Book 95: The Snow Spider, by Jenny Nimmo

It is Gwyn's birthday. His grandmother arrives, and gives him a mysterious selection of gifts and strange words about his being a magician. His father refuses to mark his birthday, demanding that Gwyn complete his work on the farm as usual. And when his mother makes a lovely birthday tea for Gwyn and his friend Alun, with cake and festive food at a beautifully decorated table, Gwyn's father is furious. How could they be celebrating? How could they, after what happened to Bethan?

And what, indeed, did happen to the mysterious Bethan? What does Gwyn's grandmother mean when she tells him to give his gifts to the wind? Will Alun stand by Gwyn when strange things start happening all around him? And will Gwyn and his unforgiving father ever be reconciled?

I enjoyed the characters and the plot of this story, and particularly the references to the Mabinogion. However it seemed to be told in a very hasty sort of way, skimming over all kinds of detail and making for quite a short book. The mythological references were not as well thought out as, for example, those in Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising sequence. Perhaps this is a children's book genuinely written for children; I enjoyed it but felt it could have been much deeper. The book does have a very satisfying ending.

Book 94: The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier

At Trinity it’s all about school spirit. Each year the boys volunteer to sell a certain number of boxes of chocolate to raise funds. But when new arrival Jerry declines to sell the chocolates, the school is shaken. Archie, Obie, Carter and clandestine organisation The Vigils may be behind his refusal - but how will they react when their orders change and Jerry still refuses?

I did not greatly enjoy this account of adolescent evil. Cormier’s tendency to use a bizarre range of sometimes clashing metaphors put me off, as did the underlying message of the tale: that people, basically, are horrible. Like Lord of the Flies or I’m the King of the Castle, the author’s point seemed to be that teenage boys are really, really horrible and end up wanting to kill each other. Perhaps it’s true… perhaps some people really like that sort of book… but I don’t get it!

Book 93: Black Narcissus, by Rumer Godden

So I finished reading this one back before the wedding, when I was ill. It was during Lent and, as Noah had given up watching TV, I agreed to stop reading challenge books after finishing this one, which I had borrowed from the library.

I did rather enjoy it - though I am surprised that it was added to a list aimed at children. A curious tale of nuns taking over an old mansion, formerly used by a rich general as a home for his women folk and somehow ill-suited to any other occupation. Ayah, the one-time servant of the princess who lived there, sees no reason to welcome the nuns; the villagers do not understand them; the situation is unaccommodating and Sister Clodagh, head of the new nunnery, is obliged to rely on the help and advice of Mr Dean, the only European in the area and a man she dislikes, disapproves of - and finds extremely intriguing. “I’ll give you until the rains,” he says. But will the sisters last that long?

In brief glimses Sister Clodagh’s own history is revealed. It was this, interspersed with the conversation between Mr Dean and the nuns that I enjoyed. The way that the nuns love Mopu, despite its unsuitability as a location for their convent; the unexpectedness of the nuns’ and the locals’ reactions to each other; and the subtle change in Sister Clodagh’s character make this a book I would recommend.

Book 59j: Bagthorpes Battered, by Helen Cresswell

The final book in the Bagthorpe Saga! It's taken a long time to get to the end (the first, Ordinary Jack, was among the earliest of my challenge books; I remember reading it on the train back to Scarborough in July). This volume begins with things as chaotic as they were at the close of the previous volume (i.e. quite chaotic). Rather than neatly drawing the threads of this series together, Cresswell opts to introduce yet more unlikely elements in the form of new pets for Daisy - not, as she had hoped, a giraffe, but a rather moth-eaten and decidedly foul-mouthed parrot, and a garden snake in a cardboard box. Mrs Fosdyke's misadventures in the clutches of journalist Patsy Page are indeed rounded off, but at the close of the volume it seems that life in the Bagthorpe family will, alas, continue much as usual.

Book 59i: The Bagthorpe Triangle, by Helen Cresswell

Another tale of the Bagthorpes! This one was very difficult to acquire - I had to get Ed to borrow it from Bristol library for me. I started it during the wedding-dress-hunt-week that was half term, and finished it yesterday just before Youth Alpha. This one I read out of order because it was hard to find, so it effectively filled in the gaps between my last two Bagthorpe books. It was in keeping with the rest of the series: one feels sympathy with Jack and his mother, and sometimes with Uncle Parker; the other characters leave much to be desired in terms of pleasantness. On the whole I rather enjoyed it as a little light reading in between the stresses of wedding planning and being a Reception teacher.

Oh yeah, you want an actual synopsis... Mr Bagthorpe, having sucked a sock up with the hoover, departs into town with said hoover in the boot of his car, ostensibly to get it fixed but in reality to have scampi and chips at the local pub. Meanwhile his wife, finally overcome by the stresses and strains of living in her less-than-sympathetic family, utters an astonishing scream and shortly afterwards disappears. Nobody, apart from Jack, seems remotely concerned for her welfare. There is, however, a concerted search on for the also disappeared tramp, Mr O'Toole, whom Aunt Celia believes to be a guru of great spiritual importance to the life of her unborn twins, and whom Mrs Fosdyke believes to be an eccentric millionaire in disguise. The widespread rumours of a murderer on the loose, coupled with the unexpected (and untidy) reappearance of a member of Mrs Fosdyke's own family, lead to a series of events extreme even by the exacting standards of the Bagthorpe family.

Book 92: Hoping It Might Be So, by Kit Wright

OK, I've made a mistake in the numbering somewhere... I listed the Herriot as Book 92, but I've definitely got 8 more books to read after this one. So we'll have two 92s. Wonder where I went wrong.

Anyway, the book. Strange to say, I hated it. Didn't enjoy it at all. Yes, Kit Wright's poetry is brilliant. His sense of rhythm, rhyme and phrasing is almost impeccable. But his chosen subjects and the attitudes he expresses are sarcastic, rude or plain depressing. I remember greatly enjoying Cat Among the Pigeons (his book of verse for children) when I was younger, but this volume was quite a disappointment. In fact I'm surprised it came up on this list of books for children to read - some of the content was quite shocking. Cat Among the Pigeons would have been a much better choice!

Film 75: "Empire of the Sun"

Synoapsis: "Empire of the Sun"

A very young Christian Bale plays Jamie is spoiled. He's also living in a wealthy British imperialist sort of community of Shanghai in WWII China, just as the unofficial war between China and Japan rages on. His parents are reluctant to move back to Britain, even though most of the residents have been evacuating the country for weeks. With tensions between the nations mounting, Jamie's dad moves the family to a hotel in Shanghai for a while, just as Japan attacks the city.

In a mad panic of British citizens and Chinese peasants alike, Jamie becomes separated from his family and forced to live on the streets of the war torn city. The film follows his journey from scraping the bottom of tins in his empty mansion under Japanese occupation to street life in Shanghai to removal to an internment camp, where his story is far from over.

The best bit:

There's so much to this film that it's difficult to pick one moment as the most significant or defining moment for Jamie because it's a slow progression for him from spoiled childhood to becoming a human being with real character. I'll have to settle with a moment that Jamie was particularly proud of- when he crossed the perimeter fence to catch a pheasant for a big American thanksgiving.

Marks out of 10:

Visually, this was not quite stunning but still captivating. It's an amazing story turned into a heart-breaking yet wonderful film. It shows fantastic character development all around and speaks to the audience about the nature of war in terms of how one chooses a side. I'd recommend it. 9.5

Film 74: "It's a Wonderful Life"

Good stuff here. I think I'm a Jimmy Stewart fan now-- after these last two films, but maybe I should get some more and some different styles to find out. Was he in the original "Rear Window"? Anyway, to blogging!

Synoahpsis:

This had one of the more interesting starts to a film. A bunch of folks seem to be praying for George on Christmas eve, and because so many people are calling out on his behalf, a comical conversation among some celestial bodies take place. The bodies decide to send Clarence or something like that down to Earth to help George out- if he does a good job, he gets his wings. Before he's sent out, the being fills him in on the life of George.

Jimmy Stewart gets to play awesome people, it seems. In this time, he plays George Bailey, son of Mr. Bailey, who runs the Building and Loan society in the small town of Bedford Falls. Mr. Bailey is a big-hearted sort of fellow, and not a strong businessman, so the building and loan doesn't make a lot of money. It does, however, assure the community has quality homes at reasonable prices... for good working families. He manages to keep it open despite the efforts of a ruthless businessman called Mr. Potter to take over the small company and shut it down.

When his father dies, George, desperate to leave Bedford Falls, see the world and become an engineer/architect, is forced to choose between sacrificing his dreams to take over the family business or the community fall into the hands of the notorious Mr. Potter.

The film covers many areas of George's life and culminates in his wish of desperation that he'd never even been born. That's when Clarence steps in to show him what Bedford Falls would have been like had George not touched so many lives there.

The best bit:

I thought the scene right after the wedding was an amazing insight into the depth of George Bailey's character. Despite being desperate to leave Bedford Falls his whole life to see the world, and now having the excuse, a honeymoon with $2,000 cash in hand (in the 40s no less), he still sacrifices his own happiness to serve the people of his community. His new wife's response makes the whole film even better.

Marks out of 10:

This film is always playing around Christmas time, but I think it's very enjoyable at any point in the year. Bailey's a remarkable character, and even though the theological sense of a guardian angel getting wings and all that is a bit hollywood, the story along with the humor and richness of characters makes this film easily worth a 9.0

Book 59h: Bagthorpes Besieged, by Helen Cresswell

It's never quite as much fun with the Bagthorpes when you miss a volume out. The stories are so deeply intertwined with one another that it's necessary to recap almost the entire plot of the previous volume. This is done in an unobtrusive manner, but I'm fairly sure I know pretty much everything that's going to happen in The Bagthorpe Triangle when I finally track it down.

This volume begins with (or rather, just after) Uncle Parker's dramatic rescue of Mr Bagthorpe from the cells of the local police station. Apparently he has been arrested because he doesn't know his car's registration number, although there are suggestions that Mrs Bagthorpe having suddenly gone missing might somehow be connected with his detainment. Jack, the only Bagthorpe who appears to be human, is genuinely concerned for the safety of his missing mother - who is herself, in fact, only just down the road, holed up with Mrs Fosdyke who is unwillingly harbouring her long-haired, runaway son Max who is on the run after acquiring £50 with a stolen credit card. Mrs Bagthorpe, ever a Positive Thinker and solver of Problems, determines to take Max under her wing; however the reader is forewarned: "When Mrs Fosdyke described her son as a long-haired layabout, she had been right on both counts. Once Mrs Bagthorpe had tidied him up he would become a short-haired layabout." The occasional appearance of lines such as these (in combination with the fast-paced action of the books) is what allows the Bagthorpe Saga to retain its charm despite the large number of really quite similar volumes.

Book 59g: Bagthorpes Liberated, by Helen Cresswell

A more enjoyable offering in the ongoing saga of the lives of the Bagthorpe family. This time, after the family's disastrous and abortive attempt at a holiday in Wales, Mrs Fosdyke, the family's adept but awkward cook and cleaner, shows signs of not returning immediately to work. Mrs Bagthorpe, frustrated by her husband's selfish tendency to disappear into the study at the merest suggestion of housework, decides that the females of her family require Liberating. Accordingly, she sets up rules and rotas and details Jack and William to do large portions of the cooking and cleaning.
Matters are complicated by the introduction of Mr O'Toole, an old tramp who has found his way into the (unlocked) house whilst the Bagthorpes are away. Instead of turning him out, Mrs Bagthorpe somehow accidentally finds herself serving him breakfast. Mr O'Toole makes friends with Grandpa and then, through excessive charm, ingratiates himself with Grandma. When Mrs Fosdyke returns (having visited her doctor, who recommends that she desist from cleaning, but permits cooking as a form of occupational therapy), she is led to believe that Mr O'Toole, far from being a vagrant, is in fact an eccentric millionaire. His charming behaviour (and the ease with which he is persuaded to bathe) add to this impression; thoroughly taken in, Mrs Fosdyke becomes a great admirer.
Daisy Parker, of course, is not left out of the action, and thinks of some quite original ways to use up the long line of milk bottles, left by the milkman out of malice because nobody thought to cancel them. The tale, as usual, ends with visits from the police, amidst much family rowing, mistake, confusion - and, in this case, missing persons. Quite an enjoyable Bagthorpe story. One thing I'm enjoying about the last few of these is the way that Cresswell crams a lot of action into a very short space of time; the last couple of books only take about two days to play out. Quite fun.

Book 59f: Bagthorpes Haunted, by Helen Cresswell

I'm starting to get tired of the Bagthorpes again... it's odd, some of the books seem a lot better than others. This one felt like it was written purely to resolve the unhappy circumstances in which we left the luckless family at the end of the previous volume, Bagthorpes Abroad. Cooped up in a near-derelict, furnitureless house somewhere in Wales, beset by the crimes of Daisy and her goat, having alienated themselves from all locals and caused severe disruption and irritation to police in the area, the Bagthorpes are really not enjoying their holiday. Even the indomitable Mr Bagthorpe wishes to return home early. He cannot, however, merely change his mind: he has stated his determination to remain in Wales until he actually sees a ghost, and is far too proud to admit that the accommodation he has arranged is less than entirely suitable. Can he manage to curtail the six-week holiday without losing face? My favourite part was perhaps the auction attended by some of the clan in the hope of acquiring makeshift furniture for the remainder of their stay in Wales; either that or the incident with the sheep. On the whole, though, I would not count this among the best of the Bagthorpe books.

Film 73: "Harvey"

Despite having the busiest week of the year upon me, I found time to watch a film. And a thumping good one at that!

Synoahpsis:

Jimmy Stewart played Dowd, Elwood P. I'm sure I've got his card here somewhere. Elwood P. Dowd was de - wait for it - lightful. Delightful. An absolutely pleasant sort of man, Dowd had only one seeming character flaw, much to the dismay of his would-otherwise-be socialite sister Josephine; he hangs out in bars too much. Other than that, he's a lovely, charming, 6ft-tall-invisible-white-rabbit-friend-having gentleman.

After failing to get Elwood (played by Jimmy Stewart) out of the house so that she could throw a party without frightening her well-to-do, yet highly insensitive to those with mental disabilities friends, Josephine attempts to have Elwood committed (sectioned?) at the local sanitarium. But Elwood and Harvey (the giant invisible rabbit in question) casually evade capture from the folks in white coats. Funny story, true story... the doctor actually commits Josephine because he thinks she's psychotically defending herself by attack Elwood's character. Anyway, a lovely film all around.

The best bit

This movie was all about the acting, and it was really Jimmy Stewart at his finest. The best bit for me was when I had the biggest laugh. A psychiatrist was asking about when Elwood first met Harvey. He said "I heard a voice behind me say 'Good evening Mr. Dowd.' I turned around and there he was [a 6' 3/4'' tall, white rabbit] leaning against a lamp post. Now, when you live in a small town as long as I have you don't get the least bit surprised when a stranger knows your name, so I walked right up to him and said hi." Amazing.

Marks out of 10

This is in black and white, stars Jimmy Stewart and has every other quality of an all-time classic. I loved it. Even though, like with Watership Down, this rabbity film didn't have anything monumental happen in it, I loved the characters, the vibe of the town, the varied reactions to apparent insanity and the charming personality of Elwood P. Dowd. I'd love to go around his house for dinner sometime. He was the very epitome of Christian hospitality in the middle of a heat-warming story. 8.2

Film 72: "Flash Gordon"

What just happened to my brain. Seriously? What was that? I think it might just have been FLASH GORDON!!!

FLASH! AhhhAhh. He'samiracle!

Synoahpsis:

The world is under attack! Crazy stuff is happening, and only ex-Nasa researcher Dr. Hans Zarkov has offered any explanation- an attack on the earth by unknown but vastly powerful extra-terrestrial alien aggressors! Luckily, Dr. Hans has built himself a rocket ship to go up into space to take a look. Only no one will co-pilot his crazy contraption? I know who will...

FLASH! AaaaAhhh. Savior oftheuniverse!

So flash, quarterback for the New York Jets crash lands a private aircraft into Dr. Hans' lab alongside the movie cutie, a travel writer called Debbi or Dana or Diane or something. Anyway, they all go up into space, the heroes that they are (though the good doctor is a nutcase holding the other two at gunpoint) and they fly light years (somehow within 45 seconds) and are tractor beamed into the planet Mongo, a crazy police stated ruled by the cruel emperor Ming.

Flash and his friends are taken captive and split up! Oh no! Will they get out of it? Yes, yes they will. But can they stop the Ming's evil plan of causing the Earth's moon to crash into our beloved planet seconds before impact?? Yeah, they can do that too. But can they encounter beloved Shakespearean actor Brian Blessed wearing a costume making him look like a hawkish super hero??

You'll have to watch it to find out!

The best bit:

The hawk-guy army's (or is it an airforce?) raid on some big space cruiser was simply magawesomeific. Imagine a giant airship held up by strings firing phaser cannons at a hoard of crudely animated bird-men who, in some frames, can also be seen hanging from strings. Now imagine the hawk guys are actually terrible, fly very slowly, refuse to fire their phaser guns until they safely land on the wings of said airship, despite the hail of gunfire and sustaining massive hawkine casualties. Imagined that? Good... You've got yourself a film.

Marks out of 10:

I hated Flash. A lot. Good thing he saved the world, because he was really annoying and had almost no other redeeming qualities. Maybe in comic books he did a load of supposedly bold and daring clever things to save the world, but the film, he just made a series of blatantly bad, headstrong decisions that just happened to pan out beautifully. The lines were goofy, the acting (apart from Brian's performance, obviously) was dire, and the whole experience was honestly really boring. There were a few laughs in there and a few clever set designs and special effects though, so not all is lost. But most is. 2.5

FLASH! AhhhAhhhh... Kingoftheimpossible!

Film 71: "Time Bandits"

Had a chance to put on a film just before the 20s/30s weekend away. Still not looking very hopeful, but I'm giving it the old college try.

Synoahpsis:

Imagine that when the "Supreme Being" created the world, with the help of his motley crew of greedy, somewhat violent dwarves, some places were not quite finished. In the fabric of the universe, there are quite a few holes, and when those greedy few got a hold of the map to all of them, they figure they can make quite a nice living using the map to steal treasure from all over time and space.

On the run from the Supreme Being, the bandits crash through the bedroom of Kevin, a young boy whose parents pay much more attention to the TV than to him. Kevin gets pulled into the world of their anachronic purloinary, meeting characters like Robin Hood, Napoleon and some sort of King in Greece along the way. Also, there's some evil dude stuck in a fortress who doesn't want to be, so something happens there as well.

The best bit:

I hate to spoil anything, so look away if you don't want to hear about how Kevin's parents, in the closing scene of the film, touch a bit of the blown-up evil guy and immediately explode themselves into a million pieces. Ooops. Well, that bit anyway.

Marks out of 10:

Really goofy, pretty silly, but very well put together for what it was. I think this would be fantastic to watch with some younger kids, some silly teenagers or some goofy friends who like this sort of thing. Definitely worth a watch. 7.9

Film 70: The Pink Panther Series, 1963-78 (1 of 6 reviewed)

Well, it's not looking good for the film lovers out there, but I'm pressing on... despite Kate's comfortable lead in the 90s. Who knew anyone could read that fast?

Lovefilm has sent me these in the wrong order, so I'm actually starting with the last one, but they'll still be posted chronologically later on.

Synoahpsis: "Revenge of the Pink Panther"

Peter Sellers returns in his last appearance in the lead role. Believed to be dead in a hail-of-gunfire-induced, flaming car wreck assassination attempt, Chief Inspector Clouseau returns in the frenchy slapstick adventure to investigate the Hong Kong dealings of an international drug ring calling itself the "French Connection". Allowing the enemy to believe he is dead (instead of Rossou, the wandering, bank-robbing transvestite what stole his car from a bus stop), Clouseau and Cato hunt down the baddies, fall down quite a bit, and probably save the day!

(I'll let you watch it and find out whether they save the day or not... spoilers).

The best bit

I suppose I thought there were some funny lines here and there... particularly when the fireworks factory was going up in flames in the midst of a cop-gangster gun battle; I just can't remember what they were.

Marks out of 10:

I can see why it would make for a watchable family comedy way back in the day, but the slapstick is really cringeworthy... even for my scrubs-loving taste. Once you got past the funny accents, which I agree were hilarious, there wasn't much here. 3.0

Book 92: All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriot

All Creatures Great and Small is an omnibus, and I'm pretty sure I've read at least some of what it contains in the past. I recall reading Herriot whilst staying at my grandparents' house, feeling ever so slightly naughty because I just took the books from the shelves and read them without asking anybody. As a child I rather enjoyed them, and reading Herriot now I find the tales of life as a veterinary surgeon in the Yorkshire Dales quite pleasant. The stories, taken from real life, are gently entertaining and sometimes amusing. The young vet has to deal with tricky medical situations, know-it-all farmers and eccentric old ladies with preposterously pampered pets. But even more frustrating than these is the tendency of Siegfried, Herriot's forceful yet likeable boss, to give persistently conflicting (and always exasperatingly patient) advice. Whilst I won't be rushing out to acquire yet more tomes by the same author, I did enjoy this volume (which, at two-and-a-half books in one, took quite a while to read).