Movie Review: Ladies in Lavender

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED MOVIE -- REVIEW TO COME

Movie Review: In Her Shoes

Loved this movie! Review to come

Book Review: The Madonnas of Leningrad

TITLE/AUTHOR: The MADONNAS OF LENINGRAD by Debra Dean RATING: 5/A GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Fiction/April 2006/228 pages TIME/PLACE: WWII Russia/Present Day San Juan Islands and Seattle CHARACTERS: Marina, Dimitri and their family COMMENTS: What a magnificent read this was! I am resisting the urge to start reading it again right away only because I have so many on my nightstand that I want to read. But this will be one to be read again sooner than later. I found myself spending so much time looking upthe works of art mentioned in the book and the Hermitage Museumwebsite itself - http://www.heritagemuseum.org/ that it took much longer thanit should have to read this 228 page book. It is so beautifully written I found myself reading passages over and over again and marking pages with any scrap of paperI had handy. I see it was tied for #1 Booksense pick for April. A pretty good hallmark of an excellent read. This is an amazing story of a woman with Alzheimer's disease, so many times described as "the long goodbye" and most notable in the following passage, "She is leaving him, not all at once, which would be painful enough, but in a wrenching succession of separations. One moment she is here, and then she is gone again, and each journey takes her a little farther from his reach. He cannot follow her, and he wonders where she goes when she leaves." The only thing a bit off-putting was the naming of an island in theSan Juans "Drake" island when there is no such island (when the author uses so many other real places) but I believe it was actually San Juan Island where I have visited many times, most recently last August.That is such a small quibble. This is such an outstanding book. I only regret I can't afford to buy one to give to everyone I know.

Movie Review: The Boys and Girl from County Clare

Movie #15 The Boys and Girl from County Clare
Category: Drama/Comedy
Rating: B+
Where Seen: Home
Reason for Viewing: Sounded good; felt like a visit back to County Clare and listening to some Irish music
Movie from: Netflix
Setting: 1970s Ireland
BRIEF SYNOPSIS: Brothers, long estranged, meet up after many years at an Irish music festival. Each tries to thwart the others chances at success. There is a romance between Anne, the young fiddle player from the one brother’s band and one of the members of the feuding brother’s band. A romance that is frowned upon by Anne’s mother who has raised her on her own after the disappearance of Anne’s father – a mystery which will also be solved during the movie.
COMMENTS: This was quite an enjoyable movie. The music was great and the setting one of particular interest – although I did find that it was not filmed in County Clare at all but Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man! The movie was produced by Ellen Little whose company was involved with two other favorites of mine, The Secret of Roan Inish and the Waking of Ned Devine and this movie does have some of the flavor of the latter to it. I am a fan of small independent movies – sweet movies that have not had a huge box office success and are more likely to be told of through word of mouth than a trailer on TV or at the movies. I admit that this one caught my eye because of the title and I do recommend it to those who like similar films. If you’re looking for a big blockbuster with a lot of action, you won’t find it here. But if you want a story of relationships and some good Irish music, I recommend you give this one a try.

Book Review: But Enough About Me

BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME: How a Suburban Jersey Girl Got Behind the VelvetRope Through Shameless Flattery, Disturbingly Meticulous Research, and a Few Other Tricks
By Jancee Dunn
Rating – A
Began: April 7, 2006
Finished: April 11, 2006
Genre/Date Published/# Pages – Memoir – June 2006 – 288 pages
Characters: Jancee Dunn, writer for Rolling Stone, former correspondent for Good Morning America, and former veejay for MTV2, her family and friends.
Setting: New Jersey and Manhattan (primarily)
Where Did Book Come From: Bought from eBay
Reason for Reading: Heard about it and it sounded good, found an ARC on eBay for $2.

BRIEF SUMMARY: Jancee Dunn grew up in a middle-class neighborhood, the eldest of three daughters. During her senior year in college she attends a party and meets a woman who is a writer for Rolling Stone magazine and decided to put in her resume. To her great surprise, she is offeredthe job of an editorial assistant and is soon doing interviewsherself. The book is written in alternating chapters – with a chapter of Dunn's clever tips for interviewing a celebrity and the next chapter telling of her early childhood growing up and/or anecdotes of her life interviewing the rich and famous.

MY COMMENTS:I loved this book! While Dunn is from a different generation, being amusic fan, I still was familiar with most of the celebrities she interviewed including Bono, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and DollyParton. One of my favorite stories though was how she posed as Ben Affleck's girlfriend shortly after his breakup with Jennifer Lopez, just to "prove a point" about the paparazzi and then was seen in thetabloids as the "mystery woman". After not being able to finish a book in either February or March, I was thrilled to essentially read this book in two days. Whether it was the subject matter, Dunn's easy-going style, or my mood, I am thankful for it and perhaps now I will be able to get into the reading mode again.

Movie Review: March of the Penguins

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
Date Viewed: March 21, 2006
CATEGORY: Documentary
RATING: B-
WHERE SEEN: Home
REASON FOR VIEWING: Reviews
NETFLIX SYNOPSIS: Award-winning photographer Luc Jacquet takes documentary film to new heights -- and depths -- with his first feature film, a stunning insider's look at the life of the emperor penguin. The product of more than a year of filming in the brutal Antarctic ice, this official Sundance selection presents never-before-captured footage of the penguins' underwater life and explores their steadfast quest for monogamous mates.
COMMENTS: At first I thought I was going to turn this off. It was pretty boring. But for some reason I decided to persevere. It was good, not great. I could however appreciate the great expertise of the filmmaker himself having to film in what had to be excruciating circumstances where the warmest day it was 58 degrees below zero. It was an interesting look into the life of an intriguing bird—a species I used to enjoy seeing at the zoo in Tacoma, Washington as a youngster – Penny, the Penguin was her name and she was my favorite exhibit there for many years. While the film definitely gets a G rating, I think younger children will be bored in the early stages of the movie, delighting in others. An OK movie, am glad to have finally seen it to see what all the fuss was (or wasn’t) about.

Movie Review: The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio

THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE OHIO
Date Viewed: March 21, 2006
CATEGORY: Drama – Nonfiction
CAST: Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson,
RATING: A
WHERE SEEN: Home
REASON FOR VIEWING: Read the book and enjoyed it
SYNOPSIS: Evelyn Ryan, wife of an alcoholic, raises her 10 children by writing jingles and winning contests. COMMENTS: After reading this book I knew that I wanted to see the movie as soon as possible. Unfortunately it has such little theatrical release I never had the opportunity. It was with great pleasure that it came up so quickly on my Netflix queue upon its DVD release. It was only because of a very busy week that I didn’t watch it until nearly a week later. Many times I have been disappointed in movies I have seen after reading the book—they just fail to achieve the expectation I had. I am pleased to say I wasn’t at all disappointed in the movie version of this book. Although I was quite young in the years the movie was set, I do remember these contests. They were found all over the place – in magazines, in the stores, and on television. Obviously Evelyn Ryan had quite a knack for winning these contests both out of talent and necessity. While the book was written as quite the tribute to her mother by Terry “Tuff” Ryan, the movie depicts the family’s way of life, sometimes quite painfully. Somehow Evelyn keeps her family of 10 children together despite her abusive, alcoholic husband whose nightly drinking binges are not as much detailed in the movie as they are in the book but are still disturbing. One of the lighter scenes is when Evelyn finally meets up with a group of other jingle writers with whom she has been corresponding. All in all, a very good movie but I think probably even of more interest to those who have read the book than those who haven’t.

CD Review: This Old Road - Kris Kristofferson

It seems most people I talk to nowadays know Kris Kristofferson as an actor. These days more as a character actor than the leading man/matinee idol from such films as Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and A Star is Born. But I have always thought of him as a songwriter. A songwriter who sang. Actually, if truth be known, more even as a poet than a songwriter as his words always have packed such a powerful punch. Since I first heard him (and I am really dating myself here) in the very early 1970s, then started attending his concerts c. 1972 his music has been an integral part of my life. I used to reward myself every year on my birthday by either attending a concert or, as the years went by and he would appear more and more often on the silver screen, going to see a movie he was starring in. Yet all these years I have been a fan, never a fanatic, respecting the man and his music – but rather personally and silently except even my husband and children know that Kris holds a special place in my heart. And the respecting, is for the most part. There was that one concert at The Universal Amphitheater where he was only able to perform a few songs before cutting the performance short. I am sure it is an evening he’d rather forget – if he even remembers it. He was as happens many times with those so gifted, living hard. So it was with great pleasure to find that on one particular song of this CD, “Thank You For A Life” the penultimate cut, he admits to being so happy.

It’s been said that this CD is his most personal ever. I really don’t know about that. I do know that it is extremely moving. One cut in particular has brought tears to my eyes each time I have heard it. The chorus of that song, “In the News” goes like this:

"Not in my name, not on my ground
I want nothing but the ending of the war
No more killing, or it's over
And the mystery won't matter anymore"

I was lucky enough to see a recent concert in Seattle where he sang this song and the crowd went wild. It was obvious that they shared the same sentiments.
Over the years I have seen a growth in his music that is hard to describe because he writes lyrics that have always held a rare kind of power. But for some reason this CD is a cut above. Different in a way. And perhaps it is because it is more personal as it has been said. All I can say is that it is absolutely wonderful and powerful. And I thank the master of them all for making such a touching CD.

Play #1: Menopause, The Musical

PLAY (MUSICAL) #1 MENOPAUSE, THE MUSICAL
DATE SEEN: March 11, 2006
WHERE SEEN: ACT Theater, Seattle
SEEN WITH: Vicki, Cathi, Judy, Kacie, Carol, Elisa (from work), Diane (Elisa’s mom), Linda and Lori (Cathi’s sisters), Jessica (Judy’s daughter), Donna (former coworker)

COMMENTS: This was such a fun show! We made the trek from Port Townsend to Seattle for a Saturday afternoon matinee. The theater we were in was a very intimate setting allowing for great viewing. There are four characters in the musical - Power Woman, Earth Mother, Movie Star, and Iowa Housewife who all meet in Bloomingdales in NYC and the entire play is set on different floors of the department store. They sing parodies of songs from the 60s and 70s, We went from whooping and hollering to laughing so hard we were crying. And we could each nod with understanding nearly every step of the way. One of my favorites was done to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” - the one gal was complaining about her husband not wanting to sleep with her and they start this song with the backup singers playing kitchen utensils and singing "She's a b*tch, She's a b*ch, oooooh, etc" and the lead singer singing, "On the couch or in the guest room my husband sleeps at night" Another scene has the characters doing the Staying Alive dance changing the words to “Staying Awake, Staying Awake”. And then there is a Beach Boys Medley "I Wish we Could All be Sane and Normal Girls" to the tune of California Girls and "Thank You Doctor" to the tune of Help Me Rhonda. The parodies were all very clever and when the one gal came out as Tina Turner singing “What’s Love Got to do With It” it nearly brought the house down. I can’t remember laughing so hard. We capped off the evening by a wonderful meal at the Gordon Biersch Brewery at Pacific Place before taking a ferry across Puget Sound and driving home. We had such a good time we’ve decided we’ll definitely have to do this more often!

Movie #13 Nine Lives

Movie #13 --
NINE LIVES
Date Viewed: March 12, 2006
CATEGORY: Drama – Vignettes
CAST: Robin Wright Penn, Sissy Spacek, Glenn Close, Aidan Quinn, Dakota Fanning, Holly Hunter and a host of other talented actors.
RATING: A
WHERE SEEN: Home
REASON FOR VIEWING: Ebert and Roeper Review
Netflix Synopsis: This series of intimate vignettes from writer-director Rodrigo Garcia (Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her) peers into the private lives of nine women, each with a different destiny.

Comments: What a great, stunning, emotional movie! These nine vignettes, each about 12 minutes long, feature very different women from all walks of life, each of them who could be said is stuck in some kind of emotional rut – some more deep than others, some of which they have control of and some they don’t. We start out with Sandra in LA County Jail who is trying her best but whose emotions are right at the surface and a seemingly minor incident spells disaster for her. Then Diana played exquisitely by the fabulous Robin Wright Penn who runs into her old love, Damian, in the supermarket years after their relationship has ended; the one gesture by Damian just broke my heart. Other standouts include Sissy Spacek as the wife of a disabled man (Deadwood’s Ian McShane) who shows up in two of the vignettes and Amy Brenneman as he ex-wife of a man whose wife has just committed suicide. All the stories are so vivid, so intense that I am glad I saw it on DVD instead of in a theater as I found I was forced to take a break in the middle. There were several that moved me to tears. This is really great film making and absolutely highly recommended.

Movie #12 Just Like Heaven

Movie #12
JUST LIKE HEAVEN
Date Viewed: March 12, 2006
CATEGORY: Romantic Comedy
CAST: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo
RATING: B
WHERE SEEN: Home
REASON FOR VIEWING: Sounded Good
Netflix Synopsis: Shortly after David Abbott (Mark Ruffalo) moves into his new San Francisco digs, he has an unwelcome visitor on his hands: winsome Elizabeth Mortenson (Reese Witherspoon), who asserts that the apartment is hers -- and promptly vanishes. When she starts appearing and disappearing at will, David thinks she's a ghost, while Elizabeth is convinced she's alive. Their quest for the truth ultimately leads to love in this spectral romantic comedy.

My Comments
From Marc Levy’s book If Only it Were True comes a cute romantic comedy. I really liked it and it had been enjoying it all the way until a rather slapstick scene near the end and a rather miraculous occurrence right after that. That said, I was suspending disbelief enough to belief that Reese Witherspoon’s character was appearing as a spirit, so why shouldn’t I buy into the rest? The ending was a little too abrupt and tied up too quickly though. That said a sweet and altogether satisfying movie with characters you couldn’t help but like. Any easy B rating and a fun way to spend a few hours of time.

Movie #11 Elizabethtown

#11 ELIZABETHTOWN (2005)
CAST: Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst
Drama
Rating; B
Setting: Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Where seen: Home
Seen with : John & Kristin
Reason for Viewing:
Synopsis: After causing the Oregon shoe company he works for to lose hundreds of millions of dollars, Drew Baylor is fired for his mistake, and promptly also dumped by his girlfriend, Ellen. On the verge of suicide, Drew is oddly given a new purpose in life when he is brought back to his family's small Kentucky hometown of Elizabethtown following the death of his father, Mitch, as it falls to him to make sure that his dying wishes are fulfilled. On the way home, Drew meets a flight attendant, Claire Colburn(Dunst), with whom he falls in love, in a romance that helps his life get back on track...

Comments: This was a sweet movie with likable characters. I particularly enjoyed the last portion where Drew is taking this road trip. All in all an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

One of the best things of this movie – the soundtrack – it’s a Cameron Crowe film after all.

My Favorite Book of All Time - Katherine by Anya Seton

I am so glad this book is now more readily available. It is my FAVORITE READ OF ALL TIME. It is a love story of epic proportions unlike anything I've ever read or experienced. This is truly a real-life fairytale.

Set in the mid 14th C. Katherine de Roet is a convent-raised young woman who, with her sister, comes under the care of Queen Philippa (wife of Edward III), and despite being without dowry marries the rather difficult Sir Hugh Swynford. Eventually she becomes the mistress of Philippa and Edward III's son John of Gaunt, and after bearing him four children, becoming his wife. The children's births are eventually legitimized and John and Katherine eventually are the forebears of both the Tudor and Stuart dynasties.

But this story is of the relationship between Katherine and John and the many twists and turns it takes before these lovers can be together. When Katherine turns 15 the Queen summons her from the convent to Windsor and she soon gathers much attention for her beauty. When Sir Hugh Swynford attempts to ravish her, the King's third son, John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster comes to her rescue. Hugh gets out of the situation by saying he wishes to marry the fair young maiden. Sir Hugh is a rather disagreeable and homely man, but it is seen as a step up for young Katherine, without dowry, to marry him. She does but very reluctantly. Meanwhile she is befriended by the Duke's wife, Blanche, and returns her friendship for which young Katherine is eventually richly rewarded.

Katherine and Hugh go to live at his mismanaged estate, Kettlethorpe, near Lincoln which is not too far from the Duke and Duchess of Lancaster's favorite home of Bolingbroke Castle. Katherine is not exactly happy but accepts her life. But when she befriends Blanche again and then sits with her as she lays dying from the black death, her whole life changes.

To give more details than this is to rob the first-time reader of the discoveries they will read. It is a story to particularly savor as when the Duke tells Katherine "She is my heart's blood. My life. I want nothing but her." Talk about a Cinderella story! Those better versed in English history of the mid to late 14th C than I am will realize just what is happening in some of the dramatic historical scenes than I did.

But even after Katherine and the Duke are finally together, all does not go well. Seton details the history of this time beautifully and, sometimes, painfully.

Seton includes quotes from Chaucer (who was married to Katherine's sister Philippa). It is also surmised Chaucer may have had Katherine in mind for some of his passages, particularly in "Troilus and Criseyde."

This book made slow reading for me as every few pages I was either picking up a historical reference to read more or searching on the internet. I do have to warn readers though, keep the hankies handy. I could have used an entire box and even woke my husband up with my sobbing. Most of these tears were tears of joy though.

Readers who enjoy their books both historically accurate and very romantic are sure to enjoy this beautiful story.

CD Review: TIMELESS by Martina McBride

Despite hearing Martina McBride open for Garth Brooks back in 1992, I have never been a real fan. That's not to say I don't appreciate her talents, it's just that I have found her material lacking as far as the style and content of the genre I call "country" music. What is heard on country radio today is, sadly not country music and despite giving lip service to some of the greats, there are only a mere handful of today's so-called country singers who the greats would call truly country. By paying homage to the country music of yesteryear, Martina McBride has redeemed herself in my eyes (and ears) by gifting us with an album that any true country aficionado would be proud to add to their collection.

From the very popular to some that may be less familiar, these covers are like listening to country music history from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. And although many of these songs have been covered by others over the years (and sometimes a bit better) it's great to have them all in one concise package.

One complaint is that these are still a bit over-produced unlike the more simple productions of most of the originals. That said it is hoped by listening to some of these classics that the so-called country fans today will get a taste of what country music really is.

It is fitting that McBride should open with a Hank Williams tune with You Win Again - Williams is not only a name everyone should be familiar with but also absolutely worthy of the distinction of being included on a CD of classic country songs.

I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me) was a hit for Ray Price but I recall the great Gail Davies cover in the 80s. This version, while good, does not come close to Davies'.

I Can't Stop Loving You was written by Don Gibson and was a country hit for him but is best remembered as a Ray Charles hit from several years later and one of the greatest (if not THE) greatest country song of all time.

With her version of I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, McBride does more than justice to the song for which Lynn Anderson won Grammy in 1970.

Merle's Haggard's Today I Started Loving You Again is another example of a nearly perfect country song. Full of the heartbreak that has made both fans and critics of the genre, this song can make a grown man cry.

What would a CD of country classics be without a good Loretta Lynn song? McBride has chosen You Ain't Woman Enough (to Take My Man) that although lacking Loretta's grit, certainly belongs here on the CD

And then we come to the wonderful Once a Day. Although this may have been Connie Smith's greatest hit it is only one of her great songs -- Smith may be one of the most under-rated of the great country singers of our time and I urge anyone reading this to give her a listen.

Mc Bride follows by two more classics Pick Me Up on Your Way Down, a Charlie Walker hit penned by the incomparable Harlan Howard and I Don't Hurt Anymore which was a hit by the great Hank Snow.

A surprise addition is True Love Ways, a hit for Buddy Holly and then again the English duo Peter and Gordon, I never really thought of it as a country song even after Mickey Gilley covered it.

A welcome addition is Tammy Wynette's 'Til I Can Make it On My Own. All these years later, I can't listen to this song without getting tears in my eyes and thinking of somebody very special - Jerry Johnson in 1978 who gently and kindly soothed me through the end of our relationship. I am sure the words in this song spoke to many women out there and still do.

On Johnny Cash's I Still Miss Someone, McBride is joined by Dolly Parton. It goes without saying that no one will ever do this song better than The Man in Black. That said, it was a good choice of a Johnny Cash song to include.

One of my favorite cuts is Heartaches by the Number, the old Ray Price song. Perhaps it's because I just like duets and McBride's duet here with Dwight Yoakam is wonderful.

Satin Sheets is another song whose words I know by heart. I remember singing duets with my friend Pam in 1973 pretending the hairbrush was a microphone. Oh how I loved Jeanne Pruett"s song! And oh how glad I am that another generation is hearing it by McBride including it on this CD!

Satin sheets is followed by three other memorable classics Thanks A Lot (Ernest Tubb) Love's Gonna Live Here (Buck Owens who I used to watch as a grade schooler when he had his TV show in Tacoma, Washington) and the poignant Eddie Arnold hit Make the World Go Away

McBride ends the CD with a song from my favorite composer of all-time, Kris Kristofferson, Help Me Make it Through The Night, first made popular by the late Sammi Smith in the early 1970s.

A group of old classics, songs for a new generation. Whether you've heard these songs for years or are just now hearing them for the first time, they are all so very special, award-winning by so many Country Music Hall of Famers, I am so glad that McBride has brought these to life again. Thanks for making me relive so many wonderful old memories from those times. And for those of you in your 20s and 30s who are just now listening to these songs for the first time -- remember THIS IS WHAT COUNTRY REALLY IS.

Concert #1 Kris Kristofferson

Here's a review from a recent concert I attended -- not written by me, I was too busy just enjoying myself to write a set list:

Kristofferson fans get what they came for: A simple but powerful show

By TIZZY ASHER
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Johnny Cash's spirit must've been smiling down from a seat high up in the packed Moore Theatre on Thursday night as Kris Kristofferson played, accompanied only by a small table bearing his harmonicas and a bottle of orange Gatorade.

Kristofferson owes many debts to Cash. Not the least of which is that Cash made it acceptable and even desirable for an old man with an acoustic guitar to stand up and sing with no adornment and no perfectionism -- in short, nothing but the power of his songs.

As Kristofferson worked his way through his vast repertoire of songs, it was clear the audience was here for just that. From the moment he ambled onstage with his peculiar stiff-legged walk and squinty eyes peering out from under wavy gray hair, he held the packed house enraptured. They screamed, they cheered and one woman even shouted, "You're still sexy!" "Compared to what?" Kristofferson responded.

Kristofferson launched with the lonesome "Shipwrecked in the Ighties" and worked his way through essential hits, such as "Darby's Castle" and a strangely rhythmic version of "Me and Bobby McGee." Despite his 69 years, his voice sounded surprisingly smooth, like an old saddle that's been ridden until it gleams. Guitar experts might find fault with his playing -- and indeed he joked about it more than once -- but his simple, spare parts kept the focus on the evocative stories in the songs.

There was little in the way of between-song banter. This did not mean that the show was apolitical, however: The fervently anti-war song "In the News," from his forthcoming album "This Old Road" made a bold statement, as did his mumbled commentary on "The Best of All Possible Worlds," where he noted that the United States has more people in prison than any place in the world.

He closed his first set with the hopelessly mushy "Help Me Make It Through the Night."
After a 20-minute intermission, the second set kicked off with "The Junkie and the Juicehead, Minus Me," a comical song that had the audience laughing along. Cash reappeared with "The Pilgrim: Chapter 33," Kristofferson's tribute song, and a rousing version of "Sunday Morning Coming Down." The crowd worked itself into a frenzy by this point, and it erupted as he launched into a perfect version of "To Beat the Devil."

By the three-song encore, the crowd was ensconced in collective Kristofferson worship. He closed with "Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends," and one could feel Johnny smiling down with silent approval.

Movie #10: Greenfingers

#10 GREENFINGERS (2000)
CAST: Clive Owen, Helen Mirren
Comedy
Rating: B
Setting: England
Where Seen: Home
Seen With: John
Reason for Viewing: Recommended on Netflix
Synopsis: What happens when a group of prisoners are released to a minimum security prison and begin creating prizewinning gardens, even being invited to the most prestigious garden show in England? Clive Owen plays Colin Briggs the leader of this misfit group of gardeners – prisoners with hearts of gold – most of whom have never ever even thought of working in a garden before. Yet when they are forced to do so they take advantage of the opportunity. Helen Mirren plays the expert gardener who comes to their aid and you have to know she’s an avid gardener, she has even named her daugher Primrose.

Comments: What a fun, delightful movie. My husband enjoyed this even more than I did, I think! I had never even heard of it before but it sounded intriguing and I was in the mood for a comedy. This was just pure fun to watch and was a feel-good movie.

Movie #9 Grizzly Man

#9 –2/3/03
GRIZZLY MAN
Documentary – Cast Timothy Treadwell and a cast of Grizzlies
RATING: C+
WHERE SEEN: Home
SEEN WITH: Self
REASON FOR VIEWING: Have always been strangely intrigued by grizzly bears
SETTING: Alaska
SYNOPSIS: In his mesmerizing new film GRIZZLY MAN, acclaimed director Werner Herzog explores the life and death of amateur grizzly bear expert and wildlife
preservationist Timothy Treadwell. Treadwell lived unarmed among the bears for thirteen summers, and filmed his adventures in the wild during his final five seasons. In October 2003, Treadwell's remains, along with those of his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were discovered near their campsite in Alaska's Katmai National Park and Reserve. They had been mauled and devoured by a grizzly, the first known victims of a bear attack in the park. (The bear suspected of the killings was later shot by park officials.) In GRIZZLY MAN,Herzog plumbs not only the mystery of wild nature, but also the mystery of human nature as he chronicles Treadwell's final years in the wilderness. Herzog uses Treadwell's own startling documentary footage to paint a nuanced portrait of a complex and compelling figure while exploring larger questions about the uneasy relationship between man and nature.


COMMENTS: I had this in my Netflix queue but noticed it was on the Discovery Channel so decided to take advantage of it. Ever since seeing my first grizzly bear up close over 30 years ago at the Olympic Game Farm, where animals used in many Disney movies were trained, I have been not as much obsessed but certainly VERY interested in reading about grizzlies – their behavior and even books such as Alaska Bear Tales, Jack Olsen’s very wonderful book Night of the Grizzlies about a series of attacks in Glacier National Park, and most recently Patricia VanTighem’s The Bear’s Embrace. Timothy Treadwell was one strange dude. He obviously did too many drugs at one time. They fried his brain. No one in his right mind could act this way. He claimed to love animals and I supposed that is true, but the love turned to an unhealthy obsession. I can’t even call this a brilliant piece of filmmaking. Herzog has basically taken Treadwell’s footage, provided extra narration, and given us a portrait of a mad man whose omnipotent behavior lead to not only his death but the death of his girlfriend. I found this a portrait of a madman and although no one deserves to die, he certainly put himself in harm’s way and set himself up – playing his own type of Russian roulette one too many times. This was a winner at Sundance but I can’t really understand why. I have to give Herzog credit though—he didn’t use the footage of Treadwell’s actual death although alluding to the fact that is was beyond horrifying. He must have known that he would eventually be killed by the bears he loved. No one could have been that naïve even though on the film just a few days before his death he ironically says he has found a way to live with the bears and “to do it right and survive”. Even after seeing this movie, I still would like to go on one of the treks to Alaska where one sees grizzlies in their natural habitat in a controlled environment. But I never want to meet one on a mountain trail.

Movie #8: The Upside of Anger

THE UPSIDE OF ANGER
CATEGORY: Drama
CAST: Kevin Costner, Joan Allen
RATING: B+
WHERE SEEN: Home
SEEN WITH: John
REASON FOR VIEWING: Reviews, enjoy these actors
SYNOPSIS FROM NETFLIX: Joan Allen plays Terry Wolfmeyer, a woman who's dumped by her husband (he lives the cliché and runs off with his secretary) and is left to
raise her four daughters (Erika Christensen, Alicia Witt, Keri Russell
and Evan Rachel Wood) alone. There could be a silver lining behind it
all, however, when Terry hooks up with Denny Davies (Kevin Costner), a
retired baseball player.

COMMENTS: Kevin Costner does some of the best, if not THE best, acting of his career in this interesting character study without much of a plot. The Anger in the title of Terry’s (Joan Allen) at her husband for leaving her for his secretary. Kevin Costner is her neighbor who deftly guides her through her the next few years and the ups and downs with her four daughters.

I loved this quote from the end of the move: “Anger and resentment can stop you in your tracks…. it needs nothing to burn but the air and the life that it swallows and smothers. It can change you into somewhat you’re not. The only upside of anger is the person you become.”

Written and directed by Mike Binder (Shep in the movie) and brother of producer Jack Binder.

Other info of note: Song - One Safe Place by Marc Cohn
Filmed in England 2004

Movie #7: Brokeback Mountain

#7 – 2/1/06
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
DRAMA
CAST: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway
RATING: B
WHERE SEEN: Rose Theater, Port Townsend, WA
SEEN WITH: Stacy and Ashlee
REASON FOR VIEWING: Read short story, plan to see all Oscar-nominated movies
SETTING: 1963-1983 Wyoming
SYNOPSIS: Two cowboys meet while working as sheepherders in Wyoming during the summer of 1963 and begin a sexual relationship that spans 20 years, denying their sexuality, marrying and having children, in a time where to admit to being gay might mean suffering a gruesome death.

COMMENTS: This movie followed the short story very well. The movie did allow Ennis to become more of a sympathetic character than he was in the short story, but I never did like Jack. Although I did see this as a story of infidelity, I don’t think Ennis and Alma’s marriage had much of a chance from the get-go. The movie didn’t do anything to change my mind about the fact that it was less a love story than a story of one man’s (Jack’s) obsession with another. This was well-acted and the three actors (Ledger, Gyllenhaal, Williams) all deserve their Oscar nominations. It certainly is a movie that is great discussion material! Did Lureen know of Jack’s relationship with Ennis? If not for Jack, would Ennis ever have had a relationship with another man? Not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but I am glad I saw it, particularly after reading the short story. Oh and breathtaking scenery as well!

Movie #6: Dear Frankie

#6 -- 1/28/06
MOVIE: DEAR FRANKIE
DRAMA
YEAR: 2004
CAST: Emily Mortimer, Gerard Butler and others
RATING: A+
WHERE SEEN: Home
SEEN WITH: John and Kristin
REASON FOR VIEWING: Ebert and Roeper review, Scottish setting, Gerard Butler
SETTING: Present Day Scotland
SYNOPSIS: Nine-year-old Frankie and his single mum Lizzie have been on the move ever since Frankie can remember, most recently arriving in a seaside Scottish town. Wanting to protect her deaf son from the truth that they've run away from his father, Lizzie has invented a story that he is away at sea on the HMS Accra. Every few weeks, Lizzie writes Frankie a make-believe letter from his father, telling of his adventures in exotic lands. Then Frankie discovers the real HMS Accra is arriving in only a fortnight, Lizzie must find the perfect stranger to play Frankie's father for just one day...

COMMENTS: This is my favorite kind of movie – a quiet, sensitive film that hasn’t gotten a lot of hoopla, that not a lot of people have heard about. I heard it reviewed by Roger Ebert when it first came out but forgot about it then saw it on my Netflix recommendations and knew I needed to see this right away.

I read somewhere this movie was described as “wise and wondrous”. That is an understatement. This tender, poignant, sweet movie is so perfect I can’t for the life of me understand why it hasn’t been talked about more or why it didn’t win all sorts of awards. The scene with Gerard Butler and Emily Mortimer walking along the quay after the dance had me in tears as Frankie’s Mom opens up to the stranger she has hired to be Frankie’s “Dad”.

And as if all this weren’t enough – it has the magnificent Gerard Butler. This is a movie I will always remember fondly – like an old, dear friend. In addition, it has a wonderful soundtrack. A movie that can move me to tears. It doesn't get much better than this.

Movie #5: Millions

#5 1/23/06
MILLIONS
Comedy
YEAR: 2005
CAST: Unknowns
RATING: B+
WHERE SEEN: Own living Room
SEEN WITH: John and Kristin
REASON FOR VIEWING: Reviews
SETTING: Present Day England

SYNOPSIS: Two brothers find a satchel filled with British pounds, but with the country just days away from switching to the Euro, they must quickly find a way to spend and share the wealth. Trouble is, Damian wants to give to the poor, while Anthony aims to live it up. But then the source of the found money tries to get it back. The two boys are both mourning the recent death of their mother in different ways as well.

COMMENTS: Yet another SLOW starting movie. If you stick with it you will be soooo richly rewarded almost beyond words. What a special film. I read where at the London Film Festival this film was given a five-minute standing ovation at the end. I can see why. My favorite quote came at the end of the movie. If you watch it you will probably have no trouble figuring out what it is. Talk about a feel good movie. This one has a PG rating and can be seen by the entire family.

Movie #4: Fingersmith

#4 1/20/05
MOVIE: FINGERSMITH (2005)
Drama
Setting: Victorian England
CAST: Mostly unknowns
RATING: B+
WHERE SEEN: Home
SEEN WITH: John
REASON FOR VIEWING: Read and enjoyed the book
COMMENTS: It seems I keep getting movies with slow starts! But since I had read the book I knew what was going on and so I persevered. This is a BBC television adaptation of the novel with mostly unknown actors other than Imelda Staunton who received an Oscar nomination last year. Despite that, the performances were first rate. The actresses playing the roles of Sue and Maud were perfectly cast. The first hour or so of the three hour mini-series is Sue’s version of the ruse while the second hour gives Maud’s version. The third hour brings it all together. The twists and turns in the adaptation may be hard to follow if one hasn’t read the book but I had no problem even though it had been several years since I had read the book. To give more details would be to rob the viewer of the surprises discovered. This was well worth the three hours’ viewing time.

DISCLAIMER: Sarah Waters, the author of the book, is known as a writer of lesbian fiction, but the plot of this story is not so much the lesbian relationship – although it is there – but the amazing twists and turns the story takes.

Book #4: The Bear's Embrace by Patricia Van Tighem

#4
Title: THE BEAR's EMBRACE: The True Story of Surviving a Bear Attack
Author: Patricia Van Tighem
Rating A
Date Finished: January 20th (wee hours) 2006
Genre/Date Published/# Pages – Memoir/Published in Canada 2000/273 pages
Main Characters: Patricia Van Tighem and her husband Trevor Janz
Setting/Time Period 1983 to 1998 Alberta and British Columbia, Canada (with a small part in New Zealand)
Where Book Came From: Bought from Amazon Marketplace
Reason for Reading: I have enjoyed this kind of story in the past
Brief Blurb: Patricia "Trish" van Tighem – a vicacious, pretty young nurse and her pediatric resident husband of three years are out hiking when they are mauled by a grizzly bear. This is the story of the ensuing 15 years including the many surgeries Trish went through and her depression that ensued as a result of the
pain she has had to endure along with the disfiguration caused by the
attack.

COMMENT: Trish and Trevor had everything going for them when they,
two experienced backpackers, took a well-deserved weekend off to do something
they enjoyed. They took all the necessary precautions but the couldn't escape
a particularly aggressive female grizzly one fall day in Waterton Lakes National Park south of their home in Calgary, Alberta. Trevor was attacked first and Trish was torn between helping him or climbing a tree to save herself—she had always been
told grizzlies couldn't climb trees. But due to their experience, the cold weather, and two hikers who find them soon after the attack, they both survive the attack. This book is less about the attack itself than the years afterwards including quite a bit about their initial time in the hospital, Trish's many surgeries, and their life in rural Canada with (eventually) four children.

This book was a bittersweet read for me as I read it after hearing of Trish's death by suicide in December of 2005 at the age of 47. So I knew that although the book
ended on an upbeat note, that the real story hadn't ended and it didn't end happily.
I also knew that at the time of her death Trish and Trevor were separated. That
may have colored my opinion of Trevor from the very beginning, but I did find
him a bit selfish throughout the entire book and even though he seemed to try
to accept Trish after her injuries, I don't think he ever truly could deal with
her disfigurement. All in all though the book was a mesmerizing read. Trish was a talented writer and this is a stunning story. I highly recommend it.

Book # 3 The Mammy by Brendan O'Carroll

#3
Title THE MAMMY
Author Brendan O'Carroll
Rating A
Date Began/Finished January 3 - January 7, 2006
Genre/Date Published/# Pages - Fiction/Published in US 5/1999/174 pages
Main Characters: Agnes Browne, her friend Marion, and Agnes' children
Setting/Time Period 1960s Dublin
Where Book Came From: My TBR pile
Reason for Reading: I love Irish settings and Agnes Browne is one of
my favorite movies
Brief Blurb without Spoilers: Agnes is a recent widow struggling to
raise her children in a very poor area of Dublin. Verrryyyy funny but
also very touching.

The movie Agnes Browne is an all-time favorite of mine and the book
follows it very closely -- except the object of Agnes' affections is
not Tom Jones but Cliff Richard which really excited me because as a
teenager I adored Cliff Richard myself -- before The Beach Boys, about
the time of Bobby Rydell and Bobby Vee -- his rendition of "All in the
Game" was the song that sent me swooning. I plan on reading the
others in the series right away.

Movie #3 The Constant Gardener

#3 1/11/05
MOVIE: THE CONSTANT GARDENER (2005)
Drama
Setting: Africa – Present Day
CAST: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz
RATING: C+
WHERE SEEN: Own living room
SEEN WITH: John
DVD EXTRAS:
REASON FOR VIEWING: Nominated for Golden Globe for Best Picture
INTERESTING ASIDE: The story was filmed in the slums of Kibera and Loiyangalani, Kenya.
The situation affected the cast and crew to the extent that they set up the Constant Gardener Trust in order to provide basic education around these villages. Weisz, Fiennes
and Le Carré are patrons of the charity.

COMMENTS: After a slow start – this movie with a complicated plot and enough flashbacks
to give one whiplash – finally started making sense about 2/3 of the way through. Was Tessa
using her husband? Was she having an affair? What was she up really up to? Unlike others
though, I didn’t like it well enough to watch it again right away in order to understand it
better. I am not a huge fan of any of the actors so that wouldn’t be a reason to see it again
either. The African scenery was beautiful though and I predict an Oscar nomination in
cinematography.

Movie #2 Crash

#2 1/9/05 and 1/10/05
MOVIE: CRASH (2005)
Drama
Setting: Los Angeles – Present Day
CAST: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon, Ryan
Phillippe (biggest names I am familiar with) but many more wonderful
performances
RATING: A-
WHERE SEEN: Home
SEEN WITH: John
DVD EXTRAS: Not viewed, wasn't interested in those offered
REASON FOR VIEWING: Reviews, particularly recent Ebert and Roeper Best
of 2005 having it as #3 and #1 respectively
COMMENTS: Wow! Do you think you're not racist? Do you really?
This is a movie about racial stereotypes -- all types from many points
of view. A black man calling his half Puerto Rican half El Salvadoran
girlfriend Mexican to a Persian (Iranian) being thought of as a Arab
and the Persian thinking a Hispanic man was out to cheat him, to the
more common prejudices. Even characters in the movie who thought they
weren't prejudiced found out they were. Really a must see!! I gave
this a mark off for the a plot point at the end but otherwise it was a
terrific film that had me saying "Omigosh" several times out loud
during the film.

MOVIE #1 - 2006 - THE NOTEBOOK

MOVIE: THE NOTEBOOK (2004)
CAST: James Garner, Gena Rowlands, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling
RATING: A
DVD EXTRAS: B+
WHERE SEEN: HOME
SEEN WITH: John
REASON FOR VIEWING: Read the book and loved it - HUGE fan of Garner and also a fan of Rowlands
COMMENTS: Wonderful, wonderful movie. Followed the book quite closely. I wondered for awhile whether I'd be getting as emotional while viewing the movie as I did while reading the book since I already knew the story and found that I had tears streaming down my face for the last half an hour or so and couldn't talk for about 15 minutes afterwards. The DVD extras were also nice with a piece on the director, Nick Cassavetes (son of John C and Gena Rowlands), a piece on the book's author Nicholas Sparks, and a piece on the selection of locations for the movie.

Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah

#2
COMFORT & JOY by Kristin Hannah
Rating – A
Began/Finished – Wee hours of January 2, 2006
Genre/Date Published/# Pages – Fiction – 2005 – 235 pages
Characters: Joy Candellaro, recently divorced high school librarian
Time/Place: Present Day – Southern California/Olympic Peninsula of Washington State
Where Did Book Come From: Personal TBR pile
Reason for Reading: 1) Author is automatic read for me 2) The Holiday season is coming to a close 3) Wanted to see if it was as “bad” as others have said.

Joy Candellaro is a high school librarian in Bakersfield, California. As the story opens it’s the last day before school break for the holidays and her heart isn’t into celebrating. Yes, she has gone through the motions but her heart isn’t in it. She has just gone through a nasty divorce after catching her husband in bed with her sister. On a whim after receiving yet some more devastating news, she boards a plane bound for the Canadian town of Hope – feeling that Hope is what she needs. Things don’t go as she would have wanted when what she thinks at first is turbulence is the plane crashing into the woods.

I thought this was some of Kristin Hannah’s best writing EVER. I was immediately drawn into the story with her easy-going style of writing and even flow. The story of a woman celebrating Christmas alone after going through a heartbreaking divorce yet really just wanting to get away from it all was something I had thought of more than once in my life. I bought into the entire scenario of the book hook, line, and sinker. I know there are readers who thought the story was well, far-fetched. But I figured if I could buy time-travel or read about faeries and leprechauns I could certainly suspend disbelief long enough to buy into this scenario. I thought it was a beautiful story and reading it at the end of the Holiday season made it perfect timing.

Quinn & Ashlee - Just After Midnight 2006

 

Kyra with Santa 2005

 

Kyra and Nemo

This is my granddaughter Kyra who will be three in April with one of her favorite stuffed animals, Nemo.

 

REVIEW SHORT STORY: "Brokeback Mountain"

#1
"Brokeback Mountain" from Close Range – Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
Rating - B
Date Began/Finished – January 1, 2006
Genre/Date Published/# Pages: Fiction – 1999 – 30 pages
Main Characters – Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist
Setting/Time Period: Wyoming 1963 to 1983
Where Book Came From: My own TBR pile
Reason for Reading: Movie Buzz – the movie is coming to our town this
coming weekend
Brief Blurb without Spoilers: Two Wyoming sheepherders meet one summer
and begin a sexual relationship that spans 20 years, denying their
sexuality, marrying and having children, in a time where to admit to
being gay might mean suffering a gruesome death.

I hadn't planned on choosing this for my first read of the year, and
usually wouldn't think a short story would qualify for a "book" but
since this is now being sold in the stores as a stand-alone book due
movie tie-in, I guess it does meet the criteria. I figure I will make
up for it later when I read a 900-page book and that only counts as
one book.

This was a very different story and I couldn't help but be reminded of
the Matthew Shepherd case – in fact, I would wager a bet that Proulx
had Shepherd in mind when she wrote this story. How could she not?
The book was published in 1999 (the incident where Matthew Shepherd
died was in 1998) and the incident and the setting of the story are
both in Wyoming. And is it a mere coincidence that Ennis and Jack are
sheepherders?

At any rate, while I saw this as a love story, the length of the story
didn't allow for the characterization necessary to really get to know
Ennis or Jack. And what I did know of them I have to admit not liking
all too well particularly in their relationship with their children.
I am looking forward to seeing the movie though and saw that Ebert
and Roeper both put it on their Top Ten List for 2005.

I think that despite the two's sexual orientation and their own
ambiguity surrounding it -- that they certainly could have been more
sensitive to their wives and children. Although it may be difficult
to do much characterization in a 30--page short story, I found that
while I felt sorry for the characters and their plight that I really
didn't like them all that much. They were pretty darned selfish when
you got right down to it. To openly embrace in such a way right on his
own front porch was pretty inconsiderate of Ennis -- and here his wife
saw the whole thing. And then there was one passage after Ennis has
dinner with his now-ex wife, their daughters and her new husband --
and sees that she is now pregnant again, and she mentions that she has
known that their fishing expeditions weren't really fishing
expeditions for a long time -- where Ennis then figures he'll lie low
and just wait for his daughters to come to see him when they get
older. I'll see the movie -- partly because I am hoping for some
beautiful Wyoming scenery but also because I am seeing if the
movie allows for more characterization than the book or if they are
still just selfish, scared cowboys who don't know what to do with what
they have found out about themselves -- particularly in light of
retribution they know is likely if others find out about them. Sad
today (think Matthew Shepherd in the same area only a few years ago)
but really sad in the time period this is set when there were little
options. A love story -- in a way (although Jack didn't have any
problem finding someone else when Ennis wasn't able to get away to see
him) - so that was the book anyway. I am glad it was just a short
story and not 300 pages!

SUMMER'S CHILD BY LUANNE RICE

SUMMER'S CHILD by Luanne Rice

Once again Luanne Rice has gifted us with an emotional tale set but this time she strays a bit from her familiar New England and gives us a Nova Scotia setting; she uses fictional towns and locations but my best guess is the Cape Breton area.

The very pregnant Mara Jameson had disappeared from the garden of her grandmother’s home in Connecticut on the summer solstice nine years earlier. Every year on the anniversary of her death, the media brings her name up again, wondering what in the world happened to the seemingly happy young woman. Recently retired police detective Patrick Murphy has never given up his quest. He has always thought her husband, successful businessman Edward Hunter had something to do with her disappearance but has never been able to prove anything. Every year he visits her grandmother, Maeve, hoping for another clue; something else she might remember.

in Hawk’s Cove, Nova,Scotia two women have come to escape abusive marriages. Both women have nine-year-old daughters. Lily Malone and her daughter, Rose, have lived in Hawk’s Cove for nine years. Lily runs a stitchery shop and her real love in her life is her daughter Rose wh was born with a heart defect and has been in an out of hospitals her entire life. The other woman is Marisa Taylor who with her daughter, Jessica,has more recently come to Hawk’s Cove. Marisa is more mysterious but the two young girls have become best friends. The two young women are a part of a larger group of women who call themselves the Nanouks, a group of\r\nfriends who are always there for one another in this isolated but idyllic are which draws many visitors who go on whale watching trips to see the many different types of whales including the amazing belugas.

Then there’s Liam Neill. Instead of captaining whale watching boats like the rest of the men in his family, he became an oceanographer, even after a terrible tragedy as a youth caused him the loss of an arm. He has become protective of Lily and Rose ever since they came to down and even though Rose cares for him a great deal, Lily and him have always remained at a distance emotionally. Then when tragedy is barely averted during what was supposed to be a fun whale watching outing for Rose’s 9t birthday, everything changes.

I started this book Saturday afternoon while looking out at the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca where I had just recently started the first whale watching trip I’d ever been on less than a month ago so of course was gripped to the pages from the beginning. I had the sound of the waves hitting the beach resonating all around me as I was reading, unable to put the book down. And a more emotional book I’d be hard pressed to find. I rarely have admitted this to others, so to do so in a review is really putting myself out there, but I have been in a relationship such as the one Lily and Marisa found themselves in. I could really identify with them.

And Liam. Ah Liam. Jamie Fraser from the Outlander series has often been called the most perfect hero in fiction written today. Liam Neill gives him a run for the money. He is sensitive, caring, and downright sexy. He is strong, intelligent, and loves children. What more could you ask for??

Luanne Rice’s emotional writing brought me to tears more than once, and she gave a twist near the end that I never saw coming – one that had me sit straight up from my halfway-lying down position! I was completely exhausted from a stay spent doing a very tedious chore, arriving home at 11PM, but I had about 90 more pages to read and even though I knew I had to get up early to go to work in the morning, there was no way I could not go to sleep without finishing this book. It is that good.

If I had any complaint about this book, it’s that I found it to not quite stand alone. It leads into Rice’s June 21st release SUMMER OF ROSES. But really, it is a minor quibble. You can be sure I will be first in line to get that book the day it comes out (do you think I can call the summer solstice a holiday so I can take the day off work to read it??) The book is so outstanding, the characters so wonderful, and the villain such a well-done villain. I’ve long been a fan of Luanne Rice’s books and this just cements her standing as one of the authors on my automatic-buy list. I think I actually may have a couple of her books around the house I haven’t read yet; that won’t be the case for much longer because I am going to round them all up and move them to the top of the TBR pile. Well done, Ms. Rice, I don’t know how I can stand waiting for the next two weeks! Note to family: Gift certificates make a good birthday presents (mine being in 11 days :-).

#10 - QUALITY OF CARE by Elizabeth Letts

by Elizabeth Letts
8.5/10
March 14th
March 16th
Mainstream Women’s Fiction 2005 263 pages
Clara Raymond, an OB-GYN physicianWalter, her business partnerGordon Robinson, her ex-boyfriend
Lydia Benson Robinson, her best friend from childhood
Eleanor Norton, owner of the California horse ranch
Jazmyn, stable hand at California horse ranch
Present day, New Jersey/California
Where did the book come from: Recent purchase
Reason for reading the book: Read review in Romantic Times magazine

I like these NAL Accent books. They’re trade paperback size and on the bottom it says “Fiction for the Way We Live” – Other authors in this line include a favorite of mine, Lisa Wingate; and several books I have in my TBR pile. I even like the feel of this book. The smooth pages, the size. I also like the conversation guide in the back which includes an interview with the author as well as a discussion guide. I do admit to sometimes reading the conversation guide before the book, allowing for spoilers sometimes, but it has never ruined my enjoyment of the book itself.

From the website for NAL books: Clara Raymond is the kind of obstetrician any woman would want—caring, skilled, dedicated. But she is caught off guard when a pregnant woman is wheeled onto the labor and delivery floor with what seem to be minor complaints. The patient turns out to be Lydia Benson, a childhood friend who saved Clara’s life after a terrible horseback-riding accident. And at Lydia’s side is her husband, Gordon Robinson, a man whom Clara once loved passionately and then left, although she has never forgotten him.

That night, in the labor and delivery rooms, the brief reunion goes tragically wrong. For Clara, the consequences will include a journey to California and to her own past— and a rediscovery of hope in a place she never expected…. An involving, nuanced story about the search for healing and the fragility of both our bodies and our souls, Quality of Care is an unforgettable debut by a talented and thought-provoking literary voice.

My comments: I am a sucker for a good medical story and this is a doozy. Letts, a midwife herself, writes about Dr. Clara Raymond an obstetrician who is on-call but busy with another patient when a childhood friend (Lydia) who is 34 weeks pregnant arrives in labor and delivery. Lydia happened to marry Clara's former live-in boyfriend, Gordon but Clara has lost touch with the two until they show up rather unexpectedly at the hospital. Lydia has vague symptoms but since Clara is busy with the other patient, goes unattended by other than the nursing staff for a brief period of time. Soon things go tragically wrong and eventually Clara ends up taking a trip to her childhood home in California to find answers regarding her own past. This book is really well done and is a great debut by an author to watch. The California portion of the book takes place on a horseranch and it says in the bio that the author is not only a midwife but a former competitive equestrian. I enjoyed nearly everything about this book and my only big complaint is that the book wasn’t longer. For those of you who are tired of the run-of-the-mill women’s fiction or coming-of-age stories, I would highly recommend QUALITY OF CARE for a great chance of pace. This is an exceptional read and I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next. It can’t be too soon for me.

#9 VANISHING ACTS by Jodi Picoult

VANISHING ACTS

by Jodi Picoult

Date Began :

February 14, 2005

Date Finished February 27, 2005

Rating 8/10Date

Published: 2005

Genre: Fiction

Time/Place: Present day New Hampshire and Phoenix

Characters:

Delia Hopkins – Search and Rescue worker

Andrew Hopkins – Delia’s father, the head of a senior center

Sophie – Delia’s daughter

Eric – Delia’s attorney fiancé (and Sophie’s father)

Fitz – Good friend of Eric and Delia

Ruthann – The Hopi woman who befriends the group in Arizona

Elise – Delia’s mother

# of Pages: 448

Where did the book come from: eBay (I couldn’t wait!)

Reason for reading the book: Picoult is one of my favorite authors and one of the most consistent at telling a compelling story

BRIEF BLURB:
Told in alternating first-person point of view by the five main characters, Picoult tells a heart-rendering story of Delia Hopkins who has grown up believing her mother is dead, only to discover via triggered memories, that she is very alive and that her father kidnapped her 28 years previously, failing to return her to her mother after a weekend visitation. A search and rescue worker, Delia’s job—with the great assistance of her trusty bloodhound Greta--is to help find people who have gone missing. But when long-dormant memories surface and Delia finds out her whole life has been a lie, she is the one who, in reality, needs rescuing the most.

MY COMMENTS: (WARNING SOME MIGHT CALL THIS A SPOILER)
While not one of my favorite Picoult books, this was a solid read. I felt that it was about 100 pages too long in that many of the details of Andrew’s time in jail could have been omitted. I was glad though that Picoult didn’t end the book with a pat HEA ending but made it more real than some of the books I’ve read. I was also disappointed that there wasn’t a huge twist at the end that I didn’t see coming (which has become a hallmark of Picoult’s books). So, while the book was good, it wasn’t great, and I ended up giving it a 8.5/10 (B+).

#8 THE SEX LIFE OF CANNIBALS: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific

#8 THE SEX LIFE OF CANNIBALS: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific
by J. Maarten Troost
Date Began: February 12, 2004
Date Finished: February 14, 2004
Rating 10/10
Date Published 2004
Genre: Non-fiction/Travel Essays
Time/Place: 1990s Tarawa/Kiribas islands in the Pacific
Characters: Maarten and his girlfriend Sylvia as well as many islanders
# of Pages: 272
Where did the book come from: Recent purchase
Reason for reading the book: I had picked this up thinking my husband would like it and started reading it and was totally engrossed.
Brief Blurb: Maarten and Sylvia have no idea what they’re getting themselves into when Sylvia agrees to a two-year contact to work on Tarawa, a remote island in the equatorial Pacific.

My comments: This was LOL funny in so many places! Maarten’s turn of a phrase is so clever that he makes one laugh in the face of a nearly intolerable situation living on this remote island – part of which is so crowded it rivals Hong Kong in population density. The 20th century wasn’t kind to these islanders. Their unique culture juxtaposed with the creations of the 20th century is very nearly ruining their culture. But Troost is able to find nearly everything funny (even though one wonders if he it was that funny at the moment) including the bowel habits of the natives. On the back of the book in Maarten’s brief bio, it is revealed that he and is wife are living in California. One can only hope that he is becoming the writer for a sit-com. He makes other authors of humor/travel memoir seem dull in comparison. If I would compare him to anyone it would be Erma Bombeck—the way he is able to find hilarity in even the most mundane things.

COYOTE DREAM

COYOTE DREAM – Jessica Davis Stein
7February 2 to February 4th
Rating 9.5/10
Date Published 2004
Genre: General Fiction
# of Pages 364
Where did the book come from: Recent purchase, has been on my wish list for months
Reason for reading the book: Read a good review several months ago.

My comments:
Where do I begin? This book reeled me in from the first page. Sarah Friedman, a 30-something Jewish girl from New York who is currently in a relationship with a boyfriend (David) that’s pretty much going nowhere, offers to take her ailing father’s place for an annual art-buying trip to the Southwest. While in a store in Santa Fe, she discovers a beautiful necklace and even though her father’s gallery doesn’t sell jewelry, she is so enamored of this piece that the buys it and then tracks down the artist who made it, Ben Lonefeather. On her way to find Ben, Sarah loses control of her car and it crashes into a boulder in the desert – several miles from Ben’s remote home. Being so out of the way, her cell phone has no service, so faced with the decision to either walk to Ben’s home two miles away or two go back to the main road (a distance of about three miles) Sarah treks in her brand-new, fancy cowgirl boots on to Ben’s house. By the time she gets there she can barely walk due to the bloodied blisters on her feet. The town’s only mechanic being away for a few days, no motel available, and no public transportation, Ben reluctantly allows Sarah to stay at her place until she can get her car fixed and be on her way. What she finds at Ben’s house are three young coyotes he has rescued, a treasure trove of art and sculpture by the talented Mr. Lonefeather, and a complicated and lonely man in need of some tender loving care. But Sarah can’t stay forever and after a little over a week she is forced to return home to New York, grateful for her experience in Navajo country and leaving part of her heart behind. Soon though the time she spent in Arizona is little more than a memory and her boyfriend is finally ready to commit. Of course the reader is left knowing the relationship between Sarah and David is all wrong, but will Sarah realize it before it’s too late??? There is so much more to tell, but I being afraid of spoilers, I will just say this was a very moving read, beautifully written, and very satisfying. I loved it and hope that the author has another book coming out very soon.

CLOSE TO SHORE

CLOSE TO SHORE
Michael Capuzzo
Date Began – January 30th
Date Finished – February 2nd
Rating – B Date Published - 2001
Genre Nonfiction
# of Pages 317
Where did the book come from: Recent purchase
Reason for reading the book: I had read something about this book several years ago and then when I found it at a used book store decided to go ahead and get it. The book is an account of the shark attacks on the New Jersey shore in 1916. It’s a very detailed account, putting into over 300 pages what might be better served with a article-sized piece rather than an entire book, but it was interesting, particularly the last 1/3rd when this shark actually swam up a creek at high tide on a hot summer day attacking unsuspecting swimmers. The author had done his research and there was a lot of interesting information here about shark behavior.

WE ARE ALL FINE HERE

5) WE ARE ALL FINE HERE by Mary Guterson
January 27 – January 28th
Rating: 8/10
# pages 189
© 2005
Fiction
Recently purchased
Reason for reading: Read review and it sounded good.

When I first read a review of this book, I thought this is a book I have to have as it sounds interesting and the author lives in the town where I lived for the majority of the 1990s. So when my husband was near a local bookstore a few hours later, I asked him to pick it up for me. I was surprised when he got it home and it was so, well, small. I thought I had wasted my money on this tiny little book that I didn’t know much about. I had even thought of returning it.

But this was an amazing little book. It was so full of stark reality and LOL funny in some places. She had a dark sense of humor which I really enjoyed. Basically, Julia is a woman caught between two men – Jim, the one she married after she got pregnant with his child 16 years previously and Ray, her college sweetheart who she has never gotten out of her mind. When he calls her and asks her to accompany him to the wedding of old friends, she jumps at the chance not only to see many people she’s lost touch with, but to spend time with Ray—her true love. But when she gets pregnant and doesn’t know who the father might be as she also had one of her rare sexual encounters with her husband during this same time, things get, well, complicated.

Mary Guterson, sister of Snow Falling on Cedars author David Guterson, has an acerbic wit, and is often sarcastic as well as blunt as she writes in Julia’s point of view. My only complaint is that the book could have been longer and suffered from a few typos that threw me out of the story; but those are minor quibbles in the bigger scheme of things. I will be waiting with baited breath for her next book

PERFECT MATCH by Jodi Picoult

PERFECT MATCH by Jodi Picoult
finished 1/27
Rating 10/10
© 2002
384 pages
From personal TBR pile
Reason for reading: Have enjoyed other books by this author
Blurb: (from Amazon): In the course of her everyday work, career-driven assistant district attorney Nina Frost prosecutes child molesters and works determinedly to ensure that a legal system with too many loopholes keeps these criminals behind bars. But when her own five-year-old son, Nathaniel, is traumatized by a sexual assault, Nina and her husband, Caleb, a quiet and methodical stone mason, are shattered, ripped apart by an enraging sense of helplessness in the face of a futile justice system that Nina knows all too well. In a heartbeat, Nina's absolute truths and convictions are turned upside down, and she hurtles toward a plan to exact her own justice for her son -- no matter the consequence, whatever the sacrifice.
My comments: WOW! Jodi Picoult has done it again. This was a powerful novel. There were so many twists and turns I was getting whiplash from all the shocking surprises. And I never saw the ending coming – something that has become quite a hallmark for Jodi Picoult books. I wasn’t sure I would be comfortable reading about sexual assault on a young child and in less talented hands readers might have a really difficult time dealing with the subject matter. However emotion should be Picoult’s middle name and she is masterfully tells this story in such a way you are disgusted by the crime, but simply unable to stop reading. One has to wonder what they would have done in Nina’s shoes. She certainly had her faults, but one thing you can’t fault her for is the love for her son. This book would be great for book groups to read as there is so much here for thoughtful discussion. Another book that further justifies Picoult’s place as one of my favorite authors.

ISAAC's STORM

ISAAC’S STORM
Erik Larson
January 2005
Rating 8/10
Non-fiction
© 1999
# pages 336
From personal TBR pile
Reason for reading book: Am fascinated by stories about storms
Blurb: I’ve had this one in my TBR stack for several years now, and have even started to read it a couple of times. Whey it “took” better this time than the others I don’t know, but I do know that I couldn’t put it town. In a detailed account, Larson tells the story of the devastating Galveston hurricane of 1900 complete with details of the history of the forecasting of storms (did you know that for a time forecasters were forbidden to use the word “tornado” when forecasting a severe storm for fear of panicking people?), the ineptness of the system, the arrogance of forecasters, and the politics that came into play. Interwoven with the history of hurricanes, and this hurricane in particular, Larson recounts the tragic stories of victims and survivors. In light of the recent devastating tsunami in south Asia, the book becomes of even more interest. There have been a lot of stories about natural disasters, but few have made bestseller status as this one has, and it justly deserved its place on the bestseller lists. If you haven’t read this book yet, what are you waiting for? Erik Larson really knows how to hold the reader in his grip. Very much worth reading.

THE LANGUAGE OF SYCAMORES

THE LANGUAGE OF SYCAMORES
Lisa Wingate1/14 – 1/20
Rating: 8/10January 2004
Fiction283 pp
From Personal Collection
Reason for reading the book: The third book with similar setting by Lisa Wingate and I have loved the other two.
Blurb: After Karen looses her prestigious job, she takes the time to go visit her sister (Kate from Tending Roses) in Missouri and meet up with her pilot husband who has a lay-over there. While in Missouri she meets up with long-lost relatives, one of whom (Jenilee from Good Hope Road) has a box of letters Karen’s grandmother wrote to her grandmother over half a century previously. As secrets are revealed, Karen’s priorities return to her old values and she finds out what is really important in her life.

THE SWALLOWS OF KABUL

THE SWALLOWS OF KABUL
By Yasminda Khadra
Began: Ended January 2005
Rating: 8/10Date
Published: original – 2002, English translation 2004
Fiction195 pages
From the library
Reason for reading: 1) Nancy’s recommendation 2) After reading The Kite Runner I wasn’t ready to leave Afghanistan
Short Blurb without spoilers: It is the time of the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan. We read of atrocities against humanity at the hands of these Muslim extremists as we meet two couples, one a jailer and his dying wife; the other a young couple who goes through a difficult time after the husband reveals a terrible thing to his wife. The wife had been a lawyer in pre-Taliban Afghanistan. She is just beside herself after her husband tells her what he did putting into place a series of events that culminate in a shocking ending. A short book, but very powerful and well worth reading.