Saturday 21 December 2013

Book Review: Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

Have you read the Stephanie Plum Books? You know, One for the Money, Two for the Dough, and on and on; I think they're up to nineteen, now.

They're really funny. The first book was so funny, in fact, that I laughed out loud so much in a restaurant that the lady at the next table asked me what I was reading, and I went out and bought all of the books before I headed into camp again. At that time I think they went up to eight. And I read one in the morning and one in the afternoon for the next four days. Laughed my ass off the whole time. Well, not all of my ass--there's still a large chunk of it hanging around today, but I'm sure that you get the idea.

Anyway, let's fast-forward a few years to a couple of years ago. I read Wicked Business, which is the first in the Lizzy and Diesel novels.

Diesel is the mysterious hunk that showed up in a couple in-between-the-numbers Stephanie books, and he's enlisted Lizzy--a girl with witchcraft in her ancestry, and the magical ability to sense magic,or something--to find all of the SALIGIA stones. Apparently they're only going to find one per novel, because they've only found two so far in the two books so far.

Without getting into too much detail because let's face it--K2 will be up any minute now and I don't have a lot of time--I'll just tell you that there is great humour, a lot of whining, a lot of kooky, annoying, evil and endearing characters, a pet (a monkey--and actually, don't tell him that I called him a pet because I think that he's probably some kind of reincarnated pshyco who'd think nothing of jumping out of the pages and wrecking my house. I mean come on--I have two toddlers. I don't need no damn monkey who thinks he's a fucking human (albeit one stuck in the when-is-he-going-to-be-fucking-four-because-three-is-making-the-terrible-twos-look-like-good-behaviour stage of life), thank-you very much! Oh, and a cat, and if they ever make this book into a movie it'll be played by that orange cat that plays the oh-my-god-what-the-fuck-happened-to-your-cat cat in all the movies that have that so-ugly-it's-adorable cat in them), and some magic. And, of course, there's that underlying sexual/romantic tension that's probably going to take nineteen--I mean seven--books to play out.

Anyway, if you've read the Stephanie Plum books, then the above probably sounds pretty familiar. Granted, Rex, the Hamster, is pretty innocuous, but don't forget about Bob the dog's hi-jinx.

Seriously, the whole time I was reading the Wicked books I got so sucked in by the whining girlie-girl who's in a situation that she's completely inept for, that every time someone called her Lizzie instead of Stephanie, I had to check the front of the book for the title. And I'd think, oh yeah. Not an SP book. Right.

Don't get me wrong, the books are still really funny, and I do enjoy reading them, but, and I'm including the SP books here, I don't have the need to rush out and buy the latest one like I used to.

If you haven't read them yet, I will recommend them as a great read, but don't be surprised when you start feeling like you do when your favourite sitcom has lost it's edge--you still watch it because it still makes you laugh, but it might sit around on your PVR for a while before you watch it. Or, in the case of this book, it might sit around on the piano for a bit before it's finished.


Sunday 15 December 2013

Step # 4: Let People In

Step number four of these eight easy steps is to let people in.

My first thought is: There is such a thing as Over-Share.

I'm going to have to ponder on this one throughout the week, I think.

Because, on the surface I agree, but life experience has taught me that sometimes it's not worth it.

Hmmm.

Sunday 8 December 2013

#9: Have a Special Shelf Where Your Child's Books Are Kept and Replaced after Careful Use.

This is from 101 Things Parents Can Do. I think number nine is an excellent thing to do for your children. I truly and honestly do. I'm not sure, however, that my reality is what the folks at Montessori had in mind. . . .

My kids have two shelves for their books. They're very special shelves. They're the bottom two shelves of one of my two bookcases. In fact, if it weren't for my new love of my Kindle, I'd be reclaiming these shelves in a super hurry. I'd still like to. I'd love to get the kids some bookcases of their own. In their own rooms.

But, every time that I think of it, I also think of how they'd have to be suspended from the ceiling and out of reach.

Space being what it is in our home, the bookcases are along the wall behind the dining room table. Easy access. Which is awesome, because my kids LOVE books. LOOOOOVE them. Which is totally awesome!

They love to read them. Well, they love it when someone reads books to them, because let's face it, they can't quite read on their own yet. Almost, but not quite.

They also love to play with books. They make great tunnels for Thomas and all his friends. They stack in really cool piles. And if you stand at the shelf, you can grab them one by one and watch them fly! K2 thinks that that's the coolest.

We now push the chairs back against the bookcases when we're not at the table. It's only a matter of time before K2 figures out how to pull them out of his way, but for now they keep the books safe.

It shouldn't be too much longer, though, before the constant reminders about how books are to be revered, respected and cared for sink in, and they can have their own bookcases in their own rooms, and I can buy more real books for myself!

Oh, wait. If I ever have time to finish reading the stack of books that are hanging out on the piano, I'll need those shelves anyway. . . .