A Disappearance in Drury Lane by Ashley Gardner
I was anxiously awaiting the release of this book. It’s the eighth in the Captain Gabriel Lacy seres, and it’s been a long time between visits with such good friends. I was so excited to be able to get this as an e-book for the Kindle my housemate and I share the day it was released for sale. And I dived right in. I made sure the Kindle was charged up before I downloaded it, and once it was on, I read straight through to the end.
Even with nearly two years between visits, I fell right back in with Captain Lacey and his friends. It was a fun visit, and while I raced through the book, it never felt rushed.
This episode was a mystery surrounding a missing actress. The ins and outs of backstage at the Drury Lane theater were interesting, and there were definitely some red herrings in the mix to keep me guessing as to “whodunit.” The new wrinkle of the Bow Street Runner out for Mr. Denis was a frustrating plot point, and I hope he is dealt with swiftly in the next episode. I do not like this new Runner; but maybe that’s the point of his character.
It’s hard for me to say much more without spoiling the mystery, so I will say that A Disappearance in Drury Lane was a most enjoyable and entertaining way to spend a Saturday. I really can’t wait for the next installment. I hope I do not have to wait another two years.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Cups of Tea with warm scones and clotted cream
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar … Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein
My housemate found this book browsing in an independent bookstore when we were living in New Orleans. She explained the book looked interesting, and anything that uses jokes to explain a subject can’t be all bad, right? And the book does look interesting. Our copy has an international safety orange with peek-a-boo windows isolating Plato and a platypus in a larger illustration of famous jokes in a bar. It is a nice book to look at.
And my housemate was right, it was not all bad. But it was more of a slog than I would have liked, and not quite as funny or as easy to understand as the blurb made it sound.
I know she picked this book, not only for the cover and title, but also to try and fill a void in her, and by extension, our, education. When my housemate was in college, she had to pick two introductory social science classes to take in order to fulfill the requirements for her Bachelor of Science degree. The choices were: Comparative Religions, Economics, Geography, Philosophy, Psychology, or Sociology. As a business major, Economics was a core major requirement and she could not use that toward the social science requirement, and the semester she wanted to get her social science requirement done Comparative Religions was not offered. That left her with Geography, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology as options. Psychology was offered at a time that conflicted with a class she had to take for her business major, so she had to choose two classes from Geography, Philosophy, and Sociology. Geography was an easy choice, and in the end, she opted to take Sociology because rumor was it was the easiest of the social science classes. Based on the studying she did for it, I’m not sure the rumor was true, but after reading this book, I am sure she made the right decision as far as her classes.
The book is subtitled “Understanding Philosophy though Jokes.” I’m sure that was the goal of the authors, but it fell a bit short as far as explaining the subject for me. It seemed as though the authors started out trying to explain a principle or thought in Philosophy and then use a joke or jokes as an example of the idea, but they didn’t really succeed as far as I could tell. It would have been better if, they introduced the idea, used the joke as an example and then re-visited the idea through the joke. Yes, it would mean that they might have to waste a good deal of time and effort to explain the joke, but in so doing they would have also better explained the point they were trying to make.
Overall, I came away not knowing much more about Philosophy than I knew when I started, but I know quite a few more jokes. Then again, the authors did explain that much of Philosophy is discussing ideas rather than ever coming to any conclusions about those ideas, so maybe I understand it better than I think.
Either way, this is not a book that I need to read again. And as much as I enjoyed the authors’ chatty style, I do not really have to seek out anything else they have done.
Ohh, and the title joke about Plato and a platypus … no, you’ll just have to read the book yourself to find out.
One Bear’s Opinion: Two cups of tea left to go room temperature while contemplating the sound of one hand clapping
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
My housemate found this book browsing in an independent bookstore when we were living in New Orleans. She explained the book looked interesting, and anything that uses jokes to explain a subject can’t be all bad, right? And the book does look interesting. Our copy has an international safety orange with peek-a-boo windows isolating Plato and a platypus in a larger illustration of famous jokes in a bar. It is a nice book to look at.
And my housemate was right, it was not all bad. But it was more of a slog than I would have liked, and not quite as funny or as easy to understand as the blurb made it sound.
I know she picked this book, not only for the cover and title, but also to try and fill a void in her, and by extension, our, education. When my housemate was in college, she had to pick two introductory social science classes to take in order to fulfill the requirements for her Bachelor of Science degree. The choices were: Comparative Religions, Economics, Geography, Philosophy, Psychology, or Sociology. As a business major, Economics was a core major requirement and she could not use that toward the social science requirement, and the semester she wanted to get her social science requirement done Comparative Religions was not offered. That left her with Geography, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology as options. Psychology was offered at a time that conflicted with a class she had to take for her business major, so she had to choose two classes from Geography, Philosophy, and Sociology. Geography was an easy choice, and in the end, she opted to take Sociology because rumor was it was the easiest of the social science classes. Based on the studying she did for it, I’m not sure the rumor was true, but after reading this book, I am sure she made the right decision as far as her classes.
The book is subtitled “Understanding Philosophy though Jokes.” I’m sure that was the goal of the authors, but it fell a bit short as far as explaining the subject for me. It seemed as though the authors started out trying to explain a principle or thought in Philosophy and then use a joke or jokes as an example of the idea, but they didn’t really succeed as far as I could tell. It would have been better if, they introduced the idea, used the joke as an example and then re-visited the idea through the joke. Yes, it would mean that they might have to waste a good deal of time and effort to explain the joke, but in so doing they would have also better explained the point they were trying to make.
Overall, I came away not knowing much more about Philosophy than I knew when I started, but I know quite a few more jokes. Then again, the authors did explain that much of Philosophy is discussing ideas rather than ever coming to any conclusions about those ideas, so maybe I understand it better than I think.
Either way, this is not a book that I need to read again. And as much as I enjoyed the authors’ chatty style, I do not really have to seek out anything else they have done.
Ohh, and the title joke about Plato and a platypus … no, you’ll just have to read the book yourself to find out.
One Bear’s Opinion: Two cups of tea left to go room temperature while contemplating the sound of one hand clapping
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, August 25, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Murder in Montparnasse by Kerry Greenwood
This is the twelfth book in Ms. Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series. I have to say, I probably would not have picked up the series had one of my housemates not given the first book to the other. But having found them, I want to share them with everyone I know who would enjoy them -- which is not to say I want to share them with everyone I know. I know a few people who would not enjoy this series. My housemate feels the same way, and in fact, we share the very copies of the books we read with her father. We buy them in Australia, where they are more readily available, read them (it’s a family joke that we must be careful not to read the words off), and then forward them on to her father for his enjoyment. This book is one of four that we need to finish before an upcoming trip with her father. If we finish them all before the trip ends, we can leave the books with him rather than having to mail them to him -- a win/win for everyone.
But back to Murder in Montparnasse. This was the best of the Phryne adventures to date in my opinion. The mystery itself was easy to figure out, and I had the murderer pegged as soon as he was introduced as a character. The subplot took a bit more figuring out, especially with some the author’s descriptions at the ends of some of the chapters and a few red herrings. It was not the mystery plots that made this the best adventure. It was the back-story and flashbacks to Phryne’s life in post-War Paris. I usually have a low tolerance for name dropping, and the flashback remembrances were full of name dropping, but in this case it was not as overt and in-you-face as that kind of thing can be.
Americans (and their bears) are taught very little about World War I if only because the US education system has deemed, by and large, things in which the US was not involved are not worthy of discussion. So any real discussion of World War I had to be done outside of schooling and on one’s own. My housemate’s father was interested in World War I, and in particular the Gallipoli Campaign, so we probably came through knowing more than the average person by dint of being exposed to it. But still, our education is sorely lacking for that period in history.
I am not saying that fictional mystery novels are the best places to go for historical information, but they are not bad for setting the scene and encouraging more in-depth research and investigation. One could do worse than Phryne Fisher for historical context. But this adventure was not only about the historical context, but a good deal about the character of Phryne herself. We are all products of our times, our upbringings, and our adventures. This book went a good way to explaining why Phryne is who she is. And that was the best part.
Add to that an interesting, but possibly throw-away, discussion about the young no longer heeding the advice of the old because the old “advised them to die,” and it was a book that will have an impact on my long after we pass it on to my housemate’s father.
I always recommend reading series books in order, but this is not one that needs to be read in sequence. It would help to already know the characters, but because so much of the book takes place before the series begins anyway, it is not sensitive to the over-arching plot line. Definitely check out Phryne Fisher mysteries if you can find them. But do not worry if you cannot find other and have to read this one first, or out of order, just read it.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five cups strong Parisian coffee and a plate of brownies (preferably not from Alice B. Toklas’ infamous recipe)
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This is the twelfth book in Ms. Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series. I have to say, I probably would not have picked up the series had one of my housemates not given the first book to the other. But having found them, I want to share them with everyone I know who would enjoy them -- which is not to say I want to share them with everyone I know. I know a few people who would not enjoy this series. My housemate feels the same way, and in fact, we share the very copies of the books we read with her father. We buy them in Australia, where they are more readily available, read them (it’s a family joke that we must be careful not to read the words off), and then forward them on to her father for his enjoyment. This book is one of four that we need to finish before an upcoming trip with her father. If we finish them all before the trip ends, we can leave the books with him rather than having to mail them to him -- a win/win for everyone.
But back to Murder in Montparnasse. This was the best of the Phryne adventures to date in my opinion. The mystery itself was easy to figure out, and I had the murderer pegged as soon as he was introduced as a character. The subplot took a bit more figuring out, especially with some the author’s descriptions at the ends of some of the chapters and a few red herrings. It was not the mystery plots that made this the best adventure. It was the back-story and flashbacks to Phryne’s life in post-War Paris. I usually have a low tolerance for name dropping, and the flashback remembrances were full of name dropping, but in this case it was not as overt and in-you-face as that kind of thing can be.
Americans (and their bears) are taught very little about World War I if only because the US education system has deemed, by and large, things in which the US was not involved are not worthy of discussion. So any real discussion of World War I had to be done outside of schooling and on one’s own. My housemate’s father was interested in World War I, and in particular the Gallipoli Campaign, so we probably came through knowing more than the average person by dint of being exposed to it. But still, our education is sorely lacking for that period in history.
I am not saying that fictional mystery novels are the best places to go for historical information, but they are not bad for setting the scene and encouraging more in-depth research and investigation. One could do worse than Phryne Fisher for historical context. But this adventure was not only about the historical context, but a good deal about the character of Phryne herself. We are all products of our times, our upbringings, and our adventures. This book went a good way to explaining why Phryne is who she is. And that was the best part.
Add to that an interesting, but possibly throw-away, discussion about the young no longer heeding the advice of the old because the old “advised them to die,” and it was a book that will have an impact on my long after we pass it on to my housemate’s father.
I always recommend reading series books in order, but this is not one that needs to be read in sequence. It would help to already know the characters, but because so much of the book takes place before the series begins anyway, it is not sensitive to the over-arching plot line. Definitely check out Phryne Fisher mysteries if you can find them. But do not worry if you cannot find other and have to read this one first, or out of order, just read it.
One Bear’s Opinion: Five cups strong Parisian coffee and a plate of brownies (preferably not from Alice B. Toklas’ infamous recipe)
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, August 11, 2013
A Bear in the City
Saturday was National Bookshop Day in Australia. And as I have been very good over the past few months, my housemates told me I could join them in their book-shopping adventures. It’s only fair, as I read the books too.
The day started out with a drive up to Melbourne. The drive itself was fairly uneventful, but we did stop at a drive-through carwash on the way. Once my housemate explained to me that it was okay because no water could get in the car, I rather enjoyed the experience. It was interesting, particularly when the surface protectant was sprayed -- it was blue and red foam that made interesting drops and rivulets on the windows.
After the carwash, it was to the parking garage and then to the first stop of the day. My housemate had planned three bookshop stops, at independent booksellers in Melbourne’s CBD. The first was at the aptly named Hill of Content Bookshop. The shop is down the hill from Melbourne's Parliament House. It’s a smallish bookstore but the second level makes it feel bigger than it is. We looked at several books while browsing, and bought two mysteries: The Janissary Tree and A Test of Wills. Both looked interesting, though I think my housemate has been dithering about The Janissary Tree for some time; she was quick to grab it as a definite purchase. Before heading downstairs, we wandered through the Travel section, but found nothing we didn't already know. Downstairs in the Fiction section, we looked at the remaining two books in Frank Moorhouse’s Edith Trilogy, but decided against them as we slogged through the initial book, Grand Days. Checking out was nice and easy, and we got a free bookmark. I always like when you get bookmarks in the books you purchase -- it saves having to locate one when you start the book, and is a nice reminder of where you got the book.
Leaving Hill of Content Bookshop, we walked about a block up the hill to The Paperback Bookshop. To say The Paperback Bookshop is tiny does a disservice to the word tiny. But the shop uses space fairly well and there was a large selection. We were on the lookout for a book (Evan’s Gallipoli) my housemate had seen on a previous visit. She meant to get it for her father. She was very happy to see it was still there and after a stop in the Fiction and Crime Fiction sections, was happy to leave with just that book. On the way out, we had to walk through the Biography/History section and just happened to see The Three Emperors. Now I know my housemate’s favorite historical period is Turn-of-the-Century Russia leading to the abdication and subsequent assassination of Tsar Nicholas II, and I knew she was not aware this book was available, so I made sure to alert her to the book. She bought it without more than a second thought.
Two bookshops done, and another one to go, we made a slight detour. My housemate’s birthdays are coming up -- they are eleven days apart -- and one of my housemates had a great idea for the other’s present. So we took a detour to a large department store to pick up the gift. As it turned out, the gift was on sale, so it was fortuitous that we were there that day. I hope he likes the gift.
The gift was not really heavy, but it was in a large box, so it was a bit bulky and we were getting quite warm in out winter clothes and coats. Even though we had to walk past the third bookstore to get to the car, we decided to do that and then come back to the bookstore unencumbered rather than drag the bulky purchase around the store. While at the car dropping off the gift, we also dropped off our coats and the books we had gotten at the first two stores and an unneeded umbrella that I didn’t really want to admit was uncomfortable to sit on. Freed of the unnecessaries, we headed back down the hill to the third bookstore of the day, Reader’s Feast.
One of my housemates says that Reader’s Feast is the kind of bookstore that makes you want to stay and browse and the kind that makes you want to read books. I can see his point, but Reader’s Feast is more the kind of bookstore that makes books works of art worthy of being displayed on shelves. It is in a building that spans a block, so it’s long and narrow, but still airy. As usual in any bookstore, our first stop was the Mystery/Crime Fiction section and the browse there was rewarded with two more books my housemate was looking for to share with her Dad. We picked up the next two next-in-series in Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series: Queen of the Flowers and Death by Water. Then we wandered over to a huge display of Penguin Books. In the US, Penguin books are not sold with the generic orange & white color-blocked covers. Penguin Classics had the same black borders and work-of-art-covers as they do here in Australia, but the orange & white books were not common. Maybe Americans really do judge books by their covers. The orange & white books feel a bit generic and library-ish to me, but it if means we can have more books, I’m willing to forego interesting covers. And there is a new line of Penguin Crime Fiction in green & white covers. We investigated The Murders in the Rue Morgue, but decided against Poe based on the thriller aspect of his writing. Maybe next time we’ll give Poe a go. But this time we decided on Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone and Edgar Wallace’s The Clue of the New Pin. That made four books already and we were hardly past the frost door of the shop. It was time to move on to Fiction for some browsing. In Fiction, we debated A Confederacy of Dunces; being native New Orleanians, both my housemate and I feel we should read the classic, but the covers were not right and we decided it would feel wrong reading that book in anything but the cover we know. Moving on from Fiction, we headed to Cooking. My housemate is in the market for new cookbooks. And she was spoilt for choice at Reader’s Feast. There were several vegetarian cookbooks that looked promising. And a couple of bread making cookbooks looked interesting. We flicked through an Australian Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, but when we saw that most of the recipes were ones we already had in our existing BH&G cookbook library, we discounted that as an option. Looking on the bottom shelf, we found a smallish book called Light Bites. It was exactly what we were looking for, some small plates, some main dishes, some soups, some side dishes, and some desserts. My housemate was sold. And with that book, her hands were full so it was time to check out. At the checkout, we entered the National Bookshop Day store raffle (but were not winners). On the way out, we stopped in the travel section to see if there was a new, interesting and helpful guide for our upcoming cruise of Eastern Canada/New England, but there was now so we headed to a craft store for a very important purchase.
The last item on our shopping list for the day was to check out ribbons for my fellow bear, Spencer. Spencer’s bow is in need of replacement and my housemate thought that he would like it better if I helped pick out the new ribbon. We briefly considered green & yellow “Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi” ribbon, but I knew that was just for the shock value and not for real. After about ten minutes’ consideration we decided on a nice cream-colored organza ribbon, very much like the ribbon in Spencer’s current bow. We thought it was a by-the-yard ribbon, but it turned out to be a by-the-spool ribbon, so we were happy. There is now plenty of ribbon for all Spencer’s bear-bow needs.
That last purchased ticked off out list, my housemate decided she was a bit hungry and very much thirsty. The craft store was in a mall with a food court so we headed down there to find what was on offer. We found a fast-food Mexican-ish place and got an order of seasoned french fries and a bottle of water. I had some of the seasoned fries, but none of the water while we flipped through the new cookbook investigating the recipes. Most sounded good though I have my doubts about Iceberg Lettuce Soup and Beet Ravioli with Dill Cream Sauce. While we were eating, we got some texts from our housemate and he said he was finished at the record store -- he had left us to our own devices at Hill of Content Bookshop to head to a Melbourne suburb where a large record store was closing down. It was a win/win for everyone. His texts said he was on the way back into town and would meet us when he found us.
We finished up our snack and headed back to the car to drop off the books, and me. My housemates had decided to use this trip to try out a Kansas City Barbeque place but I wanted no part of that. We met our housemate about a block from the car and walked back together. At the car, we quickly checked out each others' purchases and they left me to look after things in the car while they went to dinner. I had a lovely time flicking through all the books -- there are some new pictures of Tsar Nicholas II and King George V in The Three Emperors that I know my housemate has not seen. She will be happy about those.
My housemates returned from dinner, a bit overfull from the huge servings at the barbeque joint (I understand this is common at barbeque joints) and were ready to head home. After getting everything settled we were off.
The drive home was uneventful and included a stop for frozen cokes. Don’t tell them, but I took a couple of sips of the frozen cokes in the dark. They were very good. There was a traditional Coke one and a Strawberry-Kiwi one. I think I liked the Coke one a bit better, but only because it was brown and the drips would not show as much on my fur as the red of the Strawberry-Kiwi.
We got home before 9:30, but I was really too tired to investigate the new purchases and was in bed not too long after that. On the whole it was a great day out. I really enjoyed it.
I was excited to head out to National Bookshop Day, but really felt it was under-advertised and attended. Books are not exactly a niche market, and I really expected bigger crowds. Maybe that was because I am an avid reader, but I really felt almost disappointed with the poor turnout at the shops. My housemate and I deliberately avoided big-box chain bookstores, heading instead to the smaller independent shops. We walked past a big-box bookstore that had fundraisers dressed as fictional characters (although I am still trying to understand the Star Wars Storm-Troopers and Jar-Jar Binks; I am sure they were only books AFTER the movie came out). The characters really made it hard to walk past the store without wondering what was going on. I know the small, independent bookshops can't really compete with the big-box store's marketing, but I still felt a little bit cheated. National Bookshop Day or not, I definitely recommend that if you can, head out to independent bookshops in your area. You never know what treasures you may find in them. Ohh, and talk to the clerks, they will help you if you have no idea what you want. Last thought for the day, Classic books are so much more than the stuff that is required reading in schools; check out the stuff that is not assigned reading, that’s where the fun is.
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
The day started out with a drive up to Melbourne. The drive itself was fairly uneventful, but we did stop at a drive-through carwash on the way. Once my housemate explained to me that it was okay because no water could get in the car, I rather enjoyed the experience. It was interesting, particularly when the surface protectant was sprayed -- it was blue and red foam that made interesting drops and rivulets on the windows.
After the carwash, it was to the parking garage and then to the first stop of the day. My housemate had planned three bookshop stops, at independent booksellers in Melbourne’s CBD. The first was at the aptly named Hill of Content Bookshop. The shop is down the hill from Melbourne's Parliament House. It’s a smallish bookstore but the second level makes it feel bigger than it is. We looked at several books while browsing, and bought two mysteries: The Janissary Tree and A Test of Wills. Both looked interesting, though I think my housemate has been dithering about The Janissary Tree for some time; she was quick to grab it as a definite purchase. Before heading downstairs, we wandered through the Travel section, but found nothing we didn't already know. Downstairs in the Fiction section, we looked at the remaining two books in Frank Moorhouse’s Edith Trilogy, but decided against them as we slogged through the initial book, Grand Days. Checking out was nice and easy, and we got a free bookmark. I always like when you get bookmarks in the books you purchase -- it saves having to locate one when you start the book, and is a nice reminder of where you got the book.
Leaving Hill of Content Bookshop, we walked about a block up the hill to The Paperback Bookshop. To say The Paperback Bookshop is tiny does a disservice to the word tiny. But the shop uses space fairly well and there was a large selection. We were on the lookout for a book (Evan’s Gallipoli) my housemate had seen on a previous visit. She meant to get it for her father. She was very happy to see it was still there and after a stop in the Fiction and Crime Fiction sections, was happy to leave with just that book. On the way out, we had to walk through the Biography/History section and just happened to see The Three Emperors. Now I know my housemate’s favorite historical period is Turn-of-the-Century Russia leading to the abdication and subsequent assassination of Tsar Nicholas II, and I knew she was not aware this book was available, so I made sure to alert her to the book. She bought it without more than a second thought.
Two bookshops done, and another one to go, we made a slight detour. My housemate’s birthdays are coming up -- they are eleven days apart -- and one of my housemates had a great idea for the other’s present. So we took a detour to a large department store to pick up the gift. As it turned out, the gift was on sale, so it was fortuitous that we were there that day. I hope he likes the gift.
The gift was not really heavy, but it was in a large box, so it was a bit bulky and we were getting quite warm in out winter clothes and coats. Even though we had to walk past the third bookstore to get to the car, we decided to do that and then come back to the bookstore unencumbered rather than drag the bulky purchase around the store. While at the car dropping off the gift, we also dropped off our coats and the books we had gotten at the first two stores and an unneeded umbrella that I didn’t really want to admit was uncomfortable to sit on. Freed of the unnecessaries, we headed back down the hill to the third bookstore of the day, Reader’s Feast.
One of my housemates says that Reader’s Feast is the kind of bookstore that makes you want to stay and browse and the kind that makes you want to read books. I can see his point, but Reader’s Feast is more the kind of bookstore that makes books works of art worthy of being displayed on shelves. It is in a building that spans a block, so it’s long and narrow, but still airy. As usual in any bookstore, our first stop was the Mystery/Crime Fiction section and the browse there was rewarded with two more books my housemate was looking for to share with her Dad. We picked up the next two next-in-series in Kerry Greenwood’s Phryne Fisher series: Queen of the Flowers and Death by Water. Then we wandered over to a huge display of Penguin Books. In the US, Penguin books are not sold with the generic orange & white color-blocked covers. Penguin Classics had the same black borders and work-of-art-covers as they do here in Australia, but the orange & white books were not common. Maybe Americans really do judge books by their covers. The orange & white books feel a bit generic and library-ish to me, but it if means we can have more books, I’m willing to forego interesting covers. And there is a new line of Penguin Crime Fiction in green & white covers. We investigated The Murders in the Rue Morgue, but decided against Poe based on the thriller aspect of his writing. Maybe next time we’ll give Poe a go. But this time we decided on Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone and Edgar Wallace’s The Clue of the New Pin. That made four books already and we were hardly past the frost door of the shop. It was time to move on to Fiction for some browsing. In Fiction, we debated A Confederacy of Dunces; being native New Orleanians, both my housemate and I feel we should read the classic, but the covers were not right and we decided it would feel wrong reading that book in anything but the cover we know. Moving on from Fiction, we headed to Cooking. My housemate is in the market for new cookbooks. And she was spoilt for choice at Reader’s Feast. There were several vegetarian cookbooks that looked promising. And a couple of bread making cookbooks looked interesting. We flicked through an Australian Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, but when we saw that most of the recipes were ones we already had in our existing BH&G cookbook library, we discounted that as an option. Looking on the bottom shelf, we found a smallish book called Light Bites. It was exactly what we were looking for, some small plates, some main dishes, some soups, some side dishes, and some desserts. My housemate was sold. And with that book, her hands were full so it was time to check out. At the checkout, we entered the National Bookshop Day store raffle (but were not winners). On the way out, we stopped in the travel section to see if there was a new, interesting and helpful guide for our upcoming cruise of Eastern Canada/New England, but there was now so we headed to a craft store for a very important purchase.
The last item on our shopping list for the day was to check out ribbons for my fellow bear, Spencer. Spencer’s bow is in need of replacement and my housemate thought that he would like it better if I helped pick out the new ribbon. We briefly considered green & yellow “Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi” ribbon, but I knew that was just for the shock value and not for real. After about ten minutes’ consideration we decided on a nice cream-colored organza ribbon, very much like the ribbon in Spencer’s current bow. We thought it was a by-the-yard ribbon, but it turned out to be a by-the-spool ribbon, so we were happy. There is now plenty of ribbon for all Spencer’s bear-bow needs.
That last purchased ticked off out list, my housemate decided she was a bit hungry and very much thirsty. The craft store was in a mall with a food court so we headed down there to find what was on offer. We found a fast-food Mexican-ish place and got an order of seasoned french fries and a bottle of water. I had some of the seasoned fries, but none of the water while we flipped through the new cookbook investigating the recipes. Most sounded good though I have my doubts about Iceberg Lettuce Soup and Beet Ravioli with Dill Cream Sauce. While we were eating, we got some texts from our housemate and he said he was finished at the record store -- he had left us to our own devices at Hill of Content Bookshop to head to a Melbourne suburb where a large record store was closing down. It was a win/win for everyone. His texts said he was on the way back into town and would meet us when he found us.
We finished up our snack and headed back to the car to drop off the books, and me. My housemates had decided to use this trip to try out a Kansas City Barbeque place but I wanted no part of that. We met our housemate about a block from the car and walked back together. At the car, we quickly checked out each others' purchases and they left me to look after things in the car while they went to dinner. I had a lovely time flicking through all the books -- there are some new pictures of Tsar Nicholas II and King George V in The Three Emperors that I know my housemate has not seen. She will be happy about those.
My housemates returned from dinner, a bit overfull from the huge servings at the barbeque joint (I understand this is common at barbeque joints) and were ready to head home. After getting everything settled we were off.
The drive home was uneventful and included a stop for frozen cokes. Don’t tell them, but I took a couple of sips of the frozen cokes in the dark. They were very good. There was a traditional Coke one and a Strawberry-Kiwi one. I think I liked the Coke one a bit better, but only because it was brown and the drips would not show as much on my fur as the red of the Strawberry-Kiwi.
We got home before 9:30, but I was really too tired to investigate the new purchases and was in bed not too long after that. On the whole it was a great day out. I really enjoyed it.
I was excited to head out to National Bookshop Day, but really felt it was under-advertised and attended. Books are not exactly a niche market, and I really expected bigger crowds. Maybe that was because I am an avid reader, but I really felt almost disappointed with the poor turnout at the shops. My housemate and I deliberately avoided big-box chain bookstores, heading instead to the smaller independent shops. We walked past a big-box bookstore that had fundraisers dressed as fictional characters (although I am still trying to understand the Star Wars Storm-Troopers and Jar-Jar Binks; I am sure they were only books AFTER the movie came out). The characters really made it hard to walk past the store without wondering what was going on. I know the small, independent bookshops can't really compete with the big-box store's marketing, but I still felt a little bit cheated. National Bookshop Day or not, I definitely recommend that if you can, head out to independent bookshops in your area. You never know what treasures you may find in them. Ohh, and talk to the clerks, they will help you if you have no idea what you want. Last thought for the day, Classic books are so much more than the stuff that is required reading in schools; check out the stuff that is not assigned reading, that’s where the fun is.
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Monsieur Pamplemousse Omnibus Volume 3 by Michael Bond
Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm
Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location
Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train
This omnibus edition contains three full novels in one volume. I read all three novels before reviewing them altogether. I could have read the novels one at a time, but I do not like to leave books unfinished, and reading the novels one at a time felt too much like leaving an unfinished book.
First though, yes, this Michael Bond is exactly the same as the Michael Bond who is the author of the Paddington Bear series. And in all honesty, I have only read one Paddington Bear book, but I have seen the animated shorts featuring Paddington. I shall have to search out more of the books, because I understand he is a very good bear, even if he gets things all a bit jumbled before he works them out.
Monsieur Pamplemousse is a series of mysteries, well not even really mysteries, as the mysterious situations are really never "solved." The books are much more a collection of humorous events in Monsieur Pamplemousse's life. Many of the situations are not of his creating, exactly, but more often than not set into motion by the Director of Le Guide, the hotel and restaurant review publication for which Monsieur Pamplemousse works. Most of the situations are ridiculous and made even more so when the back story of Monsieur Pamplemousse's early retirement from the Paris police force is mentioned. I shall not spoil any of the books by telling this bit, though it is mentioned, if never adequately explained, in every novel.
As I said, this is not a series of serious novels, and was never intended to be. You simply cannot expect a series of novels with the main characters named Mister Grapefruit and French Fries to be serious or heavy reading. Ohh, yes, I forgot to mention my favorite character in the novels. If the situations are more often than not set into motion by the Director, they are usually brought to a successful conclusion by the actions of Monsieur Pamplemousse's faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites. Pommes Frites is a former police dog, and while not the swiftest thinker of dogs, he is very deliberate and thorough. He usually figures out the situation long before Monsieur Pamplemousse. Every novel needs a character like Pommes Frites.
Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm is set in a town on the northern French Atlantic coast and revolves around the recovery of works of art stolen and hidden by the Germans during their occupation of France. Well, that's the back story anyway. Like most of the other Monsieur Pamplemousse books, the back story is merely a plot device to set Monsieur Pamplemousse in motion and to engage him in as many comedic compromising situations as possible. This one had a particularly fun scene involving a hat and a walk through town. It was definitely a fun episode.
Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location has Monsieur Pamplemousse serving as the culinary consultant to a series of commercials based on the Bible for a newly introduced perfume. The situations in this episode actually involve the Director and not Monsieur Pamplemousse, but he still has to extricate the Director from the dicey situation. It's nice to see the Director in strife because of his plans. It was a great adventure! I do wish I could see the commercials though. I would love to be able to see perfume commercials based on the Bible!
Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train is set on Monsieur Pamplemousse's home-turf in Paris, and it's nice to see both him and Pommes Frites at home. The premise of this episode is that Monsieur Pamplemousse must escort the Director's niece from Rome to Paris for her school holidays. Hilarity ensues when Monsieur Pamplemousse and Pommes Frites lose the young lady and are then under threat from the Director's Uncle Caputo. It's a great episode in the series and does not disappoint as an excellent escape from reality.
I would highly recommend the Monsieur Pamplemousse series, and this omnibus edition is perfect for packing three books one one trip. It is a bit unwieldy without a table or other ledge on which to rest the large tome, but it's worth it for the three-in-one aspect. My only real complaint is that the proofreader seems to have lost their place in a few sections of a couple of the novels. It's a bit hard to forgive, but still it's definitely worth the time!
One Bear's Opinion: Four cups of tea with yummy pain au chocolat, three times over
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm
Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location
Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train
This omnibus edition contains three full novels in one volume. I read all three novels before reviewing them altogether. I could have read the novels one at a time, but I do not like to leave books unfinished, and reading the novels one at a time felt too much like leaving an unfinished book.
First though, yes, this Michael Bond is exactly the same as the Michael Bond who is the author of the Paddington Bear series. And in all honesty, I have only read one Paddington Bear book, but I have seen the animated shorts featuring Paddington. I shall have to search out more of the books, because I understand he is a very good bear, even if he gets things all a bit jumbled before he works them out.
Monsieur Pamplemousse is a series of mysteries, well not even really mysteries, as the mysterious situations are really never "solved." The books are much more a collection of humorous events in Monsieur Pamplemousse's life. Many of the situations are not of his creating, exactly, but more often than not set into motion by the Director of Le Guide, the hotel and restaurant review publication for which Monsieur Pamplemousse works. Most of the situations are ridiculous and made even more so when the back story of Monsieur Pamplemousse's early retirement from the Paris police force is mentioned. I shall not spoil any of the books by telling this bit, though it is mentioned, if never adequately explained, in every novel.
As I said, this is not a series of serious novels, and was never intended to be. You simply cannot expect a series of novels with the main characters named Mister Grapefruit and French Fries to be serious or heavy reading. Ohh, yes, I forgot to mention my favorite character in the novels. If the situations are more often than not set into motion by the Director, they are usually brought to a successful conclusion by the actions of Monsieur Pamplemousse's faithful bloodhound, Pommes Frites. Pommes Frites is a former police dog, and while not the swiftest thinker of dogs, he is very deliberate and thorough. He usually figures out the situation long before Monsieur Pamplemousse. Every novel needs a character like Pommes Frites.
Monsieur Pamplemousse Stands Firm is set in a town on the northern French Atlantic coast and revolves around the recovery of works of art stolen and hidden by the Germans during their occupation of France. Well, that's the back story anyway. Like most of the other Monsieur Pamplemousse books, the back story is merely a plot device to set Monsieur Pamplemousse in motion and to engage him in as many comedic compromising situations as possible. This one had a particularly fun scene involving a hat and a walk through town. It was definitely a fun episode.
Monsieur Pamplemousse on Location has Monsieur Pamplemousse serving as the culinary consultant to a series of commercials based on the Bible for a newly introduced perfume. The situations in this episode actually involve the Director and not Monsieur Pamplemousse, but he still has to extricate the Director from the dicey situation. It's nice to see the Director in strife because of his plans. It was a great adventure! I do wish I could see the commercials though. I would love to be able to see perfume commercials based on the Bible!
Monsieur Pamplemousse Takes the Train is set on Monsieur Pamplemousse's home-turf in Paris, and it's nice to see both him and Pommes Frites at home. The premise of this episode is that Monsieur Pamplemousse must escort the Director's niece from Rome to Paris for her school holidays. Hilarity ensues when Monsieur Pamplemousse and Pommes Frites lose the young lady and are then under threat from the Director's Uncle Caputo. It's a great episode in the series and does not disappoint as an excellent escape from reality.
I would highly recommend the Monsieur Pamplemousse series, and this omnibus edition is perfect for packing three books one one trip. It is a bit unwieldy without a table or other ledge on which to rest the large tome, but it's worth it for the three-in-one aspect. My only real complaint is that the proofreader seems to have lost their place in a few sections of a couple of the novels. It's a bit hard to forgive, but still it's definitely worth the time!
One Bear's Opinion: Four cups of tea with yummy pain au chocolat, three times over
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, June 9, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Series Review
Lady Arianna Regency Mysteries by Andrea Penrose
Sweet Revenge
The Cocoa Conspiracy
Recipe for Treason
I am reviewing this series in its entirety rather than one book at a time because I think it is very important to read the whole series. The main mystery carries through the three books, but the backstory is not recapitulated in the second and third books, so if you come to the series late, you are lost. Each book has an independent mystery, but the main focus carries through from the first to the third book.
I wish I could say I thoroughly enjoyed the books, but the truth is I did not. They had good parts, not the least of which are the chocolate recipes at the beginning of each chapter. There were some good scenes, but on the whole the books seemed both overlong and too short all at the same time.
It is obvious that the author did some research, but not enough to truly understand the scandals or science on which she based her mysteries. The fact that she never actually explains the scandal, just refers to it in vague terms is a big indication that she does not understand it herself. And while I applaud using the South Sea Bubble as a basis for the mystery, if the author can only repeat the Wikipedia highlights, it really leaves a bad feeling in the mouths of readers who actually do understand the scandal.
In the notes for the third book, the author admits that she does not have a complete understanding of the science involved in the plot, but loved the idea of using real people as characters and needed a plot that would allow them to be part of the action. And that is fair enough; history is full of characters in search of an author. But they need an author who can do their expertise justice, not one who wants to pepper historical fiction with real, if somewhat obscure, people.
Further to my skepticism of the author's research, even though the author cites a couple of sources indicating that chocolate was available in certain high-end, luxury shops in Paris at the time, I have serious doubts that chocolate was as widely available as is portrayed in and around London at the time. It certain flies in the face of history of Cadbury I read not long ago. Even if it were available, it would certainly be prohibitively expensive for anyone but the very rich. I also doubt that the author has ever lived in any country but the US, and does not have a fair grasp of the workings of imports and exports to other countries. Even in a modern world products are not as easily available as the author indicates they would be 200 years ago when distribution was much more difficult.
I feel all I have to say about this series is nitpicking. And I am sorry about that. But on the whole, I was disappointed by this series. It had such potential, but fell far short of realizing even a bit of that. I would say, if you are thinking about this series, to give it a pass. There are far better Regency Period mysteries out there -- I suggest Rosemary Stevens' Beau Brummell series or Kate Ross' Julian Kestrel series. While neither of those have the chocolate connection, both are better researched and better formulated and plotted mysteries than Ms. Penrose's series.
One Bear's Opinion: One cup of lukewarm chocolate-infused tea
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sweet Revenge
The Cocoa Conspiracy
Recipe for Treason
I am reviewing this series in its entirety rather than one book at a time because I think it is very important to read the whole series. The main mystery carries through the three books, but the backstory is not recapitulated in the second and third books, so if you come to the series late, you are lost. Each book has an independent mystery, but the main focus carries through from the first to the third book.
I wish I could say I thoroughly enjoyed the books, but the truth is I did not. They had good parts, not the least of which are the chocolate recipes at the beginning of each chapter. There were some good scenes, but on the whole the books seemed both overlong and too short all at the same time.
It is obvious that the author did some research, but not enough to truly understand the scandals or science on which she based her mysteries. The fact that she never actually explains the scandal, just refers to it in vague terms is a big indication that she does not understand it herself. And while I applaud using the South Sea Bubble as a basis for the mystery, if the author can only repeat the Wikipedia highlights, it really leaves a bad feeling in the mouths of readers who actually do understand the scandal.
In the notes for the third book, the author admits that she does not have a complete understanding of the science involved in the plot, but loved the idea of using real people as characters and needed a plot that would allow them to be part of the action. And that is fair enough; history is full of characters in search of an author. But they need an author who can do their expertise justice, not one who wants to pepper historical fiction with real, if somewhat obscure, people.
Further to my skepticism of the author's research, even though the author cites a couple of sources indicating that chocolate was available in certain high-end, luxury shops in Paris at the time, I have serious doubts that chocolate was as widely available as is portrayed in and around London at the time. It certain flies in the face of history of Cadbury I read not long ago. Even if it were available, it would certainly be prohibitively expensive for anyone but the very rich. I also doubt that the author has ever lived in any country but the US, and does not have a fair grasp of the workings of imports and exports to other countries. Even in a modern world products are not as easily available as the author indicates they would be 200 years ago when distribution was much more difficult.
I feel all I have to say about this series is nitpicking. And I am sorry about that. But on the whole, I was disappointed by this series. It had such potential, but fell far short of realizing even a bit of that. I would say, if you are thinking about this series, to give it a pass. There are far better Regency Period mysteries out there -- I suggest Rosemary Stevens' Beau Brummell series or Kate Ross' Julian Kestrel series. While neither of those have the chocolate connection, both are better researched and better formulated and plotted mysteries than Ms. Penrose's series.
One Bear's Opinion: One cup of lukewarm chocolate-infused tea
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
The Cat Next Door by Marian Babson
Marian Babson's books always surprise me. I have read quite a few, and with each new one, I remember that I really like them and should read more. Usually I stop at just one though, so I get to have that surprise each time.
The Cat Next Door is one of the many books that were retitled for the American market. Originally this book was published as Deadly Deceit and frankly that is a far better title. It appears to me that publishers of books in the US, especially mystery books, have to have a unifying theme for the "series." Whether the hook is the detective's hobby, the detective's business, the setting, or some other connection, every mystery book is described as a "something or other mystery." There are chef mysteries, teacher mysteries, librarian mysteries, mom mysteries, crafting mysteries, tea shop mysteries, dog mysteries, vampire mysteries, Regency mysteries, Jane Austen mysteries, the list goes on and on and on. I fully expect to see series of "One Eyed, Left-Handed, Vegan, Wedding Planner Werewolf" mysteries on the shelf the next time I'm in a bookstore.
Admittedly, I read many mysteries, and many mystery series with such dubious series descriptions. But Marian Babson's books are not one of those. If only because Marian Babson's books are not a series in the way the word is traditionally understood. Marian Babson authored some 40 books, and of those, maybe 10 or 12 make up a couple of series. The rest of her works are independent books, with no character, location, or plot cross-over or continuation.
I think the books have all been retitled for the US market, highlighting the "cat" aspect so that they can be marketed as a "series." This is a disservice to both the author, whose works can surely stand on their own, and to the reader, as it gives the impression that the books are connected in some way. They are not. And what's more, the cats in the titles usually have very little to do with the mystery. They are most often merely house-pets that are mentioned in passing, simply characters who pop and in out of the story as they float in and out of the main characters' days.
That was certainly the case here. The title cat, a registered purebred Abyssinian cat named Tickety-Boo, called Tikki, was the family's pet, who had decided to move in next door for the duration of the plot events. Beyond that, the cat had no real role in the story. His scenes could have been completely removed and the book would have been no different. So calling the book The Cat Next Door is quite misleading.
Anyway, the mystery was quite good. Like all Marian Babson books I've read, the first two-thirds of the book is background information, situation set-up, and plot exposition. Many readers get frustrated by this, but I find it interesting. By the time that the actual murder occurs, I am usually so wrapped up in the back-story that it makes it difficult to figure out the killer. And in my mind, that is what makes a good mystery. For this one, I was pleased by the mystery, but there were some points made in the back-story that I wish the author had flushed out, so I was a bit disappointed by plot twists that went nowhere.
Overall, it was a very good book, and reminded me why I like Marian Babson's books so much and that I really should read more of them.
One Bear's Opinion: Four cups of tea in a window seat with a purring cat on an autumn afternoon
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Marian Babson's books always surprise me. I have read quite a few, and with each new one, I remember that I really like them and should read more. Usually I stop at just one though, so I get to have that surprise each time.
The Cat Next Door is one of the many books that were retitled for the American market. Originally this book was published as Deadly Deceit and frankly that is a far better title. It appears to me that publishers of books in the US, especially mystery books, have to have a unifying theme for the "series." Whether the hook is the detective's hobby, the detective's business, the setting, or some other connection, every mystery book is described as a "something or other mystery." There are chef mysteries, teacher mysteries, librarian mysteries, mom mysteries, crafting mysteries, tea shop mysteries, dog mysteries, vampire mysteries, Regency mysteries, Jane Austen mysteries, the list goes on and on and on. I fully expect to see series of "One Eyed, Left-Handed, Vegan, Wedding Planner Werewolf" mysteries on the shelf the next time I'm in a bookstore.
Admittedly, I read many mysteries, and many mystery series with such dubious series descriptions. But Marian Babson's books are not one of those. If only because Marian Babson's books are not a series in the way the word is traditionally understood. Marian Babson authored some 40 books, and of those, maybe 10 or 12 make up a couple of series. The rest of her works are independent books, with no character, location, or plot cross-over or continuation.
I think the books have all been retitled for the US market, highlighting the "cat" aspect so that they can be marketed as a "series." This is a disservice to both the author, whose works can surely stand on their own, and to the reader, as it gives the impression that the books are connected in some way. They are not. And what's more, the cats in the titles usually have very little to do with the mystery. They are most often merely house-pets that are mentioned in passing, simply characters who pop and in out of the story as they float in and out of the main characters' days.
That was certainly the case here. The title cat, a registered purebred Abyssinian cat named Tickety-Boo, called Tikki, was the family's pet, who had decided to move in next door for the duration of the plot events. Beyond that, the cat had no real role in the story. His scenes could have been completely removed and the book would have been no different. So calling the book The Cat Next Door is quite misleading.
Anyway, the mystery was quite good. Like all Marian Babson books I've read, the first two-thirds of the book is background information, situation set-up, and plot exposition. Many readers get frustrated by this, but I find it interesting. By the time that the actual murder occurs, I am usually so wrapped up in the back-story that it makes it difficult to figure out the killer. And in my mind, that is what makes a good mystery. For this one, I was pleased by the mystery, but there were some points made in the back-story that I wish the author had flushed out, so I was a bit disappointed by plot twists that went nowhere.
Overall, it was a very good book, and reminded me why I like Marian Babson's books so much and that I really should read more of them.
One Bear's Opinion: Four cups of tea in a window seat with a purring cat on an autumn afternoon
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Eurovision 2013: A Novice's Take
We were asked by our friend Tigger, who has gone Eurovision Crazy, if he could do a guest post reviewing the famous song multinational song contest. We admit that we are not quite as gung-ho for the silliness as he is, but we decided it would be rude to deny him this platform.
Oliver & Spencer
Hello Everyone!
Thank you for having me over to review Eurovision 2013 Song Contest from Malmö, Sweden. I have been watching the festivities courtesy of the SBS television network and it has been an eye-opening experience.
My friends could classify me as the most fun-loving character they know, and I would not take offense at that description. And as Spencer says, Eurovision was made for folks like me. I think it is supposed to be a serious competition, and some entries treat it that way, but some just have fun with it. It's those entries that I think are the best representation of the contest.
(Aside: I am watching the final as I compose this post, so it may be interrupted with live-at-the-time observations.)
My housemate, Oliver and I took a cruise of the Baltic in 2000 and we had calls at the ports of: Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Visby. When the tour guide in Tallinn asked where else the cruise was calling, and was told the next ports of call, she commented "Well at least you have a happy port after the depressing ones of Tallinn and St. Petersburg." That was exactly how I felt after the second night. At least we had the second night's fun to counteract the first night's melancholy.
I much prefer the thumbs up or thumbs down voting. I think over both Semi-Finals I only gave three acts thumbs down. It felt like I was being mean unless it was a case of sure and certain channel changing when the song came on. It's much nicer to be able to say yes or no to each, rather than having to leave someone deserving out. I'm so glad my votes don't really count, despite the fun I've had trying to figure it out.
Time for nibbles. My housemates got some nice cheese and crackers for nibbles with the Final, and they have a bottle of Moscato, but I'm not sure I'll have any of that.
(Aside: I think this is the longest thing I have ever composed and written already and we are only eight songs into the Final!)
I can't say I like the behind-the-scenes bits in between the acts, but I can see the fun in them.
It's time for the last song of the night, and the contest. It is also the last of the butterfly-flags to mark each entry. Those were some of the best artwork of the night. And the butterfly for Israel (in Semi-Final #1) was great, with the stylized Star of David. I'd love to get a book of just those; they were very nice artwork and would make a great collage for a hallway or other long blank wall.
Keep bouncing everyone,
Tigger.
Oliver & Spencer
Hello Everyone!
Thank you for having me over to review Eurovision 2013 Song Contest from Malmö, Sweden. I have been watching the festivities courtesy of the SBS television network and it has been an eye-opening experience.
My friends could classify me as the most fun-loving character they know, and I would not take offense at that description. And as Spencer says, Eurovision was made for folks like me. I think it is supposed to be a serious competition, and some entries treat it that way, but some just have fun with it. It's those entries that I think are the best representation of the contest.
(Aside: I am watching the final as I compose this post, so it may be interrupted with live-at-the-time observations.)
Song 01, France: Amandine Bourgeois - L'enfer Et Moi: nothing special, definitely would not get my vote.The first night (Semi-Final #1) was, as a housemate described, "pretty austere" and made me wonder if my first experience of Eurovision would be my last. I'm not sure it was not a product of the austerity measures all over Europe, but it was generally depressing, and truly only had one fun act, and one worthy of my best bounces.
Song 02, Lithuania: Andrius Pojavis - Something: eh, again, nothing special, but had a few bouncy bits
Song 03, Moldova: Aliona Moon - O Mie: the special effects on the dress were the best partThe second night (Semi-Final #2) was much better and much more fun for those of us who wanted to be happy and have a good time watching the silliness. There were many more chances for bounces, and there was a much happier tone, even from traditionally depressed countries.
My housemate, Oliver and I took a cruise of the Baltic in 2000 and we had calls at the ports of: Stockholm, Tallinn, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Visby. When the tour guide in Tallinn asked where else the cruise was calling, and was told the next ports of call, she commented "Well at least you have a happy port after the depressing ones of Tallinn and St. Petersburg." That was exactly how I felt after the second night. At least we had the second night's fun to counteract the first night's melancholy.
Song 04, Finland: Krista Siegfrids - Marry Me: maximum bounce-ability! this is a fun, fun song; and I really don't get the controversy about the end.
Song 05, Spain: ESDM - Contigo Hasta El Final (With You Until The End): eh, I can take or leave it, there is nothing stand-out special (funny host comment: nothing says Spain quite like bagpipes.)
Song 06, Belgium: Roberto Bellarosa - Love Kills: I remember him from the other night; he wasn't bad, but definitely had a boy-band feelBoth Semi-Finals the television station broadcasting the event here in Australia offered on-line voting. I had fun checking thumbs up or thumbs down for each act, but had a really tough time deciding to whom to award my three final votes.
Song 07, Estonia: Birgit - Et Uus Saaks Alguse: I really don't get the black & white aspect at the beginning of the song, surely that is only for the viewers at home, it would be impossible to pull off in the stadium. But other than that, it was not bad, and certainly something I can hear as restaurant background music (and I do not mean that in a bad way).I had trouble deciding how to allocate my votes for both Semi-Finals, but for different reasons. The first night seemed to have nothing but melancholy, depressing acts, while the second night had an overabundance of fun and bouncy acts. It was a case of feast or famine from one night to the next. Tonight, in the final I am having an equally hard time as I can only award 3 votes over 26 entries!!!
Song 08, Belarus: Alyona Lanskaya - Solayoh: One of the few bouncy songs from the first night, definitely a fun entry.Hmm. I wonder why they took away the live music aspect and have the groups singing to backing tracks now. It would be nicer to have live musicians, and it would put more people to work in Europe.
I much prefer the thumbs up or thumbs down voting. I think over both Semi-Finals I only gave three acts thumbs down. It felt like I was being mean unless it was a case of sure and certain channel changing when the song came on. It's much nicer to be able to say yes or no to each, rather than having to leave someone deserving out. I'm so glad my votes don't really count, despite the fun I've had trying to figure it out.
Time for nibbles. My housemates got some nice cheese and crackers for nibbles with the Final, and they have a bottle of Moscato, but I'm not sure I'll have any of that.
(Aside: I think this is the longest thing I have ever composed and written already and we are only eight songs into the Final!)
Song 09, Malta: Gianluca - Tomorrow: Hands down my favorite so far! It's so fun and bouncy. happy and joyful. I'd love to have this on cd to bounce along to. And the performers seem so happy to be there.
Song 10, Russia: Dina Garipova - What If: It's a nice song, but honestly this felt and looked very much like Russia, a bit plain and monochrome, and a lot depressing and unhappy. Definitely not my favorite of the night.
Song 11, Germany: Cascada - Glorious: new act for Final night. It has a Spice Girls feel to me, not my favorite, despite the dance- and bounce-ability. Sorry, Germany.The television station also has a Live Chat feature along with the voting. I do not like it, mostly because most of the comments are mean-spirited. There is no need for that, and if you don't like the act, take the lesson from Thumper in Bambi: "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothing [anything] at all." (well, take the lesson in proper English, without the double negative.)
Song 12, Armenia: Dorians - Lonely Planet: This entry has a stadium-rock feel, not terrible, but not the best entry of the night either.
Song 13, The Netherlands: Anouk - Birds: This was another of depressing songs from the first night. I would like it more if it were happier.I realize that I am overly happy and excited, and want everyone to share my excitement at each moment of life. I know that not everyone does, and that's why there are many different choices. But I do hope no-one gets the idea that I am being mean to anyone. Each and every performer, even the ones I do not like as much deserve applause if only for the effort of getting out on stage. That's part of the reason the Live Chat feature makes me so mad. It's one thing to make constructive comments, but it's completely different to just be mean.
Song 14, Romania: Cezar - It's My Life: This was one of the most interesting entries of the Song Contest. Cezar's voice is fantastic and deserves every second of applause, but I think this would be better suited in an opera rather than a pop-music contest.Nibbles break. I'd love to share my cheese and crackers with you, but I'm not partaking of the wine. My housemates say I am plenty bouncy enough without help.
I can't say I like the behind-the-scenes bits in between the acts, but I can see the fun in them.
Song 15, United Kingdom: Bonnie Tyler - Believe In Me: new song for tonight. It's a Bonnie Tyler song, which is good because it is Bonnie Tyler, but I can't say much more.
Song 16, Sweden: Robin Stjernberg - You: new tonight, and the host country. Much cheering in the stadium. I really don't know what to say about this entry. I want to like it, but it just falls a bit flat of favorite status.However the cheese and crackers are very nice -- we have a trilogy of sun-dried tomato, summer herbs and sharp cheddar, and a very nice buttery creamy, soft cheese, the name of which I cannot remember. Ohh and some nice whole wheat crackers with seeds and some rosemary & sea salt lavash.
Song 17, Hungary: ByeAlex - Kedvesem: Aside from the grunge-holdover costumes, there is nothing I do not like about this song. Definitely a favorite of the night.
Song 18, Denmark: Emmelie de Forest - Only Teardrops: I really like the beat of this song, particularly during the refrain, but it feels like other songs I have heard out and about, there is nothing special or standout-ish.
Song 19, Iceland: Eythor Ingi - Ég Á Líf: This song reminds me very much of the Celtic-inspired music of Nova Scotia, especially Cape Breton. I really enjoy it, and would not mind an entire album of his songs.I'm not sure I've mentioned it, but now is as good a time as any to say that I really like the entrants who sing in their native languages, rather than in English. I know the song contest is broadcast world-wide, and they want to appeal to as many people as possible, especially in Europe where the votes actually count, and English may be the best way to get the votes. But I think it's awesome when they sing in other languages. Maybe it's growing up in a predominantly English-speaking country, but I find the diversity in language as exciting as the diversity in entrants. And to me it seems more embracing if there is more than just English spoken. A great song, a great performance should transcend the language of both the artist and the audience. The Eurovision Song Contest is a perfect forum to reinforce that truth.
Song 20, Azerbaijan: Farid Mammadov - Hold Me: This was one my housemate liked because of the box guy. And truthfully the guy in the box upstaged the singer.
Song 21, Greece: Koza Mostra feat. Agathon Iakovidis - Alcohol Is Free: This song was voted into the final on the strength of the lyrics I am sure. But beyond that, it's a fun song and a fun performance.The commentator made a comment about the "kilts" the Greek entry is wearing. I think he might be one of the people who has a middle-school giggle at men in "skirts." But it is a very traditional costume for many cultures, not only the Scots. Traditional national dress in Greece is a skirt for men, usually a white skirt, but a skirt nonetheless. (Wikipedia indicates the skirt is called a fustanella and is traditional dress for not only Greece, but other Balkan states as well.) I understand the idea that it is worn tonight to "unify Europe," but it has a deeper cultural meaning than that.
Song 22, Ukraine: Zlata Ognevich - Gravity: this was a forgettable entry for me, the only stand-out was Igor, the really, really tall guy who carried the singer onto the stage.
Song 23, Italy: Marco Mengoni - L'Essenziale: another new performance for Final night. It's definitely stirring, but I'm not sure if it's the lyrics, the music, the artist's performance, but I like it.
Song 24, Norway: Margaret Berger - I Feed You My Love: This song reminds me of Pink, at least that's who I think it is. There's nothing terrible about it, but nothing really special either. Plus it's hard to time good bounces with the techno track.I've been having a great time sharing Eurovision with everyone. I hope you haven't been too bored reading along. And don't the indentations for the song comments look like little bounces in and out of the story?
Song 25, Georgia: Nodi Tatishvili & Sophie Gelovani - Waterfall: this feels like a love theme to a romantic movie, when the couple finally gets together after trials and tribulations. It's not bad, but it's not a stand-out either.I wonder what the budget for dry ice is for the Eurovision spectacular? And is it a requirement for the acts to have a feature of some kind? It's not nasty to say that, because sometimes the spectacular add-ons take away from the performance rather than enhance it, as the smoke did in Georgia's performance.
It's time for the last song of the night, and the contest. It is also the last of the butterfly-flags to mark each entry. Those were some of the best artwork of the night. And the butterfly for Israel (in Semi-Final #1) was great, with the stylized Star of David. I'd love to get a book of just those; they were very nice artwork and would make a great collage for a hallway or other long blank wall.
Song 26, Ireland: Ryan Dolan - Only Love Survives: I love the accompaniment to this song, the traditional drums are great. The song is a bit same-ish, but the drums are wonderful.Well, it's been fun. I'm off to cast my vote for the best acts. And then it's a long wait for the vote tally in Europe. Whatever the outcome, I've had fun sharing this with you.
Keep bouncing everyone,
Tigger.
Monday, May 6, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
A Death in Gascony by Sarah D'Almeida
This is the fourth book in the Musketeers Mystery series, and I think we read it only because the Musketeers are some of my housemate's favourite literary characters. I know that my housemate has a literary crush on Athos, so this series was a perfect fit for her. But that is not to mean that it is not a good fit for me either.
There is plenty of action and activity, and much swashbuckling. It is after all a series with Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers as the main characters. In most historical mysteries featuring famous people or famous fictional characters, the famous person is an amateur investigator. That is not exactly the case in these mysteries. The Musketeers are investigating mysteries that center around friends and family of the Musketeers but the books do not give the impression that amateur sleuth is the new profession of the "Inseparables."
This book features a mystery surrounding the death of D'Artagnan's father and a trip outside Paris for the Musketeers to D'Artagnan's home in Gascony (an area in the Southwest of France, on the Spanish Border, including the cities of Bordeaux and Bayonne, among others). It was an interesting mystery, wrapped up in family history and secrets, but still had plenty of action for the Musketeers to practice their sword-play and knife fighting.
It was a fun and fast-paced mystery, with plenty of misdirections and questionable clues. The author kept the character profiles that Dumas had carefully created for them, and nothing was out of character for either the Musketeers or their personal servants. On the whole it was a great visit with old friends, and reminded both my housemate and me that we have never finished the Three Musketeers collection of books. Perhaps it's time to pull them out and spend more quality time with Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan.
One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Strong Tea and a Plate of Mini-Size Three Musketeers Bars
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This is the fourth book in the Musketeers Mystery series, and I think we read it only because the Musketeers are some of my housemate's favourite literary characters. I know that my housemate has a literary crush on Athos, so this series was a perfect fit for her. But that is not to mean that it is not a good fit for me either.
There is plenty of action and activity, and much swashbuckling. It is after all a series with Alexandre Dumas' Three Musketeers as the main characters. In most historical mysteries featuring famous people or famous fictional characters, the famous person is an amateur investigator. That is not exactly the case in these mysteries. The Musketeers are investigating mysteries that center around friends and family of the Musketeers but the books do not give the impression that amateur sleuth is the new profession of the "Inseparables."
This book features a mystery surrounding the death of D'Artagnan's father and a trip outside Paris for the Musketeers to D'Artagnan's home in Gascony (an area in the Southwest of France, on the Spanish Border, including the cities of Bordeaux and Bayonne, among others). It was an interesting mystery, wrapped up in family history and secrets, but still had plenty of action for the Musketeers to practice their sword-play and knife fighting.
It was a fun and fast-paced mystery, with plenty of misdirections and questionable clues. The author kept the character profiles that Dumas had carefully created for them, and nothing was out of character for either the Musketeers or their personal servants. On the whole it was a great visit with old friends, and reminded both my housemate and me that we have never finished the Three Musketeers collection of books. Perhaps it's time to pull them out and spend more quality time with Athos, Porthos, Aramis and D'Artagnan.
One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Strong Tea and a Plate of Mini-Size Three Musketeers Bars
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Saturday, April 27, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Face Down O'er the Border by Kathy Lynn Emerson
This is the last book in the Susanna, Lady Appleton series of historical mysteries. Overall, I have enjoyed the series, but this book felt like the last one the author wanted to write. It had such potential, but the final execution was lacking. In the end, it was a good thing the series is finished, because this was a disappointing book, and not one to indicate that another visit with the characters would be welcome.
The main mystery could have been so much better, but the author went down too many wrong paths and allowed too many sub-plots to cloud the main story. By spending too much time on building the sub-plots that were never resolved, the author did not do the main mystery justice, and in the end had the investigator hastily solve it in the classic mystery plot device of confronting the killer with the knowledge but no proof.
It was a disappointing ending for a book with such a great beginning. It left me wanting more, but at the same time glad the author decided to end the series. I am not sure if the characters had their own minds, or simply that the author tired of them and turned her attention to other endeavors, but whatever the reason, the familiar characters were not themselves and it showed. Though the over-arcing storyline was mentioned, nothing was finalized and the characters were left hanging, in a plodding kind of existence waiting for a final resolution. There were not even blank pages at the end of my copy of the book for me to write my own ending for the characters.
I missed the discussions of poisons which were a larger part of the earlier books in the series, as Lady Appleton is an herbalist and an expert in poisons. The only mention of anything approaching a medicinal herb was a poppy syrup that was administered to a suspect to keep him sedated while a plan was put into action. There was such potential to bring that part of her character to this book.
On the whole it was a disappointing end to a series and not really worth the time it took to read. It will certainly not make new readers want to search for the earlier books in the series. I had hoped for a better visit with old friends.
One Bear's Opinion: One Lukewarm Cup of Weak Lipton Tea
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This is the last book in the Susanna, Lady Appleton series of historical mysteries. Overall, I have enjoyed the series, but this book felt like the last one the author wanted to write. It had such potential, but the final execution was lacking. In the end, it was a good thing the series is finished, because this was a disappointing book, and not one to indicate that another visit with the characters would be welcome.
The main mystery could have been so much better, but the author went down too many wrong paths and allowed too many sub-plots to cloud the main story. By spending too much time on building the sub-plots that were never resolved, the author did not do the main mystery justice, and in the end had the investigator hastily solve it in the classic mystery plot device of confronting the killer with the knowledge but no proof.
It was a disappointing ending for a book with such a great beginning. It left me wanting more, but at the same time glad the author decided to end the series. I am not sure if the characters had their own minds, or simply that the author tired of them and turned her attention to other endeavors, but whatever the reason, the familiar characters were not themselves and it showed. Though the over-arcing storyline was mentioned, nothing was finalized and the characters were left hanging, in a plodding kind of existence waiting for a final resolution. There were not even blank pages at the end of my copy of the book for me to write my own ending for the characters.
I missed the discussions of poisons which were a larger part of the earlier books in the series, as Lady Appleton is an herbalist and an expert in poisons. The only mention of anything approaching a medicinal herb was a poppy syrup that was administered to a suspect to keep him sedated while a plan was put into action. There was such potential to bring that part of her character to this book.
On the whole it was a disappointing end to a series and not really worth the time it took to read. It will certainly not make new readers want to search for the earlier books in the series. I had hoped for a better visit with old friends.
One Bear's Opinion: One Lukewarm Cup of Weak Lipton Tea
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Chocolate Wars: From Cadbury to Kraft: 200 Years of Sweet Success and Bitter Rivalries by Deborah Cadbury
I will be the first to admit that I really do not like chocolate. I tend to leave the chocolates to my housemates. But this chocolate was too irresistible to pass up.
I firmly believe that no knowledge is ever wasted, and this book was full of knowledge. I learned a great deal about chocolates. I learned why the major brands' milk chocolates are different, and why some chocolate brands are popular in the US, while others are favored in Europe. I also finally discovered why the Australians call a Milky Way a Mars (for reference: UK Mars)!
There was also a good amount of discussion of the ways of the Quakers with respect to business. I really had no idea that Cadbury started as a family owned and operated Quaker business. The history aspect of the book was very interesting, and the author, who had a personal interest in the history, did a great job of making it read less like a textbook and more like fiction.
Overall, it was a great book, and a very good read. It was interesting for me because, as the book indicates, Hershey's Chocolates dominated the US market for so long that other brands have really only appeared in the last 20 or 30 years, and have only recently moved from boutiques to mainstream shops. Cadbury was known for their Creme Eggs at Easter and nothing else, the basic milk chocolate bar was always a Hershey bar. Cadbury's chocolates were a treat relatives and friends brought back from trips to Canada or England. It was interesting to have a look in the world of chocolate outside the US boarders.
I can honestly say I will never look at a chocolate bar the same again.
One Bear's Opinion: Five Mugs of Cadbury Drinking Cocoa and a plate of S'Mores made with Hershey's bars
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
I will be the first to admit that I really do not like chocolate. I tend to leave the chocolates to my housemates. But this chocolate was too irresistible to pass up.
I firmly believe that no knowledge is ever wasted, and this book was full of knowledge. I learned a great deal about chocolates. I learned why the major brands' milk chocolates are different, and why some chocolate brands are popular in the US, while others are favored in Europe. I also finally discovered why the Australians call a Milky Way a Mars (for reference: UK Mars)!
There was also a good amount of discussion of the ways of the Quakers with respect to business. I really had no idea that Cadbury started as a family owned and operated Quaker business. The history aspect of the book was very interesting, and the author, who had a personal interest in the history, did a great job of making it read less like a textbook and more like fiction.
Overall, it was a great book, and a very good read. It was interesting for me because, as the book indicates, Hershey's Chocolates dominated the US market for so long that other brands have really only appeared in the last 20 or 30 years, and have only recently moved from boutiques to mainstream shops. Cadbury was known for their Creme Eggs at Easter and nothing else, the basic milk chocolate bar was always a Hershey bar. Cadbury's chocolates were a treat relatives and friends brought back from trips to Canada or England. It was interesting to have a look in the world of chocolate outside the US boarders.
I can honestly say I will never look at a chocolate bar the same again.
One Bear's Opinion: Five Mugs of Cadbury Drinking Cocoa and a plate of S'Mores made with Hershey's bars
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
A Burial at Sea by Charles Finch
Charles Lenox is back! And I could not be happier. An East in Murder was such a disappointment, I was really not sure I wanted to read A Burial at Sea. But I am so glad I did.
The story was good, with lots of action and plot twists and turns. Like Lenox, I was on the wrong trail for most of the book. I enjoyed going down the wrong path and finally discovering the murderer with the rest of the ship's officers. I knew I could rule out several people from the start, but the red herrings were very convincing and that only made the adventure more thrilling. I was very tempted to stay up late to finish the book when I was five chapters away, but I could not keep my eyes open any longer, and I knew that I wanted to be alert for the dénouement.
I wasn't thrilled with the spy sub-plot, as it could have been a plot all on its own. That part of the novel was not as flushed out or as complete as I had hoped. But all in all it was a great adventure.
I wish the author/publisher had thought to include a diagram of the ship and a chart for converting ship's bells and watches to a twelve- or twenty-four hour clock, if only for the reference value. I realize the author did a great deal of research for the book, but that does not mean his readers did the same amount. Most confirmed land-lubbers are not as familiar with ship's areas, customs or traditions.
The minor plot deserving a better spotlight, and the fact that reference materials would have been helpful, aside this was still a great adventure with Charles Lenox. I am back to eagerly anticipating the next one.
One Bear's Opinion: Five Cups of Strong Earl Grey Tea with a Plate of Ginger Biscuits and Candied Orange Peel
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Charles Lenox is back! And I could not be happier. An East in Murder was such a disappointment, I was really not sure I wanted to read A Burial at Sea. But I am so glad I did.
The story was good, with lots of action and plot twists and turns. Like Lenox, I was on the wrong trail for most of the book. I enjoyed going down the wrong path and finally discovering the murderer with the rest of the ship's officers. I knew I could rule out several people from the start, but the red herrings were very convincing and that only made the adventure more thrilling. I was very tempted to stay up late to finish the book when I was five chapters away, but I could not keep my eyes open any longer, and I knew that I wanted to be alert for the dénouement.
I wasn't thrilled with the spy sub-plot, as it could have been a plot all on its own. That part of the novel was not as flushed out or as complete as I had hoped. But all in all it was a great adventure.
I wish the author/publisher had thought to include a diagram of the ship and a chart for converting ship's bells and watches to a twelve- or twenty-four hour clock, if only for the reference value. I realize the author did a great deal of research for the book, but that does not mean his readers did the same amount. Most confirmed land-lubbers are not as familiar with ship's areas, customs or traditions.
The minor plot deserving a better spotlight, and the fact that reference materials would have been helpful, aside this was still a great adventure with Charles Lenox. I am back to eagerly anticipating the next one.
One Bear's Opinion: Five Cups of Strong Earl Grey Tea with a Plate of Ginger Biscuits and Candied Orange Peel
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, March 24, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Short Story Review
"An East End Murder" by Charles Finch
This short story is only available as an e-book, which is all right with me, as I prefer to use my e-reader. (It's easier to turn the pages by pressing a button than it is to turn the pages when you have no thumbs.) But at the same time, I know there is something inexplicably special about holding an actual book in your hands. My housemate prefers paper books to e-books, but will read her favorite series as e-books if that is all that is available.
I was excited to read the short story, and began it within hours of finishing the previous Charles Lenox novel, A Stranger in Mayfair. Everything I had seen indicated that this short story was chronologically between A Stranger in Mayfair and the next-in-series A Burial at Sea. I am not so sure about that, because during the current part of the story, Charles speaks to someone who indicates his orders have come from a character that died in an earlier novel. I can forgive that oversight, but it did make me wonder as to where the author intended the story to fall chronologically.
Beyond the chronological issues, I was disappointed by the story because it seemed as though there was only the idea of a story there, and not the completion of one. Each time Charles went off with an idea, it seemed that the author got stuck at the door. The description was lacking, as was the development. The story moved, but it was a quick outline of what happened, not a true re-telling of the tale. That was good enough for Charles' rememberings in the cab on the way somewhere, but it was disappointing for the readers who had not lived the experience as Charles had. Charles could jump from one interview to the next easily because he was there and participated in them. The readers did not have that luxury, so the story moved too quickly and too cryptically. It's a great mystery, and a good story, it just needed to be flushed out a bit more.
Aside from my complaints with the story itself, I had a complaint with the e-book version. More than half of the download was preview chapters of the next-in-series novel, A Burial at Sea. This was a serious disappointment and I felt cheated out of a great adventure. I know this a publisher decision and not the author's, but it still felt deceptive to me. I paid for a short story, and I got half a story and an advertisement for the next book.
One Bear's Opinion: One Disappointing Cup of Gas Station Coffee and a Stale Danish
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This short story is only available as an e-book, which is all right with me, as I prefer to use my e-reader. (It's easier to turn the pages by pressing a button than it is to turn the pages when you have no thumbs.) But at the same time, I know there is something inexplicably special about holding an actual book in your hands. My housemate prefers paper books to e-books, but will read her favorite series as e-books if that is all that is available.
I was excited to read the short story, and began it within hours of finishing the previous Charles Lenox novel, A Stranger in Mayfair. Everything I had seen indicated that this short story was chronologically between A Stranger in Mayfair and the next-in-series A Burial at Sea. I am not so sure about that, because during the current part of the story, Charles speaks to someone who indicates his orders have come from a character that died in an earlier novel. I can forgive that oversight, but it did make me wonder as to where the author intended the story to fall chronologically.
Beyond the chronological issues, I was disappointed by the story because it seemed as though there was only the idea of a story there, and not the completion of one. Each time Charles went off with an idea, it seemed that the author got stuck at the door. The description was lacking, as was the development. The story moved, but it was a quick outline of what happened, not a true re-telling of the tale. That was good enough for Charles' rememberings in the cab on the way somewhere, but it was disappointing for the readers who had not lived the experience as Charles had. Charles could jump from one interview to the next easily because he was there and participated in them. The readers did not have that luxury, so the story moved too quickly and too cryptically. It's a great mystery, and a good story, it just needed to be flushed out a bit more.
Aside from my complaints with the story itself, I had a complaint with the e-book version. More than half of the download was preview chapters of the next-in-series novel, A Burial at Sea. This was a serious disappointment and I felt cheated out of a great adventure. I know this a publisher decision and not the author's, but it still felt deceptive to me. I paid for a short story, and I got half a story and an advertisement for the next book.
One Bear's Opinion: One Disappointing Cup of Gas Station Coffee and a Stale Danish
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
A Stranger in Mayfair by Charles Finch
Charles Lenox is a great friend. I knew this after the first mystery in the series. Sometimes you can just tell characters will become great friends. And the characters that populate these mysteries are those types of characters.
This book was a great friendly visit, the kind you want to keep going even after your friend has to head back to their home. This was the kind of visit you enjoy thoroughly, because it was a real visit with friends. There was an element of real life in it. Charles had real worries, real concerns, real disappointments, and real joys in this book.
The mystery in this installment seemed to take a backseat to Charles beginning his role as a Member of Parliament, but that was perfectly acceptable in the plot. The mystery was there because it is a mystery series. I had the murderer pegged early on, and picked up on some of the obvious clues that both Charles and Dallington appeared to have missed. But that was okay, because even though the mystery was in the end, a simple case, it was not the focus of the book. The way the overarching story for the series had developed, this volume needed to be more about Charles and how he would manage his roles than it needed to be an exciting mystery.
I enjoyed the story and the book. I am excited to read the next adventure. I hope it will be a fulfilling visit with friends.
One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Really Nice Tea with Cakes
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Charles Lenox is a great friend. I knew this after the first mystery in the series. Sometimes you can just tell characters will become great friends. And the characters that populate these mysteries are those types of characters.
This book was a great friendly visit, the kind you want to keep going even after your friend has to head back to their home. This was the kind of visit you enjoy thoroughly, because it was a real visit with friends. There was an element of real life in it. Charles had real worries, real concerns, real disappointments, and real joys in this book.
The mystery in this installment seemed to take a backseat to Charles beginning his role as a Member of Parliament, but that was perfectly acceptable in the plot. The mystery was there because it is a mystery series. I had the murderer pegged early on, and picked up on some of the obvious clues that both Charles and Dallington appeared to have missed. But that was okay, because even though the mystery was in the end, a simple case, it was not the focus of the book. The way the overarching story for the series had developed, this volume needed to be more about Charles and how he would manage his roles than it needed to be an exciting mystery.
I enjoyed the story and the book. I am excited to read the next adventure. I hope it will be a fulfilling visit with friends.
One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Really Nice Tea with Cakes
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, March 17, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Raisins and Almonds by Kerry Greenwood
This is the ninth book in author Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series. I was very excited to read this book, and not only because the title made it sound like it might be full of yummy treats. I was disappointed on that front, for while there were some treats mentioned, the title actually refers to a traditional Jewish lullaby that features prominently in the story.
On the surface, the story appeared to be a simple murder mystery, but as with the best mystery novels, digging deeper the plot became much more complicated. The book is set between the wars, when the Zionist Movement (campaign for an independent Jewish State) was gaining much support. The Zionist Movement is a complicated issue, that to this day, some 90 years after the time of the story, has not been satisfactorily settled. To no-one's surprise, Raisins and Almonds does not propose a solution to the issue, but the Movement, like the title song is central to the mystery.
The book mystery centers around a group of Jews in post-WWI Melbourne, and that is quite interesting to me. Before moving to Melbourne, I lived in New Orleans, a city known for its acceptance and absorption of immigrant cultures. Basically, New Orleans takes any and all reasons for celebration and opens and expands them to everyone in the city at the moment. Jewish celebrations are woven into the fabric of the city as much as Christian and pagan celebrations. New Orleans is not multi-cultural, it is pan-cultural. If you have a reason to celebrate, the city will celebrate with you. I knew the High Holy Days and understand the traditions almost as well as I understood the Christian ones that were celebrated in my own household.
Because I lived in an area that exposed me to so many cultures, I am interested in how those same cultures and traditions translated and are celebrated in other places. As far as I can tell, Melbourne embraces many cultures, but the celebrations tend to be more isolated, kept to areas specific for the culture in question. New Orleans does not have a Chinatown or a Greektown, everyone and every culture is everywhere. I miss that feeling of a true melting pot. I was very interested to discover, even by means of a fictional glimpse, the Jewish experience in Melbourne. I was not disappointed, and Phryne being a Gentile, provided a perfect excuse for the explanatory discussions and history lesson.
The mystery itself was quite well crafted. I was on the wrong track for much of the book. But the bigger story for me was the history lesson. The book was an entertaining look at the history, as well as including a quick lesson in alchemy and chemistry. Information-wise, it's a busy book. If you are not as interested in the history as I am, it may be a dry and slogging read. Even if you skim those bits, the book is an entertaining story. It's the kind of book that is perfect for a long plane ride, or any time you may find yourself waiting. It is very easy to pick up and put down again without needing to re-read any of the story.
I strongly encourage everyone I meet to check out the Phryne Fisher series. They are the perfect mix of history and fun.
One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Tea with Kosher Treats
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This is the ninth book in author Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher series. I was very excited to read this book, and not only because the title made it sound like it might be full of yummy treats. I was disappointed on that front, for while there were some treats mentioned, the title actually refers to a traditional Jewish lullaby that features prominently in the story.
On the surface, the story appeared to be a simple murder mystery, but as with the best mystery novels, digging deeper the plot became much more complicated. The book is set between the wars, when the Zionist Movement (campaign for an independent Jewish State) was gaining much support. The Zionist Movement is a complicated issue, that to this day, some 90 years after the time of the story, has not been satisfactorily settled. To no-one's surprise, Raisins and Almonds does not propose a solution to the issue, but the Movement, like the title song is central to the mystery.
The book mystery centers around a group of Jews in post-WWI Melbourne, and that is quite interesting to me. Before moving to Melbourne, I lived in New Orleans, a city known for its acceptance and absorption of immigrant cultures. Basically, New Orleans takes any and all reasons for celebration and opens and expands them to everyone in the city at the moment. Jewish celebrations are woven into the fabric of the city as much as Christian and pagan celebrations. New Orleans is not multi-cultural, it is pan-cultural. If you have a reason to celebrate, the city will celebrate with you. I knew the High Holy Days and understand the traditions almost as well as I understood the Christian ones that were celebrated in my own household.
Because I lived in an area that exposed me to so many cultures, I am interested in how those same cultures and traditions translated and are celebrated in other places. As far as I can tell, Melbourne embraces many cultures, but the celebrations tend to be more isolated, kept to areas specific for the culture in question. New Orleans does not have a Chinatown or a Greektown, everyone and every culture is everywhere. I miss that feeling of a true melting pot. I was very interested to discover, even by means of a fictional glimpse, the Jewish experience in Melbourne. I was not disappointed, and Phryne being a Gentile, provided a perfect excuse for the explanatory discussions and history lesson.
The mystery itself was quite well crafted. I was on the wrong track for much of the book. But the bigger story for me was the history lesson. The book was an entertaining look at the history, as well as including a quick lesson in alchemy and chemistry. Information-wise, it's a busy book. If you are not as interested in the history as I am, it may be a dry and slogging read. Even if you skim those bits, the book is an entertaining story. It's the kind of book that is perfect for a long plane ride, or any time you may find yourself waiting. It is very easy to pick up and put down again without needing to re-read any of the story.
I strongly encourage everyone I meet to check out the Phryne Fisher series. They are the perfect mix of history and fun.
One Bear's Opinion: Four Cups of Tea with Kosher Treats
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Thursday, March 7, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
The Treacherous Teddy by John J. Lamb
I'll admit it, my housemate saw this book in a bargain bin and bought the book because she thought I would enjoy it. She's nice like that.
I really wanted to like this book. My housemate bought it because she thought I would enjoy it, and I wanted to make it a worthwhile purchase. But the truth is I was disappointed in the book. Like her, I anticipated bears would have a bigger, more important role in the plot. As it turns out, the bears were a hobby for the investigators and were relegated to a background filler plot point. This made me unreasonably sad. I finished the book, but I was still upset by the lack of friendly bears and bears who were book characters. Obviously the author knows a great deal about collectible bears, but I know more about being a bear. And I know that bears want much more than to be dolls on display, and have much more to offer than serving as a repository for mohair and fabric scraps. Bears are important and could have helped solve the mystery. It's not like there is not a precedent for animals helping out humans in other mystery series. Yes, I know many people look at bears as inanimate objects at worst and children's toys at best, but I am positive there is a way to work the bears into more of a starring role.
If the author had put as much thought into making the bears more integral characters as he had in working the puns into the dialogue and story line it would have been a very different novel, and perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. The mystery itself was quite interesting, and took me some time to figure out. That part of the plot was well-crafted, complete with red herrings and wild goose chases. I was surprised with the final solution of the whodunit aspect, because I was completely going after another suspect, though by the time the characters figure it out, it's as plain as day for the readers. Unfortunately the relatively good mystery could not make up for the disappointment as to the non-starring role of the bears and the overuse of forced puns.
In looking up the author's other works, I found that this was the last book of the series, though it was not originally planned as such. Apparently, the author's publisher did not renew an order for further books after sales figures on the books included in the original contract were less than desired. After reading this book, I can't say I am surprised. I am sorry for the author, because he probably put a great deal of work and effort into this book and the others in the series. But the only work that showed in the final book was the dropping of prominent artisan bear makers' names and forcing a plot around bad puns. That is not enough to keep readers coming back for more.
I do wish the author well in his future endeavors, and would like to say that I am available for interviews if he needs help working bears in as characters in future projects.
One Bear's Opinion: One Warmish Cup of Powdered Hot Cocoa with No Marshmallows
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
I'll admit it, my housemate saw this book in a bargain bin and bought the book because she thought I would enjoy it. She's nice like that.
I really wanted to like this book. My housemate bought it because she thought I would enjoy it, and I wanted to make it a worthwhile purchase. But the truth is I was disappointed in the book. Like her, I anticipated bears would have a bigger, more important role in the plot. As it turns out, the bears were a hobby for the investigators and were relegated to a background filler plot point. This made me unreasonably sad. I finished the book, but I was still upset by the lack of friendly bears and bears who were book characters. Obviously the author knows a great deal about collectible bears, but I know more about being a bear. And I know that bears want much more than to be dolls on display, and have much more to offer than serving as a repository for mohair and fabric scraps. Bears are important and could have helped solve the mystery. It's not like there is not a precedent for animals helping out humans in other mystery series. Yes, I know many people look at bears as inanimate objects at worst and children's toys at best, but I am positive there is a way to work the bears into more of a starring role.
If the author had put as much thought into making the bears more integral characters as he had in working the puns into the dialogue and story line it would have been a very different novel, and perhaps I would have enjoyed it more. The mystery itself was quite interesting, and took me some time to figure out. That part of the plot was well-crafted, complete with red herrings and wild goose chases. I was surprised with the final solution of the whodunit aspect, because I was completely going after another suspect, though by the time the characters figure it out, it's as plain as day for the readers. Unfortunately the relatively good mystery could not make up for the disappointment as to the non-starring role of the bears and the overuse of forced puns.
In looking up the author's other works, I found that this was the last book of the series, though it was not originally planned as such. Apparently, the author's publisher did not renew an order for further books after sales figures on the books included in the original contract were less than desired. After reading this book, I can't say I am surprised. I am sorry for the author, because he probably put a great deal of work and effort into this book and the others in the series. But the only work that showed in the final book was the dropping of prominent artisan bear makers' names and forcing a plot around bad puns. That is not enough to keep readers coming back for more.
I do wish the author well in his future endeavors, and would like to say that I am available for interviews if he needs help working bears in as characters in future projects.
One Bear's Opinion: One Warmish Cup of Powdered Hot Cocoa with No Marshmallows
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières
This book would not have been my first choice of reading material, and certainly not for a plane ride to the US, but my housemate and travelling companion was the one choosing our mutual reading material and she had a desire to read this book. As it turned out, it took much longer than the trans-Pacific flight for either of us to finish the book, but that was due to our life circumstances and not the book.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a cross between a war novel, a coming of age novel, and a love story, and in all three areas it works very well. A word of warning though, as a war novel, it is quite graphic. I am not sure that pictures would have been less graphic than the descriptions. I know war is never pretty and that is a reality we should not hide ourselves from, but at the same time, I prefer my leisure reading to be less real. That said, do not let the descriptions in the book put you off the idea of reading this book. The love story will be reward you in the end.
I thought about stopping a few times to find where the places mentioned are, and whether they are real or fictional. But the idea of bringing knowledge of the real world into the world of the book seemed to ruin the world of the book, so I kept the map and historical research until after I had finished. And yes, most events and places mentioned are 100% completely real, though I am sure there is a heavy dose of fiction in the descriptions and characters. Those characters are engaging, and I even found myself mad at the author for what happened to them -- one in particular -- but again, that comes back to the this being a war novel and war is never pretty.
The characters in the book grow, some better than others. It is an interesting adventure to watch how the war affects their lives. The paths they have set for their lives are twisted and turned round and round in circles until they, and the reader, are sure nothing will ever work out. But it does, for everyone.
As I mentioned, it took over a month for us to finish this book, but the time spent with friends was rewarded, and never seemed as long as it was while we were visiting. I have long believed that the best books draw readers into their world. This book did just that. By the end, the reader is feeling the world of the book.
*** Note:
An internet search reveals that a movie was made based on the book. I am not sure that was a good idea, and I am positive that Nicholas Cage cannot do Captain Corelli justice. I may at some point seek out the movie, but more than likely I will leave this as a written word indulgence.
One Bear's Opinion: Five Cups of Strong Coffee and a Plate of Biscuits for Dipping
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
This book would not have been my first choice of reading material, and certainly not for a plane ride to the US, but my housemate and travelling companion was the one choosing our mutual reading material and she had a desire to read this book. As it turned out, it took much longer than the trans-Pacific flight for either of us to finish the book, but that was due to our life circumstances and not the book.
Captain Corelli's Mandolin is a cross between a war novel, a coming of age novel, and a love story, and in all three areas it works very well. A word of warning though, as a war novel, it is quite graphic. I am not sure that pictures would have been less graphic than the descriptions. I know war is never pretty and that is a reality we should not hide ourselves from, but at the same time, I prefer my leisure reading to be less real. That said, do not let the descriptions in the book put you off the idea of reading this book. The love story will be reward you in the end.
I thought about stopping a few times to find where the places mentioned are, and whether they are real or fictional. But the idea of bringing knowledge of the real world into the world of the book seemed to ruin the world of the book, so I kept the map and historical research until after I had finished. And yes, most events and places mentioned are 100% completely real, though I am sure there is a heavy dose of fiction in the descriptions and characters. Those characters are engaging, and I even found myself mad at the author for what happened to them -- one in particular -- but again, that comes back to the this being a war novel and war is never pretty.
The characters in the book grow, some better than others. It is an interesting adventure to watch how the war affects their lives. The paths they have set for their lives are twisted and turned round and round in circles until they, and the reader, are sure nothing will ever work out. But it does, for everyone.
As I mentioned, it took over a month for us to finish this book, but the time spent with friends was rewarded, and never seemed as long as it was while we were visiting. I have long believed that the best books draw readers into their world. This book did just that. By the end, the reader is feeling the world of the book.
*** Note:
An internet search reveals that a movie was made based on the book. I am not sure that was a good idea, and I am positive that Nicholas Cage cannot do Captain Corelli justice. I may at some point seek out the movie, but more than likely I will leave this as a written word indulgence.
One Bear's Opinion: Five Cups of Strong Coffee and a Plate of Biscuits for Dipping
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Monday, January 21, 2013
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
The Woman Who Died a Lot by Jasper Fforde
It has been a while since I have been here, and in truth, a while since I have finished a book. I spent a month on vacation visiting my old home in the US and between the running around, holiday adventures, seeing family, and other exciting adventures along the way, I was really too busy and when I got a chance to sit down and rest for a moment, I ended up falling asleep before I'd read even a full page of my book.
One of those adventures was shopping for new books. In all honestly, several adventures were shopping for new books. I came back with 19 new books, and found 2 more at a reading/book signing when I got back to Australia -- it was a very good holiday season book wise. I have tons of new stuff to dive into in the coming days/weeks.
But back to the first book read in 2013 -- The Woman Who Died a Lot. I wanted to like this book, I really did. I love Thursday Next as a character and I really enjoy all her adventures, especially those in Book World. Based on the ideas in his books, I would love to have a meal with Mr. Fforde just to see if he is as interesting as his characters and worlds make him seem. One of my housemates has seen him read from his current books once or twice and assures me he is, but I would enjoy the opportunity to find out for myself.
As I said, I wanted to like this book. I like Thursday and the characters that fill her life, and all of them were in this book in the requisite quantities, though there is never enough Stig for my taste. But even with all of the right elements, this book was a disappointment. It seems that this book was several plots cobbled together and hastily bound with sticky tape and a prayer to the GSD. There was a thin thread holding the plots together, but it was easy to pick and pull apart; and having picked that thread, the overall story fell apart at the seams. Thursday was not herself, even allowing for the fact that she has aged. The familiar supporting characters were weak and wallpaper-y. Even the villains were merely actors playing a role for the day. There was just something lacking in the adventure, and having finished the book, left the reader feeling cheated out of a visit with a good friend. It was as though the visit was disjointed and forced, and your former very good friend was distracted by things that have nothing to do with you and wanting to rush off to a more important meeting.
I really do like Thursday Next, but would have to recommend that new-to-the-series readers stay away from this book until they have completed the rest of the series, and even then, possibly until the eighth book in the series comes out. If you have never met Thursday Next, do not make this your initial introduction.
One Bear's Opinion: One Cup of Room Temperature Cocoa Made from a Powder
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
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