Monthly Archives: October 2011

Scariest Movies of All Time?

So, it’s Halloween today. So what’s your scariest movie? I thought I’d share what movies have frightened me when I was younger (ha):

#1 The Exorcist – it’s amazing to me that this film still has the ability to scare me. Often after watching this movie I have to sleep with the lights on for a day or two. I’m not a big fan of movies about demons, spirits, possession and that sort of thing. Nope.

#2 Seven – you’re probably wondering why this movie is even on a list like this.. Seven deadly sins, just the idea of someone going around forcing people to atone for their sins…the overall look of the film is grainy,bleak and dark and is graphically violent and creepy. I watched this one last night for the hundredth time. Love that octane, adrenaline rush ending.

#3 The Entity – only needed to have seen this one once and yes, the film was allegedly based on a true story – scared the crap out of me

#4 The Thing – ah, Kurt Russell out in the middle of nowhere with a lot of snow and a shape-shifting alien. Saw this one when I was a tween and the nightmares I had watching this film. Recently saw it again and I don’t know what I was so afraid of…(ha) but I still can’t see that scene with the dog

#5 Poltergeist famous quote: “They’re heeeeeere.” This is the movie that made me quit leaving my TV on late at night…kidding.

Anything I didn’t mention means I didn’t watch it (maybe). I have friends who just can’t watch scary movies. I’m kind of split, will watch some but not all especially if it’s dealing with the spiritual world. Anyway, the Boston Globe has a list of the 50 scariest movies of all time if you want to see what you’ve missed. With trailers! Be safe and have a good one.

The Adventures of Alianore Audley written by Brian Wainwright

As I was browsing for another book to read I ran across my digital copy of The Adventures of Alianore Audley (2005 edition, first released in Australia). I loved this book when I first read it in 2006. Brian Wainwright must have had fun writing this book that is full of biting wit and sarcastic humor because I most certainly had fun reading it.

The Adventures of Alianore Audley is a historical romp set in the 15th Century. The author states on his blog that he has a keen interest in the medieval House of York. Our narrator, the young Alianore Audley, shares many of her adventures with us that includes spying for her cousin, King Edward IV for the Yorkist cause. She also shares her disdain for those “Woodvilles” and spares nothing in giving her opinion on the events that led to the War of the Roses that secured that “Tudor slimbag” Henry Tudor to the throne.

This is a fast read with most of the dialogue in here rather tongue-in-cheek. Alianore’s adventures begin when she is selected to be a pupil for Lady Tegolin at age ten. She believes Alianore is gifted and asks her parents permission to educate her in exchange for cancelling her feudal debt. Just to give you a taste of some of the exchanges/dialogue you can find in here check out these brief scene(s): Continue reading →

translationtext

“Translation is a very undervalued skill”

Writer Quentin Bates writes an insightful post about translators. An appreciation for them and I felt like adding a piggyback off his post to say that I’ve started noticing them [translators] more and more as I discover new writers in this genre. I even look for them or if I see their name attached to a new author, I buy their books because they are the translator. How about you? Just in my brief reading experience I’ve read Don Bartlett for Jo Nesbø’s work and he is outstanding and Marlaine Delargy for Johan Theorin and the late Bernard Scudder for Arnaldur Indridason’s books, again, outstanding job.

As Bates says in his article:

A good translator is someone who wallows in words and I’ve heard it said that nobody knows and understands a writer as well as the translator. The fact is that a poor translation can easily turn a decent book sour, while a good book can be made into a great read by an inspired translator who makes an author’s words sing in another language.

The author’s work really is at the mercy of the translator. They can make or break a book. I think translators, good translators are invaluable and should be recognized with the author because it is their skill/talent that allows me, the reader, to enjoy crime fiction from different parts of the world. So, I’d like to say how much I appreciate translators because without them I’d never be able to read and enjoy some of the most awesome crime fiction that’s out there today.

The Draining Lake written by Arnaldur Indridason

The Draining Lake (2007,336 pages) is the fourth book in the series translated by Bernard Scudder that follows Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson in Reykjavik, Iceland. Erlendur was first introduced in the US translated novel Jar City in 2004 (also known as Tainted Blood). I stayed up late and read every chance I got until I finished this excellent novel. I don’t know how this author continues to write consistently good stories but I hope he continues to write them for awhile. This is an intelligent story that is part historical and part police procedural. My immediate thoughts after closing the last page: Mr. Indridason is the real deal. He’s up there with Jo Nesbø, as far as I’m concerned. He would be a great alternative for those who enjoy crime fiction that isn’t very violent.

A hydrologist doing routine research comes across a skeleton in Lake Kleifarvatn with a hole in its skull. Found along with the skeleton is a disabled Soviet listening device that was used to spy on the US military base. Speculations begin to fly about espionage in Iceland. We get a brief taste of what life was like during the Cold War through a former student sharing his memories/experiences of his attendance at the University of Leipzig during the 1960′s. This tight group of students from Iceland find their safe haven infiltrated by the secret police and the fall out from that has an impact that is still felt after more than 30 years. Continue reading →