Book Review: "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children"

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs, 2011

 This book was one of those impulse buys - you know, how when you go to the bookstore for a particular book, but it's not out yet, then you spot something interesting on the display table on your way out? It's one of those. It's got this vintage photo on the cover (early 1900s), of a truly creepy little girl who appears to be hovering several inches above the ground. That's the kind of cover that will get my attention.

 After the violent and mysterious death of his grandfather, teenager Jacob goes to Wales to find the truth behind his grandfather's bizarre stories of growing up in an orphanage - an orphanage for children with strange talents.

 This is a great adventure story, full of conspiracies, secret organizations, and strange children who somehow live outside of linear time. Inserted in the book are some of the most wonderfully strange vintage photographs I've ever seen - the photos alone are worth the price of the book!

 It's hard to believe this is Riggs' first novel. The characters are believable and compelling - you truly care what happens to them. The story is well-paced, moving the action along so naturally that you just can't put it down. (I think I finished it in about two days - and two late nights!)

 "Peculiar Children" is the author's third book, and first fiction novel. On his blog, the author promised a sequel, which according to Amazon is due out June of 2013. Can't wait!

My Day Is Ruined...

...Because I just found out "The Sing-Off" has been cancelled. Apparently, it was cancelled back in May, but somehow I missed the announcement. I only found out because I googled it, looking for the date when the new season would start. Imagine my disappointment after reading there would be no new season.

 Why would NBC cancel this show? OK, the ratings weren't great, but that speaks to NBC's scheduling problems, not the quality of the show. This was, hands down, my favorite reality music show - even above "American Idol." (And I'm a die-hard "Idol" fan from way back).

 If you never saw it, "The Sing-Off" was an a capella choral competition. It followed the basic format of other singing competitions: groups sing a song related to a weekly theme, three celebrity judges give feedback, each week one group is eliminated. On this show, the judges chose the group that went home; the only audience vote was at the finale.

 The quality of musical performance on this show was so much higher than others. Viewers weren't subjected to awful auditions by clueless people, we only saw the ones who deserved to be there. And there's nothing that challenges vocalists like singing without instrumental accompaniment. A show former high school/college choir geeks could really appreciate, (yes, I'm one) this show had groups who did everything from barbershop to beat boxing - and they did it amazingly well. (My six-year-old can beat box. I'm not saying he learned it from this show, but this was one of the few prime-time shows he was allowed to watch.)

 Maybe NBC will realize what a gem they had, and bring it back at mid-season when their current crop of mediocre shows have all tanked. Here's hoping!

My four favorite performances from last season (last I checked, still available as singles on iTunes):
"Grenade" by Delilah

 

 

"Whattya Want From Me" by Delilah

"American Boy" by Afro Blue

 

 

"Video Killed the Radio Star" by Pentatonix (the season three winners)

 

Attribution: all videos from YouTube

Friday List: Best Movie Quotes

For a fun Friday blog, I thought I'd list some of my favorite movie quotes. It was going to be a top 10 list, but I came up with 25 and didn't think I could cut it. To make the list they had to be from a movie I love, from an interesting character, and quotable - meaning I can, and do, use them in random conversations. A gold star to anyone who can name all the movies!

So in no particular order:

1.  "It's against my programming to impersonate a deity."
2.  "They come in pints?"
3.  "Tell me of your homeworld, Usul."
4.  "Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say 'Yes!'"
5.  "It's a rock, it doesn't have any vulnerable points!"
6.  "This task has been appointed to you, and if you do not find a way, no one will."
7.  "You got into Harvard Law?" "What, like it's hard?"
8.  "Don't tell me, you're from outer space." "No, I'm from Iowa. I just work in outer space."
9.  "That's no moon. It's a space station."
10.  "That word you keep using. I do not think it means what you think it means."
11.  "Never tell me the odds!"
12.  "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night."
13.  "Greater good? I am your wife! I am the greatest 'good' you are ever gonna get!"
14.  "He's my brother." "He killed 80 people in two days." "He's adopted."
15.   "There's a shortage of perfect breasts in the world. It would be a shame to damage yours."
16.   "Why is the rum gone?"
17.  "Rule number 1: Cardio."
18.  "That still only counts as one!"
19.   "In the last two hours I've lost my job, my apartment, my car, and my girlfriend." "You still have your health."
20.  "Surely, you can't be serious." "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley."
21.  "Would it help if I got out and pushed?"
22.  "Puny god."
23.   "They mostly come out at night, mostly."
24.  "Well, they were a bit...bitey."
25.  "I declare this house...clean."

Now She's Two

 

  My former baby girl is now officially a big girl - she turned two yesterday. (She's been acting two for a while now. Normally cheerful and good natured, she can still throw the most amazingly dramatic tantrums, for no apparent reason. Drama school may be in her future.) Before writing this, I looked over my blog from her first birthday last year - I can't believe how much she's grown and changed! Same smile, though.

 Since it was a school night, we had a simple celebration - a little cake, some presents and bedtime. The girl took everything in stride, but I thought her brother was going to blow a gasket, he was so excited. First he wanted to help blow out her candles, but we told him he had to wait until she'd given it a good try on her own. She took many, many puffs without success, and he was actually quivering by the time we told him he could help.

 Of course, he also wanted to help open her presents. She would tear some paper, then get distracted and wander off...we'd herd her back for another try...

 Once again, the boy was desperate to get in there and help. We constantly had to tell him to back off, let her do it herself. He's a bundle of constantly-moving hyper anyway, and the strain of trying to keep his hands to himself was visible - and hilarious!

 Eventually, all the presents were opened and they could play. They play together pretty well, though he needed many, many reminders that they were HER toys, he could share, but not take them out of her hands.

 It was a Sesame Street-themed birthday - a Sesame Street playset with muppet figures, and an Elmo book with beanie baby-size stuffed Elmo were the biggest hit. She loves Sesame Street, and she REALLY loves Elmo. (She also got clothes, but two-year-olds don't care about clothes!) She's been carting around "Eh-Mo" all day today, even introducing him to strangers as we went out and about.

 Here's some pictures of the birthday girl and her brother.

Blowing out the candles

Candles out - with help

Mmmmm, frosting

Big girls use forks

Birthday girl and big brother

Playing nicely together

Uh oh, crazy-baby eyes. Time for bed.

New Recipes From A to Z: B Is For Brussels Sprouts

 I've noticed that lately I'm in a rut when it comes to the evening meal. I love to cook, but I've just been falling back on the same old recipes, things that are fast, from ingredients I always have on hand.

 I tried to look through cookbooks and cooking magazines for inspiration, but then I would be overwhelmed with all the various ideas. Plus, I'd find something to try, but it would call for a bunch of specialized, expensive things I don't have on hand. I'm cheap, so I'm not going to spend a bunch of money on something I'd probably never use for anything else.

 So the idea I hit on to get out of my rut (without getting overwhelmed) is to focus on one new ingredient at a time. Using the alphabet for inspiration, I plan to go A to Z, finding foods I've never cooked before. Maybe I'll find some new go-to meal ideas.

 For my first new dish, I cooked Brussels Sprouts. (OK, I'm starting with "B" but that's because Brussels sprouts were on sale this week. I told you, I'm cheap!)

Not only had I never cooked Brussels sprouts before, I have not eaten them voluntarily as an adult. I remember them as bitter, mushy and tasteless. But I found an article that said if you don't like Brussels sprouts, it's because you're not cooking them right. Boiling them into submission doesn't work, you have to roast them. So I got a simple recipe off the Food Network website - just trim the ends, dump them in a bowl with olive oil, sea salt and fresh ground pepper, and mix together. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for about 35 minutes. Here's a picture of the finished product:

 The verdict: pretty darn good!

They were soft without being mushy, and the sea salt and roasting brought out a much richer flavor than I remember, while minimizing the bitterness. Even the boy ate one without complaint. (OK, I told him it was a zombie brain - but whatever works, right?)

 I probably won't make these that often, but it's a good recipe to have on hand when I'm tired of the standard green beans/corn/carrots vegetable rotation.

Review: Jones Bros. Cupcakes and Looper

 So, on my birthday, after the zombie walk, we went for a cupcake and a movie.

I feel bad for anyone who doesn't live close enough to Omaha to go to Jones Brothers Cupcakes. I know there's a lot of cupcake specialty bakeries around now, but not many of them are "Cupcake Wars" champions! On Saturday, I tried one of the champion cupcakes created on the show, Smoked Pancetta Honey Apple Crisp.
 
 Maybe the idea of pork in a cupcake doesn't sound great to you, but this is a seriously good cupcake. The frosting was honey-sweet, but with enough tart apple flavor for balance. The cake was moist, light and fluffy, and every other bite or so, there was a chewy, salty bit of pancetta to cut through the sweetness. If you like to dip bacon in leftover pancake syrup, you'll like this. Too bad they don't make it every day. Of course, every other cupcake I've ever had there was excellent, also. (Except the Tres Leches - that one was disappointingly bland.)


 After the cupcakes, a late showing of "Looper." If you've seen the trailer, you know the premise: Time travel is illegal and run by criminal organizations. Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works as a "looper," a mob assassin, who shoots people sent back in time. Bruce Willis plays the older version of Joe, sent back in time to be shot and "close the loop." Older Joe escapes, and young Joe must hunt him down while also dodging his employers, who are out to get him for botching the job. Old Joe has an agenda - there's something he needs to do to fix his life 30 years in the future.

  Joseph Gordon-Levitt has grown from a child actor to a talented leading man. Joe is a fairly unsympathetic character - a remorseless killer, a drug addict who'll sell out his best friend, and who has no problem with the thought that someday he'll be required to shoot his future self. Yet Gordon-Levitt's nuanced performance brings a sliver of humanity to Joe (essential to making the ending believable.) And it's eerie how well he does a young Bruce Willis - facial expressions, mannerisms, gestures - all make us believe these two are actually the same person at different ages.

 There are some confusing plot holes. (Why would the assassins be required to shoot their future selves? That just seems to be asking for trouble.) But there always are in time travel movies. Don't try too hard to unravel the logic of time travel, you'll just give yourself a headache.

 This is a dark, violent movie about a depressingly dystopian future, but it's also an interesting movie that will make you think. Definitely worth the money.

A Very Zombie Birthday

So, as I mentioned before, I turned 42 yesterday. But I think I still look pretty good for my age, right? (Be honest!)

Well, maybe that's not the best picture. The lighting wasn't that good, and I'm kind of a zombie...

 I wrote yesterday I was going to do something geeky for my birthday, and this was it - the fifth annual Benson Zombie Walk. Seriously, what else would I want to do for my birthday? We can do dinner and a movie anytime, but the Zombie Walk is only once a year! Besides, where else can you say things like, "I'll meet you by the hearse," and "Excuse me, I think you dropped your eyeball."

 Last year, all four of us went, me with two zombie children and daddy as a zombie hunter. (See last year's post, "A Good Day to be Undead" if you missed it.) This year, the almost-2-yr-old stayed home - she's at that age where taking her out in public is a crapshoot, behavior-wise. It'll probably be another year or so before she's an enjoyable companion in restaurants and other public places. So this year, I zombied alone, because the boy abandoned me to be a hunter/survivor with daddy.

Aren't they the cutest zombie apocalypse survivors?


Daddy said the most romantic thing - "If you were a zombie, I couldn't shoot you in the head. I'd have to put you in the barn."   (Awwwww. It's a "Walking Dead" reference.)

After the zombie walk, we dropped the boy back home with a babysitter and headed out for cupcakes and a late movie, "Looper," which I'll review tomorrow. The perfect ending to a geeky birthday!





Here's some more zombie photos:



"That's not your mommy anymore!"

Zombie sock monkey and zombie Gumby

The boy with a chainsaw



Today is my birthday

 I'm 42 today. Which is a very geeky birthday. Because 42 is THE ANSWER. To Life. The Universe. Everything.

 To get this, you have to have read Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series (which everyone should read.) You see, an alien civilization built a super computer to tell them the answer to life, the universe, and everything. The computer took thousands of years to ponder, until finally coming up with the answer "42." (The people were not satisfied with this answer, and the computer told them they should have asked the question better.)

 So I'm going out to have a very geeky birthday. More on that tomorrow.

Book Reviews: Shadow Grail 1 & 2, Hex Hall 1 & 2

Going to review four books today, from two different young adult series. they're very similar, so it makes sense to lump them together.

 

 First up, the Shadow Grail series by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill.

photo from Amazon.com

"Shadow Grail 1: Legacies" introduces teenager Spirit White, whose parents and sister have just been killed in a car accident. In the aftermath, she discovers her parents made arrangements to send her to a boarding school, Oakhurst Academy, if anything ever happened to them. When she arrives, she discovers Oakhurst is a school for the children of magicians, an anti-Hogwarts where students are encouraged to compete against each other for top honors, and discouraged from forming friendships.

In "Legacies" and book 2, "Conspiracies" Spirit and a few fellow students discover nothing they've been told is true, about themselves or their parents. Neither teachers nor fellow students can be trusted, while they try figure out what's really going on, and why students are disappearing.

 Mercedes Lackey always writes compelling characters, and she has a real feel for teenagers. This series kept me turning pages long after I should have been in bed, and I can't wait for the next one.

photo from Amazon.com

Next, "Hex Hall" and the sequel "Demon Glass" by Rachel Hawkins. Also a young adult series about a school for magic users, although this one is a reform school for witches, shapechangers and fairies, who broke the rules by using magic in front of humans. Sophie Mercer gets sent there when her spells go awry, bringing too much attention to her at a regular high school.

 The Hex Hall series has more humor (and quite a bit more profanity) than the Shadow Grail series. Full of teen angst, rivalries between different magical cliques, ghosts, demons and secret societies dedicated to hunting down magic users and magical creatures, the story hooks you into a supernatural teen soap opera. I could totally see this as a new series on the CW - it would pair well with "Supernatural"  and "The Vampire Diaries." I'll be downloading book three as soon as I reload my iTunes card.

Anyone Else Out There Watching "The Neighbors?"

  I have a phobia about the fall TV season. I fear getting hooked on a fun, quirky, intelligent new show, just to have the rug pulled out from under me when it's cancelled after four or five episodes. It's happened so many times before: "Covington Cross," "Firefly," "Flash Forward"...a lot of the time now, I just don't watch a new show until it's been renewed for a second season. That's when I feel like it's safe to start watching - I can catch up on NetFlix during the summer.

 So far, this strategy works for me. I missed the first season of "Lost" but was able to catch up in time for season 2. And I didn't watch "The Event" or that dinosaur time-travel show from last year, so I didn't get my heart broken when they were cancelled.

 But this season, I started watching "The Neighbors,"  an odd little sitcom about a family who moves to a condo development in the Jersey suburbs, only to find everyone else in the neighborhood is a space alien. It's like "Mork & Mindy" for the 21st century.

 I didn't expect to like the show so much. It seems like a standard family sitcom formula: pretty mom, clueless dad, smart-mouthed kids. But when you add the aliens, it changes everything. The condo development is an enclosed colony, and when the first human family moves in, the aliens' attempt to fake human interaction is hilarious - starting with the fact they all have names of athletes. (The colony leader is Larry Bird, his wife Jackie Joyner-Cursee, and their kids, Reggie Jackson and Dick Butkis.)

 I don't know why this show works, but it does. It makes me laugh out loud every episode, something I can say about very few sitcoms. ("Big Bang Theory," "New Girl," and sometimes "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two Broke Girls.") So please start watching it. I'm not ready for it to go away yet.