BOOK WHORE
It's Raining Men by Naomi Rand
I grabbed this novel because of the title and how campy it would be to have... Its been a long time since I have read a modern day mystery and this book would not drive me back to that habit.
There is nothing wrong with the novel--it's part of a series and the lead character of Emma Price is enjoyable to an extent, the idea of including her children in the story adds a sense of realism and makes her different from other detectives but I found her POV kind of lacking.
The main mystery did little for me--though the fact that it was her friend as the victim and her a possible second target--because I felt the story didn't really add up by the end of the day. I was confused by two characters who were very similar in their use in the story, didn't see how the facts added up the way the story claimed and just found it all to be very stunted and forced.
It's sad because I think I would have liked the novel if the story had just been a bit more polished but it is what it is.
3 stars for an interesting character as the lead but the rest lost me.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
How I Want To Live
Goals Goals Goals
So I wrote awhile back about how Johnno and I were going to work on goals of being more social, getting out more away from the Dollhouse and the bar scene... Just try to develop more socially and within our relationship as well--a lofty goal.
We spent Friday night out at a bar for our friend's birthday--somewhere new and the first time the whole gang had been together in awhile. We had fun catching up with people, drinks were shared and for the most part a pleasant evening. But when we came home both Johnno and I talked about how we felt disconnected at points--I know for me it has to do with the social anxiety that comes from not smoking--which rubbed off on him.
This led to us both talking about want to work on the social life more--trying again to do more than just work, work out, drink at bars then repeat the cycle. There is not wrong with most of these things but we need to add something more to the mix.
Which led to one of the best weekends in a long time...
We spent it thrift shopping and dropping off clothes to donate, a nice simple vegan dinner out just us, a bit of catching up over cocktails at our local gay bar.... We spent Sunday out at the LA Festival of Books just seeing what people put out, we held hands in the park listening to poetry, wander the tables to see what new things were out for writers... We spend the remainder of the night at Dominic's house for dinner with a small handful of people--people who I hadn't spent much time with lately and was eager to catch up with... It was nice to have the small moments and build up new memories.
I think that has been my concern--that things have been blending together recently and I am trying to work more on being special... Within myself and my relationships with other people. It's a bit of effort but very much worth it!!!
So I wrote awhile back about how Johnno and I were going to work on goals of being more social, getting out more away from the Dollhouse and the bar scene... Just try to develop more socially and within our relationship as well--a lofty goal.
We spent Friday night out at a bar for our friend's birthday--somewhere new and the first time the whole gang had been together in awhile. We had fun catching up with people, drinks were shared and for the most part a pleasant evening. But when we came home both Johnno and I talked about how we felt disconnected at points--I know for me it has to do with the social anxiety that comes from not smoking--which rubbed off on him.
This led to us both talking about want to work on the social life more--trying again to do more than just work, work out, drink at bars then repeat the cycle. There is not wrong with most of these things but we need to add something more to the mix.
Which led to one of the best weekends in a long time...
We spent it thrift shopping and dropping off clothes to donate, a nice simple vegan dinner out just us, a bit of catching up over cocktails at our local gay bar.... We spent Sunday out at the LA Festival of Books just seeing what people put out, we held hands in the park listening to poetry, wander the tables to see what new things were out for writers... We spend the remainder of the night at Dominic's house for dinner with a small handful of people--people who I hadn't spent much time with lately and was eager to catch up with... It was nice to have the small moments and build up new memories.
I think that has been my concern--that things have been blending together recently and I am trying to work more on being special... Within myself and my relationships with other people. It's a bit of effort but very much worth it!!!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The Number Escapes Me
Two Plus Weeks
So I fell off the non-smoking wagon a bit back due to various reasons but the biggest being I didn't really want to quit so I just made excuses... Lots of excuses... But now I am finally on track and feeling so proud of myself--I think the fake cigarette helps with the social anxiety aspect while the patches keep the cravings for nicotine away....
But the biggest part that has helped me with this is my job. Oddly enough I started to realize that who I was becoming during detox from the nicotine--the moody, mean, and messy bitch--was so similar to the people I watch for my show. Junkies coming off heroin, all that pain and misery, who then go back to using and put themselves through the cycle again... Which only hurts the people they love, makes they sick and wastes everyone's time.
I was doing the same thing
And once I realized that I was putting Johnno, my co-workers and sometimes my roommates through that cycle I made the decision to stop. To stop hurting them and myself by doing the same thing when I know I am smart enough to change.
Which really did change everything. Guess it is true what they say--you cannot quit until ready.
So I fell off the non-smoking wagon a bit back due to various reasons but the biggest being I didn't really want to quit so I just made excuses... Lots of excuses... But now I am finally on track and feeling so proud of myself--I think the fake cigarette helps with the social anxiety aspect while the patches keep the cravings for nicotine away....
But the biggest part that has helped me with this is my job. Oddly enough I started to realize that who I was becoming during detox from the nicotine--the moody, mean, and messy bitch--was so similar to the people I watch for my show. Junkies coming off heroin, all that pain and misery, who then go back to using and put themselves through the cycle again... Which only hurts the people they love, makes they sick and wastes everyone's time.
I was doing the same thing
And once I realized that I was putting Johnno, my co-workers and sometimes my roommates through that cycle I made the decision to stop. To stop hurting them and myself by doing the same thing when I know I am smart enough to change.
Which really did change everything. Guess it is true what they say--you cannot quit until ready.
Monday, April 22, 2013
General Nerdom
50 Years and Still Kicking It
So "General Hospital" just celebrated 50 years on the air--50 years is a long time and one they filled with some of my favorite moments ever... Television moments like Dawn and Decker solving the carousel murder mystery and falling in love, Sonny/Brenda/Jax triangle which was all about passion versus love/security versus danger, Dominique's brave battle with cancer while Lucy carried her baby as a friend, Gia the black supermodel and face of Deception, Jason and Robin in love and fighting the mob and AIDS, and sweet poor murdered Georgie Jones...
Some great stuff there--but this doesn't include my favorite moment in the show's history... BJ's death and Maxie gets her heart.... I cannot begin to explain how much the story of one child's death and the gift of organ donation effected me as a child. I swear that is how I became a donor card member myself. And watching the fallout from the story--from Tony and Bobbie losing BJ, to Felicia's breakdown at her niece's death which would allow her daughter to live, from Mac bravely tracking down Frisco and even sweet Lucas sending balloons up to heaven...
It still makes me teary
Obviously I love this show. So I was beyond excited when Joy told me the cast would be doing a panel at the Paley Center of Television... We quickly rounded up Valeska and decided we would all make a day of it--and it was amazing. we were able to be in a room with various cast members from Luke & Laura, Anna, Maxie, Carly, Sonny and others--totally worth the adventure and with plenty of pictures.
Here was the panel--it really doesn't capture how close we were to the stage but we able to see the scary plastic surgery of some of the cast--which wasn't as much as you would think. They were very fun and gracious with all the crazy fans even during the weird Q&A. And no--we did not ask any questions simply because I think we were more amused by how they were handling the crazies themselves
Afterwards the cast took pictures with the audience
which was really cool but rather odd... But the best was that we were able to get a super nerdier moment with Laura (AKA Genie Francis) real life husband. You might say this was the Number 1 part
Yes--the one and only Riker from Star Trek: Next Generation was there to support his wife. I think we surprised him by recognizing him but he was quite sweet and allow a picture or two to happen during the end of the Q&A. Of course the phrase Number One would continue to come into effect
I really had to pee during the Q&A and hustled down to the mens bathroom after we finished with the panel... Turns out this is the best place to go for this type of thing. I was using the urinal when I suddenly realized I was not alone--and I knew this person.
That's right... I peed next to Luke Spencer--the biggest name in male soap characters of all time. And no I did not look or even say much more than hello... I figured that would be pushing it--but I was in shock the whole time.
It was an amazing evening and I owe the whole thing (and these pictures) to my friends Joy and Valeska... What a great evening...
(What made it better though was when we came back past the theater a few hours later, saw the actress who played Carly still stuck outside of the Paley Center which was long closed... I think we might have freaked her out by saying hello...and then we were able to meet the head writer of the show and his assistant..... They even honked and waved to us as they left which made it more surreal)
Amazing
So "General Hospital" just celebrated 50 years on the air--50 years is a long time and one they filled with some of my favorite moments ever... Television moments like Dawn and Decker solving the carousel murder mystery and falling in love, Sonny/Brenda/Jax triangle which was all about passion versus love/security versus danger, Dominique's brave battle with cancer while Lucy carried her baby as a friend, Gia the black supermodel and face of Deception, Jason and Robin in love and fighting the mob and AIDS, and sweet poor murdered Georgie Jones...
Some great stuff there--but this doesn't include my favorite moment in the show's history... BJ's death and Maxie gets her heart.... I cannot begin to explain how much the story of one child's death and the gift of organ donation effected me as a child. I swear that is how I became a donor card member myself. And watching the fallout from the story--from Tony and Bobbie losing BJ, to Felicia's breakdown at her niece's death which would allow her daughter to live, from Mac bravely tracking down Frisco and even sweet Lucas sending balloons up to heaven...
It still makes me teary
Obviously I love this show. So I was beyond excited when Joy told me the cast would be doing a panel at the Paley Center of Television... We quickly rounded up Valeska and decided we would all make a day of it--and it was amazing. we were able to be in a room with various cast members from Luke & Laura, Anna, Maxie, Carly, Sonny and others--totally worth the adventure and with plenty of pictures.
Afterwards the cast took pictures with the audience
which was really cool but rather odd... But the best was that we were able to get a super nerdier moment with Laura (AKA Genie Francis) real life husband. You might say this was the Number 1 part
Yes--the one and only Riker from Star Trek: Next Generation was there to support his wife. I think we surprised him by recognizing him but he was quite sweet and allow a picture or two to happen during the end of the Q&A. Of course the phrase Number One would continue to come into effect
I really had to pee during the Q&A and hustled down to the mens bathroom after we finished with the panel... Turns out this is the best place to go for this type of thing. I was using the urinal when I suddenly realized I was not alone--and I knew this person.
That's right... I peed next to Luke Spencer--the biggest name in male soap characters of all time. And no I did not look or even say much more than hello... I figured that would be pushing it--but I was in shock the whole time.
It was an amazing evening and I owe the whole thing (and these pictures) to my friends Joy and Valeska... What a great evening...
(What made it better though was when we came back past the theater a few hours later, saw the actress who played Carly still stuck outside of the Paley Center which was long closed... I think we might have freaked her out by saying hello...and then we were able to meet the head writer of the show and his assistant..... They even honked and waved to us as they left which made it more surreal)
Amazing
Sunday, April 21, 2013
BOOK WHORE
BOOK WHORE
Baby Be-Bop by Francesca Lia Block
Francesca Lia Block is one of my favorite writers of all time--not just as a young adult or children's author but of all genres. She write in a style that is thickly descriptive, flavored for all of the sense and filled with a sense of innocence with darkness of reality twisted in.
It was actually with Block how I figured out why I liked the young adult genre so much--when it comes to most "adult" novels--outside the genres of romance or horror or mystery--there is a world weariness that usually drapes over the characters. The idea of hope and the art of questioning has usually left the story whereas even with the darkest young adult novel there is a sense of hope or idea of time to come and change things. That's something I definitely lock into.
That said--Baby Be-Bop is the 5th book in the Weetzie Bat series but could simply stand on it's own two feet as a single novel. It tells the story Dirk McDonald growing up in a timeless--though 80s in the series timeline--Los Angeles and figuring out who he is, what he wants and how it fits into the history of his family. There are touches of magic and the punk rock scene, dark thoughts and history played off the magic of first love and desire and something very adult in how this is all pursued.
It is the type of book I wish I could write because it blends so much in with such little effort. It seems like a simple story with a simple goal but it is more about the world and becoming an adult than one would imagine.
Four stars
Baby Be-Bop by Francesca Lia Block
Francesca Lia Block is one of my favorite writers of all time--not just as a young adult or children's author but of all genres. She write in a style that is thickly descriptive, flavored for all of the sense and filled with a sense of innocence with darkness of reality twisted in.
It was actually with Block how I figured out why I liked the young adult genre so much--when it comes to most "adult" novels--outside the genres of romance or horror or mystery--there is a world weariness that usually drapes over the characters. The idea of hope and the art of questioning has usually left the story whereas even with the darkest young adult novel there is a sense of hope or idea of time to come and change things. That's something I definitely lock into.
That said--Baby Be-Bop is the 5th book in the Weetzie Bat series but could simply stand on it's own two feet as a single novel. It tells the story Dirk McDonald growing up in a timeless--though 80s in the series timeline--Los Angeles and figuring out who he is, what he wants and how it fits into the history of his family. There are touches of magic and the punk rock scene, dark thoughts and history played off the magic of first love and desire and something very adult in how this is all pursued.
It is the type of book I wish I could write because it blends so much in with such little effort. It seems like a simple story with a simple goal but it is more about the world and becoming an adult than one would imagine.
Four stars
Friday, April 19, 2013
Just Being Rory
Just Putting You On Notice
Seriously people--its how I live... And I am making this face in the back of my head constantly!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
BOOK WHORE
BOOK WHORE
A Fool for Love--a Biography of F Scott Fitzgerald by Scott Donaldson
I have always been a little obsessed with F Scott Fitzgerald and stumbled across this book while searching out titles for the upcoming wedding. I wasn't sure how dry the biography would be but figured I would at least give it a shot--well worth the effort.
The story is not broken down in a traditional time frame but rather by the spheres of influence in Fitzgerald's life. Sure it begins with childhood and family but also explores the importance of Princeton University and how that shaped him, how his various love interests reflected on his psyche and defined his characters, his love/hate relationship with social status as well as life long struggle with alcohol.
Of course it also spends time on Zelda and their relationship together and apart but also sends a suitable amount of time on his daughter Scottie and how his flaws and favors pressed down upon her as well. It also spends time really talking about his life in Hollywood which is something that seems to be forgotten by most followers.
Smart, clean, in-depth and overreaching at points--much like the man himself. Worth the effort to track this down if you enjoy his books.
Four stars
A Fool for Love--a Biography of F Scott Fitzgerald by Scott Donaldson
I have always been a little obsessed with F Scott Fitzgerald and stumbled across this book while searching out titles for the upcoming wedding. I wasn't sure how dry the biography would be but figured I would at least give it a shot--well worth the effort.
The story is not broken down in a traditional time frame but rather by the spheres of influence in Fitzgerald's life. Sure it begins with childhood and family but also explores the importance of Princeton University and how that shaped him, how his various love interests reflected on his psyche and defined his characters, his love/hate relationship with social status as well as life long struggle with alcohol.
Of course it also spends time on Zelda and their relationship together and apart but also sends a suitable amount of time on his daughter Scottie and how his flaws and favors pressed down upon her as well. It also spends time really talking about his life in Hollywood which is something that seems to be forgotten by most followers.
Smart, clean, in-depth and overreaching at points--much like the man himself. Worth the effort to track this down if you enjoy his books.
Four stars
Sunday, April 07, 2013
BOOK WHORE
BOOK WHORE
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
"I recently reread this book just because and totally remembered what was so amazing about the story. Harper Lee uses a slight dialogue and prose style to create a truly classic American story about small town life, the ideals and cost of justice and what it means to belong with in society--as a neighbor, a sibling, and a friend. I know this is required reading in most schools but is worth revisiting as an adult to see what an economy of words can do and how even a simple story focused on children can teach adults about the world."
Five stars
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
"I recently reread this book just because and totally remembered what was so amazing about the story. Harper Lee uses a slight dialogue and prose style to create a truly classic American story about small town life, the ideals and cost of justice and what it means to belong with in society--as a neighbor, a sibling, and a friend. I know this is required reading in most schools but is worth revisiting as an adult to see what an economy of words can do and how even a simple story focused on children can teach adults about the world."
Five stars
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)