Ponder Post: Books and TV

Per my ponder (not wander) posts, the most recently I've completed a book and posted about it was June 7, 2014. Yikes! Kids visited in June and I vacationed with friends in mid-July but surely I must have done some reading during the summer but I sure cannot remember what. On my recent flight home from Oklahoma City I did finish reading Dean Koontz's latest book The City and enjoyed it. When I realized the setting was black musicians in a jazz scenario, it turned me off a bit since that genre of music is unappealing to me. I admit I had to start the book twice to get into it but was glad I stuck with it. The main character is a young boy of around nine or ten and the story is told from his vantage point. It was very tense and riveting with a lot of heartwarming emotions embedded throughout and a generous sprinkling of shockers. I believe Dean Koontz to be Catholic by faith so it is odd that he authors books that could easily be made into horror flicks if adapted to the screen. Yet, in an strange way, through the sinister, the good of God, or rather the good of something, shines through in his books. I give this book a thumbs up.

Told from the point of view of a nine to ten year old boy,
this book is a thumbs up for a good read.

Having just Googled to confirm if Dean Koontz is Catholic (yes he is) I found a very interesting link to an interview with him where he is quoted as saying. 

"I often say in the short run evil wins. I've seen it all my life. Bad behavior can triumph in the short run. But, in the long run I never see that it does. I think it is more realistic to say that most of the time good does triumph over evil, even in the shorter run, but certainly in the longer runs. It's partly faith-based, but it's partly just practical, just looking at the way I've seen life for the past 60 years." 

You can read article it in its entirety at this link.   http://www.beliefnet.com/Entertainment/Books/2008/10/Dean-Koontz-interview.aspx? 

The interview is nine pages long and chock full of annoying advertisements but I thought it was worth the read. That is what I like about blogging. My research on my posts takes me down curiouser and curiouser rabbit holes.

The last book I blogged about was the Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett and I was on the library's waiting list for another book by her, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage. I recall now. I did get that book. I started it. It was awful. I never finished it. The title is an example of false advertising. It is a collection of essays and apparently the author's first marriage was not a happy one and that is what the first several essays focus on. The opening essay describes how she dreads Christmas because it recalls to her how terrible childhood Christmases were for her, and are in general for the children of divorced parents. Definitely put this on your do not read list! Thumbs down on this one!  It does not even rate a cover image in my post! :• (

And I recall I also read Tough Customer by Sandra Brown. This book was a tense page turner but I cannot say that I really liked the main characters a lot and the villain was really creepy. The hero is a seedy ex-cop turned private investigator portrayed with a to-hell-with-the-rules kind of stereotype and the love of his life is a self-made wealthy realtor. Now I realize why it took me so long to remember what I've been reading. This book is non-memorable.

This book is a mediocre page turner that at least moves quickly
 so you are not exposed to the creepy villain for very long.

I need to find some books that have suspense and romance without the gore and sordid sex! Thumbs horizontal on this one.

Frank and I have been watching Downton Abbey and really enjoying it so maybe that is a reason my reading is diminished. Since we have Amazon Prime we stream it for free. The discs are also available from Netflix. We run it with captions so we can understand what the actors are saying, but I do believe my ear it getting adjusted to the British accents. Downton Abbey has the triple S - suspense, surprises, and sex. But since it is British, it is all done very properly. Though I have noticed that when a character to whom I've grown attached dies, I am somewhat depressed the next day. Thumbs up for this TV series. Though we just started, Frank and I are almost caught up with the show. We are watching Season 4 and Season 5 starts airing in January 2015. 

How would you like to live in such a humble abode?

The series opens with the sinking of the Titanic with a critical heir on board. I now know what an entail is and how its rules on inheritance work. I am getting to savor the way m'lord and m'lady rolls off the tongue.  And, I now know the difference among a footman, a valet (pronounced val-ette), and a butler. The relationships and quandaries among the servants are as engaging as those among the lords and ladies they serve. The interactions between those who cross that master/servant societal line are slightly scandalous in their own context. It is easier to watch the shows in one fell swoop over consecutive evenings rather than once a week. It is going to be difficult to recall a TV episode from seven days ago when we start watching Season 5 in that format. Until now we are still having fun with it and I do recommend watching this series. Thumbs up!