Cursed Land - MTG 4E

Sense and Sensibility (1981 TV Miniseries)

When I popped this into the blurayer player to watch it with Mrs B, we both thought it was going to be another movie version like the 1995 version. So imagine our surprise when up popped a menu with Episodes 1-7. We looked at each other and immediately decided to watch just one episode a night.

We made the right choice.

I can’t say this was a horrible production, but one episode a night was all we could handle. It was from the BBC and they used their usual cast of ugly people. Why the BBC makes these kind of choices is beyond me.

In many respects this felt like a stage play instead of a movie. The actors spoke their lines to each other instead of having conversations naturally. Even how they moved and their body language felt like they were posing. It was uncomfortable to watch and wasn’t something we looked forward to.

We came to Friday night and had 3 episodes left. We were planning on watching our usual one episode and double up on Saturday. I had eaten two eclairs and the sugar coursing through my veins gave me an unparalleled amount of fake courage. With Mrs B’s blessing, we powered through the final 3 episodes. The series ended with neither of the Miss Dashwoods actually being married, nor even engaged. It was all implied that it was going to happen. Which given the whole issue is that Willoughby didn’t give his word to Marianne, seems to go against everything they were trying to show. It was a very anticlimactic ending.

We were both happy it was over and I have zero interest in ever rewatching it. Not a terrible experience but this version is not one I’d ever recommend anyone ever watch. I wish I could have kinder, more positive things to say, but I can’t and I don’t. I don’t even want to go into more details, sigh.

Shelf Control: Warlock Holmes

Shelf Control is a weekly “feature” (?) hosted now by Mallika from Literary Potpourri.

The gist seems to be to pick a book or series on your TBR shelf and write about it as a way to get you to either read it or toss it in the eternal battle of trying to trim our TBR’s. This month I chose the Warlock Holmes series by Gabriel Denning. Here’s the blurb from the first book, A Study in Brimstone:

Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius. Warlock Holmes is an idiot. A font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart companion. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.

I saw this when it came out in 2016 but I had just begun my “Don’t start a series until it is finished policy” and so I was determined to wait until the series ended. As each book came out, I made sure I had access to them and added them to my TBR pile, but never read them. I had high hopes though, as Denning was pumping them out one a year and in 2020 released the 5th book, The Finality Problem. Apparently, it ends in a massive cliffhanger and left fans drooling for more.

And here we are, three years later, with nary a word nor a peep nor even a hint from the author that he has any inclination or monetary carrot to carry on. This series has been on my TBR since 2017 when Mogsy from Bibliosanctum reviewed it.

Since this has been the first book on my Long TBR, and it has been 6 years, I have come to a decision. Either Denning gets his backside back in the game and puts out the next, and it better be the FINAL, book in 2024 or I’ll just wipe this series from my Calibre TBR Library. There are too many books for me to mess around with some author who doesn’t have his head screwed on right any more.

Now that’s Shelf Control! No messing around, no excuses, no mercy. Just Pure Sweet Bookstooge Justice, meted out with an iron fist!

~Pow~ ~Bam~ ~Biff~ ~Sock~ ~Kapow~

Double Z (The Shadow #11) 3.5Star

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPresss & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Double Z
Series: The Shadow #11
Authors: Maxwell Grant
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Crime Fiction
Pages: 188
Words: 60K

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Good stuff. As I noted at the beginning of the month:

Currently Reading Cover Love: Double Z

I really liked the cover. We will see what else the month holds, but I suspect this will earn that coveted (oh so coveted!) award of Cover Love of the Month. Doesn’t get much more honorable than that, let me tell you!

The story itself was pretty good too. We get another “Agent” of the Shadow introduced. At this point I’m not even trying to remember who is who, I just read “Character Agent X” and nod my head and continue reading. The Shadow faces off against an old Chinese guy who has a booby trapped house and that was pretty cool. Sadly, Old Chinese Guy isn’t Double Z. He should have been though. He has the booby trapped house. He has poisons. He has a young protege. He has underworld connections. So of course Double Z turns out to be some disgruntled, too rich, businessman. It was kind of anti-climactic to find out it was him. I mentally went “Really, that guy? He’s not even oatmeal, much less Villain of the Month Flavor”. Thankfully, I got all the flavor I needed with Old Chinese Guy. Soy sauce baby!

Another successful entry in the Shadow series. I recommend this series if you like pulp stories.

★★★✬☆

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From Bookstooge.blog

Double Z, a mysterious underworld figure, has leaked information to the police about people who are going to get killed. Now he has decided to move into the game himself, thus setting himself on a collision course with The Shadow. Utilizing the services of corrupt old chinese triad leader, Double Z intends on being the one to survive that collision.

In the end, Double Z is unmasked as a bored businessman with too much time on his hands and not brains in his skull. The Shadow and his servants prevail and Right is Victorious.

• All of My “The Shadow” Reviews

The Devil’s Hand (Terminal List #4) 3Stars

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Devil’s Hand
Series: Terminal List #4
Author: Jack Carr
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Action/Adventure
Pages: 466
Words: 138K

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James Reece takes on embedded terrorists, a manufactured super plague and a senator who wants him dead. He overcomes all and saves the day. What a surprise! I was totally shocked.

While I had nothing in particular against this book, or even this series, I am just not THAT into fiction written by or about special forces. Too detailed and specs out the wazoo that don’t mean a thing to me as a casual reader. I’ve given this series four books and that’s enough of my time.

I didn’t particularly care about the story and nothing about Reece makes me want to stay along for the ride. He’s no longer terminal, he’s past losing his wife and daughter and he’s moved on. Now he’s just a special forces guy. And I like Mitch Rapp better, even the version written by Kyle Mills. So adios Reece, time for the door to hit you where the Good Lord split you.

★★★☆☆

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From OfficialJackCarr.com

follows former Navy SEAL James Reece as he is entrusted with a top-secret CIA mission of retribution twenty years in the making.

It’s been twenty years since 9/11. Two decades since the United States was attacked on home soil and embarked on twenty years of war. The enemy has been patient, learning, and adapting. And the enemy is ready to strike again.

A new president offers hope to a country weary of conflict. He’s a young, popular, self-made visionary…but he’s also a man with a secret.

Halfway across the globe a regional superpower struggles with sanctions imposed by the Great Satan and her European allies, a country whose ancient religion spawned a group of ruthless assassins. Faced with internal dissent and extrajudicial targeted killings by the United States and Israel, the Supreme Leader puts a plan in motion to defeat the most powerful nation on earth.

Meanwhile, in a classified facility five stories underground, a young PhD student has gained access to a level of bioweapons known only to a select number of officials. A second-generation agent, he has been assigned a mission that will bring his adopted homeland to its knees.

• All of My “Terminal List” Reviews

Hedges 4Stars

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Hedges
Series: ———-
Author: Jerry Jenkins
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Christian Self-help
Pages: 173
Words: 50K

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Part One was warning stories and showing how even good Christians can be taken unaware. It was nothing new to me but was a very good reminder of how little things can be turned into big things, so stop them when they are still little.

Jenkins also talks about what the Bible says about protecting your marriage. It came across like he was writing to people who had never read the Bible. Which I guess, sadly, is the case in too many Christian’s lives. I found myself repeating “Well duh, of course the Bible says that.”

Finally, in part one, he talks about how people willfully blind themselves to their actions and the consequences of those actions. He points out how much damage is done by people just doing what they want instead of what they know they should.

Part Two is where he discusses some of the hedges he has planted over the years in his life (he was about 40 when he originally wrote this). He outlines why he did each one and references earlier warning stories to show where the lack of a hedge leads to.

I found almost everything he wrote about were things I was already doing. Whether from my upbringing and training in the KCM church or my own innate inability to be around people long term, I was doing and had been doing, since my early 20’s. Most of it seemed like common sense to be honest, but once again Jenkins seems to be writing to people who have never thought about the subject. I guess I was hoping for something new and startling. That’s the problem with a lot of these Christian books, they are talking to the lowest common denominator and I wanted more. Of course, living the way I have, and do, has saved me from so much trouble and problems. I need to be thankful for that blessing.

It was a good refresher course though, to be reminded to keep on cultivating those hedges and to not let them wither and die away. Jenkins also talked about some of the positive, proactive hedges he has put in place, like remembering the good times and spending enough time together. Some hedges are passive while others require an active participation on our part. I was glad to read those bits.

The Final Part was dealing with with families with kids and some of the things a father can and should do regarding their kids to prepare them for their own marriages.

This was a very personal and personable book. Jenkins unapologetically makes his statements to men. This is a book by a man, about men, for men. It took me back at first, as we’re so used to things being for everyone nowadays, but it was refreshing. Men need to be active in their relationships and they need advice tailored to them. It is why mentoring is so important.

Overall, this was a good book but it did not have as much “new to me” info as I was hoping. A solid 4star book and one I would highly recommend to any man, the younger the better. It also adds a notch to my Non-fiction belt. I’m pretty proud of that fact.
~does the Rocky victory lap~

★★★★☆

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From Bookstooge.blog

Table of Contents:

Part I:

1: Tangled Web

2: Changing Climate

3: Don’t Blame God

4: Dynamics of Flirtation

5: Biblical Basis for hedges

6: Power of Self-Deception

Part II:

1: Two’s Company, Three’s Security

2: Touchy, touchy

3: Some Compliments Don’t Pay

4: Memories

5: Quality time vs Quantity time

Part 111:

1: Everybody loves a love story

2: When victory comes

Stalking the Vampire (John Justin Mallory #2) 3Stars

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Stalking the Vampire
Series: John Justin Mallory #2
Author: Mike Resnick
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 223
Words: 74K

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Not bad but not great. Mallory runs around Manhattan on Halloween trying to track down a specific vampire. I was hoping that his partner, the old lady who was a hunter, would be part of the story, but aside from getting bit in the neck and hunting with a pack of trolls, she’s not really involved.

There is a funny side character who writes detective novels and he’s always trying to solve the case like his character would. But he gets to find out, along with us the reader, that detecting work is one big slog. There’s no excitement.

Resnick seems to have been an Idea Guy and I think that much like Asimov, if he had stuck to short stories he could have done very well. But writing a novel is a very different beast and while Resnick didn’t suck at it, he still wasn’t that good. Sometimes his ideas carried things, like Santiago, but here, JJ is barely an idea. And it is a slog.

Nothing is bad, it’s just not really good. That seems to be Resnick’s style and I think I’m accustomed to it.

★★★☆☆

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From Bookstooge.blog

Mallory’s partner, the hunter lady, has her nephew come visit. He ends up biting her in the neck and it’s revealed that he has been bitten by a vampire and is in the process of turning into one. He disappears so he won’t snack any more on his dear old aunt and it’s up to Mallory and the Gang to find him and help cure him. They find him, dead. So now they have to find the vampire that turned him and then get rid of it somehow. They do, to both. The End.

• All of My “Mike Resnick” Reviews

Crystal Rod - MTG 4E

Angel in the Rain

I am tired and worn out and the week has barely begun. Whooh boy, it’s going to be a long 8 weeks until New Years.

Sense and Sensibility (1995 Movie)

Wow. Just wow. I am pretty wow’ed at the moment. But let me explain, because it does take a bit of explaining, especially with how I’m going to describe things in the following paragraph.

The Book, a fully fledged beautiful woman in flowing period gown. She swishes, she glides, she sits, she pours your tea with aplomb and brings a glow to every room she enters. The 2008 TV Miniseries is a painting of that woman. Beautiful and wonderful and as it hangs on your wall, it brings back wonderful memories of the woman herself. This 1995 Movie is a skilled impersonator. You know it isn’t the Lady herself, but she looks like her, acts like her and carries off her manner and attitudes so that from across a room you could fool yourself into thinking it is her.

Now I realize that might sound like a slur, but in reality, it is the highest complement I can give. This movie has the very bones of Austen’s novel. It has the heart and soul of it. Most of the changes were excisions and I was fine with all of the changes. Why I was ok with the changes in this movie I do not know, but it worked, and it worked very well.

I am sure that some of my comfort with this movie was the amount of actors that not only did I recognize but recognize as very good actors. Kate Winslet was perfect as Marianne. I’m sure part of that was her actual youth (she was a mere 19 at the time) but she also simply brought a very real energy to the role. And yet she didn’t steal the movie. There were too many other wonderful actors. Emma Thompson as Elinor. Hugh Grant as Edward Ferrars. Oh, Hugh carried off the “awkward and stilted” Edward to a t. It was like he had a pebble in his boot and a thistle in his britches. It was exactly as I imagined Edward to be. Then we come to Alan Rickman, playing Colonel Brandon. What an understated performance. In this version, I’d like to mention one of the side characters. Hugh Laurie plays Mr Palmer, a very minor character even in the book. He was a cold, self-centered man and he starts out that way in the movie. He has a silly wife and is either silent or speaking very cutting remarks. But as Marianne’s sickness progresses, Laurie manages to convey a deep well of sympathy and humanity in just a scene of 30 seconds. I just had to nod my head in admiration.

I have to say, I enjoyed this way more than the miniseries. It felt like a perfect movie and it swept me along. I’m extremely happy to have watched this. Now I have to live with myself knowing I’ve got two more movies to watch and neither of them are this one. Mercy on my soul….