McAmy.net: The Weblog: Review: More Like a Recommendation

September 03, 2003

Review: More Like a Recommendation

I told myself I didn't have to go out and buy the first season of Alias on DVD yesterday, the day it came out. So I went out and bought it today, instead. ;)

I started watching this show because it looked fun: English graduate student (which I was) playing spy and kicking butt (which I wasn't). And for the first half of the first season, it was just that--good fun.

But in the second half of the first season, Alias began to get more complicated. The stakes--national, familial, personal--were higher, the intrigue was more involved, and the characters just kept getting better and better. In the second season, Alias really hit its stride, and I started telling people not, "This is enjoyable," but "You have to watch this."

I'm fascinated with Alias because of the way it handles cliffhangers--I'm fascinated by watching good writers reveal their narrative structure--and because of the father/daughter pair at the center--I'm a sucker for father/daughter pairs.

So if you haven't seen Alias, you can see the first season on DVD now, from Netflix. It'll be much better if you see it from the beginning. The second season's coming out in early December. And believe me, it's going on my Christmas list. ;)

Note: This post also appeared on my LiveJournal.

September 03, 2003 in Television | Permalink

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October 2003

Recent Reading

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
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5	6	7	8	9	10	11
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26	27	28	29	30	31

Madeleine L'Engle: A Wind in the Door
Though I may not enjoy this series quite so much as I did when I was growing up, I enjoy it enough to continue on, especially as I've recently purchased the fourth volume, which L'Engle wrote later. In this one I liked Meg more, and I remember now how much I adored the cherubim. (***)
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
I hadn't read this series since childhood, when I read it repeatedly. I remembered enjoying it very much, thought not as much as other things. Sadly, I think I enjoyed it less this time around. It seemed too quick, too light--or maybe not enough something else. The world is still lovely to visit, and Charles Wallace is still a darling boy. But this one didn't stand up to the test of time, at least for me. (***)
Elizabeth Peters: Lord of the Silent: A Novel of Suspense
Although Nefret is Peters's weak link in this series, and although this book spends a lot of time with Nefret and her husband, Ramses, Peters still manages to reel me in until I forget exactly why I complain about Nefret, after all. Another wonderful addition to the series. (*****)
Neil Gaiman: stardust
It's very hard to explain to a classroom of undergraduate students, as I have, from time to time, tried to do, the power of word choice, tone, syntax, punctuation, imagery, and all the other tools at a writer's disposal. Should I have reason to try at some later date, I believe I would be well served to choose some sentences from Neil Gaiman's prose as my examples. Stardust is a charming and hauntingly beautiful book, written in a rich, inviting style. (****)
Neil Gaiman: The Wolves in the Walls
I only recently found Neil Gaiman, by way of a blurb for Coraline in the Science-Fiction book club and the high praise and recommendation of a friend. This one, a picture book for children (or a graphic novel, whichever you prefer) I read at the same time as Stardust. The graphics and illustrations are beautifully done, and the story is completely charming. (****)
Elizabeth Peters: He Shall Thunder in the Sky
I only recently found this series, and I love it. It rivals Laurie R. King's Holmes and Russell series for my current favorite mystery series, and I just adore all the characters, as well as the writing style. The plots are good fun, and Peters always manages to blend the familiar with a good dose of surprise. (*****)
J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)
I've read this one twice since it came out, and have also made another pass through the other four books of the series. This one comes in second, after Prisoner of Azkaban, and before Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Goblet of Fire, in that order. (*****)
Ellen Datlow: Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers : Magical Tales of Love and Seduction
I've been reading stories from this book in between (or at the same time as) novels for several months now, too. I just can't really get into this book; I think the tone is a little too dark for me, or at least for my mood. I need a pick-me-up, not something dark. The stories are a bit uneven, too; I like some very much, and others don't work for me. Still, it has a Neil Gaiman story in it, and that's a plus. (**)
Arthur Conan, Sir Doyle: Sherlock Holmes : The Complete Novels and Stories (Bantam Classic) Volume I
I've been re-reading this complete set of Sherlock Holmes for ages now--over a year. I generally pick it up and read a story or two in between novels. I had read all of Sherlock Homes when I was in grade school, I think, and decided it was high time I read it again, so picked up this nice two-volume paperback boxed set. (****)