a mother who is willing to sell the potential offspring of the rape back to the corporation she worked for.

The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris

June 10, 2010

A is learning and remembering her powers with the wind and as a witch. Her sister is a changeling who is being guarded by a Mexican monkey god – as a baby she was known as a cat baby because she sounded like a cat. The kindly ones are those who want to rescue the children from a life of magic. A accidently killed one of them at their last home which is the reason why they are doubly secretative. Z’s plot is coming to a head, but the mother and daughter are starting to see her for what she is – she killed her mother when she was a teen because her mother recognized the evil in her.

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	Dani, I have the same issues with Tom Cruise too, but I have to admit that he is a compelling actor. I loved the last 'Mission Impossible'. : ) La Lady Lisa Westerfield Jan 30, 2012, 12:48pm EST

Hovering Between the Scent of Lilacs and What I had to Do (Saturday Writing Essential) by Greg Schiller

January 28, 2012 11:34 AM EST | recommended: 13 | comments: 16

Len's writing challenge:

Start a story and have your character smell/hear/feel/taste/see something that reminds him/her of someone (s)he knew in the past. Your challenge is to use prose or poetry and describe that person from the past and explain why that particular sensory input reminds your character of the person.

***

The doors to The Sports Authority parted and there she was, Sarah Angstrom. Not in person, mind you, but in memory.

The air was fragrant with lilacs but that wasn't the all of it, there was another scent that steeps the heart of every American boy – the almost mythical scent of unbroken rawhide; the smell of a new baseball glove.

Why then would I think of Sarah?

Her family and mine were the only ones to not have a television. So while the rest of the neighborhood hunkered down in the glow of their living rooms, we had nothing to do but play catch in the street. We would play all night until the elm leaves overhead were painted in one solid green and the flight of the ball was lost to the fading light.

Sometimes another kid, not liking what was on TV, would join us, then we would play hotbox.

Maybe you never played it or know the game by another name, but hotbox is a baseball drill where a pair of kids each guard a base as another tries to steal runs.

Sarah wasn't the fastest kid on the block, but she was the quickest and in hotbox that's everything. It is as much a game of psychology as it is of skill and timing, and Sarah was a master of all those things.

Don't get me wrong, she was no tom-boy. Sarah was all girl and at our age, none of the boys could keep their eyes off her. She was built like a gazelle, with a sun-bleached pony-tail that did funny things to your heart when it snapped as she ran.

But that is not why I thought of her.

I thought of her because of the lilacs and a day in late May when I had just gotten a new glove and we were out on the street burning a ball back and forth.

Tim Romney came out to join us.

He had the hots for Sarah, like we all did, but it turned him to butter. He wasn't like that normally but around her he stammered and tripped and generally looked like a fool. She was good about it though; I suppose with her looks, she got a lot of that.

So there we were playing hotbox.

Sarah was the runner – like she usually was, and Tim and I were on our best game – still she burned us.

She would edge out, taking slow sideways steps until she approached the point where her quickness balanced the speed of our reactions. There she would toy with us, especially with Tim.

She had his faints and fakes down cold and by the time he put himself into a throw, she was already in full flight.

I could feel his frustration in the smack of the ball against my glove and as the night faded, he kept throwing harder and harder as if the speed of his toss would make a difference.

At one point, she was on my base moving toward Tim. He had tired himself out and she was taking unfair advantage of it by pushing the zone closer and closer to his base – and that pissed him off.

On the last throw of the evening, she hadn't quite reached the balance point. She was trading glances back at me then toward Tim when his hand curled out. It was his tell that said a throw was on the way.

Sarah spun back toward me and sprinted but Tim put everything he had into a sizzling toss.

I got to say here that it was the most athletic move I have ever made. As she came into base, I whipped my glove behind her and caught the pitch that was aimed at the back of her head.

She knew instantly what happened and for a second I thought she was going to go over and pound Tim – but she didn't.

Instead she wrapped an arm around my neck, drew my face to hers and kissed me. “Thanks,” she said then shot Tim a hard glance stomped off toward her house.

That was my first kiss.

***

I stood there by the carts at the entrance to The Sports Authority as the racks of gear swallowed my grand-kids. I knew I couldn't linger long. Still, for just a moment -- there was that balance where I could hover between what I had to do and the scent of lilacs, rawhide and memory of a girl.

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	sliding on through Pamela Marks Jan 30, 2012, 12:06am EST

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	thanks for sharing Sharla H. Jan 29, 2012, 12:07pm EST

Meh ~ Movie Review of ‘Tower Heist’ by La Lady Lisa Westerfield

January 24, 2012 10:30 PM EST | recommended: 1 | comments: 7

The one thing ‘Tower Heist’ has going for it is that it had a well done preview trailer – one that enticed me to the point of being excited to see the film. In fact I barely noticed that movie prices have risen in Kansas City. If they rise much higher for films more people will start to view going to the local multiplex as a luxury they can no longer afford – just an observation. However, this film simply didn’t deliver ergo making me wish I had plunked down the funds to see something else.

‘Tower Heist’ has a good premise and with tweaks to the script I think the film would have worked. The tower in ‘Tower Heist’ is a ‘Trump Tower’ like apartment complex where only the rich and/or famous live. Occupying the penthouse is Alan Alda as Arthur Shaw who is a Bernie Madoff like character who at first seems to be the resident whom the staff likes most. Shaw is a billionaire Wall Street investor who has so much success that people find it an honor to invest their money with him…perhaps they are overly impressed with his pool which is illustrated with a hundred dollar bill (Ben Franklin looking a bit too cocky for my taste). As expected news breaks that Shaw wasn’t the Messiah of Wall Street and all along he has been running a Ponzi scheme on his investors – both great and small. Left to tell the good people that make ‘The Tower’ such prestigious real estate that their nest eggs will never hatch is Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) who is the building manager.

Kovacs is the heart of the building living and breathing every whim the residents might have. For instance in the morning while at his own humble abode he plays Chess with Shaw over the computer simultaneously listening to a radio program about cheeses for education. He not only takes meticulous care of the residents, but also the people who work for him; such as the woman who is studying for the bar exam during work hours, the maid that needs to marry an American to stay in the country (played by the always charming Gabourey Sidibe) and his brother-in-law (Casey Affleck) who on the verge of becoming a first time father but isn’t the sharpest knife in the kitchen drawer.

Kovacs doesn’t believe Shaw is guilty since he has always come across as such a caring approachable man, however an incident happens which prompts him to do a 180 and leads him to plan an ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ type burglary. In order to accomplish the task he bails out Slide (Eddie Murphy) from jail and recruits Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick) a former Wall Street investor who is down on his luck. The gang is rounded out by Enrique Dev’reaux (Michael Pena) who was a newly hired bell hop before being fired.

The film never quite jells for several reasons. To start with the Tower staff all come off as too good natured sort of like the characters who would populate a live action Disney movie from the early sixties. Further, Murphy’s Slide (I hate that name) is reminiscent of roles he used to do when he first started out in films such as ‘Trading Places’. When the audience meets him he is yelling early morning insults at Kovacs, later he is being arrested for some unknown reason, and so on and so forth. Granted, Slide has his redeeming moments, but not enough to convince the audience that someone as smart as Kovacs would trust someone he claims to have once gone to daycare with. BTW, why did Bret Ratner (the director) producers (Murphy was credited as one) and/or writers keep the daycare bit in the film when it establishes nothing and has no relevance to the storyline? Another problem is that half the people on Kovacs’ crew have little reason to be there because they offer nothing in terms of skills one might use during a heist.

In addition to the film never quite finding its stride it ends in a depressing manner with one character falling on his sword (or sacrificing his queen as he says in the film) in order for the rest of the posse to go free in the world. If ‘Tower Heist’ was a more realistic film this sort of move would make sense, but it has sold itself as being a comedy and definitely not like a high drama such as ‘The Town’.

I don’t know if ‘Tower Heist’ suffered from being too long in development or if it had too many people stirring the pot. Since Murphy was a producer I don’t understand why he didn’t cast himself in the Kovacs role instead of Slide. Slide is so unlikeable that when Sidibe’s maid asks him if he is married and he replies “No, what’s up?” (which garnered laughs during the preview) however while watching the film the audience cringes and wants her to finding greener pastures to husband hunt.

Afterwards the only interesting discussion I had was debating if Alan Alda had aged greatly since his ‘M*A*S*H’ days. Yes, but haven’t we all, and I think he still looks good. However in that conversation I never got around to discussing Matthew Broderick who I think for several decades never looked a day older than his Ferris Bueller era but in recent years he has gone from teen to grandpa in a mismatched Christmas sweater. Yup, those were the final impressions I had about ‘Tower Heist’. The only thing remotely making it interesting now is the Ratner and Murphy controversy with Ratner agreeing to produce and Murphy to host the Oscars but then both backing out after comments Ratner made on a radio program.

I wouldn’t recommend seeing ‘Tower Heist’ in the theater especially since we are on the brink of the holiday season. I wouldn’t even recommend it as a DVD rental although seeing it on cable might be worth a few minutes. It’s sad in a way since the film has a lot of talent and could have been much better with some changes. Overall it is a reminder that a great preview can really sell a picture.

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	You were brave to go see this film. I didn't even think the commercials looked good. Tracy Wallace Feb 1, 2012, 4:21pm EST

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	thanks Sharla H. Jan 25, 2012, 10:17pm EST

May 2010 Book and Movie Diary by La Lady Lisa Westerfield

January 23, 2012 10:04 PM EST | recommended: 1 | comments: 7

Gosh, when I start to slack, I slack. My desktop computer started to throw craps so I went with Plan B and have been spending most of my time writing on my laptop at Starbucks (I also snack less). At some point I abandoned by movie and writing diary, but have started it again and in the same spirit I’m going to start posting them again.

As with other monthly entries of my book and movie diary, this one is organized from the bottom to the top chronologically. It is in a raw form with misspellings and punctuation errors galore. I post them mainly for myself, but if it provides inspiration to others to do a diary then it is well worth exposure. I have found doing a book and movie diary to be a useful tool in many ways. BTW, like anything dealing with impressions there may be spoilers (I try my best not to write endings in my reviews) so reader beware.

Shrek Forever After

May 22, 2010

I would say that this movie wasn’t as good as the second one, better than the first one, and much better than the third one. They smudged on some of the consistency elements, but they made it work. I liked the whole alternative universe bit. I understand that Puss and Boots is getting his own movie and I can’t wait. It was hilarious making him a fat cat. Jon Ham was one of the ogres. I so heart him. Rumplestilskin reminded me of that creepy kid who was in that superhero cartoon. The changing of the wigs was a funny bit. I liked Kathy Griffin as one of the witches. I think half the fun sometimes is trying to identify the voices. The idea was that Shrek was having a mid-ogre life crisis. I think I liked the princess better in the alternate universe because she was a kick ass warrior who led the other ogres, plus I really liked her flowing red hair – she should wear it like that more often. There weren’t the songs like they had been in the others and I missed them. I loved the wrong side of the tracks scene where there was a play on church billboards.

Just Wright

May 22, 2010

I think this movie would make for a grand DVD rental. It was a formulaic movie that tweaked some of the elements. I thought the name of the Nets for a New Jersey team was sort of silly. I liked Queen Latifa as the love interest although I can’t help but thinking about the days when Ellen Degenerous played in these sorts of roles. They guy who played the basketball player didn’t really have the acting chops – rapper. The story had a nice juxiposition between he sort of girls men say they want and the sort of women they go far. Stupid dudes lead by their dicks. I know that this is run of the mill now, but it was nice that she stayed close to her cousin after the ups and downs of their star-crossed love lives. Pam Grier played Latifa’s mother, she is showing some age which gives me the sads. Queen is a physical therapist which was fun. I loved her clothes in the movie. I’m wondering if it was the chick off the first season of ‘Project Runway’. The storyline seemed disjointed at times – a lot of it having to do with him not really appearing as if he was some sort of guy who came from the ghetto.

Dead in the Family

May 22, 2010

A body of a were is found on Sookie’s land. The pacts are banding together to fight registration legislation – at least one senator has come out that he is a werewolf. Eric’s maker has shown up which I think was a nice diversion from season 2 of ‘True Blood’. He is accompanied by Alexi Romanoff, another nice twist. Sookie introduced her nephew to Claude and they got along fabulously. Eric’s maker is a Roman soldier who was made around the time of the death of Christ – another nice nod to a ‘True Blood’ storyline. Someone reported the dead body on Sookie’s land.

Dead in the Family

May 21, 2010

The book is humming along well. Sookie killed her first vampire of the season with a silver knife. Victor who is technically Eric’s boss wants to take Eric down and Sookie believes the world would be a better place if he was dead – she managed to kill one of his henchmen. Her nephew spent the night and in the process met his first vampire and his cousin Claude who is a fae. I’m getting the feeling that Claude was sent to live with Sookie to protect her. Lots of characters are coming in and out of this story. Tara is pregnant along with several other townspeople.

Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

May 20, 2010

I think I’ll call the review ‘Dearly Beloved’. So far so good, it is erasing my memory of the book where Harris compiled all of the previous short stories. Harris does a good job in reminding the readers what had happened in the previous installment. She and Eric are still hot and heavy. Bill isn’t looking too good, but feels better when Sookie is around because of her 1/8 fairy blood. Werewolves came to her land to run on the full moon and detected a body along with fairy footprints. Her fairy ancestors are air fairies, while others who are not related are water fairies.

The Girl with No Shadow

May 19, 2010

Roux has reemerged on the scene much to Thierry’s displeasure. Z wants him for some reason so she did a little trick magic to makes sure he stayed around and didn’t go sailing off in a boat. She knows that he is the father of the youngest child although no one else has pieced it together – the child looks like she is two. The other daughter is eleven. Her best friend now is the school hunk, which makes her a target for the mean girls who have once come into the Chololat. The mother has just asked K to move in. Thierry has hired Roux to do work on his flat so the whole family can move in. He wants to marry in seven weeks.

Letters to Juliet

May 18, 2010

Why are all of the best chick flicks filmed in Italy? This movie was wonderful and makes me wonder why it wasn’t released Mother’s Day weekend? Amanda Seyfried is adorable, this role, even more than ‘Mama Mia’ shows that she has staying power as an actress. She will be missed on ‘Big Love’ but unlike her co-star in ‘Mean Girls’, she just keeps going up and up. Yes, the story is predictable, but it is a formula this if done right works very well. Although I didn’t find the love interest to be so manly, I think he came off better in the end. I didn’t think her fiancé was that much of a dick either – I mean if you going to Italy with a foodie they are going to want to do foodie inspired things, especially if they are on the verge of opening a restaurant. Portfolio The scenery was beautiful. Vanessa Redgrave, who has had a very tough time within this last year, was great as the older lady looking for her long lost love. Lorezo’s son was hot – I would have so done him. I think one of the best things about this movie was that it wasn’t dumbed down like so many so-called chick flicks are.

The Girl with No Shadow

May 18, 2010

I still don’t know all that is going on, but the book is more intriguing than I thought it would be. I don’t think Z is going to end up a good person. The mother is probably going to have to do something about her. Right now the chocolate shop is humming along. She is engaged to that boring guy who spends a lot of time in London. I like the story about her daughter, “Fuck you, I’m fabulous.” That is so going to be my mantra. The café across the way closed and the owner is pissed. The fiancé doesn’t trust Z.

Iron Man 2

I wouldn’t say it was as fun as the first movie, but it was fun. Robert Downey Jr. knows how to play to the audience. Lots of familiar faces. I loved how the guy from ‘Mad Men’ played his father in the old videos. S.H.I.E.D. had a part in the movie. People need to stay until the end because like the last film there is a scene after the credits. Jackson with an eye patch always makes scenes fun. Scarlette Johanson was one of the good guys, I just expected her to be one of the bad guys. What’s his face was a decent villain, I liked the streaks in his hair. The race scenes were pretty impressive. As the cars are being sliced apart I was watching the crowd scenes thinking that people would probably scatter. I’m sure that there are flaws in the film that I wasn’t paying attention to. Paltrow was annoying more than she was charming. You sort or root for Stark to get with Scarlet just because she doesn’t seem to be so uptight. Happy was a fun character. Stark in a donut was funny. Scarlet’s kick ass scenes were kick ass. The robot army was pretty scary.

The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris

May 13, 2010

I think the book is brilliantly written, but as of yet, I have no idea where it is going. I figured the mother in the story was the little girl in ‘Chocolat’. She mentions that her mother was a witch (the one who died in New York) and her daughter is probably one too. The con artist realizes that something is up with the bank so she leaves the money that she has swindled. She is working as a waitress. The mother has a semi-love interest whom she might marry for the sake of the children. Great story within the first 25 pages about shadows.

The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris

May 12, 2010

It is the sequel to ‘Chocolat’. Thus far it has three narrators. The little girl in the original is a grown con artist, but like the character in ‘The Likeness’. She is living in Paris and is at the point of transforming herself into someone new when she runs into a ‘Chocolat’ where there has been a recent death. A little girl is standing outside who intrigues her and uses the name of which whatever her current identity is grew up with. Her mother is narrating the tale from the time when she was a child. The little girl is also a narrator.

http://jezebel.com/5537474/beauty-elegance-loveliness-the-last-ziegfeld-girl-dies

Please Stop Laughing at Me

May 12, 2010

After I finished reading the book, it did make me think. It was quite a journey, especially the bit about Tyler, whom she had a crush on, who wrote in her book that she was a bitch and everyone hated her. Some of the abuse was shocking to the senses. At her twenty year reunion she seemed to have come out on top, but there was some hidden feelings. She know is on the lecture circuit talking about bullying. Cindy had some interesting observations about how I couldn’t really tell her why she was such a target, but there had to be something there. Plus, we are only reading her side of the story.

Please Stop Laughing at Me

May 11, 2010

Things are starting to pick up. She went to Greece for two weeks and found friends on the island they stayed at, one particular was an older man who kept in touch. Her deformed breasts were found out by the school after someone stole her bra, but she has had reconstructive surgery and although there are scars they are finally the same size. She has bounded with one of the tougher looking girls at school who invited her to a party where she met some guys, one of which dealt dope, but surprise she didn’t tell. She is on the edge of coming into her own.

Please Stop Laughing at Me

May 10, 2010

The book isn’t any less depressing, but I have to admit that it is starting to make me think. She is now in high school and having the same issues. I swear, she better have been keeping a journal because if she remembers all of these slights from memory than she really is a hopeless case. There were quite a few cruel things said to her that I can’t believe no one got lawyers involved. That is the positive side of a sue happy culture is that institutions start paying attention to things like that. She is now off on a Greek isle so I don’t feel too sorry for her.

Death at a Funeral

May 9, 2010

It was better than the disaster that I was afraid it might be. Tracie Morgan should not be in movies. He is the least funny comedian working – just saying. The previews gave away most of the plot although the movie was able to muddle through with some laughs. One scene with the feces could have been edited out. Listen Hollywood, I done with the poo humor you can just wrap it up and declare it finished. I’m surprised ____ would have submitted to the scene. The scenes with ____ who was unintentionally tripping were funny. The gay dwarf lover was funnier than it should have been. The story had a lot of flaws, and it seemed as if the comedic timing was off for a lot of the actors. The girl from ‘Avatar’ was lovely. Is Christ Rock becoming the new Bill Cosby? That should be the title of the review. What is happening to Luke Wilson? I think this is the type of movie that is funnier when you are watching it then it becomes when you reflect back on it. It made the drug thing seem a little too light hearted. The whole writing thing didn’t go anywhere. The funeral took place in the home which seemed odd in retrospect.

Please Stop Laughing at Me

May 9, 2010

Maybe it is the bully in me that responded so harshly to Blanco’s writing, I’m getting her vibe more and starting to understand the complexities of bully culture. I believe it is part of human nature and when one person challenges the behavior of another despite their reason to do so. I think it takes a lot of training and maturity to overcome that feeling, and even than the circumstances aren’t guaranteed. Of course it starts in middle school and perhaps it would be better just to keep students in a one classroom situation. Blanco also has deformed breasts. Her writing style seems very Debbie Downer.

Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco

May 8, 2010

I will if you stop whining. I read the first 40 pages yesterday and I tell you her whining was giving me a headache. I think the book is starting to have some juice to it, but she doesn’t seem too quick on the uptake. I empathize and sympathize, but at some point you just have to let that stuff go and turn it from a negative to a positive and make the world a better place. I think that schools have learned something about bullying since Blanco’s days, but no matter what walk of life, you will always experience some harsh treatment.

Burned

May 7, 2010

Stark was able to rescue Zoey and Kalona is back in physical form but something is wrong with him. The book ended with Stevie Rae and Raphine wondering about the future. He knows his father is back and that something is wrong with him. Stevie Rae hasn’t confronted the folks back at the House of Night about being with a raven mocker. Zoey was able to piece herself together. I think it harms the franchise of the book to have some many pop culture allusions because the shelf life of such allusions last about six weeks. If the series is to continue then it would behoove the Cast women to cut out such references because they are going to be what dates these books.

Burned

May 6, 2010

Aphrodite discovered that the key to bringing Zoey back was to have Heath go on to the next spiritual plane. She awoke Stark to inform him of such. If she were to remain with Heath then the world would go to pot. She is also discovering that she isn’t as bad as she thought she was and that everyone has a dark side that they need the talents of it, but they also need to control it. The Cast women use the fucking word a lot, I’m not a prude, but considering the age range that this book is intended for, I think they could tone it down some.

Burned

May 5, 2010

Stevie Rae is with her Raven Mocker for keeps. She and a bunch of the good red fledglings went down to the tunnels and smoked the bad red vamps out. A few of the bad red vamps were killed. She sent the rest of her team back to the House of Night but Dallas was with her and they started to get their freak on but then Raphine interrupted them and Dallas turned evil. I wish the Cast women would stop with the characters bickering as if they were all on some school trip. It takes away from what they do best in their storytelling.

Burned

May 4, 2010

Stark has figured out how to get to the Isle of Woman/Isle of Skye – he is joined by Aphrodite and Damian. Stevie Rae has made a promise to the dark bull in response to him saving Raphrine. Dragon the Martial Arts teacher is set on killing the Raven Mocker. The other Red Fledglings have been causing problems. Stark is related to the warrior who projects the vampire on the Isle of Woman who used to train warriors. The warrior is also a shaman which is something that Stark has to become if he is to help Zoey. Grandmother is still hanging around with the nuns. Britney Spheres and Paris Hilton references are getting to be too much. They even had a Star Trek reference.

Burned

May 3, 2010

Stevie Rae was able to call up evil which takes the form of a white bull who then preceded to attack her until Raprian came and took her place. She was then able to muster enough strength that she called upon the earth and was able to rise forth goodness which is in the form of a black bull. I think the Cast women do an excellent job with images and scenes like I just described, but they are pushing the pop culture envelope past the point of good literature. Seriously, references like the second season of ‘True Blood’ might be relevant now, but in four years no one is going to know what the yell they are writing about.

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	I'm going to follow your lead with ( “Fuck you, I’m fabulous.” That is so going to be my mantra) as my new mantra! Love it. Tracy Wallace Feb 1, 2012, 4:33pm EST

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The Perils of Stephanie Plum ~ Book Review of ‘High Five’ by Janet Evanovich by La Lady Lisa Westerfield

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