October 2007 Books and Movies

Practical Demonkeeping
Christopher Moore

What a great book! I mistakenly thought that, as this was Christopher Moore's first novel, that it wouldn't be as good as the others (only have one more to go) I have read. I finished the last page and said to myself "What a great writer. I can't believe he just sat down and wrote that book, having never being been a published author before". Having read his latest novel about Pine Cove (The Stupidest Angel) first and then The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, I now understand so much more about the inner quirky workings of this setting. Loved the twist and turns, great characters (he should return to Augustus Brine and Gian Djinn for another tale) and fast pace. A definite must read for Moore fans and newbies alike.

Death at a Funeral

Absolutely hilarious! Great British humour, wonderfully acted, bizarro plot twists and a great way to spend a couple of hours! Appreciate the subtleties, they are worth watching again and again. I was really impressed with Alan Tudyk, he has a killer British accent and is hilarious as Simon. Go see it!

Island of the Sequined Love Nun
Christopher Moore

Started off slowly, but got better and better. I read The Stupidest Angel first, so it was interesting to see where the character Tucker Case got his beginnings. Another funny and twisted novel from Christopher Moore. He has the zanniest ideas, it's a wonder where he comes up with them. I seriously thought he was making up Yap, Truk and Micronesia, but they really do exist! Aluahu doesn't though. Beth was scary. Sarapul was hilarious. Roberto, need I say more? Read it and laugh!

Unlikely Destinations - The Lonely Planet Story
Tony and Maureen Wheeler

Let me start off by saying that I'm a huge fan of Lonely Planet guide books. They have helped me have wonderful travel experiences and have gotten me out of more than a few jams. That being said, this autobiography is very poorly written. It's voice (mostly Tony's) is poncy and it's tone is completely disjointed. I found the information interesting, but it is laid out in a really terrible way. I'll still use the guidebooks, but I'll be wary of any more novels from these authors. I think they'll lose some of the respect they have earned from world wide travelers, just because this book is so sub par.

Three Wishes
Liane Moriarty

This was a chance find at the Burlington Central Public Library. I just liked the cover. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I liked the story inside as well. Chick lit, Aussie style, with quirky characters that you actually care about. The contrived coincidences were a bit much at times and Cat's temper made my head hurt but all in all, I enjoyed it very much.

Rush Hour 3

Silly and fun. The acting was a bit forced, but what more than made up for it was the action sequences. Jackie Chan is amazing, as were many of the other fight actors. Chris Tucker is one funny guy, and I'm doubly impressed by his altruistic efforts in Africa between movies. I haven't seen 1 or 2, but now I want to, wooden acting aside.