Downton Abbey

Switched at Birth – What would you do if you found out that your blood type didn’t match that of your parents? Keep quiet and hope the realization fades with time or drag your parents to the genetics center for verification? When Bay Kennish opts to do the latter, she gets more than she bargained for – Daphne Vasquez the biological daughter, a half Puerto-rican mom with lots of secrets and an absconding father not to mention an uncertain future. Certainly worth watching the 2 girls battle out their emotions although Emmett can be too much to watch.

Once Upon a Time – I’ve always wondered what would happen if all the fairytale characters were live together and in the modern world. What did I find? Once Upon a Time! Set in the fictional town called Storybrooke in Massachusetts, this tale revolves around Emma, an orphaned misfit and her connection to Storybrooke. The story is frankly getting to be a bit of a bore at present owing to the amount of uncertainty and randomness that the writers are choosing to throw at the audience in every single episode.

Grimm – Definitely better than Once Upon a Time purely for its gory and dark interpretation of the Grimm’s fairytales – 3 little pigs, little red riding hood…you name it! Disney meet your competition NBC! The sad part though is that there is only one grimm so far who has to battle out all the baddies against his wishes. The doomed hero of the modern day!

Took me awhile to find this – This cute maltese pup was sleeping in the window display of a pet shop in Florida Keys. The cute fella was a bit isolated from the rest and seems to have a fitful sleep. A hope for a good home and loving family.

Theodosia is catering as well as participating in the annual Charleston races and things begin to go downhill when she discovers the body of her arch nemesis Abby Davis. The recent public spat between Abby and Theodosia puts Theodosia in the spotlight not to mention brings her into contact with her Ex. As Theodosia reluctantly digs deeper into the murder mystery, she uncovers  a lot of skeletons in Abby’s closet that may point the identity of the murderer closer to home than she thought.

Whats great about the book is definitely the recipes provided for some of the snacks and tea brews mentioned in the story. Then the vivid description of the tea shop, the historic building of Charleston are worth reading over. And then there is the lovely cover page, a perfect bait with the lovely flower vases, snacks and maybe a teapot or two.

Having not read the rest of the mysteries, I can’t make a comparison but on the whole this book was a disappointing read. The plot was fine, the suspense was great but the motive was weak. Having read better mysteries than this, the ending can be at best described as under brewed oolong tea which is all watery and no flavor. The other con was connecting the title and the story was difficult, unless this was purely naming tactics. The question is do I read the rest or not?

Source: Wikipedia

Elephants can Remember is yet another noteworthy novel in Poirot series owing to its humor infused plot. The readeres are introduced to the famous crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, also a close friend of Poirot’s. At a literary luncheon, Mrs. Oliver is hounded by an obnoxious woman Mrs. Burton-Cox who is insistent on knowing the cause for the double suicide in the Ravenscroft family. Turns out that Ariadne’s god-daughter Celia Ravenscroft is to be engaged to Mrs. Burton-Cox’s only son. Mrs. Oliver leaves the luncheon in a haste but unable to get over the strange question requests help from Poirot.

The strangeness of this case lies in the fact that General Ravenscroft and his wife committed a double suicide by a pistol and the whole affair is riddled with the question – Did the husband shoot the wife and killed himself or vice-versa? Also tailing this tragedy are rumors of affairs, presence of a psychotic sister that is connected with 2 murders involving children wherever the Ravenscrofts were stationed.

Poirot enlists the help of his colleagues while Mrs. Oliver calls on her friends and acquaintances in the hope that “Elephants must remember something”. The facts that are unearthed though, throw a more sinister light to the sad demise of the Ravenscrofts. Will Poirot manage to bring closure to the tragedy by cracking the most seemingly impossible mystery?

Whats different about this book? – The crime or tragedy happened in a distant past meaning that the witnesses and clues may or may not exist. Poirot has a friend and a fellow investigator Mrs. Oliver helping him with this crime as opposed to having the bumbling Hastings making the most obvious observations. The novel is fast paced, humorous and very enjoyable on the whole. Definitely worth keeping this book in a personal library!

Death in the Clouds

Poirot is caught up in yet another murder and this time its on a flight from Paris to Croydon. What’s more baffling to Poirot is that the victim was sitting just a few feet away from him. The only clues available are a poisoned dart of South American origin, a dead wasp and a sting like wound on the victim. The victim is identified as Madame Giselle, a well known money lender in the Parisian circles. She is notorious for her methods of recollecting money and so Poirot deduces that one or more of the co-passengers could’ve had the motive to murder Giselle. To add fuel to the fire, the jury suspects Poirot of the murder which gives the Belgian detective yet another reason to prove himself.

This novel serves more as a challenge for Poirot to prove his innocence and as ever he is aided in his quest by 2 of the co-passengers. The uniqueness lies in the story and the setting. Definitely worth the read!

The ABC Murders

In this novel, Poirot is challenged by a serial killer calling himself ABC who sends anonymous letters to Poirot revealing the date and time of the murders. The only clue left behind at the scene of the murders is the ABC railway guide and the fact that the murders seem to follow the alphabetical pattern. Just as Poirot and Hastings try to make the connection between the murders and the motive, it seems that the psychology of the murderer is complex than they imagined. At the same time, a WWI war veteran/salesman by the name Alexander Bonaparte Cust seems to find himself in the area of crime every single time. Is there a connection between this nervous salesman and the serial killer? Will Poirot be able to nab the killer before a 5th crime occurs? The novel is narrated by Hastings and includes his own opinions of the mystery.

I frankly found it difficult to enjoy this story perhaps because it veered away from the usual guidelines that Ms. Christie seems to have set for Poirot’s novels. I suppose after a while any deviation from the norm is either bound to catch or throw off the readers’ interest. Read this if you’d like to deviate from the series norm.

Narrated by an unknown person, the novel begins with the death of Marguerite and the auctioning of her personal possessions by her creditors.  It is followed by the arrival of Armand Duval in Paris, and the narrator goes on to describe Duval’s efforts to exhume and re-bury Marguerite all of which adds a macabre twist to the story. Afterwards the chapters are narrated by Armand as he divulges his past to the unknown narrator and the story goes thus -

Marguerite is a well known courtesan in Paris and is, both admired and feared by men and women alike. Dumas attributes this to Marguerite’s strong yet sensitive spirit which akin to the delicacy of the Camellias creates an alluring persona. And Armand like many others before him falls hopelessly in love with Marguerite. He persuades her to leave behind her past and settle with him in the countryside. Their idyllic existence is shattered by the arrival of Armand’s father who pressurizes Marguerite into leaving Armand for the sake of his daughter. And then story comes to a full circle with the death of Marguerite.

Dumas depicts Marguarite in a favorable light comparing her persona and presence to the light and delicate nature of the camellias. And just as the camellias wither in a day, so is Marguerite’s death depicted…a result of her enduring suffering from tuberculosis. To pacify any remaining shocked audience, Dumas attributes the suffering to God’s way of seeing things. The novel when taken without this allegory is a beauty in itself but takes on a heavy note once you start to ponder. The only exception to Armand’s character is that unlike the others before him, he proves his unwavering love by admitting his shortcomings freely and tracing Marguarite’s last moments until the very end.

The novel is also notable for its brilliantly detailed depiction of the parisian life and the world of courtesans during the 19th century in France. The book by itself is quite descriptive but it may also help to read it with the aid of a guide. Camille is definitely well worth the read and an addition to the personal collection!

1. Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol – This movie rocks more for the cool cars and the locale, the Burj Khalifa than it does for Tom Cruise. The only problem is the bad attempts at humor by introducing Anil Kapoor which didn’t really hit the nail with most of the audience.

2. Agatha Christie’s Poirot – I’ve seen all the movies related to the corresponding titles that I’ve blogged about so far. On the whole, this series takes the cake and the icing too what with a nice blend of subtle humor, interesting plots not to mention the funny Belgian detective picking out murderers left, right and center.

3. Red Riding Hood – An interesting adaption of the classic tale “Little Red Riding Hood”, the film has only 2 shades – the crimson hood of Valerie aka the Red Riding Hood. The movie is watchable so long as you are comfy with keeping you finger on fastfwd most of the time!

4. Insidious – Suggest you watch this film if you are either a fan of horror or have nothing better to watch. I come under the 2nd category…this movie touches upon the nasty things that can happen if you were ever to venture into the spirit world not to mention that thin line that is easily crossable.

5. Gnomeo & Juliet – Contrary to the preconceived notions, its funny to watch a rendition of the classic in the world of garden gnomes. Again pick this if you’ve already seen all the movies in your wish list.

6. The King’s Speech – This piece of historical drama focuses on the life of King George VI, his ascension to throne and his success at overcoming his disability. There is also a subtle lesson in here for parents…don’t push your kids too hard and no comparison between siblings please! Worth watching if you like history.

7. Bridesmaids – A badly made version of The Hangover, the film tries to portray the whole shebang that is associated with the bride and her gang of bridesmaids. It was quite hard to laugh at the poor attempts at humor by the cast and the crew.

8. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – Totally worth the money. Jack Sparrow has become a timeless hero with his inane sense of humor not to mention the ever stranger adventures. This time the race against immortality while escaping the dangerous mermaids makes this movie a must watch!

9. Kungfu Panda 2 – If anything this movie taught me, it is to have no expectations what so ever. The movie was a disappointment due to lack of punch and a very predictable climax. If there is ever a sequel to this, I can only hope that it doesn’t turn out like Mowgli’s Adventures.

10. Mr. Popper’s Penguins – Having been forced to watch this movie while flying to Puerto Rico, it was as entertaining as a movie could get on a deserted island with no ship in sight. The penguins were watchable owing to their uniquely queer personalities.

11. Our Idiot Brother – I suppose this was one of the most interesting movies to watch in 2011. The trailer was weak but the movie packed with some bold yet good comedy was worth watching in the theater.

12.  The Muppets – Only the fondness for the yesteryear shows of the muppets could help me endure this dry and humorless movie. A badly baked vegetable lasagna so to speak.

Despite watching some interestingly bland movies this year, I’m ever optimistic when it comes to films and so here’s to hoping for some good entertainment in 2012.

Gradually Adamson befriends Eugenia and soon they are married with 5 children in succession. One fine morning however, Adamson uncovers a disturbing secret which changes his course of life and that of his adopted family. Byatt draws a parallel  between the human and the insect society and in particular, draws attention to the social order that exists between the queen and the servants while comparing the similarities between the drones and the men. There are also plenty of references to Darwin and his theories on evolution.

The 2nd novella titled The Conjugal Angel centers around a medium Emily and her dead fiance Hallam who is also a poet. While the novella by literary standards may be a beautifully written piece exploring human emotions and their fear of the supernatural in detail, the writing style frankly didn’t hold my attention for beyond 20 pages. I gave up half way through due to the boredom that settled on me. This particular novella is sure to appeal to readers with a flair for poetry and those who understand the history of poetry.

Of the 2, I rate Morpho Eugenia as being the better one since it not only deals with different subjects but also provides fascinating insights into the insect world at just the right intervals. The story has sufficient essence in it to capture the imagination of the readers without demanding too much analysis on part of the readers. As for the author, this book just serves as a reminder of Byatt’s creativity and flair for using regular elements in the most unusual fashion in her tales.

The obvious suspect is Arlena’s husband Colonel Marshall, who calmly rides out the storm given his infallible alibi. Then suspicion turns to Linda Marshall, Arlena’s step daughter and Poirot is then forced to re-examine the events for other possible suspects. When all seems lost, news of a similarly set murder helps Poirot nail down the murderer’s identity.

Having read quite a few of Poirot’s books by now, I’m quite exhausted in trying to bring out the qualities of Poirot in my blog. The plots pretty much follow the same pattern – the murder occurs either in a train or plane or when Poirot is vacationing. At this point, I’ve felt that the plot, the narrative, the method of examining events, the little clues everything seems to be defined by a pattern type that seems to make sense only to the author.  Either ways, this book certainly makes for an interesting read!