AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler

Clive Cussler once again brings Dirk Pitt to life in the adventure thriller Valhalla Rising. Pitt comes to the rescue when the luxury liner The Emerald Dolphin catches fire and sinks. Among the survivors is Kelly Eagan, who is being hunted down for her scientist father's secrets. As Pitt and his compatriots at NUMA provide their assistance to Eagan, the organization is being drawn into a mysterious game of hijacked ships, sinking submarines and revolutionary technology.

This was my first Cussler novel. I have always though of him as a 'boy' writer, so I never gave him a try. I saw a description of Valhalla Rising online, it sounded interesting, so I picked up the audiobook for hubby and I. What I thought would be a 'guy' book turned out to be a terrific action story. There's never a dull moment as even the conversations are witty. The Dirk Pitt books are a series, and I have no idea where this book lies within them. For the purposes of this story, it didn't matter. Cussler did refer to some backstory towards the end of the book, but it was fairly easy to piece together what was going on.

The reader, Ron McLarty, was quite good too. It was a tad humorous listening to his female voices, but it wasn't distracting. I wouldn't mind listening to him again, particularly for another Cussler. My rating: 4/5.

I'm afraid I cannot pass this one on, the library wants it back. It's definitely worth finding on your own though.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

You all may have noticed my little button for Book Blogger Appreciation Week (09/15 - 09/19). Well, it's now Nomination Time!!! There are all sorts of great categories, such as Best Literary Fiction Blog, Best General Book Blog, and Most Eclectic Blog. Check it out here. Late categories that have been added are Most Altruistic Blog, Funniest/Most Humorous Blog, Best Sci-fi/fantasy/horror/spec-fic blog, and Best Commenter/commentator.

So run over and check out the post. Nominate your favorite blogs and join in on the fun.

And now I will shamelessly self-promote. PICK ME! PICK ME! PICK ME! (Maybe that's just the migraine meds talking.)

Winner! Winner! Winner!

There's a new winner in town, ladies and gents! The audiobook Soapsuds has found a new home with Just.Me who said:

Back in the 80's it was all about All My Children. When I was in college, us AMC junkies could gather around the tv in the common room and watch it every day. No phone calls, classes and boys could interrupt us during that hour. Nothing like trashy tv to bond us together.

Just.Me, please drop me a line here by next Wednesday, September 3rd. I'll need your address so I can send you the book. I hope you enjoy it!

As for the rest of you, please don't forget the contest for The Callahan Brothers Trilogy!

Wordless Wednesday - Pick Up Sticks

MOVIE REVIEW: Nim's Island

Nim's Island stars young Abigail Breslin as Nim, 9 year old island dweller. She lives with her scientist dad on their own island away from civilization. Her friends are a sea lion, a seagull and a bearded dragon. Her father is lost at sea, a cruise ship is invading her island, and Nim has no one to turn to but her favorite adventure writer, Alex Rover.



Alex Rover, adventurer, is actually Alexandra Rover, agoraphobic author, played with neurotic wonder by Jodie Foster. She rarely leaves her home, she even has Purell delivered by the pharmacy. Her only company is her imagined character, Alex the adventurer, who talks to her. But her heart-strings are pulled by this poor girl, Nim, stuck alone on an island.



So Nim and Alex set forth on separate adventures simultaneously. Nim has to save her island from the intruders, and Alex has to save Nim. Nim is as capable as Alex is manic.



Abigail Breslin is, once again, fantastic. She has such an energy on-screen. If that girl doesn't go far, I'll eat my hat. (Little do you know that I don't wear a hat, so I shall win either way!). Most of her interactions in this movie are with the animals, but she doesn't let them steal the show.



I thought it was ironic that the other lead to this movie is Jodie Foster, former child star. Jodie is one of the few people who acted at a young age and yet didn't fall prey to drugs and alcohol. I hope she passed her secret for success on to Abigail.



Jodie was a delight in this film. Most of her movies these days are psychological thrillers, very serious. It was so much fun to see her in this wonderfully off-balance role. It was a great reminder of Foster's tremendous skills as an actor.



This is a great movie for kids and adults alike, and would make a fun flick for any Family Movie Night. My rating: 4/5.

BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Callahan Brothers Trilogy by JoAnn Ross - CLOSED

It's been nearly 2 weeks since I have opened a new book contest, and you guys are probably wondering what the heck I've been doing. Well, all the books that I give away are books that I've just read. And, the book I've been reading (and I'm now giving away) is a huge 789 page door-stopper! I've finally, finally finished it, and it is ready to go to a loving home!


The Callahan Brothers Trilogy is a collection of three novels, Blue Bayou, River Road and Magnolia Moon. Each focuses on the rough road to love traversed by the brothers.


The first in the trilogy, Blue Bayou, tells the story of Jack and Danielle. They were lovers in their youth, but separated because of his bad boy behavior. It's now 13 years later, they're back at home in Blue Bayou, Louisiana, and they're both a little wiser, and maybe a little jaded. A horrible incident during Jack's DEA career has left him unable to trust, and afraid of letting people down. Dani, meanwhile, is newly single, broke, and starting a new life with her young son. Both Jack and Dani have secrets they're hiding, and they're both resisting a relationship. But they can't deny the passion that once brought them together and still sizzles between them.


The characters in Blue Bayou are very well-written, and the story was very entertaining. There are lots of steamy parts, but the sex scenes aren't gratuitous. I was a bit shocked by a scene towards the end, and wish it had been handled a bit differently.


Book number two was River Road. The main characters are oldest brother, Finn and TV star Julia. Julia is the star of nighttime TV drama River Road. She's under the threat of a stalker, and management insists that she has a bodyguard when they're on location in Blue Bayou. In steps FBI agent Finn Callahan. As a favor to his brother, the mayor, Finn takes on the job of Julia's bodyguard. Unfortunately, he wants to do more than just guard that body. As Julia and Finn fight their growing attraction to each other, the danger for Julia is zeroing in.


This was my favorite of the three novels in this trilogy. The characters are wonderful. Finn is a brave and protective man, very no-nonsense. Julia is the daughter of hippies, and has a much more free-wheeling approach to life. River Road was an interesting story with lots of action. Again, it was super steamy. The ending was a bit cheesy, but still satisfying.


Finally we have Magnolia Moon with baby brother Nate and L.A. detective Regan. Regan shows up in town after recently discovering that her life is a sham. She believes that her mother once lived in Blue Bayou, and is enlisting the help of Mayor Nate Callahan to help her discover the truth about her identity.


Nate was a great character. He's a notorious lady's man who is set to never settle down. Nate's a great flirt and a lot of fun. He can charm anyone, including the reader. Regan, on the other hand, came across as very cold and hard. I honestly didn't like her at first. As the story progressed, Nate's attentions seem to thaw her out and bring out the true woman inside. The ending was so blatantly stolen from one of my favorite country songs, but I can forgive Ross as it is a great song and wonderful ending.


This was a looooong book. Sure, if I weren't so methodical, I wouldn't have read all three in a row. But, I just can't help it! I honestly would have forgotten which one I had read, and I just like finishing what I start! My rating: 4/5.


Since this is a book about brothers, I want to know about your siblings. To enter to win this huge book, just tell us about your family dynamic. I respect your privacy and I don't need names or any details - just the basics. For instance, I'm the baby of my family, there's just my older brother and myself. I will choose a winner on September 8th at random and it is open to everyone! I look forward to hearing a little more about you all!

The History of My Day

We all know that I steal.  Its' something that I just can't help.  Today, after spending a lovely day at the geocaching picnic with Shaunesay, I stabbed her in the back and stole this meme.  I'm very naughty.

Anyhoo, if you, too, would like to steal, here is what you do!  Type your birthday into Wikipedia and then list 4 events, 3 births, 2 deaths and 1 holiday.  Here's what I get for October 8th:

Events


1582 - Because of the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.

1871 - Four major fires break out on the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Peshtigo, Wisconsin, Holland, Michigan, and Manistee, Michigan. The Great Chicago Fire is the most famous of these, having left nearly 100,000 people homeless, although the Peshtigo Fire killed as many as 2,500 people making it the deadliest fire in United States history.

1932 - The Indian Air Force is established.

2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush announces the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.


Births

1895 - Zog I, King of Albania (d. 1961)

1943 - Chevy Chase, American comedian and actor

1949 - Sigourney Weaver, American actress


Deaths

976 - Jelena of Zadar, Croatian queen

1317 - Fushimi, Emperor of Japan (b. 1265)


Holiday

Independence Day in Croatia

MOVIE REVIEW: The Bank Job

Starring Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows from Boston Legal, The Bank Job is a riveting action flick based on a real-life bank robbery in London in the 70s. Six small-time cons come together to pull off a major robbery of safe deposit boxes in a London bank. What they discover crosses MI-5, MI-6, local police, porn king-pins, government officials, a brothel owner, a terrorist and even the royal family. The cons learn there is no such thing as a simple robbery, while loyalties are tested and re-tested.


I was unaware of the history behind this movie, but still found it terribly interesting. This is less of an action film than Statham normally does, so he had to flex his acting skills a bit. The story is well-written, and makes the viewer want to learn more about the actual theft. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit. My rating: 4/5.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Mummy - Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

First of all, I have to object to someone. Who decides what movie previews they show before the feature film? When we went to see The Mummy, there was a preview for Jason Statham's new movie (hot guy), one for Vin Diesel's new movie (hot guy) and one for the new Bond (super hot guy). Then they show Brendan Frasier in The Mummy? Really? He's cute and all, but come on!




Enough sexist behavior, Susan. Time for the movie review.




The Mummy 3, as I'll call it, shows us the son, all grown up and on an archaelogical dig of his own. His parents don't know what he's up to until they stumble upon him during a visit to China. He's discovered the lost tomb of the Dragon Emperor. Through black magic, the Emperor is brought back to life with wicked, wicked powers. The fun and panic ensues.




The latest installment of The Mummy was OK. It was full of action, adventure and special effects. Surely we all know by now that The Mummy movies aren't going to be Oscar winning flicks. I was pleased to meet Michelle Yeoh through this movie, though. She was one pretty and tough chick! I'll have to look for more of her work. I was a bit bummed that there weren't more Jet Li fight scenes. It seemed like he was under-used.




In short, I liked the movie. It's a fun adventurous frolic. I'd probably watch it again if I ran across it on TV, but I won't go running to buy the DVD. My rating: 3/5.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Witchlight by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Do I have to say more than blah??? I suppose I should. I couldn't stand this audiobook. I just completely disliked it. First of all, the main character, Winter, is a woman - yet they get a man to read it? Why? Secondly, the reader, Pat Bottino, was HORRIBLE! He flip-flopped between being too dry and being a drama queen. And, all of his characters sounded the same!

I blame the director/producer mainly. The quality of the recording was not good. Sometimes the reader sounded like he was in a huge empty room, other times, he was right next to the mike. Up/down went the volume. Another pet peeve is that at the end of Disc 2, it just stopped. No music, nothing. The disc just started playing over again. I thought there was a disc error at first!!

Recap - I've blamed the reader and director/producer, who's left? The writer!!! I read my first Marion Zimmer Bradley in a short story collection recently. It was wonderful, and made me search my library for more of her work. This audiobook is what I came up with. I just didn't enjoy the story. It made no sense to me at all. The main character was confused throughout the book, weak even. Suddenly, at the end, she finds enormous strength! The ending also just sort of dropped. Things were left hanging. Had I truly cared about the story, I would have been angry.

So now I don't know what to do with Marion Zimmer Bradley. She had a fantastic story and she had this drivel. Which one is the fluke? Do I dare try her out again? Help me out here, guys! My rating: 1/5. If it had been any longer than 3 discs, I wouldn't have bothered finishing it.

Luckily for all of you, this is a library book and I can't give it away. I wouldn't recommend you all finding a copy, either. I'm sort of sad that I have to return it to the library for another sad sap to read.

Wordless Wednesday - Antique Firetruck

I Steal - AGAIN!!!!

Teresa at Living the Army Wife had a super-fun post today. It's a fun little game that involves googling your name and the word needs. So here is what google thinks that I need today!

Susan needs... demystification. OK, that just has me mystified. Maybe I really do need it?

Susan needs... to go. You guys don't want me to leave yet, do you? I'm not done with my post! Besides, it's my blog, I'll go when I wanna go! So nyah!

Susan needs... a place to live. Nah, I'm good right now. But next summer I would like a nice 2 BR place in the KC Metro area. Anyone know of good rentals?

Susan needs... your hair. No. I really don't. I like my hair. Really. Well, most of the time.

Susan needs... help. Yes I do & in so many ways. Mental help, help with chores, a personal trainer to help whip me into shape...

Susan needs... to apologize. Really? What did I do???

Susan needs... to be scratched. Oh yeah, right there. Purrrrrrrrr...

Susan needs... penpals. Well, blogpals are always welcome, as with e-mail pals. But I'm not so good at the mailing of stuff.

Susan needs... a caption. Well, maybe for this pic.

Susan needs... all your love and money. Well, the love part is welcome, but I don't need ALL your money. Maybe just a buck or two a week.

MOVIE REVIEW: Tropic Thunder

What do you get when you mix comic actors Ben Stiller and Jack Black with the recent action hero Robert Downey, Jr. and then sprinkle in a little Matthew McConaughey and Tom Cruise for flavor? In my opinion, you get one of the funniest darn movies I've ever seen!



Stiller, Black and Downey play characters who are all movie stars in their own right, and they've been brought together by sleazy Hollywood producer Cruise to make the biggest movie of the year. They've been dropped off in the middle of the jungle, and unbeknownst to them, they have landed in the territory of a heroin producer. Stiller's character, Tugg, even manages to be kidnapped by this drug cartel, and yet they still believe it's part of the movie. When they finally get a clue, the remaining actors launch an offensive to rescue Tugg and save the day.



The top performances come from Downey and Cruise. After being made up to look like an overweight and balding producer, Cruise creates one of the sleaziest and foul-mouthed characters I've ever seen. Just knowing it's Cruise under there makes him that much funnier. Downey's character is blonde, blue-eyed Australian actor Kirk. He wins the role of a black sergeant - and even undergoes surgery to make him black. He so immerses himself in the role that he can't speak as anyone other than his version of the sergeant - a cross between George Jefferson and Chicken George. His character is called on this idiocy several times, and still can't just be himself. The fact that Downey and Cruise would play such funny and idiotic departures from their usual characters tickled me to death.



Please don't take your kids to see this movie, though. The humor can be crude at times, and Jack Black has some lines that probably should have made this flick NC-17. If you're looking for a movie with deep meaning, this ain't it. But if you feel like laughing your butt off, this is the film for you.



My rating: 4/5. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD so I can laugh all over again!

A Winner With Taste!

Another day, another winner! The winner of the Original Juan contest is Carol, who said:

Everything sounds great, but especially...Batch #218 Southern Style Barbeque Sauce Fiesta Artichoke Spinach Party Dip Mama Capri Vodka Sauce Great contest, again.

Carol, just e-mail me with your e-mail address, and I will forward it to Original Juan. Please e-mail me by Friday, 08/22/08, or I will have to pick another winner.

Thanks to all who participated. I'm working on thoughts for my September contest now, but don't miss the audiobook contest still running!

Winning Blogger!

We have a winner, ladies and gentlemen!!!!  The winner of The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc is J. Kaye Older of J. Kaye's Book Blog!!!  (I stole her banner from her site.  Click on it to go visit her blog.  She is really and truly the reason that I blog today!)  J. Kaye, please send me an e-mail by next Thursday, 08/21/08 with your address.  Being a Louisianan yourself, I am anxious to see what you think of the book!

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW & CONTEST: Soapsuds by Finola Hughes & Digby Diehl - CONTEST CLOSED!

Actress Kate McPhee has fled her English home for Hollywood after discovering that her boyfriend was boffing her best friend. Starting a new life in La-La Land isn't all that easy, but at least Kate has her new gig on daytime drama Live For Tomorrow to keep her busy and keep her mind off cheating men.

From day one, Kate unintentionally crosses swords with everlasting daytime diva Meredith Contini. A few words from Meredith, and Kate's new role as ingenue has turned into Kate's adventures as Live For Tomorrow's lead lesbian! That's just the start of Kate's run-ins with Meredith.

Soapsuds is a tale of the ups and downs of soap opera stardom, combined with real life's joys and tragedies. From the Emmys to boyfriends, surprise pregnancies to vampires, this book has it all.

I was a tad worried about the book from the start - it's read by the author, Finola Hughes. That tends to scare me when an author reads their own work. Luckily, Hughes is an actress - acting on audio isn't too much of a stretch. Besides, she sounds just like my best friend telling a story - only with an English accent!

My hubby and I both enjoyed this book for the most part. Kate gets herself into plenty of amusing scrapes, and her character does as well. The ending bugged us a bit, though. It seemed a bit preachy for what was predominantly a fluff book. I gave it a 2/5, hubby gave it a 3.5/5.

My copy is up for grabs! Please note two things - 1) It is an abridged version. 2) I received this book from a trade site, the box isn't in perfect shape - the discs are perfect though.

To win, you need to only post a soap opera that you watched at some point in time. If you have never followed one, just post that!!! For me, I used to watch Days of Our Lives when I was a kid. I've watched Guiding Light and Knots Landing in the past as well. About 5-7 years ago, I was crazy for General Hospital. These days, I am soap opera free.

The contest ends Wednesday, 08/27/08. Good luck!

Wordless Wednesday - Brooks Catsup Water Tower - Collinsville, Illinois

Cloak Up!

You all may recall that the Klingons on Star Trek had the ability to cloak their ships, rendering the ship invisible to others. Cloaking was against Federation regulations for many years. The Defiant from Deep Space Nine was the first Federation ship to be legally fitted with a cloaking device. Even at the end of The Next Generation, The Enterprise of the future had cloaking capabilities.



Other than showing what an obvious geek that I am, I do have a point. It seems that scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, claim to have developed the technology to cloak a three-dimensional object. The scientists have engineered materials that redirect light around an object. They believe they will one day be able to hide objects and even people from visible light.



The military applications are obvious, and that is terrifying enough. How can we protect ourselves from things we cannot see? One day any of us could be walking down a seemingly empty street, only to be attacked by someone we weren't aware was even there.



While it was fun in sci-fi, adding to the excitement of space battle, is the real technology something we should be playing with? What do you all think?

The Chicks Dig It!

Friday night, hubby and I were lucky enough to attend the Chris Cagle concert that the Crown Center graciously presented as part of their Free Friday Night Concert Series.  Years ago, Del bought tickets for us to see Chris when he was opening for Rascal Flatts in the St. Louis area, but Chris was unable to appear due to health issues.  Four and a half years later, I got my chance again!  Our seats were fantastic, right near the stage - far better than in St. Louis anyhow!  And you just can't beat a FREE CONCERT!

Opening for Chris was the band Outlaw Junkies.  I had never heard of them before, but they were pretty darned good.  They did mostly covers, but sprinkled a few of their original cuts in as well.  Most impressive was champion fiddle player Daron Tapscott.  Among the tricks he performed with his fiddle were playing behind his back, playing two at a time, and playing on his back, through his legs.  I got a shot of the two-fiddle trick - just amazing!

The first two pics are Outlaw Junkies, all the rest are from Chris Cagle's performance.  Chris was just the nicest guy - he spent at least five minutes in the middle of his concert signing anything people handed him - including a girl's cast!  He posed for pics and even took pics of the crowd using their own cameras.  Check him out if you ever get a chance!  (For the ladies, he is plenty HOT too!)

This & That

Hey all!  Hope all is going well for my merry blogsters. There are many new posts in my head - they just need to be typed up!  We went to a Chris Cagle concert Friday, and I have oodles of pics.  I also have reviews coming for the latest Mummy movie and the audiobook Soapsuds -- that one will be given away, too!

Check out the top of my blog.  For the duration of the Olympics, I will have the Olympics Medal Tracker.  It's a fun and easy way for all of us to keep an eye on the games.

Finally, please go check out my friends at The Chocolistas.  They are trying to come up with a name for their latest dessert, and my submission of Sinful Sandwich made the Top 10!  So vote early and often!

BOOK REVIEW: The Good Guy by Dean Koontz

The Good Guy is the story of an average guy, Tim Carrier, mason. He steps into the story in an average tavern, having his usual couple of beers. Though he's a big guy, Tim tries very hard to be unnoticeable. He wants to be the wallflower, he wants to just live his average life. Unfortunately for Tim, he is in the wrong place at the wrong time.



Sitting in the tavern, Tim is the victim of mistaken identity. Someone thinks he is a killer for hire. They pass on ten thousand dollars for the death of an attractive young woman. As much as Tim would like to remain in the shadows, this unfortunate event brings him out into the light.



What follows is one of the best thrill-rides I have ever been on as Tim tries to stop the murder of this innocent woman. Hot on their trail is the real killer for hire, and let me tell you, he is the scariest bad guy I have seen save horror stories.



This was my first Koontz book, and I was definitely surprised. I had no idea he could write suspense so well that I was running back to my book whenever I could! I'm looking forward to reading more from him. My rating: 4/5.



I cannot offer this one up, it belongs to the library. Pick yourself up a copy if you need some fast-paced, heart-pounding action!

MOVIE REVIEW: Lost Boys: The Tribe

You may have noticed that I'm a dork. I like cheesy things. Like say, for instance, the sequel to a cheesy 80s vampire flick. And let's say this sequel actually had both of the Coreys in it??

The movie I'm speaking of is Lost Boys: The Tribe, and the two Coreys are, of course, Corey Haim and Corey Feldman.

I picked the movie up Monday night at Redbox with my free movie code. I knew it was going to be bad - but did I care? Heck no! Sometimes we all just need a Velveeta-like evening.

An unexpected addition to the new Lost Boys is Angus Sutherland. Note the last name - yeppers, he is Keifer Sutherland's half brother! Like Keifer, he plays the head vamp. Unlike Keifer, he doesn't seem too intense or scary or...dare I say it....talented. Maybe the acting genes will settle in. Fingers crossed for ya, Angus!

So, Corey Feldman is back as Edgar Frog. He is a surfboard carver / vampire hunter. He is marvelously cheesy. He uses the word suckmonkey. What more could I ask for???

In short, the movie was wonderfully bad. It's cool, I was expecting it. It defies a rating, truly. The movie did give me the best line I've heard in a long time, and it was worth watching all 90 minutes just for it. I will spare you that hour and a half of your life (unless you want the cheese), and share it with you now.

"Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day, light a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life." - Edgar Frog (Corey Feldman), Lost Boys: The Tribe

Visit again soon, merry bloggers!

Wordless Wednesday - Fall on the Lake

WindyCindy is a Winner!

WindyCindy, come on down! You just won my copy of Under the Tuscan Sun by Francis Mayes. Even though you have won a previous contest, I never save my addresses. I'm just not organized like that! So WindyCindy, honey, please send me your address again! You can e-mail it to me here! Congrats!!!

To everyone else, don't forget the contest I still have going: The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc which is open until August 14th & Original Juan $25 Gift Card which is open until August 15th!

MOVIE REVIEW: Wall-E

Mom, hubby and I went to see Wall-E this afternoon. I've wanted to see it since it came out, so I was pleased with the choice we made.

Wall-E stands for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class. The last of his kind on an abandoned Earth, Wall-E still busies himself compacting all of the trash caused by the Buy-N-Large corporation - tons and tons. But this little robot knows there is something more out there for him. He longs for more companionship than the little roach he befriends (yes, even he is cute), but there is no one left.

Wall-E's life takes a drastic turn when fellow robot Eve (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) is dropped off to take scans. Almost immediately, Wall-E is smitten. He follows Eve on her duties, and learns that she, too is aware that there is joy to be found in life.

Wall-E ends up being the most darling little love story. Wall-E and Eve end up on an adventure to save Earth and it's former residents. This movie has great comedic bits, and there are lots of things for both kids and grown-ups to laugh at. Wall-E is so cute, he nearly ranks as high as Stitch does with me! I just can't wait until it comes out on DVD!

My advice: take a kid, take your grandma, take a date -- everyone is going to like this movie! My rating: 4/5.