Single Mother on the Verge

This is kind of an intermediate review since I'm only about a quarter of the way through the book and I suppose there are lots more pages to go. But I really am having such an enjoyable read that I thought it was worth mentioning it now.

I have to admit that I had put off reading this as I was concentrating on books that fit more into the fantasy genre for a bit of much needed escapism and fun. I have enjoyed the more biographical titles in the past but I guess I have to be in the right mood.

Anyway, I wish I'd got in the mood for this book sooner; it's funny, interesting, and written in a really accessible (couldn't think of a less pretentious word) style. It's so easy to read, it's almost like each word is carrying so much meaning and imagery that a few sentences are enough to complete make you feel like you're there.

I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wants a witty, interesting, and above all fun read!

I should of course state (as mentioned in a previous post) that a friend of mine actually knows the author (Maria Roberts) and was actually there at the launch event in Manchester so I guess I am ever so slightly biased.

The Prophet Murders

I've been meaning to post about this book for ages but haven't got round to it. Now I have a bit of time I thought I would write a few paragraphs about it.

The Prophet Murders (Wikipedia entry, listing on Amazon) is written by Turkish author Mehmet Murat Somer, and has been translated into English. At first I thought there were a few things that seemed a little quirky about the translation, just odd phraseology, but I got over them and it could be more about the writing style than a difficulty getting it into English.

The main character in the book is a transvestite, owner of her own club and computer whizz. The murders obviously take place among the trans community and this provides the backdrop for the book. From the summary on the back of the book I thought that this was all going to be over-the-top with many outfit changes and ridiculous stereotypes, but it's not. Ignore all the glib sales-speak, the story is interesting, well-paced, and covers the characters honestly.

What I found particularly fascinating was the setting for the book; Turkey, a Muslim country with, if the depiction is to be believed, a very tolerant attitude to trans people. I wouldn't go as far as to say that the transvestitism/transexuals are fully accepted but it shows that they seem to be something like an accepted 'evil' in some ways. Whatever you may feel about the views portrayed in the book it's interesting to see a possible viewpoint of a different country/religion/culture.

One thing the book explains to me is why I get so many friend requests on FaceBook from guys in Turkey and similar countries!

I have the second book, The Kiss Murder, which I will get onto reading when I get through my current stack of books. Based on the experience of The Prophet Murders I'm looking forward to an interesting and exciting read and I would highly recommend this author and this series of books.

Angels and Demons

I went to see this last night with a friend of mine and I thought I'd write a few words of review though I suspect the subject has already been extensively covered on blogs, Twitter and every other concievable online facility known to man/woman/child/and small furry creatures!

The Da Vinci Code caused alot of controversy, this film does not seem to have achieved that same affect though has been equally hyped up so I would expect it's going to be a big hit no matter what! And too be perfectly honest, I think that would be a well-deserved outcome. In my opinion both films are very entertaining, enjoyable, well-made, and certainly keep your attention. I can't remember how long Da Vinci Code was but this one is apparently over 2hrs and it does fly by.

I think Dan Brown (and these films) have recieved alot of criticism which, apart from the religious angle, has really seemed to centre on the technical merits of the writing, the style, the plots, and the over-hyping of something that some would argue is seriously lacking in many ways. Fine, these flaws may be perfectly justified and even I wouldn't argue that these are great works BUT, it is VERY good entertainment. These are films you can watch, they are gripping, they keep you guessing a little but the relevaltion at the end does not diminish the enjoyment of the ride to get there; these are films you can watch again and still enjoy.

A word of warning however: Da Vinci Code did have some very brief scenes that were violent or a little shocking but nothing that would cause me too much concern. Angels and Demons, however, is quite gruesome and there were several points where I had to look away. The film is a 12A but I would have argued it might be more appropriate to be a 15 based on these scenes and the overall context in which they occur. I know that some of these images are probably no worse that the mock-horror of films like Indiana Jones but here it is quite disturbing.

I should also mention that anyone who is remotely technical/geeky or a particle physicist would do well to prepare themselves for the absolutely garbage science in this film. If you know anything about Dan Brown it should not surprise you, he doesn't seem to let facts get in the way of a good story. There really are some hideous liberties taken here! I managed to fight the urge to leave when the psuedo science reached a peak, I expect I will have to fight that response even harder if they ever do a film of "Digital Fortress" (which features some truely ridiculous computer-related non-sense).

Anyway, a good night was had by all, I'd highly recommend this film.

I just checked and I didn't mention anything about seeing the new Star Trek movie last weekend. Sorry but I'd have to say that is rather justified, the film was a bit disappointing for me, pretty standard stuff, nothing new or impressive and the same old, tired time-travel and parallel universe plot. I expect the sequel, if there is one will be a great improvement, it can hardly be much worse than this one.

Indiana Jones and something or other

I decided to go and see this film for two reasons, one was simply that I thought it would be good and the other was that it gave me an excuse and purpose to go out as Fiona and would mean that was twice in one (long) weekend that I could claim to have had the courage and ability to get out and about.

So, first a mini-review of the film followed by more about the clothes I was wearing and the obligatory picture of me :D

Well, I can see why alot of the critics have slammed the film, there are some aspects of it that are pretty disappointing. On the other hand they were never going to be able to fully re-capture the magic of the original films and at least they didn't try and try and set everything at the same point in time, they did move things on a bit and there didn't seem to be any attempt to hide the obvious ageing of the characters, e.g. Indiana had grey hair.

The plot twists were obvious in many ways though I was surprised to see Indiana's love-interest in the film as I wasn't expecting her - however there are plenty of downloadable pictures on the official website featuring this character so I guess I just hadn't done my research.

The action scenes were pretty good but as has been commented before, the thing with the monkeys was stretching credibility just that little bit too far. The fighting was also I little unrealistic as well given the relative ages of Dr Jones and the Russian Soldier who he beat unconscious.

The pace seemed fine and I certainly wasn't looking at my watch or getting bored at any point. Also some of the 'scary' parts of the film did manage to carry some level of suspense and the creepy crawlies where pretty, well, creepy!

Now the plot was obviously similar in form to the other films, i.e. not too complicated and with an obvious conclusion and "they all lived happily ever-after ... apart from the bad guys" ending. I'm in two minds about the subject of the plot though, the explanation for the crystal skulls and what happened when they were returned. On one hand it feels like too much of a departure from the originals but on the other I guess the subject matter does need updating a bit and I can see how it all fit with the era in which the film was set.

So overall I'd say it's an enjoyable enough film, not as good as the originals but still good fun. If you've got a decent TV at home then probably okay to wait until it's available on DVD.

Onto more important subjects; clothes! Well, I'm still not getting round to taking decent pics of the outfits that I'm wearing, I'm just being lazy and using my phone's camera instead so I'll have to describe what I had on: skinny (ish-more like 'tight') jeans, black boots, white top.

I've been invited out to see Sex and the City this Friday and I'm hoping this will be another Fiona outing, if it is I will really try and get full pics of whatever I wear (debating about a skirt for this one).