Book 69: The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence

Read: Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st July. My 14th challenge book.
Review: Flavia, adept at solving life's small mysteries (such as the whereabouts of a missing ring) is rescued from a pack of wild dogs by her new neighbour, a boy called Jonathan. He and his father Mordecai and sister Miriam have different beliefs from the Romans surrounding them. But can Jonathan, along with the slave Nubia and the wild boy Lupus, help Flavia to solve her first criminal mystery? The competent storyline of this children's mystery is augmented by a sub-plot of friendship and responsibility and themes of language, communication and belief.
Time: Two days. In between going to see India in her Year 6 show (Troy Story - it was good - well done Indy!); visiting Grandma and Grandad and going on a trip to a garden centre with very competent soup and an impressive (metal) ostrich and (living) peacock; and driving back to Scarborough to pack up the rest of my belongings. That's it. This will be my last review as a resident of Yorkshire!

Film 62: "Star Wars" Episodes I-VI (6/6 reviewed)

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away...

REVIEW WARS

Actually, it's just me looking at Star Wars. I can't actually review it, because it seems that everyone's seen it, loves it, knows all about it, and any attempt to review it would be but a silly attempt to squeeze something new out of one of the oldest pillars of modern society.

I'll just write something short.

Reviewed in chronological order of the film's release date.

Synoahpsis, "Episode IV: A New Hope":

The special effects may seem a bit cheesy now, but when I thought about the fact that this film predates CGI and animation programs, it's actually quite staggering. From the opening shot of the Federation cruiser, to the battle over the small moon that is the Death Star, the film now and has always had an epic feel.

Kudos Mr. Lucas for making something that awesome.

The best bit:

I just can't help but love the high speed fight between the rebels and the Federation fighters through the trenches of the Death Star. It just make you feel good about life.

Marks out of 10: I'm I allowed to give it anything other than a 10??? Well... yes: amazing effects, fun story, and a great creation of a world you dare to dream actually existed, but there's not much other than some fun battles going on, so 8.9

Synoahpsis, "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back":

The title promises a strike back of the Empire and Strike back it does! This is a grand follow-up to the already huge-scale space epic that was "A New Hope". Taking you from the rebel base on frozen wasteland of Hoth, racing through asteroid fields, trudging through the swamps of the great Jedi master and fighting to the death in the city in the sky, this film is a worthy sequel to Lucas' spacey design.

I wonder if they made these films all at once, like with "Lord of the Rings" or if they decided to follow up Episode IV with Episode V because it grossed so much in the box office. Seeing as how the film makers continue to weave an intricate story throughout the multifaceted universe of "Star Wars", and also how the special effects seems to have gotten even more complicated, I'm sure the movies must have been produced in the full knowledge of each other.

Anyway, fun film... the series of events were a lot more interesting to keep up with than with the last one. More intense acting and some worthwhile character development happening, so good times. I would only complain that Yoda, after growing up with all of the Yoda hype and film references, particularly to the way he speaks, turned out to be a little disappointing. I don't think that's the film's fault though.

The best bit:

Seeing the Rogue squadron fly around and through the legs of the Imperial walkers to trip them up with some tow rope was a lovely experience.

Marks out of 10: Being faithful to the level of jaw-dropping special effects as the first film with the addition of some interesting plot twist brings this film's score up to a 9.3

Synoahpsis, "Return of the Jedi":

This too, was awesome. I think that I ought to just go and see films whenever people stand, mouths agape at the fact that I haven't seen them yet.

Luke and Leia travel back to Tatoine (spelling on that one?) to find a carbonite-bound Solo in the custody of big bad Jabba in order to bust him out. Some fighting happens, and the group goes off to stop the Empire from completing their work on the new replacement death star. Luke learns that in order to finish his training, he must face his father (or maybe that happened in the last one too... I'm confused now). But again, awesome big-scale effects, and a darn good time.

I wasn't a fan of the Ewoks though. I don't think a primitive race of cuddly, moon-dwelling teddy bears would last very long in this particular galaxy.

The best bit:

I loved and hated the big chase on the hovery motorbikes through the forest. I kept looking away because I thought any second someone was going to whack into a massive tree (I wasn't disappointed). There haven't been too many scenes in the history of film that can make me turn away from the screen... well scenes without Hugh Grant in them anyway.

Marks out of 10: Loved the film, but not quite up there with the last one. Great ending though. 8.9

Episode I "The Phantom Menace" - Watched Prior to Challenge

Synoahpsis: "Attack of the Clones"

You know how some movies are more of a bridge between good films rather than a story in it's own right? Attack of the Clones did have some good moments, but it was more of a building block between Episodes I and III than anything else.

Tensions are mounting as the separatists build up an increasingly powerful droid army. Palpatine wants the Republic to breed a clone army, for he fears the Jedi are no longer powerful enough to keep the peace, or so he says. Other folks aren't so sure. Meanwhile, Obi Won is sent to investigate the attempts on the life of Senetor Amidalla (or is she Padmé)? His search for the bounty hunter Jengo Fet takes him to a mysterious planet which has been removed from the Jedi council's archive.

There, he discovers some not boring things. Anakin, on the other hand, has a more personal struggle throughout the film- he's loved Padmé for years, and now that he's assigned as her personal body guard, can he fight his feeling, for the Jedi can't know love.

The best bit:

I know people hated having to wait ages and ages to finally see Yoda whip out his light saber and go to town, only to not win, but I still found it awesome seeing that little green dude flying around like a monkey.

Marks out of 10:

I don't think this is anyone's favorite Star Wars. I did like it. It was entertaining, fun effects for the most part and a very necessary transition. Worth a watch, but not worth seeing twice. 6.3

Synoahpsis: "Revenge of the Sith"

Now we're talking. By the end of the last film, the senate voted emergency powers to Chancellor Palpatine, who ok'd the creation of the clone army (dressed in storm trooper gear) and the clone war has begun. Anakin and Padmé, on the other hand, just got married (oooo.... he's not meant to do that) and are living a life of secrecy. Palpatine has also taken quite a shine to Anakin, and has appointed him to the Jedi council as his representative (much to the Jedi masters' displeasure), but refusing him the rank of master leaves Anakin feeling untrusted.

Power hungry and afraid of his premonitions of loosing his wife coming to fruition, Anakin pledges his allegiance to the teachings of Palpatine, who is actually the sith Lord Sidious. Fighting, phasers, saber fights and drama ensues and Obi Won and Padmé try to keep Anakin from slipping ever further toward the dark side.

The best bit:

There was definitely a lot of cool stuff in this one. Obi Won taking down general Grevious was fun stuff... two guys fighting with 5 light sabres. What's not to love?

Marks out of 10:

You do wonder how someone so cute and pod racery can become the world's favorite super villan, and this film does an amazing job of showing Anakin's slow and steady decay into the dark side. The interactions between him and the other Jedi are quite good, particularly his relationship with Obi Won throughout the film, culminating in the final battle on the volcanic planet which looked a bit too cartoony. Good stuff though. 7.8

Book 68: The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

Read: Sunday 18th and Monday 19th July. This is the 13th book I've read since starting.

Review: It's hard to review a book you've heard so many people talk about. I liked it, I mean I really liked it. It killed me, if you know what I mean. I found that I could empathise with the narrator, Holden, and his feelings of depression and dissatisfaction. The actual story as written takes place over about three days, but a lot that happens before then is cleverly woven in. Although in some ways this is a very sad book it has brief glimpses of brightness. I very much enjoyed it. It was easy to read, too. But I'm finding it hard to write a review that its protagonist would not consider 'phony'!

Time: I guess this was about two days. In between, we went to church, climbed Roseberry Topping (photos to come) and had a most pleasant day out in Whitby.

Book 67 (the twelfth): Cirque du Freak, by Darren Shan

Read: Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th July
Review: Not my kind of book at all! Full of gore and vampire lore; the only bit I liked was the astonishing performing spider. But I did like the way the book treated the vampire myth more seriously than some films I've heard of. It's framed as a real-life account of two boys and their dealings at the Cirque du Freak with Mr Crespley who, Steve instantly realises, is a vampire. Darren doesn't want to believe it, but the evidence is too great. He is horrified to hear Steve challenging the vampire - and then begging to become his assistant! But Mr Crespley declines. A series of unfortunate events bring Darren into the necessity of further consultation with the creepy Mr Crespley. And what choices can Darren now make? How can the story end? This tale is well thought-out, and well told too, in the style of a thirteen-year-old-boy. Just... not really my kind of book.
Notes: Noah, this is the prequel to The Vampire's Assistant. I'd guess the film people put the two books together then took the inferior title, because it has the word 'vampire' in it. And, you know, audiences might not realise what it was about otherwise.
Time: About 24 hours, in between spending a nice day at the seaside with Lukie, Mum and Dad, having tea and cake and fish and chips, and trying some most delicious liquorice flavour fudge!

Book 66 (the eleventh): Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, by T.S. Eliot

Read: In pieces over several days (it is a book of poems, after all)
Review: I particularly enjoyed the metre and rhyme of these poems - they'd be fun ones to recite aloud, and I was pleased to catch my first ever sight of the word "prestidigitation" in published literature. The subject matter is, naturally, cats; the poems each describe a particular cat and his or her peculiarities. I think my favourite poem was Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat, but I also rather enjoyed Macavity: The Mystery Cat.
Time: Ages! Almost a week! Reading one or two poems at a time, in between prose reading, and about a million other activities. Life is busy!

Film 61: "Romancing the Stone"

Aww, this one was just lovely. The plot was a little predictable, but for all I know, this is because so many film makers have replicated the story since. Here's a lovely summary...

Synoahpsis:

Joan Wilder is a cat-loving romance novelist who, after receiving a strange parcel in the post one morning, returns home later that day to find her apartment ransacked... a ransacking most foul. She receives a phone call from her sister, informing her she's been taken hostage in Columbia (dun, dun, dunnnnn). Joan must travel there in order to exchange a treasure map (then contents of her strange parcel) for her sister's life.

In Columbia, Joan gets into a bus crash in the jungle on her way to the exchange and discovers that the Columbian police are interested in her treasure map as well. As a police officer tries to take the map by force, a mysterious, rifle-wielding, man emerges from the jungle and saves her. The man agrees to take Joan to a phone, for a fee (which she just does not like at all), and the two begin their run together from Columbian police, kidnappers, and general bad guys through the rainforest.

The man convinces her to search for the item referred to on the map... a treasure known as El Corazón. They get the huge stone, keep running from the bad dudes, get Joan's sister back, and escape with their lives. Joan and the rifle-wielding guy go their separate ways after loosing the stone to a hungry alligator. Good thing he really liked her, because he eventually found the stone, bought a giant sail boat and took it back to Joan's place (along with his new alligator skin boots). The two sailed off happily together, their boat (sails hoisted) atop a truck in NYC.

The best bit:

100% had to be when the alligator jumped up out of the water and bit off the hand of the Columbian chief-malefactor just after he got ridiculously the big jewel.

Marks out of 10: A bit cheesy, predictable, but fun 6.3

Film 60: The James Bond Series (5 of 21 reviewed)

Films. The James Bond films. Yes... All of them.

I have to watch all the Bond films. 22 films resulting in the $4.8 billion franchise that is the 007 series. To my credit, I've already seen "Casino Royale", and I've played the video game Goldeneye, but I don't think that counts. I shall be reviewing these 21 remaining films in whatever order I receive them from Lovefilm, but they will appear chronologically on this here blog, in case you're interested.

Off we go!

Synoahpsis, "Dr. No"

The highly entertaining first installment of the Bond series kicks off with a murder most foul in Kingston, Jamaica. It quickly becomes apparent that some sort of fiendish plot is afoot.

Basically, this Chinese/German guy called Dr. No (who dresses very much like Dr. Evil, but I'm guessing it's the other way around), has been shooting out some radiation and interfering with NASA's rockets launching from Cape Canaveral. This all has something to do with world domination, I'm sure, but I wasn't clear on how the good doctor planned on doing that one.

So good old Jimmy sneaks onto Dr. No's secret and very off-limits island to find out what the dealio is, there upon meeting a shell-seeking Bond girl who doesn't like strangers. Bond eventually woos the girl, establishing the pattern to follow in subsequent films, I'm sure, and causes the radioactive rocket-interfering secret base to blow up along the way.

It was fairly fun to watch, but not that much actually seemed to happen in the film, and it could have done with a slightly more elaborate plot. As the first one of Ian Fleming's books to be put onto the silver screen, it was a good start.

The best bit:

The car chase on the Jamaican back roads between James, in his cool little roadster, and three guys pretending to be blind driving a herse and shooting at him. Bond does some fancy driving, causing his pursuers to veer of the side of a cliff, tumbling down and exploding, as ya do. A bystander asks what happened, to which the smug Bond replies "They were on the way to a funeral."

Marks out of 10: 5.0

Synoahpsis, "From Russia with Love"

This one was loads more fun. It had real cold war Russians in it and everything... even one of those cat-stroking faceless evil supervillans!!

a grand chess master working for SPECTRE devises a plot so thick, it just might get audiences everywhere to watch it. They set up a trap for the British Secret Service... particularly for their expereinced 00 operative, James Bond. What's the bait? The trap itself – knowing full well that British Intelligence see traps as challenges.

Anyway, Bond must extract a Russian dissident and a cutting edge decoder machine from the Russian consulate in Istanbul, but is there more to this woman than meets the eye? Well... yeah... it wouldn't really be a Bond film, otherwise.

The best bit:

The tense exchange aboard a sleeper carriage bound for Trieste between Bond and the highly trained SPECTRE operative sent to kill him.

Marks out of 10: A huge improvement over the last film in terms of story line, effects, action sequences and more warrants a solid 6.5

Synoahpsis: "You Only Live Twice"

This one was quite fun. I won't be spoiling anything by reveling that Bond dies in this film. Well, not really, but right at the start, we see him get assassinated and receive a hero's burial at sea, but he's not dead at all! Oh no... in fact, he's more alive than ever, and he's off to uncover the evil plot behind a U.S. spacecraft being mysteriously abducted whilst orbiting our fair blue planet.

This film also contains ravenous piranha, so look out for that one when you open the DVD case.

The best bit:

The flight of "Little Nelly", Bond's helicopter which folds apart and stows neatly into 4 large suitcases. Bond takes to the skies in this tiny helicopter loaded with guns and air -to-air missiles, only to find himself, not surprisingly, in the midst of a fierce dogfight with 4 baddies over the Japanese isles.

Marks out of 10:

For special effects and the inventiveness of the gadgets, as well as a quite amusing and hopefully farfetched plot line, I'd give this one a 6.2.

Synoahpis: "Moonraker"

This one was a little crazy. A space shuttle is on loan from the USA to Britain only to be hijacked in transit... from the top of a flippin plane. What follows is Bond's whirlwind, globe-hopping adventure all over the world to track down the missing shuttle, Moonraker.

Cut a long story short, he finds the spacecraft and uncovers a truly and fantastically diabolical plot to kill all humans on earth with a crazy nerve gas... but you know... Bond stops it from happening, so cool beans.

The best bit

No question... the massive fight in space between the U.S. space soldiers (which I'm sure are training at some undisclosed location even now) and the private malitia of the Drax corporation. There were way too many lasers, and it basically looked like the big fight out of Star Wars Episode IV.

Marks out of 10:

This one was very farfetched and way, way too cheesy. 4.0.

Synoahpsis, "Quantam of Solace":

So I went from watching the very 1st Bond film to the very last straight away, and I must say, there is a difference. The film opens with the same old hugely long credit sequence set to a backdrop of silhouetted women dancing about with bullets firing about in slow motion, so good stuff.

This was one of them globe-trotting, fast paced, action blockbusters, and a thumping ok one at that! Right from the get-go, we see Bond in a car chase in Italy, though we, the concerned audience, have no idea what's going on... and we don't care: there's a car chase! Guns! Aston Martins! Explosions! Who needs a story??

Basically, Bond uncovers the plot of a frighteningly embedded secret organization to control the world's resources by overthrowing governments, establishing dictatorships, wheeling and dealing in oil and land with big Western governmental bodies and all sorts of things. Bond and the Bond girl work to uncover the scheme, chase down the baddies and save the day for the people of Bolivia, fighting baddies, upsetting MI6 bosses, evading explosions and possibly even forge a deep and lasting friendship along the way.

The film was entertaining but a little disappointing, especially in light of Craig and the writers falling well short of the bar they set themselves in "Casino Royale".

The best bit:

It's a toss up between Bond's aviation talents whilst fleeing for his life from a trigger-happy fighter plane above the deserts of Bolivia and the big boat chase sequence through the busy harbor of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.

Marks out of 10: 7.0

Book 65 (the tenth): Holes, by Louis Sachar

Read: Friday 16th July (and a bit in the earliest part of Saturday 17th, when I really should have been asleep).

Review: I enjoyed this modern-day fairy tale about a boy named Stanley, his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, the notorious outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow and the mysterious Madame Zeroni. Accused of stealing the famous Clyde Livingstone's own baseball shoes, Stanley is sent to the correctional facility that is Camp Green Lake. It's an accurate name, except that nothing is green. And there is no lake. Every day, each boy in the camp is forced to dig one hole, exactly five feet deep and five feet in circumference. Ostensibly the reason is that the activity is character-building - but Stanley begins to suspect that the Warden may have a hidden agenda. The different threads of this narrative are competently woven together to make for an interesting, enjoyable read. As for whether Stanley's character is improved - you'll have to make that judgement for yourself.

Time: About 17 hours, but with lots of time in the middle spent on a fun day out to Helmsley and Pickering (both excellent castles). We also visited an amazing cafe in Pickering which was full of all kinds of astonishing confections, and where I sampled the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever tasted. Probably.

Book 64 (the 9th): The Kite Rider, by Geraldine McCaughrean

Read: Listened, actually, to an (unabridged) audiobook, on Tuesday 13th, Thursday 15th and Friday 16th July.

Review: The wonderfully gripping, very well-told tale of Haoyou, a lad living in China under the Song Dynasty. The story begins with a harrowing description of the death of Gou Pei, Haoyou's father, at the hands of the mean and merciless first mate of the ship he is a sailor on. Di Chou forces Pei to drink large amounts of rice wine and then ties him to a kite, which is flown high in the sky as the ship's wind tester. This apparently is a superstitious custom observed before any voyage sets sail. When Pei does not survive the flight, the horrified Haoyou runs to tell his mother; he is further shocked and enraged when Di Chou attends the funeral, and offers to become his mother's new husband. The tale continues in a series of unexpected twists and turns as Haoyou and his duty-defying cousin, Mipeng, seek to evade first Di Chou and subsequently an escalating series of unpleasant people and events, culminating in a stand-off with Kublai Khan himself. Full of emotion, sometimes harrowing, and with moments of hilarity, this is a masterful tale of duty and destiny, superstition and belief, weather and luck, elephants and Mongols and kites. Definitely the best book so far! Read it!

Audiobook: I also really enjoyed Anton Lesser's excellent narration.

Time: Seven hours, six minutes and 58 seconds! Although my listening was spread over several days; it mainly occurred in the car on the way to and back from my trip down to Harpenden, where I spent two days in my new school, met my class, spoke to the parents, did a cover lesson, and got to know my way around.

Film 59: "The Lord of the Rings" (Trilogy)

This one was quite fun to do as it was own little side-challenge. Kate and I were discussing the three "Lord of the Rings" films shortly after I obtained the extended editions of each film. I posited that it would be rather difficult to watch all of them in a single day, and Kate, quite naturally, challenged me to do so.

What are the stakes of this side-challenge, I hear you online film aficionados asking... only a free ice cream from Cold Stone (just as soon as Kate and I get to the States, that is)!!! 12.5 hours, 4 snack breaks and 6 toilet trips later, the challenge was done.

Kate should have known better.

Synoahpsis, "The Fellowship of the Ring":

The first of the three installments of this saga had me absolutely riveted from very start. Actually, that's a lie; I've fallen asleep during all 4 of my previous attempts to see this movie. This time, I was considerably more interested in the film, especially as there was so much at stake. Knowing my propensity to loose interest in the realm of Middle Earth, I thought it would be best to try to really keep up and delve into Tolkein's world. I therefore switched on the subtitles, and followed the progress of the story according to my map of Middle Earth on the back of my DVD case.

Suddenly, it all made sense. I found that, with a bit of scope and geographical awareness, it was much easier to get into the story, and I ended up loosing myself in the film.

The first part of the adventure begins with Frodo getting a super creepy ring from old Bilby. The tall and eventually shiny guy tells him it's sort of a big deal, and he's now being hunted down for his new bling, and he needs to leg it before the baddies get there. The adventure begins.

To make a long story unjustifiably short, 4 short dudes, an eventually shiny guy, a garden gnome (but not in a garden), one of Santa's helpers, and to tall chaps with swords all set out from the North pole to throw the ring in the fires of Mt. Doom because Royal Mail didn't exist yet. They battle some evil guys, get about halfway there and disband. Roll credits.

I should have done this review before watching the other two films, because, in light of them, this whole film was just 3 hours of exposition for some good times to follow.

The best bit:

The whole film is a glowing example of epic cinematography and amazing story-telling. My favorite scene would have to be whole of the passing through the mines of Moria. From the reading of the dwarves journal to the plummet of Gandalf, It was one of those edge-of-your-seat bits of the story.

Marks out of 10: 7.1

Synoahpsis, "The Two Towers":

Ah, this was a lovely bit of film now. The fellowship's interests have been divided. There's the obvious tossing of the ring to be considered, but the kingdom of Rohan gets all attacked and whatnot, but their possessed king, Theoden, didn't seem too helpful. The whole of Edoras has to be moved to Helm's Deep for fear of obliteration from the orcs armies of Mordor, and that's just not fun for anyone. I don't remember how Merry and Pippin end up going to the forest of Fangorn, but the ents are awesome. Pretty much from the moment you meet the giant tree dudes, you want them to join the fight against Sarumon (whose name seems far too close to Sauron for coherence, I mean, c'mon J.R.) but this takes a while.

You would have thought that when Frodo and Sam get to the black gate that the series would have to be nearly over, but hey, it's only the halfway point. Anyway, there's a big battle that happens, humans win (score), Isengard falls to some flooding (which seems like it wouldn't take an army of trees to accomplish... maybe just some fireworks?) and Frodo gets even closer to Mordor with the help of Gollum/Smeagol, so everyone's happy.

Oh, and the eventually shiny guy turns up after a battle with a dragon or something like that all shiny now, which I think is more flattering. I still need to clear some points up about the shininess with Kate before too much time goes by.

The best bit:

While the battle for Helm's Deep was pretty epic indeed, it wasn't my favorite part. I enjoyed everything that happened in Fangorn really... it looked like a lovely forest to be in, and the slow meeting conducted in Entish reminded me of many a church meeting in the past!

Marks out of 10: 9.2

Synoahpsis, "The Return of the King":

Almost there! This film, 4 hours long as an extended edition, pretty much dwarfed all of the other movies and battles put together in scale. By the time I got to this film, I knew where everything was, thanks to my handy map of Middle Earth, and I appreciated the story line thickening up a bit with the addition of Boromir's family history.

I love when filmmakers know you know the films they've made. The opening of the film saw Smeagol murdering his brother over the ring of power... a nice little detail you don't pick up in the other films. This is odd, but not uncharacteristic of Gollum. His story is so intertwined with the ring's that it's very fitting that the beginning of the series and the end of the ring heavily involve him. Starting the film out this way just sort of echoes the ring's violent nature and brings in tension to the story of Frodo, Sam and Gollum, which gets the most screen time in this film.

Anyway, Helm's Deep turns out to be fine. The folks at Mordor don't like that, so why not attack Mina Tirith? Story lines build and converge on this huge battle, which, I'm happy to say, the goodies win (sorry for the spoiler). Oh, and Frodo, minus one finger, does manage to get rid of the ring, so woo!

Then some confusing things happen in a series of scenes which make it look like the film is about to end (something that can be very frustrating in the 11th hour and 49th minute of watching the series), but end it does. I think I still have to have a proper chat with Kate about boats, but it was a nice end to an amazing tale.

I can't believe I've been so hard on or at least ambivalent about these films. There is so much detail in the story that I want to actually read the books (someday), and so much work put into production that I want to check out other films directed by Peter Jackson. Good thing King Kong is on my list!

The best bit:

There were so many it's hard to choose, but I really did like seeing Sam rescue Frodo from the top of a tower in the middle of Mordor. Watching that scene start, I actually said aloud "Now how the heck is Frodo gonna get out of that one?" It did seem a bit unlikely that Sam would have been able to get up so quickly and so lacking in flesh wounds, but good for him.

Marks out of 10: 9.1

Book 63: Redwall, by Brian Jacques

Read: My 8th book, read between Sunday 11th and Wednesday 14th July
Review: An irritatingly engaging, too-safe children's fantasy novel about Matthias (a mouse) and his quest to defend Redwall - the mouse abbey, sheltering an assortment of innocent woodland creatures - against a vicious band of marauding rats. Full of quick quarrels implausibly resolved, 'somehows' and the odd loose end; overshadowed by a feeling of unbroachable ultimate safety for our protagonist, no matter what scrapes he gets himself into; yet, for some reason, once I'd got about a third of the way through, strangely compelling - almost enjoyable.
Time: By far the longest yet - three days! In my defence, those three days were also spent at church, having an afternoon at the castle and on the beach with mum and dad, packing up almost all of my belongings, loading them into the car, driving to Harpenden, staying the night with total strangers and spending my first ever day in my new school.

Film 58: "Bedknobs and Broomsticks"

So here it is... my first review– a lovely little milestone on the majestic road leading to Kate's swift and merciless defeat. What better way to start this venture than with a Disney movie?

Synoahpsis:

"Bedknobs and Broomsticks" is a lovely little story set in the turmoil of 1940s England. Like the start of so many wartime family films, we see the city dwelling children, our protagonists, being ripped from their families and evacuated to the safety of the English countryside whereupon a witch is found. The kids and their magical hostess quickly get over their differences and begin a lovely whirlwind adventure for a spell which the witch played by "Murder she Wrote" star Angela Lansbury needs to aid in the war effort. Hilarity and creative problem-solving ensue.

I quite enjoyed the film. I normally don't like the sort of films which are partially animated (ya know, like "Pete's Dragon" or "Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny" sort of thing, but I was pleased with this one. I still haven't worked out whether Nazis would have carried row boats on their submarines or not, but I'll leave that question to the historians of the world.

The best bit:

Definitely the comically violent animated soccer game refed by Mr. Banks of "Marry Poppins".

Marks out of 10: 5.8

The Book List

I'm slowing up! That's the problem with having to pack all your stuff in between doing exciting holiday activities like going for walks and swimming in the sea: reading time is dramatically reduced. I haven't been on a train for five whole days!

Anyway, in the meantime, I've got a list of books I still need to acquire. If you have a copy of any of these books... please lend it to me! Email me, text me, send the book by carrier pigeon - get it to me somehow! (Otherwise, Noah might win - and then he'd be able to make pretensions to claiming that films have a modicum of superiority over books, which we all know to be fallacious).

The books:

Richard Adams, Watership Down

Lucy M. Boston, The Children of Green Knowe

Robert Cormier, The Chocolate War

Helen Cresswell, The Bagthorpe Saga: 2. Absolute Zero

Helen Cresswell, The Bagthorpe Saga: 3. Bagthorpes Unlimited

Helen Cresswell, The Bagthorpe Saga: 4. Bagthorpes Versus the World

Helen Cresswell, The Bagthorpe Saga: 5. Bagthorpes Abroad

Helen Cresswell, The Bagthorpe Saga: 6. Bagthorpes Haunted

Helen Cresswell, The Bagthorpe Saga: 7. Bagthorpes Liberated

Helen Cresswell, The Bagthorpe Saga: 8. The Bagthorpe Triangle

Helen Cresswell, The Bagthorpe Saga: 9. Bagthorpes Besieged

Helen Cresswell, The Bagthorpe Saga: 10 Bagthorpes Battered

Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

Louise Fitzhugh, Harriet the Spy

Cornelia Funke, Thief Lord

Jamila Gavin, Coram Boy

Rumer Godden, The Black Narcissus

James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small

Susan Hill, I’m the King of the Castle

Heinrich Hoffman, Struwwelpeter

Brian Jacques, Redwall

Erich Kastner, Emil and the Detectives

Edward Lear, Complete Nonsense

Jack London, White Fang

Michelle Magorian, Goodnight Mr Tom

J. P. Martin, Uncle

J. P. Martin, Uncle Cleans Up

J. P. Martin, Uncle and His Detective

J. P. Martin, Uncle and the Treacle Trouble

J. P. Martin, Uncle and Claudius the Camel

J. P. Martin, Uncle and the Battle for Badgertown

Geraldine McCaughrean, Kite Rider

Spike Milligan, A Children’s Treasury of Milligan: Classic Stories and Poems

L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Jenny Nimmo, The Snow Spider

Marcus Sedgwick, The Book of Dead Days

Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle

Sylvia Waugh, The Mennyms

Kaye Webb, I Like this Poem: Favourite Poems Chosen by Children

Robert Westall, The Machine Gunners

Kit Wright, Hoping it Might Be So: Poems 1974-2000

Book 7 (or 62): The Iron Man, by Ted Hughes.

Notes: I need to change my labelling system so it matches up with Noah's. Otherwise, how would we be able to tell that I was ahead? I started with 1 as my first book in the competition. But of course, I had already read many of the 100 books on my list. I therefore jump ahead by 55 (the number I'd already read), making my Book 1 into Book 56, and this, Book 7, into Book 62. The only flaw with this system is that some list items contain more than one book or film. 'The Bagthorpe Saga' by Helen Cresswell, for example, in fact contains ten books. To solve this problem, I'll use letters when a list item is more than one book. So without further ado...

Book 62: The Iron Man, by Ted Hughes

Read: Saturday 10th July, in between tidying my flat, starting to do some packing and welcoming my parents, who have come to visit.
Review: "The Iron Man came to the top of the cliff. How far had he walked? Nobody knows. Where had he come from? Nobody knows. How was he made? Nobody knows." As poetic a tale as one might expect from Ted Hughes, which raises some interesting questions about purpose, belonging and acceptance. This book seems to me to ask a lot of questions without really answering any of them - but at the end I felt the peace described in the space-bat-angel-dragon's eerie singing. And that, I've always thought, is the sign of a good story.
Time: I guess about eleven hours. Breaks for sorting, tidying, packing, food, a quick trip into Scarborough to buy parcel tape, a walk on Filey Brigg, and a decidedly bracing evening swim in the North Sea followed by hot chocolate.

Films– An Introduction

Right...

The Plan:

As silly as it was for Kate to accept this challenge, I must admit she's plodding along with frightful abandon for everything non-literary. I therefore realized my need to start getting on with plotting her downfall.

Although I could have taken today to take the lead with ease, I found the more sporting alternative to be a planning session (also, I was and am a bit ill today and not up to acquiring any films just now). I spent a good chunk of time (prior to blowing chunks) researching which DVD rental service had the majority of my titles available for the best price. I concluded that the online video rental retailing giant, Lovefilm to be the best option.

I am going for the unlimited one disk rental at a time option, which should give me access to the online Lovefilm player. While it's unclear as to how many titles will be available with this method, it seems to be a good way to start.

If Kate continues to pull ahead, I'll have to up the anti a bit, and move up to the 4 disks at a time option!

I also plan to supplement rentals with charity shop DVDs, and indeed VHS cassettes, where available.

Labeling:

Kate and I both began with a list of 100 items we were to watch of which we had both already seen/read quite a bit of. Because I have seen 57 of my list items (an item being either a single film or a series), I will begin my list on number 58 and end on number 100.

A Note to a Very Special Lady:

You're so going down.

Book 6: The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster

Started: Thursday 8th July, about 9pm, after a fairly fruitless evening.
Finished: Friday 9th July, about 8pm, after a slightly less fruitless day.
Review: I really enjoyed this one! Basically the book is a long series of hilarious puns, with a very simple journey-style typical children's fantasy plot (and, yes, the protagonist, Milo, does end up changed by his experiences). Sample quote: "You see, years ago I was just an ordinary bee minding my own business, smelling flowers all day, and occasionally picking up part-time work in people's bonnets."
Time: 23 hours I guess. Breaks for a trip to a bar, chatting to Noah, sleeping, a trip to the library and several hours helping to plan for holiday club. I enjoyed this book rather more than the previous few. But I have to say, Noah, that this game would be much more fun if you started playing it too!

Book 5: Are you there God? It's me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

Read: Thursday 8th July, in the evening, after finishing the last day of my PGCE course, going paddling in my trousers and getting soaking wet, and having noodles for tea.
Review: I have to confess I almost found this book slightly uncomfortable! It's all about a girl who's desperate to, um, start growing up. The bits about her conversations with God are interesting though, as are her impressions of what religion is and the difficulty she finds in actually fitting God into all this religion stuff.
Time: I didn't really check - something between one and two hours, I guess.

Book 4: Ordinary Jack, by Helen Cresswell

Read: Wednesday 7th July, on the train from King's Cross to York and then York to Scarborough.
Review: The first in what I think is a series of about ten(!) books about the Bagthorpe Family. Jack, alone in not being a genius of some description, feels some desire to raise his credibility in the eyes of his siblings. Aided by his Uncle Parker, he embarks on a confusing campaign to develop some Strings to his Bow. A mildly amusing, lighthearted tale of some slightly strange goings-on in a slightly strange family.
Time: About 2 hours 20 minutes. I took a break to change trains at York. To be honest, by the end of this one, I was beginning to feel a little bit sick of reading. In fact I have been unable, in the two hours since finishing, to eagerly snatch up the next book in the Challenge pile. I will, I am sure, be recovered by tomorrow, but I'm feeling the need to do something else for a short time...

Book 3: The Tulip Touch, by Anne Fine

Started: Tuesday 6th July, in the evening, whilst Noah does his baptism class at MBC.
Finished: On the Northern Line between Leicester Square and Waterloo, as part of my journey back to Scarborough. Maybe it's the effect of the book, but I put my slightly depressed feeling down to the fact that I have just had to leave Noah :(
Review: A tale about the unsettling experience of becoming friends (is it 'friends'?) with a deeply troubled child. What exactly is Tulip heading towards? What does happen to her at home? And can Natalie do anything about it? Quite a serious reflection on how much difference our actions can have on the lives of others.
Time: Read over 18 hours. Breaks for chips and mushy peas on the roundabout with Noah's small group; intermittent moments of basketball; hanging out in the hammock in the dark quiet of Noah's back garden; sleep and breakfast and wandering in Godalming; and farewell hot chocolate (Noah had chai). He even bought me some cake! Isn't that nice?

Book 2: Point Blanc, by Anthony Horowitz

Started: Monday 5th July, on the train from Scarborough to Godalming.
Finished: Tuesday 6th July, at MBC whilst Noah does his baptism class. I was pretty happy and excited at this point because I had just found out that I got the job in Harpenden! I'm really going to be a Reception teacher in September.
Review: Another school story? Or James Bond for a slightly younger audience? I enjoyed this book more than the first, although I felt that the beginning was more engaging  than the end. Amusing in some places, and with some interesting clues to draw the reader in, this is a tale of Alex Rider, 14-year-old MI6 agent. In this adventure Alex is called on to stay at the mysterious Point Blanc academy, ostensibly a finishing school for the troubled sons of the world's elite. But why are there so many guards with guns? What is up on the mysterious second floor? And why are all the pupils so sinisterly... similar?
Time: Read over 28 hours and 45 minutes, with a long break for hula hoop purchasing, Wagamama's visiting, Robin Hood watching, sleeping, driving to Harpenden, being interviewed, seeing Noah's new church and driving back to Milford.

Book 1: First Term at Malory Towers, by Enid Blyton

Read: Monday 5th July, on the train between Scarborough and Godalming.
I had just had my final PGCE tutorial, and was on the way down south to visit Noah - and for a job interview in Harpenden.
Review: School story about Darrell Rivers, a friendly, open, honest girl with an occasional bad temper, and her relationships with the other girls in first form during her first term at boarding school. Overtly heartwarming; quite twee; very definitely Enid Blyton!
Time: 1:50 (breaks only to change trains)

The Challenge

Back in April (was it April?), Noah kindly bought Kate a book of 101 Things To Do. Thanks, Noah!
Thing 48 consists of a list of 100 films to watch.
Thing 49 consists of a list of 100 books to read.
Needless to say, out came the coloured pens, and they started ticking boxes.

"I bet," said Noah, "you couldn't finish the list of books before I could finish the list of films."
"Is that a challenge?" asked Kate.

And so it began.

Rules

The official start time: 1pm on Monday 5th July 2010. 

As soon as practical upon completion, a short review of each book/film must be posted on this blog by its avid reader/viewer, including details of when and where it was read or watched.

No watching two films at once.

No skim-reading books.

Go!