Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Pat's Puppet

I've shared Pat's (my dad's) rocky relationship with Sunshine the parrot. Lately that rocky relationship has turned into mountainous terrain with snow and ice encased pathways that could crash and cause disaster at any moment. Seems Sunshine is not a happy camper. Not a happy anything. Pat has spent an unnatural amount of time in the office aka parrot habitation. And Pat's white calves taunt Sunshine from across the room.

Sunshine's Nightmare. By Sunshine Parrot

Pat's calves maneuvering the office chair on rollers from computer to printer and back again are begging for a bite, for the claws of fury from poor, little caged Sunshine.

Oh, Sunshine has tried. He's closed his eyes and attempted not to notice the soft, pinkish flesh. He's tried. Sunshine can taste the legs, he's almost had them before. So close. Pat is not known to be quiet. Oh no. Pat laughs out loud at e-mail forwards and tosses out a frustrated bark when the stupid numbers don't add up. Pat is not known for his love of paperwork and computers that do not cooperate. Shudder. Bad. Bad. Bad atmosphere in this room.

Sunshine forces his focus to the calming background music but he can hear those calves calling to him.

It's gotten so bad that Sunshine must refuse to leave the cage. The woman has betrayed him by leaving this Pat to click endlessly on the machine. Sunshine will eat, eat and fluff and grunt his complaints. But that's it. No more Mr. Nice Parrot.

Last week was the final indignity. The water dish needed to be washed out. The woman has fallen for Sunshine's threats and wouldn't dare stick her hand in the cage. So Pat volunteers. Sunshine gulps to keep from salivating. Not a juicy calf, but an arm will do.

Suddenly, Pat laughs and holds out a denim-armor encased arm. He slides the door open, slips in the blue covered arm, grabs the water dish and replaces it with fresh, clean water. All the while talking in a stupid voice as if his arm is a puppet.

Sunshine may start throwing seeds. Or, hmmm, is there another thing he could do that might become a Pat-be-gone? Sunshine will hum to himself and think happy thoughts of revenge. Night Pat.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Robin Parrish's Merciless

Adventure and comic book hero lovers keep reading. You'll want to check out Merciless by clicking on the book cover, read the first chapter here and visit Robin Parrish's website, and finally click then scroll down here to see my review of book two -- Fearless and Robin's interview.



My Review:

Merciless is the final novel in the "Dominion Trilogy." Comic book-type heroes, doomsday ruination of the world, death, sorrow and pain fill this book with dark moments. Robin Parrish not only handles these moments with page-turning intensity but also sensitivity.

This story is a loose allegory of the fall and redemption of man. Parrish handles the lean spiritual aspects with an interesting historical focus which made the storyline appealing. A Christian label on a book that doesn't have the plan of salvation spelled out but is much told in a world view of the awareness of man's fallen state and his need for redemption.

There are difficult passages dealing with heavy violence or loss of life. Super sensitive readers need to be aware of this. Merciless isn't an easy read. With prose that seemed more fluid than Fearless, Parrish also relaxed his vocabulary which will help readers who may not want to read with a dictionary. This also tightened his prose and made the story more natural and compelling.

The Dominion Trilogy is a solid adventure series with heroes that are truly bigger than life told in a voice that commands attention late into the night. Adventure lovers should look further into these novels.

Super Cinema Saturday ~ The Savages

My Review:

Awkward coming of age drama with moments of humor that lighten things up to the point that the emotion is tolerable. Coming of age, literally, as a brother and sister in their middle years are forced to come to terms with the dysfunction in their own issues when their estranged father's life drastically changes at the onset of Parkinson's disease.

This is not a light movie. Heavy, heavy themes that lay out life in all it's grittiness and the complexity of human relationships in all of the quirks, masks and coping mechanisms. Poignant to the point that it was almost depressing, but it is filled with a raw kind of beauty and a lot of truth. A deeply character driven film, desperate, raw in several spots. Squeamish viewers may not do well with a couple of sex scenes and an adulterous relationship as well as some coarse language. The end is hopeful. Great acting. Those who love heavy dramas and character pieces might want to take a deeper look at The Savages.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Tracey Bateman Serves it Up

Scroll down if you missed the review and chapter one link of ... That's (not exactly) Amore.


Tracey delivers up a bit of quirk from the Dregs menu.

Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

Anne of Green Gables, because she never does the same wrong thing twice.

If you could ask any person, living or dead, a random question -- what question would you ask of whom?

Samson (from the Bible)What were you THINKING dude?

Some out there in writing land have strange rituals.

Not me. I pretty much go with the flow. Rituals annoy me.

If you could change something in any novel, what would you change about it and why?

Rhett would give a Damn, because in my heart, he truly did.

What crayon in the box describes you on a good day? Bad day? Which one do you aspire to be?

If I aspired to be colored wax, I'd seriously consider getting help. I mean, I'm already considering it, but it has nothing to do with crayons.

Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.

It was the best of Times it was the worst of times... from A Tale of Two cities. I think the world is in this mode right now. We have technology to accomplish just about anything man can dream and yet evil is rampant and people still go to bed hungry in the US and we still haven't figured out how to live in peace (although Jesus said we wouldn't), IT truly is the best of times and the worst of times. Very cool writing, I think.

If you were assured of writing a best-seller, what genre would it be? Give us a sliver of information, a characteristic or glimpse of a scene.

I truly don't know. Probably women's fiction with an imperfect heroine and lots of real issues. I'd love to write something that deals with the afterpain of abortion or spousal abuse.

What period of history intrigues you the most?

It used to be the Civil War Era. But lately I'm more of an in the moment kind of gal. I'm intrigued with what the future will say of us in history. What choices have we as a society as a church as individuals made that will leave a lasting legacy for those who will follow?:

What makes you feel alive?

Air

Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.

Music...Cold Play, Sanctus Real, Juno soundtrak. People...family. Unless it's a long ROAD trip, then I'd leave th kids at home and go by myself with my music and pretzels.

Favorite season and why?

Summer, because it's hot, winter because it's cold, Spring because it's fresh, fall because my mom likes it best and I like my mom.


Favorite chore

Is that a joke?

Grammatical pet peeve…sound off.

When someone says "These...something IS (instead of "are"). We get that a lot here in the Ozarks, I'm afraid

Societal pet peeve…sound off.

Hungry kids--this ought not be.

Thanks, Tracey. Have a great weekend all-ya

I Can't Resist ~ Check It Out....

I got this Chick-Lit-a-delic book cover picture in my in-box the other day.

Now, I haven't read this book and I haven't "read" the author. But if you click here, or on the book cover, you will find out how to get this e-book for nada. Disclaimer: I don't know if we're talking G, PG, PG-13 or R-rated so keep that in mind. Her book reading (YouTube link below) was tame....I've downloaded Jumble Pie and will eventually get to it.

Check out her YouTube link. I watched it several months ago and thought the story was pretty clever but at the time I was buried in books and didn't review it....the girl has a charming way with words.

Serials and Scenarios ~ That's (Not Quite) Amore

Happy Wednesday.

Here's some fun reading for those still looking for a beach book.

As per usual, click the book cover to head over to the Amazon info page. And if you want to read the first chapter click here. Finally, visit Tracey's website here. Come back Friday for a Dregs Q & A with Tracey. Now without further ado...here's my

Review:

This is my first Tracey Bateman novel. It won't be my last.

Fun characters run amok through food, coffee, design, hormones and drama. Italian grandmothers, "the uncles," crime drama, angst, angst and more angst plague Laini while she struggles with the fact that she can't figure out who she is and what she wants to do with what she's got. Bateman masterfully manages a huge and very eclectic cast of characters. Humor is laced throughout, yet there is a touch of melancholy for those who like a hint of it in their chick-lit.

Serials and Scenarios ~ The Shack

Just in case you've wondered about this book, in case you want my opinion...keep reading. The buzz about it reached Iowa so I picked it up and read it. If you think you have God all figured out, I dare you to read it. What are your thoughts? Have you read it?

My Review:

I didn't want to read this one. I have such a huge stack of books to get through that I couldn't bear the thought of one more...especially one I didn't think I'd like. I expected The Shack to be melodramatic and poorly written. Young was turned down by a lot of houses, and I figured that his writing skills might have something to do with it. But The Shack ended up on my local book club list, and I picked up a copy and began reading.

I was surprised by what I found between the covers of this little novel. The writing is compelling, a little overdone is some spots, a little mechanically iffy in others. The beginning scenes are a little slow moving, but it's solid and descriptive writing that paints pictures and engages senses. But the story, wow. The story is gripping and beautiful and awful and full of pain and sorrow and joy. I wept through a few scenes. Not dashed a tear away, but wept.

I'm not going to recommend it to everyone. There are some who shouldn't read it. If you can not separate fiction from doctrine, why set yourself up for annoyance? Theologically, this book soars on imagination, wonder, questions and it oozes grace. The Shack doesn't belong on a shelf full of Biblical study tools. Nor should it be read to discover error or to fuel a bully pulpit. The Shack should be read by people who are desperate to find healing or those who are sick and tired of religion. If you are afraid to think outside of your doctrinal lines, you will find much to be offended about. On the flip side, if the Shack or anything outside of Jesus becomes your hope for salvation, stop, turn aside to the Bible and discover Jesus as written through the Holy Spirit.

The several struggles I've noticed seem to be focused on the depiction of God and the gospel message. The author very clearly states that this is a story, a fictional account. Young bravely takes liberty with God, creating pictures and dialog, putting words and emotion and spice into the God of the Bible. If this offends you, then you are probably not ready for the message in The Shack. But if you have an image of God as a lightning bolt throwing bully or a disinterested floating ruler or a bumbling fool, The Shack may just change your mind and possibly your life. The book does not share a Gospel where Jesus is anything but God the Son and fully human. His death and resurrection are clearly portrayed.

The uncomfortable issue with the theology stems from the author's stretch of imagination and his obvious love for God. Truth is, God doesn't behave the way we expect Him to. Why should He? God doesn't answer to us, God doesn't have to do things the exact same way He has in the past, He's not bound by our limitations. God is complete and full without our understanding of His business or our definition of Him. God is big enough to work through fiction, truth, the Bible, nature, other people and whatever else He might choose.