Peter and the Starcatchers

I admit I had all kinds of doubts about reading this book. The story is co-written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson and I really didn't know how they could successfully collaborate. Peter and the Starcatchers is an adaptation of Peter Pan by J. M. Barie. I haven't read the latter, so I can't compare the two. But I did like the Barry-Pearson story.

Barry-Pearson tell the story of Peter Pan's origins and how he came to live in Neverland. In this story there are two groups - Starcatchers versus The Others who both seek the power of star stuff* that falls to earth. Peter and his friends are orphans being sent to a distant island to be used as a slaves. They get caught up in the battle between the Starcatchers and The Others. Wendy and Peter join forces to protect the star stuff from pirates and The Others. Eventually, Peter and Wendy end up in Neverland in the midst of a battle between all the groups interested in gaining control of the star stuff.

The authors successfully capture pirate dialogue and reader expectations. The star stuff did seem a bit silly but it is just as plausible as an explanation for a Peter Pan who can fly as anything. The story was a fresh retelling of the classic and a very fun read.

Book rating: 4 stars

*I have to wonder if the authors were inspired by Babylon 5 when writing this story. This quote immediately popped into my head when I was reading the book.

"Then I will tell you a great secret, Captain. Perhaps the greatest of all time. The molecules of your body are the same molecules that make up this station and the nebula outside, that burn inside the stars themselves. We are starstuff, we are the universe made manifest, trying to figure itself out. As we have both learned, sometimes the universe requires a change of perspective."

Ambassador Delenn, A Distant Star

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Two shows that I love to watch are Monk and Psych. They are funny and have lots of pop-culture humor, especially with Psych. Quirky, fun characters too. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke fits right into the same category.

Hannah Swenson owns a cookie shop in a small town and is an amateur detective on the side. When a delivery man is found murdered outside her shop, she assists her brother-in-law with the investigation. In one scene, she is jumping into a dumpster and in another she is shopping for make-up following each clue to its end.

The story is a fun read. I really expected to dislike the book. I mean, what is one supposed to expect from the title. It was a nice surprise. I may read more of these mysteries.

Book Rating: 4 stars

The Eyre Affair

I really wanted to like The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. It was supposed to be one of those witty, fun mysteries with interesting characters. This book goes a step further and inserts literary nuggets for book lovers. Clearly there is a fan following because there are several books in the series.

The main character is Thursday Next and she investigates crimes involving literary works. The world of Thursday Next is an alternate, futurist version of our own and the author kind of gets lost in describing it. In some ways it is fun to read, in others hard to keep track of when so many things are twisted.

I had a hard time following it and gave up on it in Chapter 4. I can't give this book a totally bad review because it will probably appeal to true book loving nerds and it does have a lot of fun witticisms.

End of the Road

There must be something to the idea of Alaska and off-beat characters. Think of Northern Exposure or the new tv series Men in Trees. Perhaps this is where the idea started, or maybe it's really true. In any event, the book The End of the Road by Tom Bodett is a fun entertaining read.

Tom Bodett is an excellent story teller and the characters are completely real. I have never heard his radio show, but the book is collection of his stories from the radio program. The stories are loosely connected to each other, yet could be read separately. This book deserves all of the praise it has received. I wish our library had more of his stories in print or audio.

Book Rating: An enthusiastic 4 stars.

I am now reading Moonraker's Bride by Madeleine Brent.

Apple Dumpling Gang

If there was ever a match made in heaven, it could have been the Apple Dumpling Gang and Disney. The story as written by Jack Bickham is fun and delightful. A sheriff ends up with the kids of the town drunk - who can't deal with them and leaves town. The hardened sheriff is up for election and the town is frustrated with his inability to arrest outlaws. Trouble comes when the outlaws decide to rob the town bank because they think the sheriff is too busy babysitting. The whole time I read this book, I kept thinking this would make a great movie!

I haven't seen the movie in years and luckily the library had a copy. I loved this movie when I was a kid. As an adult, it was amusing, but not as great as I remember. I guess that is the problem of reading the book and comparing the movie. To be fair, the movie is fun too. Don Knotts and company produce a comedy that kids will love. The movie only has the slightest resemblance to the book. The town name changes to Quake city instead of Hopewell. There are fewer kids. The town gambler ends up with the kids. Some of the characters retain names from the books, but their roles are diminished.

All this begs the question of why? Perhaps we will never understand why Disney takes upon itself to change the source material so drastically. This isn't the only time Disney has done this. Lucky for them, the movie was a hit when it came out. I am thinking it may be time to remake the movie, and make it more like the book. The only problem will be coming up with a contemporary Don Knotts to play the comedic role of an old outlaw and of course the right director who respects the source material.

The book deserves an easy 4 stars and maybe even 5.


I am currently reading Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore