Fragment Friday

Star Trek The Next Generation.  
Q-Squared by Peter David.

"Don't want to go!" howled Lieutenant Commander William Riker. 

He was clutching a piece of furniture, looking like a trapped animal. His hair was still wild and disheveled. Worf was certainly no barber, and did not have the time, patience or finesse to do much with Riker's appearance beyond making damned sure that Riker bathed, since his stench was considerable even for a human. Worf stood nearby, his muscled arms folded across his armored chest, barely able to conceal his impatience. 

"You must go," he rumbled. "You are a Starfleet officer. A Starfleet vessel has arrived, and you are scheduled to depart with it."

"I don't want to!"

"You must. It is your duty. Furthermore, your wife..." He paused, trying to recall her name, and then it came to him. "...Deanna... and your son, are aboard ship."

That caught Riker's attention. Somehow the mere mention of her name seemed to penetrate the confused and angry haze that hung over him. "Deanna," he whispered. 

"Yes, that is correct. Deanna. She is waiting for you. Do you wish to keep her waiting?"

Riker shook his head in a quick, short fashion, as if afraid that too much shaking might cause it to tumble off his shoulders. Then he stared at Worf with a sort of animal cunning that looked so crafty that Worf felt his opinion of Riker going up a few notches. "Are you are coming, too?"

"As a matter of fact," said Worf slowly. "I am."

Riker considered that a moment. "Good," he said at last.

My Secret Diary - Dates, Dancing, Dreams and Dilemas by Jacqueline Wilson

In 1960, you'd wear stiff petticoats and dancing shoes. Now, you'd wear jeans and trainers. 

In 1960, you'd spend hours listening to records in your local store. Now you'd hours listening to music online. 

In 1960, you'd learn all the steps to the latest dances. Now, you just make up your own moves. 

But girls always have and always will have crushes on boys, argue with their parents, get embarrassed at school, want to stay out with their friends, and spend hours fixing their hair. 

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My guilty pleasure is Jacqueline Wilson.  I love settling down to one of her stories when I'm feeling a bit down or unwell. This week I have been battling some kind of chest infection and so it was the perfect time to grab 'My Secret Diary' off the shelves. I'd already read and thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of the series which covers Jacqueline Wilson's life from birth through to eleven. This book moves on from where the previous book ended and explores her teenage years. 

It was a great book. I loved learning about Wilson's life in the 1960s. It was honestly like a different world back then. Life seems slower and most definitely safer. However I'm sure that is partly to do with the author picking the elements in her book carefully, especially as it is aimed at children. I found it fun to read even as an adult and I really enjoyed the whole thing. 

I found the highlight of the book to be the fact that Jacqueline Wilson used her own childhood diary entries throughout. It gave the book a really authentic voice and you could hear her childhood thoughts and views clearly. I think this is something which is often lost when people discuss their childhood years in autobiographies. Through no fault of their own, the adult in them cannot fail to analyze the time and situation they are discussing, using knowledge that only comes with age. By including her old diaries Wilson successfully brought in the clear, innocent and unaffected ideals of her childhood. I found this very refreshing and loved the way it formed the narrative of the book. 

Even though it is aimed at children don't let it put you off. I really liked it and found the writing imaginative and inventive, while the story was very interesting. It can be read in an afternoon or as I mentioned above, when you are in need of a bit of a pick me up. I'm looking forward to the next installment which will lead Wilson into her adult life and I'm sure it will prove to be just as intriguing as 'My Secret Diary'. 

I rate this book  5 out of 5 stars. 
It was a wonderful book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Wilson painted a clear and vibrant picture of teenage life during the 1960s. The Diary entries from her childhood gave the book added depth and really engaged me as a reader. A great book for both adults and children alike.  

Home and Away - The Frank Morgan Story by Elizabeth Coleman

The Home and Away TV show is one of the most successful 'soaps' ever to hit the screens and, as a prequel to the television saga, this book tells the story of of of the series' main characters, Frank Morgan. Tearaway Frank is taken in by foster parents Tom and Pippa Fletcher after having become a bank robber at the age of eight!

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I read this book for a bit of fun. It is based on a television soap I watched as child. Although the character is a little before my time as his character was older when I first watched it. I saw it in a charity shop and decided to reminisce about the show in general. It follows the story of Frank Morgan on the eve of his wedding, we get to see Frank as he considers his life and the events that have lead him to this moment. 

I won't lie it wasn't exactly a thrilling read. It was exactly what I expected in that it was a television tie-in with the main draw being the inclusion of the characters from the show. I enjoyed it for what it was, a simple story which provided more background to a character which I knew little about. If you are after a deep, intensive and long literary read then this book is not for you. However if you just want a quick book to read in one sitting, which has an interesting plot then this is a good book for doing that. 

I rate this book 2 out of 5 stars.
It was okay and exactly what I expected. I read it in one sitting and it was a bit of light relief after reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, which are two very emotionally charged books. It's great for anyone who remembers watching Home and Away in the 80s and 90s.  

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath's only novel, was  originally published under a pseudonym in 1963.

Esther Greenwood is brilliant, beautiful, enormously talented, and successful, but slowly going under-maybe for the last time. In her acclaimed and enduring masterwork, Sylvia Plath brilliantly draws the reader into Esther's breakdown with such intensity that her insanity becomes palpably real, even rational-as accessible an experience as going to the movies. A deep penetration into the darkest and most harrowing corners of the human psyche, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary accomplishment and a haunting American classic

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The Bell Jar novel is about a thirty year old young lady who has spent her life over achieving. Esther has done everything right in her life, she has succeeded through school, gained scholarships and funding for her university education, won competitions that allow her to meet with people who are able to make or break her career. Yet she is unhappy. Suddenly her life is about to enter the unknown. Finishing her final years of University education means she is about enter into the world of work and 'adulthood' which is alien to her. This realization leads Esther on a downward spiral into a deep depression. 

Plath wrote a very moving account of a young woman's struggle with depression. It is full of raw emotion and really gets to the heart of her character. Knowing that Plath herself suffered from depression leads me to wonder how much of this book is fiction and how much is actually drawn from her own experiences. It is a dark and sometimes cold book, which lays bare the harsh emotions and fears that Esther goes through on a daily basis. 

I found the book very emotionally charged but enjoyable at the same time. It is not an easy read, the author takes you to the darkest corners of Esther's mind. At times I found it hard to read on while also having a compulsion to continue until the end. You become desperate to find out the final outcome, will Esther recover or is she destined to remain stalled in her life for the rest of her days? 

I rate this book 3 out of 5 star
It is a good book especially if you enjoy stories that tug at your heart strings. This book left me guessing until the very end and I loved Esther even during her darkest moments I found her quite funny as well as strangely strong and independent despite her depression. 


 

Fragment Friday

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Mr Willard drove me up to the Adirondacks. 

It was the day after Christmas and a grey sky bellied over us, fat with snow. I felt overstuffed and dull and disappointed, the way I always do the day after Christmas, as if whatever it was the pine boughs and the candles and the silver and the gilt-ribboned presents and the birch-log fires and the Christmas turkey and the carols at the piano promised never came to pass. 

At Christmas I almost wished I was a Catholic. 

First Mr Willard drove and then I drove. I don't know what we talked about, but as the countryside, already deep under old falls of snow, turned us a bleaker shoulder, and as the fir trees crowded down from the grey hills to the road edge, so darkly green they looked black, I grew gloomier and gloomier. 

I was tempted to tell Mr Willard to go ahead alone, I would hitch-hike home. 

But one glance at Mr Willard's face - the silver hair in its boyish crewcut, the clear eyes, the pink cheeks, all frosted like a sweet wedding cake with the innocent, trusting expression - and I knew I couldn't do it. I'd have to see the visit through to the end. 

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. 

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This book is heartbreaking. It follows the life of teenage cancer sufferer Hazel as she struggles through her day to day life. Hazel is terminal and everyday she faces challenges that prevent her from living a normal teenage life. Worrying that she is depressed her mother insists she attends a Cancer Kid Support Group. It it at one of these meetings that she first meets Augustus Waters who is himself a cancer survivor and attending to support his friend Isaac. From that moment on this book takes you on a roller coaster of emotion.

I was instantly taken by hazel and her inner strength. I liked that the author wrote of a girl who was experiencing cancer in a realistic way. By that I mean she wasn't always upbeat, she was often bitter and saddened by her fate but also accepting in her own way. I also enjoyed that Hazels personality sharply contrasted that of Augustus. He was generally cheerful and optimistic even when hazel was at her lowest emotionally. In truth it was impossible not to like both characters. 

The books was beautifully written and successfully portrayed the pain and heartache surrounding Cancer. The story highlights the fact that the illness does not simply affect the person suffering the disease but everyone involved in their lives. I was left an emotional wreck by the end of this book and it is not for the faint hearted. I laughed and most definitely cried my way through it. I recommend that when reading it you should have a box of tissues close at hand.  

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars

A heart-wrenching and emotionally draining book but well worth reading. By the end you will be deeply effected by its story.

 

Just One More Thing: Stories from my Life by Peter Falk

The reluctant actor who was nominated for two Oscars and who immortalised Lieutenant Columbo around the world shares his hilarious and often touching stories - in his own inimitable voice.

Peter Falk takes us on an acting journey that begins not in Hollywood but in Hartford, where he worked as an efficiency expert for the state of Connecticut. The first day on the job he couldn't find the office - it was in the State Capitol - and ended up in the post office. His time there was no more successful than his attempt to find work as a spy with the Central Intelligence Agency: after high school he had gone to sea as a cook in the merchant Marines, and the union he was required to join was later labelled as Communist-dominated. That didn't settle well with the CIA - spy career over. 

At a loose end, he turned to an old college interest: acting. he came to prominence as an actor in 1956 in the highly successful off-Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh with Jason Robards. Although he worked continuously for the next three years, bouncing from one off-Broadway theatre to the next, a theatrical agent advised him not to expect much work in motion pictures because of his glass eye. However, a talent scout for Columbia Pictures saw star quality in Falk, describing him as a second John Garfield. Unfortunately, Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia Pictures, dismissed this opinion: 'For the same price, I can get an actor with two eyes.'

But in 1958, Hollywood, in the guise of Twentieth Century Fox, came to New York to make a movie - Murder, Inc. They brought the stars with them but hired local New York actors to play the mobsters. Falk landed a juicy role for which he received rave reviews and, incredibly, for his first movie he was nominated for an Academy Award. For his second, Pocketful of Miracles starring Bette Davis, he was nominated again. He wore the same overcoat in both movies. It was his personal coat. He likes to say that he and the coat were undefeated. Two for two. 

Falk went on to become a favourite among film goers; yet it was through television that he reached his widest audience as Lt. Columbo, winning four Emmys for the role. Talking of Falk's personal coats - Columbo's raincoat came out of his bedroom closet. He bought it years before he became an actor. He's been quoted as saying, ' I wanted to wear something people would remember. Bottom line, it's the worlds most famous raincoat'. 

Just One More Thing is pure Peter Falk, and reads as if he's sitting next to you, chuckling as he recalls his remarkable past. 

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Just One More Thing is exactly what the subtitle states - stories from the life of Peter Falk. It isn't an autobiography in the traditional sense, with chapters starting from childhood and covering nearly every aspect of a persons life. Instead Falk has selected the moments he feels are important, sad, funny, shocking or entertaining. These stories can cover a whole chapter or simply two pages but it is done well and everything flows perfectly. 

I read this book only knowing Peter Falk as Columbo.  I have always enjoyed the show and knew from my partner that he had a glass eye but that was the extent of my knowledge on Falk as a person. However my partner is a die-hard fan of Falk, he really enjoyed this autobiography and pushed me to read it on more than one occasion. Therefore I did and I'm thrilled I took the plunge. 

Falk has a very entertaining voice in the book. I honestly felt like I was talking to an old friend. Even though I was not fully aware of all the people and places he discussed I was still fully engrossed. Falks enjoyment and feelings were infectious and his writing really portrayed his emotions well. I closed this book with a list of films that I am desperate to see. This is simply due to the wonderful descriptions and stories Falk mentioned about his experiences while filming. I didn't encounter a story that I didn't enjoy reading, Falk had obviously taken great care while selecting what to include and omit. This showed in the final result and made it a memorable read. 

I also enjoyed seeing the real side of Peter Falk. He didn't come across as to 'Hollywood' but as a down to earth and hard working individual. I found the fact he is educated to an extremely high level fascinating and especially seeing how this academic background effected his acting career and gave him the confidence to request changes to scripts for example. Falk came across as a very strong personality, although it wasn't stated in writing, by reading between the line so to speak, I was given the opinion that he was a perfectionist at heart and would strive for the very best in himself. This may have made him hard to work with but I also feel he was highly respected for this aspect of his personality. 

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. Peter Falk lived an interesting and unique life and was never afraid to jump into something with both feet simply because he was curious. It is a highly entertaining book and will leave you chuckling at his antics. I highly recommend it.

 

The Ladies Paradise by Emile Zola

'Mouret's sole passion was the conquest of Woman. He wanted her to be queen in his shop, he had built his temple for her in order to hold her at his mercy.'

The Ladies' Paradise (Au Bonheur des Dames) recounts the spectacular development of the modern department store in late nineteenth-century Paris. The store is a symbol of capitalism, of the modern city, and of the bourgeois family; it is emblematic of consumer culture and the changes in sexual attitudes and class relations taking place at the time. 

Octave Mouret, the store's owner-manager, masterfully exploits the desires of his female customers. In his private life too he is the great seducer. But when he falls in love with the innocent Denise Baudu, he discovers she is the only one of the salesgirls who refuses to be commodified.

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The Ladies Paradise explores the beginning of the modern shopping experience where large department stores rule over the smaller independent retailer.  It shows the effect a large store with somewhat unlimited funding and power can have on the lives of those within the smaller stores, who are unlucky enough to be based nearby.  Although it is set in the late nineteenth-century I still found it reflected todays consumer driven world. Whereas the book looks at department stores providing a cheaper and more efficient way of shopping, we are currently experiencing a similar situation with supermarkets and online retailers. 

It was a very interesting read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I took my time and really savored the story which was well worth it.  In terms of characters there is a vast array of wonderfully colourful people such as managers, shop owners, shop assistants and rich willing shoppers etc. However the story centres around two main characters, one male and one female. Firstly we meet Denise, she is a kind, gentle, independent young woman left with the responsibility of raising her younger brothers after her parents deaths. I liked Denise, she was strong and proud in a very quiet and feminine way. It was interesting to watch how her deep seated religious and moral beliefs guided her in a world where temptation in terms of spending, overindulgence and personal relationships were a daily occurrence. 

Octave Mouret is in many ways the polar opposite to Denise, where she is homely and content with simply being financially stable and a mother figure to her brothers, Octave wants near world domination. He is a widower, business man, and craves both power and money in vast amounts with little care of how he attains these things or who he ruins to do it. Octave is accustomed to getting what he wants, when he wants it and does so with little restraint.  This becomes more and more obvious as the story progresses and creates some interesting and entertaining situations. 

The book is very descriptive and goes into great details which really helps immerse the reader into the time period and workings of the store. If you enjoy clothes, fabrics, ribbons, lace and silk then this is definitely a book you should look at. It goes into wonderfully detailed descriptions of the workings of the department store, the strict hierarchy and rules the staff must follow and the effects the emerging business has on the smaller stores around it. It brings the story and the characters alive in a colourful array of fabrics and personalities that combine to make an amazing story.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Overall it was a very good book and the story was detailed and engaging. The combination of well written characters, a strong storyline and fantastic descriptive writing lead to a book that smothers the reader in the sights, sounds and smells of Paris in the late nineteenth-century.

 

Fragment Friday

The Ladies' Paradise by Emile Zola

Just as he was rejoining Bourndoncle and Robineau, a woman appeared; she remained for a few seconds rooted to the spot, entranced by the display. It was Denise. She had waited for nearly an hour in the street, paralysed by a terrible attack of shyness, and had at last made up her mind to come in. But she was still so beside herself with shyness that she could not follow even simple directions; the assistants, when she stammeringly enquired for Madame Aurelie, pointed out the mezzanine staircase to her in vain; she would thank them, and then turn left if she had been told to turn right; so that for ten minutes she had been wandering round the ground floor, going from one department to another, surrounded by the ill-natured curiosity and sullen indifference of the salesman. She felt a desire to run away and, at the same time, a need to stop and admire. She was so lost and small inside the monster, inside the machine, and although it was still idle, she was terrified that she would be caught up in its motion, which was already beginning to make the walls shake. And the thought of the shop at the Vieil Elbeuf, dark and cramped, made this vast shop appear even bigger to her; it seemed bathed in light, like a town, with monuments, squares, streets, in which it seemed she would never find her way.

 

Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining by Judge Judy Sheindlin

America's toughest Family Court judge speaks out. 

"Can we get some reality in here?" asks Judy Sheindlin, former supervising judge for Manhattan Family Court. For twenty-four years she has laid down the law as she understands it:

• If you want to eat, you have to work. 
• If you have children, you'd better support them. 
• If you break the law, you have to pay.
• If you tap the public purse, you'd better be accountable.   

Now she abandons all judicial restraint in a scathing critique of the system - filled with realistic hard-nosed alternatives to our bloated welfare bureaucracy and our soft-on-crime laws. 

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Wow! What an interesting book. I have been a fan of Judge Judy for many years and always thought she had a sensible head on her shoulders. Watching her judgements on television I respected her for her quick mind and open dislike of anyone taking advantage of others, whether that meant a personal friend or government services. This book has really strengthened my view that Judy Sheindlin is a lady we should listen to and respect. 

I sat down to have a quick flick through this book and found it impossible to put down. I have now finished reading it in one sitting. What an amazing voice Judge Judy has, she spoke sense and gave suggestions on how to overhaul the prison and benefits systems, pulling mainly from her experiences in the Family Court. I live in the UK but I found that as a society we are currently discussing and experiencing many of the problems mention in this book. It makes me want to send a copy to our government and hope they take note of the recommendations made within. 

The book uses many of her past cases to back up the changes she advises . It is heartbreaking at times but very thought provoking. I am sure it will take me a few days to digest all that has been mentioned. Judge Judy speaks in a way that shows both her humor and intelligence. I thoroughly enjoyed every element of the book and found it informative and entertaining. It is impossible to read this book without it having a deep effect on how you view the worlds of both the social services and legal courts. 

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

A fabulous book, full of years of wisdom and written in a funny and entertaining way.  i couldn't put it down and highly recommend it. 

 

 

See You Thursday by Jean Ure

When Mrs. Fenton tells her sixteen-year-old daughter, Marianne, that she's rented the upstairs room to a blind man, feisty and independent Marianne wants no part of him.  But when Abe turns out to be a young, attractive musician, Marianne gladly goes out of her way to help him cook and shop, and he in turn gives her piano lessons. 

As they come to know and understand each other, Marianne learns what it's like to fall in love for the first time. Suddenly she's the center of attention among her classmates. But her mother, fearing Abe and Marianne's closeness, announces a plan that forces Marianne into a crucial choice between those she loves. 

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This is my all time favourite book from my teenage years. I first picked it up at my local library and it must be at least fifteen years ago now. I was hooked instantly. I remember giggling to myself as I read, in the way that school girls do, as I watched the friendship develop between Marianne and Abe. Oh how I loved Abe all those years ago, he was everything I wanted in a friend and more. 

I was lucky enough to find a hardback copy of the book on amazon for one penny and jumped at the chance to buy it. It is in wonderful condition especially considering it came out in 1981. It hasn't aged badly although some of the language can be quite old fashioned such as the main character referring to herself as one, eg. one doesn't do such things... The only other detail that ages the book is when Marianne is flicking through the television channels. All three of them! this is obviously something that many kids today would find hard to imagine. 

The book is very descriptive and this really helps the reader to understand Abe. It also makes you look at the world around you with different eyes. Marianne often describes items that previously she had never taken note of, but suddenly, due to Abe's inability to see them become items of great importance and worth a closer look.  I enjoyed this element of the book as it gave me time to ponder the world from a different view point. 

The characters were both very well written. The fact that one of the main characters was blind is something I had never come across before. Also I can honestly say I have read nothing similar since. It really added a different dimension to the story that takes it far beyond the confines to teen romance. I enjoyed the fact that neither were perfect and both had flaws. It made the story much more real and believable. I still think Abe is a wonderful character even after all these years, although I refrained from the giggles I experienced as a teenager this time around. 

I highly recommend this book. It is out of print now but if you ever have the opportunity to buy a copy I beg you to do so. It is sweet romance and well worth the read.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.  

It is a wonderful book and I enjoyed it as much today as I did as a teenager. It's a fantastic story and Abe is utterly delightful.       

Fragment Friday

See You Thursday by Jean Ure

Marianne was in bed when the lodger arrived back, by himself, from his concert. She heard the front door open and close, heard him slowly making his way up the stairs. First step, second step - she hadn't put that tack in. She hadn't put that blasted tack in. That's the third time I've asked - God, don't let him trip over it! There would be hell to pay. How many more times? Never do a THING that I ask you...

Third step. Fourth step. Breathe again. First thing tomorrow morning - yes. I will! I swear it! She would make an effort and would wake up early. She would go downstairs and she would do it before anyone was about. She would bang her head on the pillow, six times, very hard, and...

The lodger had reached the top. He seemed to have stopped, she couldn't hear footsteps any more. She stiffened, straining both ears. What was he doing? Had he lost his bearings? Forgotten which way to turn? Cold wet goose bumps tingled up her spine. If he were to come barging into the wrong room ~

The lodger moved on, across the passage; tap tap tap with his stick like Blind Pew. The sound was eerie in the darkened house. Marianne shivered, pulling the bedclothes farther up about her shoulders. There was something unnerving in the thought of a blind man being out there, just on the other side of the door, creeping about in the blackness.