Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice — until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.
That same night, an alchemist’s apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.
Will’s mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.
From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a luminous and magnificent novel that glows with rare magic, ghostly wonders, and a true friendship that lights even the darkest of places. ~publisher’s comments

  Except for a few grammatical errors and a pronoun slip (p92), Liesl & Po was a well-crafted piece. As far as pacing and character and setting, it was nicely executed. I was encouraged by the poetics, the metaphors engaged in talking about The Otherside, from whence Po has come and Liesl’s father has gone, but such was all the novel’s daring. It doesn’t follow with emotional depth. Perhaps that is due more to the subject of inexplicable adoration–Liesl. Is it because she is pretty, can draw, is a damsel, or that she is a dutiful daughter? Or is that she can function on so little food? 

The androgynous Po isn’t the only spoken of in spectral terms. Liesl herself is a bit ghostly; as is Will, for that matter. Mo, another character warranting attention, is haunted by a ghost, and isn’t all there himself. The whole of the world in which they live is cast in shadows, having forgotten the sun–it’s been absent that long. The journey Liesl and Po and others must take is one that restores the life they’ve each lost. Perhaps at the same time, they can lay other things to rest.

  Liesl and Po thrives on intersections. You know the fun of the film Hoodwinked! (2005) and the way the stories overlap, the connections that ultimately effect each other’s paths? It becomes a game to look out for those connections. Liesl and Po does much the same, tracing each characters progress, noting where they intersect in fun and clever ways that is sure to entertain the reader.

The narrative is 3rd person and the narrator a storyteller of sorts. The narrator is most certainly omniscient and moves effortlessly from one character to another when it is their turn. The shifts keep the characters interesting and keeps the story moving forward. My only complaint is the asides, the parenthetical. I (a lover of the parenthetical) wish the story had gone without. And then we launch into the happy ending. You knew it would all work out, no spoiler there.
>>but here is a spoiler.<<
Who else was not surprised Po’s living name was Peter. Didn’t he seem marvelously Pan-like?
>>back again.<<

It is hard to be satisfied with knowing there will be only three 90-minute episode per series, but if the time goes into craft, I will take the trade every time. Series 1 (2010) was marvelous; I mentioned that here. Those rumors that Series 2 had surpassed the first? They are completely true. Everything we adored in the first followed into the second–except for those sexy transitions, I loved those. The blocking, the focus: deep or overlay, the colors, the costuming, the sets! it was so very very lovely.

The stories were more daring. As you may or may not know, this Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss created television series places Sherlock and Watson in modern day, interpreted by and translated into present contexts. They use Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories of the Detective and the Doctor as a basis for the characterizations and the mysteries. Any skepticism about the modern take was trimmed away with this second season.

————–”A Scandal in Belgravia” directed by Paul McGuigan, written by Steven Moffat.

In episode one:  ”A Scandal in Belgravia,” we meet Irene Adler. In Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes films, our most recent reference to Ms Adler, we are introduced to a deceptively demure con-artist cloaked in the trappings of the female society. Writer Stephen Moffat’s Adler survives at the edge of polite society as well–as a dominatrix who uses information learned and pictures taken to insure her own welfare. A provocative translation; and one that works very well.

The show already jokes about the sexual nature of Sherlock and Watson’s relationship, despite Watson’s serial dating. Part of the issue is that Sherlock is hard to read. He is solitary and very much a mystery, add the fact he functions on a different level most of the time. How much is he able to emotionally tie himself to another, let alone physically respond to another?

“A Scandal in Belgravia” is deliciously wicked and beautifully complicated. Lara Pulver does a lovely job as Irene Adler, sharp and yet vulnerable, ever deceptive; sounds a bit like Sherlock, doesn’t she?

———–”The Hounds of Baskerville” directed by Paul McGuigan, written by Mark Gatiss.

Plenty have found “The Hounds of Baskerville” the weakest of the three, but “weakest” hardly means sub-par. Mark Gatiss had a challenge writing a story based upon one of Doyle’s best known mysteries. He managed to make it scary, weird, and –well, mysterious. Who knows what is actually going on. Is there really a demon-hound? Thematically, it is very well done: >>potential spoiler<<< To what ends will a supposed friend or loved one use another in their need to research, to know? >>okay<< What secrets are best kept hidden?

Where Sherlock excels is in the casting. They really are consistently good. Russell Tovey as Henry Knight created a believable character of torment and absolute uncertainty. And I loved the house they used. The sets were wonderful, not blatant in their horror (except the moors at night): a government experiment lab, a compound steeped in urban legend, a quaint village, a house strangers could see into to watch you, the wilds marked with caution signs and minefields–okay, the last is a fairly obvious horror.

————-”The Reichenbach Fall” directed by Toby Haynes, written by  Steve Thompson.

The finale, “The Reichenbach Fall” was intense. James “Jim” Moriarty hasn’t left the show’s consciousness, but he takes center stage in the 3rd episode. He is out to destroy Sherlock–and not just his reputation.

Andrew Scott as Moriarty is absolute insanity. He is so creepy with that voice. And he is so cold. The character is terrifying in how clever he is. While we’d like to think that he couldn’t outwit Sherlock, the show would suggest otherwise and persuade you very quickly to its point-of-view.

Where is the truth and which are the lies is another pre-occupation and the greatest source of the tension. The episode relies on what we know to be true, and what we think could be true. It also relies on a very definite ending, and some creepy story-telling of the Grimm-sort. There are puzzles, but the overlying question is: how can Sherlock possibly survive–let alone win?

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock has surpassed himself, and Martin Freeman as Watson is our perfectly suited avatar. Not only has Watson’s perspective been key, we rely on it so ever much more this series and Freeman is capable of the task.

If you have yet to see BBC’s Sherlock, I highly recommend it. The show generates great mysteries, interesting camera-work and effects, and a drama involving wonderful character dynamics of the the humorous, melancholic, and disturbing kind.

  In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue — Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is — she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

  During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are — and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves…or it might destroy her. ~

   Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series — dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance. ~publisher’s synopsis

publisher’s synopsis

1–Thank you those of you who have been keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers. Sean went today to sign paperwork, get introduced around, and will begin Monday morning at his new job. We will not have move (immediately if at all) and Sean will return to doing Architecture, rather than remain the Revit Specialist (a building information modeling authoring tool). While he is very much skilled in the software, supporting it, creating useful tools, and training on it, Hooray! back to Arch side of things.  So thank you for your encouragement during this relatively brief stint of unemployment.

2–My Fin Aid covered tuition. Waiting on a check to cover books. But I am back in School! Wow, never wait last minute, or switch degrees (however necessary). Anyway, I figured I should tell you because you will likely be hearing about it. Also, I may be posting less. We’ll see. I may just be that much more interesting.

So I am doing the Distance Learning at Texas Woman’s Univ. I have to take a General Studies Program, because they do not do English in undergrad. bleh. But I do get to take English as a “concentration” as well as Sociology or Women’s Studies (or both, which it looks like). Here is what I am taking this Semester,* the classes I could get into because I shouldn’t have been so last minute.

Too, to be less last minute: taking recommendations for Grad Schools in Library/Information Sciences.

*U.S. History 1492-1865 (I have to take History x2, Government x2, and a Math course–yikes!); Sociology: Principles of Sociology, I’m rusty if not completely inept with APA. I only had to use it once before; Women’s Studies: Gender and Social Change, people are just more interesting in these courses. I look forward to learning from them, even more than the textbook. Women’s Studies: Dance, Gender, & Culture, marvelous, huh?

3–Suey at “It’s All About Books” inadvertently reminded me that I have been disconnected of late.  The YA Author/Blogger/Goodreads brouhaha: a familiar conflict. You can catch up here via this very helpful blog post by Michelle Witte, who also encourages all those interested and involved to try to actually engage in more constructive dialog. She links Maggie Steifvater’s response wherein Steifvater notes The Guardian writer Julie Bertagna was a bit more excited than necessary in this article.

This is fairly suck timing because I have two books in the wings that did not fare well for me. One is a beloved YA and the other is Juvenile but written by a known YA author. Now I feel the need to construct a current disclaimer; even if I do try to articulate why the less-than-glowing response.

I am going to do the posts, I had already done my internal debates on whether I would or not. I believe my integrity demands it. Frankly, I do not trust someone who only writes raving reviews and/or skirts obvious issues. The chances of an avid reader having a great experience with every book is highly improbable if not all-out impossible. I also agree with authors in that really harsh commentary should be supported by evidence or be well-articulated in their reasoning, unless (and maybe even if) the word “opinion” in some form is clearly delineated. “Opinion” cannot be assumed on Goodreads, or similar venues; and honestly, it pulls everyone who is trying to be helpful or constructive down. Save the cute for elsewhere, or take the criticism spat back at you with a shut mouth and a wide-open gaze.

4–Sean came across this video by Abandoned Pools for their song “Mercy Kiss”. Watch for Sweets, I mean John Francis Daley, whenever he is on-screen. He is brilliant.

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[images: update icon from Icon Finder; spilled ink via GettyImages (?) tineye failed me there; avatar thanks to too much fun on Scott Pilgrim's film site]

There are a lot of 11-year-old girl heroes with pluck and wit, but Alan Bradley’s 

Was my life always to be like this? I wondered. Was it going to go, forever, in an instant, from sunshine to shadow? From pandemonium to loneliness? From fierce anger to a fiercer kind of love? (292)

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows is book 4 in this delectable series about a young girl in 1950 England with a gift for chemistry, and poisons in particular. Since book one, she has discovered an interest in sleuthing as well. Like all the previous books, murder comes to Bishop’s Lacey even as Flavia’s familial dramas continue their own shadowy descent.

It’s Christmastime, and the precocious Flavia de Luce—an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving—is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luces’ decaying English estate, to shoot a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern. Amid a raging blizzard, the entire village of Bishop’s Lacey gathers at Buckshaw to watch Wyvern perform, yet nobody is prepared for the evening’s shocking conclusion: a body found, past midnight, strangled to death with a length of film. But who among the assembled guests would stage such a chilling scene? As the storm worsens and the list of suspects grows, Flavia must use every ounce of sly wit at her disposal to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight. ~publisher’s comments.

[Yes, Agatha Christie's name surfaces within the pages and not just the mind.] The part not to be lost in the above synopsis is Flavia’s dastardly plan to ensnare Father Christmas.  It isn’t just a cute aside, because really, it is one remnant of childhood she really needs.

Would chemistry put paid to Christmas? Or would I, tomorrow morning, find a fat, infuriated elf caught fast and cursing among the chimney pots?
I must admit that part of me was hoping for the legend.
There were times when I felt as if I were standing astride a cold ocean–one foot in the New World and one foot in the Old. As they drifted relentlessly apart, I was in danger of being torn up the middle. (163)

Bradley is keen on placing Flavia in that tenuous spot between childhood and greater sophistication. He chose a perfect age. Flavia is both capable of both absolute genius and absolute ignorance. Those walls that come up in trying to decipher adult dynamics (read sexual relationships) are ever amusing. What is less amusing is how deft she is at a crime scene and in a laboratory while yet still remaining such a vulnerable figure. She hasn’t a mother, and her father is always just out of reach. Her two older sisters are a source of torment–really, it is painful. I am glad she has Dogger, the servant and friend of her father’s, because she really does need some adult to care for her, and for whom she could show care in return. And not only because she is 11 and human, but because she is becoming worn.

[After placing dry paper too close to the bulb for better light, and after catching her shoes on fire stomping out flames in the cupboard beneath the stairs:]
I was pulling on my singed sweater and scraping the toes of my smoking shoes on the floorboards when the kitchen door opened and Dogger appeared.
He looked at me closely without saying a word.
“Unforeseen chemical reaction,” I said. (228)

Dogger rarely says a word. And he has remained a bit of a mystery. We learn more in book 4; that is, more clues come to light. The relationships between many a person are given greater lighting–and in turn, greater shadow. Mysteries abide. Just who is Dogger, really? How is it the Vicar and the Colonel are friends? A key one: Why do Flavia’s sister’s hater her so vehemently, and how far with their warfare extend?

of note: I must audibly sigh over the Dogger/Flavia dynamics as well as Flavia/Inspector Hewitt. The very particular word choices that relay Flavia’s sense of the macabre continually delight. And her geeking out over chemistry?–so lovely. Her struggle with her father and her sisters also continues to wound. I really, really love what Bradley does in his Flavia books.

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I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (bk4) A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley. Delacorte Press, 2011. hardcover, 297 pages.

my reviews for: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (bk 1); The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag (bk 2); A Red Herring without Mustard (bk 3).

Carl V. at “Stainless Steel Droppings” has excellent reviews of books 1-3, and will have 4, not doubt. Use the “search” box, and go ahead and use a “subscribe” prompt while you are at it.

a sweet, very brief interview via Book Page

This week’s ‘Let’s BlogOff’ prompt is “What would I change if I could turn back time?” Returning to the beginning of this post after I’ve written it, I’ve realized I kind of meandered a bit; and yet I’ve no motivation to change it.

I think it should also be noted how I really restrained myself about the middle there.

So, as you will see, ‘Let’s BlogOff’ (in the spirit of broadening community) will pretty much let anyone join in. Check out their site, the other posts, and think about participating. And of course, feel free to answer the prompt in comments–or commiserate, your choice.

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“What would I change if I could turn back time?” Boy this ‘Let’s BlogOff’ feels relevant all the sudden. When I first read the topic, I despaired of missing another week of participation. In choosing something I would really want to change, I would be affecting something I wouldn’t really want to change. The rest of my choices were a shrug.

Well, I can say, I am really regretting not having finished my undergrad sooner. Not only for the sake of having that degree on my resume, but because I just really want to be done already. Just thinking about starting classes today makes me very tired. Some of it could be the fact my financial aid is still in process and I am sweating getting my textbooks before major assignments sting me. Another aspect is mere hours from graduating, I have had to switch schools and programs after a two year break. I’m going to have to take a Math class, and Government–bleh.

The headache I’ve now incurred is still a shrug. At least I haven’t a Master’s in Architecture and all the debt that has piled up at the door.

Saturday evening’s dinner with a couple of friends from the old office featured comfort food and sighs of regret. “If I had only known” was heard more than a few times. They would never have entered an industry that couldn’t support them, that bred this kind of uncertainty. Even if they realized that it would be years, if ever, (or a lucky strike) before they would design anything, let alone build something. Even if they knew that they would be paid nothing for their first years of work experience. All of those sleepless nights and painful critiques–it was supposed to be worth it.

It isn’t for a lack of talent that they lost their job. It isn’t a lack of passion or work-ethic that they are flailing in the profession. Nor is it an absence of “destiny.” If only. There are hundreds of reasons why my husband and friends find themselves out of work and there are none at all–nothing that should have been known.

What advice would we give our younger selves? What do we tell our daughter? How much pragmatism do we salt that treacherous walk that has become of our dreaming? How much disillusionment do we pepper that image of who, as citizens, we are supposed to become?  How broad a definition of “unfairness” should we understand at age 11–or even 17?

Natalya at the table (essentially, if not exactly) said, “I’m going to have to keep my options open. Evaluate the state of things when I’m older. No one knows how things are going to work out.” Regardless, she is going to ultimately do what she wants. She has the ego to think she can. She is affording herself the flexibility–the belief.

If I went back, I would have nothing to give and everything to take. I want that ego of a younger self.

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