Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Undead and Unpopular

Betsy, Queen of the Vampires, is at it again. She’s trying to solidify her power base, but has to deal with interruptions from ghosts, zombies and former vampire hunters. She has friends who don’t understand her and some who understand her too well. Is Detective Nick fooling everyone or does he really not know what’s going on? I want to know.

Undead and Unpopular is another fun adventure in MaryJanice Davidson’s kingdom of vampires. It’s blood drenched chicklit. Admittedly, it’s not as good as her previous installments, but I still can’t get enough to Betsy, Sinclair, Jessica, Tina and all the situations they find themselves in. I want to know how they deal with Sophie and Liam, with Carolina and the Europeans, with Delk. There is so much going on, which I think is part of Undead and Unpopular’s problem, I’m not sure which of my questions I want answered more.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Fired Up!

My husband and I decided to take in the new movie Fired Up! last night. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It wasn’t just about the cheerleading, though they made an excellent throw back to the classic cheer flick, Bring It On. It wasn’t just about the team or them beating their rivals. The story was about the two guys. It’s about how being part of this cheerleading squad changes them. Their journey is hilarious. My only problem was the plethora of chatty teenagers in the theatre. While I highly recommend seeing Fired Up!, I’d try going when less teens were there.

Monday, February 16, 2009

The Spine Of The World

Normally, I love R. A. Salvatore’s books. They’re full of fun and adventure. The Spine Of The World was more than a little frustrating. It took so long to get to the meat of the story. Some of the characters (most?) in the second storyline were different levels of irritating in their choices and reactions to those choices. There was so much build up just so Wulfgar could re-learn how to be a hero. The novel could have easily been a hundred pages shorter.
If you’re working through the Legend Of Drizzt series (which I highly recommend), this will be the most difficult book to get through. I found myself waiting for the good stuff to happen. When it did, it would be another fifty pages of exposition. You have to read The Spine Of The World to understand what happens in the subsequent novels in the series.

Speaking with someone who has read all the Drizzt books up to The Orc King, including Tymora’s Stone the book Salvatore wrote with his son Geno, this is the most difficult book by far. Having said all this, it wasn’t a poorly written book. It was full of Salavatore’s style and action. It just wasn’t what I expected. I am looking forward to getting into what I hope to be a meaty story, Servant Of The Shard.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Dollhouse

Joss Whedon’s new series, Dollhouse premiered last night on FOX. You might remember Joss from, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel and the short-lived, but fantastic Firefly. I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was better than I expected. After the first episode, I think the show will really test the acting skills of the people living in the Dollhouse. There’s so much possibility with this show, I hope it’s allowed the chance to explore.
I also have to say that I’m a fan of Eliza Dushku (Echo) and Tahmoh Penikett (Paul Ballard) and I look forward to seeing their new characters grow. I can’t wait until next week to see Echo and the rest of the Dollhouse.