Favorite Fictional Character --- Miss Piggy

I don't know what I was thinking last week when I posted about Mr. Moose from Captain Kangaroo.  For some reason I thought that was going to be my last FFC post of the month, so I wouldn't be able to get to my favorite Muppet of them all.  Luckily, I was wrong and we had five Wednesdays in March.  So today I'm going to give you the greatest diva of them all, Miss Piggy.

Born to a philandering father and an over stressed mother, Miss Piggy left her home over Becker's Butcher Shop as soon as she could.  Escaping to the big city our young heroine wasn't sure what she could do to maker her way.  In a bid of desperation she took a job walking a sandwich board for a barbecue dive.  After too much time spent doing a dead end job, our heroine who knew she was destined for stardom, took the name Laverne, and entered a beauty pageant.  Winning that pageant was the break she needed.  She went on to star in a bacon commercial, then as a mascot for a local TV sportscast called Pigskin Parade.

From there she went on to have a bit part in The Muppet Show chorus but her talents were not to be denied.  Her charisma and star power oozed out of her pores so much that Kermit the Frog quickly realized what a star he had on his hands.  She has more talent in her little snout that most poor fools have in their entire bodies.  She can sing, dance, act, and do a mean karate chop when someone pisses her off. 

There is nothing she can't do and her career has only gotten bigger as she has graciously aged.  She's done magazine covers, documentaries, sang with Dolly Parton, and has even done a workout video.  I have a feeling Miss Piggy will be around tormenting Kermit long after the rest of us have faded into memory.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

As much as I love mysteries, I have never read any Sherlock Holmes book before this one.  Quite honestly, the only reason I picked this on up was because the Friends of the Library Book Store had a hardcover copy for $1.  Otherwise I would have lived my life quite well without reading a Sherlock Holmes story. 

I think my aversion to him, at least up till now, has been partly to do with my experience with Hercule Poirot.  Both of them are arrogant, egotistical, and slightly mental at times.  I have a hard enough time reading the Poirot stories, I didn't want to have to deal with another detective that pontificates so much that it gives me a headache.  After reading this collection of stories, the first collection to be published, I discovered that while they may be alike in many ways, they are refreshingly different.  Sherlock carries himself in such a way that his egotism doesn't force those around him to suffer.  He's brilliant and he knows it, he is just a tad bit more gentle with showing it off.  It's all in the tone the authors chose to use and I for one now prefer Sherlock over Poirot. 

I think it also has a large part to do with how prevalent Sherlock Holmes is in our culture.  You don't have to ever read a book or short story to know who he is.  Admittedly I felt that I already knew him so what was the point of reading about him.  It's not a fair way to pick your reading material but with so much out there, why wouldn't you want to read about characters that would be completely new to you.  I'm glad that I can honestly say that I do know who Sherlock Holmes is now, and I can't wait until I get to know him better.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 12 short stories originally published in magazine form between 1891 and 1892.  They were published in book form in 1892, so not a very long wait.  I'm only ashamed that it took me until 2011 to give them a chance.

What I loved about this collection is that not all of them deal with an actual punishable crime.  "The Man With the Twisted Lip" is a case that starts off with the promise of murder or kidnapping as the minimum.  Instead it's a case involving identity and not wishing to expose a family to shame or humiliation.  There is absolutely no crime committed.  The best part for me though is that Holmes doesn't explain how he figured this one out.  Instead the author gives the reader the clues and leaves it to them to figure out how the detective figured it all out.  "A Scandal in Bohemia" gives us the tale of a king who fell in love and had an affair with an accomplished actress.  Now that he is forced to marry someone else he needs to get back all proof of the affair from the rightly angry actress.  This is the story that introduces the world to Irene Adler, the only woman to ever get the best of Sherlock Holmes.  It is the first story in the collection and served as a wonderful introduction into how Sherlock's brain works. 

Now there are actual crimes committed in these stories as well.  Bank robbery, murder, jewel robbery, and counterfeiting are some of the actions taken by the desperate criminals featured in these stories.  Even these, normally mundane crimes, are given a new twist that made me feel as if I was just discovering the crimes for the very first time.  In "The Adventure of the Engineers Thumb" a young hydraulic engineer, Victor Hatherley, is hired to fix a problem.  His client's hydraulic press is not working as it should and it needs to be fixed as soon as possible.  The client is willing to pay an overly large amount of money and the job is located out in the country so despite his misgivings, he agrees to take the job.  What he encounters when he gets there is more than he bargained for.  His clients are counterfeiters who plan on killing him once they are done.  Luckily he manages to escape, losing his thumb in the process.  On arriving back in tow, he encounters Dr. Watson who patches the wound and takes him to Sherlock Holmes.  From there the case is left in Holmes' capable hands and he quickly solves the case though the bad guys get away.  The atmospherics of the story allowed me to get sucked in from the beginning and the by the end of the story I felt as if I had watched a wonderful movie that would not leave my head.

As a collection I felt the stories worked well together and felt as if they were a cohesive example of Sherlock Holmes and his abilities.  I will have to admit to being hooked on him now so don't be surprised if you start seeing more reviews featuring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous creation.  By the way, in case I didn't mention it before, if you click on the story titles it will allow you to read full text versions of them.

Challenges: A-Z, M&S, VM

The Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear

Synopsis From Back Cover:

August 1914. Michael Clifton is mapping the land he has just purchased in California’s beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, certain that oil lies beneath its surface. But as the young cartographer prepares to return home to Boston, war is declared in Europe. Michael—the youngest son of an expatriate Englishman—puts duty first and sails for his father’s native country to serve in the British army. Three years later, he is listed among those missing in action.

April 1932. London psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs is retained by Michael’s parents, who have recently learned that their son’s remains have been unearthed in France. They want Maisie to find the unnamed nurse whose love letters were among Michael’s belongings—a quest that takes Maisie back to her own bittersweet wartime love. Her inquiries, and the stunning discovery that Michael Clifton was murdered in his trench, unleash a web of intrigue and violence that threatens to engulf the soldier’s family and even Maisie herself. Over the course of her investigation, Maisie must cope with the approaching loss of her mentor, Maurice Blanche, and her growing awareness that she is once again falling in love.

I read a lot of mysteries.  Actually, I read more mysteries than I do anything else anymore.  This is the first mystery, and this will sound strange, that made me feel at peace.   Now I know that's not a normal feeling to have when reading a book about murder, but that's the way Jacqueline Winspear made me feel.

There is a gentleness, even when dealing with violence and murder, about her writing that I found intriguing and refreshing.  Most mysteries have a frantic, hard pounding pace and tone that while it keeps you on the edge of your seat, it's exhausting.  It's like eating an entire large meat lovers pizza.  You're full and content but feel heavy and lethargic.  This book though was like eating the lightest piece of cherry cheesecake.  They both leave you feeling full, content, and happy as can be.  You feel like you can skip through a field of heather, laughing and feeling as joyous as can be.  Now I know I'm laying it on a little thick, but I can't help it.

Now that I'm done telling you how the book made me feel, let me add a few words about what I thought of the book and it's storyline, the mystery.   When I agreed to review the book I wasn't aware that it was the 7th book in a series.  I had never heard of it or the star of the series, Maisie Dobbs.  After reading this one, I feel like I've been missing out on something grand (okay, that was more about what the book made me feel, but I'm getting there).

Maisie is a thinker.  She does her leg work, but she uses her brain way more.  I can see her having tea with Jane Marple and the two of them solving a case without ever leaving the house.  That kind of intellect is a nice change of pace to more physical type of detective I've been reading a lot of lately.  The fact that she is vulnerable and not as sure of herself when it comes to love, makes her all the more interesting. 

The mystery and the search for the missing nurse take some twists and turns involving more than Maisie was initially gambling on but the solution is well thought out and almost elegant in it's simplicity.  The author didn't go for the "shock and awe" of a outcome that came out of the blue.  Instead she chose to go with an ending that is slowly hinted at throughout the book and even though I saw it coming, I was still wrapped up in the story until the last page.

I know this review was a little rambling and a little too sugary but I think I can live with that.  This will be a series that I know go back and enjoy from the beginning.

I would like to thank Trish of TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to read/review this book.  If you would like to read more opinions on this one, please visit the tour page.

Challenges: M&S

Geraldine Ferraro, 1935-2001

We lost a true political pioneer yesterday to multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer.  Geraldine Ferraro was a respected prosecutor when she decided to run for congress in 1978.  She quickly made a name for herself by championing legislation to bring equality in the workplace for women.

In 1984 she was chosen by Walter Mondale to be his Vice Presidential nominee.  She became the first woman to ever be on a major political party ticket, in this case the Democrat party.  Her nomination energized the campaign but they ended up losing to the incumbent president at the time.

The excitement lasted far beyond the campaign.  Her candidacy gave women a living example of what can be achieved in the political sphere.  It was a trailblazing that has benefited many.  The careers of Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and countless others owe just a tiny bit of their success to Geraldine Ferraro and what she accomplished.

Another Short Survey Meme (Only 4 Questions)

My very good friend, Michelle of The True Book Addict and The Christmas Spirit, tagged me in a short, 4 question meme.  I'm really liking these memes that are short and don't take up a lot of time to answer.

Four Places I Go

Work
Home to spend time with my son
Bookstore
The Park to spend more time with my son

Four Favorite Smells

Pine trees
Issey Miyake cologne
Turkey in the oven
Camp fire

Four Favorite TV Shows or Movies

Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
Angel
Glee
Bones

(A caveat on this one though.  My favorite shows are numerous and these were just the first four that popped in my head.  My favorite movies would require more time than either I have to answer or you have to read)

Four Recommendations

Tell your kids you love them everyday
Never stop questioning
Never stop learning
Never stop reading

I'm not going to tag anyone, but I would love anyont that does this to come back and let me know so I can read your answers as well.

Elizabeth Taylor, 1932-2011

 

I fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor the first time I saw the movie Cleopatra.  I was in 5th grade and the movie came on TV.  Why we watched it, I don't remember.  I think it was one of my moms favorite movies and for whatever reason I watched it with her.  All I remember was how beautiful she was and how cool the naval battle was.  I've been a sucker for that movie ever since.

Once I was in college I saw Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and I fell in love with her all over again.  This time it was for her amazing ability to bring a character to life and make her audience forget the actress.  She was brilliant in that movie and just about everything else I have ever seen her in, including The Flintstones movie.  If you have never seen Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? watch this clip and you will understand what made me respect her so much.

What I really respect her for though is her activism on behalf of HIV/AIDS awareness and research.  When most of this country was running away out of fear, she was one of the few outspoken public figures trying to give a voice to those who were being stricken down by the disease.  She helped to found amfAR,  the American Foundation for AIDS Research and started her own foundation.  She testified against the ban of allowing HIV/AIDS positive people from even entering the United States and she never stopped speaking out on a cause she felt so passionately about.

She was a brilliant actress and an even stronger voice for those who were deprived of one.  She will be missed by millions, and I am one of them.

Favorite Fictional Character --- Mr. Moose

Well, another month is coming to a close so I'm having to make my final puppet/muppet FFC selection.  There were a lot of them I considered; The Count from Sesame Street, Lambchop, Owl X from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, and Beaker from The Muppet Show were just a few of them running through me head.  They may still show up later on down the road, but for this one I decided to go with someone I remember watching as a really little kid.  I had to go back to Captain Kangaroo for this character, so please welcome Mr. Moose.

First of all, I just want to say that I wish I was able to find a better picture of him, preferably in color.  Since I couldn't, this one will have to do.  I wanted he color picture because that's how I remember him.  I never watched Captain Kangaroo in black and white, so it's just not the same.  In the long run though, it really doesn't matter.  Whether in B&W or color, Mr. Moose was one of the funniest things on TV, at least for someone my age.

From what I remember, Mr. Moose's goal in life was to make as many ping pong balls fall on the head of the Captain, as often as possible.  He was very fond of telling knock-knock jokes whose solution would bring a cascade of ping pong balls, pelting poor Captain Kangaroo.  To be honest, I blame Mr. Moose for my habit of telling knock-knock jokes as a kid.  I always felt a little let down though because when I told them, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a single ping pong ball to fall out of the air.  I think my mom was relieved that Mr. Moose had more than those jokes up his sleeve.  Heaven knows she could only take so many of them.  Occasionally he would throw out a rather funny riddle or trick the Captain into saying something that would cause the balls to fall.  I was never very good at remembering riddles, at least not enough to tell them correctly.  So for those episodes, people were safe from my mimicing of Mr. Moose's behavior.

Mr. Moose didn't change my life or cause me to look at situations in a different light.  What he did do, and superbly if I do say,  was entertain me.  To me, that's what puppets should do.  They should make you laugh so hard your sides are ready to bust.  They should allow you to forget the nasty peanut butter and jelly sandwich your mom made you eat, or the stupid kid next door that tried to steal your Tonka dump truck, or even the really cool dinosaur that your grandma wouldn't let you get.  Puppets are bare bones entertainment.  They have one goal in life and that is to make you smile. Mr. Moose was one of the best.

As a quick side note, Mr. Moose now resides in The Smithsonian.  Even as a 6 year old, I knew Mr. Moose was going places.