Just an update

So it has been some time since I had made any updates on DeviantArt.  Last night, or this morning, whenever, I posted one of those "about me" things.  Rather self indulgent, if I do say so, but reading other's is a sort of guilty pleasure of mine, so yeah, I "give back" a bit.

Anywho, Here is the link to the Journal.

Yes, I have been writing a bit more, but it is rather slow going.  I hope to have some more short stories - or rather installments of the existing stories - posted in my gallery soon.

I am currently pulling a software update.  It takes a while.  So I am getting a bit chatty here.  Oh well.

It has been snowing more lately.  This is a good thing, for me, and I am really enjoying it.  It seems to be improving my mood a bit.

Dad has been cooking more for me.  I mean, yeah, he has been having to play more of the chef role for a while, but I have been making more of an effort to get involved and give recipe input.

I have re-read the Harry Potter books, enjoying them as much as ever.  Watching Thor took a lot out of me and I do not thing I want to go through that again to see the latest HP films.  (No, I still have not seen 6 or 7.1 & 7.2)

But now I am getting into State of Fear by Michael Crichton, an author whose works I do appreciate quite a lot.

I think that is about it for now.

Take care-

Elqueue

Book Report: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie

Well, the writing is nice, characters have some depth and are more or less believable, the concept a little tired and the plot is maybe a bit thin.

This is Lewis Lowery meets Scott Westerfield in a H.G. Wells sort of way.

In general, it is not a problem for me when concepts in one work are similar in nature, or influenced by, or even out-right borrowed from other works.  All the better when a new twist or different spin on the same scenario give life and excitement to an old interpretation. Sometimes though, I just feel like there is a lack of originality. All-in-all though, for having thrown all these into a blender, what came out was nicely done here, Ms Condie. Nicely done.

So lets take a look-see at what we have here.

Protagonists:

Cassia Reyes

Xander Carrow

Ky Markham

Well, those are the /main/ ones, I suppose.

Antagonists:

The Society.  Ha! Go figure.

So, in this world, ambiguously far in the future, the society (aka government) is in charge of everything.  Where we live, what we eat, what we do, who we marry, etc.  There are only few approved songs they are aloud to hear, only a few approved poems, paintings, etc - everything else was destroyed.  Matched starts out with Cassia readying herself for her matching ceremony.  Well, apparently, the norm is for people to be matched with someone from elsewhere in the ... from another place.  The rare is to be paired up with a local person, but shocking to be match with your childhood best friend.  What are the odds, right?  So, then there is a... glitch that implies to Cassia that she may have been alternatively matched to someone else from her childhood.  Coincidence? I put no stock in coincidence.

I am not giving away much there actually - you get almost that much from the jacket.  Well, except for the my-opinion part.

The thing about how well written this is, is that Condie provides a tremendous amount of insight into their world, culture etc. in the very beginning while also letting us know a lot about Cassia without boring us to tears. (You listening to this Ms Meyer?)

Ever read The Giver?  Or Uglies? ... or The Time Machine?  The idea is that in this society, everyone is calm and relaxed because the governing collective is always looking out for everyone and never does anything wrong.  Everyone agrees that it is good, or risk being wished away into a cornfield.  That was a subtle Twilight Zone reference, hopefully setting the mood.  As we the reader ride along with Cassia, we collectively start to realize that more and more people are apparently looking out for themselves for fear of the society, not trust in it.  They are careful what they say and do because they do not want to stand out.  Everyone is careful of offending anyone because their culture dictates that it is not nice to offend anyone, true, but doing so has repercussions greater than simply hurting someone's feeling.

She sees that there is one commonality that makes people rebel.  One thing fires individuals up to fight the system they fear, and that is when injustice occurs against someone they love.

There are three pills that everyone is supposed to have.

1) Nutrition supplement. This is to help them out if they ever are lost/stranded or whatever where they are in a position where they could suffer if not for adequate nutrition. I spent a lot of time thinking about what, within the scope of their perfect little society, would ever put them in need of such things.  I mean, to the point that the Eloi - er, sorry, the members of the society - are required to always have one with them at all times.  I pondered the psychological impact of such a thing and here is what I came up with: If They provide my food, three times a day, and I can get food no other way, nutrition is so important that if I ever fail to come to the feeding trough when called, I need an emergency supplement, then I my life is completely dependent on Them. And, they care enough about me that they give me the means to survive if I would ever to make such a mistake.  We do take a bit of a trip into the nutrition processing center and I half expected Morlocks running the place.

2) Sedative. Like somewhere between a super Alprazolam and a short-term chemical lobotomy. Again, something that /should/ not be needed in a utopia.

3) The enigmatic RED PILL.  They are always supposed to have them, but only supposed to take them when told to do so.  Some fear it is a suicide pill, some have no imagination, others... who knows.  Well, I know, but I am withholding /some/ spoilers so I am not going to tell you is like like the MIB Flashie-thing.  Oh, wait.

I am at a point now where I feel if I continue, I will:

- give away too much

- convey an inaccurate picture of my assessment of the book

- drive away potential readers, or something like that.

I have a number of issues - technical ones - that are too big to ignore, but not big enough to ruin the book.  Here is an example: They have /lost/ the ability to write.  They can type, but not write.  And not just in the sense "gee, this would be so much easier to type and my handwriting will be hard to read" but in the "I know the words to a lost, forbidden poem. I cannot type them, because then the Morlocks will see it! If only there was a way I could put these words onto something!" sort of way. Now, I understand that this was a plot device to get some things done.  And for one thing, it is a real sense of rebellion to break such a serious rule as to learn something the the Society did not teach.  But seriously, they know how to draw, they /could/ just draw the characters.  It is little things like that that do not sit well with me - and not just in a not-how-I-would-have-done-it sort of way.

One thing that was not conveyed - or I missed it, or whatever - was a sense of scale.  Sometimes it feels like they talk in the scope of cities and boroughs, other times, it seems like towns and divisions, or states and countries.  It bugged me, but I am over it now.

All in all, a good book that I am happy to have read - and eagerly await the next part.  Now that the base is set, I am hoping book two will be more... substantial.  I think this book could easily become more popular most.  That does not sound right... I hypothetically score it 10 of 15, but would understand that the populous gives it more of a 12 to 13 of 15.

Book Report: Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

It has been a little while since I did a book report, and it looks like the last one may have been a ghost story as well. But these are nothing alike. AND, I suppose, because the book is NEW, this will be more of a review than other book reports I have done in the past.

So, What is it like?

There are a number of reviews out there on Texas Gothic, and a number of them... maybe /all/ talk about the hunky/hot/gorgeous cowboy, Ben, and the romantic tension between him and Amy.  Well, although I have a few "romantic" books like, and moreover, I like, in general, when a little romance is tangled in the overall story, but unlike what is implied in those reviews, the romance is so far sidelined, that it is tucked neatly away and does not intrude more than is should.  But more about that later - this is a ghost story.

The players:

Amaryllis Goodnight (Amy) - the "reluctant" hero

Delphinium Goodnight (Phin) - my personal fave, amusing sidekick, required techie nerd, and... well, you'll see.

Daisy Goodnight - 

Aunt Hyacinth Goodnight - albeit obliquely... by reputation... and phoned in from a cruise.

Uncle Burt, in his special way.

Ben McCulloch - the "hottie"

Old Man McCulloch

Deputy Kelly

Dr Douglas

Mark

Caitlin

And, of course,

Lila

Well, I do not want to give too much away, so I will stop there - but not without mentioning Taco and Gordita for good measure.

A bit about the mood of the book.  It was funny.  Not Terry Pratchett or Douglass Adams funny, but defiantly Janet Evanovich funny.  Actually, I see a number of similarities between Stephanie Plum and Amy Goodnight, but they may not be meaningful to discuss.  So, there is humor, and the previously mentioned romantic tension, supernatural mystery.

Setting:

In contemporary Texas, the Goodnight womenfolk are witches - kitchen witches, that is.  These are not your flames-shooting-from-the-wand - turn-you-into-a-newt sort of witches mind you.  The Goodnights use Earth/Nature magic, generally speaking. If their aroma therapy body wash works like magic, it is because it /is/ magic. That and talking to the dead is common among them. They are not all farmers and ranchers as such, but the vacationing Aunt Hyacinth is leaving the Goodnight Herb Farm, smack dab in the middle of Texas ranchland and good and gone from civilization and cellphone coverage, in the hands of Amaryllis & Delphinium ... and adventure ensues.

While the Goodnights are witches, Amy fancies herself more compatible with "normal" society, struggling to find sanity on both sides while buffering each from the other.  Her older sister Phin is about as opposite as could be possible, which is why they need each other so much. Technical to the core, the paranormal is more normal to her than the mundane and she is the supernatural equivalent of the proverbial absentminded professor. (On a personal note, Phin reminds me of the way my dad is with wildlife, but pay that no mind.) 

Enter Ben, the antagonistic hero. Bringer of tension and frustration... and one of the tools used by our heroin to out-wit the evildoers. So, no, he is not an antagonist from a plot perspective, just a character trait because Amy and the Goodnights are just one of those things standing between him and a normal life, or so he thinks. (My way of saying that he is a little bit of a jerk, even though he is a good guy.)

When Amy gets abruptly and reluctantly sucked into a quest, of sorts, everyone surrounding her is involved, like it or not, in their own way and see it (the obstacle, plot-wise speaking) coloured with their own objectives, frame of mind and way of thinking. Phin sees a scientific opportunity, Dr Douglas sees a roadblock between her team and a great archaeological discovery, Mark sees a mystery brewing, Ben is faced with a near insurmountable obstacle keeping him from efficiently managing a ranch and Lila is looking for some affection in return for a job well done. Amy and Ben, primarily, just want to have their lives turned back up-side-right so they can go on living in a normal, reasonable fashion. See? That is why they get along so well - they have the same goals. Hehehe.

The hot cowboys... it is summer, in Texas, on a ranch. Everyone is hot, no matter what they look like, right? So, here is the deal with the "romance" between Amy and Ben. They each find the other in the way. Each are struggling with what promises to be a pleasing distraction from conflict at hand, but they are each chin deep in their own path that they cannot see that they are indeed working for the same solution.

I compared Amy to Stephanie Plum, and there are other strong, leading characters that fall under this similarity as well. When I look at each of the character's traits individually, it seems that there is no way that anything is going to get solved. Collectively, however, when the character is forced to step back and reassess things from a different angle and leverage their full, collective talent base in ways that make them grow overall - defeat the greater odds - this is what makes them greater than the sum of their skills. The Hero Gestalt. Moreover with Amy and Stephanie, they manage to leverage other people as well to fill in the talent gaps. They see the good and value in the people around them and do not try an tackle it all on their own, but not in a whiny-come-rescue-me sort of way.  Well, not all the time anyway.

I do not think that I am giving too much away when I say that the way the plot unfolds, I kept wondering up until the dramatic end, what role the supernatural was playing in this quest; which hands were being dealt by magic, ghosts, or ill-willed muggles.

Clement-Moore's writing style is amazing. I read my fair share of YA books as well as adult fiction and this is a pleasing bridge between - subjects, voice and characters I can relate to and connect with; told in a beautify, meaningful way where the text does not get in the way, but rather envelopes me and carries me through the journey as though I am a part of it, not just a passenger.

Texas Gothic is a must read of the decade.

Take Care

LQ

The Eighth in the J&J series is posted

Hahaha... it is one of my favorite ones because the story gets moving. I mean, I have seven segments that are trying to introduce the major players, their relationships, and the bit about the twins that sets them apart. So, as this one gets moving along, so does the story.

The plot thickens. 009 will be more exciting. At least, I am excited for it.

Anywho, this latest installment is fairly sizable, so I will, with little further a due, put the link on here so ye all can just jump right to it.

But before you click, if you have not already, PLEASE start at 001. I mean, 001 - 007 (fun and exciting as they may be) are just to get us to the point where I can really take you into their world and make things happen.

The newest:
[J+J Series, No. 008: The Mall? Really?]

The rest:
[J&J Series, No. 001: First Day, Five Years]
[J+J Series, No. 002: A Blind Date]
[J+J Series, No. 003: Early Years 01:Meet the Class]
[J+J Series, No. 004: Early Years 02:Delivered Late]
[J+J Series, No. 005: Early Years 03:Dinner Interrupted]
[J+J Series, No. 006: Discoveries]
[J+J Series, No. 007: From the Journal]
[J+J Series, No. 008: The Mall? Really?]

Okay, there is the SciFi one that has kinda been on hiatus for too long, but it needs to hold on a little longer while the J&J series gets a little more attention because I am not really at a stopping point. Write while the whiting flows, eh?

Anywho, someone asked me where this is going, you know? Like, in the end of it all. There is a possibility that I may try and take all these pieces and edit them down, mash them together into one, like, book. I suppose that really is where my mind wants to take this.

So, Take Care-
LQ

It is Friday and I am not sure how I feel about that

This update may take me a while to get posted, but I will leave it up here until I am good and ready to post it.

This week has really gone my fast. Too fast, one may say.

The Linux Mint servers were having issues from being overloaded. I am happy that they are getting that popular... in a way.

Maybe I should go back to looking for a nice, quiet, unpopular distribution... maybe I should stick with Mint. It is great, but I am never one to go with the flow, as it were.

Rice. Sure, it's rice - who expects it to _not_ be boring. But hey, seasoned right, it is very flexible. And, dried, it stores well all winter, so, you know, no point in being down about it, eh?

I watched the film they made of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones and...
I think they did a good job. I am not goring to do a side-by-side breakdown. I have given up on trying to do that because it never ends well for the film. Maybe an exception or two. Now, books made from films? That is a whole other issue all together.
Back to the point, I really think that - for a conversion - the stripped down film made a lot of sense. Yeah, I think there was a point or two missing... but those missing points are mostly Mrs. Sebold's issues/hangups. It was tidied up nicely for the movie-going audience.

Never Let Me Go, when it comes out, I am not likely going to be so kind about. In fact, I think I am going to re-read it over the holidays so it is all fresh. It has been even longer since I read Ishiguro than Sebold. This was an incredible book. Depressing, yes, but incredible.

Now, I have no idea if there are plans or not, but I think Peter Jackson could do a good job bringing Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series to film... seeing as how Hollywood has thrown in the towel on original film concepts. (Did I spell Westerfeld right? lemme look that up... Nope. Better go back and fix that. Done. Now no one will know.)

I did a thing a while back about songs that, given a more developed story, could make a really good film. Some may be more like a Sundance festival short, other maybe like a full fledged motion picture, but hey... interesting plot nonetheless.
I am listening to Yaz (or Yazoo, for those of you across the pond) while writing this. It feels good.

Earlier, I was listening to Cherry Poppin' Daddies:
"You gotta move fast to beat the devil
Your arm is too short to box with G__"
I feel like that some days... stuck between anything and everything with no recourse and no wall to put my back against. It really wears me out sometimes.

Oh, I am doing better now, I suppose. Sometimes when you are lying down at the bottom of the well, the only thing to do is be still and hope the kicking is over with soon.

So, this is supposed to be the month for writing, right? It is bugging me that I have not been able to put anything down, you know? And Mum will be here Wednesday. It feels like it may as well be tomorrow. I am not ready to deal with family again. Maybe I just want Dad all to myself for the holidays. Yeah, that is bad of me to think like that, but then, I have even worse thoughts, so, oh well. The point of that was to say that starting with Mum on Wed,family will be coming and between getting ready, and then them being here, I doubt I will get anything finished enough to post. :bummer:

This is getting long-ish and has touched on a number of subjects without being very meaningful to any of them, so I suppose it is time to wrap this up.

Take Care-
LQ

A Friday instalment

I do not know if I am going to start, like, keeping a "Friday Blog" or anything like that to sum up my week or whatever, but I thought I ought to get some things out of my head.

-I have been giving some thought to a couple of possible Top Fifteen lists to work on. 

-Someone asked me if I have read any good books lately.  No.  Some okay books? yeah.

-If you want to look at some of the stuff I have read, check out my Shelfari (down there on the right).  There is another "lets talk about what we are reading" site that looks good, but I have already kinda set myself up here and have no real reason to leave.  One of the things about the site is you can ask other people if they should read this book or that.  So, someone had asked if they should read this one book.  I liked the book.  It had more ... graphic ... descriptions of sex than I had read from that particular author, but I took it all in stride.  I had read worse.  (I mean better... I mean - nevermind.) So I am looking through this person's bookshelf.

    1 - I was not really "old enough" for that level of detail myself when I read it. (I am still not, if you ask me, but that is not stopping me. hehehe)

    2 - It was unexpected based on other things I had read from the author

    3 - This person has not, from what I can tell, read anything with this kind of explicit description

    4 - This person has read some of the other books by this author that I had read, thus causing the surprise

Now, I had read some adult books by some adult authors.  Moreover, I have read adult romance books by adult romance writers.  But this is kind of like... author crossover.  It is not a "romance novel" but it is about more of the "grown-up" coming of age subjects and the choices made by young adults with no vagueness about some of the decisions made.

Now, looking at some other books. Lets just say a random fiction book.  Not from the YA section, not from the NC-17 section - just a book.  

    1 - Two adults, unmarried, unattached, there is a good chance that they will have sex.

    2 - This may be implied or explicit.

    3 - This may or may not be integral to the plot.

I asked Dad once, in one of those times where I took advantage of the open-door "if you ever have questions, pleas come to me" standard, ... Let me start that over for clarity.  I asked Dad, "If grown-ups just have sex when there is nothin better to do, what is the big fuss over the proverbial wearing white for the wedding?"  After he recovered from shock, he said that it does not always happen like that. Of course, then he wanted to know what I had been reading, so I told him.  He was like, "Oh, yeah... umm..." because he had just taken it all in stride when he had read them.

So, how do I say, "Hey, yeah, the book was funny and fun and well written, but fast forward through pages 120,122 and 286?"  I have no idea if this person it ten, twenty, or.... idk.  Do I assume that I am none the worse for it and say "Go for it!" Or do I say, "Wait until you are older, for mercy's sake!"  Or do I go into, "Well now, I am not sure about your reading experience, but..."  I really do not want to even bring it up because, like, for me, that was not what the book was about and I do not want to give the impression that the book is cover to cover trash talk.  It wasn't.  It was good. (Not that these are mutually exclusive.) Yeah, if you made a film of the book, there would have to be creative camera angles to keep it only "r" rated.  maybe pg-13 or whatever with edits.  But what if this person is just ...

IF, there were some other books in her lib that had scenes like this, I would say "yeah" and not even think about bring up the "special" parts.

I suppose the root of this is that I kinda mentally blow by things in books, that kinda freak me out when I have to think about them.

Anywho-

Take Care,

LQ

Pirate Latitudes: A Novel by Michael Crichton

• Rated 4 of 5 stars

“Of course I am going to say that the book is really good. I mean, it is. But here is the thing: It has great twists that I have failed to see so well laid out in other stories. The threads are there, but I find myself thinking, "I am only a quarter through the novel, and other books would have stopped here."

What I mean is, certain elements (that I will not specify to avoid spoilage) are wrapped up in good, logical fashion rather than being drawn out for the grand finally at the end. Yet, the twists are not random, out-of-the-blue, slap-you-in-the-face introductions of new conflict. The seeds of each turn are very well placed.

And excellent read, and I do not like pirates, boats, water, etc., so that is really saying something.”

... as posted on Shelfari 

This morning's dream.

Dream:
This was, so, like... well... unhappy-making.
I am reading Pirate Latitude.  That is not part of the dream, I really am.
So, as some know, I already have this thing about water - a phobia, if you will.

Well, so, I dreamed I was aboard the Cassandra (If you have not read the book, sorry.  This will not spoil anything about the book.) but not like part of the crew or anything.  I was just there, but no one could see/hear me.  It got worse.  The dream was not really like the book, except for the setting (pirates, Caribbean) and some names. Thanks to a storm, we were damaged and just floating,  lost all the sails.  The rations were tight and no one seemed to know I was there and I could not get any food or water.  This went on and I found that I could not open any doors or anything - like I was a ghost and my hands passed through - but I could not just _walk_ through.  I was trapped on deck, in the sun and heat with no food or water.  I could not stand any more and way laying on the deck and the ship (it had been taking on water since the storm) started to go down.  The crew abandoned and I was impotently calling for help.  I could not move any more and it was like I was stuck to the deck. they were all gone and I was completely alone as the water started to come over the sides.  I was laying there for hours with the water slowly creeping up my sides and occasional waves washing over my sunburned face, salt stinging my cracked skin.  Then I was choking for breath and the waves were too frequently washing over my nose and mouth.  That seemed to go on for hours before I woke up.

I do not know if I will be able to finish the book now.  :(

Ugh.  Oh, well.  But I will try again later.

Take Care-
LQ

Book Report: Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon

Book Report:
===================================================
Trading in Danger by Elizabeth Moon
Pseudo military, pseudo sci-fi adventure thriller hurls Kylara Vatta into predicaments that would challenge the most seasoned of trade veterans. But a novice space freight captain, Ky must prove herself apt in matters of business, trading, hostage negotiation, public relations, finance and military intelligence on an off the charts voyage past the brink of civilized somethingorother.

Protagonists:
--Kylara "Ky" Vatta
--Glennys Jones (Her ship)
--The crew of the Glennys Jones
--The infamous aunt's fruitcake
Antagonists:
--Fate/luck/karma
--herself
--kinda kidding about that... read on.

There is a vague ruse plot device to get Ky kicked out of military academy sufficient for us, the audience, to have nothing to hold against her while understanding that the bridge is burned and that path is over. It also creates a reasonable justification for her to be set out on her assignment.
Ky is the only daughter of the reining generation of the Vatta space trading dynasty. She shocks the family by NOT wanting to pursue the family business, but with all of the older mails in the family, we feel no need to hold that against her. Her expulsion from academy, again is more embarrassing than truly damaging so she holds to her "can do no wrong" image thus far.
In all fairness, her actions are all reasonable and believable. Se behaves sensibly for a person with her background and with careful consideration of the thoughts and motives of the key players in the big picture.
There are times when she is, for lack of a better word, blind-sided by events and whatnot, although these things only happened within the scope of the known unknown. That is... I know this will be a problem, but I know I cannot predict what kind of problem so I just need to be ready for whatever.
Except where boys are concerned. The motivators of the male mind are enigmatic to her because the does not consider that the M/F thing is a factor to them.
Ky is portrayed with, in my opinion, a reasonable image of self which is often lacking in female protagonists. "How so?" Well, in a lot of 'girl books' they often either undervalue their own physical appearance because they run around "gee, I don't understand why ALLLLL the guys are falling over themselves around me." listen up... if the guy does not know you, but is paying you "that much" attention, then 1) you are so hot that he abandon's better judgment to try and get in your pants, or 2) is under the impression that you are so easy that he abandon's better judgment to try and get in your pants when in all reality, it is most likely C) get over yourself... he does that to everyone; you are not that special.
OR, they have a skewed assessment of their ability. Ky is not like Mrs Granger "Oh, mercy me! That is so much harder than I can do! I couldn't possibly live up to that!" then presto - without breaking a sweat - the universe is saved. "Oh, Yippie Yippie! I did it! Everybody look at me!"
So I forgive the way some things work out a little on the convenient side because it is believable that people want to help her. (Obvious McCaffery influences here.)
So There you have Ky.
I love her ship. It is not presented with character, but I read a bit into it. (Mercy - I used the word 'love'. I thing that was the second time this week. I better watch myself.) More on that later.
Okay, so Mama Vatta wants her only daughter to be all domestic and maternal and - well - just so, you know? Pappa Vatta, with a bunch of sons leading the way, understands the little rebel in her.
So, she has to take an old, outdated, no-can-upgrade-to-corporate-standard ship from their home world, to be decommissioned and sold for scrap. While it is going that way anyway, the send it out full of cargo with destinations along the way. (Never missing a good business opportunity is a recurring thing in here - but in a good way.) So, after her first stop, and thus clearing a little room in her hold, She gets another opportunity. Eager to 'do good' and prove herself capable, she takes the job to 1) make a little money, 2) promote the company name and image (because this is like really playing a bit of a hero taking a job no one else will) 3) Assert her command a little.
No, I am not going into the whole story here but...
It is not a simple as it should be. Company A is buying from B but is not paying until delivery, so transport V has to front the money. Captain K is showing she is a big girl and not just playing with "daddy's money" (there is some risk, after all) (and she is afraid of him refusing to let her deviate from the scheduled itinerary) so she is funding this herself and doing it as an "independent". Naturally, this one, simple, and reasonable, little detail creates more than the expected amount of havoc.
She gets bystander'd into a civil war; a mercenary, uhm, raid(?) (So, what exactly were they doing there?) and a tangle with the space-age-whatever-year-this-is equivalent of Ma Bell. (Firefly influence, me thinketh.)
This was a really good read. I hope to pick up the next one before long.

If you made it this far - thanks. If not, well, thanks for trying.

Book Report: Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris

Book Report:
===================================================
Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris
In this psychotic ghost story, Harris spins a tale from the prospective of each of the 4 primary messed up pro/antagonists.  It takes place in what I would described as a nebulous of time around the waning of the Victorian era in the industrializing London.

-Henry Chester
-Effilia (Effi) Chester/Martha
-Fanny Miller
-Moses Harper

Henry is disturbed old man with Oedipal haunts that set in motion the destruction of the lives of everyone around him.
Effi is his wife and his lover, but he does not know they are the same person.
Henry issues probably began from a precocious adolescent slant on the preachings of his Oxford minister father.  This may be most apparent in the metaphoric narration he provides of his life.  He is insanely melodramatic in the most mundane of events.  Like me.  Just kidding.
It is never clear who we are as the reader/audience because while the voice changes as if we are listening to each person's personal account of the events, it is not possible for the tale to have been told in the time line presented.  That is, the story tellers, by nature of the events in the story, cannot be where they were, when they were, to have told the story in the manor in which it was delivered.  It is like this... If each person sat down at a particular point in time with an interviewer, and then, many years later when all of the interviews were collected, they were edited into an interlaced time line of the combined events, who would we be as the reader?  It is okay, but I kept waiting to find out who I was and what these otherwise trivial people were to me.
So, back to the story...
Henry, despite have a minister for a father, is independently wealthy.  Either his father was crooked, or was independently wealthy himself and was indeed a pious man and able to pass everything on to Henry.  Henry was a painter, but apparently not really very good.  He had a Nabokovian proclivity for little girls.  In his sick and twisted way, he grooms a young model of his from when she is 10 until she it 17 and marries her.
So, we hear from Effi and her tortuous relationship with Mr. Chester as she is required to address him.  Once it is apparent that she may actually enjoy the marital, obligatory, procreative act, she falls out of favor with Henry.  Did I mention he was nuts?  So he gets her hooked on opiates; laudanum, cheaper in fact than gin.  Chloral is his personal drug of choice.
Moses Harper is an opportunistic ladies man.  He was the most - accidental - of everyone here and I kinda feel the most sorry for him.  Sure, he seduces poor, frail little Effi, and has a sorted history with the brothel manager Fanny.
Fanny Miller is the true orchestrator of the major events and when things do not go her way, she manages to skip out "scott free" if you will.  She always had her own agenda.  As the audience, I was never really sure how I was supposed to feel about her. 
Henry and Effi were miserable, each in their own way.  Their misery wend down hill.  Mose, as he was called, dragged into the whole thing, and [i]could[/i] have come out of everything quite pleased, but it would not have been what he wanted and I think the orchestrator new this and planned a degree of comeuppance for him all along.  And Fanny basically ended where she began, except she got to dole out two serious helpings of comeuppance.
Ghost story?  Yeah... I do not want to give everything away.

The story over all is dark and "Gothic" I suppose and it really sucked me in, but I saw the let down from far off enough to be let down gently.

I am giving it a score of nine out of fifteen.  Good imagery, but penalties for overuse of the word 'capering.'

Shelfari = Cool

Hey, I just found this Shelfari widgit.  It is cool.  I mean, I like reading, and I like letting people know what I think if what I have read. 
I have my faveourite authors, right? And so a lot if these her on my shelf today are books I "plan to read" because of who wrote them.

Yeah, I like scifi and fantacy.  I like some "chick flick" books and there are a lot more I need to put on my shelf.
Goodness, yeah... a lot more, now that I think about it.  These on here were just some of my fave authors. 

So, I will be updating what info I have on my books there, and adding in more that I have read.  I figure this will take a while.


I have some "book reports" saved on google-docs.  I should post them too.

Take Care!
LQ