Hi Everyone!
AT HOME:
Got out to see some welcome signs of spring. Visited a couple of garden centres, including a new one, and got some much wanted plants. Now, to keep everything crossed the slugs won’t eat them. Also took a long trip to visit relatives and booked some breaks for later this year. I’ve been limping around on a sprained ankle because someone had put in a new drive by covering it with stones and grit and it was covering the road. Alas, rounded off the month with some sad news regarding the death of a dear friend.
FILM/TV:
Watching the last two seasons of Sleepy Hollow as we never saw them after our Sky box melted several years ago. I have mixed feelings about the show (especially the crossover episode with Bones — so peculiar to cross a supernatural programme with one so focused on science; it didn’t even feel as though the actors hearts were in it), but think it’s cast well.
Finally finished re-watching Star Trek The Next Gen, and now re-watching Deep Space 9, though quite a few of the early episodes seem to rely on the crew acting dumb to make the plots work. One series that surprised us was Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin and Martin Short. Very well written. I see there’s a second series and we’re definitely interested.
A quirky little film is From the Vine, starring Joe Pantoliano. An Italian/Canadian production it tells the story of a man who makes a surprising career decision because of an ethical dilemma and returns to his roots to find a better life. Nothing exactly new about the plot, but it’s engaging.
READING:
The Cabin in the Woods (The Official Visual Companion), Drew Goddard & Joss Whedon
Companion book to the film which features interviews, cast comments, the script, design work, and concludes with a creature feature which I feel could have been longer, but I’m guessing they wanted to leave some surprises for the film alone. Also, a warning — the print is tiny. For anyone who loves the movie, this is a kind of must have. There’s a lot here that made me want to watch the film frame by frame to catch all the detail I’m sure I’ve missed, namely the wealth of creatures. I warn anyone who hasn’t seen the film and wants to, not to look at the book first. There will be no shocks left.
Midnight, Dean Koontz
A re-read for me. Not having read this book for more years than I care to remember, I confess I’d forgotten the story. This is a tight science-fiction thriller with the meaning of life subtext. Think The Island of Doctor Moreau crossed with any well made FBI crime show. And as with classic books like Frankenstein, there’s the underlying question of just because humankind can do a thing, it has an ethical necessity to consider whether it should. Alas, I don’t think the villain’s backstory with the Native American holds up well in more modern times; it’s cliched even down to the sense of this person being the source of corruption. And I’m not even sure it’s all that important, but there’s much to like here. I like what Koontz has to say about thought vs feelings and vice versa in this, and how humans cannot live without emotion. As is often the case, the author also includes a perfect doggy hero.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, John Boyne
A well-known and international bestseller, this is a book set during the Holocaust and telling the story from the point of view of an innocent boy. On the one hand, this should be a classic for generations to come and required reading; indeed, many teachers in the UK use this for teaching already. However, Bruno would not have been so unaware; as a German child of the time, he would have been part of the Hitler Youth movement, taught (brainwashed from a young age) to swear oaths to support the Fatherland. The book suffers from other faults such as the unfortunately flat character of Shmuel, the boy Bruno makes friends with — a child who more likely would have been instantly murdered at Auschwitz, the obvious setting as Bruno calls the camp Out-With. Sadly, the book falls short by showing the atrocity though one point of view, and a blinkered one at that. I can’t help feeling this would have a greater impact on today’s youth were the reader to see through the eyes of both boys revealing the true horror in the camp. Still, simply told yet disturbing, this fictional work of a factual era is appropriately unsettling, and as a teaching tool is a fine stepping off point for the young. I felt irritated that even a 9-year-old could be so ignorant of the world but realised this reflects one facet of reality — that too many, aged 9 and older, remain or even choose such ignorance. Although I worked out the ending, there’s still something chilling about the conclusion and the closing sentence is one hard to forget.
Lord of the Flies, William Golding (audio book, read by Martin Jarvis)
Have to confess I’ve never read this, so I thought I’d listen to it as a compromise. Owing to its reputation, I expected a far more brutal story. No doubt much is lost owing to what once was shocking pales in significance as time progresses. Still, undoubtedly a classic and deserving of such status.
The Cuckoo’s Calling, Robert Galbraith
I bought this when it first came out, but have dithered whether to read it. Still, as I paid for this, I at long last got around to reading J.K. Rowling’s offering of her first detective novel. Cormoran Strike is a vibrant character and, along with the pairing of his Temporary Solution assistant, makes for a hard to forget duo. I decided on two killers and one of them was correct, but it took a long time for me to come up with a deduction. This was a surprising and well plotted read.
Bob The Book, David Pratt
Bob is a gay book looking for the love of his life. It’s a fun concept, a quick read, and a good allegory for life, love, and relationships. The story shows we don’t always get what we want, or we find it in a way that’s unexpected. Equally, it says that what we want isn’t necessarily the best thing for us or even what we need. And I’ll never be able to look at a book with a broken spine the same way again.
The Secret Scripture, Sebastian Barry
I understand this is possibly one of three novels starring the McNulty family, so perhaps reading them all would be more fulfilling. In this volume, the story of Roseanne is unsurprising given the way women have been treated historically, yet disturbing and anger inducing to a modern-day female audience, and I hope a male one. Ultimately a sad tale, and atmospherically put together. Unfortunately, although I empathise with Roseanne’s plight, I didn’t connect with her as much as I would have liked, and about halfway through I lagged and struggled, meaning this took me far longer to finish than it should have. Still, it’s well plotted, with an end that will surprise some (though I guessed the outcome, thinking the author surely wouldn’t choose it); therefore, will satisfy some, annoy others. It’s a good book, but one I could take or leave.
Norse Mythology, Neil Gaiman (audio)
I’m a Gaiman fan though I’ve not read this one. Not sure what I’d make of it in print, but I found the audio dramatisation thoroughly entertaining. This was an hour and a half of fun with a varied cast, including the author. The telling of Norse Mythology told as someone telling a story.
Alien: River of Pain (cast dramatisation), Christopher Golden (audio)
A rather unnecessary telling of what happened to the settlers at the start of the film Aliens, though entertaining enough to appeal to some Alien fans. This tells us what happened to Newt and her family, and the other colonists before Ripley & Co arrived to find out what happened to them.
The Very First Damned Thing, Jodi Taylor (audio)
A prequel to a series of books of the Chronicles of St Mary’s featuring a group of time-travelling historians, this one read by the author. It’s entertaining and an interesting idea, and perhaps adds to the series for invested readers, but I’ve not listened/read any of the other books and I’m not sure this made we want to start another series, particularly as it has mixed reviews. Still, I like the idea enough that if I had enough time, I’d try the first book, so I can’t truly recommend one way or the other.
Anyone But You, Jennifer Crusie
A sweet, fun, feel-good romance featuring two people who are too good at assuming what the other one wants based on their own insecurities. This is a great summer holiday read. And if you like dogs, you’ll love Fred.
WRITING
Working on re-leasing a previous book and of turning it into a trilogy, so I’ve been writing that. Still not sure it will happen, but I had an idea which has brought me closer to making it a reality. As soon as I’ve finished this, I’ll be working on my Dark Fiction novel again.
Stay happy and healthy!
Sharon x
