The House of the Devil (2009)

Director:
Ti West

Writer:
Ti West (screenplay)

Genre:
Horror | Thriller

Tagline:
Talk on the phone. Finish your homework. Watch T.V. DIE!

The Rundown:
Set in the 80’s, college student Samantha needs money for her own apartment. She stumbles across a flyer on the campus bulletin board for someone in need of a baby sitter. She takes the job which is located in a quaint house, deep in the woods. The family has lured Samantha to the house under false pretenses as the job is actually to watch their elderly mother while the family goes out to watch the lunar eclipse. As the moon slowly disappears behind earth’s shadow, Samantha’s job becomes more than he bargained for.

The Lowdown:
During the Thanksgiving weekend, I began getting bored with my extended time off from work. So I asked my friend Ryan if he wanted to go see The House of the Devil with me. We made our way to the small indie theater and waited with anticipation for what some believe to be a Polanski-esque creep fest. I have to agree, the characters and some of the imagery are immensely disturbing. But the fact that movie is so slow really takes my possible love for the film into like territory. I almost fell asleep halfway through. And I’ve only fallen asleep in the theater ONCE… and that was during the 1998 version of Godzilla. The 80’s film style is perfect and suits the film, but the special effects, though minimal and mostly to do with makeup (no cg), seemed modernly out of place.

If you’re a fan of the 80’s style of cult classic horror films, then you’re more than likely to enjoy this… that is if you can stay awake through the first 40 minutes.

Unwatchable Rating:

Winter in Crete is here.  In the morning frost covers the ground, and in the afternoon the sun sets before 5:00.  As the weather gets colder, curl up in your favorite blanket with Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.   You’ll be transported from chilly Illinois to swampy South Carolina, where the humidity is as thick as the landscape.  The South’s antebellum cemetaries and aging mansions provide the perfect background for this Gothic tale of star-crossed romance.

Ethan seems to be a model citizen of Gatlin, South Carlina.  He’s on the basketball team, sits at the right lunch table, and has a respectable family history in Gatlin.  If the people of Gatlin knew he spent his time dreaming of ways to get out of their small town, they’d be disappointed. 

Lena, on the other hand, they can’t wait to get rid of.  Or rather, they wish they could get rid of her eccentric uncle who rarely emerges from their plantation home.  Lena arrives suddenly in Gatlin, and doesn’t make a great impression.  Except on Ethan.

From the minute he sees her, Ethan knows he’s meant to be with Lena.  What he doesn’t know is why his superstitous housekeeper Amma and Lena’s strange uncle disapprove, or that unraveling family secrets will reveal more than he thought there was to know about his town.

Man Who Wasn’t There, The (2001)
★★★ / ★★★★

“The Man Who Wasn’t There” was about a man (Billy Bob Thornton) so bored by the ordinariness of his life and so into his head that he one day decided to spice things up by blackmailing his friend (James Gandolfini) after he gets an offer to be a business partner from another man with great ideas. One decision triggered certain events that caused a giant fracture in the lives of the people Thorton’s character had something to do with such as his wife (Frances McDormand), a lawyer (Tony Shalhoub), a girl who played the piano (Scarlett Johansson), and others. Since this was an Ethan and Joel Coen picture, I expected to be astute in its observation of human nature as well as the ability to show its audiences how it was like to be in the main character’s unique perspective. It was more than able to deliver those qualities and beyond because the story took turns that I didn’t expect. Each scene was crucial and it constantly evolved to make us feel for a man who made very bad decisions. While the signature Coen brothers humor was certainly there, it had a certain edge and darkness to make it more than just a film about consequences. I also liked the fact that this was shot in black and white because I thought it reflected the main character’s mindset. I noticed him always considering the very extreme of things, especially when he narrated the picture, and his weakness was that he was partially blind to the (morally) gray. The black-and-white also worked because this was essentially a noir movie. I loved the night scenes especially the ones shot indoors. The angles and composition of the shadows really made the experience that much more engaging. The atmosphere of the time period was also very well chosen because the Coen brothers were able to inject interesting (if not somewhat unexplored) mini-storylines involving extraterrestrials and the craze about them at the time. That one scene when Katherine Borowitz’ character knocked on Thornton’s door and told him certain bits of information about a hidden plot gave me serious goosebumps because it came out of nowhere. “The Man Who Wasn’t There” was full of surprises and I definitely consider it as a must-see for fans of the Coen brothers, or even for people who just want to observe what lengths characters living with the ennui are willing to go through to make their lives more vibrant and regret it afterwards.

I preordered I, Alex Cross, by James Patterson, a week prior to its availability date. I have enjoyed a lot of his books in the past, so I felt like that $9.00 preorder price was a good deal.

In this installment of the Alex Cross series, Detective Cross is once again pulled into a serial killer investigation when his estranged niece’s remains are found in the trunk of a car.

3 Stars

Plot/Storyline: 2 Stars

First of all, if you are not a fan of the Alex Cross series, i.e. have not read the books and kept up with them, you will be left a little lost in this installment. You will still get the mystery side, but Patterson neglects to explain some details that fans would already know, but new readers would not. It’s little things, like Cross’ current relationship status and his kids’ ages. I had not read a Cross book in quite awhile; I think I even skipped one or two. So, not having these details readily available in this new book was somewhat annoying. This is a fine line for an author to walk. If the author gives to much detail found in previous books, it becomes tedious to the readers who like to pick them all up at once and read them in order. If not enough is given, it’s bad for readers who either didn’t keep up, read them when they first came out and forgot the details before getting the next in the series, or even worse, are starting in the middle of the series.

Not only does Cross need to be retired, but so does his “Nana”. As I mentioned, it has been awhile since I read some of the previous books, but one thing I remembered was that Nana was in constant danger, either from illness, injury or bad guys. She’s no different here, threatened this time by a heart problem. It’s sad that I got so bored with this story thread that I was actually hoping halfway through that she would just go ahead and die.

The plot, when you can find it amidst all of Cross’ personal issues, is convoluted and disorienting. This relatively short book reaches past its boundaries with a plot that belonged in an epic novel of much larger proportions. There just wasn’t enough book for the consipiracy.

The switching around of different viewpoints left me cold. Certain portions were told solely for shock value and did not even try to forward the storyline.

Cross was led around by the nose in this book. He didn’t so much investigate as get force fed information by his FBI friend. Nancy Drew would have done a better job.

The ending was at least satisfying, if somewhat contrived. However, the blatant setup for the next book in the series was way over the top.

Character Development: 2 Stars

Patterson sticks with the same old tired characters doing nothing really new. There is no growth here for Cross, his kids, or his new lady love. Unfortunately, I think this is a side effect from having the characters for so long. The kids were not mentioned enough to know if they had really grown at all.

The relationship between Cross and Nana is reiterated to the point of nausea. He loves her like a mother. We got that six novels, or more, ago.

Writing Style: 3 1/2 Stars

The writing style was just not up to Patterson’s old standards. The dialogue is stark, with no real emotion. The descriptions were still good, but the sentence structuring was borderline teen book style.

Editing/Formatting: 5 Stars

Both were of professional quality.

Rating: R for Graphic Violence and Blood and Gore————————————–

Mr. Patterson has pretty much lost me as a fan with this book, at least when it comes to the Cross series. With his publisher’s newest stunt (Witch and Wizard), his books seem to be headed toward a trend of “Make money any way he can.” By this, I mean that he is giving up a lot of quality for the lure of easy money on quantity.

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Here are some facts about James Patterson from his Amazon Author Page:

*Holds the New York Times bestsellers list record* with 39 New York Times bestselling titles overall.

*Is responsible for one out of every fifteen hardcover novels sold in 2007. In 2007, an estimated 16 million James Patterson books were sold in the United States alone’more than John Grisham and Stephen King sold, combined.

*Has sold more than 150 million books worldwide.

*Has had 19 CONSECUTIVE #1 New York Times hardcover bestselling novels.

*Is the only author to occupy the #1 slot on the New York Times Adult Fiction and Children’s Chapter Book bestsellers lists SIMULTANEOUSLY! Patterson is also the only author to have THREE simultaneous HARDCOVER bestsellers on the New York Times Adult Fiction and Children’s Chapter Book bestsellers lists!

*Has created the top two bestselling detective series of the past decade. Patterson’s Alex Cross series, including Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls, is the top selling US detective series in the last twelve years. The next bestselling detective series also belongs to Patterson ‘ the Women’s Murder Club series, including,1st to Die, 2nd Chance, and 3rd Degree, and 4th of July. And, in 2007, he launched his 3rd #1 bestselling series with Step on a Crack, featuring New York City policed detective Michael Bennett.

*Is the first author ever to be a Harvard Business School case study. The Harvard Business School is renowned for its rigorous case study teaching methodology, and Patterson’s publishing world successes are being taught in a graduate-level course to the best and the brightest future corporate leaders.

*Is America’s best-loved storyteller across multiple genres. Patterson is the only novelist to have #1 bestsellers in the categories of suspense, fantasy, romance, and historical fiction. He also created santaKid, a successful 2004 classic in children’s fiction; Maximum Ride, #1 best selling novel for readers of all ages, as well as bestselling non-fiction titles, The Day America Told the Truth, and a sports title, Miracle on the 17th Green, 1996.

*Is HOT in Hollywood! James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club book series became a new television series for ABC in October, 2007. The show, a hit amongst critics and fans alike, stars Angie Harmon as detective Lindsay Boxer. Also, Spiderman and X-Men producer Avi Arad is at work on the screenplay for a feature film based on Patterson’s Maximum Ride series!

*Has spent more than 150 straight weeks on the USA Today 150 list of overall top-selling books in all categories and formats’longer than Tom Clancy, Stephen King, Danielle Steel or John Grisham.

*Was the nationwide winner of the Readers’ Digest Readers’ Choice Award in 2004. He is also the first-ever author to receive the Bookspan endorsement International Thriller of the Year for Honeymoon, 2005. He won the BCA Mystery Guild’s Thriller of the Year award for The Big Bad Wolf in 2003, and his first attempt at a novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, won the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery, the most prestigious mystery award there is, in 1976. He also won the International Thriller Writer’s ThrillerMaster Award in 2007.

*Is the founder of the James Patterson PageTurner Awards which, for three years running, has given away cash prizes totaling more than $800,000 to groups and individuals who do outstanding work to spread the fun and excitement of books and reading. Patterson is also on the board of the charitable organization First Book whose mission is to get the first book in the hands of underserved youth and has donated thousands of books to troops overseas.

*Is the ‘most borrowed’ author in the UK! Patterson’s popularity grows in the United Kingdom, where his books were checked out over 1.5 million times in 12 months. This, in an otherwise declining book borrowing market.

*As reported in the New York Times on October 21, 2007.

I, Alex Cross, by James Patterson

My latest short story, hope you enjoy.

I stared blankly out through the fogged window into the sombre, cloudy night. The chill winter winds stirred the barren branches of the willows, casting dreary soundscapes among the woods. The moon had not shown itself for the past three nights and the animals knew it, for they had not shown their physiognomies as of yet. That night seemed ominous to me, but just as I faced everything, I was apathetic to the fact of the coming peril. A widow in my thirties, I needed not to care for such trivial matters of superstition, for a woman of my stature has endured much more than this night could have offered. However, as I look back to this night of danger, of doom, I question my logic, this logic that helped answer my reason towards God and his counterpart, the fallen Lucifer.

My attention returned back to the present as I heard a rapping at the door. I stared at the oak entry, dreaming about my visitor arising to answer it. As I slowly walked towards the doorway, I felt anxious about opening it. My company seemed to bring a melancholy presence, which of course was not new to my dwelling, however it set my heart ablaze and my spine shuddering. But I am human and my curiosity could not be withheld. With a deep breath, I grabbed hold of the golden handle and turned it.

I hated myself, as I opened the door. Why does mankind do things that they know will lead to their downfall? Is it the thrill of the experience? Or is it just human nature to succumb themselves to foolishness?

To my surprise, a withered elderly man stood profusely in the doorway. He had a slight slouch and his face was dotted with gray scruff. However, his most interesting detail was his odor, an odor that stood the test of time. A trivial scent of ash surrounded his essence and it danced the night air with the smell of lavender. He looked at me and smiled.

“Would you be so kind to let a weary traveler stay the night? I sense a storm brewing and I wish not to be cast under its fury. I can pay fifteen shillings.”

“I do not have much to offer but I can accommodate”

My curiosity said that. I wanted to know more about the man; he seemed to have some history behind him. The traveler’s eyes lit up as I let him into the house. A small animal, I had not noticed before, followed behind him. It seemed to be a small terrier, gray in color.

“Of course Loki will be staying with me, if it is of no harm.”

“I do not mind, I haven’t seen a dog in many years.”

As I took the traveler’s cloak and staff, he rested upon a chair next to the fireplace. I withdrew to the kitchen to make some tea and kept one morsel of sight upon him at all times. He took is time, slowly gazing around the room, taking note of every detail of my home. His gaze eventually reached me. As I quickly turned away, he smiled.

“A beautiful house you have, my dear.”

I walked back to the living area with two cups of tea. The stranger gracefully took it as I offered it.

“So what shall I call you?” I asked him.

“Oh, pardon my manners. My name is Edda Prose, I was traveling to the nearby town of Bree to visit some close relatives for I suspect the end of my line soon.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but what makes to say that?”

“You have not told me your name my dear.”

I looked at his deep brown eyes with interest. “My name is Hildr.”

“Just Hildr?”

“Hildr Valhalla. Why is your life fading, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“My heart has been growing heavier. Life has put some pounds on it.” He chuckled. “However, with every sundown comes a new night. I do not resent dying, for a second journey awaits me. I am one who is pleased by the burning sanitariums, I do not fear them, and I do not wish to be part of them. However, my line shall lead me there without folly.” He spoke with terse sentences and exasperated breathes; sweat began to trickle down his forehead. “I’m sorry; I do not wish to darken your soul with my bantering. Thank you again for your hospitality but I’m afraid I should be leaving.”

To this day I remembered being scared within his presence, yet I spoke the following words: “I would like for you to stay the night.” And those are the words that I spoke, and the only words I spoke for the rest of the night.

The next morning was one of discord. Loki sat by my bedside and I noticed something peculiar. The fur across his body was singed and his gray coat was etched in black. Or maybe I just didn’t notice when I first laid eyes on the godforsaken creature. I rolled out of bed, as my head ached in pulses of pain. Mr. Prose was no where to be found, this of course caused great anxiety within me. I made my way to the living area and found his staff and cloak still where I had left them, I could not even smell him any longer for his scent had also vanished. As I gazed out the window, the sky was still overcast, but the storm that Edda spoke of had still not hit. I sat down to ponder his disappearance and soon Loki walked up to my feet and looked into my eyes. I noticed crimson bleached upon his pupils, this cannot be a dog I thought to myself. And an abomination it quite was.

Suddenly the dog gave a bark as if beckoning and ran outside. I quickly ran after, stopped at the door and shut it tight. I locked up the hinges and pulled the curtains over every window. I felt safe; of course that was only my imagination. In fact, the reality was that I followed the dog outside with all possible haste. We ran down the shallow stream nearby my house for about 500 paces. The chill night air was exhilarating and it made me feel at ease. However, I gazed downward as I began to fall. Apparently I tripped on something, and it was the body of Mr. Prose. More for the sight of the corpse rather than my pain of hitting the ground fairly hard, I screamed a scream so loud, that the blackbirds in a 100 yard radius were sent fluttering into the sky from the trees.

I heard a scream, a loud and desperate scream. It sent chills through my spine. I opened my wings and jumped off my perch on the tree branch and my ebony feather gleamed in the sunlight as I flew over a body of an old man with a dog leaning next to him. The dog looked at me and I ignored it. I continued my flight through Osyrhia.

Lois Duncan (born April 28, 1934), author of suspense novels, was born in Philadelphia and came to Albuquerque to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico.

Her young adult novel I Know What You Did Last Summer was made into a Hollywood movie.

Bibliography: WorldCat
Biography: Wikipedia | WorldCat Identities
Manuscripts: University of Minnesota
Personal page: http://loisduncan.arquettes.com

Incredible, Intense, Mind blowing.

Eskimo just watched it and is speechless.

I picked up The Pawn, by Steven James, during an Amazon “Freebie Sale”. What was funny about this is that I was actually looking at purchasing the book about a week prior, but was putting it off until my book budget caught up with my expenditures. Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.

The full title of the book is The Pawn (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 1) because it is the beginning of a series featuring FBI Agent Patrick Bowers. In this first book, Agent Bowers must help track down a serial killer that leaves a yellow ribbon and a chess piece with each body.

4 3/4 Stars

Plot/Storyline: 4 3/4 Stars

An edgy mystery, this plot brings a little something extra to the serial killer genre. There are several unexpected twists and turns that Mr. James manages to maintain secrecy of even while telling a portion of the story from several viewpoints, including that of the killer.

The amount of research that went into the writing of this novel is strongly evident in many places. I always tell people that I read only fiction so that if I learn something, it will have been quite by accident. I have to admit that this book managed to not only entertain, but also slip in a little information that I didn’t know. The new, innovative process for tracking down serial killers was an added thrill.

The ending was a gripping, nail-biting scene. However, there was one portion that I found unbelievable. To avoid spoilers, I will not go into detail, but will just say that the unrealistic event could possibly have been avoided while still leaving the suspense and ending intact. Because it was not integral to the culmination of the ending, it didn’t spoil it for me.

The motives for murder were fantastic. I was truly impressed with the imagination involved with this.

Character Development: 5 Stars

Mr. James truly excels in the area of character development. Patrick Bowers is an engaging, believable character. His experiences and actions evoked true emotion.

Unlike in many adult books, Mr. James managed to portray an extremely realistic teenager in the chatacter of Bower’s daughter. She wasn’t too weak or too strong, just a typical teen. While shown to be very intelligent, that line wasn’t crossed into making her into some kind of genius.

Writing Style: 4 1/4 Stars

Two things bothered me regarding the writing style. The first was the odd, little insertions of Bower’s thoughts in italics here and there. While I love to know characters’ thoughts, the method of delivery tended to jolt me out of the story.

The other item was certain portions of the narrative told from the killer’s viewpoint in the beginning. Like most serial killers in novels, this one was extremely intelligent. However, in the beginning, when we are first introduced to him, he comes across as being more immature than later. The usage of exclamation points with certain statements in his thought processes just made him seem too childish to have pulled off these intricate murders.

Other than these two items, the writing style was excellent. The dialogue was very realistic with each character maintaining their own voice. The suspense was maintained throughout with terrific foreshadowing techniques.

Editing/Formatting: 5 Stars

Both were of professional quality.

Rating: R for Violence along with some Blood & Gore.

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I’m really looking forward to purchasing the next book in this series, The Rook. Mr. James obviously knows how to write smart thriller novels with intricate plots that operate outside of the normal serial killer genre.

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Here are some comments from the author, Steven James:

The Pawn is the first in my series of eight novels featuring FBI criminologist Patrick Bowers. He’s unique among detectives in novels and film because he doesn’t look for motive, use psychological profiling, or depend on DNA. Rather, he uses 21st century, cutting-edge geospatial investigative techniques to track serial offenders. It’s a little complex to explain in a short interview like this, but in essence he combines research in environmental criminology, the geography of crime, geospatial technology, and crime mapping and site analysis to zero in on the most likely location where the serial killer might live.

Although I’ve been writing for more than a decade, this series is the most exciting and challenging work I’ve ever worked on. Not only does it take a tremendous amount of research to craft the stories and stay up-to-date on emerging technologies, but the stories are multi-layered and include my (now!) trademark triple-twist endings that my readers have come to expect. It takes months to shape the stories, but in the end, I have to write the kind of stories I would want to read.

Readers often ask me what writers have inspired me, and honestly, it was short stories that got me interested in novels. When I was younger I would devour Alfred Hitchcock Magazine stories as well as Poe, Guy de Maupassant, and many others. My love of twist-endings and the tight writing style of short stories greatly influenced the way I craft my novels.

Currently, I live near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee with my wife and three daughters–two of whom are teenagers. Since Patrick Bowers has a teenage stepdaughter, you can only imagine how much material I’m mining from my own family.

The Pawn, by Steven James

“You know, it never snows in the city.  It’s never hot.  London is a city of whores and queers.  I think London is to blame for what he is.”  – Semyon.  What a huge surprise this film was for me.  Usually when I hear violence, I shy away from it.  In fact that’s an understatement.  I usually avoid films with gratuitious and excessive violence.  But something interested me about this film.  I’ll admit it was Vincent Cassel, the sexy French actor who plays Russian characters almost as much as he plays French roles.   Cronenberg did an outstanding job with this story.  Yes, there were moments I closed my eyes and waited, but this is the Russian Mafia so it couldn’t be sugar-coated.  I loved that Cassel’s character was gay.  I knew it as soon as he forced Viggo Morgenson’s character to have sex in front of him with a prostitute to prove that Viggo’s character wasn’t queer.  A perfect twist.  And damn them for making the most unsexy extended male nude scene ever in the history of cinema.  I’d give this one a 5, but I don’t want to see it again, too violent.  For that reason, I’d give it a solid 4.5 on Netflix, but you can give half points, so I’m settling on a 4.  Still it was an outstanding film.  I finally get Naomi Watts.  And if there’s ever a Kylie Minogue biopic, Naomi gets my vote.  Meanwhile, Eastern Promises is an excellent study of organized crime and how it affects a civilized society.

       This episode begins with the princes finding out that Ichigo has never made pudding before, and Kashino shudders at the possibility of having to team up with Miya. Well, there’s nothing to be done other than Ichigo taking a crash course in pudding making from Vanilla, and the other sweets spirits, Ichigo vows to do her best over the next two days.

      Well, Ichigo’s first batch turns out in typical Ichigo fashion, a complete failure. The sweets spirits and the princes offer Ichigo encouragement and good advice for her next try. While Ichigo is practicing, we see someone taking a hidden cell phone picture and sending it to Miya who mocks Ichigo for being a beginner.

      Then we see that Miya only uses the finest ingredients available to make her pudding, and she even has a high school oven installed in her practice area. We also get the names of Miya’s henchboys, Satou and Shiotani; they are there to serve their Lady. Then Shiotani asks Miya why go through so much trouble for Kashino, she tells them it’s none of their business and leaves.

       Then we see a flashback of the welcoming ceremony for first year students where Kashino told her that her pudding was terrible and he was surprised they let her in the school. Miya says that was the first time anyone told the rich girl what her cooking really tasted like, everyone else just showered her with false praise. Miya says that’s all in the past because she really trained hard and improved her skill and she wants to show Kashino that she’s changed.

       The next morning, the princes go to the kitchen to check on Ichigo and they find her and Vanilla sleeping on the floor. When Ichigo wakes up she tells them she spent the whole night making an incredible amount of pudding, and she even used up all the pots and pans in the entire kitchen. When everyone tastes Ichigo’s pudding they’re all pleased with the outcome, but Ichigo isn’t. Ichigo says that there are still flaws in the pudding even though she baked them exactly the same way. The princes tell Ichigo that each oven in the kitchen has its own quirks and you have to figure each one out. When Carmel says she likes a pudding that Ichigo thinks she made too sweet, Ichigo gets an idea and tells the princes that she has to do something tonight.

       Well, the next day, Ichigo and Miya are told they have two hours to make five servings of pudding and the chairman will judge the outcome. As the contest begins it really looks like Miya is cooking like a pro and will easily defeat Ichigo who seems to be making mistakes. Once the puddings are placed in front of the Chairman, he begins with Miya’s pudding, and he can tell that Miya used the best ingredients Next is Ichigo’s turn, when the Chairman tastes Ichigo’s pudding he gets a very surprised look on his face, Ichigo thinks she’s lost, and Kashino thinks that Ichigo’s made her pudding too bitter.

      When President Tennouji announces Ichigo as the winner Miya demands to know why. The Chairman shows Miya that her pudding had cavities while Ichigo’s didn’t, and the chairman tells Miya that her oven must have cooked hot. President Tennouji tells Miya that Ichigo came to the high school kitchen last night and practiced all night in the kitchen. Miya then tells him that Ichigo’s Carmel topping must be bitter, and Ichigo tells her she made it that way after seeing how the Chairman like to take his coffee and what snacks he likes, so she made it bitter.

       Miya says it’s not fair that Ichigo looked into what he likes, but the Chairman tells her that the single most important thing about cooking is understanding what makes people happy. Later, Kashino tastes Miya’s pudding and tells her she’s improved, and Miya gets pissed and tells Ichigo that she’ll defeat her in the Grand Prix and runs off.

       Later, the President comes up to Ichigo and the princes and tells them that she knew they’d be alright because they had sweets spirits with them, and they see that she has her own sweet spirit, Honey. Well, Ichigo is really happy but the princes tell her to not get too cocky, and review her pudding basics before she forgets. Ichigo says she’s OK now and she looks forward to entering the Grand Prix with them and winning. Kashino tells her sorry but at her level they won’t even make it past the first round and the others agree.

         As they walk off, Ichigo is saddened because she wonders why they won’t recognize her? Vanilla tells her that she must understand how they feel and they’re being tough on her for her own good. Ichigo yells at Vanilla that she’s supposed to be her partner and understand her, Vanilla gets mad at Ichigo and says she’s not her partner anymore and leaves. In the next episode preview it looks like Ichigo got so pissed that she left the school and returned home and goes to work with her grandfather, and it also seems that Vanilla and the princes soon follow. Well, that’s all for this episode.

       Well, Ichigo won her first one on one battle and seems to have gotten a long term rival in Miya. I have to say that after episode eight I really didn’t like Miya, but after watching episode nine I like her a lot more, she really did work hard to perfect her skills. I think that Miya’s problem is that she’s just a little too pushy for Kashino, and she needs to let her cooking do her talking.

       While Ichigo experienced the thrill of victory she also experiences the disappointment of not receiving the princes approval, while Ichigo tries hard she’s not up to their level and they let her know it. I really didn’t like how tough they were on my girl Ichigo, at least they could have gave her a little more props for winner her battle with Miya. The sweet princes should understand that Ichigo does bring something to the group that they lack, she has the ability to sense what people really need, and the princes in many ways are too reliant in their skills to think that they’re missing something.

      In many ways Yumeiro is very old fashioned when it comes to boy/girl relationships. In this modern day, I don’t understand why Ichigo and Miya have to base their self-worth on whether or not the boys acknowledge their abilities, I really don’t think that Kashino gives a shit whether or not Ichigo or Miya likes his cooking.

Tana French’s debut novel, In the Woods, was published in 2007 to wide acclaim.  Although an American writer, French’s mysteries are set in Dublin and the central figure is detective Cassie Maddox.  Cassie was part of the murder squad during In the Woods, but after a botched investigation she has moved to domestic affairs.

However, in The Likeness, Cassie is drawn back into the world of murder investigations.  The body of a young woman is found in the ruins of an old stone cottage in a village outside of Dublin that has lost its jobs and vitality.  The dead woman and Cassie are virtual twins. The weak link in the story is that the police, lacking suspects or leads, report that the woman is injured but alive.  However, this opens up the entire plot line of Cassie stepping into the dead woman’s life as a Trinity College graduate student and the housemate of four other students.

Despite the tensions of being undercover and her lover Sam strongly objecting to the assignment, Cassie is quickly besotted by her quirky, insular housemates and her new life in a once-grand house, even as the investigation yields little evidence. On the surface, her housemates accept her as the deceased.  As she grows closer to her housemates, some of the clues begin to add up, leading to a climactic ending.

The Likeness has everything: memorable characters, sharp dialogue, psychological games, mounting tension, and wonderful descriptions of the house and surrounding areas such that you can picture them as if they were your own.   All we can hope is that French continues to write more books featuring Cassie Maddox.

Click here to find this book in our catalog.