A woman with a secret and a love for cemeteries

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens is a romantic, paranormal murder mystery.   Amelia Gray from Charleston, SC restores cemeteries.  She can also see ghosts like her father can.  He gave her a set of rules to follow to keep her safe from these spirits:
1. Never acknowledge the dead
2. Never stray far from hallowed ground
3. Never get close to the haunted
4. Never, ever tempt fate
Well her world comes crumbling down when she meets police detective Devlin who is investigating dead bodies that are showing up at the cemetery where Amelia is restoring.  Devlin has secrets and spirits hanging around him and Amelia becomes drawn to them.  Now Amelia is not only in danger from a killer on the loose, she has also disobeyed her father's rules which puts her in more danger.  The Restorer is a fast-paced read.  If you are interested in paranormal activities and ghost stories, this will be an interesting read.  The Restorer is the first book in Amanda Stevens' - The Graveyard Queen series.

Super apes with a vengeance

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was excellent.  This was only the second movie so far this year that I would love to see over and over again.  Ok...I am a fan back when Charlton Heston starred in the first Planet of the Apes.  The cgi in this film was amazing.  Congrats to the visual arts team.  The expressions on Cesar's face and body language was unbelievable.  The story is pretty much the beginning of the Planet of the Apes saga.  Cesar's mother, a chimpanzee used in an experiment to find out how to enhance the brain functions is mistakenly killed trying to protect her baby, Cesar.  The experiments stop and James Franco (Will) takes the baby chimp home and gets help from Freida Pinto (Caroline) a vet and is joined by his sick father John Lithgow (Charles).  Cesar has the serum in him from his mother.  Cesar becomes older and wiser and that is when things start to become complicated.  This movie keeps you engaged and excited.  It was a great movie and I highly recommend it being seen.

An old friend came for a visit

Winnie the Pooh is an icon for a lot of people all over the world.  It was so nice to visit the hundred acre woods and see Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Roo and Christopher Robin.  The movie was a refreshing reminder of our innocent days as a child.  The hand drawing they used in this new addition of Winnie the Pooh was a wonderful welcome.  The story was classic and fun.  It was a nice escape on a very hot day.

Witches and baked goods

Trick or Treat (A Corinna Chapman mystery) by Kerry Greenwood is the 4th book in the Chapman series. Corinna is a baker who owns Earthly Delights and works and lives in a building in a small town in Australia with a cast of very interesting characters. She has a gorgeous boyfriend, Daniel, a former junkie apprentice named Jason and a host of cats two of which are the mouse patrol and keeps the area clear of mice and juicy rats. Daniel has a friend, Georgina, who has a devious secret and is causing trouble for Corinna. A new bakery, Best Fresh, opens and is direct competition to Corinna's bakery. People start turning up hallucinating and acting crazy in Corinna's alleyway and trouble starts heading in the way of her witch friends and a long lost treasure. This series is fun and relaxing.

A betrayal and a lot of dead bodies

The Mechanic starring Jason Statham and Donald Sutherland is an action packed drama that has a predictable ending.  A "Mechanic" is a "hit man".  He is called when he is needed to clean up someone else's mess.  Trouble starts when his assignment is to exterminate his mentor and friend.  When he finds out who is behind this and then tries to make amends with his mentor's son, his house of cards starts to tumble down around him. These is not much more to tell with this story.  There is a lot of shooting and dead people all over the city and problems start to get solved.  The movie is fast paced and entertaining. If that is what you are looking for and no more, then this would be a nice movie to rent.

Christians on a witch hunt

Season of the Witch starring Nicholas Cage and Ron Perlman is a short film, just 96 minutes.  A crusade of Christian army men are attacking cities who are home to non Christians and who are sanctioned as devil worshipers because they harbor witches.  They come across one city where mothers and children are killed and they start to question their leader and their beliefs.  They decide to quit the crusade and survive on their own.  Some time after, three witches are found and hung and die except for one young witch. She survives and needs to be transported to the monks to be judged.  Cage, Perlman and a small band of Christians, go on a journey to transport this witch to the monks.  Little do they know what truth is behind this young witch and what they will face when they arrive at their destination.  Season of the witch is not a bad movie but it becomes apparent as to what is going on and fizzles out in the end.  Oh well...it is a short movie and it's entertaining.

A teacher trying to find his way

Sometimes I pick up a book that is ridiculously funny and unbelievably shocking.  That's what The Mystic Arts of Erasing all Signs of Death by Charlie Huston conveys.  Webster Fillmore Goodhue (Web) makes a career change because of a tragedy, from teacher to joining the clean team.  The clean team cleans up grisly L.A. crime scenes.  Web feels that he has a steady gig but of course nothing is ever simple.  One job is for him and the clean team to sponge up a Malibu suicide's brains from a bathroom mirror. While doing his job, Web starts flirting with the deceased man's daughter and afterwards things turn weird when the deceased man's daughter asks Web for a favor.  Someone normal would run away but Web agrees to meet her at midnight to see what she needs.  After meeting her he sees that gun-toting California cowboys start showing up on his doorstep.  Something is going on and he finds himself an unfortunate victim in this whole mess.  If you are looking for a funny disturbing and entertaining read then this is the book for you.

Mississipppi's secrets

Being born and raised in New York, the story The Help by Kathryn Stockett was a bit foreign to me.  It's not that I am not aware of the history and stories I heard about the south, it's just that I never experienced the things the people in this book experienced.  The Help is set in 1962, Jackson Mississippi and it's an extraordinary story surrounding Abilene and Minny who are maids and Skeeter, a white woman writer who befriends these ladies.  Skeeter is also looking for her nanny Constantine, who mysteriously disappeared.  Her mother never tells her what really happened to Constantine.  Skeeter decides to write a book about the Help with assistance from Abilene and Minny and they get the other maids to tell their stories.  The Help was an eye opening fun book.  I can't wait to see the movie.  I highly recommend reading this exceptionally written book.

Africa invaded by Britain

The book, Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe is comprised of two stories.  One about a strong warrior in Nigeria named Okonkwo who does not always follow with the traditions of his people and Okonkwo slowly starts to fall from grace with the tribal world.  The second story is about the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world because of European missionaries.  Things fall apart is not an easy book to get through but it is a worthwhile read.

Pirates times four

This sequel of Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz is much better than the third pirates movie.  Jack (Depp) is looking for his lost ship (The Pearl) but runs into Angelica (Cruz) and gets involved with her to look for the fountain of youth.  It was fun to see some familiar characters.  One of the best scenes of this movie for me was Captain Jack Sparrow dancing with another Jack Sparrow.  The choreography for that dance was really nice.  Black Beard is back with a vengeance and brings a few surprises along the way.  The story of course leaves room for another sequel.  How many treasures can you look for?

An American Hero

Captain America:  The First Avenger was a strong story about the military putting their lives on the line to protect our country.  A young man, Steve (Chris Evans) is picked on and rejected several times from enlisting in the military.  However, Steve doesn't give up in a fight, he has compassion and a determination that is not swayed, so he is chosen for an experiment in the military and is finally accepted.  The supporting characters Peggy (Hayley Atwell), a brave friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) and a very loyal cast of characters makes for a cohesive story.  Captain America is not a character that is interesting to me but the movie is worth seeing.

Harry Potter ends

Harry Potter, Hermime and Ron are together one last time.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 was a fast paced and emotional movie for all the Harry Potter fans.  The battle of good verses evil and the final fight of Harry and Voldemort bought excitement and anticipation to us all.  There were a lot of questions answered which was nice.  Many fans will miss Harry Potter, but what a wonderful run of very likable characters.

Star cast, weak story

Cowboys vs Aliens starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde was a pretty good movie.  The movie is set in 1875 in New Mexico, a stranger (Craig) appeared with no memory and with an alien device on his wrist.  He decides to go to the nearest town and finds the  law enforcement and the towns people know who he is and he becomes public enemy number one.  Harrison Ford plays a concerned father of a troubled spoiled son and a cowboy who is the leader of this town.  Olivia Wilde is a beautiful woman with an agenda of her own and a secret.  When more townspeople are taken by the aliens, enemies and rivals have to work together to fight the aliens.  The actors were great and they did the best they could with such a weak storyline.  The  story was so disjointed and confusing that it made a movie by director Jon Favreau and Steven Spielberg not really worth seeing.

A First for a Native American

Geraldine Brooks has done it again with Caleb's Crossing.  She is a dynamic writer and researcher.  Her historical fiction stories make you ache for more.  This time she goes from 1660 to 1715 at Martha's Vineyard and Harvard College.  A twelve year old girl, Bethia Mayfield and a Native American Indian named Caleb meet in her homeland of Great Harbor which houses a small band of English Puritans. They forge a forbidden friendship and teach each other the ways of their people to each other.  When tragedy strikes both families, Caleb and Bethia are sent away to school together.  Bethia, to clean and care for the boys at Cambridge and Harvard and to pay the way for her brother to get a free education.  Caleb who was tutored by Bethia's father attends Harvard with the colonial elite studying Latin and Greek.  Both characters struggle to get their voices heard during this period of time.  Women are not supposed to get formal educational training and Native Americans have to fight and accept christian culture and prejudice in order to gain a proper education for their future and their people. The outcome of these two characters and the people around them will have you thinking about them and their circumstances and our sordid past for years to cone. Caleb's Crossing is a reminder of our past and how history unfortunately repeats itself.

Green Nonsense

O.k., I heard many negative comments about the Green Lantern.  I was still curious to see for myself if what was said was true.  Well, it was.  The story starts by trying to explain the origin of Green Lantern.  Apparently there is 3,600 of them of different species and planetsand are supposed to be smarter than humans.  One of their own seeks revenge because as intelligent beings they are not above wanting control and power over something that cannot be controlled.  Fear!  The Green Lantern are supposed to be fearless but the ring picks a human who is filled with nothing but fear.  This ring comes in the form of a wounded Green Lantern who tried to fight this beast and lost.  This horrible monster is on the way to the Green Lantern world but gets turned around to attack all humans on Earth instead.  Hal, now ( the "Earth" Green Lantern) has to figure out who he really is and how he is supposed to help save his planet.  The story fails because the writing fails.  Superheroes are supposed to be protected of their identity with the mask but Hal is recognized by several people, Green Lantern suit and all.  Green Lanterns are supposed to work collectively and so on and the only thing I saw them do collectively was raise their rings to the sky.  The CGI was fine and costumes nice.  People in the theatre started walking out and when the movie was over, there were more questions than answers.  One being, who are the Green Lanterns?  I'm sure there will be a sequel and hopefully a more cohesive storyline will come a second go round.

Two Girls and a Secret

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton is her debut novel. It is a historical fiction book about a girl named Grace Bradley and two sisters, Hannah and Emmeline Hartford. The three live in the Riverton house and experience good times and tragedy. The worse tragedy happened in the summer of 1924 when a young poet shoots himself. The only witnesses are Grace, Hannah and Emmeline.
In 1999, at the age of 99, Grace is visited by a director who is doing a movie on the history of Riverton. The director takes Grace back to Riverton and awakens a lot of secrets that she kept her whole life. The story is gripping throughout to it's astonishing ending. Kate Morton also wrote the unforgettable book, The Forgotten Garden. The House at Riverton is an intense read.

Child's bones and a Forensic Archaeologist

Again we meet Ruth Galloway in Elly Griffths', The Janus Stone.  An Archaeology dig finds children's bones beneath a door that used to be a children's home.  Two children went missing forty years ago and were never found.  Carbon dating prove the child's bones predate the home and relates to when the house was privately owned.  Detective Harry Nelson, Ruth Galloway and their friends and fellow archaeologists are put to the test to solve this mystery.  Ruth Galloway has a more personal stake and danger in this discovery.  Like Griffiths' first book, The Crossing Places, this second book in the series will be hard to put down till the end.

Sir John Fielding and Jeremy together again

Murder in Grub Street by Bruce Alexander is the second book in the Sir John Fielding mysteries.  The time period is the eighteenth century in London.  This time there is a murder of six people at a printers home and place of work.  The Crabb family and two of Mr. Crabb's apprentices were brutally murdered.  A mad man was also found at the scene with a bloody axe but doesn't  know why or how any of this happened.  Thirteen-year-old Jeremy Proctor and the blind Sir John are on the case to solve this evil massacre.  This series is becoming one of my favorites.  Bruce Alexander transports you to the eighteenth century with his brilliant descriptive detail.

Thor -Superhero or eye candy

Thor was an unexpectedly good movie. I thought...oh not another superhero movie but I was surprised that it really kept my attention. The story is about two sons who are be up for heir to their father's throne and to be king to a city of gods. They are somewhat at peace with a civilization of a frozen-like race on the brink of war. The eldest son is cocky and gets exiled to Earth. While he is gone, things start to fall apart for his planet. The movie goes in the direction of good verses evil and the innocent are caught in the middle. The cgi was great and the cinematograhy was fantastic. I left the movie a little puzzled with the extent of the story line of Earth. It reminded me of the extra unnecessary existence of extra pirates run by Yun Phat's character in the third Pirates movie. It would have been a better movie without the extra part. The move Thor is enjoyable and I saw it twice so that should tell you something.

The Rise of the Nazis

A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell is based in Berlin in 1931.  Hannah Vogel, a crime reporter heads to the police station to get a story and sees a picture of her brother in the hall of the unnamed dead.  Hannah is then dragged into her brother Ernst's world where he was a cross dressing lounge siner and was associating with Nazis.  Then, if there wasn't enough to worry about, there is a five-year-old boy named Anton who shows up on Hannah's doorstep claiming that Ernst is his father and Hannah his mother.
Hannah starts to investigate the death of her brother and finds secrets of sex scandals within the high ranks of the Nazi party that puts Anton and herself in grave danger.  Cantrell transports you to 1930's Berlin with her vivid descriptions of a terrifying and profound time when nothing can be spoken and very few people can be trusted.

The Crossing Places - An archaeologist dream

The crossing places by Elly Griffiths is a murder mystery about the disappearance of a little girl 10 years ago.  When some human bones are found, Detective Chief Inspector Nelson looks for help in identifying these bones.  He solicits the help of Dr. Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist who lives near the salt marsh where the bones were found for help.  When she finds that the bones go back to the Iron Age, Nelson and Galloway start to unravel and try to put the pieces of this puzzle together when another little girl goes missing.  The Crossing Places is the first book in this series.  Griffiths skillfully takes you into the world of archaeology and puts in a lot of little twists and turns on the way to solve this mystery.  I highly recommend it.  I couldn't put the book down.

Blind Justice - An unusual judge

This book by Bruce Alexander was a surprising  find.  I never heard of this author and then found out that he died in 2003.  Blind Justice is the first in a Sir John Fielding series.  The setting is in London in 1768 when a thirteen year old child named Jeremy Proctor ends up in the court of Sir John Fielding because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  However, Sir John, the founder of the Bow Street Runners and who is also blind finds an  intelligent young lad in Proctor and allows him to work for him.  When a man's body is found in a locked room dead, Sir John asks Proctor to be his "eyes" for him.  The police first suspect suicide until the man's wife says that her husband has been murdered.  Now Sir John and young Proctor need to not only find out how the person got into the room but who did it and why.  These two "men" find out more about themselves when they work together to solve this suicide/murder.  Mr. Alexander has a way of putting you right in the setting of the time and keeps you wanting more.  This reviewer finished this book in two days.  Great series to get into if you like murder mysteries. The writing world lost a talented and expressive historical fiction author.

The Good Earth - China back to basics

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck is a classic and detailed story about a man named Wang Lang and his quest for wealth, peace and happiness during the pre-revolutionary time period in China.  In this story, Wang Lang is a determined young man who realizes the importance of land and family.  He is driven throughout his lifetime and maintains this attitude throughout the book.  O-Lan through her tragic and humble beginnings is the support that binds their family through good and bad times.  Ms. Buck took a beautiful country and its people and made it accessible to America. The way she describes the detail of the land and its people at a time of devastation made it hard for this reviewer to put the book down. Many Asian writers get wrapped up in the culture of their people then the actual story of the characters.  Buck holds on to the integrity of the characters and the country in which she lived and was able to honor this in her novel.  If you read The Good Earth years ago, it's time to read it again and if you have never read it, it is a wonderful book to start.

Hannah - revenge at it's best

Hannah, played by Saoirse Ronan was wonderful.  I like the fact that not only did she play a foreigner but she looked so European as well.  It just made the movie more authentic in my eyes.  The story about a genetically produced child trained to protect herself because she becomes too dangerous to have around anymore.  Hanna is taught through books and fairy tales and wants to get out and experience all she has learned.  She finds out things that make her more dangerous and sad and gives you a feeling that revenge can be sweet.  Eric Bana, who plays her father surprised me with his acting abilities in this movie.  There wasn't that much in the way of dialogue but he was threatening in stature.  Cate Blanchett played a tough selfish agent bent on keeping what she had done for her country and herself secret.  This story is not an "original" story but the acting and the closeup shots were incredible.  I wish there were more shots showing the scope of the countries they shot in, but you can't have anything.

Sucker Punch - Punchless...

The movie Sucker Punch is a fantasy based cgi movie that takes a young girl (baby doll's) life which is tragic and pitiful and is supposed to remove her from her unfortunate circumstances and give her a chance at happiness.  The story gets lost when she goes into this fantasy world kicking butt with her new found friends.  Things start to become complicated when she realizes that this journey is not only about her. The graphics in this movie was terrific, but the story fell short in what it was trying to accomplish.  Too bad the writers or the director didn't work as hard on the direction and the story or give the talented actors  much to work with as they did putting in the time to get the graphics right.

Rango - not a child's story

This animated film starring Johnny Depp started off a little confusing but you eventually realized he was entertaining himself while riding in the back of his owner's car. The story becomes too self-absorbed and too long. Graphic designers and animators will go crazy with the special effects which was absolutely beautiful. However looking at it as a story, it just missed the mark. The analogy was, "why did the chicken cross the road, to get to the other side" and what he finds helps him, helps his new friends and their lives. ILM can learn a thing or two about strong story telling from Disney and Pixar. Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors and even with his tremendous talent, he could not save this film.

Source Code - a surprising good story

This reviewer went to see Source Code thinking it would be another movie about a heroic unknown citizen saving a train.  Boy...was I wrong.  It was like Inception and Quatum Leap with a twist.  It was a very engaging and thought provoking movie.  Jake Gyllenhaal has impressed me with his talent and he is a joy to watch in this movie.  The story is about a man who has 8 minutes to change a devastating disaster from happening.  Throughout the course of the movie, his motivations change and thereby comes the interesting twist to the movie.  Source Code is highly recommended to see.

Heavenly Italian Food

Brio Tuscan Grille is located in City Centre in Houston.  They opened about a year ago and everytime we go there is another fantastic dish to behold.  Their Mezza Chicken "under the brick" is wonderful with a marsala sauce.  The wine sauce was reduced  just enough to keep the taste of the wine intact. The recent special was a Penne Mediterranean Shrimp dish.  It has Penne pasta, mushroom, spinach, sundried tomatoes, carmelized onions, shrimp and pine nuts in a bercy sauce (a very light wine sauce).  The chef cooked the shrimp and Penne perfectly, the spinanch was blanched and gave great color to the dish and the sundried tomatoes bitter taste complimented the carmelized onions and the bercy sauce.  The sundried tomatoes weren't chewy or tough and the pine nuts gave a nice surprise texture to the dish.  They have a variety of desserts from mousse desserts to canoles.  The creme brulee was wonderful with bits of vanilla bean throughout this cool dish topped with a sugar dusted strawberry.  There are locations all over the country.  So if you find yourself in one of those locations, try Brio Tuscan Grille and see how wonderful their food is.

Movie Review

The King's Speech was a wonderful movie about a stammering Duke who becomes a great King with the help of a brilliant speech therapist.  Colin Firth who portrayed King George VI was wonderful.   He took a very difficult and embarrassing problem like stammering and showed how love and support from family and friends and sheer determination of a person can overcome anything. Mr. Firth was so convincing with the stammering that I believed he really had a problem.  It was also nice to see Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean-the curse of the black pearl fame) as the great Lionel who helped bring levity and seriousness to this character.  Helena Bonham Carter showed how talented she is in the role of Elizabeth as the supportive, loving and lighthearted wife of "Bertie", King George VI.  The King's Speech was a historical and powerful movie depicting a scary and difficult time for England and its people.  This is a movie that I highly recommend seeing.

Movie Review

"I Am Number Four" is a science fiction/fantasy teenage movie about human looking aliens from another planet whose people have systematically been killed off.  Alien assassins are hunting and killing nine specially powered young people to complete their mission.  Number three was killed along with his keeper and now they are after number four.  The first two are dead and the story never really goes into detail about that.  Number 4 (John) of course wants to be a normal teenager but is reminded to stay off the grid so that he is not found.  Well...how easy is that in terms of the Internet and smart phones?  This movie have some references to different movies such as Superman, Twilight and Transformers.  The teenagers, the girlfriend, the geek sci-fi friend who wants to believe and who has a father that could hold the key to the whole situation.  The way the movie ended means there will be a sequel.  I Am Number Four is not a bad movie.  It's entertaining and if you are looking for a light distraction with no real strain on the brain, then sit and enjoy the show.

Cafe Caspian

Cafe Caspian is a Persian restaurant in Houston.  If you are not familiar with Persian cuisine, it reminds you a little of Greek food.  Their main proteins are chicken, beef and lamb.  They start you off with chunks of blue cheese, radishes and some herbs for a light type of salad.  Two of our new favorites are their dolmeh, which are stuffed grape leaves.  They are stuffed with rice, onions, leeks, parsley and mint.  It's served hot which is different then the Greek way which is served cold.  We tasted a new soup they serve which is a delectable lentil soup.  It is delicious.  They also have a fresh herb stew that is fantastic and their hummus is to die for, "not literally".  The decor is Middle Eastern and the people are very polite and informative about their cuisine.  If you are ever in the area, this restaurant is one stop you should make.

Rattan Asian Bistro

Rattan is an Asian restaurant in Houston and it's one of our favorite restaurants.  It's not a Chinese restaurant but a combination of different Asian cuisines.  They serve Japanese, Chinese and Thai based meals.  They also have an extensive wine list, happy hour and a live band plays on the weekend.  Their decor is modern rattan furniture.  The staff are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable on their cuisine.  The newest item I just tried was the seaweed salad.  It had julienned  cucumbers with the seaweed in a nice light chili vinaigrette dressing.  Marvelous!  If you love Asian food, this is one restaurant you will love.

Cyclone Anaya Mexican Restaurant

Cyclone Anaya is a new Mexican restaurant located in City Centre in Houston.  The name sounds intriguing and would indicate fast service.  The interior and exterior of this establishment is beautiful.  It has a lot of nouveau contemporary sculpture pieces and beautiful furniture.  They have an extensive list of margaritas which they must be famous for because a lot of their patrons were drinking that and beer.  At this point is when I have to pause and say, "The good times have ended!"  When we walked in, we had a bit of a wait and when someone finally came they just asked if we needed a table for two.  We didn't get any type of greeting like welcome to Cyclone Anaya, my name is so and so...We finally got to our table and patiently waited for the waitress.  She was at least nice but she never told us her name and if there were any specials, we knew nothing about them.  We just ordered some water and ice tea.  The ice tea was awful.  My husband said it tasted like there was fuel at the bottom of the barrel, then rinsed out and tea was added...not good.  I decided to order something familiar and ordered the Rollo Anaya which is grilled chicken, mexican rice, grilled vegetables, refried beans and guacomole.  My husband ordered the tamales.  Our chips and salsa came and the salsa tasted like chunky ketchup with pepper added.  When our dinner came out, I received two big pieces of grilled chicken on top of my mexican rice with a lemon on top.  I had to move the breast to see the rice.   The grilled vegetables were 4 slices of grilled squash , the refriend beans looked and tasted like a dried up lump of brown beans.  There were two chunky slices of guacomole and two large chunks of tomatoes.  The thinest part of the chicken was kind of juicy and it was well seasoned.  The tamales were covered with a lot of cheddar cheese which sat on the dish like velveeta.  The tamales had more oil then Exxon Valdes.  I told him I had better food at Taco Cabana.  We finished our meal by admiring the decor and proceeded out the door.  Hopefully management will get their act together or change their executive chef.  It would be a shame to see this beautiful restaurant go out of business before its time.

Green Hornet

The question that comes to mind after seeing the Green Hornet is why do you need the Green Hornet and what is his actual purpose?  Not only was the so called hero upstaged by his partner Kato, he was also upstaged by the car.  Tom Wilkinson, Edward James Olmos and Cameron Diaz were unfortunately dragged into this poorly written movie trying hard to play straight and serious parts in this pathetic movie.  On a short positive note, there were some scenes that were funny because they were a rip off of the Pink Panther.  There was the same idea in the Pink Panther of a love/hate relationship between Clouseau and Cato that was used in this movie.  The Green Hornet left me with a bad taste in my mouth and a question mark on the top of my head.

Polonia Restaurant

There is a polish retaurant in Houston at 1900 Blalock that needs some work done in the kitchen or just a new chef.  (No offense to the Polish).  Let's start on a positive note.  The waitresses and the staff were very nice and accommodating.  They were packed and could have turned us away but they brought out a table to seat us.  Also, when the food came, I have to say that it was hot.  Unfortunately, this is where the kindness ends.  We were given glasses of water that was clearly unfiltered tap water.  It had an after taste that was not pleasant at all.  Our first dish, the potato pancakes "Goral" style came out with pre-packaged cream cheese and apple sauce in little plastic to-go containers.  That should have given us a clue as to what we were in for.  The pancakes were overfried, not seasoned and greasy.  They were edible only by drowning then either with the cream cheese or the apple sauce.  The main course came and it was the Pierogi with sauerkraut.  The Pierogi tasted like spam wrapped in thick rice dough.  This reviewer played it safe and had the chicken sandwich.  The chicken was too deeply fried but it did have flavor and it was served hot.  The sauerkraut was sweet and overpowered  with vinegar.  This is not a good combination and could not be eaten.  We were invited to this restaurant and was under the impression that it served good food.  Perhaps the cook was having a bad night, unfortunately for them it will be a meal that we will not repeat.  After that experience, our much needed relief came from Tums.

Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks

Year of Wonder is based on the great plague of 1666 in a small mountain village outside of London.  A bolt of infected cloth carried by an unknown man from London brought this deadly disease to this village.  The people of the village and  Anna, a young woman with a strong heart and constitution all decide to quarantine themselves within the village to stave off spreading this deadly disease.  However, as death reaches every household in the village, all the faith people have start to become non-existent and the village disintegrates in front of Anna's eyes. The year of the plague becomes the most challenging, and deadly year of history.  Geraldine Brooks again transports you with vivid clarity back to the 1600's and the devastation of this plague and the people involved.

Recommended reading:  People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

Wm. Paul Young tests your faith in The Shack.  The main character, MacKenzie Allen Philips's daughter Missy is kidnapped during a family vacation.  They finally find evidence of her being murdered in the "Shack".  MacKenzie and his family is devastated and finding it hard to move on.  The Shack makes you take a leap of faith in thinking outside the box on what you believe and don't believe as a christian or whatever faith you are.  The book is well written and fast reading.  The beginning is difficult emotionally but you will have a profound understanding as to what the author is trying to convey throughout the rest of the book.

March by Geraldine Brooks

March is set in the first year of the civil war in 1861 from New England to the south.  The story is of a man who leaves his home, his three daughters and his wife in New England and travels to the south to help and aid in the Union cause.  His discoveries with soldiers and, who are desperate for help to be free, changes his  opinion of the war.  At home, his family is fighting to help anyone who wishes or needs to be freed.  Geraldine Brooks take you into the horrible and devastating reality of the civil war.  She describes very vividly the horros and the shame of the time.  If you are curious about what went on during the civil war, this book will give you a strong sense of how it felt to live at that time and how much was sacrificed for our freedom today.

Cocaine Blues

Cocaine Blues (don't let the title scare you) by Kerry  Greenwood is a delightful and adventure filled series starring the Honourable Phryne (pronounced Fry-nee) Fisher.  She can fly a plane and has worked in the Great War.  She left England and started her life over in Melbourne, Australia where she is now a lady detective.  The time period is the late 1920's.  There are a cast of characters that bring color and life to her adventures.  Bert and Cec, heavy men for Phryne and cab drivers, Dot her personal assistant and a host of other characters that are introduced later throughout the series. The Phryne character can be a little risque at times.  Readers who are sensitive to women choosing their own way of thinking may think twice before reading this series.  The books are lighthearted, fun and a quick read.  If you are looking for something to relax the mind between classes or other stresses in your life, then by all means try out this series by Kerry Greenwood.  Cocaine Blues is this first book in the series.

You can find this book by clicking on the links below:

http://www.murderbythebook.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

An Impartial Witness

An Impartial Witness by Charles Todd is the next book to A Duty to the Dead.  Here again we find Sister Crawford in the summer of 1917 on a short reprieve from the trenches in Paris.  She left a badly burned pilot who talked of going home to see his wife back in London.  He shows a picture of his wife to Bess. She finally arrives at a train station in London and sees a distraught woman that happens to be the pilot’s wife.  Murder finds Bess again and she is reluctantly involved in helping Scotland Yard solve a case and the secrets behind this pilot’s family.  The author again transports you back to the Great War and the devastation behind it in vivid descriptions.  I finished this book in a day and a half.  I recommend this book as well and can’t wait for the next Bess Crawford book.

You can find this book by clicking on the links below:

http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/

http://www.murderbythebook.com/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

A Duty to the Dead

A Duty to the Dead is a historical fiction mystery set during the Great War in Europe.  A nurse, Bess Crawford was on the Britannic (a hospital ship) and the sister ship to the Titanic when it hit a mine on November 21, 1916 and sank.  A lieutenant who was dying under the care of Sister Crawford asked her for a favor.  He wanted her to relay a message to his brother in England.  “I did it for mother’s sake.  But it has to be set right.”  With this in mind and her “duty to the dead”, Bess Crawford comes across many mishaps and shameful secrets and murder to deliver this message.  Charles Todd draws you into one of the world’s most deadliest and devastating wars and also into this soldier’s family secrets.  It’s hard to put this book down.  

Recommended author is Jacqueline Winspear who wrote the Maisie Dobb series.


You can find this book at Amazon.com by clicking on this link

http://www.amazon.com/Duty-Dead-Bess-Crawford-Mystery/dp/0061791768

You can also find this book at Barnesandnoble.com by clicking on the link below:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?r=1&isbn=9780061791765&cm_mmc=Shopzilla-_-Category-_-Title-_-9780061791765&mr:referralid=36518586-22b5-11e0-af68-001b2166becc

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

Kostova’s, The Swan Thieves was an intriguing read.  It’s 561 pages and if big books don’t run you off, then The Swan Thieves is the book to read when you have time to savor the contents.  The Swan Thieves is a historical fiction/love story/mystery.  Kostova takes you into the world of art, the love of it and the obsession of it.  There are four main characters.  Robert, who as a brilliant painter goes mad and tries to destroy a painting at the National Gallery.   Marlow is a psychiatrist, who treats Robert and tries to understand why this young man tried to destroy a painting.  Kate, Robert’s wife, is frustrated and confused about her husband’s act of violence.  Mary, a painter and teacher who may hold the key to this mystery.  Kostova is a very good descriptive writer.  The time period is from the late 1800 to 1999 just before the turn of the twenty-first century.  It takes you from Paris to the D.C area to North Carolina.  Kostova sweeps you off into a world of painters and sketchers and their love of the craft.  If you have a love for the arts or are intrigued by it, then you will love this book.  The author made this reviewer look for more information on the painters of that time.  The Swan Thieves is recommended for summer reads and book clubs.  Another book by Elizabeth Kostova is her first novel called The Historian.  It’s about the history of vampires and it’s a book I would also recommend.

You can find this book by clicking on the links below:

http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/

http://www.murderbythebook.com/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

Flora & Muse

Flora & Muse is a quaint bakery and restaurant located in our City Centre here in Houston.  I highly recommend both but the bakery have become one of my favorites.  They have cute garden tables where you can sit outside and enjoy a hot or cold coffee drink or tea.   I’ve become partial to their pastries.  Two of my favorites are their mini chocolate croissants and bear claws with shaves of almonds.  They are to die for.  They do small floral arrangements for those in need of something quick or for the boyfriend or husband who want to bring something nice home.  The staff is friendly, courteous and always smiling.  The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.  We mostly do lunch there.  One of my favorite items on the menu is the turkey and spinach Panini.  It has a green tomato in it that is so juicy.  It also comes with either a small garden salad or orzo salad.  I also had the salmon which is good as well.  For anyone who is lactose intolerant like I am, you will love the variety of non-dairy products they have to offer.  It is European in style and cuisine and a wonderful place for parties and get together especially for women.  So, if you are looking for a nice little escape from big city life and/or happen to be in the Houston area for a while, take a side trip to Flora & Muse.

Tron Legacy Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes

Tron Legacy Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes

True Grit

If you like westerns and you loved John Wayne back in the day, you will love this movie. Jeff Bridges did a wonderful job as the character of Rooster Cogburn hired to help a young girl revenge the death of her father. Other great actors under the fantastic direction of the Coen brothers are Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. A newcomer, Hailee Steinfeld was wonderful. Her freshness and grasp on the role of Mattie was refreshing and she fit right in with some very seasoned actors. The story is about a drunk Marshall (Bridges) and a sheriff (Damon) who helps Mattie and decides to come along reluctantly for the ride. Great acting, great story and the cinematography is great. Looking for a great feel good, humorous western then this is the movie to see.

Movie Review

Here is a movie review on the new movie called, Black Swan starring Natalie Portman.

This movie is a disturbing and psychological story about Nina who will do anything to be the perfect ballerina. She is trying out for the queen in Swan Lake. Her mother has tried to keep her in a proverbial "box" to be the perfect princess ballerina. This persona is what drives the character to do things outside of her box in order for her to play a dual good vs. evil role. The role of a lifetime. There is an intense sexual act in the movie for people who are sensitive to that type of act who may want to think twice before deciding to see this movie. The acting is wonderful and the movie will have you think twice about trying to be a perfectionist in anything you are passionate about.

Book Review

This is my first post so please be patient with me. I read this wonderful book and would like to share it. The name of the book is called, The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

If you love historical fiction mystery stories, this book will intrigue you. It starts with a four-year old girl in England who is left on ship in 1913 heading to Australia. The only thing she had on her was a white suitcase with a fairy tale book and some money. There was no identification and the little girl refused to say what her name was or where she came from. She was named Nell by a couple who found her. The story follows her incredible journey to find out who she is and where she came from. The journey started at Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast in 1900 to Brisbane Australia and Nell’s special relationship with her granddaughter Cassandra that ended in 2005. Between the two, they find mystery and a lot of answers surrounding the world of Nell and her fairy tale book. Morton writes with compassion and sensitivity to her characters. She transports you to the time period nicely and gives vivid descriptions of the time period.