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Greetings and salutations. Have you been keeping up with your reading? Is that stack of books by your bedside table getting bigger and bigger (and dustier and dustier)? What? You don't have a stack of books at your bedside table?? Tsk tsk. Read on for my take on a few to start with. You can purchase any of the books or recordings mentioned here from Amazon.com. Just follow the links provided within each review. |
Gift Certificates make great gifts for any occasion! Buy it Now! |
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REVIEWS |
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Kitchen
by Banana Yoshimoto, Megan Backus (Translator) Washington Square Press, Paperback - 152 pages Reprint edition (March 1994) |
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A sweet and melancholy story of two Japanese youths exploring the
worlds of love and loss. Mikage is a young woman who feels most comfortable
in a kitchen; after her beloved last relative dies, she is invited by Yuichi and his "mother,"
Eriko, to live with them and regain some sense of stability as she grieves.
Later, she does her share to comfort fellow student Yuichi when he suffers
his own painful loss. Together they forge a bond of subtle happiness.
There is a second, shorter story in the book, "Moonlight Shadow," again about two young Japanese coping with loss. Both tales are strongly poignant tales of timeless emotional situations that most readers should identify with. The characters may be Japanese, but the feelings are universal, as are the references to Kentucky Fried Chicken, jogging, and other things no longer typically American. These things help with the familiar aura. Best read on a rainy day with a cup of hot tea. |
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Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, Douglas Smith (Illustrator) HarperCollins, Paperback - 416 pages Reprint edition (October 1996) |
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For those of you who are fans of Frank L. Baum's Wizard of Oz, this serves as an informative
biography of one of the lead characters. The person who eventually became the "Wicked Witch of the West"
started life as an unfortunately homely green girl who was more than a bit
peculiar to her family and schoolmates in Oz. Her story is strange and tragic, as is befitting
such a passionate character. Mr. Baum perhaps never envisioned someone being as enthralled with
the character of the WWOTW as to create a whole fantastic fiction about her, but indeed Mr. Smith has
done just that. Always having enjoyed Baum's entire Oz series (yes, people - it wasn't just
a 1939 movie - it originally was umpteen very entertaining books full of bizarre creatures!), I was intrigued by the premise of this novel, and happily, I was not disappointed.
Elphaba, although ending her existance as an infamous and hated witch, started out as a multi-faceted
person who lived and loved, albeit in a more unusual way than any of us.
Vibrant and unique, captivating and intriguing, an amazing work of fantasy. |
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Uppity Women of Ancient Times by Vicki Leon Fine Communications. Hardcover - 256 pages (April 1998) |
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One of a series which includes Uppity Women of Medieval Times, and Uppity Women of the Renaissance, this book is full of fascinating feminist history. Or should that be "herstory?" For example, did you know that the famous Cleopatra (as in "Antony and") was actually Cleopatra Seven of a Macedonian dynasty? And that her daughter (Cleopatra Eight, of course) became queen of Mauretania? And that "shameless, sacreligious superslut" Jezebel died after being pushed out of a window and run over by a chariot, to be left for the village mongrels to eat? Bleah. Ok, maybe we didn't need to know that part. But Uppity Women is a very entertaining read. Makes me want to write a book of my own...how does Uppity Women of the Internet sound to you? |
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Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
Alanis Morissette Wea/Warner Brothers. |
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So sue me - I like Alanis. I was one of those women who sang "You Oughta Know" as an anthem and enjoyed her hostile attitude towards life and love. Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, her second album o' angst (didja know she wore a short curly 'do, mini skirts, and makeup in the 80s and recorded sappy commonplace dance-pop tunes?) takes a different tack. This time, she is less violent towards the world and more introspective. Her intelligent stream-of-consciousness wordplay continues, although it is sometimes lost in the new worldbeat/psychedelic sound she has picked up. In my humble opinion, if you liked the first album, you'll like this one. If you hated the first one, ditto. |
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A Bug's Life
Disney/Pixar Rated G |
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I think animators are getting the hang of this computer animation stuff - there are no annoyingly obvious
clues as to how this film was made, as in examples of this genre from the past. The backgrounds look "real," but not too
real; the characters all have individual personalities; the shadow effects are marvelous.
Apart from the technical effects, this movie is utterly charming. There is the standard "good vs. evil" plotline, but with bizarre twists that might not be doable in a movie starring humans. For example, the protagonists are a colony of ants, and the motley members of a flea circus. Together, they attempt to thwart an angry gang of grasshoppers. The characters are very well drawn and full of personality (for bugs), and it's fun to try to guess the celebrity voices behind them. Some of the movie's gags can provoke out-loud laughing, from adults as well as children. In fact, I think the movie is better suited for an adult audience. As a friend pointed out, although the film has a G rating, there are some scary scenes which might cause nightmares in very small children. See the movie. Stay for the credits and watch the "outtakes." Buy the video when it comes out. |
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REVIEWS |
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Rocky Run Tap and Grill
3105 St. Paul Street Baltimore, MD 410-235-2501 |
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This new eatery, in the former location of the Homewood Deli and one of the
short-lived J.P. Henry's, just opened a week or so before my Dad and I paid
a visit. He had picked up a menu earlier in the day and as I perused it in
the car on the way home from work, he suggested that we give it a try for dinner.
I agreed. The place is part bar, part restaurant, and looks quite different from the original inhabitant of the space. The walls are decorated with small framed photos and mementos, although there are very odd large gaps between groupings, almost as though the decorator left mid-job. On to the menu. Theirs is typical of many new pubs these days - a combination of popular staples, various ethnic cuisines, and bar grub. This conglomerate includes quesadillas and jalapeno poppers, Chicken Carbonara pasta, and burgers, with salads and ribs too. We skipped over the alcoholic portion of our menu, which includes several varieties of bottled beers, plus an assortment of frozen concoctions, and went straight for the food. Dad tried the broccoli and cheddar soup, which was thick and gloopy - but not too gloopy - with good flavor, and steak fajitas. Their fajitas can be had in any number of styles: orignal, cajun, bbq, or Southwestern (as if they are not a Southwestern creation already). The bbq fajitas came with all the usual fixins - guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, shredded cheese, and the dreaded sour cream. Dad quickly moved them out of the line of vision and dug into the meat and peppers, served with small flour tortillas. "Ok," he said, "but not as good as Chili's." Well, I knew that before he ordered them. I tried a small Caesar salad, which was redolent of garlic and contained several good croutons, followed by the Buffalonian: a lightly breaded and fried chicken breast in wing sauce, on a toasted kaiser roll, with bleu cheese sauce and fries on the side. Now, I must say that I see no reason to toast a kaiser roll. The roll takes on a most unpleasant dry texture that ruins the whole sandwich experience. The chicken itself was not dry, but not moist either, and the sauce had been baked onto the breading, not wet as it is on wings. The "bleu cheese" sauce had nary a lump of blue stuff in it, nor was it particularly cheesy. The fries were good though. And Rocky Run has a nice selection of hot sauces available to spice up a bland meal. I tried about seven different kinds on this visit. None helped that roll though. Rocky Run also serves several desserts; "normal" offerings like a brownie sundae concoction, key lime pie, and hot apple cobbler; also more bizarre things such as "the mini mousse," billed as "Maryland's smallest chocolate mousse dessert," and cheesecake shooters (cheesecake in a shotglass). We skipped dessert, but might have to try some of it next time. The service was good, but the food was uneven. We're hoping it all levels out by our next visit. |
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