All Is Lost with Robert Redford

So, this movie was pretty well done. I'm sure one could find lots of symbolism in it, but I didn't really like it. It's a one-man movie, so you can't expect too much and have it still reflect realism, but I would've enjoyed more logs of what he was doing. Like write in the shop log maybe what he was doing in the middle of the Indian ocean, or July 7, ran into a shopping container, patched up hole.... some type of explanation occasionally of what was happening for the people who are not as ship savvy. I did enjoy the way he tried to get fresh water- I thought that was clever.

My biggest problem with the movie was the 'f' word. You hear a brief narrative at the beginning of the movie and then mumbling and grunting throughout the rest... but the only clear word in the middle of the movie is the 'f' word. It was not tasteful at all, not was it necessary, but instead, actually awkward. He was frustrated, and many people do swear, but in that situation, most of my friends would use the 'sh' word. It came across as very unrealistic and even the acting of it came across as not credible. It was simply put there to give it a PG-13 rating. It took away credibility in the movie for me and was ridiculous.

SPOILER ALERT:

The only other thing I didn't like is once again (like the first paragraph) merely an opinion on the style of the movie. At the end, he burns his raft, which I thought was stupid. He had seen three boats in eight days and was moving closer to shore. He gives up. Granted he does get saved... but what is the message there? Should we all give in so easily? Do foolishly? Personal opinion, but I didn't like it.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

Tale of Cinderella. Really well written. It makes Cinderella more real, it includes the fantasy aspect in the imagination of children and as an exaggerated story. When Cinderella is accused of leaving she uses the fantasy story we are familiar with kinda like saying, "Yeah right". I also really liked the Study Questions at the end of the book. I'm going to include them so you have an idea of what the book is about, or at least what the author wanted to get across in the book. It is not for just any child, it hints at things in our childhood that can harm and affect our future.  I'll answer some of the questions I liked best.

1. While versions of the Cinderella story go back at least a thousand years, most Americans are familiar with the tale of the glass slippers, the pumpkin coach, and the fairy godmother. In what ways does "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" contain the magical echo of this tale, and in what ways does it embrace the traditions of a straight historical novel?

2. Confessions is, in part, about the difficulty and the value of seeing--seeing paintings, seeing beauty, seeing the truth. Each character in Confessions has blinkers or blinders on about one thing or another. What do the characters overlook, in themselves and in one another?
 Sometimes we notice the negative in ourselves and then define ourselves by that.  One of the stepsisters defines herself because people call her ugly, but there is a time when Clara tells her she isn't ugly, she's just plain.  But she has many other talents and things about her.  So she isn't ugly, she just doesn't have any striking features, that is a big difference to me.

3. Discuss the role of artistic representation in Confessions. Consider the two portraits the Master paints. What do they say about each other, and about art? What does the Master purport to want to capture in his paintings, and why?

4. Gregory Maguire posits four types of beauty in the novel: that of physical human grace and perfection, that of flower blossoms, that of art, and that of the gesture of charity. Is it possible to make a statement about the relative values of beauty? How is each type of beauty represented in the story?

5. Is Clara's extreme beauty really an affliction, as Iris suggests, making her just another addition to the Gallery of God's Mistakes? Do you think her beauty is a curse or a blessing?
      Clara's beauty I do think is a curse.  It was one of the causes for a childhood trauma for her and in the story makes it so people notice her beauty but don't really notice anything else in her personality.  She IS her beauty to everyone and doesn't even have a chance to define herself any other way.

6. Iris is possessed by visions of imps and hobgoblins--her imagination transforms a crone into the Queen of the Hairy-Chinned Gypsies, a windmill into a ferocious giant, and smoke on the horizon into a dragon's breath. Why do you think she sees the world this way? Ultimately, is there an imp in the van den Meer house?

7. The early seventeenth century was a time in which the Dutch, it is said, invented the idea of the "comfortable home." How does the van den Meer home reflect the family within? What elements in Confessions rely on the need to keep up appearances?

8. How does the story of van den Meer's rising and falling fortunes in the tulip market relate to Clara's tale? What lessons does it offer us today?

9. Clara is preoccupied with the idea that she may be a changeling. Why does she think, even hope, that she is one? In the end, how might we redefine the term "changeling" with Clara in mind?
     Clara hopes she is a changeling, because it was an easy way to explain away something terrible that happened to her as a child.  If she IS a changeling, then she doesn't have to accept the reality of what happened to her as a child.

10. In considering Marie de Medici's scheme to marry off her godson, Margarethe professes an admiration for the Dowager Queen, saying, "Why shouldn't she arrange the world to suit herself? Wouldn't we all, if we could?" (page 243). Discuss the ways that Margarethe arranges the world to suit herself. What does her favorite saying, "Give me room to cast my eel spear, and let follow what may," tell us about her?

11. When Iris asks the crone about casting a magic spell on someone, the crone replies, "It's your own job to change yourself" (page 164). Transformation is one of the main themes of "Cinderella," and of Confessions. Discuss the ways in which the characters are transformed or transform themselves over the course of the novel. What's the value and/or the cost of transformation for each?

12. On page 65, Margarethe tells Iris, "women must collaborate or perish." Does Margarethe really believe this statement? In what ways do women collaborate or fail to collaborate in the story?

13. The novel begins and ends with the issue of charity--Margarethe's request for charity in a strange town and Clara's act of charity toward her stepmother and stepsisters. Discuss how these scenes frame the story. At the ball, the Master says, "perhaps charity is the kind of beauty that we comprehend the best because we miss it the most" (page 313). What does this mean to you?

14. How has the book changed your conception of the Cinderella story? The notion of "happily ever after"?

The Long-Nosed Pig: a pop-up book by Keith Faulkner

I read this book to a kid in nursery. ok, well, i changed some of the words to make it shorter because i was with a kid that liked to turn pages about every three seconds... but i thought it was really cute and well done. it was one of two books the kid on my lap wanted to look through again and again, so even though she turned pages quickly, i think she liked it too.

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

SPOILER ALERT!

Alright, so I liked the book.  Honestly, I thought it was alright.  Not a page-turner or something I couldn't put down, it was easy for me to put down, but still entertaining enough to keep reading.

So, they travel around the world (not in a hot air balloon, I guess movies combine it with another one of Jules Verne's books).  But they run into several disturbances, distractions and complications.

What I liked most about the book was actually the end- and here is where the spoiler alert comes in.  He travels all around the world to prove a point.  He thinks you can travel around the world in 80 days, including complications, some 'friends' make a wager and so you may think he is doing it for the money.  But the money he uses on his trip, in the end, evens out with what he wins. 

Throughout the trip they save an Indian princess though and Mr. Fogg falls in love with her.  When I say fall in love, there is no romance, Mr. Fogg always appears emotionless and the focus of the book is the trip, not any love story.  So you know he is fond of the girl, and more when he finally marries her, but there is no romance (for any looking for a book with romance in it).  Anyways, so the only thing he gains is a wife.

Within the last pages Passepartout says, ""...we might have made the tour of the world in only seventy-eight days."  "No doubt, "returned Mr. Fogg, "by not crossing India.  But if I had not crossed India, I should not have saved Aouda; she would not have been my wife, and-""

Then, my favorite part of the book, "What had he really gained by all this trouble?  What had he brought back from this long and weary journey?  Nothing, say you?  Perhaps so; nothing but a charming woman, who, strange as it may appear, made him the happiest of men!  Truly, would you not for less than that make the tour around the world?"

I liked this part, because it made me look back on the book.  I liked it more with this ending.  What would make touring the world worth it to you?  For me, I would be fine with just the adventure of it all.  I don't need the romance, I don't need a wager to push me, nothing like that.  I would spend my money on a tour of the world for mere enjoyment. 

Another thought to ponder: What are we willing to do to find happiness?  Not the Mr. Fogg knew that that was what he would find by making this journey, but what are we willing to do to find happiness?

Then back to Passepartout's comment about possibly making the tour in only 78 days- they could've done it had they not crossed India- but then they never would have met Aouda.  This makes me think about when I met my husband.  There was one time when he told me, when we were dating, is finding true love supposed to be easy and convenient?  For some it is, but just because something is convenient doesn't mean it's right.  Sometimes the work we have to put in, makes something more valuable to you.  For me, I was dating people in my own town, and trying to expand my options by signing up for an online site.  I felt like it was the easiest way for me to meet more people.  At first I was only willing to meet up with people in my same state, or my home state, or two others.  I figured, when I was home I could go out with any options there, and the two other states were where my grandparents were- so I could go there to visit them and have a date, and then a state I have to drive through to get from where I was living to my family's home.  It was all about convenience for me.  At first.  I was charged a month I hadn't planned on doing and expanded my matches to anywhere in the world.  I figured, 'if it's meant to be, one of us will be able to travel to see the other, or move, or make it work...'.  What's convenient is not always what is best, as is shown by my life and this book.  The easiest route is not always the best, or happiest route.  Oftentimes it is our trips through 'India' that may take just a little bit longer, that make our lives worthwhile.

Where would you stop on a tour of the world?  How much is happiness worth to you?  How many detours or longer routes have you taken in your life that ended up blessing your life?

Selected Stories of Franz Kafka Translated by Willa and Edwin Muir

I can't remember what show, but my husband was watching some show on TV and they mentioned Kafka or his works.  The show mentioned (or maybe he looked into it afterwards) that Kafka can be very depressing, but there is also a slight humor to a lot of his works and an art in them.  My husband, from the TV show, thought he might appreciate this humor- despite the tragic/depressing parts and rented some from the library.  I have made a goal to be more well-read and to be more rounded in my choice of  literature.  So I started reading them as well.  Franz Kafka was a Jew in Germany, who had a hard life, from what I have found.  He may have died before the Jews faced their biggest trials in WWII, but thinking about it, I'm sure their persecution didn't start then.  Kafka may have faced poverty, ridicule, any number of things, but his works, even when depressing have value and have lessons that can be learned from them.


The Judgment: This first story I'm not sure if I understood the point of it.  It seems two people are affected by a tragedy and one thinks he is the only one moving on, and becomes quite selfish.  The other one takes advantage of the first's complete obliviousness to things not concerning himself and prepares for the ruin of the first.  The part I don't get is the second says he loves the first and then commands the first to drown himself, and then the willingness of the first to do so.  Maybe the first WAS so selfish that the humiliation of NOT being able to achieve everything he thought was too much to live with.  Whatever the case, I did not like it very much.

The Metamorphosis: My husband tells me that Franz Kafka himself got tuberculosis, but in the end died of starvation.  At times I feel this story has some semblance of an autobiography.  I did find most of it amusing- even if just the way he described certain things.  Within the first paragraphs of the story you find that he has been changed into some sort of beetle and is on its back.  I can picture a bug on its back struggling to get back upright, and although it is sad, the way he describes it makes the picture in my head seem quite funny.  There are many things in this book.  The need to fit in, feelings of being outcast, feeling useless, other themes as well.

In the Penal Colony: This one I also liked.  It's based around a torture device that is very inhumane.  To me it emphasizes many things, including the right to a fair trial.  The need to be innocent until proven guilty instead of guilty first.  Considering Kafka was a Jew, I read this one and actually thought of Hitler and the concentration camps.  I related Hitler to the Old Commandant.  But Kafka died in 1924- before Hitler and his concentration camps and persecution of the Jews (though I assume there had been persecution before, though different).  It also, to me, emphasizes the need for us to stand up for things we believe in, that we feel are right, no matter how we feel they may be received.

The Great Wall of China:  This one is an essay that starts out about building the wall of China.  Then in the middle it talks about the citizens of China in the southeast (I believe).  Then comes back to the wall of China.  It wasn't my favorite story, but was well done, in that a German is a Chinese man, and from what I know of its citizens, is pretty accurate.  It reminded me that the wall may have been, not only to keep Mongols out, but foreign influences, that were considered an enemy to and threat to the Chinese culture.  I did like a quote in it: "Try with all your might to comprehend the decrees of the high command, but only up to a certain point; then avoid further meditation.  A very wise maxim, which moreover was elaborated  in a parable that was later often quoted: Avoid further meditation, but not because it might be harmful; it is not at all certain that it would be harmful.  What is harmful or not harmful has nothing to do with the question.  Consider rather the river in spring.  It rises until it grows mightier and nourishes more richly the soil on the long stretch of its banks, still maintaining its own course until it reaches the sea, where it is all the more welcome because it is a worthier ally.--Thus far may you urge your meditations on the decrees of the high command.--But after that the river overflows its banks, loses outline and shape, slows down the speed of its current, tries to ignore its destiny by forming little seas in the interior of the land, damages the fields and yet cannot maintain itself for long in its new expanse, but must run back between its banks again, must even dry up wretchedly in the hot season that presently follows.--Thus far may you not urge your meditations on the decrees of the high command." (p. 136-137)  I am one to "over-meditate" something, and therefore, I'm not sure if I completely agree, but I do agree with the logic behind this quote.  I'll have to think more on it.

A Country Doctor:  In this story, a country doctor is trying to save one person, but no one is willing to help the doctor.  And then he ends up with two people that need his help in two different places, he can't fully help either one and ends up sick himself.  If we don't take care of ourselves, we can't help anyone.  And the tragic-ness of not being able to be in two places at once.  The need for others to sometimes help- especially to one who probably has helped us or our families at one point or another.

A Common Confusion: I liked this story, and I feel most people can relate.  It has to do with missing someone or an opportunity.  But it also talked about being so busy that we miss something and the importance to make time for the important things.  Really short story (a page and a half?).  It refers to the two main people as A and B and the two destinations as H and home.  One quote: "At home he [A] learns that B had arrived quite early, immediately after A's departure, indeed that he had met A on the threshold and reminded him of his business; but A had replied that he had no time to spare, he must go at once."

The New Advocate:  Another really short story.  This one seems a bit philosophical.  It seems reminiscent of the great days with Alexander the Great and one blazing a trail to India.  And then seems to say, all we need now is people who study books (specifically law books here).

An Old Manuscript: His second story where he is now a Chinese citizen.  This one in its capital outside the Emperor's palace.  It talks about foreigners within the city and I actually like the last quote, as a summary of the story.  ""What is going to happen?" we all ask ourselves. "How long can we endure this burden and torment?  The Emperor's palace has drawn the nomads here but does not know how to drive them away again.  The gate stays shut; the guards, who used to be always marching out and in with ceremony, keep close behind barred windows.  It is left to us artisans and tradesmen to save our country; but we are not equal to such a task; nor have we ever claimed to be capable of it.  This is a misunderstanding of some kind; and it will be the ruin of us.""

A Fratricide:  I liked this short story about a murder.  It talks about a person who watches the whole thing but doesn't do anything about it.  It reminds me of our need to be involved in things sometimes.  There was a story once in New York where a girl was being stabbed and killed and yelling for help, yet no one stopped to help.  Some people stood watching, but no one lifted a finger.  I once heard someone speculate that today with youtube and our cell phones, we might stand there and videotape the event, thinking maybe we'll be the first one to report it and get fame, but no one would lift a finger to actually help and intervene.  If we were in that situation, would we try and prevent a crime?  Would we even take the time to call the police so someone else can help?

A Report to an Academy:  I really liked this story about an ape who becomes human.  I mean he still has fur, but he overcomes his ape side and becomes civilized.  This story analyzes, not freedom, but the need to have some direction to move.  Somewhere to go, even if there is no freedom to choose which way to go, one direction to move is good.  It talks about the need for motivation to move and I think gives a good example of overcoming adversity, trials, flaws in our own character.  In this, the ape is not resentful, but he does not look at his act of being civilized as right.  He does not feel other apes should seek to do the same, in fact he feels pity for one chimp, but for him, he felt it was necessary and he does not regret what he did.

I have now finished and will try to finish giving brief summaries of the last few stories.

The Hunter Gracchus: Starts out very descriptive, almost felt like the beginning of a novel.  It was short and curious.  I don't know if I understood the intended message, but it's about a hunter who befalls some tragedy and then is cursed to roam the earth on a boat.  Never able to linger long, not able to receive help or eternal rest.  I kinda liked it, but it definitely wasn't my favorite.

A Hunger Artist: This one has to do with a man who fasts for a living.   I want to say that Kafka died of starvation, but I could be wrong.  Anyways, there are times when he seems to glorify fasting or starvation.  This seems like one of those times, except the character dies at the end, very frail and pitiful.  He wants to make a new record for fasting and insists he can go "one more day" until by death he is stopped.  It talks of very many things relating to fasting, but it seems to miss the point for me.  I realize Kafka was a Jew- so he did not believe in Christ's teachings as fact, but to me Christ tells us what fasting should be when he talks about how hypocrites fast and make sure people know it and it is for the glory of men and not for God's help as it should be.  (St. Matthew chapter 6).  In conclusion, I think this story helps emphasize what I have noticed as a trend of Kafka's to focus on fasting and starvation, but it wasn't my favorite.

Investigations of a Dog:  I thought this had way too many side notes and didn't make one clear point.  It seemed to me that his main investigation has to do with, once again, starvation.  The dog thought he saw food that didn't fall to the ground but followed him through the air and pursued him.  So he decides that he must starve himself to see if food will come to him.  But when he first noticed this phenomena he was not starving, so why he felt the need to starve himself to try his experiment is beyond me, besides the fact that Kafka was intrigued by starving and/or fasting.  It is very philosophical in nature and doesn't really reach any conclusions.  Luckily the dog does not die, he is too tempted by food and therefore his experiment failed.

The Burrow:  I'll admit, I think I spent too much time while reading this trying to figure out which animal, precisely, was being depicted.  It doesn't much matter though.  It talks of a safety net.  It talks of a treasured area, and getting distracted, not thinking things through, allowing danger to enter, and then becoming to scared to think through things logically.  I can relate in many ways, looking back on this story and although I didn't like it much while reading it, I think I like it more when thinking about the message it was trying to convey.

Josephine the Singer, or the Mouse Folk:  This one insists that mice do not sing or like music, except for that which comes from Josephine.  I kinda liked this one, though I'm not sure if I got the intended message.  It talks of how she craves attention, wants to be listened to, feels her message is vital to all mice.  It talks of how entranced all mice are with her voice, and spends a little bit of time going into how she may or may not make those sounds, that no other mouse can.

Overall I liked these stories.  They weren't all intriguing, and so it wasn't the fastest read for me, but I feel there are good points in at least most of the stories, and good messages, even with the tragic, and sometimes weird endings.

Messenger by Lois Lowry

Alright, so this book tied in The Giver and Gathering Blue together.  There were magical aspects to the other two stories, like how memories were transferred in The Giver, and the second one with the gifts, but most of it seemed to be like every day life.  This book however had more fantasy in it.  People could trade a part of themselves for other things.  I mean,  yes, in real life, people sometimes give up a part of themselves to fit in, but physical traits don't change without going to a hair salon, tattoo artist or plastic surgeon.  With that said, I still liked the book and the fact that it tied the other two together.  I didn't really see a correlation to the first book from the second, and this one tied it in.

There was one quote towards the end that I really liked: "He saw Forest and understood what Seer had meant.  It was an illusion.  It was a tangled knot of fears and deceits and dark struggles for power that had disguised itself and almost destroyed everything.  Now it was unfolding, like a flower coming into bloom, radiant with possibility."  This whole book has to do with people being generally good, but fears and deceits can take over at times and bring out the worst in people.  Struggling for more power can be evil and many other things.  But I think this theme wraps up the message of this book.

I'll put in one more note: I wish she had figured out another way to end the book... For those who read it, you may understand what I mean, if you think as I do.  I did think that the event was written well.  I wasn't sad like I have been in other books when similar things happen.

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

This book I had thought would be a continuation of the first book, The Giver, but it was not.  However, I started reading the third book in this series and within the first few chapters it has alluded to both The Giver and this book- so they do all come together.

This town is another "perfect" town.  The books all seem to be based in the future, where humans have decided to control certain aspects of life in hopes of making life better.  This one is in a village where physical flaws are looked down upon and often people are sent "to the fields" to die if they have an imperfection.  The Elders of this town are in charge of everything and their history is recorded through a coat with woven threads, and on a staff and a person that sings the history once a year in remembrance of what has happened.  In both The Giver and Gathering Blue, someone realizes there is a flaw in the way things are run and someone stays to try and change things for the better.  I read this initially and although I enjoyed it, I enjoy it more knowing that in the third book things will hopefully all be tied together.

The Bet by Anton Chekhov

This book is a very quick read. It centers around a bet as to whether capital punishment or life-imprisonment is more harsh. A guy volunteers to solitary confinement for 15 years. I was "assigned" to read this book by an Uncle who is an English teacher. He has his students read this story and then think of 10 books (trilogies are allowed as long as you can prove that they can be sold BOUND that way. As in hardcover sets, not ebook packages) they would take with them (as the only books they could read the rest of their life, whereas, in the book he is able to ask for an unlimited amount of books), 10 cd albums (not mixes, must be sold that way), and 10 movies. He also asks for 10 restaurants. I can't remember, from his assignment, if those were places you would be able to order from or go to during solitary confinement (or on the stranded island with you, if that's how you picture it) or if those are the only places you can go to once you get out. Either way, I thought it was an interesting read and I have started making my lists. Not that most readers will care what is on my list, but I'm going to record it here for my own sake. This is the current list:

Books:
1. The LDS scriptures (as a quad- includes the Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, The Pearl of Great Price, Topical Guide and Bible Dictionary)
2. Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmadge
3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by Tolkien (I own a collector's edition with all three)
4. The Gable Faces East by Anita Stansfield
5. Gables Against the Sky by Anita Stansfield
6. The Giver by Lois Lowry
7. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
8. Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
9. His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman)
10. Strengthening Our Families: An In-Depth Look at the Proclamation on the Family by David C. Dollahite

Movies:
1. 10 Things I Hate About You
2. Disney's Enchanted
3. Salt
4. Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
5. Dhoom:2 (a Bollywood film)
6. Disney's The Little Mermaid
7. Disney's Beauty and the Beast
8. The Princess and the Frog
9. Tangled
10. Forever Strong

CD Albums:
1. Mariah Carey's Greatest Hits
2. Celine Dion: All the Way... A Decade of Song
3. Kelly Clarkson: The Collection
4. The Essential Michael Jackson
5. Shania Twain Greatest Hits
6. 50 Best Soprano Arias
7. Pussycat Dolls- PCD
8. Beach boys- Still Cruisin
9. Renee Olstead- Renee Olstead
10. Frank Sinatra- Nothing But the Best

Restaurants:
1. Mimi's Cafe
2. Olive Garden
3. Taco Bell
4. Zupa's
5. Little Caesar's
6. PF Chang's
7. Whiskey Grill (Mammoth, CA)
8. Red Lobster
9. Eggs 'n' Things (Thousand Oaks, CA)
10. Cheesecake Factory

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

SPOILER ALERTS:

So, I know I rated it 5 stars, but there were times when reading it when I hated it.  Ariella comes back in the picture and Ash wavers in his devotion to Meghan.  It made me feel like he only loved whomever he could see at the time.  If you love Meghan, Ariella will stay in the past.  At the same time, you hear Ariella's story and I DID feel bad for her.  She loved Ash, and at times sacrificed her own feelings for the good of all of Faery- like Meghan did.  But when it came down to it, Ash analyzed his feelings.  Before, he didn't have to choose between Meghan and Ariella because Ariella was gone, and not an option.  I feel like everyone SHOULD (not does) make sure that their spouse IS their one true love, and not just the next best thing because your first choice is unavailable.

In Ash's quest to find a soul, he learns what it is to be human.  I thought it interesting the things the author decided to focus on- what, according to her IS humanity.  I felt myself agreeing with most of it, but it was a topic I've never thought of before.  I hope to have more time to contemplate the things brought up in this book.

It also goes through some of the twisted things Ash has done.  It was a little sickening to know the nice, sweet things he did for the girls he didn't care about, and I don't remember him doing any of those things for Meghan.  But then I saw Ash's remorse as he gained a conscience and regretted what he had done, and remembered he still has time to do nice things for Meghan.  And then I also remembered him sending people to watch out for her and her family, and returning her dog to her, and realized he had done nice little things for Meghan.

I really liked that at the end, there were study questions provided.  Fablehaven did the same thing and it makes it easy to use this book as a book club read, or just to ponder the book for yourself.

The questions are:
1. Ash begins his journey in The Iron Knight to keep a promise he made to Meghan Chase.  How important is it to keep promises when circumstances change?  Under what, if any, circumstances would you not keep a promise?

2. Ash and Puck have an intense relationship based on a friendship gone wrong.  We might call them frenemies.  Ash felt that Puck was responsible for Ariella's death in the past.  Do you believe Ash was justified in making his vow to kill Puck?  How would you handle having a close friend cause hurt to another friend, whether accidentally or on purpose?

3. In The Iron Knight, we learn of the many terrible things Ash has done in the past, including murder.  How did learning the details of Ash's past affect your opinion of him?  In real life, who do you believe deserves a second chance?

4. Through Ash's quest to gain a soul, The Iron Knight explores what it means to be human, to have humanity.  What are the key qualities of being human?  What traits do you value in yourself and your friends and family?

5.  In the gauntlet, Ash, Puck, Ariella and Grimalkin face mirror images of themselves that represent their dark sides.  Why is it important that they see what they might become?  How does it help Ash to succeed in his quest?  Why didn't Grimalkin's reflection fight with the others?

6.  Ariella chooses to give up her life so that Ash can have a soul.  How might that sacrifice affect Ash in the future?  In real life, what kinds of sacrifices are worth making, and what might constitute going too far?

7.  How does Puck change over the course of the story?  Why do you think he chose to come with Ash and support him in his quest to win the woman whom Puck also loves?  Who do you believe should be with Meghan and why?

8.  One of the premises behind Julie Kagawa's faery world is that faeries exist and become more powerful when humans remember them, tell stories about them and dream of them.  What kind of power do dreams and the imagination have on humankind?  How are they important in our lives?

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa

Alright, so as I have continued reading this series they have become less like Twilight and something of their own.  Well that is, despite the two guy interests- the cold one is of course, the forbidden one and as much as part of me would like to cheer for Puck (or Jacob in Twilight) I find myself cheering for the cold, forbidden one in both cases.  In these books I feel Meghan is less flighty than Bella and more sure of what she wants.

For parents trying to screen books for their kids- their is a sex scene in this book- I thought it was tasteful.  They start out kissing- lay down, then it talks about their auras danced and merged into one.  If that left any doubt for you- she has to look for her clothes just a few pages later.  The kissing scenes in this series are similar, in my opinion, to those in Twilight.

One part I especially liked was from Puck.  Meghan and Ash are in some small fight and Puck says, ""Trouble in paradise , princess?" I felt my face heat, and Puck shook his head.  "Well, don't drag me into it.  I learned long ago that you don't get in the middle of a lover's spat.  Nothing ever goes as planned-- people fall in love with the wrong person, someone ends up with a donkey head, and then it's a whole big mess."" I like how the author used "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to interpret a lesson she thought Puck had learned from that story and incorporated it into her own story.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

To anyone who hasn't read this book- I would recommend it :)

I had read this book in Elementary School, but recently found out it's part of a series.  I couldn't remember this book well enough to write a review or to read a second book, if the story continues.

I loved this book.  It is placed in the future, where apparently the human race decides to make things better by going to what they call "Sameness".  The Receiver is the one person who holds all the memories from the past, so that when making new rules and decisions- someone can have the wisdom to try and make the best decision based on the past.  When they pick a new Receiver, the old Receiver calls himself the Giver- since he is giving his memories to the new Receiver.

Through all these memories they are able to discuss different emotions, natural phenomena, and other issues without being preachy about any one issue or topic.  It is very well written so as to make us all think about the importance of different things.  For example- what good is war?  Why should we judge based on hair color or skin color?  Should we be tied to emotions?  It doesn't answer those questions, but it brings so many issues up for the reader to think about and come to their own conclusion.  I guess, in one sense it does answer the question, because both the Giver and the Receiver wish to make some drastic changes in the community and revert back in some ways.

SPOILER ALERT:  Throughout the book they talk about Elsewhere.  Old people and sometimes infants are released from the community and the people are told they go "Elsewhere".  If they commit three major crimes (according to the community) they are also released.  And here I'm going to talk about the end of the book- so stop reading if you don't want to know anything about the end.  The boy tries escaping the communities.  Him and the Giver believe that there is still a place where Elsewhere exists, and that people may still live outside the communities and the Sameness.  At the end of the book, the boy is tired, barely still going and holding on.  It ends hopeful, and the last time I read it I took that to mean that there was people in Elsewhere.  But this time I found a new possibility.  When the community would "release" someone and send them to "Elsewhere"  it meant that they were killed.  So this time reading the book I realized that the boy accomplished his goal/mission and it's possible that the last experience in the book is really him dying- similar to the community's way of releasing people, instead of reaching an Elsewhere that the people assumed people were being sent to.  I still would like to believe that there were people living outside the Sameness communities, that he lived and survived, and maybe the next books will tell us, though I don't think they follow the same boy.  From the brief summary of the next book I believe it is a story of the community and how they may hopefully start to change for the better.  I guess we'll see. :)

T.O. Fish & Chips

So... I actually haven't eaten anything here yet.  I'm sure I will update that when I do go for myself.  I recently picked up some food for my grandfather though, who wanted fish.  But my grandma wanted to start a directory of restaurants she and my grandpa like and the phone numbers if they take phone orders ahead of time.  So I looked up their phone number through yelp and happened to look through their reviews.  They have very good reviews, most seemed to be 4 and 5 stars with a few scattered 3 stars and a few 2 stars who say that going TO the coast or to New England is better.  (Personally, for convenience sake, I like NOT going the extra 10 miles and sometimes 30 minutes to Malibu, and New England- yeah- that's even farther for me).  There was only one 1 star review out of the ones I scrolled through and I liked looking at them too to see what was awful.  This guy said he wanted fish and ordered the chicken nuggets and that they were just a step up from grocery store nuggets in that they were freshly battered and fried.  I started thinking- what idiot (pardon me for the language if he/she happens to ever read my blog) bases a FISH place's rating on their CHICKEN?  That's not seafood.  It's not their specialty.  It's probably something they added to their menu just in case a family went and someone didn't like seafood.  They probably DO buy their chicken nuggets from the store or something or some form of pre-nugget to fry.  But if I were a fish place, I wouldn't waste my time making the chicken nuggets into some specialty when I'm known for just about EVERYTHING ELSE on the menu...  Anyways, my husband likes seafood and they seemed to have some good $10 lunch special- so we will likely be back some time.

Johnny English Reborn

Alright, so I haven't seen the first one, but it's a spy comedy and I didn't feel lost just because I didn't see the first one.  I really enjoyed it.  There have been times when I've watched an action movie where they do some crazy stunt- that admittedly, looks really cool.  But I've also had friends mention before how sometimes the stunts are unnecessary- like 'who would do that in REAL life?'.  This movie covered some of those moments.  The bad guy would be running away doing crazy stunts, but Johnny English has the voice of his teacher in his head that basically tells him he can be wise.  So he opens the gate that the guy jumps over, walks around the piles of stuff he climbs on top.  Anyways, I found it very funny.  I mean there were other funny parts as well- messing things up and in the end saving the day.  The old Asian cleaning lady was one of my favorites- how many bad-guy girls these days in movies are older?  (Besides in the movie R.E.D.)  Usually it's some young, hot, sexy girl dressed in tight leather or something.  Anyways, I definitely recommend it to anyone who likes spy movies, comedies and/or Rowan Atkinson (who is a favorite of my husband). 

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

I liked this book.  I'm not a huge fan of Shakespeare.  I mean I like the stories, but poetry form isn't my favorite.  I always am sure I'm skipping over something in it, but at the same time don't care to analyze it further.  With this fantasy book it addressed a few couples in love and some meddling fairies.  I found it entertaining and that there were things that could be learned from it (which I guess is true for all of Shakespeare's other works which I have read).

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Alright, so the first book I thought was like Twilight.  Two mythical beings that are love interests to one girl.  One pale, cold, dangerous and has a reason to kill her.  The other one warm and a much safer option.  The thing is- forbidden love is common and appealing.  There is something about it that I love- even though I did not marry the "bad boy" in my personal life.  There is something that makes a girl feel AMAZING to have the bad boy, the unreachable boy, to be able to be the one that he can love, the one that changes his demeanor- that's a very empowering thought.  In this sequel (official sequel Book #2 not #1.5) there is a similarity to Twilight or New Moon.  The pale, cold love interest has to go away (completely different reasons here)and the other one has a chance to make his move.  To me, that is where the similarities end.  I really liked this book.  I feel like it has more adventure to it than Twilight, and the girl doesn't become a zombie- when he leaves.  Life goes on, and she gives the other guy more of a chance.  I liked the twists- they weren't impossible to guess, but it still was interesting and I loved this book and look forward to the next book. :)

The Heretic Queen

Based on Rameses the Great and Nefertari (the same time period of Moses in the Bible- but this story doesn't go into that stuff as Egypt doesn't seem to have a record of any details- just a group of people that possibly could've been the Hebrews.)

Honestly, I was expecting to like this book more.  I mean it was still intriguing like Nefertiti was and historical fiction, which I like.  But it was more graphic than I would've liked.  I mean based on the content- there's competition for being the wife of Pharaoh and then becoming Chief Wife.  But I didn't need to know that she was taught how to touch him sexually, and I didn't need as much info in those scenes.  I've read one or two romance novels that are worse, but it still was more than I like.

Throughout the whole book I was kinda disgusted with the whole two wives thing.  I mean, the one doesn't even love him in the book and is just plotting for more power for herself, and the husband still spends as much time with her as the other one who truly does love him.  Though I guess we're supposed to like Nefertari more anyways.  I didn't realize that there are remnants of poetry that Ramesses the Great wrote that show his love for her.  And I was touched most at the end when reading through the notes, that although the book was fiction- their love in real life was not.

Winter's Passage (Iron Fey Series Book #1.5) by Julie Kagawa

Alright, so this book was book one and a HALF (#1.5) in the Iron Fey Series.  I don't know what I was expecting in a half book.  Obviously it's not part of the standard series but happens in between the first and second books.  As a result- nothing TOO important to the series can happen without having to renumber the books and call this book TWO. 

With that said- it was a good short book.  Enough action to make it worth reading.  Introduced a new character.  But no major conflict that I can see affecting the rest of the series.  It leaves off just when something is about to happen, but that something is the next step that was mentioned at the end of Book One.  So if a reader skips over Book 1.5 they won't miss anything crucial to the series.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Alright, so I must say I started this book and actually started laughing.  Not because the material was funny.  Her Dad disappears one day, reminding me of "A Wrinkle in Time".  She has a best- friend/mythical-creature-guardian just like in the Percy Jackson books.  I'm trying to remember exactly what it was- but parts of the first few chapters reminded me of Alice in Wonderland (maybe it was the talking cat that showed her the way).  You enter the other lands first by a door in a closet- like "The Chronicles of Narnia".  Other paths to that world are similar to windows mentioned in The Golden Compass Series (starting in the second book).  There are characters from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by Shakespeare in it.  Within the first few chapters they take a picture of her with the popular boy and photoshop it where she's nude and make fun of her, making me picture Mandy Moore in "A Walk to Remember" when they photoshop her picture and make fun of her.  And then the part that made me laugh the most- she has a fun-loving best friend, one who is warm and has a sense of humor, and who seems to like her as more than a friend and she doesn't notice.  Then she meets a prince from the Winter Court (she's from Summer) and they're practically enemies.  Who does she fall in love with?  The mythical cold creature- who because of a past history- hates her 'warm' friend.  If that doesn't 'scream' Twilight- I don't know what does (oh wait, except the book Hush, Hush). 

I kept reading, thinking to myself, at least she was original in the way she combined all the aspects of the other books into one.  And before I got halfway through, I stopped noticing the similarities.  She actually did make something of her own, using tidbits of ideas from other stories, true, but combining them into a new story.  I got into the book and really enjoyed it.  Of course, I haven't read "A Midsummer Night's Dream" before, so now I'm reading that book, and then I plan on continuing with this series- she has written 5, I think.  I look forward to the others. :)

The Cheesecake Factory's Fried Mac and Cheese

So a few weeks ago, my husband and I went out to eat, and while waiting to be seated, they had a tv advertisement of different foods and cheesecakes there.  I saw the picture of the fried mac and cheese...  MMMMM!  I served a mission in Louisiana and love fried foods and I've always loved mac and cheese.  Anyways, one of the things I miss is getting fried mac and cheese bites from some restaurant (Jack in the Box or Arby's?) and enjoying how good it is.  Anyways, I asked my husband if he wanted to split the appetizer with me.  I asked the waitress about it as well and she said it was served with a creamy marinara sauce (my husband says it was more of a vodka sauce- but tasted like it had some sun-dried tomatoes in it or something too) and at first I was a little skeptical...  'Ruin fried mac and cheese with a creamy marinara sauce?' was what I was thinking.  It came and I took a bite- it was good all by itself, but then I took a forkful and swirled it in the sauce...  I was definitely a fan of the sauce with the mac and cheese.  The fried part wasn't too heavy, so if you sometimes react to things heavily breaded- this wasn't.  But it definitely gave me what I needed when I wanted something fried, cheesy and good.  (Amazing in my opinion- but maybe I was overdue).  Either way I would recommend them to anyone who likes fried food and cheese or mac and cheese.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Loved it. I loved the movie and decided to read the book after (usually I like to do it the other way around). I was especially touched, when reading it, that as bad as things may have been for African Americans in the past, their whole life wasn't miserable (or at least once they were no longer slaves). They loved, or grew to love some of the children they worked for. When I was nannying I grew to love those kids, even though they weren't mine and in some ways it should've been just a job to me. Anyways, I liked seeing the duplicity of it all- the women, afraid because of the awful conditions brought on by severe racism, yet the things they did care about in their daily lives as well. Very entertaining, even after watching the movie. Not a true story, but the author wrote based on a maid that she once loved and cared for and what she hoped may have gone through her mind- similar to Skeeter and Constantine.