Review of Peter and the Starcatchers

Peter and the Starcatchers Author: Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson Soft Cover, 480 pages Publisher: Disney Press Language: English ISBN-13: 9780786849079

My wife and I picked this one up at the bookstore to read together. So technically, I did not read all of it, but rather, we read aloud to each other on a road trip. It only took three days of off and on reading to finish, as it is long but the text is easy to read.

As I listened, I had a hard time imagining how this was a prequel to the original Peter Pan stories. I was constantly imagining how every event could lead to the characters and situation I was familiar with. But it was a fun read in its own right.

There are some funny moments, and there is quite a bit of violence. Everything has a sense of exaggerated nastiness. I think the way the authors tied up lose endings at the end was somewhat unbelievable and abrupt. But it was good enough that my wife and I are considering reading the rest of the series.

I would give this book ★★★☆☆. It’s not deep by any stretch of the imagination. But it is a fun read for anyone over about 12, I think.

Hindi Numbers, 21-30

http://www.hindidevanagari.com/numbers_saNkhyaaENn.html

Here are numbers 21 to 30:

21.	इक्कीस	२१	ikkīs
22.	बाईस	२२	bāīs
23.	तेईस	२३	teīs
24.	चौबीस	२४	caubīs
25.	पच्चीस	२५	paccīs
26.	छब्बीस	२६	chabbīs
27.	सताईस	२७	satāīs
28.	अठाईस	२८	aṭhāīs
29.	उनतीस	२९	untīs
30.	तीस	३०	tīs

Mail Call

Today in the mail I received the Life Application Bible Study for Hebrews from Tyndale – another book for the review stack, which I also intend to make my primary study for a little while. It uses the NLT, which looks to be included in the text. That should be a nice feature for portability.

I also received the last of my commitment to the Disney Video club, something I regret having ever gotten involved with. Nothing overly bad, just not worth it. Anyway, that got me WallE, Bolt and The Jungle Book, too. I haven’t actually seen WallE or Bolt. My kids have seen Bolt, but not WallE. Should be some bedtime movies in the near future…

character development

I’ve mentioned that I am reading War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. What impresses me about him, without being a spoiler for the book, is how he brings characters to life. Few authors can make you feel for a character that you know is destined to mess up everything. Tolstoy is able to write in such a way that you know this person is an expression of reality, a frail human being. You want the best for them, and are even pained when you know the path the author has carried them down is foolhardy.

I was reading today and winced as a character who I had already become attached to descended into a jealous depression, ending in violence, and eventually even into betrayal of a loved one, all mixed with denial and self-loathing. I can only hope that as the events progress, that some recovery can be made – but it doesn’t seem hopeful.

Ah, ’tis a tragedy. But this only makes it more “real”. Life is seldom neat, with your compatriots making perfect decisions without regard to a baser nature. Sometimes the ones you have high regard for you simply shouldn’t. Sometimes, you maintain a clear understanding that an individual is of a base quality, foolish and unimpressive – but this does not mean they are not dear to you, and that their failure will not wreak havoc in your own spirit.

These are the thoughts that such a writer can bring – especially when he does not limit himself to a dozen or so pages to convey the thoughts that compel the characters toward their self-destructive ends.

My Anniversary

Kim and I celebrated 10 years of marriage yesterday. We had a wonderful time. Just wanted to give a brief rundown, as the events touch on a number of things near and dear to me:

We started by heading to dinner. This was my job – to figure out where we were going. I picked someplace that had good reviews, but where we had never eaten. The place was Giovanni’s in Greenville. No website – or I’d place a link here. Family run place, small – but cozy. The proprietor is an expert on Italian wines, and his food is simply put: to die for. Seriously, it was good. And it wasn’t expensive, either. And better yet, it is right up the street from Barnes and Noble on Woodruff. Not that I get out there often, but that’s a great situation.

In particular, the gnocchi with baby lobster and sun-dried tomatoes in the cream sauce is wonderful. Just offhand, the sauces were selectable and he rattled them off so quickly in an  Italian accent that it was hard to follow, but the word “gnocchi”, “baby lobster”, and “sun-dried tomatoes” mentioned so closely together made me change my mind from the vitello marsala. My wife had the chicken piccata. It also was wonderful – though I was happy I got my selection. Pre-meal, they brought bruschetta which was by far the best bruschetta I had ever tasted. The bread was toasted, but not so hard that it hurts your gums, as is often the case. It was thick with herbed butter combined with the common tomato topping – but quite apart from the norm, it was not highly acidic, rather it was rich and sweet – well, I don’t know if sweet is the right word. Words escape me. Adding to this, the tiramisu was wonderful. Grazie, grazie, grazie!

Following this we went next door to a scrapbooking store. Kim likes scrapbooking, and so it was a pleasant place to browse before going to see Night At The Museam: The Battle of the Smithsonian. A good movie. Some annoyingly gratuitous episodes of monkey-slapping, but otherwise good. Not as believable as the first, of course. C’est la vie.

Following this, we decided to head to Barnes and Noble. I was able to find Mandarin Chinese – Learning Through Conversation Volume 1 (which became an unplanned anniversary gift). I also added a couple other books of interest to my Amazon wish list, having written down their ISBN’s.

Got to come home with all the kids staying at a friend’s house. Morning still came too soon.

And that’s about it.