5 Dogs Book Blog

Review by Elleanore G. Vance Are you a Nursery Crimes reader? Did you follow the Beaudelairs on their Series of Unfortunate Events? Do you love Fairy Tales? Then i have a book for you! The first in the Sisters Grimm mysteries containing nine stories in all, we meet Sabrina (11) and Daphne (7) Grimm. They were orphaned last year and since have been kicked around to several very unsuitable foster homes. As far as they or anyone else knows, they are all alone in the world.   Imagine their surprise to be told a woman they have never met is claiming to be their Granny Relda, someone the girls believed to be dead, shows up to take them home. The authorities don't really care, they just want the Grimm Girls out of their hair. So the Sisters' new home is Ferryport Landing, New York with "Granny" Relda and Mr. Canis, her helper.   The girls' reactions are totally understandable and relateable. Sabrina is suspicious and distrustful. She clearly remembers their parents...

Review by Elleanore G. Vance I have packed, unpacked, and repacked the same abridged recording of Desperation by Stephen King and the companion The Regulators by Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman. The most appealing thing about them is the cover art. Oh and Kathy Bates reads one of them. But they are among my hubby's favorite stories from his childhood. I got ambushed with Regulators immediately after Doctor sleep, when I really could have used a break from King. My first impression of this story cam be summarized by my primary query after the first listening session:  "Just how much coke do you think Steve was on when he wrote this? " Disappoiningly, the answer is none. I could summarize the story for you here,  but honestly,  if you haven't figured out what's going in by the end of chapter 5 or so,  you haven't been paying attention. So much of this book feels like an amateurs' attempt at Agatha Christie's breadcrumb technique.  I say ...

Review by Elleanore G. Vance As Jeeves might have said, I am quite fond of closing myself away with an "improving book", and The Bell Jar seemed to fit that ticket. After I watched a Ted-ed video on YouTube (link below), I knew I needed to at least make the attempt. I want to warn you straight away that if you srtuggle with your own mental health, and especially suicidal thoughts/tendencies/ ideation, please steer clear, or have someone you trust on stand-by for help when you reach difficult parts. Our story begins with Esther in New York. She has won a scholarship and is spending the summer as an intern for a ladies magazine. Its all fun and games until she goes to a party where she is sexually assaulted. She leaves New York immediately. Once home, we follow Esther as she struggles with what I personally recognize as PTSD (including but not limited to): * inability to sleep *Depression *inability to eat *suicide attempts *inability to write When Esther confides in...

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King Review by Elleanore G. Vance  Thiry-six years in the making, King takes us on a trip to see Danny Torrence All Grown Up. The years have not been kind. Danny has become an alcoholic, mostly, I think to dim his shine.  We see him hit rock bottom and then leave town. This moment haunts him throughout the novel. But only about a third of the book belongs to Danny. He shares this story with Rose the Hat and her True Knot, as well as Abra Stone, a young girl with blinding shine.  This book is tight and sleek. Compared to his earlier, looser epics, it is downright space-aged! I really appreciated that about this story. Not exactly what anyone would call action packed, but good pacing keeps us moving and we never feel the story lag. I even feel that a lot of King's usual sexist remarks are cut back in this book.  I do have issues, though. I would have liked to see Danny angry with Jack. Or Wendy angry with Jack. I really felt that to leave out t...

Review by Elleanore G. Vance Dashiell Hammett is probably best remembered for being the writer of The Maltese Falcon.  Rightfully so.  But today i want to talk to you about a piece that has now been largely lost to the sands of time, but was the basis for one of the first ever film franchises: The Thin Man. Originally printed in December 1933 by RedBook magazine,  Alfred Knopf put it into book form the following new year. Later that same year we had The Thin Man movie, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Nick Charles is a retired detective of Greek descent,  who had the luck to marry a beautiful,  witty, and wealthy heiress: Nora. It's Christmas time and the pair arrive in New York where they will stay until after the new year, to avoid Nora's family.  Inside a speakeasy,  Nick is found by a Miss Dorothy Wynant, who is searching for her missing father, Clyde.  At every turn,  Nick insists that he's retired.  He gives good advice...

Review by Elleanore G. Vance Many of us first met the Torrence family in  Stanley Kubrick's iconic film, I know I did. That film splits the book's fanbase, some with Steve hating it, others not. The novel seems to be a creature of similar genus, but not the same species. I personally understand many of Kubrick's directorial decisions, but we're not here to talk about the film.  Jack Torrence is an alcoholic. He's neither a drowsy drunk, nor a jovial drunk. And he is definitely NOT an "I love you, man" drunk. He is what I would term a volatile drunk. Not dangerous if alone, but can combust with great violence when mixed with other elements. Results unpredictable. Some of these results include breaking the arm if his young (3-5 years old) son for spilling some school papers, and a possible hit and run of a cyclist while driving drunk. I wish I could tell you that all of this scared Jack straight into the arms of AA. Instead, an incident involving a student...

Review by Elleanore G. Vance They say Comedy doesn't age well,  and in many cases, i feel that this statement proves true. ( "Three to Tango" comes to mind, as does "There's Something about Mary" *super CRINGE*) But friends, there is an exception! Allow me to introduce you to P.G. Wodehouse. Wodehouse was a British humorist who was a contemporary of Dame Agatha Christie. (They were fans of each other's work and admit to having borrowed from each other for several different works). He is best remembered for his Jeeves stories starring Bertie Wooster and his brainy manservant Reginald Jeeves. He died in 1975 in New York. His writing is unique to his style, though many have tried and failed to imitate it. Once you catch his rhythm, you'll laugh out loud. In my opinion there is no better place to try Wodehouse on for size than in Blandings Castle. "Blandings Castle" (US title) is one of my favorite collections. It was my introduction to Cla...