Winter at Death’s Hotel by Kenneth Cameron
Hello!
Oliver and Spencer have kindly let me review this book on their blog. They know that I have an expertise in an areas vital to this book they do not. In my previous life, before I came to live with Oliver, Spencer, and their friends, I was in the employ of an historic hotel in Melbourne, and thus I had an insight into the setting of this book.
And while my employer was an historic hotel in Melbourne and Winter at Death’s Hotel is set in a hotel in New York in 1896, the differences are far less than one might imagine. The portrayal of the hotel, and the hotel’s employees was very well done, if you ask me. The fact that the hotel becomes almost a character unto itself was ingenious. Having read this book, even though the New Britannic is a fictional hotel, I am happy my employer had modernized most of the historic hotel. I would not have wanted to work at such an establishment without modern conveniences.
My expertise aside, this was an interesting book. I did not really know what to expect when beginning the book. The cover did not give many clues, and the blurb was more teaser than anything else. The book began rather slowly, and it was not until the last few chapters that the action picked up and became a race to the finish. Reviews I read after finishing the book called the book uneven, and I have to say that is an accurate description. The action is very uneven, lurching like one of the lifts in the hotel would, or how the heroine does limping along on her crutches. The uneven nature of the book made it difficult for me to read a great deal at any one time, and it was not the kind of book I could not put down. I found it very easy to put the book down at the end of sections or chapters.
There are many unresolved plot points in the book, though I doubt the author has any plans to continue this as a series to war them up. The nature of this story makes it highly likely that this is a stand-alone mystery, though characters from this story could be picked up in a series. Then again, it’s nice for this to be a one-off kind of tale.
I thoroughly enjoyed having the main character of the book be Louisa Conan Doyle. That made for a refreshing change from the myriad Holmesian pastiches or mysteries featuring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as a main character. It did not bother me in the least that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was relegated to minor character in this book, or that his portrayal was not entirely flattering. (His estate may have something to say about that, but it is none of my concern.) I liked Louisa as a character; she was engaging and likable and early on she became a friend.
The story stumbled along like it could have used a better editor, and there were threads that could have been tied up in much better ways than they were. But on the whole it was a good book with an interesting premise. The mystery was clever and the characters were likable for the most part. The final resolution was..., well, I can’t say anything about that without spoiling the book for others, so I am torn.
Despite the Holmesian connection, Winter at Death’s Hotel is not a cozy mystery by any means, it does tend toward the darker, more graphic end of the genre. I think readers should be prepared for that, and not read too much of it too late at night — both Oliver and I had trouble falling asleep after reading some before bed. I would say it’s definitely the kind of book to read on a sunny day, if only to counter the darkness of the book’s world with the brightness of the real world.
Overall, it was well worth the time to read it. Getting to know this version of Louisa Conan Doyle was a treat. The portrayal of Theodore Roosevelt as Police Commissioner of New York was different than I have experienced before as well, which you can take however you wish. Saying too much more might spoil parts of the books, so I will just leave it at that.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four cups of strong tea with a brandy chaser (trust me you’ll need it), and a tea-tray of sweet and savory treats for fortification
Thanks for the opportunity,
Hope to see you soon,
Guillaume
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Saturday, May 21, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
The Alexandria Affair by Ashley Gardner
The Alexandria Affair is the eleventh book in the Captain Gabriel Lacey Regency Mysteries series by Ashley Gardner. My housemate and I have been fans of Captain Lacey since the first book, The Hanover Square Affair. And his adventures are ones we drop everything to read when they come out. The only one we had to wait for was The Sudbury School Murders, which came out while we were on “hurrication” as a result of Hurricane Katrina and the Barnes & Noble in Little Rock did not stock that series. It was one of the many, though admittedly quite minor, problems Hurricane Katrina brought.
The Alexandria Affair takes place in Egypt, primarily in and around Alexandria and the Great Pyramids, but also along the Nile and in Cairo. While I enjoy Captain Lacey’s adventures in London, it’s nice to see him out and about as well. And it was wonderful to have the familiar characters Grenville, Matthias & Bartholomew, and Brewster. New friends were introduced, and while they are denizens of the Nile, one hopes they may come back home to England and reappear in Lacey’s & Grenville’s circle.
Overall the murder mystery aspect of this adventure was a bit disappointing and bland, and, if I’m completely honest, inconsequential to the plot and the overarching story arc. The main action and mystery of the book was centered around Captain Lacey’s backstory and continued from the previous book in the series, The Thames River Murders. It was an interesting continuation of that story, which was not concluded in this volume.
Readers who are not familiar with Captain Lacey should not begin with this one. This is definitely one the series where it is important to read all the books and read them in order. Skipping books or starting out of order will only serve to confuse new readers, who will be left with a bad taste for Captain Lacey and his friends. And that would be a big mistake. Because the books are well worth reading and enjoying. Visits with Captain Lacey and Grenville are too fun to not enjoy, so read the series from the beginning!
I thoroughly enjoyed The Alexandria Affair. It was worth it, though as I mentioned the murder mystery aspect was not at all necessary to the plot. It would have been just as good a book without the murder. Lacey and Grenville had other mysteries to keep them busy in the Egyptian desert. It was definitely one of the books I was sorry to see end, and one of those books I needed to recover from before picking back up the book I was reading when Captain Lacey's latest adventure hit my Kindle.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Cups of Turkish Coffee with a huge plate of Turkish Delight for sharing
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
The Alexandria Affair is the eleventh book in the Captain Gabriel Lacey Regency Mysteries series by Ashley Gardner. My housemate and I have been fans of Captain Lacey since the first book, The Hanover Square Affair. And his adventures are ones we drop everything to read when they come out. The only one we had to wait for was The Sudbury School Murders, which came out while we were on “hurrication” as a result of Hurricane Katrina and the Barnes & Noble in Little Rock did not stock that series. It was one of the many, though admittedly quite minor, problems Hurricane Katrina brought.
The Alexandria Affair takes place in Egypt, primarily in and around Alexandria and the Great Pyramids, but also along the Nile and in Cairo. While I enjoy Captain Lacey’s adventures in London, it’s nice to see him out and about as well. And it was wonderful to have the familiar characters Grenville, Matthias & Bartholomew, and Brewster. New friends were introduced, and while they are denizens of the Nile, one hopes they may come back home to England and reappear in Lacey’s & Grenville’s circle.
Overall the murder mystery aspect of this adventure was a bit disappointing and bland, and, if I’m completely honest, inconsequential to the plot and the overarching story arc. The main action and mystery of the book was centered around Captain Lacey’s backstory and continued from the previous book in the series, The Thames River Murders. It was an interesting continuation of that story, which was not concluded in this volume.
Readers who are not familiar with Captain Lacey should not begin with this one. This is definitely one the series where it is important to read all the books and read them in order. Skipping books or starting out of order will only serve to confuse new readers, who will be left with a bad taste for Captain Lacey and his friends. And that would be a big mistake. Because the books are well worth reading and enjoying. Visits with Captain Lacey and Grenville are too fun to not enjoy, so read the series from the beginning!
I thoroughly enjoyed The Alexandria Affair. It was worth it, though as I mentioned the murder mystery aspect was not at all necessary to the plot. It would have been just as good a book without the murder. Lacey and Grenville had other mysteries to keep them busy in the Egyptian desert. It was definitely one of the books I was sorry to see end, and one of those books I needed to recover from before picking back up the book I was reading when Captain Lacey's latest adventure hit my Kindle.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four Cups of Turkish Coffee with a huge plate of Turkish Delight for sharing
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Eurovision 2016, Final -- A Review
It’s Final Night for Eurovision. I’ve been careful to avoid spoilers all day so I get to watch what happens live-ish.
I’ve invited my new friend Guillaume to help me tonight, so we’ll both have a thumbs up or down on the performance — actually one or two flags of the country, and a couple of comments. We’ll also pick our top three at the end.
Before the start of the Final, we had some nibbles (cheese & crackers and my housemate’s homemade ranch dip & chips) and a Lemon Creme Pie my housemate made. It was a wonderful feast, and I’ve been promised popcorn for later in the broadcast (because it’s bouncy like me) and ginger beer. I’m having quite the party over here with all my friends.
Because it’s already tomorrow in Australia by the time the contest actually occurs in Europe, we have to wait until the evening after it airs in Europe to see it. Well, we could get up at 5:00 am and watch it live, but I have other jobs to do at 5:00 am, so we wait until the evening rebroadcast. to watch it. That does mean that we have to be on guard against spoilers. My housemates mentioned they might have seen the results, but they have not told me, or Guillaume, anything.
Ohh, it’s starting. I can hardly contain my bounces! I wonder where it will be next year.
The parade of entrants is a bit strange. I’m finding it hard to figure out the countries with the flag projections on the strange paper dresses. My housemate has the running order up for me so I can follow along. Julia and Sam are saying that Justin Timberlake is the interval performer. I hope that doesn’t mean the US will be a participating country next year. I know my housemate is an American, but I think there are some things that Americans should not have their fingers in.
I am sorry the Belorussian did not make it through to the Final. Honestly, Europe, what were you thinking? Live wolves and naked performances? That’s the best of Eurovision all in one act! Why do the ones I really like never make it as the winners? Some of them don’t make it past the semi-final.
And we’re off!
Belgium
Laura Tesoro, What’s the Pressure
Tigger: It’s definitely a bouncy way to start the Final. ๐ง๐ช๐ง๐ช
Guillaume: This is a pop radio song. I like it. ๐ง๐ช๐ง๐ช
The different countries have different fonts on the postcard intros. That’s cool, but I still miss the flag making from 2014.
Czech Republic
Gabriela Gunฤรญkovรก, I Stand
Tigger: A bit quiet after the bouncy beginning. ๐จ๐ฟ
Guillaume: It’s nothing special, but I wouldn’t turn it off. ๐จ๐ฟ๐จ๐ฟ
The Netherlands
Douwe Bob, Slow Down
Tigger: I like this one. It’s a favorite. ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฑ
Guillaume: Cool costumes. But the song has a nice message and a happy bounce. ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฑ
Azerbaijan
Samra, Miracle
Tigger: I remember this one. I thought the gold costume and microphone was a subtle message to the voters. ๐ฆ๐ฟ
Guillaume: I get the feeling that she was influenced by the Spice Girls. It’s catchy enough. ๐ฆ๐ฟ
Hungary
Freddie, Pioneer
Tigger: The drummer is into the performance.๐ญ๐บ๐ญ๐บ
Guillaume: I like the whistling! ๐ญ๐บ๐ญ๐บ
It’s going to be hard to pick my top three!
Italy
Francesca Michielin, No Degree of Separation
Tigger: I like the balloons. ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐น
Guillaume: Ohh, it’s lovely. ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐น
Israel
Hovi Star, Made of Stars
Tigger: One of my favorites. ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฑ
Guillaume: It’s a movie title theme to me. But great work from the back-up dancers in the hoop. ๐ฎ๐ฑ
Bulgaria
Pole Genova, If Love Was a Crime
Tigger: I like this one, the bounces, the fun, it’s a favorite. ๐ง๐ฌ๐ง๐ฌ
Guillaume: I can see teenage girls singing this into their hairbrushes. ๐ง๐ฌ
I have nothing but favorites so far. It’s going to be so hard to pick just three.
Sweden
Frans, If I Were Sorry
Tigger: It’s a bit boring after the bounces before from Bulgaria. ๐ธ๐ช
Guillaume: Quite aside from the poor grammar (if I were…), it seems like he’s a Passenger fan and trying too hard to copy that artist. ๐ธ๐ช
Germany
Jamie-Lee, Ghost
Tigger: I like the head band, but not much else. ๐ฉ๐ช
Guillaume: The costume, the lyrics, the music, and the stage decoration are incongruous. It’s a bit distracting to the performance. ๐ฉ๐ช
France
Amir, J’ai Cherchรฉ
Tigger: It’s not bad, but I can’t see it winning. ๐ซ๐ท๐ซ๐ท
Guillaume: I find myself wishing it were all in one language rather than switching back and forth. Not the best of the night. ๐ซ๐ท
Poland
Michaล Szpak, Color of Your Life
Tigger: I still like this one. And he has a cool coat. ๐ต๐ฑ๐ต๐ฑ
Guillaume: Another movie title theme song. ๐ต๐ฑ
Australia
Dami Im, Sound of Silence
Tigger: I just don’t really like this song. ๐ฆ๐บ
Guillaume: It’s a power ballad, but not one of my favorites of the evening. ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ
Cyprus
Minus One, Alter Ego
Tigger: Ohh yes, the cages. It’s harder rock than I usually prefer, but I like it. ๐จ๐พ๐จ๐พ
Guillaume: I would say it’s a dose of alternative or the staid competition, but this is Eurovision. ๐จ๐พ๐จ๐พ
If you listen to all the lyrics, there are many miracles needed on this stage.
Serbia
Sanja Vuฤiฤ ZAA, Goodbye (Shelter)
Tigger: Not one of my favorites, but I would feel bad voting against the song. ๐ท๐ธ๐ท๐ธ
Guillaume: Good message, and not a bad performance. ๐ท๐ธ๐ท๐ธ
Lithuania
Donny Montell, I’ve Been Waiting for This Night
Tigger: It still feels like a boy band audition for a reality singing competition show. ๐ฑ๐น
Guillaume: I have nothing to say about this one. It’s easily forgettable and that’s sad for the performer. ๐ฑ๐น
Croatia
Nina Kraljiฤ, Lighthouse
Tigger: I like it, but not enough to be a top three pick. ๐ญ๐ท๐ญ๐ท
Guillaume: Interesting costume, which almost overpowers the performance and the performer. ๐ญ๐ท
Russia
Sergey Lazarev, You Are the Only One
Tigger: Hearing it again, I like it more. I may have to consider this a top choice. ๐ท๐บ๐ท๐บ
Guillaume: The performance trickery is very cool. The song feels average. ๐ท๐บ๐ท๐บ
Spain
Barei, Say Yay!
Tigger: I want to like this one because the title has such potential, but I just do not. ๐ช๐ธ
Guillaume: Sorry, Spain, I cannot say Yay. I do not like this one at all. ๐ช๐ธ
Latvia
Justs, Heartbeat
Tigger: It’s just so-so for me. ๐ฑ๐ป
Guillaume: Shouldn’t the heartbeat graphic look like the readout on the machines on tv and in the movies, more than static noise? ๐ฑ๐ป
Ukraine
Jamala, 1944
Tigger: This is another song I feel bad for not liking, but I don’t. ๐บ๐ฆ
Guillaume: Even if you don’t speak the language, this is a powerful song, and the performance is extremely personal. My favorite performance so far. ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ
Malta
Ira Losco, Walk on Water
Tigger: It’s an average song. ๐ฒ๐น
Guillaume: There is nothing wrong with the song, but nothing outstanding about it either. ๐ฒ๐น
Georgia
Nina Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz, Midnight Gold
Tigger: It’s okay. If there weren’t other better things, I’d pop it in my top list. There’s a fun beat to it. ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฌ๐ช
Guillaume: Another case of performance trickery overshadowing the performance. ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฌ๐ช
Austria
ZOร, Loin d’ici
Tigger: She’s a fairytale princess. It’s happy and fun. ๐ฆ๐น๐ฆ๐น
Guillaume: This would be very nice to fall asleep to, and I mean that in a good way. ๐ฆ๐น๐ฆ๐น
United Kingdom
Joe and Jake, You’re Not Alone
Tigger: It has a nice bounce and it looks like fun. ๐ฌ๐ง๐ฌ๐ง
Guillaume: It has a good radio feel. ๐ฌ๐ง๐ฌ๐ง
Armenia
Ivete Mukuchyan, LoveWave
Tigger: Not one of my favorites. ๐ฆ๐ฒ
Guillaume: Armenia’s Beyonce. Good for her. ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฒ
Our Top Three Picks:
Tigger: Belgium, The Netherlands, Israel
Guillaume: Ukraine, Serbia, Italy
That’s for us. Hope you enjoyed the show this year, and that your favorite ends up a winner.
I’m sorry it’s over for another year, but it’s hard staying up late three nights in a row.
Guillaume and I will be back next year.
See you then,
Tigger & Guillaume
I’ve invited my new friend Guillaume to help me tonight, so we’ll both have a thumbs up or down on the performance — actually one or two flags of the country, and a couple of comments. We’ll also pick our top three at the end.
Before the start of the Final, we had some nibbles (cheese & crackers and my housemate’s homemade ranch dip & chips) and a Lemon Creme Pie my housemate made. It was a wonderful feast, and I’ve been promised popcorn for later in the broadcast (because it’s bouncy like me) and ginger beer. I’m having quite the party over here with all my friends.
Because it’s already tomorrow in Australia by the time the contest actually occurs in Europe, we have to wait until the evening after it airs in Europe to see it. Well, we could get up at 5:00 am and watch it live, but I have other jobs to do at 5:00 am, so we wait until the evening rebroadcast. to watch it. That does mean that we have to be on guard against spoilers. My housemates mentioned they might have seen the results, but they have not told me, or Guillaume, anything.
Ohh, it’s starting. I can hardly contain my bounces! I wonder where it will be next year.
The parade of entrants is a bit strange. I’m finding it hard to figure out the countries with the flag projections on the strange paper dresses. My housemate has the running order up for me so I can follow along. Julia and Sam are saying that Justin Timberlake is the interval performer. I hope that doesn’t mean the US will be a participating country next year. I know my housemate is an American, but I think there are some things that Americans should not have their fingers in.
I am sorry the Belorussian did not make it through to the Final. Honestly, Europe, what were you thinking? Live wolves and naked performances? That’s the best of Eurovision all in one act! Why do the ones I really like never make it as the winners? Some of them don’t make it past the semi-final.
And we’re off!
Belgium
Laura Tesoro, What’s the Pressure
Tigger: It’s definitely a bouncy way to start the Final. ๐ง๐ช๐ง๐ช
Guillaume: This is a pop radio song. I like it. ๐ง๐ช๐ง๐ช
The different countries have different fonts on the postcard intros. That’s cool, but I still miss the flag making from 2014.
Czech Republic
Gabriela Gunฤรญkovรก, I Stand
Tigger: A bit quiet after the bouncy beginning. ๐จ๐ฟ
Guillaume: It’s nothing special, but I wouldn’t turn it off. ๐จ๐ฟ๐จ๐ฟ
The Netherlands
Douwe Bob, Slow Down
Tigger: I like this one. It’s a favorite. ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฑ
Guillaume: Cool costumes. But the song has a nice message and a happy bounce. ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฑ
Azerbaijan
Samra, Miracle
Tigger: I remember this one. I thought the gold costume and microphone was a subtle message to the voters. ๐ฆ๐ฟ
Guillaume: I get the feeling that she was influenced by the Spice Girls. It’s catchy enough. ๐ฆ๐ฟ
Hungary
Freddie, Pioneer
Tigger: The drummer is into the performance.๐ญ๐บ๐ญ๐บ
Guillaume: I like the whistling! ๐ญ๐บ๐ญ๐บ
It’s going to be hard to pick my top three!
Italy
Francesca Michielin, No Degree of Separation
Tigger: I like the balloons. ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐น
Guillaume: Ohh, it’s lovely. ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐น
Israel
Hovi Star, Made of Stars
Tigger: One of my favorites. ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฑ
Guillaume: It’s a movie title theme to me. But great work from the back-up dancers in the hoop. ๐ฎ๐ฑ
Bulgaria
Pole Genova, If Love Was a Crime
Tigger: I like this one, the bounces, the fun, it’s a favorite. ๐ง๐ฌ๐ง๐ฌ
Guillaume: I can see teenage girls singing this into their hairbrushes. ๐ง๐ฌ
I have nothing but favorites so far. It’s going to be so hard to pick just three.
Sweden
Frans, If I Were Sorry
Tigger: It’s a bit boring after the bounces before from Bulgaria. ๐ธ๐ช
Guillaume: Quite aside from the poor grammar (if I were…), it seems like he’s a Passenger fan and trying too hard to copy that artist. ๐ธ๐ช
Germany
Jamie-Lee, Ghost
Tigger: I like the head band, but not much else. ๐ฉ๐ช
Guillaume: The costume, the lyrics, the music, and the stage decoration are incongruous. It’s a bit distracting to the performance. ๐ฉ๐ช
France
Amir, J’ai Cherchรฉ
Tigger: It’s not bad, but I can’t see it winning. ๐ซ๐ท๐ซ๐ท
Guillaume: I find myself wishing it were all in one language rather than switching back and forth. Not the best of the night. ๐ซ๐ท
Poland
Michaล Szpak, Color of Your Life
Tigger: I still like this one. And he has a cool coat. ๐ต๐ฑ๐ต๐ฑ
Guillaume: Another movie title theme song. ๐ต๐ฑ
Australia
Dami Im, Sound of Silence
Tigger: I just don’t really like this song. ๐ฆ๐บ
Guillaume: It’s a power ballad, but not one of my favorites of the evening. ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ
Cyprus
Minus One, Alter Ego
Tigger: Ohh yes, the cages. It’s harder rock than I usually prefer, but I like it. ๐จ๐พ๐จ๐พ
Guillaume: I would say it’s a dose of alternative or the staid competition, but this is Eurovision. ๐จ๐พ๐จ๐พ
If you listen to all the lyrics, there are many miracles needed on this stage.
Serbia
Sanja Vuฤiฤ ZAA, Goodbye (Shelter)
Tigger: Not one of my favorites, but I would feel bad voting against the song. ๐ท๐ธ๐ท๐ธ
Guillaume: Good message, and not a bad performance. ๐ท๐ธ๐ท๐ธ
Lithuania
Donny Montell, I’ve Been Waiting for This Night
Tigger: It still feels like a boy band audition for a reality singing competition show. ๐ฑ๐น
Guillaume: I have nothing to say about this one. It’s easily forgettable and that’s sad for the performer. ๐ฑ๐น
Croatia
Nina Kraljiฤ, Lighthouse
Tigger: I like it, but not enough to be a top three pick. ๐ญ๐ท๐ญ๐ท
Guillaume: Interesting costume, which almost overpowers the performance and the performer. ๐ญ๐ท
Russia
Sergey Lazarev, You Are the Only One
Tigger: Hearing it again, I like it more. I may have to consider this a top choice. ๐ท๐บ๐ท๐บ
Guillaume: The performance trickery is very cool. The song feels average. ๐ท๐บ๐ท๐บ
Spain
Barei, Say Yay!
Tigger: I want to like this one because the title has such potential, but I just do not. ๐ช๐ธ
Guillaume: Sorry, Spain, I cannot say Yay. I do not like this one at all. ๐ช๐ธ
Latvia
Justs, Heartbeat
Tigger: It’s just so-so for me. ๐ฑ๐ป
Guillaume: Shouldn’t the heartbeat graphic look like the readout on the machines on tv and in the movies, more than static noise? ๐ฑ๐ป
Ukraine
Jamala, 1944
Tigger: This is another song I feel bad for not liking, but I don’t. ๐บ๐ฆ
Guillaume: Even if you don’t speak the language, this is a powerful song, and the performance is extremely personal. My favorite performance so far. ๐บ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฆ
Malta
Ira Losco, Walk on Water
Tigger: It’s an average song. ๐ฒ๐น
Guillaume: There is nothing wrong with the song, but nothing outstanding about it either. ๐ฒ๐น
Georgia
Nina Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz, Midnight Gold
Tigger: It’s okay. If there weren’t other better things, I’d pop it in my top list. There’s a fun beat to it. ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฌ๐ช
Guillaume: Another case of performance trickery overshadowing the performance. ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฌ๐ช
Austria
ZOร, Loin d’ici
Tigger: She’s a fairytale princess. It’s happy and fun. ๐ฆ๐น๐ฆ๐น
Guillaume: This would be very nice to fall asleep to, and I mean that in a good way. ๐ฆ๐น๐ฆ๐น
United Kingdom
Joe and Jake, You’re Not Alone
Tigger: It has a nice bounce and it looks like fun. ๐ฌ๐ง๐ฌ๐ง
Guillaume: It has a good radio feel. ๐ฌ๐ง๐ฌ๐ง
Armenia
Ivete Mukuchyan, LoveWave
Tigger: Not one of my favorites. ๐ฆ๐ฒ
Guillaume: Armenia’s Beyonce. Good for her. ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ฒ
Our Top Three Picks:
Tigger: Belgium, The Netherlands, Israel
Guillaume: Ukraine, Serbia, Italy
That’s for us. Hope you enjoyed the show this year, and that your favorite ends up a winner.
I’m sorry it’s over for another year, but it’s hard staying up late three nights in a row.
Guillaume and I will be back next year.
See you then,
Tigger & Guillaume
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Eurovision 2016, Semi-Final #2 -- A Reivew
I’m back again for a live(ish) review of Eurovision 2016.
It’s night two of the Semi-Finals and I have avoided the news and media so I have no idea who goes through to the finals. In the age of instant access to all kinds of things it’s rather difficult to avoid spoilers, but I have. I hope I can continue and not find out the winner before the prime time broadcast tomorrow night here in Australia. If you know the overall winner, please do not tell me. I want to be surprised.
I don’t know anything about tonight’s entrants. Well, except for Australia’s entry, but that’s only because the station broadcasting Eurovision has been teasing the performance for well over a month. I’ve seen snippets of the song so much I’m already tired of the song. I really wish they wouldn’t tease upcoming shows so much.
I’m enjoying the Opening Number; yes, it’s silly, but it does a great job of summing up Eurovision. It’s silly, but fun. That’s what I think Eurovision is. And why I get so excited for my Eurovision weekend every year. (Even though my friend Spencer doesn’t enjoy it as much as I do, he watches with me because he knows I’m excited! We have a new friend to share Eurovision with this year, and he said he’s going to help me with my commentary on the Final since he said he’s still getting the feel for it right now.)
Latvia
Justs, Heartbeat
I liked the beginning of this song, but then it went off a bit for me. It’s not terrible, but I’m saying not a top ten.
Poland
Michaล Szpak, Color of Your Life
Ohh, he’s feeding the squirrels in the postcard video. I like him already. (I miss squirrels.) His fingernails are black. And they are a bit distracting to me. But I like him. He’s got a pretty cool coat too. Probably not a top ten finisher, though.
Switzerland
Rykka, The Last of Our Kind
There’s a smoke machine in her dress. She has blueberry colored hair and is barefoot. I’m always barefoot, but I bounce. She’s not even really moving, seems to be a waste. It’s just an odd costume all around. But a nice song.
The dandelion seeds are the colors of the flags. That’s pretty nice. Julia mentioned that the theme of this year’s Eurovision is “Come Together,” which is interesting because dandelion seeds are meant to be blown apart.
Israel
Hovi Star, Made of Stars
I like this one. Ohh, I don’t like the raining sparklers, but I do like the song and the acrobats. Very well done. One of my favorites of the night.
Belarus
IVAN, Help You Fly
He wanted to sing naked with two wolves? That’s a bit out there, even for Eurovision. It has to be broadcast, and I know Europe’s standard are lower than the US, but still, it’s a family show. I’m not sure how the wolves and nakedness fit in to helping people learn how to fly, but then I’m not Belorussian so maybe I’m missing something important there. The stripes are interesting. Performance art aside, it was a good song. I’m raking it in my top ten.
Serbia
Sanja Vuฤiฤ ZAA, Goodbye (Shelter)
I wanted to like this one, but I’m not really feeling it. I think it would like it better if it weren’t in the performance. I think the message might be better if there were a bit more light in performance as well. But then I don’t like too much dark.
Ireland
Nicky Byrne, Sunlight
I really enjoyed this song. I do not think it will get to the final, but I did enjoy it.
F.Y.R. Macedonia
Kaliopi, Dona
Yes, a song not in English! Go you! I wonder what language they speak in F.Y.R. Macedonia — I think there are several to choose from. She looks like she is emotionally invested in this song in ways the other performers are not. I like her.
Lithuania
Donny Montell, I’ve Been Waiting for This Night
Cool shoes. But I think he’s taken too many cues from boy bands and reality competition singing shows. There was nothing objectionable about this performance, but nothing outstanding either.
Australia
Dami Im, Sound of Silence
I know you can’t copyright titles, but The Sound of Silence is already taken — by Simon & Garfunkel. But then again, my housemate says many people don’t necessarily know that. As I mentioned, I’m a bit over the song already, but I’m trying to keep an open mind. Does she have lights in her collar? It’s hard to tell. It was well done, but not my favorite.
Slovenia
ManuElla, Blue and Red
Julia said the performer describes this as a “country style.” I hear the country themes, modern country, but it’s there. I don’t mind this song, but the keening is a bit out of place.
Bulgaria
Poli Genova, If Love Was a Crime
She has eggplant purple lips and bookends for earrings. Interesting mix of English and Bulgarian lyrics. It’s kind of very bouncy. I like it. The performance is happy and upbeat. This is a favorite. Her costume definitely lights up!
Denmark
Lighthouse X, Soldiers of Love
The microphone stands are lightsabers. Julia says it’s Lighthouse Ten, not X or a Greek Chi (ฮง) for that matter. It’s another boy band entry. Same-Same.
The "thunk" going into each act is annoying. At first I thought it was a mistake, but not I think it’s on purpose.
Ukraine
Jamala, 1944
Another song with parts not in English. I’m always happy to hear native languages. I didn’t really like the song, but hope for her it makes it to the final.
Norway
Agnete, Icebreaker
When I saw the title of this song, I thought it was fitting for someone from Norway. The interpretive dance in an interesting addition to the performance. I don’t mind this song, but it does have the same-same feel of almost everything else this year. It does seem to be written for a reality competition show.
Georgia
Nina Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz, Midnight Gold
How do they do the special video effects for the people live in the stadium? This feels to me like the band couldn’t decide which of their favorite bands to channel so they decided to channel them all. And the light effects are bad, they definitely needed Julia’s epileptic warning!
Albania
Eneda Tarifa, Fairytale
The gold is interesting and how her dress flaws into the floor projections, but I’m not really feeling this song or how it has anything to do with fairytales. A bit bland and forgettable, Albania, I’m sorry.
Belgium
Laura Tesoro, What’s the Pressure
In the in-between interview, she mentioned she thinks she has “hamster cheeks.” I like her. It’s a bouncy song too! She’s fun. This will get one of my top ten votes.
That’s it. All to do now is wait for the voting. I’ll be back tomorrow with comments on the Final, and my new friend, Guillaume will be joining me.
Hope to see you then,
Tigger
It’s night two of the Semi-Finals and I have avoided the news and media so I have no idea who goes through to the finals. In the age of instant access to all kinds of things it’s rather difficult to avoid spoilers, but I have. I hope I can continue and not find out the winner before the prime time broadcast tomorrow night here in Australia. If you know the overall winner, please do not tell me. I want to be surprised.
I don’t know anything about tonight’s entrants. Well, except for Australia’s entry, but that’s only because the station broadcasting Eurovision has been teasing the performance for well over a month. I’ve seen snippets of the song so much I’m already tired of the song. I really wish they wouldn’t tease upcoming shows so much.
I’m enjoying the Opening Number; yes, it’s silly, but it does a great job of summing up Eurovision. It’s silly, but fun. That’s what I think Eurovision is. And why I get so excited for my Eurovision weekend every year. (Even though my friend Spencer doesn’t enjoy it as much as I do, he watches with me because he knows I’m excited! We have a new friend to share Eurovision with this year, and he said he’s going to help me with my commentary on the Final since he said he’s still getting the feel for it right now.)
Latvia
Justs, Heartbeat
I liked the beginning of this song, but then it went off a bit for me. It’s not terrible, but I’m saying not a top ten.
Poland
Michaล Szpak, Color of Your Life
Ohh, he’s feeding the squirrels in the postcard video. I like him already. (I miss squirrels.) His fingernails are black. And they are a bit distracting to me. But I like him. He’s got a pretty cool coat too. Probably not a top ten finisher, though.
Switzerland
Rykka, The Last of Our Kind
There’s a smoke machine in her dress. She has blueberry colored hair and is barefoot. I’m always barefoot, but I bounce. She’s not even really moving, seems to be a waste. It’s just an odd costume all around. But a nice song.
The dandelion seeds are the colors of the flags. That’s pretty nice. Julia mentioned that the theme of this year’s Eurovision is “Come Together,” which is interesting because dandelion seeds are meant to be blown apart.
Israel
Hovi Star, Made of Stars
I like this one. Ohh, I don’t like the raining sparklers, but I do like the song and the acrobats. Very well done. One of my favorites of the night.
Belarus
IVAN, Help You Fly
He wanted to sing naked with two wolves? That’s a bit out there, even for Eurovision. It has to be broadcast, and I know Europe’s standard are lower than the US, but still, it’s a family show. I’m not sure how the wolves and nakedness fit in to helping people learn how to fly, but then I’m not Belorussian so maybe I’m missing something important there. The stripes are interesting. Performance art aside, it was a good song. I’m raking it in my top ten.
Serbia
Sanja Vuฤiฤ ZAA, Goodbye (Shelter)
I wanted to like this one, but I’m not really feeling it. I think it would like it better if it weren’t in the performance. I think the message might be better if there were a bit more light in performance as well. But then I don’t like too much dark.
Ireland
Nicky Byrne, Sunlight
I really enjoyed this song. I do not think it will get to the final, but I did enjoy it.
F.Y.R. Macedonia
Kaliopi, Dona
Yes, a song not in English! Go you! I wonder what language they speak in F.Y.R. Macedonia — I think there are several to choose from. She looks like she is emotionally invested in this song in ways the other performers are not. I like her.
Lithuania
Donny Montell, I’ve Been Waiting for This Night
Cool shoes. But I think he’s taken too many cues from boy bands and reality competition singing shows. There was nothing objectionable about this performance, but nothing outstanding either.
Australia
Dami Im, Sound of Silence
I know you can’t copyright titles, but The Sound of Silence is already taken — by Simon & Garfunkel. But then again, my housemate says many people don’t necessarily know that. As I mentioned, I’m a bit over the song already, but I’m trying to keep an open mind. Does she have lights in her collar? It’s hard to tell. It was well done, but not my favorite.
Slovenia
ManuElla, Blue and Red
Julia said the performer describes this as a “country style.” I hear the country themes, modern country, but it’s there. I don’t mind this song, but the keening is a bit out of place.
Bulgaria
Poli Genova, If Love Was a Crime
She has eggplant purple lips and bookends for earrings. Interesting mix of English and Bulgarian lyrics. It’s kind of very bouncy. I like it. The performance is happy and upbeat. This is a favorite. Her costume definitely lights up!
Denmark
Lighthouse X, Soldiers of Love
The microphone stands are lightsabers. Julia says it’s Lighthouse Ten, not X or a Greek Chi (ฮง) for that matter. It’s another boy band entry. Same-Same.
The "thunk" going into each act is annoying. At first I thought it was a mistake, but not I think it’s on purpose.
Ukraine
Jamala, 1944
Another song with parts not in English. I’m always happy to hear native languages. I didn’t really like the song, but hope for her it makes it to the final.
Norway
Agnete, Icebreaker
When I saw the title of this song, I thought it was fitting for someone from Norway. The interpretive dance in an interesting addition to the performance. I don’t mind this song, but it does have the same-same feel of almost everything else this year. It does seem to be written for a reality competition show.
Georgia
Nina Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz, Midnight Gold
How do they do the special video effects for the people live in the stadium? This feels to me like the band couldn’t decide which of their favorite bands to channel so they decided to channel them all. And the light effects are bad, they definitely needed Julia’s epileptic warning!
Albania
Eneda Tarifa, Fairytale
The gold is interesting and how her dress flaws into the floor projections, but I’m not really feeling this song or how it has anything to do with fairytales. A bit bland and forgettable, Albania, I’m sorry.
Belgium
Laura Tesoro, What’s the Pressure
In the in-between interview, she mentioned she thinks she has “hamster cheeks.” I like her. It’s a bouncy song too! She’s fun. This will get one of my top ten votes.
That’s it. All to do now is wait for the voting. I’ll be back tomorrow with comments on the Final, and my new friend, Guillaume will be joining me.
Hope to see you then,
Tigger
Friday, May 13, 2016
Eurovision 2016, Semi-Final #1 -- A Review
Hello Everyone!
I’m back again for a live(ish) review of Eurovision 2016.
SBS has been teasing Eurovision coverage, and Australia’s competitor for about a month now so I am more than ready.
Other than Australia’s in it as an actual competitor this year, I really do not know anything about it. And that’s the way I prefer it. I like to know as little as possible before I see the Semi-Finals.
I enjoy the Australian commentary team — I like Julia & Sam. I don’t know any the commentary teams from other countries, but I hope they have as much fun as Julia & Sam seem to have.
We’re beginning tonight’s show with a performance of last year’s winner, Sweden, Mรฅns Zelmerlรถw, Heroes. It wasn’t my favorite performance, but it’s not bad.
This year the emblem is a dandelion, after it’s gone to seed and has become a puffball ready for the wind (or someone’s breath) to scatter it all over.
Finland
Sandhja, Sing It Away
It has a bouncy beat, and is a good opening number, but there is really nothing special about it to me. As it goes on, the song seems disjointed, and the chorus seems to belong to a different song entirely. It was interesting, but definitely not in my top 10.
Greece
Argo, Utopian Land
I like the interesting instruments and I do like that they are are not singing only in English. The lyrics were funny when they were translated. I didn’t mind it, but I don’t think the judges will send them through to the Final.
I miss the interesting and fun postcards. The ones where the contestants made their countries flags out of things were the best, but I think there are better than the intro postcards this year.
Moldova
Lidia Isac, Falling Stars
The astronaut is an unusual and unexpected element to the performance. I would like to see a small country win, but I’m not sure this is Moldova’s year.
Hungary
Freddie, Pioneer
Whistling; that’s different. And acrobatics from the drummer. But overall it feels like a rather generic boy band.
Croatia
Nina Kraljiฤ, Lighthouse
Julia says she’s a winner of the Croatian version of The Voice. That makes me a bit nervous. Wow. That is a dress. It seems like the dress of Elsa’s evil twin. Spencer says to go with the song title it needs some fresnel lenses the dress. But the sleeve trains do remind me of the fresnel lenses, so she could be a stylized lighthouse.
The Netherlands
Douwe Bob, Slow Down
This has the feel of American modern country music. It’s catchy though. I can see this being on the radio and people singing along in their cars. Definitely a top ten for me.
Armenia
Iveta Mukuchyan, LoveWave
I can see this winning votes, but there doesn’t seem to be anything special about it to me. The costume is a bit distracting, as are some of the effects for the television audience. It’s a television song contest kind of entry. And while I know Eurovision is a television song contest, I think of it as better than the reality competition shows.
San Marino
Serhat, I Didn’t Know
This entry has a very retro feel, and I kind of like it. It won’t win, but I do like it. Apparently when he’s not an Eurovision contestant, he’s a dentist in San Marino. The Australian commentary team all but told him not to quit his day job, but I thought it was kind of interesting and different.
Russia
Sergey Lararev, You Are the Only One
Another entrant with shadow art. Ohh, that’s different. That was very cool. I think the special effects are better than the song. It’s worth it for that to see it again. The song is fairly average.
Having the dandelion seeds fly toward the screen is just odd, most images have the seeds being blown from the viewer. It’s different to see them coming toward the viewer.
Czech Republic
Gabriela Gunฤikovรก, I Stand
Full points for being a solo act, and I can see how this may get lots of points, but I’m not really feeling top ten from this one.
Cyprus
Minus One, Alter Ego
The hard rock, heavy metal was a bit unexpected. The cages are interesting but fitting. And it is a change from the same-same-ness of the reality competition show contestants. Howling at the moon is a bit different as well.
Austria
ZOร, Loin d’ici
She’s singing in French; I suppose it’s a prettier language to sing in than Austrian. Yippee! It’s not in English. She’s a little princess in a fairyland. It’s fun and innocent. I like it. I find it interesting there are no subtitles for this song there way there were for Greeks.
Estonia
Jรผri Pootsmann, Play
This isn’t bad. I don’t mind it. A solid top ten entry. I wish I had something more to say because I did like it.
Azerbaijan
Samra, Miracle
The football shoulder pads seem out of place. Another reality competition show entry. Not bad, but not stand-out either.
Montenegro
Highway, The Real Thing
I might like this more if the camera would be still for a few seconds and the stage wasn’t so dark. I know I’m all about the bounces, but not in the camera work while I’m trying to figure out this performance. The camera work is very distracting. I thought previous Montenegrin entries were better.
Iceland
Greta Salรณme, Hear Them Calling
I don’t mind this song, but it does feel it hits all the Eurovision must-haves for a solo performance. I would be surprised if this one does not go on to the final.
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Dale & Deen featuring Ana Runcer and Jala, Ljubav Je
My housemate said this song had the crazy cello. He wasn’t wrong. Full points for singing in a language that’s not English. The barbed wire is an interesting touch too. Rapping with a backing cello. That’s different. There is one different thing after another in this performance. Definitely interesting, but I was distracted by the performance elements.
Malta
Ira Losco, Walk on Water
It’s not a bad song, but I wouldn’t give it my first place vote.
More of the entries so far have felt like entries in a reality competition music show than in previous years. I’m not sure what to think about that. I know Eurovision is a reality competition music show, but it feels more like Hollywood and American Idol have influenced this year’s competition too much. I’m having a hard time picking which songs I would vote for. So I think I’m not going to vote for any. The entrants I like best never win anyway.
I’ll be back tomorrow night for Semi-Final #2.
See you then,
Tigger
I’m back again for a live(ish) review of Eurovision 2016.
SBS has been teasing Eurovision coverage, and Australia’s competitor for about a month now so I am more than ready.
Other than Australia’s in it as an actual competitor this year, I really do not know anything about it. And that’s the way I prefer it. I like to know as little as possible before I see the Semi-Finals.
I enjoy the Australian commentary team — I like Julia & Sam. I don’t know any the commentary teams from other countries, but I hope they have as much fun as Julia & Sam seem to have.
We’re beginning tonight’s show with a performance of last year’s winner, Sweden, Mรฅns Zelmerlรถw, Heroes. It wasn’t my favorite performance, but it’s not bad.
This year the emblem is a dandelion, after it’s gone to seed and has become a puffball ready for the wind (or someone’s breath) to scatter it all over.
Finland
Sandhja, Sing It Away
It has a bouncy beat, and is a good opening number, but there is really nothing special about it to me. As it goes on, the song seems disjointed, and the chorus seems to belong to a different song entirely. It was interesting, but definitely not in my top 10.
Greece
Argo, Utopian Land
I like the interesting instruments and I do like that they are are not singing only in English. The lyrics were funny when they were translated. I didn’t mind it, but I don’t think the judges will send them through to the Final.
I miss the interesting and fun postcards. The ones where the contestants made their countries flags out of things were the best, but I think there are better than the intro postcards this year.
Moldova
Lidia Isac, Falling Stars
The astronaut is an unusual and unexpected element to the performance. I would like to see a small country win, but I’m not sure this is Moldova’s year.
Hungary
Freddie, Pioneer
Whistling; that’s different. And acrobatics from the drummer. But overall it feels like a rather generic boy band.
Croatia
Nina Kraljiฤ, Lighthouse
Julia says she’s a winner of the Croatian version of The Voice. That makes me a bit nervous. Wow. That is a dress. It seems like the dress of Elsa’s evil twin. Spencer says to go with the song title it needs some fresnel lenses the dress. But the sleeve trains do remind me of the fresnel lenses, so she could be a stylized lighthouse.
The Netherlands
Douwe Bob, Slow Down
This has the feel of American modern country music. It’s catchy though. I can see this being on the radio and people singing along in their cars. Definitely a top ten for me.
Armenia
Iveta Mukuchyan, LoveWave
I can see this winning votes, but there doesn’t seem to be anything special about it to me. The costume is a bit distracting, as are some of the effects for the television audience. It’s a television song contest kind of entry. And while I know Eurovision is a television song contest, I think of it as better than the reality competition shows.
San Marino
Serhat, I Didn’t Know
This entry has a very retro feel, and I kind of like it. It won’t win, but I do like it. Apparently when he’s not an Eurovision contestant, he’s a dentist in San Marino. The Australian commentary team all but told him not to quit his day job, but I thought it was kind of interesting and different.
Russia
Sergey Lararev, You Are the Only One
Another entrant with shadow art. Ohh, that’s different. That was very cool. I think the special effects are better than the song. It’s worth it for that to see it again. The song is fairly average.
Having the dandelion seeds fly toward the screen is just odd, most images have the seeds being blown from the viewer. It’s different to see them coming toward the viewer.
Czech Republic
Gabriela Gunฤikovรก, I Stand
Full points for being a solo act, and I can see how this may get lots of points, but I’m not really feeling top ten from this one.
Cyprus
Minus One, Alter Ego
The hard rock, heavy metal was a bit unexpected. The cages are interesting but fitting. And it is a change from the same-same-ness of the reality competition show contestants. Howling at the moon is a bit different as well.
Austria
ZOร, Loin d’ici
She’s singing in French; I suppose it’s a prettier language to sing in than Austrian. Yippee! It’s not in English. She’s a little princess in a fairyland. It’s fun and innocent. I like it. I find it interesting there are no subtitles for this song there way there were for Greeks.
Estonia
Jรผri Pootsmann, Play
This isn’t bad. I don’t mind it. A solid top ten entry. I wish I had something more to say because I did like it.
Azerbaijan
Samra, Miracle
The football shoulder pads seem out of place. Another reality competition show entry. Not bad, but not stand-out either.
Montenegro
Highway, The Real Thing
I might like this more if the camera would be still for a few seconds and the stage wasn’t so dark. I know I’m all about the bounces, but not in the camera work while I’m trying to figure out this performance. The camera work is very distracting. I thought previous Montenegrin entries were better.
Iceland
Greta Salรณme, Hear Them Calling
I don’t mind this song, but it does feel it hits all the Eurovision must-haves for a solo performance. I would be surprised if this one does not go on to the final.
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Dale & Deen featuring Ana Runcer and Jala, Ljubav Je
My housemate said this song had the crazy cello. He wasn’t wrong. Full points for singing in a language that’s not English. The barbed wire is an interesting touch too. Rapping with a backing cello. That’s different. There is one different thing after another in this performance. Definitely interesting, but I was distracted by the performance elements.
Malta
Ira Losco, Walk on Water
It’s not a bad song, but I wouldn’t give it my first place vote.
More of the entries so far have felt like entries in a reality competition music show than in previous years. I’m not sure what to think about that. I know Eurovision is a reality competition music show, but it feels more like Hollywood and American Idol have influenced this year’s competition too much. I’m having a hard time picking which songs I would vote for. So I think I’m not going to vote for any. The entrants I like best never win anyway.
I’ll be back tomorrow night for Semi-Final #2.
See you then,
Tigger
Monday, May 9, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Foreign รclairs by Julie Hyzy
Foreign รclairs is the ninth book in Ms. Hyzy’s White House Chef series of mysteries. It will most likely be the last of the series, as Ms. Hyzy decided to stop writing the series after a dispute with her publisher.
I knew the back story to the book before I read it, and I wish I could say that did not color my opinion of the book, but it did. Knowing it was the last of the series (with this author), I was really hoping for a better book, a book that reminded me why I began the series in the first place. This was not the series finale I hoped it would be.
There is no real way I can discuss the book without giving away the ending, but suffice to say, as in the most recent episodes of the series, White House Chef Olivia Paras (Ollie to her friends) spent far more time out of the kitchens than in them. And she spent far more time working with the Secret Service than she did at her actual job. I am pretty sure that if the real White House Chef spent that much time away from their actual job, he (or she) would not remain employed as White House Chef for very long.
The ridiculousness of the plot made the book almost farcical, and the in-absolutely-no-way-could-it-ever-be-her-responsibility during-work-hours activity only made the story more annoying to me. I can forgive a great deal in plots in the name of dramatic license, but only if the story makes sense in its own parameters. And this book asks the reader to suspend a great deal of belief — too much to make the story even partly believable.
I like Ollie and I really like her friends, but this book was a big disappointment, both because there was too much Ollie in precarious situations, but also because there was not enough of Ollie’s friends.
I’m sorry the series has, in all likelihood, ended, but I am not sorry with the direction the books were taking. Overall, I think it was probably the best outcome to end the series.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three glasses of store-brand cola with not enough ice and few generic cookies
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Foreign รclairs is the ninth book in Ms. Hyzy’s White House Chef series of mysteries. It will most likely be the last of the series, as Ms. Hyzy decided to stop writing the series after a dispute with her publisher.
I knew the back story to the book before I read it, and I wish I could say that did not color my opinion of the book, but it did. Knowing it was the last of the series (with this author), I was really hoping for a better book, a book that reminded me why I began the series in the first place. This was not the series finale I hoped it would be.
There is no real way I can discuss the book without giving away the ending, but suffice to say, as in the most recent episodes of the series, White House Chef Olivia Paras (Ollie to her friends) spent far more time out of the kitchens than in them. And she spent far more time working with the Secret Service than she did at her actual job. I am pretty sure that if the real White House Chef spent that much time away from their actual job, he (or she) would not remain employed as White House Chef for very long.
The ridiculousness of the plot made the book almost farcical, and the in-absolutely-no-way-could-it-ever-be-her-responsibility during-work-hours activity only made the story more annoying to me. I can forgive a great deal in plots in the name of dramatic license, but only if the story makes sense in its own parameters. And this book asks the reader to suspend a great deal of belief — too much to make the story even partly believable.
I like Ollie and I really like her friends, but this book was a big disappointment, both because there was too much Ollie in precarious situations, but also because there was not enough of Ollie’s friends.
I’m sorry the series has, in all likelihood, ended, but I am not sorry with the direction the books were taking. Overall, I think it was probably the best outcome to end the series.
One Bear’s Opinion: Three glasses of store-brand cola with not enough ice and few generic cookies
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Monday, May 2, 2016
One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review
Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson
Let me say from the beginning, this was a great visit with Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy! And there is a good ending to the book that has nothing at all to do with the mystery.
Now, onto the mystery plot of this book. It was very enjoyable and, though I had the killer picked out early on, it was still fun to watch the investigators figure it out.
I am not sure how much research the author did, but there has to have been some research into the lives of immigrants, whether international or from the Southern states, in New York in the 1890s. Even if it is largely fictional, it certainly reads as believable based on my own limited research and history classes. The author’s description of the slums of New York are so vivid, I could absolutely picture myself there as I was reading the book. And the sumptuous descriptions of the upperclass homes in the privileged areas of New York were just as realistic.
The best authors can do that. They can make the world of their books come alive in your imagination, sometimes to the point that when I look up from the book, I wonder why the room doesn’t look anything like the one I’ve just been in. Victoria Thompson’s descriptions are the kind that make me feel as if I were really in the room with the characters.
Speaking of characters, having just read a book with characters I could not warm up to, I was pleased to have this visit with characters that have become good friends. Making friends with the characters can help even the worst books be just a bit better. This book would not qualify as one of the worst books I’ve read, at all.
Saying too much more would spoil not only the mystery plot, but the overarching story line, and I do not want to do that. So let me finish by saying that the book is well worth the read, but if you are new to the Gaslight Mystery series, I would absolutely suggest you not start with this book.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four glasses of lemonade, with a slice of cake, topped with lots of yummy frosting
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Let me say from the beginning, this was a great visit with Sarah Brandt and Frank Malloy! And there is a good ending to the book that has nothing at all to do with the mystery.
Now, onto the mystery plot of this book. It was very enjoyable and, though I had the killer picked out early on, it was still fun to watch the investigators figure it out.
I am not sure how much research the author did, but there has to have been some research into the lives of immigrants, whether international or from the Southern states, in New York in the 1890s. Even if it is largely fictional, it certainly reads as believable based on my own limited research and history classes. The author’s description of the slums of New York are so vivid, I could absolutely picture myself there as I was reading the book. And the sumptuous descriptions of the upperclass homes in the privileged areas of New York were just as realistic.
The best authors can do that. They can make the world of their books come alive in your imagination, sometimes to the point that when I look up from the book, I wonder why the room doesn’t look anything like the one I’ve just been in. Victoria Thompson’s descriptions are the kind that make me feel as if I were really in the room with the characters.
Speaking of characters, having just read a book with characters I could not warm up to, I was pleased to have this visit with characters that have become good friends. Making friends with the characters can help even the worst books be just a bit better. This book would not qualify as one of the worst books I’ve read, at all.
Saying too much more would spoil not only the mystery plot, but the overarching story line, and I do not want to do that. So let me finish by saying that the book is well worth the read, but if you are new to the Gaslight Mystery series, I would absolutely suggest you not start with this book.
One Bear’s Opinion: Four glasses of lemonade, with a slice of cake, topped with lots of yummy frosting
Happy Reading Everyone,
Oliver
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)