Captain Blood Returns

A review of the original Captain Blood

Who wrote this book and when?
Rafael Sabatini published this in 1930. There is another Captain Blood book called “The Fortunes of Captain Blood.” I’ll have to look for it…

Has there been a film version?
Just the film version of the first book – starring Errol Flynn and made in 1935. It is excellent.

Who are the important characters?
Captain Peter Blood – a doctor turned slave turned doctor/slave turned pirate
Jeremy Pitt – one of Blood’s mates, a sensitive young man who is very loyal to Blood
Wolverstone – an enormous man who works for Blood
Ogle – the gunner aboard the Arabella, an extremely talented marksman when it comes to cannons

What’s it about?
This book covers some of Captain Blood’s exploits which weren’t accounted in the original book. The happened after his turn to piracy but before he wins over Arabella.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It was incredibly popular when it first came out. And may be making a comeback thanks to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Do you recommend I read this book?
If you liked the first Captain Blood book you’ll probably like this one.

Why did this book make your list?
I enjoyed reading the first book and had no idea there were others in the series. But lo and behold, the lovely and talented Richland Public Library surprised me and I just had to bring the book home.

Has it won any awards?
No.

Favorite quotes:
“Captain Blood was pleased with the world; which is but another way of saying that he was pleased with himself.” – p 130

Anything else?
There is a video game version of this and the first book in this series slated to come out sometime in the future for the Xbox 360. I will definitely get my brother to let me play it if/when it comes out.

Personal thoughts:
This is not quite as good as the first book about Captain Peter Blood, but only because it is a series of short stories about the adventures of the pirate instead of one long tale. The characters are just as exciting as ever as well as the villains just as villainous. It is still hard for me to read short stories, even if they’re all about the same person, but this book was entertaining. I especially enjoyed the story about Captain Blood’s capture. It seemed very O. Henry-esque. Overall, this was a pretty good pick up and have a fun read sort of book.

The House on the Strand

Who wrote this book and when?
Dame Daphne Du Maurier wrote this and had it published in 1969.

Has there been a film version?
No, I don’t believe so.

Who are the important characters?
Dick Young – a literary man who has agreed to play guinea pig for his professor friend
Professor Magnus Lane – a bio physics professor who has made a breakthrough in either time travel or memory cells of the brain or both
Roger Kylmerth – steward to Sir Henry Champernoune, Dick’s alter ego in the 1300’s
Isolda – a young woman having an affair with…
Sir Otto Bodrugan – a lord who once rebelled against the government
Vita Young – Dick’s wife

What’s it about?
Dick Young has agreed to participate in an expiriment of his professor friend’s in exchange for a vacation at Professor Magnus Lane’s summer home. He is shocked to discover that upon drinking the mysterious draught, he is transported back to the 1300’s and always nearby the steward Roger Kylmerth. He experiences no physical sensations, can communicate with no one, and if he tries to touch something will be violently snapped back into the present day with consequences. In the past, he witnesses adultery, murder, heresy and more – and is never certain whether it is really the past or just a intricate hallucination. As he feels more and more involved in the past, he begins to alienate his wife and two stepsons. And he has no idea of the terrible outcome of his journeys.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It’s a suspense novel written by a famous author.

Do you recommend I read this book?
I guess if you really want to. It isn’t all that interesting plot wise, just suspensful enough to keep you from putting it down. I’d suggest another of Du Maurier’s books.

Why did this book make your list?
I picked it off the shelf at the libary because I liked “Rebecca” so much.

Has it won any awards?
No.

Favorite quotes:
I don’t have any, sorry to say.

Anything else?
Du Maurier also wrote the short story “The Birds.”

Personal thoughts:
After reading Du Maurier’s “Rebecca,” I was terribly disappointed with this novel. Sure, it was suspenseful and interesting and creative, but the entire novel felt like it was going nowhere. I kept on reading hoping it would resolve itself in a intelligently pleasing manner, but alas – it did not. The main character somewhat exasperated with me with his incredible selfishness and inability to control himself. He was shallow and his shallowness reflected on the other characters, making the whole book frustrating. The only characters who really interested me were the Professor and Roger – and neither of them came into the scenes long enough for me to get to know them. Overall, a let down of a novel. I don’t want to give up on Du Maurier, however. She’s very good at suspense novels. And I don’t even like suspense novels most of the time!

As the month turns

Just to let you all know, we have added some pictures to our wedding site. They aren’t completely edited finished photos, but they are taken by our professional photographer and her assistant. We have almost 1,000 images to go through, so forgive us for only putting about 15 or 20 up. But if you weren’t there, you’ll get the general idea of what it looked like. And if you were there, well…maybe you can find yourself in the background!

In other news, my decrease in posting frequency may become even more infrequent. My laptop has been on the fritz. *again* I usually have no problems whatsoever with my laptop, it being an Apple computer. But lately its been narcoleptic (randomly going into sleep mode), sometimes deciding its lazy and wanting to turn off without asking, and several of the keys refuse to work or work very intermittently. (Such as the dash, the left bracket, and the apostrophe/quote key). Hence, the bad grammar and punctuation. Sorry.

This also gives me another excuse to not participate in NaNoWriMo this year. Last year I didnt know about it until after November started and something else was going on, although I dont remember what. My husband has been trying to persuade me with flattery and guilt, alternating, but what it comes down to is this. I simply have nothing to write about. No stories floating around in my head or little quirky ideas. Ive been too exhausted lately to work on an outline or anything and the thought of writing 2,000 words a day on average makes me want to crawl headfirst under the covers and stay until December. Also ~ I have jury duty in November, which is putting a damper on ALL my plans for that month. Im hoping *crosses fingers* that since I recently changed my name, I will not be in the system anymore as a registered voter and will get out of it. I highly doubt that will happen, but theres always hope ~ especially with our government system.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

There is no pleasure in not knowing, tell me the end!

Who wrote this book and when?
This is Oscar Wilde’s only novel, published in June 1890.

Has there been a film version?
Several film versions, several uses of Dorian Gray in other television shows and movies. The best is rumored to be the 1945 version which won an academy award.

Who are the important characters?
Dorian Gray – a stunningly good looking young man, easily impressionable
Lord Henry Wotton – a hedonist nobleman who is at first interested in Dorian’s good looks, and then interested in exposing him to every sensation in the world
Basil Hallward – a painter, the painter who paints the picture of Dorian Gray
Sybil Vane – a beautiful young actress whom Dorian falls in love with
James Vane – Sybil’s younger brother, a sailor

What’s it about?
Dorian Gray is a fantastically good looking youth who has been discovered by the painter Basil Hallward. Basil was a mediocre painter until he met Dorian, now when he uses Dorian as a model – his paintings are fantastic. Basil worships Dorian and Dorian is young and naive, so he loves to be worshipped. And everything seems fine until two things happen. Basil decides to paint Dorian as he naturally looks (instead of as a gladiator or a general) and Lord Henry Wotton is introduced to Dorian.

Lord Henry introduces Dorian to the world of Hedonism (the constant indulgence of the senses in search of beauty and pleasure) and Dorian is dismayed to realize that one day he will lose his good looks. When they see the finished painting of Dorian, he fervently declares out loud that he would trade his soul if the painting would age instead of him. Unfortunately, his wish is granted with more consequences than he could ever expect.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
This is one of the best examples out there of classic gothic horror. And being by Oscar Wilde, it’s poetry, philosophy, intrigue, and twisted storytelling at its best.

Do you recommend I read this book?
Yes – I highly highly recommend it.

Why did this book make your list?
It’s a classic, I enjoy gothic horror, and listed by BBC as one of the top 200 best novels ever written.

Has it won any awards?
It predates the modern literature award era.

Favorite quotes:
“It is rather fashionable to marry Americans just now, Uncle George.” – p 45

“Dorian Gray had been poisoned by a book. There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realise his conception of the beautiful.” – p 163

Anything else?
Be careful not to base your opinion on who Dorian Gray is simply by looking at the modern pop culture references to him. He’s different than you would imagine.

Personal thoughts:
My only experience with Dorian Gray’s story is by watching the Sean Connery version of “LXG.” And I was pretty sure that wasn’t the best way to learn about this classic piece of literature. So imagine my excitement when I found a beat up old copy in the local library. I love reading old books. And an old gothic horror book – oh goody! The story itself seemed to take a while to get going. But as it progressed, I realized the story wasn’t so much about the picture but the downfall of Dorian. His corruption begins before the picture actually begins to age. And contrary to popular conception, Dorian doesn’t live to be hundreds of years old. The philosophy of this novel isn’t something I really agree with, but I found myself actually enjoying every bit of it Wilde crammed in there. The prose was so much like poetry (and not the tiresome mouthful of frivolity poetry) that even if it was pure evil going on in the plot – I still wanted to keep reading. The only thing I wasn’t prepared for was the homosexuality in this book. I knew it was there, but I thought it was just me falling back on my old Tennant standbys (the garden of Eden, rape, homosexuality and feminism). But I guess I should have expected it with Wilde’s sexuality.

Practical Demonkeeping

Who wrote this book and when?
This is Christopher Moore’s first novel, published in 1992.

Has there been a film version?
No, Disney has the film rights, however.

Who are the important characters?
Travis O’Hearn – a man who accidently summoned a demonic servant in 1916 and hasn’t aged since
Catch – a demon invisible to everyone but Travis, except when he’s eating people
Jenny Masterson – a waitress at HP’s cafe, recently separated from her drunk husband and taken to Wicca
Augustus Brine – an old man who owns a bait shop, chosen by the King of the Djinn to conquer Catch
Gian Hen Gian The King of all Djinn – his name is pretty self-explanatory, oh, and he’s Catch’s immortal eternal enemy
Rivera – a cop
Howard Phillips Lovecraft – the owner of HP’s cafe, has theories of his own about demons

What’s it about?
Way back in 1916, Travis O’Hearn accidently summoned a demon. Ever since, he hasn’t aged a bit, and the demon has been making his life miserable. The demon’s name is Catch – and he’s invisible to everyone but Travis. Except when he’s eating people. And for decades, Travis has been searching for the missing incantation to send Catch back to hell. The search has now led him to the tourist town of Pine Cove, California.

Catch’s immortal enemy, the King of the Djinn, has now shown up in Pine Cove and selected Augustus Brine to help him bring Catch and Travis down. But of course, there are complications. Travis falls in love with the recently separated Jenny Masterson and Catch is growing tired of such a moral master. He looks to the wiccan priestess of the area to set him free and give him power to rule the world. And just to make things more complicated, there’s an undercover cop in the mix trying to break the drug case of the century.

Why is this book a classic/bestseller?
It’s a bestseller b/c it’s funny and by Christopher Moore.

Do you recommend I read this book?
I guess. Well, actually, probably not. Other of Christopher Moore’s works are funnier and less meandering in purpose.

Why did this book make your list?
It’s by Christopher Moore and I’ve enjoyed his other books.

Has it won any awards?
No.

Favorite quotes:
“He was a tall, skeletal man, who always wore a black suit and button shoes that had been fashionable a hundred years ago. Except for the dark depressions on his cheeks, Howard’s skin was as white as a carrion worm. Robert had once said that H.P. looked like the master of ceremonies at a chemoteraphy funfest.” – p 52

“The garlic bread lay there between them, steaming with implications. They, of course, must both eat it or neither could. Garlic bread meant garlic breath. There might be a kiss later, maybe more. There was just too damn much intimacy in garlic bread.” – p 106

Anything else?
I’m curious as to why Christopher Moore places so many of his books in Pine Cove.

Personal thoughts:
I liked this the least of any of Christopher Moore’s books so far. Maybe, as his first book, this is his weakest. Moore is best known for toeing the line when it comes to what’s offensive or what makes you think “did he just say that? I can’t believe he just said that!” (Sort of like watching “the office”) But in this book, he just seems to go a little too far each time. I never got to the point where I was actually offended, but I did reach points where I thought “well, that was just asking for attention, not trying to be funny.” The story itself was interesting and entertaining, as were the characters. Especially the inclusion of HP Lovecraft. And I felt that it came to a good resolution, albeit kind of confusing.