November 7, 2011

While Mortals Sleep by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Format: Hardbound
Pub. Date: 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Press, an imprint of The Random House publishing Group
Type: Short Stories ~ Library Book
Challenge: Yes
Read: 11/7/2011

The 16 previously unpublished short stories of this collection, taken from the beginning of Vonnegut’s career, show a young author already grappling with themes and ideas that would define his work for decades to come.

“Girl Pool” features typist Amy Lou Little, employee of the Kafkaesque Montezuma Forge and Foundry Company, who is tasked with transcribing a plea for help she receives on her Dictaphone from an escaped, dying murderer hiding somewhere in the works of the company’s cavernous factory. The tale reveals Vonnegut investigating one of his recurring themes: the isolation brought by technology and the necessity for basic humanity in the workplace.

The title story melds a sentimental meditation on the true meaning of Christmas with elements of the mystery genre as a hard-nosed reporter stalks the story of stolen nativity scene characters.

While these early stories show an author still testing the boundaries of his craft and obsessions, Vonnegut’s acute moral sense and knack for compelling prose are very much on display. In the foreword, Dave Eggers calls Vonnegut “a hippie Mark Twain,” which perfectly captures an essential truth about this esteemed author.

Since I agreed to read and review a biography about Kurt Vonnegut I checked out some books of his from the library. First let me say that the only thing I knew about Vonnegut was that he wrote “Slaughterhouse Five” and I didn’t even know what it was about, from reading different descriptions, I get the impression is it science fiction. I decided to read this book first since it satisfies both of my challenges for this year. A library book and a book of short stories.

While these stories would not be described as thrillers or suspense, and there are no ‘plot twists’ in them, at times the reader gets thrown a curve, sometimes you see the curve coming, even so they are still interesting to read and I quite enjoyed them. Even the ones that seem to be ‘straightforward’ have a bit of a twist to them. I would say, for me at least, that none of these stories are predictable or are ‘cookie cutter’ stories.

Posted by on November 7, 2011 in 2011, Fiction and tagged , , , , .

1 Comment

November 4, 2011

Under the Bridge by Rebecca Godfrey

Format: Hardbound
Pub. Date: 2005
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Non-Fiction, True Crime

Read: 11/4/2011

It was not easy deciding if this book should have 2 stars or 3. I struggled to finish it and usually when that happens the star count goes down. The facts of the case are laid out for us, for me there was too much detail, the police interviews were word for word, and then the testimony at trial, word for word when a summary would have down. In fact Kelly’s whole first trial, appeal and release could have been cut in half.

There was also a lot of personal information. I’m not talking about biographical information but a lot of details about the lives of minor players that just distracted from the main case. We’re introduced to “The Youth of View Royal”: Colon Jones, Warren G., Syreeta, Reena Virk, Josephine, Dusty, Kelly etc. But the book spends a chapter on one, then jumps to another, then back again. It’s not until the end of this part that we even know who the victim is.

The police didn’t even know anyone had been killed, we are then treated to the endless conversations between this person and that person, until finally we come upon the two girls who go to the police and tell them, “Some one has been murdered, her body is in the gorge”, up to that point she was a missing person. Then the investigation began, when in a sense they already ‘knew’ who had done it.

Another problem I had was that while she reported conversations and testimony in excruciating detail, there were inaccuracies and Ms. Godfrey tried to make the account sound like literature, for example the front of the book has this blurb “In 1997, a fourteen-year-old girl was discovered floating in the waters bordering an idyllic suburb on the west coast. Her death was no accident, her killer no stranger …” It almost sounds like the body was discovered by accident, but the police were searching for it. I don’t know who writes this, whether the author or someone else, but that is her style of writing. “Stan Lowe glanced at Warren’s lawyer, for he was making an odd motion with his good luck pen. He was shaking his pen, and his wrist jolted back and forth.

“His good luck pen has run out of ink!” Stan thought to himself, and he smiled then, for he was a believer in such omens.”

Ms. Godfrey also reports on the impact the murder had on the families, the victims family, the accused families, the families in the community, the friends of the accused and the victim. Once again she details where she could summarize.

I found this book to be boring, and I do not recommend it.

Posted by on November 4, 2011 in 2011, Historical True Crime, True Crime and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Comments Off on Under the Bridge by Rebecca Godfrey

October 27, 2011

Zagg smartbuds

This review is for ZAGG SmartBuds. I have received no compensation for this review. The sound quality is simply amazing, the ear buds have a microphone and some other nice features that really make them worth the price.

There’s a volume control button (slide) on the cord, and another button on the cord to answer calls, when you get a call, you push the button to talk, and push it again to disconnect the call. This same button turns on your music which is very handy if your phone is locked since you don’t have to unlock your phone to listen to your music just push the button.

The cords themselves are made out of a material that is resistant to tangling up and are pretty and shiny. There are sliding balls on the cords that you can use to make a loop and have the ear buds hang right over your shoulders like in the picture. Instructions on how to do this are included. Wearing the ear buds this way also keeps the microphone at the right height to pick up your voice. The smartbuds also work with Dragon Dictation.

My phone is an iPhone and my boss has an Android, the earbuds work fine with both phones. My boss loves his so much that when he lost them, he immediately ordered a new pair.

Posted by on October 27, 2011 in Miscellanea and tagged , , , , , .

2 Comments

October 23, 2011

The Murder Room by Michael Capuzzo

Format: Trade Paperback
Pub. Date: 2010
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Non-Fiction, True Crime

Read: 10/21/2011

Thrilling, true crime tales from the Vidocq Society – a team of the world’s finest forensic investigators whose monthly lunches lead to justice in ice-cold murders.

Three of the greatest detectives in the world were heartsick over the growing tide of unsolved murders. Good friends and sometime rivals William Fleisher, Frank Bender, and Richard Walter decided one day over lunch that something had to be done, and pledged themselves to a grand quest for justice.
The Murder Room draws the reader into a chilling, darkly humorous, awe-inspiring world as the three partners travel far from their Victorian dining room to hunt ruthless killers, among them the grisly murderer of a millionaire’s son, a serial killer who carves off faces, and a child killer enjoying fifty years of freedom and dark fantasy.

Acclaimed bestselling author Michael Capuzzo brings true crime realistically and vividly to life in this account of a group of passionate men and women, inspired by their own wounded hearts to make a stand for truth, goodness, and justice in a world gone mad.

In the United States as many as 1 in 3 murders goes unsolved. The Vidocq Society was formed from this realization, the best law enforcement minds in the country, every third Thursday they meet “to hunt down murderers in cold cases, punish the guilty, free the innocent, and avenge, protect, and succor families victimized by murder.” They are there to speak for the dead.

The Society is named after Eugène François Vidocq (1775-1857) a French crook-turned-cop, who was named the first chief of the Sûreté in 1811 (inspired the FBI and Scotland Yard). There are certain requirements for a case to be reviewed by the society. All cases are cold, such cases as the boy in the box (unsolved for 50 years), “The Worst Mother in History”, about a woman who had 8 children die (since the title of the book is The Murder Room, would it be a spoiler to say they had been murdered?)of what was originally determined to be “crib death”.

This book while being about the Vidocq Society focuses on the three founding members, a biography of sorts. William Fleisher, Frank Bender (forensic artist), and Richard Walter (profiler) telling how they got to where they did. It describes how they would meet (the third Thursday of every month) to review cold cases and decide if they would accept one. The book goes from case to case, not jumping around so it is easy to follow, rather seamlessly. It not written in a ‘short story’ format, the different cases form parts of the whole. The cases are written in such a way that they flow into each other.

I would recommend this book to true crime fans.

Below are some quotes from the book,

Marie Noe convicted of killing 8 of her 10 children (she pleaded guilty), her lawyer said: Marie did not have “the heart of a killer. This is one of those situations that make us human. Some things happen in life that we cannot understand.” This was a woman that when she was confessing to the detectives, called each of the children ‘it’.

Marie told detectives, “All I can figure is that I’m ungodly sick.”

A priest named by a Philadelphia grand jury as a pedophile, believed by the Vidocq Society to have raped and murdered a nine year old girl, when he died was eulogized by another priest, as a man who “touched countless souls, especially those of children.” (No it wasn’t their souls he was touching.)

Posted by on October 23, 2011 in 2011, Historical True Crime, Non-Fiction and tagged , , , , , , , .

1 Comment

October 15, 2011

Taken

TAKEN

A former spy relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter, who has been forced into the slave trade.

Director: Pierre Morel
Writers: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen

I love me a baddass Irish movie star. The moral of the story is, if you’re going to be abducted by white slavers, hope your daddy is as badass as Liam Neeson.

“I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT IF YOU DON’T LET MY DAUGHTER GO I WILL FIND YOU I WILL KILL YOU”

That isn’t exactly the way he says it in the movie, but he does cause he is, as I said before, badass.

I wanted to see this movie from the first trailer I saw, Liam Neeson is one of my favorite actors. He plays a former spy who hasn’t lost his skills, connections or paranoia. He is totally ruthless when he needs to be but genuinely cares for the innocent victims. Except for the one man that he didn’t throw off the boat that I thought he should have, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.

Posted by on October 15, 2011 in Movie, Suspense, Thriller, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , .

Comments Off on Taken

October 12, 2011

Come Along With Me by Shirley Jackson

Fiction ~ Library Book
Originally published: 1948 – 1960
Publisher: Penguin Group

Part of a Novel, Sixteen Stories, and Three Lectures

In the preface Stanley Edgar Hyman (the late Shirley Jackson’s husband) tells us “Come Along with Me” is the novel Shirley Jackson was working on when she died, I suppose that is why there is an unfinished air to the store, it seems to just abruptly end, with no ending. The stories are short, some very short and leave much to the imagination, the characters and the readers. There are also two lectures that she gave and with these the last two stories. Included in this collection is the short story that has probably been read by most of the people in America, at least of my generation. I remember seeing the play when I was a girl. It is one of those rather unforgettable stories. I am talking about “The Lottery”.

If you are a fan of Shirley Jackson, or if you like quick short stories that leave you with a bit of a tingle or a thought, you would probably enjoy this collection of stories.

Posted by on October 12, 2011 in 2011, Classic Literature and tagged , , , , , , .

Comments Off on Come Along With Me by Shirley Jackson

October 5, 2011

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Fiction ~ Library Book
Pub. Date: 1959
Publisher: Viking Penguin Inc.
Read: 10/5/2011
3 stars

The classic supernatural thriller by an author who helped define the genre
First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a “haunting”; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers-and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

I don’t really know how to write a review for this book, one because it kind of old and two because anything else I could say would be a spoiler for anyone that hasn’t read it. Originally I gave it 4 stars, but after thinking about it I changed to 3 since although it is a good book, I didn’t “really like it” just liked it. I just read another Shirley Jackson book and I feel that this book is not as good, that may be why when I closed this book I felt let down.

The characters in this book are not clearly defined. The women’s feelings and conversations and moods are up and down and back and forth, essentially all over the place. They both appeared to be PMSing the entire time. The book winds down to its eventual conclusion.

From reading reviews on this book, most people loved it or hated it, I seem to fall somewhere in the middle. I don’t know if I can recommend it, I will say if you like books written in the late 50’s, big on words and dialogue and described feelings, I would recommend this book.

Posted by on October 5, 2011 in 2011, Novel, Thriller, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , .

Comments Off on The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

October 3, 2011

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Fiction ~ Library Book
Pub. Date: 1962
Publisher: Viking Penguin Inc.
4 stars

“My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. …. Everyone else in my family is dead.” At one time there were seven Blackwoods, we learn during the course of the book that the others were poisoned. Constance was arrested for the crime then acquitted. Now Constance, Mary Katherine (called Merricat) and their Uncle Julian, whose health was ruined by the poison, are the only ones that survived and are now living in Blackwood house. Merricat does her best to protect Constance from the venom of the villagers, her protection falls short when a cousin comes to visit.

I first read this book when I was a young girl, I remember it was my sister’s book and she told me the “spoilers” before I even had a chance to read it. What makes this book enjoyable however is not the mystery of who did the poisoning, which is rather easy to figure out, but the telling of the relationship between Merricat and Constance, their treatment by the villagers, Merricat’s thoughts regarding the villager’s and her ability to see danger where Constance doesn’t and eventually drive out the danger makes this book worth reading.

Posted by on October 3, 2011 in 2011, Novel and tagged , , , , , , , .

Comments Off on We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

September 25, 2011

I Would Find a Girl Walking by Kathy Kelly, Diana Montane

Format: NOOK Book (eBook)
Pub. Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Non-Fiction, True Crime

Read:

What made me kill and kill again? I can’t answer that except like this… Culled from interviews with the lead investigator and the victims’ families, and exclusive access to the killer, this is a revealing, shocking, and unflinching portrait of Gerald Eugene Stano, a man who fancied himself one of the greatest lady-killers of them all.

I haven’t finished this book yet, I am reading the killer’s letters to the author, so I felt I have finished enough to write a review. This book is very detailed, the author interviewed the investigators, families of the victims and the killer. The crimes are rather repetitious, the killer would get a girl in his car, then stab or punch, sometimes he would strangle. He also carried a gun and if a girl would run he would shoot her. He showed no emotion or remorse. He claimed to not have a motive other than the girl would get, ‘bitchy and mouthy’.

I gave this book 4 stars, but it is probably more of a 3.5 star book.

Posted by on September 25, 2011 in 2011, Non-Fiction, True Crime and tagged , , , , , , , , .

Comments Off on I Would Find a Girl Walking by Kathy Kelly, Diana Montane

September 25, 2011

Movies, movies

I was bored the other night so I decided to get a couple of movies to watch. The first one was
Straw Dogs (1971)
With Dustin Hoffman (sexy) as David Sumner and Susan George (she was also in Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry) as his wife Amy. They have come back to Amy’s childhood home so David can write a book. First, never marry a mathematician. Dustin is kind of an idiot at first and Amy is kind of a brat, you can tell from the beginning that this is not an peaceful country village, but then if see you enough of these films you realize they all have secrets and people who do mean things. Movie is rated R for nudity and violence. Some very violent, disturbing scenes.

The other movie I got was
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
With Walter Matthau (another one of my favorites, but not exactly sexy) as Lt. Zachary Garber, the bad guys were all called by color: Robert Shaw, Mr. Blue; Martin Balsam, Mr. Green; Hector Elizondo, Mr. Grey; Earl Hindman, Mr. Brown. I know some of these as familiar faces but couldn’t put names or roles on them. Even Hector Elizondo looked so different, and the character he played was so different. He played a man so crazy the mob didn’t want him. Then there were some others like Dick O’Neill (hey that’s Cagney’s dad!) and Jerry Stiller (the Dad on King of Queens).

So you know the story, the four men hi-jack a subway car and demand ransom or they will kill everyone on the train, there is a deadline. Of course the big question is ‘How will they escape after they get the money?’ There are some surprises in store for the hijackers.

There is some bad language and violent scenes in this movie.

Posted by on September 25, 2011 in Movie, Suspense, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , .

Comments Off on Movies, movies