Thanksgiving, 2016
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Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
Witches and magic–what could go wrong? I read this mostly out of curiosity–who can resist anything connected to the phenomenal story and movie, The Wizard of Oz. It’s the prequel, by an entirely different author, of course, but Maguire is a very good writer–and if you think you can skim through this book with the brain power of watching the movie, you’re going to miss…
Skeptical of Skeptic Magazine
Ever hear of Skeptic Magazine? I browse it once in a while, and most of the articles have good logic. But a couple of times I have found articles that made fun of global warming skeptics. I thought, how odd, that a mag that specializes in being skeptical of popular dogma would NOT be skeptical. Then I read this article and felt better. It also…
Scenic Route, movie review
Wow, this one caught me by surprise. Two friends take a drive through the desert and their lives will never be the same again–literally. They get into an argument from hell, and just when you think you’ve got things figured out… Freebie on Netflix.
Inhale, movie review
Another Netflix surprise. There are no big names in this movie (Rosanna Arquette does appear), but the plot makes up for it. It’s about a father who is desperate to save his little girl, who needs a lung transplant. Knowing that she doesn’t have much time, he frantically chases down a lead that takes him to Mexico. Then to some bad guys. Then to the…
The Perfect Host, movie review
This is a real sleeper that caught me totally by surprise. It starts off slow, with a guy who has just committed a robbery, and is looking for a place to hide out (he’s on foot). He searches a house’s mailbox and finds a postcard from “Julia.” He uses that bit of information to fool the occupant of the house (David Hyde Pierce, from Frasier)…
The Remaining, by D.J. Molles
This is the story that would have made the TV series Walking Dead a fantastic show. The book and the show are similar in taking place after a virus turns most of the world’s population into zombies (or something similar). The difference is that the book has much more character development, and a plot that you can follow. The TV series seems too much like…
Looking for a Dynamite B&B?
I’ve been looking for years. A B&B in the Blue Ridge or Appalachian Mountains that had a view looking down into a valley. I’ve found B&B’s in the mountains, but with no view. I’ve found them in a valley looking up at the mountains. But nothing like I wanted. But finally, I’ve found it–The Inn at River Bend. There are two levels, and each level opens to…
Seventh Son, by Orson Scott Card
This is a a western epic, with some fantasy thrown in. It takes place in the mid 1800’s, starting with a family traveling west in a covered wagon, pregnant woman inside. They almost meet tragedy when they try to cross a river, and a floating tree almost sweeps away the wagon. The oldest son saves the wagon, but drowns. And immediately, after, Alvin Maker, the seventh son of…
Divergent–movie review
The movie is based on the first book of a trilogy, written by Veronica Roth. It follows the book very closely, and that’s a good thing. Shailene Woodley plays Tris, the heroine,to a tee. Just like I imagined her. The story reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games. A young, naive girl, is put into a life challenging situation, and has to use her skill and…
Horns, by Joe Hill
Another winner by Joe Hill. It starts out as a horror story, when the main character, Ig, wakes up with a hangover and discovers that he has horns growing out of his forehead. And he now has the power to read people’s minds, if he touches them. And the thoughts he reads can be extremely upsetting. Enough so that he sends his grandmother rolling down…