Book Review: A New Darkness: Joseph Delaney (Characters from the Last Apprentice)

In this book, Joseph Delaney starts a new trilogy after the thirteen book The Last Apprentice series.  I guess this is a new series as Tom Ward is no longer an apprentice.  With the death of the Spook, John Gregory, Tom Ward is now the spook at the age of 17.  His training was not quite complete, but it has to have been sufficient.  He wants to just do Spook's business, protect the county form the dark, but there is a menace which is coming much too quickly.  A Haizda Mage is in the county, and killing young women by drinking their blood.  How can Tom confront this new threat?
I don't want to give away the ending, but I don't like the way this story ends as it left me missing some of the characters.  Also the library does not have the next book yet so I am at a loss groping around for something to read.  I have felt it keenly since finishing this story.  I must admit, this story had me wanting to read on as quickly as possible to see what happens next.

Movie Review: **^The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.

This is an early Dr. Seuss project.  The sets were designed by Dr. Seuss, and the lyrics written by him.  And it is based on one of his books.  Tony and I watched it together, and we both agreed, too much dancing made it boring in spots.
Bart Collins (Tommy Rettig) has a good life, but he has one drawback, his overbearing piano teacher.  His piano teacher likes piano music, but no other instrument, and not other sport or activity.  Bart is one for dreaming.  He dreams when he should be practicing his piano.  He daydreams a complex scenario in which Dr. Terwilliker (Hans Conried), the piano teacher, plans to employ 500 boys all playing on a super-duper piano of his invention at the same time, can you imagine a 500 seat piano.  He is going to hold the 500 boy piano players in virtual prison to play a song he has written for the occasion.  Bart, with the help of his plumber; it would be his mother (Mary Healy) but Terwilliker is controlling his mother through a hypnotic potion.  Collins comes up with an atomic sound stopping canister.  Of course being atomic, it is subject to blow up.  Of course that is when Bart wakes up, and they try to unravel the mess, as Bart wants to skip out on piano practicing and play baseball, and for his mother to marry the plumber.  A cute premise, and even though Tony was entertained generally, there were some boring parts.

The Doobie Brothers - Toulouse Street (1972) - Full Album

Here is some great music from the Doobie Brothers.  This album starts with one of my favorites, "Listen to the Music."  It also has "Jesus is Just All Right."  There is a song written by Seals and Croft, "Cotton Mouth."  This is mostly rock, with a reggae song in the mix.  
Patrick Simmons -- guitars, flute, vocals
Tom Johnston -- guitars, vocals
Tiran Porter -- bass, vocals
John (Little John) Hartman -- drums, percussion
Michael Hossack -- drums

UNBORN CHILD by SEALS & CROFTS

I am sharing this song from the album, because the You Tube version cuts off some of the beginning, and the words are very important.  This song came out in 1974, a year after Roe Vs. Wade.  Seals and Croft were very brave to produce such a song in a volatile climate.  The climate is still volatile.  I must share my belief that children are from God.  I also believe life begins at conception.  I want to stand with the precious babies.  I don't want to offend anyone, but I want to share my belief.

Sheri and I had two babies who did not breathe.  They were both born before Natalia.  Billy Boy passed away at eight months of pregnancy.  We have always considered him part of our family and look forward to meeting him some day.
Early on in our marriage Sheri had a miscarriage, at about two months.  Again this was a male child.  I don't know why, but Sheri and I have never thought of that first baby as part of our family.  With Billy Boy we felt him kick and squirm in Sheri's womb.  When he was born I wanted the doctor to pound on his chest and make him breath; even though he had been dead a couple days.

Movie Review: ***Charlotte's Web (2006)

Charlotte's Web is a classic book, and this movie version does it justice.  This is a live character movie.  The animals of course must be computer generated, and gives the opportunity for many famous actors to have a swan song.  The voice actors include, Oprah Winfrey, Julia Roberts, Kathy Bates, Reba McEntire, Robert Redford, to name a few.  Of the character actors Dakota Fanning plays the little girl, Fern.  This is a show with great entertainment, with the theme that life goes on.  Charlotte the spider passes away, but life goes on in her children in the egg sack.  Tony has enjoyed this movie several times.  His class read the book in school.

Picture Book Review: Go Away, Dog

Go Away, Dog by Joan L. Nodset pictures by Paul Meisel, 1963, Barnes and Noble, New York, 2005 I found this book rather delightful.  It is about a boy and a dog.  The boy doesn't like dogs, but the dog likes the boy.  The boy tries several things to get him to go away, but the dog keeps coming back.   The illustrations capture the emotions and attitudes of a dog perfectly.  The dog shows happy and sad emotions wonderfully.

Stories I Like: Hansel and Gretel

Hansel & Gretel A Grimm Tale, Adapted by Joe Loesch illustrated by Kevin Menck, Dalmatian Press, Franklin, Tennessee, 2001.
I just read a 2001 version of the Hansel and Gretel story.  This was my favorite story growing up.  I loved my mother to tell this story; and then I retold it myself many times.  However this version is not true to the original I remember in my mind.  This story does not include an evil stepmother.  The children become lost in the woods because they wander too much when the play.  However they learn their lesson when they are unable to get home.  In this version they meet the witch with the house of candy.  They discover the witch's plot to eat them, and push her into the over and make their escape.  Lucky they find a chest of gold and take all they can carry in a couple potato bags and take it home with them so they will never be poor again.