Hobbes is Just a Cat, Afterall

Why do I love Calvin & Hobbes?  I really wish it was back in print!!

What the Night Knows

Dean Koontz is scary.  We all know that and accept it as a fact.  What I don't understand is why I read his books?  Sometimes they get a little "out there" and you wonder what in the world the author thinks about when he is in bed falling asleep.  Where do his ideas originate from?

This one wasn't any exception to the rule.  The main character was 14 when he lost his entire family to a sadistic, crazy serial murderer, who he ended up killing when he walked in on the ritual.  (I say ritual, because this murderer was crazy with a capital C).  That is not a spoiler alert, it actually tells you on the inside flap.  What is so scary is what happens to his family when he grows up and marries, having kids who are all special in there own way.

I couldn't sleep while reading this book.  There were alot of images of shadow people in the novel, and things seen in mirrors or out of the corner of your eye.  You know, like when you are just starting to fall asleep and suddenly think you see something but it is only a trick of your imagination.  One focus of the story was about children and animals "sensing" what adults refuse to admit to.  When the main character is at his wits end, he seeks out someone to do an exorcism, and believes a defrocked priest can help him.

The former Catholic priest, Abelard, is creepy in his own right.  He was kicked out of the church because of molesting children, and Koontz describes him exactly as you would imagine what someone who does that to children who would look like:  chain smoking with tobacco stained fingertips and hair, unwashed, and undernourished.  It really disgusted me when the priest showed John he wore two watches, one on each wrist, to explain how he handled his guilt over his own crime.  The one watch was just for telling time, like any other human would use.  The other didn't run, he merely kept it piece with the date feature set on a certain day, month and year.  He explained what the date meant, it was the last time he "sinned" with a child, which had been just a few weeks earlier.  It was to remind him of his sins.

The priest explains he can't do the exorcism because he is no longer allowed to practice, but gives him some advice:  "Abelard said, 'We don't live in Biblical times.  God doesn't appear in burning bushes and the like.  Angels no longer materialize in all their winged glory.  I think the divine has taken a few steps back from humankind, perhaps in revulsion, perhaps because we don't deserve to look directly upon holy beings anymore.  In my experience, when the divine enters the world these days from outside of time, it manifests discreetly through children and animals.' ".

Well, it is a clue to how the book ends.  As I am writing this, it is quiet in the house and dark outside.  Just mentioning this book gives me a little scare.  It doesn't help when your cat his running through the place in what appears to be playing with something I can't see (or is it someone)? 

Calvin's Day at School

Yesterday's was kind of serious, so I had to lighten it up a little with this one that made me laugh out loud.

Calvin's Deep Thought for the Day

"What book(s) would you like to see turned into a movie?"

The Crazy for Books blog introduced a new question on their blog hop.  While I don't participate by linking up, the question did immediately bring two authors to mind, whose works I adore and wish they would be made into a movie.  What books would you like to see turned into a movie?  Interestingly enough, both of the books I have in mind have had the rights purchased by the movie industry, but work is very slow and I have yet to see any production, so it's a good possibility it will never come to light.

The first one I am sure my family will agree on.  The world NEEDS to see Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum on the big screen.  We have talked about it, and her Facebook page is constantly asking who her fans would like to see play Stephanie, Manelli, and Ranger.  Oh and Bob, let's not forget about the dog!  Grandma Mazur would be the constant comedic relief, and I think we would all laugh until we cried.

Second on my list is the Big Stone Gap series by Adrianna Trigiani.  I can NOT get enough stories about this town and it's group of people, especially Ave Maria and Jack Mac.  There are many of her other novels I just love, especially "Lucia, Lucia" and the recent Valentine series, but this location in Big Cherry Holler would be the perfect setting for a love story that has it's ups and downs.  There are many of her novels that I have to ponder on after finishing, they move me that much.  I will admit that a few brought tears to my eyes at the end, but I love a great story I can immerse myself in, and I know that film goers would feel the same way if the movie was done correctly.

Now, dear family, what would you like to see made into something you could pay tons of money to see on the big screen?

Calvin as Stupendous Man

This is dedicated to Heather.  I hope Logan's super hero cape doesn't lead him astray like it does Calvin.

Girl In Translation

This was another book found on many listings and shared in different book clubs this past year, and it was a very good read.  I enjoy a good human interest story, but sometimes they can be too "wordy", when the author feels the need to over describe every little detail.  This book didn't, and the story was excellent in it's simplicity.  I liked how the author would have the main character, ah-Kim (or Kimberly, her Americanized name) would interpret what someone else was talking about in English.  She had been taught before arriving in the States, but there were still many things she didn't understand.  It made me think about what the person was saying, so it almost put me in her frame of mind, because she was also having that same difficulty.

It was a coming of age story, wrapped around the problems trying to survive in a new country, with a little lost love thrown in for good measure.  The novel fit nicely after reading the last book, which was constantly trying to get me to stop and think about my history and literature classes, so I could follow the story better.  If you are looking for what they typically call a "beach" read, something for the summer vacation, this would be a good choice.