B is for Book Review: Angel Time

Like every other Anne Rice novel I've read, Angel Time is beautifully written. Ms. Rice has a talent for writing lilting, almost lyrical prose that reads like a symphony of letters. This style of writing suits well her romantic male leads who always have a touch of the feminine in them. Even the assassin, Toby O'Dare, (who I imagined as Ashton Kutcher) maintains his boyishness as he coldly murders his victims, including the desperate girl who raises her hands to him in a gesture of mercy. Her image is one that haunts him as he descends further into the abyss he created for himself.
Of course, Toby gets his chance for redemption in the form of an errand for his guardian angel. Traveling back to England in the 13th century in the garb of a Dominican friar, Toby is pressed to help a Jewish couple who is accused of the same crimes he himself has committed. However much Toby works to succeed in this endeavor and it does seem he has has some very willing collaborators; his toil might have all been in vain if it were not for the support of the blind grandfather who at first had cursed his family for their betrayal to the Jewish faith.
Ms. Rice, I believe, is not only trying to say that no matter how far we have stumbled from the right path, it is never too late to correct our footing and return, but also how important it is to coexist with each other despite our religious beliefs and how important the strength of family is, whether by blood or emotion.
And I just want to add that if you had checked out my review of the Dracula sequel and read how I criticized Mr. Stoker's inability to capture the essence of the feminine, he could take a lesson from Ms. Rice. Although, as I've stated previously, Ms.ice has a tendency to feminize her male leads, she does it with grace and believability.

Magical Memories From Disney

I must have a thousand and one magical memories from Walt Disney World, but this is one of the most recent. When it happened, I wouldn't at first have called it magical, but in retrospect it is definitely one of the moments we will remember.

We were burning hot in the middle of August (who'd have thought) at the Animal Kingdom, the park that always seems the hottest to me. A ride on Kali River Rapids is an easy way to cool off, and our fast pass time was upon us. We must have ridden on Kali River Rapids 50 times in the past, but for some reason this ride was the absolute wettest and most drenching one we'd ever experienced. Literally, I looked like I'd gone swimming in the river instead of just being splashed. Well, it did cool us off, but then Mother Nature decided to cool of the rest of the park with one of Orlando's notorious rain showers right after we disembarked our raft. I've never been so cold at Disney World in my entire life, and here it was late summer!

After getting so drenched, we decided to head back to the hotel to dry off and take a breather before we went out again that evening. When the bus arrived to ferry us to our hotel, I took a seat in the very back. I don't know if the seat was magically heated just for me that day, or if it was the heat rising from the street or the engine that made it so warm in the back of the bus. But it was bliss, pure magic!

Like I said, at the time it wasn't a moment I thought I'd look back and relish, but now it's the memory of our last trip to Disney that we laugh about the most. Magic can be found in the most unusual places at Disney World!

A is for Abraham van Helsing ...

... and Mina Harker, Jonathan Harker, Jack Seward, and the host of other meddling do-gooders out to thwart Dracula. But in Dracula The Un Dead, Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt have a little surprise for the crew of vampire hunters. (Below this there might be spoilers, read with caution).

It isn't hard to imagine that Dracula actually did not perish with Quincey P. Morris's mighty thrust with a stake, and it isn't hard to imagine that Dracula is not really the evil being they had at first thought him to be. I blame Abraham van Helsing, and was terribly glad to see old Abe got his just desserts. What I did not like, however, was poor Jonathan Harker's pathetic future (he did not deserve it, Mr. Stoker) and how unlikable Mina had become.

I must blame the authors for Mina's lack of character. A good chunk of male writers cannot grasp the true depth of a woman's soul and will leave the female rather flat and one dimensional. Not all, of course, but some. And I feel that it is Mr. Stoker's inexperience that has brought this upon poor Mrs. Harker. This also holds true for the completely villainous Countess Bathory. The male characters, I felt, were more fully developed, even the mysterious Basarab (who actually wasn't that much of a mystery).

I was entertained by the novel; in fact, I found certain parts of it well written and comical (in a good way). Admittedly, Mr. Stoker and Mr. Holt have left it open for a sequel, and I will say that I shall be at Barnes and Noble on its release date to purchase it if they in fact write one. Hopefully by then they will be able to improve upon the dear Mrs. Harker.

Seconds and a Sequel

Dacre Stoker, the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker has written a sequel to Dracula 112 years after the original. He was helped in his writing by Ian Holt, a New York screenwriter. Does this mean there will be a movie?

I adore vampire stories (usually) and Dracula is certainly no exception. However, I have to wonder how Dracula: The Un-Dead will fare. Dracula is a classic, and 99 percent of the time sequels suck (no pun intended). I will have to visit Barnes and Noble this weekend and pick up a copy for myself. I go in a skeptic -- but I shall give it a fair shot.

Speaking of vamps, Anne Rice's newest is scheduled out on October 27. This is another book I plan to add to my library. I was a big Anne Rice fan back in the day but she fell from favor in the 90s and I haven't been bothered to read anything by her in several years. I think her earlier work rocks: The Vampire LeStat, The Witching Hour, Ramses the Damned are very, very good books, and I'm happy to report my daughter is reading Interview with a Vampire right now, and loving it!

But Anne's gone in a new direction since she found God, and I'm gong to give her another chance with Angel Time: The Songs of the Seraphim. It's been called a religious romance, which doesn't really interest me, but it has time-travel to 13th century England which does interest me -- a lot. So I'll give it a read.

The third book coming out is Stephen King's Under the Dome. It's out November 10. It will try to be a fair and partial judge on this one, folks, but I warn you that I am probably not a fair critic on Mr. King's work. he's my fave, and I'm darn loyal.

So there you have it. I'll post back later and let you know my opinions of these works. I know you can't wait, lol.

First!

Welcome to my first ever post!

Home today with a sick (but not too terribly) daughter and a bit of the bug myself, I sat in front of the computer wasting away much of the day while she slept. Distracted, yes, from chores that I should probably be doing.

The sun has finally come out, but it hasn't brightened my spirits yet. I just took her temperature: 100.9. I guess no school again tomorrow unless a dramatic recovery!

I've started this for several reasons, and I hope to continue it regularly. I am not sure if anyone will read this -- unless I drag them off the sofa and plop them down in front of the computer and say, "Here! Read this!" I have a lot of different interests, and I want to focus on them. Depending upon what is happening in my life at the time. I don't want it to focus on my family, necessarily, but of course, they will be a part of it.

It will be eclectic and varied. I get bored easily, so I have to keep moving in different directions. Right now the direction I need to get moving in is to take care of sickie-poo, so excuse me and ...

thanks for reading!