Saturday, July 23, 2011

Alaskan State Troopers, Sparkly Vampires and The Upside Down Fish


Here are some updates from the sweltering world of Penelope....

1.) Update on search for the meaning of life.....air conditioning.

2.) Most Excellent Discovery for July: Dana Stabenow's Liam Campbell mystery series. What do you get when you mix one sexy Alaskan state trooper, one sassy pilot love interest, lots of cool details about Alaskan history and culture, juicy plot lines, juicy sex scenes, complex relationships, and a little touch of the paranormal? The Liam Campbell mystery series. I read all four books back-to-back and inhaled them like a greasy cheeseburger at Bill's diner. I think Stabenow has done a fabulous job balancing the storyline and characterization in these books. Sometimes mysteries are too light on the characterization, and the stories suffer as a result. Not so with this series. She creates complex characters and real issues for the characters to deal with. Although I do think she went slightly overboard with Liam's troubles....adultery, scandalous demotion from a tragic accident, kid killed by drunk driver, and comatose wife would have been enough. Then she heaped on Liam having to confront the drunk who killed his son in a routine traffic stop....that was pushing it. Nevertheless, I loved how Liam and Wy had to deal with difficult decisions in their lives, and how their love continued to grow and flourish. This is a great mystery series for romance lovers! (I did have a bit of a problem with book #3....it deals with the abduction, rape and murder of women by a serial killer, a topic that was a bit too gruesome for me). Overall, this series is a super epic win! Highly recommended!!!!

3.) I watched Twilight for the first time last night with my daughter. Christ on a crutch, that movie sucked! It was boring, slow, ridiculous, and the acting was so hideously bad, my daughter and I were laughing out loud. Seriously, that was one of the worst movies I have seen in my life. I can't believe so many folks are manic about this film. Not sure if the book is any better than that, but I hope so. My "favorite" scene is when Edward tells Bella she has to see the real him in sunlight. I thought he would look hideous, grotesque, etc. Instead, he sparkles like a shirt from Justice. Hee heeeeeeeeee! Oh, snap!

4.) Due to my daughter's incessant badgering, I caved and got her another pet. I talked her down from the boxer puppy, to the guinea pig, the finch, and finally.....the fish. Yep, we got two new fish and a fish bowl. I tried to explain the concept of "starter" fish to her, and made her promise not to get too attached to Jo Jo and Hazel. Nevertheless, she got teary-eyed when Hazel started swimming sideways, then upside down. Sigh. Life Lesson #49....Sometimes we have to flush the ones we love.

Signing Off And Praying For A Day Cooler Than 101 Freakin' Degrees,
Penelope