Getting creative with pumpkins

Stupid pears are never ripe. They hurt his teeth.

Grimm clear winner

Also how cute is he? Super Cute!

So now that I have watched both Grimm and Once Upon a Time I feel that I made the right choice. Once is trying too hard for the Desperate Housewives demographic and something about it just feels off.

A commenter said that Grimm is everything that the Dresden Files show should have been. Even to the point that there is an old beat up VW Beatle and a locket from his maternal figure. This is the show we should have gotten!

It is true that Once Upon A Time has a more innovative story line while Grimm is more of a cop drama with a twist. But it comes down to how they are done. Last night I was at a meeting and we talked about the fact that is doesn't so much matter if the plot is original, if it's not well written it isn't going to hold audiences.

Grimm has the potential of being the fantasy show that sticks. Lets hope that the friday night slot of dead does not do its worst.

Photo of the day

Get to the Chopper!

Mini Book Review: Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

I just finished reading the second last published book in this series and realized that I had not put any reviews up on the blog. So now I am going to do some short reviews of the books. Rosemary and Rue is the first book in the series and introduces us to the character October Daye and her world as a changeling.

These books are awesome because they return to the kind of magic spoken about in the original tales of fairies and fairy tales. These books really have a grip on the sense of horror and dread that those old tales brought forth. The names of the different Fae alone are so old school that I get chills.

I will say that I love this series, but the first book has some draw backs. It is the slowest of the series so far and really seems to have been a hard thing to write. At time it drags and gets boring. On the other hand I really did not guess at who the killer was until it was revealed. I mean I was kind of shocked. But once I got through this book and moved to the second one I fell in love with the series.

Tv Review: Grimm or Once Upon a Time

This coming week two different shows based on fairy tales will come out on tv.  While I will probably check both out I feel like I should hang my hat with one. But first lets talk about the differences and general plot of both.

What is with the lace one the queen's head?

Once Upon a Time features the fairy tales in their more Disney-esch world. They lived there until the evil queen cast a spell that sent all of them to our world. Cameron from House plays Emma Swan who I am putting my money down for the swan princess. Jennifer Goodwin is Snow White. The fairy tale world has magical lighting and some very standard writing. The evil queen seems to float when she marches into the main hall. Most of the promotions keep saying "from the writers of Lost" but I don't know if its the whole writing team or what. I mean are they trying to tease me with the possibilities of twists?

So far it seems pretty straight forward, they have to remember who they are and figure out how to get back to the fairy tale world. I don't know if I will be able to be interested in a story that has given me practically the first season's outline in the trailers. That isn't to say that this should couldn't pull something out of the hat. But as of now it is some where between Gilmore Girls  complexity and the Disney movies it is based on. We know from the second episode who people are going to end up with, but they are going to make us wait seven seasons to see it.

The show stands in a kind of limbo as to what kind of show it is going to be right now. It does not seem to be mystery or a suspense. But at the same time to say that it is a light hearted show would be false as well because many of the characters seem to be depressed. It has elements meant for children but all of the characters are very much adults. I am concerned about the atmosphere of the show in general. There seems to be this whimsical sense one minutes and a depressed rainy town the next. The clips I have seen online show a disjointed lighting and tone from scene to scene.

Grimm alternately is going full on adult audience. In Grimm a police officer learns that he is the last surviving descendant of the Brothers Grimm. With his blood line comes the ability to see the monsters from the fairy tales hiding in plain sight. He uses his new ability to catch these monsters and stop them from hurting people. The preview and the ads also hint that he will have a wolf as a helpful side kick.

This show does not have any actors that you are really going to recognize from anything important. This show is going for a more predictable standard of a procedural. Yet I am captivated by the show so much more. Tone alone is so universal that it has a haunting kind of theme. Even when the main character is not in the middle of hunting a monster you get this feeling a a doom hanging over him and those he knows and loves.

Yes they do give away the entire first episode in the trailer but really I am so captivated by this concept that I don't care at all. The idea of fairy tales as warning is great because it is much closer to what they were when they first came into being.

I feel like by now you can tell which direction I am swinging. I would also like to take this moment to say that Grimm knowing it has an air date after Once Upon a Time has released code for their twitter followers to watch the first episode, and put a preview on Hulu. So if you are still debating you can get a sneak peak.

Winter is coming

And these are the boots for it.

TV Review: Warehouse 13

First off, is the SYFY channel broke? I mean are they? Does anyone know what they have in terms of funds? Because lets get a few things on the table. This show has some of the worst green screen effects I have seen in a long time. Also about a third of the guest actors and several locations are the exact same as Eureka, the other SYFY show. I mean I am pretty sure that the new show Alpha's is not this bad.

At the same time the show has some really good parts. The history and the artifacts are fun. I feel like I am learning about historical people in the show even though I know the crazy artifacts are fake.

The two leads are kind of great together. The dynamic has that whole odd couple feel to it and yet they seem to have fun with each other. The tech girl Claudia is rather humorous even if they do seem to kind of push her to make more pop culture references than necessary.

The show has great potential but the low budget really get in the way.

Quote of the Day

"I'm a cat, I don't have to make sense." -Tybalt, Late Eclipses.

Book Review: Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

I am not really sure what I want to say about this book. I was super excited to get it because the end of the last book made me throw it. I think there were a lot of really fun elements that had not been in the previous books because of that fact that Dresden was a ghost the entire story. (spoiler warning) I really loved the whole thing with Uriel and that fact that Murphy's dad talks back to him. I mean I giggled for some time about that.

The sad fact is that now I am completely caught up with the entire series, so now I have to wait for the next release because there are no more for me to request at the library. Which is just very sad for me seeing as the majority of things I read are now like that.

The characters were kind of what got to me in this book. I mean there was like no Thomas at all, and I loves him and all his silly ways. I wish we had seen more of him in some way. Murphy being all paranoid kind of was depressing as well, I don't know I wanted it to be more like the fan fictions I have read (I can't believe I just said that, some one get me and MRI!) where she is at least on board with what is happening and talks to him. But she spends the entire book doubting him and I feel like she misses out on closure, but of course I also know that he is not really dead so it doesn't count.

Butters and Bob being friends on the other hand is crazy fun for lots of reasons. Molly going off the deep end is sorta not as much fun and I really wanted to  know what was happening with the Wardens. I mean I need to know what is going on with them.

Then end is what has me on the fence. This is the second cliff hanger ending in the series. I am just not sure if I am a fan of putting tension that the end of the books this way when it was never done before. I mean most of the early books wrapped up with either something funny or sort of a thought provoking idea. But this mid action stop is different, and it makes me crazy because I really want to know what happens next. I mean I am freaking out just a bit, which I suppose is better for Mr. Butcher because I now stalk his website but It makes me twitchy when there is a cliff hanger end.

I loved the book, don't get me wrong I finished it in about a day. But I am sad that I have to wait now. Also it was sorta of weird to have a book where Dresden wasn't really able to be Dresden.

Quote fo the Day

“Star Trek?” I asked her. “Really?”
“What?” she demanded, bending unnaturally black eyebrows together.
“There are two kinds of people in the universe, Molly,” I said. “Star Trek fans and Star Wars fans. This is shocking.”
She sniffed. “This is the post-nerd-closet world, Harry. It’s okay to like both.”
“Blasphemy and lies,” I said.


-Ghost Story, Jim Butcher


Just finished Ghost Story, review to come shortly.

Book Review: Dark Taste of Rapture by Gena Showalter

Those of you that read this blog (of which there is one) will know that a few months ago I reviewed the previous book in this series.  The alien huntress series to be exact. I think I pointed out that the end was a bit of a cop out. And I would like to say that I hold to that statement because it is clear to me that Showalter can write endings where a near all powerful father doesn't appear out of no where to help the main characters.

This book is about Noelle and Hector in the alien force. I was kind of surprised when that pairing was said because during Ava's book it was hinted at that she might sleep with him but it seemed weird. It seemed like he didn't care. I don't really know because that time line might have been tampered with. The issues is I am not sure how much of that invading alien parasite group was wiped from everyone's memories when McKell's daddy zapped them away. Or did he not do the magic mind trick? See I forget these things. Because I feel like they should have at some point talked about the aliens seeing as they were the main bad guys and plot of the last handful of books.

Anyway Hector can make his arms into human torches, which sounds awesome but has some bad stuff attacked to it because he is not super great with the control. I really enjoyed the ending and how it worked his powers and the big issue of the plot into the finale.

On the other hand there was this big deal that Noelle didn't have pain receptors but it like barely came up. Although it was hinted at that it made sexy time hard on her she seemed fine in all the scenes. I guess I wanted a scene where Hector had to work extra hard to make her happy. But that's me.

Of the alien huntress series this one had the best consistency of character actions and plot moment. It had the least aliens which I find odd given the name of the series but I figure every series does not have the same intensity in each book.

I was glad when Hector stopped shaving his head because I find it really hard to get into a bald guy. Because I mean how hot is that cover art? Smoking right? And I didn't really want to spend time trying to figure out how he would look like with no hair. I like my men with luscious hair, you should see my boyfriend's hair.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I have liked some of Showalter's work more but this one was about in the middle. I don't love this series the same way I love Lord of the Underworld.

Extend the Cleavage Department

The Escapist : Zero Punctuation : Gears of War 3

Book Review: Undead and Unreturnable by Mary Janice Davidson

I have seen these Queen Betsy novels at the library for a while. So the other weekend I got one of the books on tape for a car ride home. I still am unsure as to if it had a plot. I mean I think it had a plot. Books have to have plots. But I can't tell you what it is, or if the climax was the scene where some one's head got caved in.

The main character is beyond annoying and I can't figure out why the guy likes her because she seems to slightly drive him insane. Frankly I don't know why anyone puts up with her. And yes I understand that this is "chick light" but its bad. I don't know what it was but I just couldn't care about her problems. Most of them where her fault and she seems really annoying.

I got the next book for my last drive as well and ended up stopping it about three chapters in to listen to my iPod instead. She was being stupid. I have no other way to describe it. I don't know if I should be writing a review while only half awake but my point is the main girl seems to be the stupidest person in the room and yet everyone loves her. BOOO THAT.