Candy's Raves (and Rants)

What a fun book! I’m a Koontz fan, but I was expecting this. Yes, it’s still slightly creepy, but more than that, it’s funny – and a much needed break from reality during this crazy time of the year for us accounting nerds. Great, quick read that keeps you wanting to turn the pages. I read all 500+ pages in 2 or 3 days.

I was surprised by the level of humor and I love the way it was written, like a memoir. Very well done!

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FROM THE PUBLISHER
With his bestselling blend of nail-biting intensity, daring artistry, and storytelling magic, Dean Koontz returns with an emotional roller coaster of a tale filled with enough twists, turns, shocks, and surprises for ten ordinary novels. Here is the story of five days in the life of an ordinary man born to an extraordinary legacy–a story that will challenge the way you look at good and evil, life and death, and everything in between.

Jimmy Tock comes into the world on the very night his grandfather leaves it. As a violent storm rages outside the hospital, Rudy Tock spends long hours walking the corridors between the expectant fathers’ waiting room and his dying father’s bedside. It’s a strange vigil made all the stranger when, at the very height of the storm’s fury, Josef Tock suddenly sits up in bed and speaks coherently for the frist and last time since his stroke.

What he says before he dies is that there will be five dark days in the life of his grandson–five dates whose terrible events Jimmy will have to prepare himself to face. The first is to occur in his twentieth year; the second in his twent-third year; the third in his twenty-eighth; the fourth in his twenty-ninth; the fifth in his thirtieth.

Rudy is all too ready to discount his father’s last words as a dying man’s delusional rambling. But then he discovers that Josef also predicted the time of his grandson’s birth to the minute, as well as his exact height and weight, and the fact that Jimmy would be born with syndactyly–the unexplained anomal of fused digits–on his left foot. Suddenly the old man’s predictions take on a chilling significance.

What terrifying events await Jimmy onthese five dark days? What nightmares will he face? What challenges must he survive? As the novel unfolds, picking up Jimmy’s story at each of these crisis points, the path he must follow will defy every expectation. And with each crisis he faces, he will move closer to a fate he could never have imagined. For who Jimmy Tock is and what he must accomplish on the five days when his world turns is a mystery as dangerous as it is wondrous–a struggle against an evil so dark and pervasive, only the most extraordinary of human spirits can shine through.

First, I’ve seen the movie so this may be a biased review. My biggest problem with the movie is that it took so many liberties with what happened onboard the Andrea Gail, things that no one has any way of knowing. I always felt cheated and that it was “dramatized” for our entertainment, kind of a thing.

I picked up the book because I did enjoy the story. I do remember the storm, although just barely, it was pretty big weather news. I like that the author’s note in the front explains why he writes it in the manner he does. He does explain that they just don’t know. But he does say that he took liberties and why he took them. Even then, the book is so much better than the movie. It goes into detail about the fishing industry, the evolution of the industry as well as how it is done.

It also goes into detail about the storms, how the boats are built to survive the storms and what the downfalls are of those that go down. The story is pretty gripping. He did a good job of making the characters seem real (they were real, after all!). I will say that some of the explanations really went over my head and I had to re-read more pages than I care to admit to understand it.

Overall, worth a read… I always enjoy hearing about “nature’s fury” so this was interesting to me!

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FROM THE PUBLISHER
It was the storm of the century—a tempest created by so rare a combination of factors that meteorologists deemed it “the perfect storm.”

When it struck in October, 1991, there was virtually no warning. “She’s comin’ on, boys, and she’s comin’ on strong,” radioed Captain Billy Tyne of the Andrea Gail from off the coast of Nova Scotia. Soon afterward, the boat and its crew of six disappeared without a trace.

The Perfect Storm is a real-life thriller, a stark and compelling journey into the dark heart of nature that leaves listeners with a breathless sense of what it feels like to be caught, helpless, in the grip of a force beyond understanding or control.

This is one of those books I keep meaning to read, but well, the movie came out, so…

I think we all know the story of Enron. I’m an accounting nerd so the story of Enron has always intrigued me. The lack of integrity of the accounting people involved had to be huge. This can be done by one person, it’s a team effort. I remember in accounting class (this was back in the 90s before the Enron scandal) the topic of Mark to Market accounting came up and the professor glossed over it, basically just said it was “magic” accounting based off of projections that were “plucked from thin air”. I don’t know why I remember that, but it always stuck in my head.

I’ve seen my fair share of creative bookkeeping, cleaned up more than one mess, but I cannot even fathom what must have gone on between Enron and Arthur Andersen.

Anyway… the movie. I have to say that the “sound track” kept me giggling a little. Very well done documentary. It did a good job of telling the story and explaining it so that a lay person can understand it. I think that is the biggest hurdle for people is understanding what went wrong in Enron and how it happened so quickly.

The worst for me was thinking about the 20,000 employees that got screwed out of their retirement. One guy in there sold his 401k that had been worth $348,000 for $1200. Can you imagine?

I was also struck by the connection to the Bush family and the fact that Arnold “The Terminator” was in a meeting (amazingly enough there are no notes from this meeting). Connect the dots, eh? I walked away feeling bad for Gray Davis. I guess I never really connected those dots myself until now. Enron basically forced him out of office.

Anyway, very interesting… I really like documentaries, so I am biased, but this one was really well put together.

Ken Lay and Jeff Skillings trials are set to start on Monday, January 30, 2006.

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Description:
Based on the book of the same name by Peter Elkin, director Alex Gibney’s documentary takes a behind-the-scenes look at the powerful energy company whose downfall forever changed the landscape of the business world. With a blend of fascinating footage, fast-paced interviews and a wealth of information, this film is a serious lesson in the potential trappings of dishonesty and unethical behavior dogging corporate America today.

This was a really good, heartfelt book. Good overall story and a pretty quick read.

I grew up near the Edisto so it’s kind of neat to read books that are set in the lowcountry of South Carolina. Reminds me of where I grew up.

Having said that, I was irritated several times by this book. The over-use of “yanh” made me want to throw the book across the room. Yes, people say “yanh”, but not nearly as much as the author uses it in the book. There were several phrases like that that made me want to give up on the book – come on, now… “yer mammer”??? Gimme a break!

I will still look for this books for this author and hope she grows out of this overuse of the lowcountry dialect.

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Description:

From Publishers Weekly

A follow-up to Frank’s debut novel, Sullivan’s Island, this colorful contemporary romance effortlessly evokes the lush beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry while exploring the complexities of family relationships. When Caroline Wimbley Levine learns that her mother, Miss Lavinia, has supposedly gone mad, she leaves the big city bustle of Manhattan and returns to Tall Pines Plantation. Caroline originally left Tall Pines to escape her feisty, eccentric mother and her drunken brother, Trip, but when Miss Lavinia dies, Caroline is forced to come to terms with her family’s troubled history as well her failing relationship with her husband. As Caroline reminisces about her past rebelliousness and her childhood, she realizes that her father’s sudden and tragic death many years before served as a catalyst for the family’s disintegration. Caroline and Trip also learn that their seemingly selfish and self-assured mother was not so uncaring after all. While most of the story is told from Caroline’s point of view, journal entries written by Miss Lavinia open several of the chapters, providing the narrative with additional texture and warmth. Although the novel is short on plot, readers will enjoy immersing themselves in the lives of these deftly drawn, heartfelt characters.

I will admit that I wasn’t sure if I really liked this movie until a couple of hours after watching it. It’s pretty deep – “The Constant Gardener” is a play on words it took me a while to “get”. It moves very slowly and is dark and humorless, for the most part.

But, I did end up liking it. Very sad, very timely and will make you think. The book never interested me, I may pick it up one day… who knows… but the story was told well and the actors did a really great job. It’s pretty heavy politically, but also has a little bit of a love story – a man who gets to know his real wife, but only after she’s dead.

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Description:
Based on John le Carré’s best-seller, this tale of political intrigue centers on Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes), a member of the British High Commission based in Nairobi. When his wife (Rachel Weisz) is murdered, Justin refuses to leave the matter to his superiors and begins his own investigation. Not even the rumors of his wife’s affairs will stop him from uncovering the truth — a conspiracy much larger and more dangerous than he’d imagined.

Go ahead, make fun of me… but I rented this one because Steven Strait was in it… god, he’s total jailbait, but he was do darn cute in Sky High

The movie was “okay”… teenage pop type of thing, but it had some excellent music in it (well, except Ashlee Simpson – that family needs to stop singing/acting/etc). Worth a watch if you want something mindless or have a teenaged daughter.

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Description:
Aspiring model Brier (Pell James) takes her shot at Hollywood stardom in this romantic comedy. With the support of her agent (Carrie Fisher) and an acting-class friend (Ashlee Simpson), Brier’s on her way, and when she meets struggling musician Luke (Steven Strait), she can’t resist helping him out by inventing a little career-boosting publicity. Luke becomes the next big thing, but will it tear him away from something far better than celebrity?

Very cute little children’s book. Yes, I know, I’m probably the only person in America over the age of 18 that hasn’t read this book. I enjoyed the writing and the characters although I felt something was missing from the story in several parts. It was kind of like [this happened] ? [this happened]. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’ve read so many indepth novels as an adult. I think as a 13 year old, I would have adored it… it was very cute though and I’m so glad I finally read it.

Okay, now for the confession… the only reason I finally tracked down this book to read is because of Lost – yes, the television show. There is a scene where Sawyer is reading it and I’m convinced it has something to do with why they are on the island… depending on your interpretation, it could or couldn’t. I believe the whack-jobs on Lost are all in “purgatory” and once they come to terms with their demons they die (from the show) and move on to whereever they are gonna go. So there.

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ANNOTATION
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg’s father, who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Interesting book. Patterson, so it went pretty quick and was an easy read, but really makes you think about the human gnome project, ya know? A little girl with wings that can fly! There are so many faucets to that, it’s overwhelming really.

Kind of a different subject for Patterson, but well worth a read. I can’t wait to read the next book (The Lake House, I believe)

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FROM THE PUBLISHER
Frannie O’Neill is a young and talented veterinarian living in Colorado. Plagued by the mysterious murder of her husband, David, a local doctor, Frannie throws herself into her work. It is not long before another bizarre murder occurs and Kit Harrison, a troubled and unconventional FBI agent, arrives on her doorstep. Late one night, near the woods of her animal hospital, Frannie stumbles upon a strange, astonishing phenomenon that will change the course of her life forever… Her name is Max. Eleven-year-old Max leads Frannie and Kit to uncover one of the most diabolical and inhuman plots of modern science.

I watched this tonight… it was a cute, quirky little documentary about this guy who has had a crush on Drew Barrymore since he was 10. He decides, after winning $1100 on a game show, to try to get a date with her. A feel good film, you actually feel bad for the dude (he’s actually kind of annoying at times, if I’m being honest). But you gotta hand it to him for going for it, ya know?

Does he get the date?… not gonna tell you that part, you gotta watch it yourself!

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Description:
Mesmerized by actress Drew Barrymore, 27-year-old filmmaker Brian Herzlinger sets out to ask her for a date in this chronicle of his quest to meet the girl of his dreams. Ordinary-guy Herzlinger and his crew tackle the task of getting face time with the busy star, but it’s not easy. Before he can ask the object of his desire on a date, Herzlinger must get through Barrymore’s entourage of publicists, agents, producers and assistants.

I like short story novels – they seem to go pretty fast and I adore Stephen King. I always wonder what goes on inside his head when he’s writing, ya know? I love that each of these stories has a note from him telling about how the story came about. It was very interesting how one single image or thought can transform itself!

The Langoliers – I remember seeing this on TV a while back and it was pretty well done, but the book, as usual, puts it to shame. Very interesting story. I like reading about time travel, but most of it falls into sci-fi, which I don’t care for, so this was my kind of story!

Secret Window, Secret Garden – I saw this movie a while back. Johnny Depp played the main character (yum!). I thought the movie was very well done and it successfully creeped me out – even though I knew the “twist” – it wasn’t hard to figure out. The story was well done as well. What I loved about this story was how King is able to bring these characters to life. You SEE Shooter and can HEAR him…

The Library Policeman – Stephen King has made me a little leery of clowns and those cars that you can start with your keyring… now, I may never go to the library again… dude, if I see some old woman who is obsessed with me getting my books back in time, I’m high-tailing it out of there. Great story!

The Sun Dog – Good premise, but I didn’t like Cujo or any of those other “attack of the wild animals” books, so it just didn’t do it for me… oh well…