Off the Shelf -- Skeleton Key

Skeleton Key is a layered tale, part mystery, part family chronicle, part drama.  It is engrossing, intriguing, heartwarming, and sad all at once.  Told from the perspective of Nell, our narrator, we begin with the 50th anniversary celebration of The Golden Bones, an as yet unsolved treasure hunt 

book created by Nell's father.  Things go awry at the planned unveiling of the final  piece of the puzzle and down the rabbit hole we go.

Nell is still emotionally affected by being attacked by an overly enthusiastic searcher/treasure hunter as a teen and avoids the limelight, distancing herself from her family. She reluctantly appears at the celebration and is drawn into the unfolding situation unwillingly.  As she explores and attempts to understand what is happening, she learns more about her family than she ever wanted to know.

I enjoyed the story.  The mystery was layered, the emotions raw and real.  There is an emotional journey with these characters with twists and turns.  While not the ending I wanted, the ending makes sense.  If you're seeking a psychological mystery, this definitely satisfies.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hatchette for the opportunity.  All opinions are mine and freely and honestly given.

Christmas Ramblings

I survived another holiday season despite a valiant effort by a stomach flu to do me in. My rush into health came just in time for Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was spent with family, and I'm happy to report that nothing too traumatic occurred.

In between sleeping & feeling like a limp dishrag, I did manage to squeeze in a viewing of Twilight with a twelve year old girl borrowed from a friend (Okay, okay, it was part of her Christmas present!). It was interesting, as both she & I had read the book, and much discussion ensued. We concurred that we (naturally) like the book better, but our major issues were with casting. Bella was too flat while Edward's voice was much higher than either of us imagined while reading the book. We just looked at each other & started laughing when Edward walked into the sun. The effect was defnitely not what I imagined when reading the book & was truly quite comical to both of us. The first half of the movie had a rushed feeling that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it was the course of the relationship being different than in the book. I can't say I hated the movie, but it is not among my favorite vampire films (I'm now having trouble conceiving of Meyers' creations as vampires, as my image falls more in line with the old school Lugosi type vampire). I'm now reading the last book in the series, and that is driving the feeling more than the movie, I think.

Oooh, more Christmasy stuff! I managed to catch the Doctor Who Christmas Special -- The Next Doctor. While not quite what I originally envisioned upon hearing about the departure of David Tennant, it was quite enjoyable. There was an especially teary moment at the end. :)

All in all, a nice holiday filled with good fellowship with friends & family. Hope each of you had a joyful holiday.

Ramblin' On

Wow, I guess it's been a while since I've visited this space. I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted anything. What few readers I had have probably wandered off in boredom now. For those you still out there, I'm still alive.

The most interesting thing that has happened has been the addition of two new dogs to our family back in April(Can you hear them barking?). It was supposed to be just one with the second a surprise for my parents. My mother decided she did not want another dog (their dog passed away a couple of years ago), and we could not bring ourselves to part with the little fellow. Our menagerie is holding at six. Hubby keeps saying no to the penguin and the pygmy hippo! Getting everyone settled took quite a bit of time, but we've all survived mostly unscathed.

Nothing interesting on the movie front in quite some time. I loved Iron Man! Hated Kingdom of the Crystal Skull! Zack & Miri was sweeter than I expected, but not too saccharine. Very enjoyable. I'm still waiting to see Quantum of Solace and Twilight.

Oh, that reminds me! I achieved a dream of mine! I got to go to a Kevin Smith Q&A. He actually did on at the local university. The night was phenomenal! Ok, a few of the questions sucked, but Kevin was amazing!! I laughed until my entire body hurt, and then he made me laugh more. The man is awesome!!!!

I have not been able to read as much as I'd like because I started taking a few classes. Textbooks are not as interesting as novels. Someone should do something about that. I have managed to read The Dresden Files up through White Night. I can't wait to get my hands on Small Favor. I also read the first three Twilight books. Not nearly as angsty as I expected. Most recently, I've read the last two Goldy Schulz mysteries (well, I'm still reading the last one.)

One other thing that has consumed a lot of time has been Rock Band! The second is even better than the first. The DLC lately has been nice. Still haven't persuaded hubby to dl the Foo Fighters and RHCP yet, but the day will come. Oh, and Netflix on the 360 freakin' rocks!

I've developed an addiction to Deadliest Catch and Surviorman! Dirty Jobs too! I'll watch these shows whenever they are on, no matter how many times I have seen them. Ok, that's the real reason I haven't been blogging. Damn you, Discovery Channel!!

Just a brief update, more to come -- maybe. :)

Massive Movie Review

After a drought in my movie going life, I've made up for lost time since Christmas, seeing five movies that I'm going to attempt to review in some coherent fashion. So, hang on!

National Treasure : Book of Secrets: Having not seen the first movie yet, I had some anticipation going into this one that I was going to be a bit lost. Definitely not the case! Quite an enjoyable movie with lots of adventure. The pacing was great, and the tension between the characters held my attention. I loved the bit with the President! If you're in the mood for a good action flick with a bit of mystery & romance thrown in, this is the movie for you!

Sweeney Todd: Musicals are a guilty pleasure of mine that the husband seldom agrees to particpate in, but the murderous aspect of Sweeney Todd plus the Depp/Burton combo was enough to persuade him to join me. It's the first musical I've ever heard him say he liked, and I was also not disappointed. Depp was awesome as always, but Helena Bonham Carter & Alan Rickman were also outstanding. Yes, it was bloody, but it was fun!

Juno: I decided not to join the husband for One Missed Call and saw this instead. Awesome movie! Hysterical and heartwarming. A different perspective on teen pregnancy and the impact it has on everyone involved. I love the relationship between Juno and her dad. I highly recommend this one to anyone.

I Am Legend: I don't know if I can honestly give an objective review of this movie. I've read the book & I like it. I went into the movie fully expecting to like it. While different than the book, it was enjoyable up until one scene that put me over the edge emotionally. To be honest, it was an effective scene if it got me as upset as it did, but I was unable to enjoy the rest of the movie because of it. I was too angry at everyone involved! I don't want to say what the scene was, as I refuse to spoil movies for anyone. If you're tenderhearted, bring some tissue.

Cloverfield: My one complaint is the camerawork. While it is effective in the purpose it serves, it is also intensely nauseating. Several people left the theater due to this, and I fought valiantly not to vomit during several scenes. That said, it is a great monster movie!

So, not the most in depth reviews ever but a tidbit about each movie. Feel free to share thoughts about anything I've said here. Now, get out there & go to the movies!

Blurry Bourne

Based on information from an acquaintance (now known to be horribly inaccurate), my resolve not to be nauseated again flagged & I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. For those of you who are not familiar with the oft-told story, I love the Bourne saga, but the bizarre shakiness of the cinematography of Bourne Supremacy was migraine-inducing, and I swore not to see the third installment if Paul Greengrass was directing, a vow I wish I had kept.

Said acquaintance, who overheard a discussion I was having with someone about wanting to see it but not wanting to be ill, said he read an interview where Paul Greengrass said Bourne Ultimatum did not use what I refer to as "shaky cam." Armed with that information, the decision was made to go see it last night.

From the opening shot to the credits, the camera never stopped moving. The film was full of bizarre, shadowy closeups of people's faces; the frame shook unabated through calm conversations in restaurants, over breathtaking views of cities all over the world, as Jason Bourne rushed through streets, train stations, hallways, staircases, and a myriad of other typical action movie settings. At times ,I feared the cameraman was having Parkinsonian tremors, and no one on set noticed. As I watched dizzying camera shifts up buildings, I realized the shaky work was most likely due to a drunken cameraman allowed a drink rarely during shooting. The poor man must be going through DTs!

As in the last film, no where was this more noticeable than in the action sequences. It was nigh impossible to tell what was actually going on, for the screen was a gigantic blur. During several fight scenes, all you could see was blurs of motion with brief glimpses of what appeared to be limbs flailing about. While I did not leave the theater with a migraine, my head was numb and the pressure was building behind my eyes. I firmly believe the migraine was only avoided by averting my gaze during the worst of the blurry scenes, resulting in not seeing 15-20 minutes of the movie.

I will admit that we arrived to a full capacity theater and ended up sitting in the 4th row, which may have made the "shaky cam" phenomenon worse. Several times, I wondered if sitting further away from the screen makes it more bearable.

As for the plot, it was spot on! The pacing of the film was perfect. Matt Damon makes an excellent, sympathetic Bourne. David Strathairn does a skin crawling turn as the agent leading the hurt for Jason Bourne. The appearance of Julia Stiles does leave one wondering a bit, and that relationship is left unresolved.

I find it sad that I was unable to enjoy a movie that was really good due to the horrid cinematography.