text:
How to Fix "Jurassic Park III"
Jurassic Park III is a typical case of a great initial concept that was inadequately translated to screen. When this happens, you end up getting a movie with a lot of potential that ultimately fails to deliver what was expected. This feeling is an especially bitter one when the hype is at the level of a Jurassic Park film. I believe the same could be said about Alien: Resurrection (but that will be for another article.) While JP III is a film I enjoyed (it was commercially successful as it grossed $369 million against a $93 million budget), it is widely considered to be the black sheep of the series. It currently has a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie had a troubled production as the script was being written as they were filming. That might explain some of its flaws. Here is what went wrong in the movie as well as what should have been done to possibly salvage the film.
Where Are the Bad Guys?
The movie does not contain any real antagonists. The dinosaurs do not count as they are animals and they are expected to behave as such. The only thing they do in this film is continuously chase the heroes. The original Jurassic Park and the first sequel, The Lost World, both contained intriguing human antagonists, whether it was Dennis Nedry or the new board of InGen. There was real drama between those characters and the heroes. The human tale was just as fascinating as the action scenes. Some might argue that the Kirby couple are the obvious villains because they are fooling Dr. Alan Grant and his assistant to go back to Isla Sorna. That is not quite true. As soon as the characters crash on the island, they are attacked by the Spinosaurus. There is no time for any character development between Dr. Grant and the Kirbys. Remember, they lied to him, had him knocked out, and the check they wrote him is worth nothing as they are not really wealthy. Their plan was all a scheme to find their son, who is lost somewhere on the island. So all of a sudden the Kirbys are good guys and this happens very early in the movie. There is never any kind of tension between the characters. What is left is them being chased by dinosaurs until the end, bringing nothing new to the table.
The heroes and the villains of JP III (oh no wait, all heroes.)
What should have been done: William H. Macy and Téa Léoni are both excellent actors that are usually typecasted as the good guys. They are playing a divorced couple looking for their son on Isla Sorna. They ultimately find their son and get back together. End of story. I think the filmmakers had a great opportunity here to create an unexpected plot twist with the Kirbys revealing themselves as the bad guys. For instance, I think an interesting idea would have seen them looking for the DNA sample left behind by Dennis Nedry in the first film. They can tell Alan that they just want to fly over the island (which would be Isla Nublar), land on it, and tell him they are looking for their son to calm him down. Alan, like the audience, would be fooled. We would ultimately learn that the Kirbys are in fact scientists working for Lewis Dogson's Biosyn (the evil corporation behind Nedry's actions in the first film) and that they want the dinosaur embryos to recreate them on the mainland for further research. Like in the last film, they would be accompanied by a few mercenaries to help them, planning to get rid of Alan and his assistant after he accomplished his role as a guide. The dinosaurs would obviously get in the way and Alan and his assistant would be the only survivors. This is not a flawless idea but I believe it would have made the Kirbys much more compelling characters and give Jurassic Park III the antagonists it badly needed.
Why Is Alan Grant So Naive?
Sam Neill is a very compelling actor to watch and his portrayal of Dr. Grant in the first film was spot on, playing him as a courageous and loving character. In this film, Grant accepts to go to the island with complete strangers (it was obviously needed for anything in the film to happen.) What is frustrating is that he does so for a financial reason. Again. It was money that made him decide to go to Isla Nublar in the first movie. Following those disastrous events, didn't he learn his lesson? Even more disconcerting is the fact that in one very first scenes, Grant says during a conference that he will never go back to the island. He does so within minutes!
What should have been done: This is only a suggestion, but I believe it would have made Grant's characterization more consistent with the first movie if the Kirbys had told him right from the start that they needed him to help locate their son. Remember, Grant seems to have grown a genuine love for children by the end of the first film. He could have helped the Kirbys out of genuine concern. This makes it so that he would not go for the money and look naive by making the same mistake twice. I think this would have made the character much more likeable.
Why Did Alan & Ellie Break Up?
In the first film, Alan and Ellie are a couple and the chemistry between Sam Neill and Laura Dern makes their relationship believable (interestingly, Dern was in a relationship with Jeff Goldblum at the time.) The way the first movie ends lets us think that they are likely to have children in the near future. However, in JP III, we learn that not only are they not together anymore, Ellie actually has a son and is married to someone else. Why? I can't think of a logical reason behind this decision. Maybe Laura Dern was asking for too high of a salary? Her screen time is reduced to a few minutes while she was one of the most engaging characters in the original film. It angers me in the same way that some were horrified that Newt and Hicks are killed off within the first minutes of Alien 3. Completely pointless.
What should have been done: The solution here is simple. The character of Billy (Grant's assistant, played by Alessandro Nivola) should have been replaced by Ellie. The underplot with him trying to steal the raptor's eggs is completely unimportant, except to create more chase sequences. Any mercenary in the group could have still done that. I think audiences would have loved to see Alan and Ellie share some action scenes together as it was a highlight in the first film to me.
That Dinosaur Fight
This is probably the main point of criticism from the fans. The T-Rex is killed within seconds by the newly-introduced Spinosaurus. In the first two films, this dinosaur was depicted as the ultimate killing machine that everyone was afraid of. While not really necessary, I really have nothing against the introduction of the Spinosaurus. The filmmakers must have thought it was needed in order to help make JP III different from the first two. I would have still preferred it if they had kept the Tyranosaurus instead but it is not a big deal. However, what bothers me is how easily it is killed off. That dino fight was hyped up in the trailers and promotional clips before the film's release and it lasts only a few seconds in the final film. What a letdown! I would even say it is quite disrespectful to get rid of him that way, after all that took place in the previous films.
A few seconds of awesomeness...
What should have been done: Again, the solution is quite simple. Just make the fight sequence longer! The mighty T-Rex barely defends himself. He deserved a much better ending.
Why Such a Crappy Ending?
The film ends with Ellie calling the army from the mainland. Our heroes escape from the raptors and end up on the beach. Here we see what has to be the dumbest shot in any JP film; commandos arrive Normandy-style while a military version of the main theme plays. That's it, our heroes are saved. We then see them in a helicopter and they are suddenly surrounded by pterodactyls. The same pterodactyls that tried to kill them so violently a few minutes ago! Nothing happens, the characters just stare at them lovingly. Why? It is also worth mentioning that the film is only 92 minutes long, which is way too short. I clearly remember expecting one last action scene at this point, but no. The movie really ends there.
What should have been done: The pterodactyls should have attacked the helicopter and we would have had an awesome aerial fight. The film is already quite action-packed as it is but it should have ended on a high note. Instead, we get a simple and quite nonsensical conclusion.
Jurassic Park III is, despite its flaws, a movie I can enjoy. Sam Neill is back, the action scenes are thrilling, and the special effects mostly hold up well today (except for a few bad CGI shots.) The movie nonetheless deserves its reputation as the worst of the series as those flaws are too important to ignore. Casual fans should stick to the first two films. After the successful release of JP III in 2001, there were plans for another sequel, revolving around human-dinosaur hybrids. This idea always sounded horrible to me and I'm glad it was never made. The planned sequel was stuck in development hell for more than a decade until we finally got Jurassic World in 2015, acting as a kind of reboot and sequel to the first film.
What do you think of Jurassic Park III ?
The best of the series
Still better than The Lost World
So bad it's good !
It is simply a bad movie
Should I Watch..? 'Jurassic Park'
by Benjamin Cox0
'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Review (2018)
by Ross Tanenbaum0
'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' (2018) - Film Review
by Chris Sandles0
Movie Review: "Polar"
by Bryan Ouellette0
Don't Hate Me: Why I Love 'Batman & Robin' (1997)
Top 10 Strongest, Most Powerful Sith Lords of All Time
by Rui Carreira268
Top 10 Strongest, Most Powerful Jedi of All Time
Top 9 Intriguing Movies Like 'Interstellar' That Will Make You Think
You Must Sign In To Comment
To comment on this article, you must sign in or sign up and post using a HubPages Network account.


text:
Home › The Hundred Dresses: The Most Iconic Styles of Our Time (Used Book) - Erin McKean
The Hundred Dresses: The Most Iconic Styles of Our Time (Used Book) - Erin McKean
The dress is the last bit of femininity in our closets; it's the only item of clothing which (most) men and women don't share. Wearing a dress is a powerful way for women to express themselves--and every style conveys a different message. Inspired by the Eleanor Estes' children's classic The Hundred Dresses, Erin McKean's classic-to-be by the same title, with chic illustrations by Donna Mehalko, is a definitive look at the dresses, vintage and modern, that make an inarguable statement about the woman who wears them.
Each evocatively illustrated entry identifies one of a hundred different dresses accompanied by a witty and informative look at the history of that particular style, famous wearers (if applicable), and what message, subtle or overt, is conveyed by the dress. Notes on where such a style could be observed and accessories of the wearer are also included.
Featured are The Wench; The Sari; The Vreeland; The Wrap; The Austen; The Beckham; The Siren (any style, as long as it's red); The Chanel Ingenue; The Caftan; The Guinivere; The Jackie; The Slip Dress; The Biohazard (any dress dangerous to bystanders or the wearer: think Lady Gaga); and scores more. The book also includes a suggested reading list of fashion books, dresses from literature, and an index. Part style commentary, part fashion blueprint, part clever field guide, The Hundred Dresses will ensure that no woman (or man) ever underestimates the power of the dress.
0824LO

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Here is Frank Cuneo's obituary. Please accept Everhere's sincere condolences.
It is always difficult saying goodbye to someone we love and cherish. Family and friends must say goodbye to their beloved Frank Cuneo (Walpole, Massachusetts), born in Arlington, Massachusetts, who passed away on February 12, 2019. Family and friends can light a candle as a loving gesture for their loved one.
Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this memorial page of Frank Cuneo to show support. He was loved and cherished by many people including : his parents, Lucy Bertorelli and Frank Cuneo; his wife Marie; his children, Jane Kittredge, John Cuneo (Jill) and Joan Hathaway (Paul); his grandchildren, John Kittredge, Nicole Salvo (Robert, Kristen Cuneo), Elizabeth, Matthew and Stephanie Hathaway; his great grandchildren, Dante, Brayden and Brody Salvo; his siblings, Joseph Cuneo (Connie) and Florence; his cousins, Anne Marie Basiliere and Paul Groppi; his son-in-law Walter Kittredge. He was also cherished by his many nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Our Lady of Sorrows Church or to the Sharon Historical Society, P. O. Box 175 Sharon, MA 02067.
There are no additional memories for Frank Cuneo at this time. You can add a memory to pay tribute to Frank Cuneo at any time.
Here are the tributes to Frank Cuneo who passed away in Walpole, Massachusetts.
Would you like to offer Frank Cuneo's loved ones a condolence message? Write your message of sympathy today.


Linda Harrison posted this interesting piece over on TechEYE.net: Open source mapping tech goes global, helps women fight back. Harrison writes that a group in Egypt introduced a service to report street harassment via text message. She says, "If a woman experiences unwanted attention from a man in a public place she simply picks up her mobile and sends a text to HarassMap where it's reported on a centralised computer. She receives a reply offering support and some practical advice while the information is collated by the group at HarassMap who plot the incident on a publicly-available map and pass their findings on to police."
Harrison also links to similar projects, the LASH campaign and the Hollaback site.


Four women from the No More Deaths advocacy group were convicted on misdemeanor charges Friday for entering a national wildlife refuge without permits to provide life-saving aid to migrants crossing the Arizona border with Mexico, AP reports.
The big picture: Judge Bernardo Velasco's decision was the first conviction of humanitarian volunteers in a decade, according AP. The women — Natalie Hoffman, Zaachila Orozco-McCormick, Oona Holcomb and Madeline Huse — were attempting to leave water and food for migrants traveling through the Cabeza Prieta refuge.
Grace Meng, the wife of the former Interpol president who suddenly resigned and was detained in China last fall, has applied for asylum in France, the New York Times reports.
Details: Meng told the newspaper Libération that she's afraid she'll be kidnapped if she goes back to China, where "such strange things happen" and "fundamental rights are not respected." According to the Times, Meng said she has not had contact with her husband since his arrest, which she believes was "for a political reason."


text:
Seventeen is back and they are fearless
By Kwon Yae-rim
Seventeen (Pledis Entertainment)
Seventeen released their seventh mini-album "Heng:garae," with "Left & Right" as its lead track, on Monday.
The record, featuring six tracks, comes about nine months after their third full album "An Ode." While the previous album focused on the concept of fear, the new album carries a much more upbeat and optimistic theme. In fact, the first song is called "Fearless."
Speaking to the press during a livestreamed press showcase, the bandmates said they wanted this album to be an anthem for youth and a motto to live by.
"The lead track, 'Left & Right,' is a message for young people who challenge themselves to reach their dream," said member Woozi who participated in writing and composing all six tracks on the album.
"They may be going left and right, not knowing what path to take, but through that period, they will later be able to shoot up to the sky with their strength."
He added henggarae in Korean means an act of throwing someone high up in the air and catching them.
Other members were heavily involved in the creative process as well. They shared that they had more discussions than ever before about their day-to-day lives as well as their thoughts about their career and where it's heading, which is reflected in the album.
"What Seungkwan shared about his outer and inner self especially touched me," Woozi said.
"I am much brighter on camera and when I'm with other members than when I'm alone, a side of me that the other members also probably empathize and share," explained Seungkwan.
Once the lead track was finished, member Hoshi listened to it first and confessed that he wasn't initially sure about it. "I knew Woozi, along with others, worked on over twenty songs to come up with this one, but 'Left & Right' was a different genre from our usual songs. But my second time listening to it, I felt chills."
That was when he called Seungkwan and said, "This is it." Seungkwan with other members heard it afterward, and they were able to hum and dance to it immediately, and could picture themselves performing the song onstage.
In accordance with the band's enthusiasm, the album garnered a lot of attention early on after it hit 1.06 million presales, breaking the band's previous record.
After the album was released on Monday night, its lead track shot to the top of various domestic music charts, including Melon, Genie and Bugs.
As a surprise for fans who waited for the band's comeback during the epidemic, Seventeen decided to prepare performances of three songs from the album instead of the usual two, the lead track and follow-up single which for this album is "My My."
The third song the group will perform will be "Fearless," which the members said they have already started practicing the choreography for.
"Over the past nine months, we poured all of our energy into this album so every track is very meaningful for us. We hope especially young people will feel encouraged and supported through our music," said leader S.Coups.
By Kwon Yae-rim (kyr@heraldcorp.com)


Danny Thorpe writes that the Windows Live Contacts Gadget is due for an update soon, one that's going to break existing apps that use the contacts control. This one time change in the data connection that delivers the contacts data to the control UI is going to allow for a lot more functionality coming up, and will only require some URL changes to existing web apps that use the contacts control. Read more about where the Live Contacts gadget beta is heading on Danny's blog.
JCXP points out that Windows Live OneCare is getting ready to beta test version 1.5. You can sign up for the beta, which will include file cleaning options for infected files, better firewall configuration settings, and more backup restore options.
And is it time for a "change the name of local.live.com" revolt? Dare points out that you can just as easily use http://maps.live.com. Can you say no-brainer?


This Mental Health Awareness Week (8th – 14th May), children's mental health charity Place2Be is saying a very special thank you to players of People's Postcode Lottery for helping to fund its parent counselling service.
Through its one-to-one parent counselling service, Place2Be helps parents facing personal challenges such as divorce, domestic violence, childhood abuse and bereavement. Place2Be also helps parents to feel more confident and better able to develop positive relationships with their children and the school.
Thanks to a generous grant of £100,000 from People's Postcode Trust, Place2Be is able to work with 38 schools in London and Greater Manchester, reaching a total of 130 parents through more than 1,000 counselling sessions.
Place2Be is the leading provider of school-based mental health services and works in 282 primary and secondary schools in the UK, building children's emotional resilience through talking, creative work and play.
As well as offering counselling to parents and carers, a team of trained counsellors are available for all of the pupils. This includes short sessions which children can book themselves during lunch and break times, and one-to-one sessions which are available to children with more serious needs. School staff are also offered advice on how to best support their pupils' emotional wellbeing.
Clara Govier, Head of Charities at People's Postcode Lottery, said, "Place2Be's parent counselling service is a hugely important element of its work to support the mental health and wellbeing of children. I'm so pleased that funding from our players, through People's Postcode Trust, is ensuring it can run the service and reach more parents and children."
Olivia Curno, Director of Fundraising at Place2Be, said, "In order to help improve emotional wellbeing for children it's really important that we are able to support their parents' mental health.
"This Mental Health Awareness Week we want to say a special thank you to players of People's Postcode Lottery for helping us to reach parents who, in many cases, don't know where else to turn and urgently need someone to support them through challenging times."


• Multi-material polymer and aluminum insert dampens unwanted vibration at impact for better feel.
• Every iron has a forged club face to enhance ball speed and feel.
• Modest cavity back with engineered undercut improves ball speed and accuracy on off-center hits.
• Constant blade height and progressive blade length promotes more forgiveness in long irons and controlled trajectory in the scoring irons.


text:
from the October 2015 issue
Fiction by Eeva Park
Translated from Estonian by Matthew Hyde
A homeless man piggybacks on a stray dog's rescue during a hailstorm in this story by Eeva Park.
Listen to Eeva Park read from "A Dog's Life" in the original Estonian.
The dog ran round the corner, his fur shaggy and matted, and stayed there, sheltering from the wind and panting heavily. From a distance it looked as if he was leaning his shoulder against the building, which made him look even more human. He was old and filthy and probably hadn't eaten for some time, since when I got close he looked straight at me with his light-brown, gummy eyes and started wagging his tail. His whole body wriggled along with that one body part that expresses a dog's feelings, which was horrible to see, since the tail movement clearly didn't express pleasure, but rather a deeply ingrained submissive fear of people, whoever they may be. But he didn't run away when I came up alongside him, he just huddled up closer to the wall of the building, his tail thudding against the yellowish-gray plaster, which came off in wide flat pieces, and tensely awaiting a kick or a blazing match; someone had already scorched his left flank and a suppurating scab was visible through the singed fur. The question flashed through my mind whether children could have done this, because I'd just been leafing through the papers over my morning coffee and read a story about some girls who burned a cat alive at a party.
Looking at the animal's matted coat you couldn't tell how scrawny he really was, and since I didn't know what kind of hunger his eyes were expressing, whether a doggy yearning for affection or the torment of an empty stomach, I decided that he must be a typical beggar, just like the ones I had passed in the street a little earlier.
Those two, a youngish man and an older woman, had stunk so badly that, instead of stopping, people couldn't help but quicken their pace; the pair was evidently drunk and they had sprawled out on the broad asphalt path leading through the park to the Viru shopping center. The cardboard sign hanging round the man's neck, with writing in two languages which had started to run in the damp, asked for money to buy food for their children. But people had already seen too many of their sort, and the initial shock had long since worn off, now there were even rumors going around about how burly men in leather jackets could be seen driving from one beggar to another collecting the day's takings. So even begging had turned into a business. For many years now there had been a bearded man begging by the wall opposite the newspaper stand near the Kaubamaja shopping center, kneeling on a flattened cardboard box with his hand outstretched. I am almost certain that I once came across him in Paris, at the Petit Palais, in front of the Giron painting depicting the Parisienne. I was backing away from the painting to get a better look at that most refined of ladies, and I bumped right into him. In any case the resemblance to that bearded man, into whose hand I was used to tossing the small change that accumulated in my pocket, was striking. As I apologized he seemed to recognize me too; despite the red and black dotted scarf tied foppishly under his jacket, he didn't respond with the politeness typical of a Frenchman, but just gave a grunt instead.
The street I had come to following the dog seemed to be completely empty at that moment, and when anyone did appear, they would rush straight off, a little hunched, holding their hat with one hand and shielding their face with the other, then taking shelter from the wind under some arch, just like the dog. Whistling audaciously, a gust of wind whisked up the sand and dust which had gathered between the cobblestones, and I felt it rasping against my throat as I breathed in. A piece of metal roofing torn loose by the wind flew straight past me, slicing the air like a guillotine. It scratched a long furrow across the roof of a red car parked half on the pavement, and then hurtled on, rebounding against a wall with a clatter.
The first real storm of the autumn was getting underway. The sky, which had already turned dark, now looked as if it had caved in lopsidedly over the town, and in the distance behind the Lasnamäe tower blocks thunder was rumbling.
When I reached the café under the arch and tugged at the door, it didn't open at first, and for a moment I even thought that the place must be shut, but then suddenly the door flew wide open, colliding with the trashcan next to the steps and taking me with it. A man sitting at one of the tables on the other side of the steamed-up window looked up distractedly and glared out at the darkening street. It was nearly midday, but as I entered I saw that the man by the window was the only customer in that little café next to the city wall.
"Heavens almighty. . . like a nuclear bomb exploding," said the primped woman in the pristine outfit as she leaned over the counter: "I hope that you pulled the door properly behind you? If it's not shut it'll fly right open again, and then the windows have had it. . . Maybe I'd better lock it. . ." She deliberated with her head cocked to one side as she looked out into the street to watch the chaotic thrashing of the sheet of metal as it kept being hurled into the air. "It's just been fixed, but I can't be going to check it after every single customer."
"I pulled it properly shut. I actually had more trouble getting it open," I explained as I inspected the goods laid out on the shelves in the glass display case. "Two meat pies, please. . . no not those ones, the yeasted ones. Those fourteen-kroon ones."
"Coffee or tea?" she asked, placing the pies on a plate and reaching out her hand to get a cup.
"Neither. Just the two pies."
"I've got juice, water, wine. . .," she persisted. "There's even kefir. How can you eat them dry like that?"
"I'm not going to eat them, they're for the dog," I said and gestured over my shoulder at the dog.
"Dogs aren't allowed in here. I can't understand why people don't realize it's not hygienic. A couple of days ago some crazy guy came and lectured me about how he always takes his dog to the restaurants in Holland, but this isn't Holland. Let him go there if he wants and eat out of the same trough as his dog for all I care. Here we still make a clear distinction between animals and people, thank heavens."
"No need to get worked up. I'm not bringing the dog in. It's not even my dog anyway," I said. But it was pretty pointless as the woman wasn't listening, she just carried on talking:
"You get all sorts hanging about, sometimes with dogs, sometimes without. God's zoo is really big. Just yesterday I had to call the police, someone had been sitting here the whole afternoon—over there at the table in the corner—and then it turned out, so help me, if you please, that he was dead, and now another one has dragged himself here. He's an odd one." The woman looked in the direction of the customer sitting at the table by the window. "He came in, ordered a cup of tea, and now he's just slouched there. Everyone who comes in turns round and walks straight out as soon as they see him. But don't you go thinking that I don't know who's foisting these types on us. They've basically been paid to come here."
"Who?" I asked, but she just shook her head and carried on talking.
"Your average dead person is nothing compared to a stinking tramp like that, that dead one didn't bother anybody, but this one sits there with his empty cup just to keep himself warm, and he stinks, so that—"
The woman handed me back my change, pushed the till shut with her chest, and then smiled a completely normal smile, not just with the corners of her mouth, but all the way to her eyes:
"The police don't do anything at all, they just say that if the customer has paid, then it's none of their business, the customer is king. I hope you understand, I don't mean anything bad, but I really can't let you into the café with a dog, even if I myself like dogs."
"Actually, I don't like them myself," I answered as I took the pies and stuffed the money into my purse.
The dog was hunched just outside the door, in the same spot by the wall, and he gazed up at me with the same look in his eyes as before. Then when I knelt down and offered him a pie, he sniffed it very cautiously, like a silk-cassocked cardinal afraid of being poisoned. Very slowly and reluctantly he took the pie between yellow teeth that stuck out like Mother Hulda's. He let half of it fall to the ground, but eventually ate it all up, swallowing with great difficulty. It looked like it was hard for him to get it down without the tea, coffee, or juice which the woman in the café had offered.
"Trying to make friends with that dog?" a hoarse voice asked directly overhead, and when I looked up I saw the man who had been sitting at the café table. His face bristled with several weeks' growth of yellowish-gray beard, his pale sherry-colored eyes were just as crusty as the dog's, and seen from underneath the nostrils in his large nose were extremely hairy and produced a snuffling sound as he puffed air in and out through them. It seemed to be hard work for him just to stand upright, and when he teetered for a moment, I was scared he might fall on top of us, but he managed to steady himself against the wall with his hand just in time.
Outside in the whistling wind the man reeked less than inside, but there was still a sickly sickly sweet stench of refuse and dried sweat coming off him. There wasn't an obvious smell of alcohol, although I detected a whiff of it hanging on the tails of the words as they flowed from his mouth.
"Is he with you?" I asked, cautiously touching the dog's head with a gloved hand. "He ran here to shelter from the wind, and I started to feel sorry for him. . ."
"It will take more than a meat pie to make a house pet of that one. Give me the pie."
"No," I said, straightening up and backing away from his stench. "The pie's for the dog, you can eat at home, when you eventually get there."
"I haven't eaten anything since the day before yesterday," he said, grabbing the pie from my hand and stuffing it into his mouth.
"You smell like a sewer," I said, watching how the wind tugged at the thinning, light-gray hair on the crown of his head. Some longer hairs had come loose from his greasy ponytail and were flapping across his face, crisscrossing and covering it in places, but he didn't seem to notice. Another rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, making the dog and me hunch up, but he just laughed, revealing that one of his otherwise strong front teeth was missing, and the black hole in the middle of the row made him look even more like your average street person.
This time he had been missing for almost three weeks, and his trousers seemed to be the only surviving item from the clothes he had been wearing when he had gone to that business lunch with the Swedes and never returned. The yellowish-brown dog was lying on the street between the two of us like a hairy carpet. I started to walk away, but when I glanced back I saw the man prod the dog with his foot, at which he obediently got to his feet and started to follow us.
"So he is with you then? Where did you pick him up?" I asked, but a whistling gust of wind snatched my words away.
We headed along the same road that I had come down, but the man and the dog crossed over to the other side, and as I watched him I noticed that he reached out to the wall for support at least twice. The pedestrians who occasionally came in the opposite direction all tried to steer clear of him, to keep their distance by stepping onto the road or hopping onto the high steps of the old townhouses. Two rows of children, wearing familiar Reaal School hats, were being guided through the storm by their teacher, probably in the direction of the Natural History Museum, and the man and the dog briefly disappeared under an archway to make way for them, but then they came back into sight again.
The dog walking along beside him didn't seem to notice the wind any more, but it was tearing at the beast's fur and the man's loosely flapping coattails with the same fury as before, and soon the first fierce hailstorm was hurling beads of water from the clouds like a shower of bullets. The children took off yelling, while the teacher who had been trying to keep them in order lifted her bag over her head and dashed onward. The hailstones covered the street, instantly turning it snowy white, but a quarter of an hour later when we arrived home the shower had already turned into blustery rain, and by the time we got to the third floor both the wet man and the dog stank to high heaven. As soon as we got into the flat I opened the bathroom door and ordered them both inside. The dog stretched out on his belly on the dark red carpet in the corridor, shivering, but I dragged him by the scruff of his neck through the bathroom door, straight onto the heated black-and-white tile floor.
As soon as he entered the flat Markus sat down on the chair in the hall looking like he was going to doze off right there and then.
"Don't even think of going to sleep there! Take off those rags and get in the bath straight away. God knows, you must both be completely lice-infested," I ordered, but Markus just snarled something indistinct, and I had to hoist him up off the chair and help him into the bathroom. The dog was slipping and sliding on the smooth floor trying to get onto his feet. He was whining in fear, and before I had managed to pull the bathroom carpet away it was soaked in piss.
"I'm definitely not going to wash that. . . He's all mangy, as well. . . Where did you find him?" I asked, but Markus just groaned in response:
"Somewhere. . . no. . . he just latched onto me."
"You've got just two and a half hours to get yourself in order before the children get here."
"Don't worry. . ." he said, and without opening his eyes he started fumbling at his rags.
"Surely you don't want them to see you like this?" I threatened him, as I knew it was the only way of getting him moving.
"What did you tell them?" he asked, managing to half open his eyes, slowly surveying himself in the misted-over mirror.
"What I always do. . . that you were traveling. . . that you went to pitch ideas to some new business partners. . . making some big deal. . . meeting people and signing contracts. . . I can't be bothered to think up anything new anymore, and the children aren't interested anyway," I answered as I pulled on my yellow rubber gloves and helped him tug off his clothes. His skin twitched when the gloves touched it, and his legs were clearly not able to bear his heavy stinking frame any longer.
"And what else?" he inquired, supporting himself on the edge of the bath and breathing the stench from his burnt-out digestive system straight into my face.
"It would be good if you could be up and about by tomorrow. . . I've signed some things on your behalf, but now we need to make some final decisions on the harbor sites. I didn't dare set a meeting time, but we have to hurry with the attorneys now as well. Did you hear what happened to Simberg? That business has probably already ended up in court. . . And some serious problems have come up with transit. . . Oh yes, there's been a change of minister in the meantime as well. . . Actually the whole government. . . Don't you know that either?"
"No," he mumbled as he lifted up his arms and let me pull his absolutely worn-out sweater off over his head. He was wearing nothing else under it, and once it was removed I could see that his body was a strange yellow color. He had clearly been beaten up, and judging by his groaning at least one of his ribs was broken. The water was pouring from the tap and quickly filled the tub. I chucked in a double helping of bubble bath, and Markus slowly clambered over the edge, dangling one foot in the water to test the temperature. He lowered himself into the bath with a sigh, and as he did so the water surged up and sloshed over the edge onto the floor.
"Do I have to watch so you don't fall asleep?" I asked, but I saw that he was incapable of perceiving anything other than the warm scented water flowing around his body. The foam surrounded his protruding head with a white fluffy halo, restoring his famous aquiline profile and powerful jawline.
The dog had been trying to crawl out of the bathroom, but when I shut the door he scrabbled to hide among Markus' clothes, which were lying on the floor where they had fallen. When I grabbed hold of him he nipped at me, but I pushed him through the sliding door of the shower and washed him down.
When he was wet the dog lost all of his previous matted shagginess, and with it any last will to resist, so I was able to lather him up with shampoo and get his trembling body clean. As soon as I let him loose he tried to get dry, shaking his body from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, and then he skulked off to the corner of the cabinet under the sink, his nails scraping the stone tiles. I had turned the air conditioning on full and as it whirred away the stench was gradually replaced with the familiar scents of a clean bathroom.
"Bring me a whisky," Markus said, and I didn't argue, I just went and poured him a finger of Blue Label. He drank it slowly, almost reluctantly, then heaved himself into a sitting position, filled the glass to the brim with tap water, and drained that as well. Then he gave a deep sigh and said:
I gathered up Markus's clothes and shoved them into the fireplace, put on some of the cardboard winebox and curly shavings for kindling, added some firewood, and struck a match. The fire caught straight away, but the stench of disintegrating boots wafted from the flames.
A little later the two of them, the man and the dog, were sitting in our kitchen, which was twice its former size since the renovation. I laid the table for Markus, and threw some leftover grilled chicken to the dog.
Just as before, he sniffed it for a long time before sneaking off behind the table with a leg bone.
"Is he allowed to eat chicken bones, won't they puncture his stomach? Looks like he could be a purebred collie? His fur is all tangled and he's prick-eared, but all the same. . ." I suggested to Markus as I listened to the sound of chewing, but I got no reply. Markus was sitting in his dark-blue dressing gown with his shoulders hunched, and his long, slightly wispy hair was now clean and reached down to his shoulders. The autumn storm was still thundering and roaring outside the window.
I watched how he ate, his jowls moving slowly backward and forward, his Adam's apple sliding up and down as he drank the kefir. When the phone rang I pushed it across the table toward him.
He took the phone in his hand, looked at the name which had flashed up on the screen, and pressed the answer button.
"Yes, I'm back. Just now," he said, getting up and walking over to the window. "On the morning flight . . . yes, direct. . . no problems. . . just a bit shaky. . . as you know yourself, New York is on a completely different scale. . . exactly. . . me too. . . " I sat and watched him speak, seeing how he changed more and more as he did so, and outside the half-bare tree tops were swaying in the wind.
The dog crunched away at his last chicken bone under the table.
Once he's washed and combed, been given some ringworm tablets and a rabies injection, he could be just like any other dog, I thought to myself. We can take him out to the island on weekends. He'll chase seagulls on the beach, and when we skim stones on the water he'll run into the water after them.
Markus had finished the call, and was standing with his coffee cup in his hand, looking out the window at the town.
"What's his name?" I asked, as I tried to work out the distance in miles from the gaps between the peals of thunder and the flashes of lightning. The storm was getting farther away, I was able to count to six. "Looks like he could be a purebreed."
"His name? How should I know. Feed him and shove him outside before the children get here," Markus ordered.
"But why did you get him to come with you?" I couldn't help asking. "I washed him. . . We'll have to buy a new bathroom carpet."
"Who told you to wash him. . . "
"But he was dirty. . ."
"I didn't bring him with me, he came himself, of his own free will," Markus answered, heading for his office and starting a new telephone conversation. I took a beefsteak from the fridge, a long dark-red piece of meat with no sinews, packed in film. At first I cut only a thin slice, but then two fat ones as well, and I leaned down under the table and let the dog sniff them. The smell of the fresh, blood-red meat made him perk up, and a lively look came to his eyes. When he got to his feet it seemed as if he had new energy in his muscles, and as I started walking in the direction of the door I heard the scraping of nails hot on my heels. When I opened the door he stopped and hesitated for a moment, and I had to let him have a sniff of one of the pieces of meat, but once we started down the stairs he was already rushing ahead of me, waiting impatiently on every landing, and once we reached the front door he grabbed the meat in his teeth and disappeared down the street with it, in the direction of the sea.
© Eeva Park. By arrangement with the author. Translation © 2015 by Matthew Hyde. All rights reserved.
Read more from the January 2022 issue
Death among the Icebergs
From "Senza Polvere Senza Peso"
Subscribe to our newsletter for new issue content
Eeva Park
Eeva Park is a writer and poet born in Tallinn. A member of the Estonian Writers´ Union since 1993, she has published four novels, five collections of short stories, and six volumes of poetry. She received the Tuglas, Vilde, and Looming prizes and was nominated for the Brücke-Berlin Prize in 2010 and the Kääntökarhu Prize in 2014. Her short stories and poetry have been translated into English, French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Lithuanian, Hungarian, and Hindi.
» More about Eeva Park
Matthew Hyde is a translator of fiction and nonfiction from Russian and Estonian. After studying Russian and politics at London and Essex Universities and gaining his Institute of Linguists Diploma in translation with a distinction for literary translation, Matthew worked for fifteen years for the British government as a translator, research analyst, and diplomat, with postings in London, Moscow, and Tallinn (as deputy head of mission). Following that last posting Matthew chose to remain in Tallinn with his Estonian partner and baby son, where he plays the double bass and translates.
» More about Matthew Hyde


This charming home has lots to offer. Along with its nice size rooms there is a spacious attic with easy access from inside the house which makes it the perfect storage room. The yard is beautifully landscaped with plenty a privacy.


text:
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah's historical fiction novels have become a "must read" for me as they come out. I was very excited to read The Four Winds as part of the Brenda Novak Book Club – 2021 Reading Challenge. She had a wonderful interview with Kristin Hannah last Thursday the 25th that is available on Facebook. It provides great insight into Hannah's writing process and how she came up with the Four Winds. I loved it!
Elsa is a plain, unhappy, unloved, and unmarried daughter of a prosperous family in Texas in the 1920s. One day she makes herself a red flapper dress, bobs her hair, and meets her husband. Handsome Rafe has many dreams but settles down to raise a family with Elsa. As the depression and then the Dust Bowl hit, the Martinelli family is hit with many difficult choices. What will they do to survive?
I loved the vivid portrait that Hannah painted of the Dust Bowl and the depression. The very hard choices that people had to make for their family survival were devastating. The ecological destruction wrought by the Dust Bowl helped to bring in new conservation practices that are still used to this day. The travel from the shattered plains to California to then be treated like dirt was also heartbreaking. People that proudly had their own farms or owned their own businesses were treated like trash and forced to live in tent cities. The novel really humanized the situation.
I LOVED the characters in this novel. Elsa is a woman who had difficulty in self-confidence, but through the love of her children, she was able to work her hardest to survive. I in particular loved her relationship with her in-laws and how they became her real parents. I also loved the often-angry relationship she had with her 13-year-old daughter Loreda. It rang as a true mother daughter relationship. I loved that Elsa was doing her best, even when Loreda didn't see it.
I don't want to ruin this book experience for others so I will not get further into the plot. Like Hannah's past few novels, I flew through this one and couldn't put it down. Tears were shed and emotions were felt. I loved this novel.
Favorite Quotes:
"Hope is a coin I carry: an American penny, given to me by a man I came to love."
"Passion is a thunderstorm, there and gone."
"Elsa hadn't known until right then how much difference a friend could make. How one person could lift your spirit just enough to keep you upright."
"Poverty was a soul-crushing thing. A cave that tightened around you, its pinprick of light closing a little more at the end of each desperate, unchanged day."
"Life went on, even in the hardest of times."
Overall, The Four Winds is a gripping story that vividly paints the devastation caused by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
Book Source: Purchased from Amazon.com
Labels: 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, Brenda Novak 2021 Reading Challenge, Hannah - Kristin, Historical Fiction, Motherhood
What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand
What Happens in Paradise in #2 in the Paradise Trilogy and picks up just after the first book, Winter in Paradise concluded. We read Winter in Paradise in January for the Kewaunee Library Book Club. I was excited to read book number two, and I read it very quickly on my Kindle!
Irene Steele is still looking into the mystery of what life her late husband, Russell, was living in the Caribbean. The FBI is now involved and has taken over her beloved Iowa home. Irene and her sons return to the island of St. John to try to figure out what exactly happened to Russell and to maybe start new lives of their own.
We also get some answers into how Russell's relationship started with Rosie, through her friend Ayers. Ayers helped to clean out Rosie's old room and has discovered her diary. She reads through it and the reader makes discoveries. I'll admit though, I'm still dubious on Russell and Rosie's relationship. Russell was described a mid-forties, pudgy, married man on the island for work. Rosie was described as a sexy 23-year-old. I didn't quite buy that this would work as I really don't see what Rosie sees in Russell. When I was 23, my Dad was in my mid-forties and I was not checking out his friends.
I read this book really fast and stayed up too late reading it on my Kindle at night. It ended with another cliffhanger, so I am waiting for the third novel from the library. It's an entertaining read. I want to know why Russell and Rosie ended up dead and what bad business Russ found himself in. I also want their family and friends to have a happy ending. I enjoy the characters and the plot!
"She's a civil engineer. She builds bridges in the Bay Area, the kind of bridges that can withstand earthquakes." - This was about a very minor character, but I am always on the look out for engineers in books!
"Life gave me another chance to be happy. Only an idiot would say no to that out of fear."
"Did two good people do something they knew was wrong because there was some kind of magical chemistry involved? Or was it plain old human fallibility, weakness in the face of temptation?"
"It was so important to stay vigilant where your heart was concerned. Why didn't they teach you that in school?"
"Because if you don't write down what happens in a day, you forget – and that day becomes a blur and that blur becomes your life."
"But if she did believe it, she might understand that everyone has her baggage and her sad stories. What differentiates people is how they choose to deal with them."
"Love is messy, complicated, and unfair."
Overall, What Happens in Paradise was an entertaining, fast read. I would recommend reading this after you have already read the first book in the series, Winter in Paradise.
Book Source: E-book copy from the Kewaunee Public Library
Labels: Contemporary, Family Drama, Hilderbrand - Elin, Women's Fiction
Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman
Title: Good Eggs
Author: Rebecca Hardiman
Read by: Alana Kerr Collins, Gary Furlong, and Siobhan Waring
Publisher: Simon & Shuster Audio
Length: Approximately 10 hours and 17 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Simon & Shuster Audio. Thank-you!
Good Eggs is the story of the three generational Irish Gogarty family. Eighty-three-year-old Millie likes to shop lift and is beginning to show signs of dementia. Her son, Kevin, decides to get a home aide, Sylvia, to help her out. Kevin has lost his job, and is trying to deal with his mother, and his daughters. When one sixteen-year-old daughter, Aideen, causes trouble, Kevin ships her off to boarding school where she promptly integrates herself with the number one troublemaker in the school. When the family finds themselves in a crisis, how will they recoup?
Good Eggs was a mixed read for me. On the positive, I loved that audiobook was set up with three narrators to tell the story as told through the three different viewpoints in the book. Their Irish accents and narration were excellent. It was a great audiobook experience. I also really loved the character of Millie. She cracked me up and was a fun character. I wanted the story just to be about her! On the negative side, I really didn't like the character of Kevin. He complains about his wife not spending time with him when she is working hard to support their family while he is out of a job. Instead of working harder to find a new job and alleviate her workload, he instead decides to try to embark on an affair. I was not pleased and could not sympathize with him at all. It really brought the book down for me. The book was advertised as being very funny. I did like the humor, but it wasn't laugh out loud funny and had a lot of down moments in it.
Overall, Good Eggs is an interesting book about a multi-generational Irish family. The audiobook experience is excellent, but the story was so-so for me.
Labels: Audiobooks, Contemporary, Family Drama, Hardiman - Rebecca, Humor
The Irish Princess by Elizabeth Chadwick
In twelfth century, Ireland, Aoife grows up as the daughter of the King of Leinster, Diarmait MacMurchada. After he is forced from his Kingdom, the family seeks help from King Henry II of England. This leads the family to Richard de Clare, an Earl who seeks to improve his standing with King Henry II. Richard and Diarmait hatch a plan to retake Ireland, which includes Richard marrying Aoife as one of the key elements. Will their plan work to retake Ireland? Will Richard regain Henry II's favor? Will Richard and Aoife find love?
I couldn't put this book down. Elizabeth Chadwick is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. She is able to weave a compelling tale that makes you feel like you are in the twelfth century court of Henry II. I loved the intrigue and politics that took place to make everything happen. I also didn't realize until mostly through the book that this tale is related to my favorite novel of Chadwick's, The Greatest Knight. Aoife is his mother-in-law! I was very intrigued by this and of course the real history in the author's note at the end of the novel.
This novel made me realize again, that Game of Thrones is not far fetched when you look at the real history of the Middle Ages. People were ruthless and it was hard times to live through. I loved Aoife's cunning and her love for her family. I'll admit, I was sad by the end of the book, but also intrigued at how Aoife was able to hold her world together.
I love reading about history that I previously knew nothing about. Especially when you have a master craft author like Elizabeth Chadwick writing the tale.
"Bold deeds are far better sung than experienced."
"One wrong decision, one moment of dropped guard, made the difference between having everything and having nothing. Between being alive and being dead."
Overall, The Irish Princess is historical fiction at its finest and is a riveting tale set in twelfth century Ireland.
Book Source: Christmas Present from my Best Friend Jenn. Thank-you!
Labels: 2021 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge, Chadwick - Elizabeth, Historical Fiction
Dangerous Magic (A Pride and Prejudice Variation) by Monica Fairview
What is your favorite retelling of a classic tale?
In an alternate Regency era, England is in a war with France and losing. In order to project England, Elizabeth Bennet is plucked from her family at their country estate at Longbourn and brought to the Guild Hall in London. Once there she is expected to marry and bond with the powerful Royal Mage, Fitzwilliam Darcy. She has always hoped to marry for love and is unhappy over this forced union. Will Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love? Will they be able to bond and protect England?
I enjoyed this new spin on a classic tale. Monica Fairview understands and perfectly writes the characters from Pride and Prejudice. It's amazing reading how true they are to their original characters, but in this new magical setting. The story was unique, but familiar and I really enjoyed it. I was just sad it ended but was pleased to see that this is the first in a series and there will be a Book 2 of Jane Austen's Mages. I look forward to it.
I also loved the reimaging of some of the side characters, in particular Caroline Bingley. I thought it was interesting that the book focused on "bloodlines" and how many people were obsessed on being of noble pure blood in order to be the best Mage. It seems like Mr. Darcy would think along these lines, but he is friends with the Bingleys. I liked this and how Elizabeth in turn defies everyone's expectations of her.
Overall, Dangerous Magic is a fun magical reimagining of Pride and Prejudice. I loved the story and the characters!
Book Source: Review Copy from author Monica Fairview. Thank-you!
Labels: Austen Jane, Fairview - Monica, Fantasy, Magic, Regency, Witches
Is This Anything? By Jerry Seinfeld
Title: Is This Anything?
Author: Jerry Seinfeld
Read by: Jerry Seinfeld
Length: Approximately 6 hours and 19 minutes (5 CDs)
Source: Christmas Gift from my Best Friend Jenn – Thank-you!
Do you have a favorite comedian or comedy audiobook? I love listening to comedy, although I am a more old-fashioned comedy listener. I really don't like comedy that just tries to get laughs by swearing or talking dirty. It seems like cheap laughs to me. I like the type of humor that finds hilarity in everyday living. Jerry Seinfeld's humor is the epitome of this.
I had a fun time listening to the audiobook of Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld while on the road for work. The title comes from a question that a comedian will ask another comedian on whether a new bit works. In this audiobook, Seinfeld gives background of the various chapters of his life as he started at a comedian in 1975 and rose up through standup comedy to success. After his explanations, he then goes through the different jokes from that era. It's interesting to see how his jokes changed over time. It was a fun, lighthearted audiobook to listen to and made me laugh.
I really enjoyed that Jerry Seinfeld narrated this audiobook and told the jokes himself. It made it an especially fun book.
Overall, Is This Anything? is a great audiobook that showcases Seinfeld's best jokes over his entire career.
Labels: Audiobooks, Contemporary, Humor, memoir, Seinfeld - Jerry
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
What book has prompted a good discussion in your book club? Rogue Book club (aka FLICKS) discussed Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance longer than most any other book we've read. It was a pretty lively discussion.
Hillbilly Elegy is a memoir by J.D. Vance describing his childhood growing up in a dysfunctional family in Ohio. After high school he joined the Marines and afterwards made it into Yale Law School. This memoir describes his background, his family, difficult times he had, and his thoughts on a variety of topics.
I thought where this memoir really shined was when it described J.D. Vance's personal story. His love for his grandparents and troubled relationship with his mother were compelling reading. When he started to just discuss his thoughts about the world, it was not nearly as compelling. He made really general statements about entire groups of people that I didn't agree with from my experience. This was the consensus of our book club as well.
I also was confused on the hillbilly aspect. I expected the memoir to take place in Appalachia, instead the memoir takes place in Ohio. J.D. Vance's grandparents are from Appalachia, but he and his parents grew up in Ohio. The problems faced when the main mill closed down and caused unemployment, sounded like problems faced by any midwestern "rust belt" town that has faced similar situations. The drug problems and poverty also were very familiar to me growing up in Michigan. I was struggling to determine what exactly made someone a "hillbilly" and all I came up with is that they swear and resort to violence more according to this memoir. A lot of book club members weren't sure why this life story was memoir worthy. I thought it was because it covers a section of society that doesn't often get covered in books.
I'm also still laughing at one book club member's assessment of this book "he was an unreliable narrator in his own memoir." Ha!!!
I have started the Netflix movie, but have not watched it yet. It looks like it changes some things and focuses on the story rather than the opinions in the memoir. Have you watched it? What do you think?
"Identity is an odd thing, and I didn't understand at the time why I felt such kinship with these strangers."
"They want us to be shepherds to these kids. But no one wants to talk about the fact that many of them are raised by wolves."
"Nothing compares to the fear that you're becoming the monster in your closet."
"How much of our lives, good and bad, should we credit to our personal decisions, and how much is just the inheritance of our culture, our families, and our parents who have failed their children?"
Overall, Hillbilly Elegy is a book that prompts a lot of discussion. The story in the memoir was engaging, but also included a lot of opinions that were less so.
Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library. Thank-you!
Labels: FLICKS Book and Movie Club, memoir, Non-Fiction, Vance - JD
Catharine or the Bower by Jane Austen Completed by Leo Rockas
Catharine or the Bower is an incomplete juvenilia novel by Jane Austen. I read the incomplete novel probably twenty years ago. I was excited to read this version completed by Leo Rockas as one of the March picks for the Northwoods JASNA Book Club.
Catharine is a young orphan being raised in the country. Her best friends are the four children of the vicar. After the vicar's death, they have been sent off to various locations to make their way in the world. Mr. and Mrs. Stanley come to visit Catharine and her guardian aunt. They have a daughter Camilla, and a handsome son Edward. Camilla and Catharine become friends and Camilla is sure that Catharine and Edward will become a couple. Catharine is soon visiting London as well. Will she reunite with her friends? Will Catharine and Edward become a couple?
Unfortunately, this short novel was hard to read through and took me longer than expected to finish. The sentences were very long, convoluted, and hard to read. The characters are not fully developed. Rockas tried to copy Austen's style in this book and he continued with this type of sentence style in his section of the book. This novel did give me an appreciation for how well Austen's fully developed novels are written. As she grew older and had time to edit her works, it made a great difference. The first part that was written by Austen did show hints of her wit, and Camilla and Catharine reminded me of Isabella Thorpe and Catherine Morland from Northanger Abbey. I loved that Lady Susan from another Austen juvenilia also was mentioned in the later part finished by Rockas. Lady Susan is my favorite Austen juvenilia piece. I would like to see this work fully developed by another writer to see what they do with it.
"She professed a love of books without reading, was lively without wit, and generally good humored without merit."
"To suppose that a young man would be seriously attached in the course of four and twenty hours, to a girl who has nothing to recommend her but a good pair of eyes!"
Overall, Catharine or the Bower, was interesting to see how Austen developed her style over time but falls flat as a work on its own.
Labels: Austen Jane, Classic Novel, JASNA Northwoods Book Club, Regency, Rockas - Leo
You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley
Have you ever had a dream that came true?
I have had this happen a couple of times and it's always a déjà vu moment. My favorite dream was when I dreamed the solution to a math problem in high school. I woke up and wrote down the answer and then went back to sleep. I wish that would happen more often!
Mia Graydon has been having dreams about a mysterious stranger for years. Mia and her husband Harrison have just moved to a new small town. Harrison is a doctor and after losing a young patient during a routine surgery, he wants a fresh start. Mia is an artist, and she is trying to find her place in the small town. What Mia wants most of all is a baby, but after another miscarriage, she is not sure it's meant to be. At a local store, she meets the mysterious stranger, Oliver, who has been in her dreams. She discovers that Oliver has also dreamed about her too. What does it all mean? How will this impact Mia's marriage?
I really enjoyed You Were there Too. I like books that keep me guessing until the end and You Were There Too fulfilled that need. I don't want to say too much more and ruin the plot for everyone. I enjoyed that the plot was unique and tied up all of the ends. I also enjoyed the three main characters of Mia, Harrison, and Oliver. I felt they were very well developed with no one being a villain.
We met for our book club virtually Tuesday at lunch and it seemed that everyone felt the same as me about this novel. We liked it and how it was unpredictable.
Favorite Quote: "Maybe all that matters is that love is a circle. Infinite. Eternal. Present, even when the person you want to be there most is absent."
Overall, You Were There Too by Colleen Oakley was a great novel with a unique plot and well-developed characters.
Book Source: Copy from the Kewaunee Public Library. Thank-you!!
Labels: Contemporary, Kewaunee Library Book Club, Oakley - Colleen, Women's Fiction
A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright (Blog Tour)
Join the virtual blog tour of A CAPTAIN FOR CAROLINE GRAY (Proper Romance Regency), Julie Wright's highly acclaimed historical romance novel March 1 – 28, 2021. Over forty popular blogs specializing in historical romance, inspirational fiction, and Austenesque fiction will join in the celebration of its release with excerpts, spotlights, and reviews of this new Regency-era novel set aboard an English ship bound for India.
Caroline Gray is an educated woman with a lot of opinions. Although her parents raised her this way, it is not appreciated in regency England. Caroline has been out for many seasons but has not been able to find a match. With her father's death, her male cousin has inherited the estate. He is now taking possession with his new bride and Caroline will be homeless. At this time, she meets Mrs. Barritt who feels she will be a perfect bride for her son, Captain Barritt. She pays for half a ticket for Caroline to sail to India to meet her son to see if they will suit. If the match does not work, Caroline will not afford to be able to return to England.
Captain Thomas Scott does not like ferrying young English women to India to find husbands. He feels that often the women do not know what they are getting into and end up with morally corrupt husbands. He tries to keep his distance from these women, but he is surprised to find that he is captivated by Miss Gray. Her wit and lively conversation intrigue him. He does not want a wilting lily for a wife. Will Captain Scott propose to Miss Gray? What about Captain Barritt?
I enjoyed this novel and read it quickly. I really enjoyed the unique regency setting of having it mostly take place on the journey to India. Jane Austen's aunt was a "Fishing Fleet" member herself; she went to India to find herself a husband. In a time where finding a husband was the only way for a woman to economically survive, it makes sense, although it is sad to think about. I enjoyed the chemistry between Captain Scott and Miss Gray. I also liked the theme of forgiveness and of telling the truth. I thought the time in India was interesting as well, especially the exploration into the prejudices of the time. My only complaint is that I thought the ending was a bit rushed and wish there could have been more explanation of the climax.
"But that does not mean that all the skies of a country are void of clouds just because on person happens to be blind to them. A world of absolutes would be a colorless dreary place, would it not?"
"Why should I not invite a well-informed woman to a conversation where her intelligence would be appreciated?"
Overall, A Captain for Caroline Gray is a unique regency romance that was truly enjoyable. I highly recommend this novel.
Book Source: Review Copy from Shadow Mountain Press for being a part of the Blog Tour. Thank-you!
· Title: A Captain for Caroline Gray (Proper Romance Regency)
· Author: Julie Wright
· Genre: Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Inspirational Fiction
· Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing (March 2, 2021)
· Length: (336) pages
· Format: Trade Paperback, eBook, & audiobook
· Tour Dates: March 1 – 28, 2021
Regency London
Caroline Gray's third season in London society ends as badly as her first two—no marriage proposal, no suitor, not even a glimmer of an interested prospect. She suspects it's because she is far too quick to speak her mind to men who are put off by her forthright opinions, her eager intellect backed by a formal education, and her unconventional ideas about the future. She is far more daring than demure to suit the taste of her class. Besides, Caroline thinks there will always be next season to find a husband.
However, her family's dwindling income leaves Caroline with only one choice to secure her future: a one-way ticket to sail with the Fishing Fleet to India, where the son of a family friend waits. If the match doesn't work, Caroline cannot return home.
Captain Thomas Scott loves the thrill of the open sea, and as commander of one of the ships of the Fishing Fleet, he ferries scores of young English girls to the shores of India to find husbands. The voyages pay well, but he struggles to understand why families would allow young women to be matched with total strangers so far away.
The trips have always been routine and uneventful—until this trip's first night's dinner with one Miss Caroline Gray. She engages in a lively political conversation, presenting opposing viewpoints to the conventionally opinionated gentlemen at her table. Captain Scott is secretly amused and delighted at her boldness, not to mention quite drawn to her beauty.
The rest of the passengers are shocked by her behavior and Caroline finds herself an outcast, suffering harsh judgments from the other passengers. However, she finds an unlikely ally in Captain Scott which quickly draws them closer.
Both know an arranged marriage awaits Caroline at the end of their voyage, yet the attraction between them is undeniable. Caroline will have to decide if she will honor her mother's wishes and marry a man in India whom she has never met, thus securing a future for her and her mother, or be brave enough to throw convention to the wind and commit to love a sea captain. He may be enchanted by her bold and unconventional ways, but will his love and admiration last?
· "A charming historical romance in which smarts and sass are vindicated."— Foreword Reviews
· "…a delightful, not exactly traditional Regency romance. Teen readers will enjoy this adventurous journey with its proactive heroine and exotic settings."— Booklist, starred review
· "An unconventional woman finds herself at home at sea in this stirring Regency from Julie Wright…This adventure is sure to entice fans of historical romance."— Publishers Weekly
Julie Wright wrote her first book when she was fifteen and has written over twenty novels since then. She is a Whitney Awards winner for best romance with her books Cross My Heart and Lies Jane Austen Told Me, and she is a Crown Heart recipient for the novel The Fortune Café.
She has one husband, three kids, one dog, and a varying amount of fish, frogs, and salamanders (depending on attrition). She loves writing, reading, hiking, playing with her kids, and watching her husband make dinner.
She hates mayonnaise.
| BOOKBUB | GOODREADS
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
March 01 My Jane Austen Book Club (Excerpt)
March 01 Austenprose — A Jane Austen Blog (Review)
March 02 Storeybook Reviews (Review)
March 02 Lu Reviews Books (Review)
March 02 Bookworm Lisa (Review)
March 03 Probably at the Library (Excerpt)
March 03 Our Book Confessions (Review)
March 03 Lady with a Quill (Review)
March 04 The Caffeinated Bibliophile (Review)
March 04 Fire & Ice (Review)
March 05 Literary Time Out (Review)
March 05 Among the Reads (Review)
March 06 Books and Socks Rock (Review)
March 07 Encouraging Words (Excerpt)
March 08 So Little Time… (Review)
March 09 For Where Your Treasure Is (Review)
March 10 Laura's Reviews (Review)
March 10 My Bookish Bliss (Review)
March 11 Heidi Reads (Review)
March 12 Reading with Emily (Review)
March 13 The Christian Fiction Girl (Review)
March 14 Silver Petticoat Reviews (Excerpt)
March 15 Austenesque Reviews (Review)
March 16 The Lit Bitch (Excerpt)
March 16 Greenish Bookself (Review)
March 17 Inkwell Inspirations (Review)
March 18 A Darn Good Read (Review)
March 19 Relz Reviewz (Review)
March 20 Book Confessions of an Ex-Ballerina (Review)
March 20 Christian Chick's Thoughts (Review)
March 21 Jorie Loves a Story (Review)
March 22 From Pemberley to Milton (Review)
March 23 Gwendalyn's Books (Review)
March 23 Historical Fiction with Spirit (Review)
March 24 Captivated Reading (Review)
March 24 Books, Teacups, & Reviews (Excerpt)
March 25 Roseanne E. Lortz (Review)
March 26 Cup of Tea with that Book, Please (Review)
March 26 Randi Loves 2 Read (Review)
March 27 Library of Clean Reads (Review)
March 28 The Bibliophile Files (Review)
AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP
| DESERET BOOK | GOODREADS
Labels: Blog Tour, Clean Read, Historical Romance, Regency, Romance, Wright - Julie
The Jane Austen Dating Agency by Fiona Woodifield
Sophie Johnson is working for a high-powered fashion magazine in London in sales. She would much rather be writing editorials for the magazine. She has been unfortunate in love, but when she discovers the Jane Austen Dating Agency, she thinks her dreams have been answered. It's described as an "Exclusive dating agency for ladies to meet real gentleman in beautiful settings – only the truly romantic may apply! Dine like Elizabeth and Darcy at Chatsworth aka Pemberley, picnic like Emma or Knightley on juicy strawberries and sparkling champagne on Box Hill."
Sophie is soon meeting new people and having new adventures through the dating agency. Will she find her own Mr. Darcy, or will it be Mr. Wickham?
This was the March Book Club selection for JASNA Northwoods Book Club. We had our meeting yesterday and it seemed that everyone felt the same about this novel as I did. It was a fun book, but there were just too many characters. The author tried to put in characters and plot items from four of Austen's novels and it was just too much. It was hard to keep track of the characters and I don't feel the romance was well developed between the leads. I wish the author would have written a separate book for each Austen novel with less characters – it would have been fun.
"My brother, Ben, always says I have such unrealistic expectations of men due to an alarming overconsumption of romantic novels as a teenager. Maybe he's right, I know I love to escape into a book – I should probably at least try to live in the real world. But right now it feels pretty inadequate."
"I want him to gaze at me, although maybe not in a creepy stalker way, and not controlling either. Just romantic – you know what I mean."
"I really admire you. In spite of your ridiculous gaucheness our bizarre friends and ability to burst out laughing at random moments, I think maybe . . . well, I really like you. You're not like anyone else I've ever met."
"The time has come for me, Sophie Johnson, to kick ass and sort out my own happy ever after."
Overall, The Jane Austen Dating Agency was a fun book, but lost its way with too many characters.
Book Source: Purchased on my Kindle from Amazon.com
Labels: Austen Jane, Chick Lit, Contemporary, JASNA Northwoods Book Club, Romance, romantic comedy, Woodifield - Fiona
Dangerous Magic (A Pride and Prejudice Variation) ...
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture...
Catharine or the Bower by Jane Austen Completed by...
A Captain for Caroline Gray by Julie Wright (Blog ...
Surviving the White Gaze by Rebecca Carroll
Shipped by Angie Hockman
The Rakehell of Roth by Amalie Howard (TLC Book Re...


Back pain is pain felt in the back. It is divided into neck pain (cervical), middle back pain (thoracic), lower back pain (lumbar) or coccydynia (tailbone.
Causes: There are generally two causes Musculoskeletal, which account for 2/3 to 3/4 of back pain, and neurological (pinched nerve). The simplest cause is.
Vertebral compression fractures may cause severe back pain, limited mobility, and/or a "hunched-over" appearance due to the change in shape of the vertebral body. If the bone collapse is gradual, the pain may be milder. It is estimated that only one in three vertebral compression fractures come to clinical attention. Patients.
Symptoms of a spinal compression fracture include severe, acute back pain that gets better when you rest. The area near the injury may be tender to the.
The medical name for this problem is vertebral compression fracture. The most common symptom is sudden pain in the lower back or mid-back. In some cases , several compression fractures in the upper part of the back (the region between the shoulder blades) can lead to kyphosis of the spine, commonly known as.
Back Pain Right Below Left Shoulder Blade People often refer to a pain in the shoulder or shoulder blade, when what they really mean is a 'back shoulder pain'. And while it is almost. is keeping them there!) Reading below, you will also see how breathing through the mouth and chronic stress states raise the shoulders through over-exertion of the neck muscles.
Spinal compression fractures can be insidious and may produce only modest back pain early in the course of progressive disease. Over time, multiple fractures may result in significant loss of height. Progressive loss of stature results in the shortening of the paraspinal musculature requiring prolonged active contraction for.
Our doctors use the results of a medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic imaging tests to help determine whether a compression fracture is causing your back pain. They can also conduct a bone density test, a painless procedure that can determine whether osteoporosis has contributed to a spine fracture.
A vertebral compression fracture occurs when the bones of the spine become broken due to trauma. Read about causes, surgery, and treatment.
Patients diagnosed with osteoporosis who do not have a fracture will not have pain related to osteoporosis. However, patients with an osteoporotic compression fracture will generally have localized back pain, and may also have some radicular leg pain due to adjacent nerve irritation. Because osteoporosis and arthritis are.
People with tumors that spread to the bone or tumors such as multiple myeloma that occur in the spine. Signs of a Compression Fracture. Back pain is by far.
Explaining Spinal Disorders: Vertebral Compression Fractures. A vertebral compression fracture occurs when a vertebral body collapses. Often, the cause is.
Kids break bones falling out of trees or attempting a contact sport for the first time and many of us have experienced the pain of a broken bone as an adult. Perhaps the most painful broken bone is when bones in the spine break. This is known as vertebral compression fracture and typically occurs after a major trauma to the.
Apr 18, 2016. More than 750000 Americans will suffer a vertebral body compression fracture in 2016. Grant Linnell, DO, explains what that is — and what to do.
Dec 1, 2008. Cumulative compression fractures can cause almost as much physical and functional disability as hip fractures. Pain can become chronic as back muscles work harder to accommodate changes in the spine. A cane or walker may be needed, and riding in a car for more than a few minutes may become.
(OBQ12.106) A 79-year old female sustains a low energy fall and is hospitalized for low back pain that prevents her.
Back pain is the most common complaint by patients with a compression fracture. Patients with osteoporosis who sustain multiple compression fractures may begin to notice a curving of the spine, like a hunchback because the vertebrae are compressed in front and usually normal in back. This wedge shaped appearance.
There are other pain relief techniques that do not involve medication. See NHS choices section on treating back pain: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Back-pain/ Pages/Treatment.aspx. For a painful vertebral fracture when the pain has not been adequately controlled after three weeks of.
Pain that radiates into the buttock and down the leg may be due to sciatica, a condition in which a bulging (protruding) disc presses on the sciatic nerve, which extends down the spinal column to its exit point in the pelvis and carries nerve fibers to the leg. This nerve compression causes pain in the lower back radiating.
What are the symptoms of vertebral compression fractures? Vertebral fractures may appear as low back pain, loss of height, or spinal deformities such as kyphosis. Symptoms can be damaging to a patient's quality of life. As vertebral bones collapse, the loss of vertebral height actually causes the patient to lose height.
Symptoms. The main clinical symptoms of VCFs may include any of the following, alone or in combination: Sudden onset of back pain; An increase of pain intensity while standing or walking; A decrease in pain intensity while lying on the back; Limited spinal mobility; Eventual height loss; Eventual deformity and disability.
Nonspecific or nonradicular low back pain is not associated with neurologic symptoms or signs. In general, the pain is localized to the spine or paraspinal regions (or both) and does not radiate into the leg. In general, nonspecific low back pain is not associated with spinal nerve root compression. Nonspecific low back pain.
Nov 3, 2016. Vertebral Compression Fractures can happen to anyone. In the U.S., there is a big chance that an individual will experience back pain at some time in life.
When vertebrae collapse, each vertebra loses as least 15-20% of its height. Due to this, significant height loss can occur with multiple vertebral compression fractures. This height loss alters the muscles in the back, which can cause pain from muscle fatigue even after the fractures heal. Depending on the severity of the.
Back Pain And Vertebral Compression 2019 5 out of 5 based on 217 ratings.