The Legend of Zelda:
Twilight Princess Review

Tim asked me to review this game because he admitted he doesn't really care for a lot of my other book and movie reviews. If this is the case for any of you, please let me know and tell me what you would be interested in me reviewing. I can't promise I'll do it, but I might. Doesn't that make it worth a try?

Also unless you don't want to know anything about the game, this should be free of spoilers. I put the only spoiler, my personal opinion of the end, in difficult to read text at the very end. If you want to read it, you can highlight it. Otherwise, just don't try to decipher the dark text.

Anyway, onto the review:

The Story:

I originally played The Ocarina of Time purely for the storyline. This may seem incomprehensible to hardcore gamers, but I am still most interested by good stories and not necessarily games. That said, I do not feel the story of this game disappoints. It's possibly a better story than Ocarina. As with many of the other games, it takes place in Hyrule and stars the Link character, but it doesn't directly relate to the events of any of its predecessors. This game's storyline seems meant to give you a sense of Link's reincarnation over time, and there are several references that those who played Ocarina will appreciate, but they're only like echoes over a great distance and those just getting into the series won't be confused because of them.

The simple summary of the story is that Link is a simple goat-herder in a village called Ordon. But one day all the children of the village are kidnapped by monsters and Link sets out to find them. In doing so, Link is ambushed by the shadow beasts and turned into a beast himself, a wolf. Then Link finds out that the problem is bigger than his missing friends. All of Hyrule has been beseiged by the beasts of Twilight and Zelda herself asks for Link's assistance. Throughout the game Link goes between his wolf and human forms with the guidance of a strange imp from the twilight world, Midna.

The only characters from Ocarina are Link and Zelda. Otherwise, it's an entirely new cast. I think the best of all of them is Midna, and this was actually the biggest surprise of the game. Those who played Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask would probably be surprised as well after the annoyances of Navi and Tatl. Normally, the guide characters are the worst, clearly only there to tell you what to do. Midna, on the other hand, is actually a major character in the story, and by the end I completely fell in love with her unique mixture of good and evil. As a creature from the shadow realm you even get to explore Midna's world and you learn a lot about it and her as the game progresses.

Sound and Music:

Those who've played the previous Zelda games will recognize the old sounds and themes but there's also enough of an infusion of the new that people shouldn't be bored. The music also seems to be more complex, probably because the Gamecube and Wii systems can support better sounds. It sounds less like midis and more like the real soundtrack of an epic fantasy with a more real sounding orchestra. Much as I loved the music of Ocarina, a few of the tunes drove me a little nuts with their repetition. I didn't have that problem in Twilight Princess.

However, I was disappointed by the lack of a musical instument in this game. The wolf can howl which is used to play music instead. This is a cool idea but you don't have the freedom to howl whenever you want and it's a lot more difficult to do than the ocarina or any of the intruments in Majora's Mask. The rise and fall of the notes are controlled by the joystick on GC and this is problematic at best. Maybe if I'd been able to just settle down and howl to improve my technique, I would have gotten better and enjoyed it. But as it was, it was just a constant frustration.

Strange Extras:

You can pick up dogs and cats in this game, pet goats, and throw bones to play fetch with eagar dogs. None of this appears to have any relevance on the game at large.

One thing that was also more of the opposite of an extra was the inabillity to talk to people who are walking in Castle Town. I think any person who won't talk to you is just a lame waste of space.

You can also sumo wrestle a goron and snowboard against a yeti. While these were awesome, I was disappointed that the sumo wresting wasn't a mini-game of its own. Once you've done it in the course of the game, you can't go back and challenge the goron to wrestle with you. This made me sad. Happily, the yetis are always up for a race.

Graphics:



I know that the GameCube will never be a Playstation, but I was happy with the graphics. Everyone who plays Nintendo knows they don't do it because it has the best graphics. That being said, for the GC and the Wii the graphics are still awesome. You can even see actual detail in the irises of Link's eyes in certain scenes and some of his facial expressions are priceless. The better graphics allow the characters a wider range of emotion which, considering that Link is the strong silent type, really helps flesh out his own character.

The only gripe I have were the lights and darks. Now, my sister has rigged an old computer screen to play her video games on so it may just be because of this, but I could never get the color contrast to work properly. The beginning of the game even has a selection of color squares to help you adjust your screen but mine wasn't capable of the proper adjustment. As a result, some of the lights were a bit too buttery bright and the darks were a bit darker than they should have been. This made some of the text difficult to read at times. Still, as I said before, this could have just been because of the weird arrangement we had. If you have a normal TV, it's probably fine.

Gameplay:

You get to fight on horseback in this game, and while it looks cool, it's a bit hard on the fingers if you have more than one attacker. In the GC version you practically have to push every button frantically at once while jiggling the joystick to pull this off. I asked my friends with the Wii version if this was any better but they seemed to think it was just as difficult on the Wii.

Difficulty, however, was lacking in a lot of other aspects of this game. Now, keep in mind this comes from the girl with the cheat guide. But I had two cheat guides to Ocarina, and I still think it was a lot harder than this game. Maybe I've just gotten better, but even the final boss in this game didn't require me to use all of my heath potions, and you only have four bottles in this game to what I think was six in the other. Fairies also only restore eight hearts in this game, which I suppose was their attempt to make things more difficult, but it didn't. The bosses just aren't as hard. It was a bit more difficult for my sister who didn't know exactly how to defeat everything, but even she passed the game the same day I did and actually spent less time than me doing it without using the cheat guide at all.

The only truly difficult thing in this game is called "The Cave of Ordeals." I crawled out of there with only two hearts left, no healing potions, and a sprained L-targeting finger. It isn't necessary to pass the cave in order to pass the game, though. Bats in this game also seem faster and more difficult to shoot down. I remember in Ocarina and Majora's Mask I could clear a room of bats without blinking, but now I'm lucky if I can get one that's not in targeting range. Then there's rupees. For some inexplicable reason it's more difficult to get rupees in this game. You can still find them in the grass and other places, but it seems to take a lot longer to fill your wallet. Getting lost is a problem in this game too. I suppose this is good news for explorers and bad news for people like me who just want to get from point A to point B without a lot of running in circles. Everything is bigger. There isn't just one field; there are several. The fishing pond is even bigger! I would get lost in the town when I first started playing. Maybe players of the previous games asked for these changes, but if Nintendo purpousely made these things more difficult while making the bosses easier, then I still question their motives.

I don't want people to take any of this as an excuse not to get this game, though, because I still think it's lots of fun regardless. Just don't expect to be overwhelmed by the difficulty of the battles. I can't speak for all the puzzles since I hate puzzles and cheat on practically all of them. But I still felt the dungeons, though more numerous, were smaller and easier to get through in this game. There were, however, plenty of things I would not have been able to figure out so easily without my guide, so the puzzles weren't a complete loss.

All the same, I now have every poe, bug, heartpiece, and possible piece of equipment. I even caught the largest fish in the fishing pond. It's a bit sad really. It's all over for me.

But it doesn't have to be for you. If you haven't already played, I highly recommend it.

Overall Rating: 9.75/10

A few random scenes to leave you with:

***Spoilers!***
(Highlight the text below for easy reading. If you don't want to be spoiled, don't look too close!)

I think Link should marry Midna and have lots of sex and babies since she's cooler, hotter, and a better Princess than Zelda! Clearly Link thought so too at the end. That's right, Link. Run away from silly Zelda into Midna's arms. And I know what you're saying. You're saying, but Cherie, I thought YOU wanted to do all that with Link. Yeah. But Midna's definitely my video game alter ego. Twilight Princess all the way baby! Why did she have to seal the portal to her world? WHY?! Miiiiiidnaaaaa!!!! *Sobs inconsolably*

I even made a poem out of one of Midna's lines at the end.

"Zelda, your words are kind and your heart is true..."
But I am so much cooler than you!

http://www.karenfreberg.com/TwilightPrincess2006.JPG

Click the link to see a picture of human Midna to compare her beauty with Zelda's (above). I think the answer to her question is "Yes!"

Dragonflies!

Here are some pretty awesome pictures I took of a couple dragonflies I saw when I went for a walk the other day.

A+ for Tim

He got a 95% due to a slight mistake which I have listed in the comments of the quiz post.

Pop Quiz

I told Tim there would be a quiz on my blog, and then I realized what a good idea that was. If any of you take it and do well, I'll give you guys a more optimistic image. Otherwise you all fail by default. Can you really live with that?





1.) What is the name of Cherie's friend who writes a daily blog?

A.) Doris
B.) Moris
C.) Tortoise
D.) Boris

2.) Why does Cherie write? (Hint, you can copy and paste from somewhere on this blog.)

3.) What are Cherie's favorite video games?

A.) Grand Theft Auto and Barbie Groovy Games
B.) The Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess
C.) Cherie does not play video games because she lives in a small Amish community

4.) Who is Cherie's favorite classic writer?

A.) Jane Austen
B.) Charlotte "Brontosaurus" Brontë
C.) James "@#%" Joyce
(One of these answers will actually give you negative points)

5.) What movies should you have watched if you read Cherie's blog and had lots of free time and a fast internet connection?

A. Northanger Abbey and The Ruby in the Smoke
B. The Land Before Time 57 and Dracula 2000
C. None. You don't have to do what Cherie tells you. You're an independent, important person with--Mr. Tilney so hot...

6.) What is a samurai crab?

A. A crab that looks like a samurai
B. A samurai that looks like a crab
C. A grumpy samurai

7.) What is a Pika?

A. A small fuzzy endangered animal also known as a "whistling hare."
B. Pika, pika?
C. Pikachu

8.) Who did Cherie say got married?

A.) her friends Tim and Mag
B.) herself and Mr. Tilney

These next two are bonus questions that are not related to this blog.

9.) Which of these smells does Cherie not like?

A.) Roses
B.) Fresh baked cookies
C.) New car smell

10.) What classical composer is Cherie listening to as she writes this.

A.) Vivaldi
B.) Bach
C.) Macaroni

This last is a freebie.

Is Cherie just the vainest most-self centered person ever to write a quiz about herself?

Answer: Yes. And I enjoy every minute of it. Cornish pixies anyone?

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess -- Game Glitch?

In the fishing hole shop you can play a game called "Rollgoal." There's a marble on a raised surface and you have to maneuver it along with the joystick. However, while cursing the difficulties of rollgoal 1-7 I rather unexpectedly won. It was very unexpected considering I hadn't won. My marble had fallen off very close to the goal but had not reached it. I also sometimes wonder if I am actually getting the 10 rupees she says I am, but I don't pay enogh attention to the money I've spent to know for sure.

But when you begin to think imaginary people are stiffing you of imaginary money, you've been playing too many video games.

Still In My Pajamas


But that's the point of summer, is it not? To loll about in one's pajamas. If anything I mean to be especially lazy this summer since I doubt I'll get another chance at it for a long, long time. If ever. So I mean to enjoy it while I can.

I haven't been completely idle, though. My novel writing is still going as well as it was when I wrote my "Writer's Epiphany" entry. At least, it's going consistently. I've hit a bit of a rough patch, but since I've been writing an average of at least 500 words every day, I have far more hope of digging myself out of the difficult bit relatively quickly.

My blog writing, as anyone can see, is not so consistent. It occured to me that, in my entry about writing, I assumed everyone knew I was writing a novel and that I was referring to writing 500 words in that every day and not this blog. But if there was any confusion I'll state that now.

I admire my friend Boris's consistency in his blog, but fear I am not up to the same. Even when I used to keep a diary, I didn't write in it everyday. Writers are told that it is a good exercise to write everyday in a journal, but I cannot help but feel it is more important to write everyday in my novel. Plus, I am not inclined to go on the internet everyday during break, so that makes blogging more difficult as well.

Anyway, possibly one of the most difficult parts of spending my vacation in sunny California (I am to be greatly pitied indeed) is that I have no friends here. So if you're reading this, I'd love to hear from you.

Bittersweet: Massive Book and Movie Review

Book Review: Jane and the Ghosts of Netley

I'm a fan of ghost stories, but I should warn anyone with similar hopes that there are no ghosts in this story at all. I was vastly disappointed in that. Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, the first book in the series, had a far more gothic bent than this book. Also, though I knew it would happen since I listened to the audio of the book after this, a favorite character of mine dies. The story is well constructed, no more complaints than I usually have for this author which I already outlined in my other review, but it is easily the most depressing of the series. As such, and since it would be extremely bad for me to reveal much more if you're planning on reading the book, I fear this book review shall remain short.

Movie Review: Northanger Abbey 2007
YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBLMpDihYp4

After I read the previous book I was seeking consolation while still in a Jane Austen mood, so I looked up news of the newest adaptation of my second favorite (and sometimes my first favorite depending on mood) Jane Austen novel, Northanger Abbey. It establishes Austen as the brilliant satirist that she is and so was the best choice to put me in a cheerful mood. There has only ever been one other film adaptation of this story to my greatest regret. It was made for TV back in the 1980s, and I could never bring myself to watch it because it looked so bad. I don't like to judge actors on how they look, but I should at least not be repulsed on sight by an Austen leading man, and that is the case with the old Northanger Abbey. I also never heard any particularly good reviews of the eighties version that would tempt me to change my mind and give it a chance.

Anyway, I only expected to find news of the new movie, so imagine how happy I was to find the whole thing on You Tube, especially since it's not yet available to buy or rent on DVD in the US. The link to the first part of the full movie on YouTube is right below the title. You should be able to find the other parts from there under the "related searches" bar or just type in Northanger Abbey Part 2, 3, 4, and so on for the rest. It's in segments of about 6 minutes each. There are 16 segments all together and please note the last one is titled "Northanger Abbey Last Part" instead of "Northanger Abbey Part 16" as one might expect. I didn't want anyone thinking I was so cruel as to show them something that didn't have an end.

Now that the technical stuff is out of the way, onto the review.

The screenplay for the 2007 adaptation of Northanger Abbey was written by Andrew Davies, the same man who wrote the screenplay of the beloved 1995 version of Pride and Prejudice. This is clearly a good sign already and it only gets better from there because Mr. Tilney is played by a very handsome actor, in my opinion at least, by the name of JJ Feild, and he does the job exeedingly well. Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of him in the Mr. Tilney character, so I put up a picture of Felicity Jones who plays the heroine, Catherine Morland. But if you're curious as to what's in store, you need only look at the picture below this review. The man behind the blonde girl (sadly not as in focus) is also JJ Feild. More on that later.

In any case, Northanger Abbey will seem a bit different to fans of Austen's other novels and the film is thus, somewhat different than other Austen films. The film, although condensed, was reasonably close to the feel of the novel. At first I was a little bothered by its frequent use of surreal gothic dream sequences, but for a viewer denied Austen's brillant prose, I suppose it's the best way to show the audience the absurdity of the genre she's kicking the snot out of, and admittedly several of the sequences are quite funny. Also important is that the movie makes sure that you know they're laughing at gothic fiction. I heard the eighties version did not quite grasp this concept, but I assure you the new version certainly does.

The look of the movie was also flawless. It has the costumes, dances, and scenes of regency England down pat. I'm not a historical or cinematic expert but, for the common person, nothing seems out of place. I am, however, a bit of a lighting snob which is curious since I know nothing about it professionally, but I have trouble with movies that are not well-lit. So I am happy to report it has a good cinematic glow that doesn't look too made-for-TV but also happily isn't anywhere near the high-end-art-film-gritty-reality light. If that made any sense to anyone.

As for the acting itself, it's already clear that I liked Feild's Mr. Tilney. Admittedly the movie plays up the romance a little more than it actually did in the book, but because of my bias towards the actor, I can't really say I disliked this addition. They also are sure not to overdo it and it actually slightly improves the depth of Tilney's character for him to like Catherine for reasons other than the fact that she likes him (as it is explicitly stated in the book). The extra romance with Tilney also helps Catherine's character. Felicity Jones did a good job of portraying someone endearingly silly. The Catherine in this movie is like someone we all know, a best friend (or even ourselves) who we love but must guide towards reason from time to time. She may even be more endearing and a little less silly than the Catherine in the book since we have to believe Tilney's love for her. The book is also told from the humorous, though sometimes bitingly so, perspective of the narrator, whereas in the film, you inevitably feel closer to Catherine and more sympathetic of her feelings.

I would never say it's better than the book, because it can't be. But it's true to the spirit of the work which is all one can ask for in a film. It's also perfect for anyone wanting to be put in a good mood. I highly recommend it.

Movie Review: The Ruby in the Smoke
You Tube Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ue8gMmyqHYo

Not Jane Austen, but as you see, there's still the lovely Mr. Tilney. The reason I found this movie was because I was looking up JJ Feild just out of curiosity to see if he'd been in any other movie I might like to see. Lo' and behold, I saw on IMBD that he had just finished making The Shadow in the North. Now this made me more excited than it might make some people because that is the sequel to a book written by Phillip Pullman. It's in a trilogy of three books of mysteries about a girl named Sally Lockhart that I enjoyed last summer. The Shadow in the North is not yet available and possibly has not yet aired, but when I searched it on YouTube, I found the first book, the Ruby in the Smoke, had also been made and, happily, was also on YouTube in its entirety. This time the movie is segmented into nine ten minute segments and you can find the first part by clicking the link at the top of this review. Find the other parts much in the same way you would for Northanger Abbey.

However, despite it being on YouTube, The Ruby in the Smoke is available to buy or rent and it is worth it in my opinion. However, the beauty of YouTube is you can see if you agree with me. If you've ever read the books, it's a well-done adaptation, keeping with the general flow and spirit of the novel. It remains to be seen if the movie versions will have the same problems as the books. Unless Pullman has not finished the series, then there are a few nagging loose ends he leaves. There is only one detail explained in the novel that is not in the film, but it is not really overly important to the plot and might even be inferred by the more astute. The conclusion of the movie also seemed a bit rushed. I believe Sally did a little more investigating in the book to justify her knowledge, but I can't recall for certain. It's still a fascinating, adventure story and much better adapted than I expected. My favorite character, Fred Garland, played by Feild, was not in it as much as I would have liked, but since the story does focus on Sally, this is only to be expected and he does, at least, have several scenes. Upon first seeing the girl who would play Sally, I thought she looked too mature. But she portrayed a nineteen year old girl very well. My only critique on her is that her eyebrows were strangely dark for a blonde, but this is a small detail that I soon learned to ignore.

Once again, if you like period dramas, it's an excellent one of Victorian England. However, unlike Northanger Abbey, it's a bit sad. It has a reasonably happy ending, but if you're already feeling depressed, probably not the best feel-good movie.

Writer's Epiphany

If I write a comfortable set number of words per day it accumulates far faster than if I try to push myself to write more. Usually, even if I wrote, I would feel guilty for not writing more. But I am not a particularly fast writer, and feelings of guilt tend to make me avoid work rather than motivating it. The other problem was I love writing, but it was beginnig to feel a lot like work. This was doing more than simply frustrating me. Writing is as important to my mental health as breathing is to my physical health. But with all the work my senior year, I didn't have the time to write as much as my conscience demanded I should. I practically gave up entirely and my psyche has been suffering for it. However, I was inspired by my favorite author Terry Pratchett. I read in the author's note of Good Omens that he always wrote 500 words per day, without fail. Now this may just mean "at least" 500 words or exactly 500. I'm not sure and he could write more than that now. He's quite prolific. But seeing as this was half of what I normally considered a respectable amount, I was shocked. Still, I figured if it was a good enough number for Terry Pratchett, then it was good enough for me. I didn't start doing this right away because I was still in school and still going quietly insane. But once summer started (and after a few weeks of absolutely no mental activity to recover from my burn out) I started writing regularly and it's been working wonderfully so far. I've only been doing it for about a week, but I find it gives me a much more positive attitude to set a goal I know I can reach and not feel guilty the rest of the day. I've also been taking it to mean "at least" 500 words, because I'm not the type of writer that can stop mid-sentence, and I find it tiresome to keep too close track. But 500 is amazingly a good average of about when I start running out of steam. Even if I can keep going it's good to stop rather than to just keep writing until I'm exhausted or blocked. It gives me something to look forward to when I start writing again.

As a note, Bethany has the honor of being my friend of the week! Thanks for reading Bethany!

Mom is, once again, Mom of the week.

My New U of M T-Shirt

Well, it's a few lightyears from Earth, but I think I can still make it home on weekends.

Happy Birthday Punya!



I would like everyone to know that the timestamp on my blog is somewhat off since I'm currently in Pacific time. But I believe it is Punya's birthday where she is, and although I'm not sure she reads my blog, I thought I'd wish her a happy birthday now.

Interesting Fact About Cherie #1

I seem to remind most boys my age of their mothers. My clothes, the books I read, my general maturity. They say guys date girls who remind them of their mothers, but I don't think this has helped my love life at all.

Louvie the Lori Takes Flight

Louvie may have thought he escaped blog notice once I graduated, but I still have so many pictures... Here you see Louvie preparing to rocket off the ground at the thought of his approaching trip to Japan. Click the picture for the best view.

Give Me a Sign!

If it seems like there's more posts on the first page, it's because there are. I'm going to try posting everyday. Or at least more frequently than before. But the downside to this was that my posts would disappear more quickly and once they're archived I always feel like they're less likely to be read. But if having more posts on the page messes with your internet connection, let me know. I like to respond to my lovely audience. Also please comment from time to time if you are reading. It's good to know someone's there.

That said. I've been thinking of birthdays recently. Around May 21-25 I usually have a panic attack that I've missed someone's birthday. This is curious since I don't actually know anyone with a birthday on these days and cannot remember ever having known anyone with such a birthday. I did forget my little brother's birthday this year which makes me feel like a horrible sister, but otherwise I've yet to forget another. My friend Punya's is May 30th. My mother's is a couple days after on June 1st. Tim's is June 25th. and my own (which I've yet to forget) is July 20th. Sorry if that list was boring to read, it's mostly to help me remember.

Useless Knowledge of the Week!

Here's a picture of a samurai crab. Look at its back; the markings look like the face of a samurai. The Japanese believed these crabs were reincarnations of ancient warriors, and biologists have speculated that the markings were genetically encouraged because people would refuse to eat the crabs that looked like samurai. However, the crab itself is rather small and not much of a meal, so the face might not have anything to do with that.

All my amazing knowledge comes from the book my sister's reading entitled: The Ancestor's Tale and Wikipedia.

Cherie News: Movies, Pikas and More*! (*Possibly...maybe later there will be)

Movie Review: Spider-man 3 (maybe spoilers?)

I went to Sacramento today and saw Spider-man 3 with my sister. My hopes of Mary Jane being killed in the first few seconds were dashed on the rocks (sorry if that spoiled the movie for anyone), but I was otherwise entertained. I've heard some others (namely Sam an my mom) complain there were too many villains, but I felt they managed to fit it all in well and it didn't really seem disjointed. Besides, evil people are cool.

Spider-man, unfortunately, is not cooler as a bad guy. He's actually incredibly pathetic as a villain and you want to look away at how much he's humiliating himself. But, to be fair, I'm pretty sure that was the point. I think the stage direction to Tobey was "Act like as much of an @#$ as possible." If that was the case, he executed it beautifully.

There were also plenty of special-effects and a reasonably good story, about as much as you can ask for in a sequel. Not the best but not the worst. The ending leaves a few loose-ends, but that's possibly if they ever decide to make another. I would give it a star rating, but I always feel those are rather arbitrary. If I had to grade this movie I'd give it an 89% solid B+. I laughed, I cried, I saw some of my favorite character (the editor of the Daily Bugle) and was able to forget some of my own mundane life for a little over two hours.


Pika, pika?

You thought Pokémon was fictional but it would seem that Pikachu isn't. Gone are the days when Pikachu was just another unidentified rodent. This pika hare is now suing for his rights and a share in the multi-million dollar business that has become his likeness.

One pika who wishes to remain anonymous voiced his plight. "Used to be people would say 'what is that thing?' But now I can't even walk out on the rocks anymore without the other animals shrieking 'pika, pika!' and then laughing! And that's not the half of it! One kid caught me one time and tried to plug me into a light socket! Please, people, that's not healthy. I don't push humans off a cliff after seeing one Sumperman movie."

So for anyone trying to make their pika have electrical super-powers please educate yourself on real pikas or "whistling hares" and remember that they're an endangered species.

Separated at birth?

Shout Out: to Tim and Mag who got married today. Now all the other married couples (except Kelly and Mike) are gonna be jealous of Tim and Mag's newfound blog stardom, but what's a girl to do? I just can't control this overwhelming audience.

Don't worry, Mag, you're far prettier than this lego girl. I only chose this pic because of how much the guy looks like Tim...

Book Review: Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House

What could possibly make Jane Austen's novels better than they already are? The answer: blood. The series of Jane Austen mysteries by Stephanie Barron mixes regency England with modern crime dramas all while teaching the readers fascinating tidbits about Jane's life, her family, and her social milieu. The books may be fictional but Barron has done actual research and throws in several historical truths, usually in her footnotes.

Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House is the sixth book in the series. I admit I could not read the fifth (Jane and the Stillroom Maid) because it involved the Illuminati, and all such plots seem over-the-top to me. This, book, however, reminded me of everything I like about the series. We got to see Jane's relationship with her brother Frank, a naval officer; meet a mysterious and dashingly handsome Frenchman; and get put in the thick of espionage and betrayal during the Napoleonic War.

This mystery, and all the others, of course, never happened, even though Barron pretends that she is merely editing old journals of Jane's. It is not just my own knowledge of Jane's real history, however, that reveals the fictional nature of the stories. Barron, while a good entertainer, does have certain stylistic flaws. Among these flaws is her tendency to refer to "the reader," clearly forgetting that she claimed these are supposed to be Jane's private journals, and thus, that authoress would never have intended for them to have been read. Barron also has the unfortunate habit of inserting lines straight from A&E's Pride and Prejudice. As good as that fine rendition of the novel was, it seems to show a lack of self-confidence to simply copy and paste dialogue. The truly irksome part is that Barron can write good dialogue of her own in a passably good imitation of Austen herself, so there's no need to resort to such lazy tactics.

Other than these quirks, Barron does tell a good story. I'm not the world's best puzzle-solver, but I have yet to guess the complete answer to one of her mysteries. Sometimes I admit that I still don't completely understand them at the end, but I'm not sure whether this can be blamed on Barron's writing or my unwillingness to put in too much mental effort. All the same, Barron will certainly never be another Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But that's not really the best part of these novels. What I truly enjoy is the historical fiction and the development of Jane as a living and breathing character with problems to which the modern reader can relate. It is something for an Austen fan girl to see even an imaginary version of her idol. No longer is this woman shrouded in the shadows of a mundane life that had few records and only one portrait drawn by her own sister. To meet Austen has always been a dream of mine. But to see how she might have lived (even if it is mixed with some adventurous though highly unlikely events) seems to be the next best thing.

Tiger/Pig Follow-Up and Scrabble Madness!

See! I told you they'd grow to look like their mother! A friend of mine found this pic for me so thank you Josh!



Here you see what I do when left entirely to my own devices with a Scrabble board.



Also, here's some random news. I found the high school I attended on Newsweek's list of the best public high schools. It's at #668 out of 1,200. I'm going to go feel superior now.

I would also like to announce that my friends of the month are Becky and Brian for letting me stay with them for a week! A big thank you to their dad as well. That's also their Scrabble board in the picture.

As Fun As...

A litter full of pigs! Look how proud the mother looks. Perhaps they'll grow to look like her?

My Favorite Neighbors

Last night wilst being kept awake once more by drunken revelry there were only a few neighbors I didn't hate. Here they are. Quiet and considerate.

Wii Mii!

To those who have not yet seen her magnificence I give you Cherie Wii! Her head is not normally so large. She is merely looking up because I have selected her on the screen. But she still has every reason to have a big head, what with my stunning good looks and her uncanny skills at bowling, we could take over the world!

As a note, this picture is probably best seen enlarged, so give it a click.

Funny Harry Potter Spoof

If anyone liked Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as much as me (which is least of all the other books) then you have to see this movie. The joke at the end is cheap and juvenile, but the rest is hilarious.

Wizard Angst:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD-Huwlg2kY

The Saga Continues...

A long time ago (possibly back in March?)
At a university far, far away

STUDENT WARS

The noble Cherie must protect Gilpatrick (a peaceful Honors House with no weapons) from the evil machinations of the fearsome Darth Louvie!

More Windows

I learned that blogger actually has a limit of pictures you can post when I did my last window segment, so here are some of my other window pictures. The first two are at Mont Saint Michel and the last three are at Chenonceau, the world's awesomest chateâu!

Are there Rupees Inside?

After playing Twilight Princess this pumpkin patch takes on a whole new meaning.

Pictures of the Week: Windows



I've been neglecting my pictures of the week. Mostly because there hasn't been much to take pictures of and I'm reluctant to use old ones because I've shown almost everyone all the good ones.

Or have I?

While in Taiwan and France I took hundreds of pictures and I only sent a very select few home. So in this segment I shall honor the ones not as often admired even though they are quite good. I would like to kick this off with a theme I was working on while in France. I was very taken by the scenes seen through windows and how stricking pictures of them looked surrounded by blackness. I played a lot with the light and shadow cast by certain windows as well. My camera wasn't good enough to capture most of what I wanted, but here are some of my better attemps. Some (The Notre Dame statue in particular) may be familiar to close friends, but I'm confident that at least a few will be new to anyone who hasn't seen all my French pictures (and I think I'm the only one who's seen them all.)

Oops!

Actually, Cherianity has 8 converts. Miscounted. This is by no means a reflection of my Godly powers.

Another Convert to Cherianity!

I also rediscovered my 2nd convert and have another potential convert (I think she's weighing her options). Once again, if your prayers are not being answered, then send me an email.

This brings my grand total up to 7. And the world is that much closer to enlightenment.

YouTube Picks of the Week

I waste a lot of time on YouTube, but this means that you don't have to if you have the same taste as me! (And the will power to ignore the never-ending stream of related videos to whatever you look for.) Anyway, here's an extremely random grab bag of cool things I've found. Each link has my comments below.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3sYlhXtybcQ

Ever wonder what it would be like if Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings were the same movie? Obviously you're not the only one! I'm not sure if it's the similarities or dissimilarities that make this so funny. Possibly both. George and Fred make a perfect Merry and Pippin, and Dobby could easily be Gollum's distant cousin. But Snape is most definitely NOT Aragorn.

No comment on Hermione/Arwen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymTzwU00JVY

Amusing in a totally corrupt way. It's disturbing how perfectly the Disney scenes fit...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-FZ3Ax7RiI&mode=related&search=

If you know a lot about Jane Austen's novels or have at least seen all the movies (not sure if any of my readers do or have) this is HILARIOUS. Though, it may still be kinda funny even if you don't know anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sge5pUSJIRY&NR

Another Jane Austen but this time it's Pride and Prejudice mixed with Harry Potter which should be amusing if you at least know about Harry Potter and even funnier if you know about Pride and Prejudice.

Duck, Duck...




Whilst walking up the hill from work I heard the familiar honk of geese and a question occured to me. Why do geese migrate? Why don't they just stay in the warm places all year long?

Fencing

Today I went to the Arnold Classic fencing tournament with my friend, Danny. He didn’t win anything, but he pretty much expected to be crushed, and it takes a lot of courage to compete against so many very experienced fencers. So kudos to Danny!

Vanity

...is a beautiful thing.

So I have this love-hate relationship with my hair. I love it and it hates me. But today it was behaving abnormally well, so I thought I'd play with the timer on my new digital camera and have a fun modeling session. Here are the best pics of my glorious curls.







Some of you might be saying "Cherie, there are too many pics of you." And you would be wrong. There are never too many pics of me. Besides, you should admire the hard work that went into these pics since it takes a long time for me to properly seduce a camera into taking good pictures of me. People are far easier.