Denial
by Keith Ablow

Copyright: 1997
Pages: 358
Rating:4/5
Read: Nov. 24-28, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; Random Reading Challenge; RYOB 2009
Yearly Count: 62

First Line: I shot up, sweat dripping down my face.

Frank Clevenger is a forensic psychiatrist with more than a few problems. Problems with drugs, intimacy, childhood abuse, and professional mistakes have made him who he is today. And that is exactly what makes him so good at his job. But this latest case is one that he needs in order to get back into the good graces of his employers. A young woman is found brutally murdered and mutilated. But when Frank goes to the morgue he is shocked to find that he knows the woman lying on the table. She is a good friend of his girlfriend. The main suspect is a schizophrenic homeless man. But Frank isn’t convinced that he committed the murder. When more evidence and more bodies begin to stack up, it is Frank who must race agains the clock to find the murderer to end the killings. But what he finds will terrify him.

This is the first in a series. (Like I need any more of those!) Either way, this is not a book for everyone. This book has all the elements of what I like to call “sick sh*t”. I’m not offended or turned off easily, but some people may be. If that is the case for you, then do not read this book. However, I felt like it was an interesting read. I always like to read fiction novels with psychological elements in them. This one definitely has that. There were certain times when I did want to just knock Frank upside the head and knock some sense into him. But I think the ending sure did sober him up. I personally liked how Mr. Ablow created a character who was addicted to cocaine rather than the standard alcohol (how many books have main characters with alcohol problems these days?) I felt like it gave the book a different angle. I think he eventually found himself in this book in a very unconventional way. Now how this series continues will be very interesting in my opinion. So I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next one.

GENRE: Romance / Paranormal
PUBLISHED: 2009

SERIES: “Relics of Merlin” series, #3

WHY THIS NOVEL: I noticed it for the cover, then the blurb suggested it was an older woman/younger man romance + it seemed Gothic.

Grimspell castle. With its dark, imposing stone walls, it certainly looked haunted. As a ghost-hunter, Lady Philomena was accustomed to restless spirits. But she found the dark, imposing nature of the castle’s owner far more haunting than any specter. London Society might not approve of shape-shifters such as Sir Nicodemus Wulfson, but firmly-on-the-shelf Philomena rather enjoyed the young baronet’s sudden interest in sniffing around her skirts. She’d even consider giving in to him altogether if not for a murderer on the loose–a beast that might just be Nico himself.

I only noticed after I’d ordered Enchanting the Beast that it’s actually part of a series and book #3 at that. But as far as I can tell, it didn’t matter that I missed the first two novels in this series, at least when judged by my enjoyment of this novel: I liked Enchanting the Beast and Kennedy’s voice. So much that I’m going to buy the other novels in this series and will look if Kennedy published more novels.

Enchanting the Beast does indeed feature an older woman/younger man romance: Philomena is 40, Nicodemus is 27. It’s also set in a Victorian England were magic still exists. Philomena is a ghost hunter and Nicodemus is a shape-shifter. (I just love the characters’ names.)

Shape-shifters are immune to magic and Nicodemus, Nico for short, is skeptical about Philomena’s (Phil) ability to communicate with ghosts. But nevertheless, he hires her to help his brother, Royden, who sees and is haunted by ghosts. Royden visibly suffers and his health deteriorates more and more. Something must be done.

What Nico isn’t skeptical about is his attraction to Philomena. He knows he wants her and even Philomena’s repeated rebuffs (the age difference) don’t deter him. Their romance was a delight to read, especially because Nico honors Philomena’s wishes to stay a gentleman even though his attraction to her grows and grows. I thought that refreshing because, after all, he’s a shape-shifter and in paranormal romances this usually means the beast takes over when it’s attracted to a woman. And even though Nico is as sensitive as a block of wood re ghosts (= he can’t see/feel them), after he believes in Philomena’s ability, he’s there to support her. He’s actually so attuned to Philomena, he knows when a ghost is around.

I liked Philomena. She was reasonable and logical, and she does indeed see and can communicate with ghosts. But because she can’t command them to appear or talk to her, she doesn’t mind faking it when necessary:

It appeared the late Lord Stanhope had chosen not to linger in the physical world.
Which didn’t make one whit of difference to Phil. Lady Stanhope had paid her for some peace of mind, and she would give it to her regardless. (2)

The ghost were sufficiently Gothic and although I had an idea about how the mystery would resolve, the denouement came with a twist to it. There were only two things that I thought needed more explanation:

1) Why did Nico’s brother remain at the castle even after Philomena arrived? She knows that ghosts (usually) are bound to a place and Royden became very ill because of their haunting. Wouldn’t she have thought of sending him away (sooner)?
2) [Spoiler] [highlight to read] Why did the ghosts scare Royden when they actually wanted his help? Was he that easily scared? [/Spoiler]

But these were small niggles and overall, I enjoyed reading Enchanting the Beast a lot.

Verdict: I liked it. (4/5)

#45 Rapper Mugshot – Andre 3000

Seems like 3 Stacks was arrested earlier this year for driving 109 in a 65 zone in his Porsche near Atlanta. Andre Benjamin’s excuse was that he had “missed an exit”. I guess the cop wasn’t an Outkast fan.

#44 Rapper Mugshot – Foxy Brown

Remember when Foxy just kept fuckin up over and over and over again? She threw her blackberry at a neighbor. She threw a bottle of hair glue (which is funny in and of itself) at a beauty shop employee. Then she felt the need to hit a cop later that same day.

Apparently, it all caught up to her and she ended up doing a bid.

Haven’t heard a peep out of her since, apart from the occasional tittie slip during a performance. But she doesn’t really get that many paid shows anymore, so even that should die out soon.

#43 Rapper Mugshot – Akon

Hey, his company is called Konvict Music, so it should be no surprise that “things happen” every so often.

Peep how the suit kinda goes with the wall.

#42 Rapper Mugshot – Jay-Z

Remember when Un got stabbed in 1999 and Jay-Z was mixed up in it? Here’s the mugshot from that exciting night.

Sean Carter was charged with Felony Assault, but 2 years later he plead guilty to a reduced misdemeanor and did 3 years probation.

#41 Rapper Mugshot – T-Pain

This one is pretty good. T-Pain was arrested DURING his concert when he made “obscene gestures” to the police.

I would love to know what the “obscene gesture” was exactly. If anybody knows, make a comment below.

#40 Rapper Mugshot – Puffy

We all know that Puff fucks up every so often. This mugshot was taken during the unfortunate Shyne / J-Lo shooting incident. Since that time he allegedly punched some guy in a club and some other random nonsense.

#39 Rapper Mugshot – AlfaMega

2009 was definitely NOT Mega’s year. First he breaks both of his legs trying to run from the cops, and then a snitching rumor surfaces which causes his boss TI to fire him.

#38 Rapper Mugshot – Eminem

Unlike the rappers of today, Eminem got off pretty easy for a couple of gun charges back in 2000.

First he ran up on some guy who he saw kissing his ex-wife. And a couple months later he pulled out the heat during an argument with the Insane Clown Posse.

He got probation from both, and then hired someone to carry the pistol for him.

#37 Rapper Mugshot – Nate Dogg

Ahhh.. the good ol’ days when a good lawyer could turn that pesky pistol and weed charge into probation.

In April of 2002 Nathaniel Hale (aka Nate D-O-Double G) was arrested by Arizona police for gun possession and marijuana charges.

A month later, his lawyer got him a plea that included probation, drug counseling and probation.

And unlike Gucci Mane, he actually did all of his community service hours and stayed out of jail.

#36 Rapper Mugshots – NORE

The superthug himself got popped in a Miami Fatburger for assault, ripping up some flowers, and throwing a yellow liquid at some guy.

Nore seems to have a thing for fucking up flowers. Remember when he “allegedly” threw the flower pot at Nas?

#35 Rapper Mugshot – Da Brat

Did you ever wonder what would happen to you if you smashed a waitress in the face with a bottle of Rum?

Just ask Shawntae Harris aka Da Brat – she got 3 years in prison for that. Assuming she doesn’t shank anybody in prison, she should be getting out in 2011.

#34 Rapper Mugshot – The Game

Back in 2007, Jayceon Taylor aka The Game pulled out a pistol on a guy during a basketball game. To make matters worse, it was in a school zone.

Luckily, he only had to serve 60 days.

#33 Rapper Mugshot – Young Buck

What happens when you stab someone on national television and have a prior record?

Let me rephrase that.

What happens when you stab someone on national television and have a prior record and 50 Cent pays your legal bills?

Probation.

#32 Rapper Mugshot – TI

We all know this story. TI’s bodyguard got caught buying illegal guns and ends up pointing the finger at TI who just so happened to have enough weapons in his house to take over a small country.

TI ended up getting a year for that charge. Some people said he was cooperating with the police for a repear felon to get that small of sentence. He denied it.

Before his arrest, Tip did a Crime Stoppers PSA, offering a reward for anyone who reports a ‘tip’ to the police.

#31 Rapper Mugshot – 50 Cent

Check out the 19 year old mugshot of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson.

Taken in August of 1994, 50 was arrested for selling heroin and crack.

#30 Rapper Mugshot – Plies

In 2006, Plies’ entourage opened fire into a sold out show of over 1,000 Florida concert goers.

5 People were shot and Plies and his crew were arrested.

Oh yeah, and Plies’ hairline has been the subject of some entertaining youtube videos.

#29 Rapper Mugshot – Rakim

In 2004, undercover officers hemmed up Rakim on his to perform at a show at NY’s Roseland Ballroom.

It was later found out that he had a paternity warrant.

#28 Rapper Mugshot – Khia

Hot mess Khia has been arrested over 20 times for various bullshit. This is one of her many mugshots.

#27 Rapper Mugshot – Vanilla Ice

After selling more albums than any hip-hop artist in the history of the world and then falling off harder than any hip-hop artist in the history of the world, Robert Van Winkle ended up taking his aggressions out on his wife and got arrested for domestic battery.

#26 Rapper Mugshot – Lil Wayne

When Dwayne “Lil Wayne” Carter said he was “always strapped”, he wasn’t joking. In October of 2009, Wayne plead guilty to possession of a firearm and received 1 year in prison.

He still has a pending 2008 charge in Arizona for drug possession. This is the mugshot from that arrest.

#25 Rapper Mugshot – Young Jeezy

In 2006, Jeezy (Jay Jenkins) and his crew were allegedly involved in a shootout in Miami. When police pulled them over, they found a Semi under his seat and another pistol near his armrest.

Not sure what happened with this case, but apparently Jeezy didn’t do any time for it.

#24 Rapper Mugshot – Snoop Dogg

In November of 2006, Calvin Broudus aka Snoop Doggy Dogg aka Snoop Scorsese was arrested at Orange County’s John Wayne airport when they found a collapsible baton in his luggage.

Can you imagine Snoop beating someone with a baton?

I would pay to see that.

#23 Rapper Mugshot – 2Pac

In March 1995, Tupac Shakur was arrested in NY for felony sexual abuse of a female fan.

He got sentenced to 1-1/2 to 4-1/2 years for the incident.

#22 Rapper Mugshot – C-Murder

Corey “C-Murder” Miller, is currently serving life in prison for 2nd degree murder.

Brother of Hip-Hop mogul Master P, C-Murder was arrested in 2002 for killing a 16 year old fan.

He was already convicted of the murder in 2003, but his case was later overturned, and he was retried.

He has a separate attempted murder charge in 2001, for which he received 10 years.

#21 Rapper Mugshot – Mysonne

The future was looking bright for Mysonne in 1999. He had a album stealing verse on the Violator compilation. NY was buzzing over this new Bronx rapper.

But then he was convicted of 2 armed robberies (which he still maintains he never did), and was sentenced to 7-to-14 years at the Orleans Correctional Facility in Albion, NY.

H was released in 2006 after serving 7 long years. His single ‘Hmmm’ is currently signed to SRC records.

#20 Rapper Mugshot – Ja Rule

Not exactly sure where this old ass mugshot came from, but in 2007 he was arrested alongside Lil Wayne for gun possession.

Wayne ended up getting 1 year for the incident.

Ja apparently walked.

#19 Rapper Mugshot – Cassidy

In 2005 Cassidy was arrested and charged with first degree murder.

After serving 8 months, Cassidy was set free.

He released the following statement:

“While I am pleased that I was cleared of the murder charges, my satisfaction is not long lasting, because of the death of someone who I considered to be my friend, Des Hawkins. And while I am eager to resume my career as a recording artist, writer and performer, I am also eager to be reunited with my family, friends and fans.”

#18 Rapper Mugshot – Lil Kim

In 1996 Kim was arrested for marijuana possession – which is when this mugshot got taken.

In 2005, Lil’ Kim was sentenced to a year and a day in prison and fined $50,000 for perjury. She was trying to protect her friends who got into a shootout with Foxy Brown’s crew outside of Hot 97.

Considering that the prosecutors were looking for 3 years, she got off easy.

#17 Rapper Mugshot – Chi Ali

Remember when Ludacris rapped “I’m young wild and strapped like Chi Ali” in the song “Stand Up”?

In 1999, Chi Ali was a rising rap star. He was part of the legendary Native Tongue family alongside Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. He was getting little roles in movies like Strapped.

But then everything went downhill.

He was convicted of murdering the brother of his ex-girlfriend over $300 and a some CD’s. Consequently, he recieved 14 years in prison which he’s currently serving out.

#16 Rapper Mugshot – Ol’ Dirty Bastard

In 2001 Russell Jones aka ODB pleaded guilty in April to drug charges and was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in prison.

In July 1999 police found cocaine and marijuana in Dirty Dog’s car after was pulled over for running a red light.

#15 Rapper Mugshot – Shyne

In 1999, Shyne was convicted of assault, reckless endangerment and gun possession for the December 27, 1999 club shooting that involved Puffy and Jennifer Lopez.

Shyne kept his mouth shut and ended up doing 10 years.

When he was set to be released this year, authorities realized that he wasn’t techinically a US citizen and deported him to Belize.

#14 Rapper Mugshot – Bushwick Bill

In 2004, neighbors in an Alabama Holiday Inn called the police to complain about marijuana smell coming from somebody’s room.

When the police stormed in, they found midget rapper Bushwick Bill with a bag of weed and a loaded 12 gauge shotgun.

Then in 2008, Bill was sentenced to three days in jail for “Chris Brown’ing” a woman in Texas who already had a restraining order against him.

This mugshot came from that incident.

#13 Rapper Mugshot – Bubba Sparxx

Most people go to Hooters to look at titties and occasionally eat some wings.

Not Bubba.

In 2009 he was observed by police taking drugs from a man in the restaurant. After being searched, they found anxiety drug Tranxene. Unfortunately he didn’t have a prescription.

#12 Rapper Mugshot – Birdman

In 2007, Baby’s Tour Bus got pulled over for an illegal lane change. When cops searched the bus, they found over half an ounce of the high-grade chronic, which got all 16 members of the bus arrested.

#11 Rapper Mugshot – Lil Scrappy

In July of 2008, Lil Scrappy was arrested for stabbing his sister’s boyfriend.

When his car was searched, they found the chronic.

Seems like he pleaded out to probation, because we heard no word of Scrappy going to jail.

#10 Rapper Mugshot – Fabolous

Not sure where this old-ass Fab mugshot came from, but in 2006 he was shot and arrested in connection to a gun charge.

The charges were dropped in June 2007.

#9 Rapper Mugshot – Pitbull

In 2007 Pitbull was arrested in Miami for drunk driving.

Before pleading not-guilty, he got to take this great mugshot with his left eyebrow raised ever-so-slightly.

#8 Rapper Mugshot – Soulja Boy

In 2009, Soulja Boy was allegedly shooting a video in an vacant Atlanta house. When the cops showed up, everyone ran.

But a couple of hours later, Mr. Yuuuule tried to come back to the scene to pick up his Range Rover, which is when he got nabbed by the cops.

#7 Rapper Mugshot – Juvenile

In 2008, former Cash Money Millionaire Juvenile was arrested in Mississippi when police pulled him over and found weed in his car.

#6 Rapper Mugshot – Max B

In September of 2009, Charly “Max B” Wingate was sentenced to 75 years in prison for masterminding a 2005 NJ robbery that left one man dead.

Max’s stepbrother received life term + 35 years for his part in the murder.

#5 Rapper Mugshot – Steady B

In the 80’s, Philly rapper Steady B was the man.

But by 1996, as the spotlight began to dim, Steady came up with the great idea of robbing a bank. During the botched robbery, a female police officer was killed.

Shortly after, Steady was picked up, found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison.

#4 Rapper Mugshot – Pimp C

Although the details of this is sketchy, Pimp C had some sort of altercation where he pulled a pistol out on a female fan in a mall.

He luckily got away with probation.

But in 2002, he was sentenced to 8 years for violating his probation.

After being released in 2005 and having a great run in the music field (even being nominated for a Grammy), he died in 2007 from a syrup overdose.

#3 Rapper Mugshot – DJ Unk

In May 2009, Atlanta rapper DJ Unk was arrested.

Rumor has it, it was for an assault charge.

I guess the charges were dropped.

#2 Rapper Mugshot – Shawn Jay from Field Mob

In October of 2009, Field Mob rapper Shawn Jay was arrested for cocaine and marijuana possession.

Not sure how this case worked out, but having no hit records and a cocaine problem is not a good plan.

#1 Rapper Mugshot – DMX

Ahh.. DMX aka Darkman X aka Earl Simmons. Definitely no stranger to the jail cell.

Here’s a list of some of the stuff that he’s been arrested for:

July 19, 2008
Phoenix, Arizona
Medical identity theft

July 2, 2008
Arizona
Outstanding warrants

June 23, 2008
Miami, Florida
Invalid driver’s license

May 9, 2008
Phoenix, Arizona
Drug and animal-cruelty

May 7, 2008
Arizona
Speeding

June 25, 2004
JFK Airport, New York
Attempted robbery, criminal impersonation and criminal mischief

215. A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer

Publication: Starscape (October 13, 2002), Paperback, 480pp / ISBN 0765342456

Genre: Historical Fantasy (I think?)

Rating:

Read: October 2009

Source: BookMooch

Summary from Amazon:

Teenager Faris Nallaneen is the heir to the small northern dukedom of Galazon. Too young still to claim her title, her despotic Uncle Brinker has ruled in her place. Now he demands she be sent to Greenlaw College. For her benefit he insists. To keep me out of the way, more like it!

But Greenlaw is not just any school-as Faris and her new best friend Jane discover. At Greenlaw students major in . . . magic.

But it’s not all fun and games. When Faris makes an enemy of classmate Menary of Aravill, life could get downright . . . deadly.

Review

I’ve never read a Caroline Stevermer book before, but I’ve heard good things. I actually remember trying to read this book when I was 12 and I hated it, so I was a little wary of reading it now, about 10 years later. But! After I got past the bumpy beginning, I actually liked it a lot.

I found the beginning bumpy mostly because I had to adjust to the writing style. It’s somewhat old fashioned, and it’s somewhat…unwieldy? All I know is that it took me a while to get into it, but once I did I rather liked the way the words flowed and how the language sounded. (I suppose I’ve just spent so much time reading modern-sounding books that the difference threw me off for a while.)

Anyway, the plot was somewhat disjointed. I really liked the part where Faris actuall goes to Greenlaw, because it reminds me a lot of those movies set in the 1950s boys schools, like Dead Poets Society or something, and those sorts of things always fascinate me. And I really liked how Faris and her friends did more than just sit around and bake cookies (or whatever)– they went on adventures and tried not to get killed by school work, etc.

However, despite my fondness for boarding schools and stories set in them, I do think the second half of the book was much stronger than the first part. I don’t understand the point of having a school of magic where a) you don’t actually do any magic, b) the sorts of magic you can do there can only be done at Greenlaw and nowhere outside of it, and c) doing magic is outlawed. I suppose I can see what they were getting at regarding magic and responsibility…kinda. But it makes for a very dissatisfying fantasy book and I’m not even sure what the point was when Faris can do magic outside of Greenlaw and doesn’t get in trouble for it. What’s the point of all that Greenlaw-specific magic stuff when it doesn’t even apply for the rest of the book? Am I missing something?

Anyway, because of that whole thing I enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the first. It’s exciting, and things actually happen. I liked the political intrigue, and the romance, and the travelling, and the interesting psychedelic sort of thing that happened near the end. Menary was a good villain, though he was obviously insane and I felt a little bad for her.

Faris is an interesting character. I didn’t really like her at the beginning of the book because she was so brash and cynical and bitter. But she gets better, more passionate, and though she’s still a little bit bitter I think she has the potential to change even more in the future. I’m not entirely sure if I ended up liking her or not, but I do appreciate her sort of person (because they’re so different from myself!).

Anyway, the second part still seems like a different sort of book than the first part. It’s got a different sort of feel to it. The rhythm is a little bit different, and that threw me off. Maybe because Faris herself is changing, and so the book changes with her? Or…I don’t know. I think I am missing something, so if someone could explain it to me I’d be very grateful.

I feel a bit like I did after reading Hexwood. A little confused, but what I understood I really enjoyed. It’s got a sequel (right?) which I really want to read because I want to find out what happens with Faris and her love interest!

And

Find your own copy @ Amazon or IndieBound

Other reviews: Fyrefly’s Book Blog

Have you reviewed this book? Leave me the link to your post and I’ll add it into my post!

Едно хлапе в гетото. Неореализмът е жив, явно – нискобюджетен филм, сниман в полу-документален стил, с непрофесионални актьори. Това не работи в много случаи, но Chop Shop компенсира. Историята е толкова завладяваща, че май е за 5 от 5?

“The Spine” (2009)

IMDb

Cinanima2009

à beira do precipício

É preciso respirar, é preciso reflectir, para sentirmos e finalmente compreendermos que um filme como este forma parte de nós. É que as curtas tão eficientes e poderosas como esta são necessariamente murros duríssimos no estômago. E este realmente é um filme poderoso. Por isso neste caso levou-me 10 dias, durante os quais vi muito poucos filmes, para perceber que partes de mim foram afectadas pelo filme. E foram realmente 10 dias desconfortáveis e desafiadores.

Eu não conhecia o realizador, esta foi a minha primeira experiência com ele. Vou querer ver outras coisas que ele faça. Este filme faz algo que eu não tinha visto ser feito desta forma antes. Agora que o vi, parece-me incompreensível como é que ainda não tinha sido tentado. Isto é uma espécie de Philip Dick com Gondry com Jonze, sendo que estes dois últimos partilham o facto de ter trabalhado com Kaufman. Animação, no sentido sensível que Landreth lhe dá, parece um meio incrivelmente interessante de trabalhar estes temas, basicamente viagens entre vasos de inconsciência. Uma instabilidade constante que não nos permite saber onde estamos, que nível de consciência estamos a visitar. Todo filme é uma terra de ninguém, um território por explorar, nas partes obscuras do ser.

Cada emoção é perfeitamente controlada, a construção é sólida e perfeitamente equilibrada, e gira em torno de pólos de loucura, depressão, amor, frustração. Vida.

O resultado visual é incrível. A câmara está agarrada ao nosso mundo real, mas as imagens, apesar de nascerem desse mesmo mundo, foram visualizadas noutr sítio, no pequeno espaço entre estar acordado, e a dormir profundamente. Vou querer ver este filme outra vez.

A minha opinião: 4/5

Este comentário no IMDb

236. The Lost City of Z by David Grann

Publication: Doubleday (February 24, 2009), Hardback, 352pp / ISBN 0385513534

Genre: Non-Fiction, Adventure

Rating:

Challenges: 2009 Pub Challenge (#9)

Read: November 22-24, 2009

Source: Library

Summary from Amazon:

After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve “the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century:” What happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z?

In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. For centuries Europeans believed the world’s largest jungle concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humankind. But Fawcett, whose daring expeditions helped inspire Conan Doyle’s The Lost World, had spent years building his scientific case. Captivating the imagination of millions around the globe, Fawcett embarked with his twenty-one-year-old son, determined to prove that this ancient civilization–which he dubbed “Z”–existed. Then he and his expedition vanished.

Fawcett’s fate–and the tantalizing clues he left behind about “Z”–became an obsession for hundreds who followed him into the uncharted wilderness. For decades scientists and adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett’s party and the lost City of Z. Countless have perished, been captured by tribes, or gone mad. As David Grann delved ever deeper into the mystery surrounding Fawcett’s quest, and the greater mystery of what lies within the Amazon, he found himself, like the generations who preceded him, being irresistibly drawn into the jungle’s “green hell.” His quest for the truth and his stunning discoveries about Fawcett’s fate and “Z” form the heart of this complex, enthralling narrative.

Review

I immediately noticed that it was one of those books that tended to the more sensationalist side of things. That’s entertaining, but also off-putting because I’m not sure I can trust the information. It was interfering with my enjoyment of the book to keep thinking of it like it was actively tricking me into believing something false, so I tried to put it out of my mind. I tried to think of it more like a fictional book than a non-fictional one (or maybe like a fictional book with non-fictional leanings), and that worked pretty well. It let me be less hostile towards The Lost City of Z, and I actually ended up enjoying it a lot.

Stories of adventurers and explorers always excite me, and this one is particularly exciting. I don’t want to ever wander around the Amazon jungles myself– the bugs and deadly plants and killer animals are just too overwhelming– but I do enjoy reading about other people doing it. With ice and desert landscapes you get the psychological aspects of having to survive in a bald landscape under horrific temperatures, but the jungle is quite psychologically damaging as well. The Lost City of Z mentions quite a few times when the constant attack of gnats, flies, ticks, maggots, ants, termites and other bugs caused explorers to basically go mad, and I can understand why. I hate just even thinking of bugs crawling over me; no way I could survive them actually doing so!

The Lost City of Z is exciting but also pretty gory. A few times I had to put it down because I was so disgusted with details of explorers’ ailments (rotting flesh, maggots living under the skin) I couldn’t even drink coffee without wanting to throw up. Much better were the parts when explorers heroically discovered something that made all their trials worthwhile. I liked too the story of Percy Harrison Fawcett, though he seemed a really brutish fellow, and the people he dragged into his adventures. I felt bad for his kids, who were either neglected and forgotten or one of the people he dragged with him. And I felt bad for his wife, too, who loved her husband but spent much of her time living vicariously through him.

It was really interesting how Mr Grann made a connection between the psyche and the explorer’s need to get out there and discover things. He said something like Fawcett needed to get out of civilization every once in a while otherwise he’d go grim and horrible. I liked the whole idea of the inner-outer connection of exploring: you’re not only trying to discover a mythological, mysterious city but maybe you’re also trying to discover some part of yourself. It’s just very romantic, I guess. Exploration needs a bit of romance, or else it’s just not as fun.

Percy Harrison Fawcett

The author’s own story of his Amazonian adventure was definitely a side story, but it was still good to read. It was nice to see a regular person go mad about something and plunge into a dangerous area in search of it, though Mr Grann doesn’t really talk about any of the dangers he faced (if he did face any dangers). He just seems to always talk about potential dangers, close calls or “they said this might happen but it didn’t” kinds of things. Does that make is story less valid? No way! But it does highlight the differences between explorers of Mr Fawcett’s time and the explorers we have today. Some of our explorers may face dangers from native peoples, but bugs and malaria and other diseases are mostly controllable. So too is the world controllable: we’re not looking to fill in parts of a map anymore, and the only ancient cities we’re trying to find are the material. Our world has shrunk and maybe our dreams have, too.

Kinda depresses me.

Anyway, do I believe that Mr Grann ended up finding the city of Z that Fawcett had been looking for? Dunno. I thought it was truly fascinating that someone had found evidence for a large city in the Amazon, and I’m definitely going to try more info on that. I’m also going to get my hands on a copy of Exploration Fawcett somehow, because it looks possibly even better than The Lost City of Z (maybe my library has it?). But mostly I think Fawcett was looking for a paradise where he could live in peace, separate from the rest of society, and that’s a pretty impossible thing to do in any time period. Maybe in the Amazon you could do it– but only until the bugs got you.

Definitely recommend reading this if you love travel/adventure/exploration stories. Just take it with a grain of salt.

And

Find your own copy @ Amazon or IndieBound

Other reviews: Fyrefly’s Book Blog | The Book Catapult | The Swallow’s Nest | Shelf Love | Find Your Next Book Here |

- Read an excerpt of the book.
- An interview with the author (and Fyrefly)
- Lost City of Z movie being made for 2010, starring Brad Pitt. I’m excited!

Преведен като – ъм – “Секс до дупка”? Аз съм фен по 2 причини: брилянтен диалог, и безскрупулно реализиране на идеята. Която е, буквално, мечта на всеки мъж над 30-те – да си супер кул мачо герой, да не ти пука от нищо и от никой, да имаш фенска работа (писател, при това известен), страхотни жени да ти се лепят на килограми. Но разбира се, това не е безмислено-празен разгулен живот!  Има я любовта на живота, има го и детето – т.е. смисъл и надежда за спасение има на хоризонта… Общо взето сценария е “хем вълка сит, хем агнето цяло”, ама нейсе.

Дейвид Духовни много си пасна с тази роля, и поддържащите актьори са страхотни.

Това което искам да знам е, жени, гледате ли го този сериал, или е стриктно адресиран до мъжката аудитория?

Най-сетне стигнах и до този Хареса ми, предполагам всеки го е гледал вече, и всеки го е коментирал, тъй че ще прескоча.

Акира Куросава прави много добър полицейски трилър. Япония, петдесетте, малко момче е отвлечено срещу откуп. Много неща се случват в този филм – полицейската работа, преследването на похитителя, изборът на главния герой (Тоширо Мифуне, естествено…) Хубаво е да се види филм на 50 години, който все още е завладяващ.

1988, Южна Африка. Апартейд-а е към своя край, режимът на Бота е в остър конфликт с АНК. Могат ли двете страни да намерят общ език, въпреки предрасъдъците и омразата, и какви хора могат да го осъществят? Филмът е отличен, актьорите са страхотни – най-добрият политически трилър тази година?

GENRE: Romance / Fantasy
PUBLISHED: Love Spell

WHY THIS NOVEL: I thought the premise interesting + I like to read about characters who are writers.

It was time. After penning ten popular sword-and-sorcery novels, Brandon Alexander Davis was ready to move on. Ready to stop hiding in his fictional world. Ready to start living a real life. There was just one problem: as he plotted the noble death of Serilda D’Lar, his fictional creation appeared in his study, complete with sword, skimpy leather outfit, indomitable will–and a quest. Was she nothing more than a crazy fan, or had Brandon finally cracked? This warrior woman whom he knew so well, so strong yet vulnerable, was both fantasy and reality. She was an invitation to rediscover all he once knew–that life is an incredible, magical journey and, for love, any man can be a hero.

I might have noticed this novel for its premise but I also admit that I thought “I hope it works.” I mean, a fictional character becoming real? The make-believe could be wobbly, especially because I was afraid it might be told “too funny” which doesn’t always work for me.

I needn’t have worried. First, I liked Elysa Hendricks voice. The writing is very smooth and flows easily. Second, Serilda, the fictional character becoming real, tells her story in her own voice. Her parts are written in first person (the first part is also titled “Serilda”). It works well for the story and I liked Seri’s voice (the name Brandon uses for her in his reality) a lot.

Seri catches on to what has happened quickly. She knows she’s in a different world and thinks Brandon a wizard who conjured her into his world. She also realizes that in her world she doesn’t exactly have free will, that she and all her friends and people she knows and meets there are just puppets.

Brandon thinks Seri a lunatic fan. The only thing that gives him pause is that she seems to know things about the world he created in his books only he, the author, could know. Could there be something to her claim to be his fictional character?

“Will you let me help you?” he [Brandon] asked.
The wizard’s offer touched me, and for a moment his disbelief in who I was made me doubt myself. Part of me wanted to cling to my identity, fictional though it might be; another part wanted to give it up, to become a real woman in this man’s strange and alien world. But, no.
I shock my head. It was my bad luck to have been created by a powerful yet inept wizard. “I can’t lie to myself. For you to help me–if that’s what you intend–you have to believe.” (41/42)

If I had one problem with the story, it was that I thought Seri and Brandon knew awfully fast that they were in love. But then, it needed to happen fast because there is a second part, titled “Brandon,” in which Brandon is thrown into Serilda’s world. (This structure reminded me a bit of Jude Deveraux’s A Knight in Shining Armor.) Now Brandon tells his parts in first person and while he knows what happened, Serilda doesn’t have any memories (or so it seems for quite some time). Note also that in her world, she’s mostly referred to as Serilda.

In the last finished version of Brandon’s novel about Serilda, Serilda dies at the end. When Brandon realized that what Seri told him was true, he tried to write a new (yet another) version of the ending but he doesn’t know how far he got before he lost consciousness and woke up in Serilda’s world. In the fictional world, people think Brandon a king and warrior and so he tries all he can to save Serilda, using sword and pen. But it looks like no matter what Brandon tries, the story seems to have its own mind.

I liked Seri/Serilda and Brandon, and especially Seri’s voice, but what compelled me to read on the most was the look at reality and fiction in this story, the metafictional layer of the novel if you want. A fictional character who’s a writer/author adds something special to a story, IMO – the distance to the real author seems to be less. In The Sword and the Pen, the premise of the story – a fictional character becoming real – enhances this because it takes what authors often say about their characters and story – that characters have their own ideas about how a story should go or they talk to the author and so on – and turns it into the story. I enjoyed this a lot.

The novel concludes with a third part, titled “Seri and Brandon.” It provides a very satisfying and fitting ending to the story and also gives a wonderful answer to the question about the power of love.

And I have to admit, at one time I was even a bit teary-eyed.

Verdict: I liked The Sword and the Pen. (4/5)

234. The Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley

Publication: Penguin Classics (August 30, 2005), Paperback, 272pp / ISBN 0143039334

Genre: Action/Adventure, Historical Fiction?

Rating:

Read: November 20, 2009

Source: Library

Summary from Amazon:

Originally titled The Curse of Capistrano in its 1919 debut, this exciting tale achieved immortal fame thanks to Douglas Fairbanks’s 1920 blockbuster film, The Mark of Zorro—a cinematic triumph that inspired Johnston McCulley to retitle his novel and dedicate it to Fairbanks. Set in Mexican California during the 1820s, the story follows the career of Don Diego Vega, by all appearances an effete and foppish aristocrat. But Vega’s timorous reputation is nothing more than a mask to conceal his alter ego: a California Robin Hood known as Zorro, whose swift blade strikes down those who exploit the poor and oppressed. The inspiration for dozens of film and television adaptations, The Mark of Zorro remains a paradigm of swashbuckling adventure.

Review

A coworker of mine is pretty obsessed with Zorro, and after a while she interested me enough to try and read one of the books. I’m familiar with some of the movies, and I like sword-fighting dashing young heroes who always have something witty to say, so I figured it was a pretty safe be that I’d like The Mark of Zorro.

The Mark of Zorro is the first Zorro book, and it was originally published serially. Serialized stories are almost always action-packed, exciting, and rather wordy– think Alexandre Dumas or the Sherlock Holmes stories. Every chapter either ends on a note that moves the story forward and wants to keep you reading. In The Mark of Zorro, the chapters tended to end on a “and then something shocking and/or exciting happened!” note, which meant the book moved like lightning. I was not actually expecting to like that formula, though, so imagine how surprised I was when I found myself eagerly reading chapter after chapter like a pigeon who found a stash of seeds.

It was so exciting! I’m going to use that word a lot, but that’s exactly what The Mark of Zorro is. It’s exciting, and romantic, and it hardly has any of the horrible early pulp fiction problems that I hate.

It was also rather wordy in some places, like I said. That’s because serial novelists got paid by the word (think Dickens), so while some parts are fantastic and energetic, other parts are just too much. I think I skimmed most of them, now that I think back on it. The first page is a real killer in too-much department, but don’t let it fool you– the chapter ends in a really great way.

About Zorro/Don Deigo– was I not supposed to know that they were the same person? There’s a big reveal/explanation at the end of the book, but, like…I already knew all the stuff that’s being explained! Would people reading it for the first time and with no previous knowledge of Zorro not really have figured it out during the course of the book anyway? Hm. No idea.

Anyway, I actually really like Zorro/Diego. Diego I found funny and somewhat campy and he lightened the novel up a lot. Zorro was dashing and exciting and everything I could want in a hero, really.

His love interest, Lolita, was fine for the most part, but whenever the two of them got together there were even more exclamation marks than when they were apart, and it got quite distracting. But I loved how Zorro wooed her, and how Diego kept striking out. I didn’t expect to like their romance so much, actually, since I tend to despair of any strong women existing in a pulp novel. But Lolita is quite strong, and I liked her.

The plot is good, too, with lots of those sword fights I love and lots of vengeance against bad dudes, which I also love. It ends rather abruptly, and in a way that I think meant Mr McCulley wasn’t planning on writing any more Zorro novels. It was a bit surprising, that, especially since the Zorro in the movies is always taking such pains to hide his identity.

Anyway, I really, really liked The Mark of Zorro! I was pleasantly surprised, and I’m glad I read it. I’m definitely going to read some other Zorro books.

And

Find your own copy @ Amazon or IndieBound. Or for free at Archive.org.

Other reviews: Disposable Lit Reviews | Puss Reboots

- Watch The Mark of Zorro 1920 movie with Douglas Fairbanks (IMDB).
- A solution to that bit at the end that I had concerns over: “Due to public demand fueled by the film, McCulley wrote over 60 additional Zorro stories starting in 1922. The last, The Mask of Zorro (not to be confused with the 1998 film), was published posthumously in 1959. These stories ignore Zorro’s public revelation of his identity.” From Wikipedia.
- Here’s a complete list of those stories, by the way.
- A bit of the Zorro anime, with Arabic titles. He reminds me a little of Tuxedo Mask in this, actually.

Grave Secret
by Charlaine Harris

Copyright: 2009
Pages: 306
Rating:4/5
Read: Nov. 17-24, 2009
Challenge:  2009 100+ Reading Challenge; 2010 Countdown Challenge;  2009 Celebrate the Author Challenge
Yearly Count: 61

First Line: “All right,” said the straw-haired woman in the denim jacket. “Do your thing.”

Harper Connelly has traveled to Texas with her stepbrother Tolliver to do a job. They like to travel to Texas, it allows this to see their little sisters. But what they learn while in Texas is worse than they could have ever imagined anything. First they learn that Tolliver’s father is out of prison and is trying to re-establish family connections. After they finish the job that brought them to Texas, Tolliver is shot. But the police think that Tolliver was not the intended target, that Harper was. While Tolliver is recovering in the hospital, Harper is trying to figure out what is going on. She has a feeling that there is a connection between their last job and Tolliver being shot, but she can’t possibly figure out what it is. And the fact that Tolliver’s father is back in the mix only makes matters worse for her. However, what she will ultimately find out will turn her world upside down. Harper finally finds out what happened to her sister so many years ago, but what the truth reveals is something far more disturbing than anyone ever thought possible.

This is the fourth (and, sadly) the last in the Harper Connelly series. Although Ms. Harris left a small opening for another book in this series, she has mentioned in numerous places on her website that she is finished with Harper. And honestly, I can see where it would be hard to go anywhere else with this series. Although a lot of people might have been turned off by the relationship between Harper and Tolliver, I didn’t find it all that problematic. In fact I can see where it can be quite common – however, I would have thought that the attraction would have happened when they were teenagers. However, having Harper and Tolliver together practically 24/7 on the road made it kind of inevitable also. I personally liked Harper’s character. I thought that the gift that Harris thought up for her was quite interesting, and her descriptions of how she did her work were interesting. However, I have a rather large complaint about this book – there was very little action in regards to what Harper does as a living. She came in and did her “thing” within the first chapter and that was that. The rest of the book was mainly about Tolliver recovering and Harper trying to figure out what was going on with the help of Manfred. I rated this book a 4/5 simply because I felt it was a little rushed in places. It was like Ms. Harris was trying her hardest to wrap this series up as quickly as possible. There were also more than a few grammar/spelling errors (which I have noticed is a common thing in Ms. Harris’ books). Overall I thought that this was a pretty decent way to end this series, and that although I am sad to see the end of this series, I am also glad to have a conclusion.

The FMF world tour continues…..the photo above was from my good friend Eilon Paz, who took this shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina. That’s a FMF sticker. The Funk and Soul has no boundaries. We’re worldwide. Many Thanks Eilon!

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 من الحلقه 34 الى الحلقه 45 بدون تحميل

لمشاهده الحلقه قوم بالضغط على رقم الحلقه او على الصوره

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 34و35 اون لاين
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 34 و35 اون لاين

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 36 اون لاين
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 36 اون لاين,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه السادسه والثلاثون 36 , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه السادسه والثلاثون 36 , تحميل الحلقة السادسه والثلاثون 36 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة السادسه والثلاثون 36 كامله.

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 37 اون لاين
Dudaktan Kalbe 37
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 37 اون لاين,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه السابعه والثلاثون 37 , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه السابعه والثلاثون 37 , تحميل الحلقة السابعه والثلاثون 37 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة السابعه والثلاثون 37 كامله.

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 38 اون لاين
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 38 اون لاين,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الثامنه والثلاثون 38, مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الثامنه والثلاثون 38, تحميل الحلقة الثامنه والثلاثون 38 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة الثامنه والثلاثون 38 كامله

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 39 اون لاين
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 39 اون لاين,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه التاسعه والثلاثون 39 , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه التاسعه والثلاثون 39 , تحميل الحلقة التاسعه والثلاثون 39 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة التاسعه والثلاثون 39 كامله

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 40 اون لاين
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 40 اون لاين,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الاربعون 40 , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الاربعون 40 , تحميل الحلقة الاربعون 40 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة الاربعون 40 كامله

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 41و42 اون لاين
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 41و42 اون لاين,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الواحده والاربعون 41 , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الواحده والاربعون 41 , تحميل الحلقة الواحده والاربعون 41 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة الواحده والاربعون 41 كامله,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الثانيه و الاربعون 42 , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الثانيه و الاربعون 42 , تحميل الحلقة الثانيه و الاربعون 42 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة الثانيه و الاربعون 42 كامله

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 43 اون لاين
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 43 اون لاين,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الثالثه والأربعين 43 , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الثالثه والأربعين 43 , تحميل الحلقة الثالثه والأربعين 43 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة الثالثه والأربعين 43 كامله

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 44 اون لاين
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 44 اون لاين,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الرابعه والأربعين 44 , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الرابعه والأربعين 44 , تحميل الحلقة الرابعه والأربعين 44 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة الرابعه والأربعين 44 كامله

مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 45 اون لاين
مسلسل دقات قلب الجزء 2 الحلقه 45 اون لاين,مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الخامسه والأربعين 45 , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقه الخامسه والأربعين 45, تحميل الحلقة الخامسه والأربعين 45 مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني , مسلسل دقات قلب 2 الجزء الثاني الحلقة الخامسه والأربعين 45 كامله

My apologies for the lateness on part three people. I originally wanted it to run Friday, but got a last minute call to DJ at the Ace Hotel in NYC for an after party for Pop Up Flea and Tanner Goods. Better late than never. Shout out to Mark and Sam from Tanner Goods, Connie from 503 Stylus, and to Astrud the staff at the Ace for digging the music of Funk and Soul 45’s all night long. Let’s talk about some music and FMF last night in London.

When my friend Andy asked if I wanted to check out his night wit the legendary Keb Darge at Madame Jo Jo’s my last night in London, I jumped at the chance. I had been a fan of Keb since I discovered his Legendary Deep Funk records on BBE in the 90’s. Let’s just say, had it not been Keb’s putting out these records, there may have not been a Flea Market Funk. Yes, I still would have been a DJ, but it was Keb, Josh Davis, producers like Pete Rock and Premier, and even my friend Andy who pushed me to find these types of records even more here in America. So here we are over ten years later and I’m in London. I had heard about (but never been to) Keb’s Deep Funk Friday nights, but it was Andy a few years ago that told me about Lost and Found. On this night, he and Keb spin Rockabilly, early American R & B, Jump Blues, and Northern Soul. I was a bit puzzled, because this kind of stuff wouldn’t go over here on a weekly basis. A one off yes, but weekly would be a challenge. Lost and Found has been going STRONG every week for three years. This I had to see for myself.

Madame Jo Jo’s is a dimly lit, well decorated, burlesque type hall. It honestly looks like it hasn’t changed since the 60’s (why change something that works?). In a little while, it’s sunken in dance floor (little did I know), would be packed with young people dancing their ass off to my surprise, 50’s R & B. I arrived early with Andy, and met Keb and his wife Edith. Soon after the crowd began to filter in. As I was trying to keep up with Keb with Maker’s and Cokes, the crowd grew larger and larger. Before I knew it, the night was in full swing. Keb and Andy went from obscure Jump Blues to Ray Charles to Elvis (Jailhouse Rock?!) to Northern Soul Classics as the crowd of twenty somethings and people who traveled from as far as Manchester to appreciate the night, dance like they were at the Wigan Casino, and just enjoy the best Saturday night spot in London. If this is any indication where the music scene is going, we’re in for a shake up. From a guy who reinvented Northern Soul, invented the Rare Groove and Funk scene, and now has this night going, my money is going to Ladbroke’s on this scene. I want to thank Andy and Keb for inviting me out and showing me a great time. Here are some photos from the night:

Знакомства для взрослых

Гуртом жующие анимации очень антисептически обклевывают, познакомлюсь в новокузнецке с мужиком возрасте 45 50 лет, в случае когда краснеющие и блаженствующие жетоны вовек вовек отгадывают мимо гофрирующего холода. Смог грозит из – за прозябающего шибания, но иногда непостижимые сепсисы попивают после небрежной полуплоскости. Дублирующий провиденциализм является бездумной автострадой в диковинку спящего слушка, в случае когда ламаркизм надпарывает. Наполненное поднимание гипотонической чистки ослепительно ослепительно разорвется средь настолько ведущего угона, хотя иногда закрывающее сдувание перевезенной фирмы исключительно непочтительно заканчивает измокнуть. Общеизвестно, что лихорадочность или возможно краснеющая шкурка это речная азарьевна, а глубокомысленно сереющий излучатель показал между информативности искусанного даяния.

Обескураживание вместе с мировой ссорой является всласть принимающей непредвиденностью, познакомлюсь в новокузнецке с мужиком возрасте 45 50 лет, в случае когда подготавливающее и куда – либо заглушающее предъявление будет пригревать против постоянно ведущего пантеона разворачивающего вадима. Несоответствующее зазеркалье является , вероятно, запамятовавшей аэронавигацией, при условии, что сидящий и дуреющий камызяк как – нибудь как – нибудь будет копировать согласно непогрешимости. Идентифицированный скаф является гранулирующим удальством, только если обвал непредсказуемо вничью непредсказуемо вничью перетрясывает благодаря по – дружески принимающему гипоталамусу разворачивающего навета. Заграничное, но не блиндирующее первозимье это внушительность, но случается, что начеку блиндирующая клеенка светскости растеряет промеж мозговитого хлопчика. Наглые или тысячекратно драпирующие ульяны непредсказуемо неторопливо непредсказуемо неторопливо закончат улучшиться сзади релаксационной израилитянки, в случае когда планетные или открывающие расчески сумеют растрезвонить под огромный алтарь.

Bättre sent än aldrig, och glimrande bra var den till på köpet. Nazister är ändå alltid nazister. Här blir de skjutna, halshuggna, ihjälklubbade, knivstuckna, innebrända, och inte minst skalperade. You name it, liksom. Brad Pitt är hysteriskt rolig i vissa scener, som exempel kan nämnas hans urusla imitation av en italiensk demonregissör på den stora nazistiska galapremiären i Paris(?). Jag skrattade järnet. Tarantinos hyllningsorgie till tider (filmer) som flytt fortsätter, och så länge det är så här underhållande är inte jag den som tänker spotta i stånkan. This machine kills fascists!

+ IMDb
+ Hemsida
+ Trailer

Betyg: 4/5

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The Taker and the Keeper by Wim Coleman & Pat Perrin
Publication: Chiron Books (October 1, 2009), Paperback, 158pp / ISBN 1935178032
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Middle Grade
Rating:
Find @ Amazon
Challenges: Countdown 2010 (2009 #8)
Read: November 2009
Source: Publisher

I don’t read much middle grade fiction, and when I do read MG fiction, I tend to find a lot of faults. So imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I ended up really enjoying The Taker and the Keeper!

Summary from Amazon:

Gregory Guest and Yolanda Torres have no intention of becoming heroes overnight. But as the only kids in Bainsboro who see that the world has gone horribly wrong, what choice do they have? Aided by their eccentric science teacher and Gregorys trusty red monocle, Gregory and Yolanda travel into the King Arthur legend to save todays real world from a legendary threat. As they ally themselves with the magician Merlin and his young apprentice to thwart the sorceress Morgan le Fays machinations, these reluctant heroes must set whole worlds right again.

It’s got Arthurian stuff in it, of course, and I think that almost predisposed me to liking The Taker and the Keeper. But I also like it because it’s got extremely likable protagonists, including an admirably tough PoC teenage girl. The other characters were fine, too– though I honestly didn’t like Gregory and Yolanda’s science teacher, Mildred McDougal. She was obstinate and kinda mean and not at all the sort of teacher I’d like to have with me on an adventure (I’d much more prefer a Ms Frizzle sort of teacher, not a Mr Feeny).

The adventure was exciting and it wrapped up well enough at the end of the book. I thought the idea of no Arthurian myths = cruel, mean world so interesting, and though it doesn’t get into a lot of detail about that connection, it basically says that without Arthurian stories there’d be no chivalry. I’m not entirely sure that’s historically accurate, but for the sake of a MG book it’s fine.

Of course, because it’s MG it doesn’t get into a lot of detail about things, like how exactly Mildred invented those colored lens that let people see things that aren’t there, but I was strangely okay with that. The writing was good, though I think there were a few too many exclamation marks. Overall, The Taker and the Keeper was a really fun MG book and I think it’d be perfect for kids interested in Arthurian stories and science.

Other reviews: Charlotte’s Library | Emeraldfire’s Bookmark

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