Sunday Post #21/ It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we're in the Christmas season now!  I hope everyone in the U.S. had a great Thanksgiving and that everyone had a good start to the holiday season.

I'm getting back into reading mode with some new acquisitions, that should revitalize my enthusiasm a bit. Starting the week off fresh with some new stuff...


CURRENTLY READING





ACROSS THE BLOGOSPHERE

Woman uses stun gun at brawl on Black Friday. Hey shopping is fun again!!

Travel posters for Game of Thrones, Star Wars and LotR. There's a couple of these I want...

Lady Sif visits a childrens hospital. Cool pics.

Here are 10 promotional Star Wars Episode VII posters that are probably way cooler than what we'll actually see.

So how was your week?

Review: The Castafiore Emerald

The Castafiore Emerald is unique in the Tintin canon because it takes place entirely at Marlinspike Hall, the estate of Captain Haddock. Most of the entries in this series are globe- trotting affairs, with Tintin and his companions having all manner of adventures in various exotic locales. Here the adventure comes to Tintin and Haddock for a change- but its more a comedy of errors than an adventure at times. After the events of Tintin in Tibet (see my review here), Tintin and Captain Haddock are relaxing at Marlinspike. They're out for a walk one morning when they spy a gypsy camp near a landfill. They soon discover that the gypsies, who are looked down upon by the communities they pass through, have been forbidden to camp anywhere other than the landfill. Haddock, offended by this, offers to let them camp on his property near a stream.

Returning to the house, Tintin and Haddock soon discover they are about to have a houseguest- Bianca Castafiore, the opera diva and nemesis of Haddock. Chaos ensues when Bianca descends upon the house, bringing with her an entourage, her jewels which she constantly misplaces, and a bevy of gossipy journalists who snoop about the grounds. The plot gets zany from there, with a broken step, an obnoxious parrot, and of course a missing emerald- the crown jewel of Bianca's collection. There is no shortage of suspects, and of course the gypsies are suspect as well, but the truth turns out to be a little more complicated than that!

This installment of the series is interesting because, as mentioned earlier, all the action takes place at Marlinspike. It's a nice change of pace from the travel- heavy nature of the previous volumes, and there are enough red herrings that you almost certainly will not guess the identity of the jewel thief. Most of the supporting cast makes an appearance at one point or another, and this makes for some interesting (and often quite humorous) reading. The ridiculously hard of hearing Professor Calculus is also staying at the mansion, and Thompson and Thomson, the bumbling detectives, inevitably make an appearance when the emerald goes missing. Even Jolyon Wagg, the dapper insurance salesman, makes an appearance. Herge pokes a little fun at the journalistic excesses of celebrity culture, and also touches on the social stigma endured by gypsies. This is a fun adventure with madcap humor and the usual goofy plot developments. This episode takes place after Tintin in Tibet but as with most of the Tintin books, this can be read as a standalone with no problem.

Thor: The Dark World movie review

Well I finally went out and saw Thor: The Dark World. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this one, so my expectations were high- perhaps too high. This will be a spoiler-y post so if you have not seen the movie yet, just a heads- up. I’d really love to hear your thoughts on the movie, so please feel free to comment and let me know what you liked or didn't like. How does this one stack up with the other Marvel movies we've seen thus far? 

The movie started out on a mixed note with me. The seemingly obligatory prologue sets up the conflict and shows us what happened ages ago. I didn’t care for this, these prologues where we’re introduced to the big bad guy seem so chintzy to me with their growling and blustering about vengeance or returning the universe to darkness or whatever. Yawn. I know this is a comic book movie, but come on. Does that mean the script has to automatically suck? Also the sight of dark elves shooting laser cannons immediately felt jarring to me, dark elves and Asgardians fighting to me conjures up images of swords and shields, and sure there is some of that, but it just felt off. Anyway moving on.

We then segue to Sif and the Warriors Three fighting some… bad guys. Whoever they are. Doesn’t really matter. Thor shows up to help out and we have a bit of humor. Pretty good. So I’m thinking OK this is getting better. This happened a lot for me in this movie- I’d see a scene I didn’t like, then something a little better came along. Kind of a yo- yo effect. There were never really any wow moments though- nothing that blew me away, like in Avengers with those prolonged action sequences in the helicarrier and in New York.

Chris Hemsworth is fine as Thor and Tom Hiddleston is, of course, great as Loki. Many people have said Loki steals all the scenes he's in, and I agree with that for the most part. Maybe I was expecting him to be MORE awesome given all the hype, but I didn't really think he had that much to do. He sat in a cell for a large chunk of the movie, then he gets out, commiserates with Thor for a bit and they fight together. I was like, that's it? This movie needed way more Loki and way less, or better yet NONE of, Malekith and those silly dark elves.

Things I liked:

Sif. More Sif please. I don’t know what the Odinson sees in Jane Foster, I mean Natalie Portman is fine in the role, but Sif is where its at.

More Volstagg- yeah he’s not the blundering oaf with a heart of gold from the comics, but he’s good here and has a bit of charisma. He did a fine job.

The Thor/ Loki show- yeah that’s the saving grace of this picture. In fact from all the build- up I thought there would be more. Having watched the trailer and TV spots, I really had seen all the best lines already- another classic case of the trailers showing the best of the movie.

Frigga- kicked Malekith’s ass. Too bad she didn’t take him out right there- would have saved me from watching this super lame-o villain for another hour or so.

The end scene after the credits- the second one. Not because Thor came back to Jane, but because of the snowbeast (or whatever it was) that everyone forgot about, tromping around London chasing birds. I thought that was a hoot actually.  

Things I didn’t like:

Malekith and the whole dark elves thing. Again the script- the bad guy goes on about restoring the universe to darkness and so on. Why? Who knows. Totally one dimensional, I did not feel anything for the villain at all. 

Odin- he was OK I guess, but not very effective at protecting Asgard. Less of him and more of Frigga I say.

Grim Hogun- or is it happy Hogun? In the comics Hogun never smiles, hence the name. Always carries a mace, a big one with little knobby things on it- probably hurts when he bonks you with it. They really should get these details right. Hogun was absent almost the entire movie. Why?

So on balance what did I think? If I had to grade it I would say a "C". Strictly pedestrian, nothing really wowed me- in fact I was pretty disappointed. Long stretches of ho- hum punctuated by a few promising scenes, but I just could not get excited about this movie. Marginally better than Iron Man 3, but not even in the same league as The Avengers.

What do you think?

Giveaway: The Clockwork Scarab

I have a brand new copy of The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason for giveaway (US residents only, sorry). This book was a lot of fun with elements of steampunk, mystery, mythology and more. You can find my review here. Enter to win and best of luck!

From Goodreads:

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you’re the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And when two society girls go missing, there’s no one more qualified to investigate.

Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The stakes are high. If Stoker and Holmes don’t unravel why the belles of London society are in such danger, they’ll become the next victims


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Sunday Post #20/ It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey


I'm sorta at a crossroads on the reading front at the moment- after my current read I don't have any books set in stone to read next. I have books I kinda want to read, but not anything I'm super excited about.

ACROSS THE BLOGOSPHERE

Cary Elwes is writing a Princess Bride memoir-woo that should be fun. As You Wish: Tales from the Princess Bride. Due next fall. There's a nice pic of Cary and Robin Wright at that link as well.

The New Republic has a nice interview with Neil Gaiman.

Here's a Concept Art Writing challenge: Safari Inside a Bookstore. Check it out and see what it inspires in you.

Here's an underwater hotel room where you can sleep with the fishes- literally! The Manta Resort website here for your viewing pleasure.

New on blu-ray: Night of the Comet. Cause everyone's been waiting for this one! Valley girls vs. zombies- what's not to like? From USAToday.

How was your week?

Review: Tintin in Tibet

Tintin in Tibet by Herge (1907-1983) is the 20th book in the Tintin series. Tintin is an intrepid Belgian reporter who has a knack for solving mysteries and getting involved in all kinds of capers. Often accompanied on his adventures by Captain Haddock, an old sailor who likes his whiskey, and his dog, the always irrepressible Snowy, Tintin travels around the world solving mysteries and encountering new cultures. This volume begins with Tintin vacationing in the Alps when news reaches him of a plane crash. Tintin's friend Chang was en route to Europe when his plane crashed in the Himalayas. No survivors were reported, but Tintin is sure his friend is alive. He promptly decides to mount a rescue expedition, and with a reluctant Haddock in tow, they set off for the mysterious East.

Arriving in Katmandu, various hijinks ensue as they strive to hire a guide to take them into the mountains. Eventually meeting success, they set off but are soon beset by various setbacks, including strange calls in the night that may be a yeti and nervous porters. When they find the scene of the plane crash the fun really begins, as Tintin is separated from the rest of the group and finds evidence that Chang may just be alive after all. The usual shenanigans ensue, including avalanches, a stop at a secluded monastery, and a game of cat and mouse with an elusive yeti who has also taken an interest in young Chang. Its all good fun and a genuine pleasure to read.



The artwork as always is crisp and clean, and a delight to look at. Herge would express a lot of the story through facial expressions, and if you watch the art carefully you will discover nuances to the story you might otherwise miss. Herge was a pen name for Georges Prosper Remi, a well known Belgian cartoonist. I've heard it said that this was Herge's favorite of Tintin's adventures, and was somewhat personal for him as he had lost touch with a Chinese friend of his own whom he had collaborated with on The Blue Lotus years earlier. The Tintin series comprises 23 volumes, written over the decades between Tintin's first appearance in 1929 and 1983, and they are readily available in various formats. I like the oversized softcover versions myself, the art is much more enjoyable that way because of the size. A delightful series, and this is one of my favorite installments.

Tintin has a great supporting cast- besides Haddock and Snowy, there are the bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson, who tend to finish each others sentences and cause all manner of chaos, Professor Calculus who is a bit hard of hearing, often with hilarious results, and Bianca Castafiore, an opera singer of the highest caliber and the nemesis of Haddock. These supporting players come and go depending on which installment you're reading, and there are others, but they're the core of the series. This particular book only has Haddock and Snowy, however. Its a little more tightly focused than some of the others in the series, given the locale and the nature of their quest.

Sunday Post #19/ It's Monday. What Are You Reading?

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It's Monday! What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

This was a pretty good week. I didn't get a lot of reading in, but early in the week I did the HoHoHo Read-a-thon and that was fun. I read two books for that and won the Creative Writing challenge at Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries and More. If you haven't read the stories you should check out her blog, the stories themselves or the links are on her site and they're all a lot of fun. Mine is here. Thanks to Melissa for hosting that.

In other news, I still have not seen the Thor movie yet. Real life keeps interfering with a trip to the theater, but I've been seeing some reviews popping up on blogs and it sounds fun. Anybody seen it, and if so what are your thoughts?