The Code - with Antonio Banderas and Morgan Freeman - Not Bad, Not Good - Read a book while it was on.
The Gamer - Gerald Butler - Shoot me for watching 5 minutes of it. It was horrible.
The Hangover - OH MY GOD. I never laughed so much in my whole life - through the whole movie. My son was looking at me like I was deranged and/or psychotic. You must see this if you want a good laugh.
Law Abiding Citizen - Gerald Butler and Jaimee Fox. The movie was good. I hated the ending.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The Beloved Works of C. S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis was a famous fiction writer and atheist turned Christian theologian.
Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as Jack, was an Irish-born British[1] novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist. He is also known for his fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy.
Lewis was a close friend of J. R. R. Tolkien, and both authors were leading figures in the English faculty at Oxford University and in the informal Oxford literary group known as the "Inklings" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._S._Lewis).
Some of my favorite quotes of his are:
"I know all about despair of overcoming chronic temptations. It is not serious, provided self-offended petulance, annoyance at breaking records, impatience, etc, don't get the upper hand. No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home, but the bathrooms will be ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes in the cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one's temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us; it is the very sign of his presence. (Readings for the Year)
"In words which can still bring tears to the eyes, St. Augustine describes the desolation in which the death of his friend Nebridius plunged him (Confessions, IV, 10). The he draws a moral. That is what comes, he says , of giving one's heart to anything but God. All human beings pass away. Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose. If love is to be a blessing, not a misery, it must be for the only Beloved who will never pass away." (The Four Loves)
"Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor, act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find on of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more....But whenever we do good to another self, just because it is a self, made (like us) by God, and desiring its own happiness as we desire ours, we shall have learned to love it a little more or, at least, dislike it less... (Mere Christianity)
"Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive....For a long time I used to think this a silly, straw splitting distinction; how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I have been doing this all my life - namely myself. However much I might disliked my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself. There had never been the slightest difficult about it. In fact the very reason why I hated the things was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things." (Mere Christinity)
"Let the pictures tell you their own moral," he once advised writers of children's stories. "But if they don't show you any moral, don't put one in."
and lastly:
He Himself Wept Not
Then the cold hours began their march again, not worse,
Not better, never ending. And the night he came,
Out of the doorway's curtained darkness to the flace
Of candlelight and firelight. And the curtains fell
Behind him and they stood alone, with all to tell,
Not like the Launcelot tangled in the boughs of May
Long since, nor like the Guinever he kissed that day,
But he was pale, with pity in his face writ wide,
And she a haggard woman, holding to her side
A pale hand pressed, asking "What is it?" Slowly then
He came to her and took her by the hand, as men
Take tenderly a daughter's or a mother's hand
To whom they bring bad news she will not understand.
So Launcelot let the Queen and made her sit: and all
This time he saw her shoulders move and her tears fall
And he himself wept not, but sighed. Then, like a man
Who ponders, in the fire he gazed, and so began
Presently looking away in the fire, the tale
Of his adventures seeking the Holy Grail.
(Launcelot)
Perhaps, it may be that ONLY I enjoy his writings,
Susan
Friday, February 26, 2010
Blood Fever - Karen Moning - 2007
Blood Fever - Karen Moning - 2007
This is the 2nd in Karen Moning's Sihde-Seer series. The story continues on with MacKayla Lane's life in Ireland. In the first book, Mac goes to Ireland to find out about her sister's murder. Once she arrives, she realizes that that she can see FAE or fairy and is what is considered a sidle-seer. She falls under the protection of Jericho Barrons who has mysterious powers himself.
The 2nd book, BloodFever, continues on with their quest to find the Sinsar Dubh -a million year old book of the blackest magic. A few more characters are introduced including other sihde-seers and Christian MacKeltar. The Clan Mackelter men are the subject of Moning's Highlander series. It will interesting to see how she ties a MacKelter male into the Sidhe-Seer series.
The book was interesting and I enjoy all of Karen Moning's writings. The fantasy was a 'bit out there' as in part of the story Mac is beaten by Malluce and found dying by Jericho Barrons. In order to save her own life, Mac realizes that she needs to eat the flesh of the Unseeling. In my opinion, none of this story line was necessary for the plot to be exciting. Moning could have kept this part of the story line out of the book and developed Mac's capture by Malluce differently.
The series is being considered for a TV/movies series and it likens to the "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" series.
These are books that you can let a young teen read. There is some sexual reference but none that would preclude a young reader from enjoying the series. I plan to share the books with my teen-age nieces.
I enjoyed the books. Jericho Barron's is always mysterious and elusive so I read much of both books to see how his character develops.
Enjoy,
Susan
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Nauti Deceptions - Lora Leigh - 2010
Nauti Deceptions - Lora Leigh
Let me just say that I have never been disappointed by any book written by Lora Leigh. She is one of the best erotica romance writers that I have read.
This book is the fourth in a series about men and women residing in Somerset County somewhere in Kentucky.
The first three books were based on the Mackay brothers. The brothers are very hot, hot Marine veterans who on occasion contract work to Homeland Security. The fourth book is based on Alex Jensen, who was a special forces veteran also working occasionally for Homeland Security. Throughout each of these previous books were got a glimpse of Sheriff Zeke. The fifth book, Nauti Deceptions, has Sheriff Zeke as the main character.
Nauti Deceptions can be read without reading the other four books in the series.
As I said, the main character is Sheriff Zeke along with Rogue. The description that Lora Leigh gives of Sheriff Zeke through the whole book left me pretty much 'breathless.' I was going to say 'panting' but breathless seemed more lady like.
Of course the cover picture added to the breathlessness. Wait, Wait, what was I talking about? Was I talking? Sorry, I was drooling over the front cover!
Sheriff Zeke has been attracted to Rogue for years ever since he met her as his son's teacher. Zeke is about 10 years older than Rogue and stays away from her for that reason. Rogue has the same mutual attraction and has not been shy about letting Sheriff Zeke know about them. She was a teacher who was drugged and had pornographic pictures taken of her and posted to the internet. She was fired from her job and to show the townspeople that she was not ashamed, she opened a biker bar in the town. She, suprisingly, has stayed a virgin. There have been 3 murders in town and Zeke is afraid that Rogue will be targeted next as the murdered people were relatives of Rogue.
In protecting Rogue, they both find that they cannot fight the sexual chemistry and attraction. And then the fun begins!
Again, I enjoy everyone of Lora Leigh's books. They all have a plausible plot and the erotic writing is excellent. The only disappointment I have in this book is Lora Leigh kept referring to Sheriff's Zeke's dark tendencies towards sex. In reading what they were, I did not find that they were 'dark' but quite normal and natural. I am not sure where she was going with this theme.
Good Book! Hot Alpha men! You have to love them!
Read it!
Enjoy,
Susan
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The Ghost War - Alex Berenson - 2008
The Ghost War - Alex Berenson
The is the first book that I have read by this author. This book was a good book. No, this book was an excellent book! This was one of the best spy thrillers that I have read in a long time. It was so good that I put away "Nauti Deceptions" to read it!
I was fascinated and pulled into the story from the very first chapter. I had thought initially that it would take days to read as it not a book that I would normally read for entertainment but it was fast paced and suspenseful. I could imagine a movie on the book somewhat similar to the Bourne series based on the adventures of John Wells.
The main character is a CIA agent who had infiltrated a terrorist cell for 10 years. He was deemed a hero when he killed a terrorist in NYC. That adventure was covered in Berenson's previous book, "The Faithful Spy". Wells is known around the world as "Time Square Wells" for his heroic act. Wells is a tortured soul suffering from extreme PTDS. He lives with and is involved with Jennifer Exley, a fellow CIA agent.
The book begins with suspense as three CIA agent work to recover a North Korean scientist turned spy for the United States called the "Broker." From there it is action packed, testosterine filled and enough intrigue and suspense to keep me turning page after page. In the book, Wells deals with the grips of PTSD, combat in Afganistan and capture, torture and escape from China. In all this we get a glimpse of his growing love for Exley.
You can tell that Berenson committed a lot of time and effort into his research and the scenario he created in the book is plausible, credible and possible given today's headlines.
This book is definite major movie material. I will definitely read "The Faithful Spy" and subsequent stories based on John Well's character.
Of course you know I would have to find at least one chapter related to romance and intimacy. It wasn't until page 318 that I found it!
"Well's didn't bother to ask what she thought. Without another word, he rolled onto her, his size surprising her, as it always did. He enveloped her, his mouth on hers, wet-opened mouthed kisses. He never asked permission, she thought. He never needed to. His big hands gripped her waist, then one was unbuttoning her jeans, the other pulling them off her hips. And as quickly as that, she forgot she was tired."
That brought on a sigh or two.
That was all the romance to be found in the book and I still could not put it down.
Definitely read it!
In retrospect, I wish I had read "The Faithful Spy" first to know more about the main character, John Wells.
Enjoy,
Susan
Sunday, February 21, 2010
If He's Sinful - Hannah Howell - 2009
If He's Sinful - Hannah Howell
Oh, these books with these covers. It is difficult to pull my gaze from them and open the book! I have to remind myself to breathe! Breathe Susan and move on to the review.....
This is the first book I read by by Hannah Howell in her series of historical romances.
The main characters are Lady Penelope and Lord Ashton. Lady Penelope comes from the Wherelocke family. The members of this family has been gifted with paranormal ability. Lady Penelope has the ability to see people who are deceased. She can also touch something that belong to the deceased person and see what happened to that person. The beginning chapter finds Lady Penelope kidnapped, drugged and chained to a bed in a brothel. While chained to the bed, she sees a shadowy figure(dead person) in the corner telling her to beware. Lady Penelope wonders who she is being sacrificed to. To her suprise,in walks Lord Ashton. Lord Ashton is bethrothed to Lady Penelope's only because he is near destitute and he can get a hefty dowry from marrying the cousin. Unbeknownst to Lord Ashton, Lady Penelope has had a crush on Lord Ashton for a while.
Lord Ashton does not realize it is his bethothed's cousin in the bed. He is being "gifted" with a girl by his friends before his wedding. He is under the impression that the woman is a paid prostitute. In the mean time, Penelope's brothers arrive
to rescue her and Lord Ashton realizes that she is not a prostitute but a lady placed in dire circumstances.
With the help of her brothers, Lady Penelope is safety deposit back home. Lord Ashton's curiosity is piqued and the plot thickens.
As far a plot and story line goes, this one was interesting. The author had well developed characters, a good story line with twists and bumps and as an added benefit, characters with paranormal activity.
I enjoyed reading this book. I did buy it and am not unhappy with the purchase.
Enjoy,
Susan
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