This is a bittersweet story about two violinists from two different time periods—contemporary and between pre-Nazi-occupied Italy and 1943. Their tales are told in every other section of the book. Professional violinist, Julia Ansdell—whose story is set in contemporary times—brings into her life a mysterious music composition she finds inserted in a music book she purchases in a small Italian antiques shop. Upon finishing a performance, she decides to shop for souvenirs and buys the book before flying back to the U.S., where she lives with her husband, Rob, and three-year-old daughter, Lily. Continue reading
reviews
The Consultant by Bentley Little (a book review)
Another engrossing Little novel. This is a satirical horror story about a consultant from HELL.
CompWare’s CEO, Austin Matthews, hires Regus Patoff of BFG Associates to help him make improvements to his game software company. The consultant is more than a little offbeat; he’s way off-center. His questions are overly personal and irrelevant. One of the activities he plans is for the managers is to go on a camping retreat. The trip turns out to be more of a scary episode than a team building exercise. One of their activities is to go “hunting.” But the only wildlife they spot out in the woods is a dog wearing a dog tag. Later, when dinner is served, guess what it is? Continue reading
The Dead Student by John Katzenbach (a book review)
This is a book about revenge and retribution with damaged characters trying to find ways to cope. The main character, Timothy “Moth” Warner is a PhD student and a recovering alcoholic whose sponsor is his uncle, Dr. Edward Warner, a psychiatrist. Warner, a veteran alcoholic himself who was nearly 7,000 days sober (more or less) is found dead. Cause of death is ruled a suicide, the final conclusion based on evidence. But Moth doesn’t believe it because he knows his uncle would never desert him; he was not suicidal and he had too much good in his life to live for. And so, the search for the truth begins . . . Continue reading
Good Kill (a movie review)
This is a look at the frustrated and conflicted life of a pilot, played by Ethan Hawke, who sits thousands of miles from war in a station in the Las Vegas desert. He works out of an over-sized metal box which inside looks like a cockpit. He works with a co-pilot and their job is to control drones that target selected sites, persons, or groups, depending what their intel tells them to do. A good kill is when they hit efficiently and quickly strike the enemy. Continue reading
The Tournament by Matthew Reilly (a book review)
The Tournament is a historical fiction. This is a departure from the other books I’ve read by Matthew Reilly, who has written a series of pulse pounding fiction books. He proves what a versatile and excellent writer he is with this gem of a novel. The story is a fictionalized account in first person of young Queen Elizabeth I’s experience when she travels to Constantinople to witness a chess tournament, and her witness to other events that supposedly shape her views as a woman and a ruler. Continue reading
The Stranger by Harlan Coben (a book review)
This story observes suburban life pretty well. It’s about a seemingly happy family whose life gets disrupted after a stranger tells the husband something he didn’t know his wife did two years before. After confronting her about the revelation, the story starts taking different twists. It is suspenseful and engrossing, especially in the middle of the book when things start to become “curiouser and curiouser,” as Alice in Wonderland would say. Continue reading
Cinderella (a movie review)
This take on the fairy tale classic is directed by Kenneth Branagh, with Cate Blanchett as the evil stepmother. Although there have been so many versions of Cinderella out there, this additional Disney-produced film is still wonderful. I like fairy tales in general. I’ve read practically all of them, including those retold in various ways from different countries. They do say something about our human nature, the universal need to romanticize a good story, and — at least for a little while — escape from reality. Continue reading
Hot Pursuit (a movie review)
This is one of those movies that is funny in some places, while not in most. Definitely not one of Reese Witherspoon’s better movies. She plays an earnest cop who becomes involved in transporting a key federal witness, played by Sofia Vergara, to safety. It’s your typical “partner movie” in which the two women distrust each other. Eventually, they bond and then become fond of each other during their attempt to run for safety and justice. It’s more a showcase of how good they both look than about the plot, which is predictable, but I won’t spoil any more of it. It’s a chase movie, hence called “Hot Pursuit.”
Mad Max. Fury Road (a movie review)
This movie is one adrenaline rush after another. Because it is a post-apocalyptic movie about surviving, it is violent and has some gruesome scenes. Tom Hardy plays the title role of Mad Max, who gets captured by a gang ruled by a warlord, Immortan Joe. Since Joe has control over many resources—water, food, and gas—he controls the majority of the survivors. One of the group members, Furiosa (who is played by Charlize Theron) decides to run away with some of Joe’s treasured assets. Furiosa had planned her escape well because she flees in a war rig vehicle. Max gets involved after he is dragged into going after Furiosa. Soon they end up partnering with each other to fight off their mutual enemy. Continue reading
Boulevard (a movie review)
This movie is Robin Williams’ final on-screen performance. Robin Williams plays a banker who has been in the same position for 25 years, which is almost about as long as his character has been married to or known his wife. I can’t remember. They have no kids. Their social life is rather minimal. We know that Williams’ best friend since college is a college professor played by Bob Odenkirk of the Breaking Bad fame. As a momentary aside, Odenkirk’s Saul character spun off into another series, Better Call Saul, which is just as good and equally engrossing as Breaking Bad, but the second season doesn’t start until early next year. Continue reading
Karina Pinella 