Side Jobs: Stories from the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Rating 4 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 685 KB
Print Length: 432 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 184149920X
Publisher: Hachette Digital (April 14, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004SBMJQ0

 Side Jobs is a collection of short stories written by Jim Butcher over the life of the Harry Dresden Series. At the start of each story there is a short blurb from Butcher who talks about how the story came about, influences, and where the story sits in the Dresden world. There are some stories that were previously printed in anthologies which included a novella from Thomas’ point of view. But there were also some previously unpublished stories, including one set after the events in Changes.

Each story adds to the Harry Dresden world, insights into the main characters, and into his relationships with some of the characters. The majority also do not give away anything about what has happened in the series, however there are three stories that do. Though it isn’t necessary it would be a good idea to read this collection of stories either singularly (at the appropriate moments in the Dreseden series, each story tells the reader where in the series the stories fell) OR all of them at the end of Changes. The final story takes place after Changes and it will definitely ruin the book if you have not read it.

Most of the stories are just good fun. There is not a lot of depth or substance. But there are some with real depth, that gives real insights into the main support characters in Dresdens life. The Warrior is Michael centric; Backup is all about Thomas; Something Borrowed focuses on Billy and Georgia; and the story called Aftermath set after Changes features Karrin and Billy. These stories you really do want to read in order of the series. I actually like the Michael story the best.

The story order is as follows:
Vignette.......................Between Death Masks (5) and Blood Rites (6)
Something Borrowed.......Between Dead Beat (7) and Proven Guilty (8)
It's My Birthday, Too.....Between White Knight (9) and Small Favor (10) Heorot..........................Between White Knight (9) and Small Favor (10)
Day Off.........................Between Small Favor (10) and Turn Coat (11) Backup..........................Between Small Favor (10) and Turn Coat (11)
The Warrior...................Between Small Favor (10) and Turn Coat (11)
Last Call.....................Between Small Favor (10) and Turn Coat (11)
Love Hurts....................Between Small Favor (10) and Turn Coat (11)
Aftermath.....................After Changes

I don't really want to say anything more as I will probably give some of the story lines away. If you are a fan of the series then this collection of short stories is a must. I really did enjoy them all.

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran

Rating 4 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 853 KB
Print Length: 432 pages
ISBN: 0307588653
Publisher: Quercus (March 3, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004U4RY3S

 We all know the name, and the famous wax museum. But what do you really know about the woman who was Madam Tussuad? If your like me probably not much. In fact I didn’t even know she lived in the 1700’s during the French Revolution.I confess to not knowing much about the French Revolution. I knew it had happened, I know there was a famous mis-quote “let them eat cake”, the musical Le Miserable is about it and has some cool songs…um that’s kinda it really. So I was pleased to read this book that was set during this turbulent time of France. It was fresh and interesting perspective into the French Revolution.

The book begins prior to the Revolution with the future Revolutionaries meeting in secret in the home of Marie’s uncles home and shop which was a wax works display. We get to meet Marie (who was Groholt at that stage not Tussaud), her family, and close family friends.

I thought I might try a character interview for this review. Hope you like it.

You are a woman ahead of your times, wanting and having a career, and trying to balance a career with family. You are an amazing role model for all women. Is there anything you hope women will take away from your story? Thank you for saying that it means a lot. I never considered myself to be a role model, but I did want a different life for myself. I was very lucky with the opportunities I was given, and that I had a gift. It was not an easy path to walk, sacrifices were made. I guess the main thing I would wan't other women to take away from my story is that; the path you choose may not be easy, but if you believe and want it bad enough, you can make it happen.

You have an amazing and supporting family do you think they helped you achieve the success you achieved? Definitely, my Uncle taught me the trade of wax modelling for starters. He also kept our family a float during the worst of the Revolution. My mother was always a wonderful source of support and delicious food. Both were savvy business people in different ways.

Did you ever regret not fleeing Paris when you had the chance? Of course I did, still do. Would things have been better, or easier? probably. But I made my choice, and I chose to stay and ensure my family had a lively hood to fall back on when the Revolution was over. There is no point looking back on what might have been, I made my choices and I stand by them right or wrong.

Did you worry about playing both sides as it were? Definitely, it was literally walking on a swords edge. But it was a game we had to play, with the Revolutionaries or the Royalists would win, and we HAD to be on the winning side.

Which side were you on? That is the big question isn't it? I was friends with some of the Royals, and don't believe they deserved the end they got. But I was also friends with some of the Revolutionaries. Both sides were as bad as each other, just coming from different directions. You had the opulence, wealth and waste of the Royalty and the poverty, starvation of the Revolutionaries.

You very cleverly didn't really answer my question? At the end of the day as I said previously it was about staying in business, I was going to be on the winners side. That is all I am going to say on the matter.

There is no doubt the Revolution was full of sadness and barbarity, but you seemed to find some peaceful and beautiful moments amongst the turmoil. What was one of your best memories? Probably my time spent with Princess Lisbeth teaching her to sculpt. When I was at her chateau it was as if all the troubles and sadness of the Revolution fell away. I was in a different world. I miss Lisbeth.

What was the most surprising moment during the Revolution? It would have to be when I visited the Marquis De Sade in the Bastille. I always imagined it to be, well, like a prison. But instead it was like a hotel. They had all sorts of stuff, including pets. If they had the money then they could purchase what ever luxury their heart desired.

So give us the scoop, what was the King and Queen really like? I really don't like to say, but I liked them as people and I am saddened by what happened to them. They were good to me, my family, and our wax museum. I feel they were however mis-informed by their advisers, and kept insulated from what was really happening in Paris and France. Perhaps if they had better advisers, things would have turned out differently. They didn't deserve what happened to them.

So you were pleased with the Revolutionaries who ordered their executions were eventually tried and convicted themselves? Certainly not, some of those people were my friends as well, at least in the start. Power seemed to corrupt them. They became the very things they were fighting against. No one was a winner during this time, and no one was in the right.

To conclude, what was your biggest achievement? Besides my children? and the wax museum? I would have to say staying alive. It very nearly didn't happen. For so many it didn't happen. I lost many friends and loved ones during that period. To say I  lived would have to be a great achievement wouldn't you say?

Thank you for your time Madame Tussaud it has been a pleasure.

Extras
For more information and an excerpt of the book please visit Michelle Moran's blog.

Clarity by Kim Harrington

Rating 4 out of 5
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 239 KB
Print Length: 256 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0545230500
Publisher: Point; 1 edition (March 1, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004P5NVIO

Hi guys, for this review I am going to try a letter style review again. I hope you enjoy it!

Dear Irishyz

You are lucky I know how much you did try to book bully me into getting this book, otherwise you would be in BIG trouble. I can not believe I waited so long to read this book! I was setting it aside as a holiday read. But I wanted a bit of a change from the last few books I have read, (you know I get the jitters if I don’t get a good dose of paranormal stories) so thought I would give it a go. I blitzed this book in 24 hours, which I have not done since March when I was stuck on a plane for 5 hours.

I liked the basics of the story which focuses around Clarity (Clare) Fern who is Psychic. As you know she lives in a small American town with her mother and brother who also have gifts. I liked that her whole family had abilities, but different forms; her mother is a telepath and her brother is a medium. After a tourist is murdered Clare is brought in by the Mayor to help the new police detective solve the mystery. As the death toll rises, the pressure is on for Clare to solve the crime, and prove her brothers innocence. Phew did I miss something? I think that sums up the plot which while simple was still engaging.

Clare is a wonderful character. I instantly took to her as she is likable with a wicked sense of humour. She has snappy retorts, is quick thinking and intelligent. She is not perfect, and not “mature beyond her years”. Plus the girl likes pizza, and orders pancakes for lunch! She is a girl after my own heart. The supporting characters were all enjoyable as well, especially Clare’s family who I just wanted to adopt.

The love triangle with Clare, Justin and Gabriel felt believable and not to "teen agsty". I will be interested to see how Clare’s relationship with each guy develops over future books. Clare could easily be with either of them. Which team am I? Team Justin or Team Gabriel? As yet, I cant call which team I am on but so far I like Justin (despite his boo boo which lead to his ex status, which I personally think was a frame up!) however to be honest, I preferred Nate to Justin and Gabriel!

I really enjoyed the mystery side of it, as it was well written. It felt more like cosy style but as I like that style of writing I am not fussed. Clare, Justin and Gabriel never magically knew more then they could realistically find out, and there were limited to what her gift could show her. I guess the only quibble would be that in the real world I doubt the police would hire a 16 year old psychic, I’m sure there would be all sorts of problems with that ethically, legally and stuff BUT that would have made the story incredibly boring really, and to be honest I didn’t care enough to get upset about. I can normally guess pretty early on who the murderer is but this time I couldn’t make my mind up. The murderer was a surprise and the author, Harrington, did a good job of throwing the reader of the scent.

I really, really liked this book and I am so glad you talked me into buying it. I can not wait till the next book in the series comes out. This looks like a really promising series that is fun and light, and well written. Thanks again for letting me know about this book, I will definitely be spreading the word, and letting others know about it.

Cheers
Caspette

PS How was the Doctor Who finale?

Movie Reviews - September 2011

Water For Elephants - C
Not my kind of movie actually. For come reason I was not expecting....well....what it was. I was thinking it would be beautiful, probably quirky/funny story and with a sad end similar to Marley & Me. Not a very heavy, serious, drama. The animal abuse was so sad to watch. To be honest I found it a little to drama-y (I know not a word), and I didn't really believe the chemistry between the two main characters. However on their own Reece Witherspoon and Robert Patterson put in solid performances. The cinematography is stunning though and the imagery is lovely. I haven't read the book yet, I was waiting till I saw the movie, now I'm not so sure I want to read the book. If the more heavy drama type movie is your kind of thing you will probably love this movie. Me...not so much.

X-Men First Class - A
OMG yes you read it OMG. I loved this movie. I am glad the X-Men franchise is still going from strength to strength and each movie has been an interesting edition to the whole big story arc. To be fair I have never read the comics so cant compare. But I thought this was a really interesting prequel to the original trilogy. Lots of good story development and action. The actors were great and it was fascinating to learn where a big chunk of the characters in the earlier movies (but later story lines if you follow the time line) came from and came to be. If you liked the other movies you will probably like this one. Oh and the action and CGI are fantastic.

Hannah - C+

A clever and interesting script, with good acting but it just got a bit to slow and boring in the middle. I also felt it was hard to work up any sympathy for Hannah or most of the other characters. I dont know if it was the acting, script or directing but she wasn't really likeable or interesting.

Thor - A-

Special effects were amazing and the fight scenes were good. There was a decent story line with a moral to the story at the end. I didn't really get the chemistry between Thor and Jane, it was almost like something was cut in editing. It almost went from them just meeting to being each others one true love (with no apparent in between) and it didn't really explain their connection (dont want to say to much). It just felt a little off for some reason to me. But I still enjoyed the film. No doubt there will be a sequel.

Limitless - B
A weird sci-fi drama about a guy who takes a super drug to improve himself then finds out the down side. An interesting way of saying "dont take drugs". It was good but I wasn't riveted to my seat and was doing other stuff while watching.

Hoodwinked Too - A

This was hilarious. I laughed loudly on numerous occasions, and groaned at some of the puns, snickered at the clever references, and just thoroughly enjoyed the experience of watching this movie. The voice acting was good, the scrip wonderful, and the animation was well done. If you liked the first movie you will definitely like this one.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - B-

I was disappointed with the finale of this trilogy. It was slow and long winded. I found the main character Sam to be a whiny, obnoxious brat. His girlfriend was pretty much eye candy only, no depth to her at all, the poor actress didn't really do much acting at all. Just stood there looking beautiful and well dramatic. It just didn't seem to have the humour, interesting characters or clever writing that the previous two movies had. It did have way more swearing and robot carnage (robot "blood" pouring and spraying everywhere). Oh and dont get me started on the slow motion camera work on the helicopters, once was kinda cool but by the 4th odd time I was over it. The special effects were awesome, the action when it happened during the film was nail biting, and the last half hour of the film was great exactly what I was expecting, which is what salvaged this score to a B-.

Arthur - B

A modern remake of the 80's film of the same name (which I have not seen or recall seeing).  Russell Brand did the spoiled, rich brat really well and seemed well suited to the role. It had some funny moment and some serious moments. All in all a decent movie that I would recommend people watch. It is not the best movie in the world but it is still fun.

Old School

George of the Jungle - A
Such a silly, fun, light hearted movie. I always have a chuckle when I watch this movie. It doesnt help the Branden Fraiser is in tip top shape and half naked through most of the movie.

Coming To America - B+
One of Eddie Murphy's better 80's films. Bit dated and silly now. One of the most interesting aspects of this movie are the African American actors that appeared in this film that were yet to be like Samual L Jackson.