Never Ceese

No, that's not a typo, it's the name of a terrific book by Susan Dent. Read on for the review.

Angela Hunt put this quiz on her blog today. I couldn't believe how accurate it was! After answering all of the questions, it said I was from the Great Lakes area, probably Wisconsin. Scary!

This has been one of the hottest videos on YouTube lately. It's a hoot what just a little change in music can do. It's all about atmosphere. Whether you are a Mary Poppins fan or not, check this one out.

Here's my vote for the news story most likely to make you cringe today. Doogie asked me why God lets stuff like this happen. It's one of those questions that's hard to answer. The only thing I could say was perhaps the parents would have become more neglectful in the future and cause more serious harm, so God saved that infant from a worse fate.

Never Ceese by Susan Dent is a fast-paced thrill-ride of a story. Richard has struggled with being a vampire for too long, so when his long time friend Penny makes a deathbed request for him to work with a young female werewolf named Ceese, he takes on the task, and they both hope to be released from their curse. Dent does a terrific job of removing vampires and werewolves from the realms of the occult and putting them back in the world of God. Because of their curse, neither can tolerate praying or speaking about God or holy things. Richard and Ceese both fight furiously because of their natures at first, but eventually learn to work together and lean on each other. Penny's "granddaughter" Cassie tries to help the duo in their quest, but soon a mad scientist is on their trail to steal their immortality. Dent keeps Christianity as a background in the story without making it over the top or preachy. Her characterizations are strong, and even the small actions they make give the reader a better feel for them. There's a touch of romance in the story, but not where you expect it. My one small complaint with the story is there is little explanation as to how Richard and Ceese go from bitter enemies to loyal compatriots when they arrive in the US. I'm really looking forward to the next book Forever Richard, and hopefully Dent will include a little history about how vampires and werewolves came to be. The description of the new book leads me to believe it will be full of surprises and another good read.

I'm trying to plan out my Christmas shopping, where to go to find the best deals. Why can't the discount stores carry the same or at least similar merchandise? Mia wants a Holly Hobbie doll, but Wal-Mart is out, Target doesn't carry them at all, and while K-Mart advertises them in their flyer, I can't find any on the website. It's almost enough to make me a Scrooge!