Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood

You guessed it, this is the conclusion to my beloved Maddaddam trilogy in which our heroes work together to go on a quest and plan to rebuild civilization, with many of the same problems that existed before the Flood. It's a great one, showing you can still have moving scenes and true heroism in a satirical speculative fiction. 

Renfield (feat. Nicolas Cage)

First off, wow. You're in for a ride. I guess you'd call this film a meta horror comedy. With more comedy than horror, Renfield ties itself immediately to the classic universal Dracula films, starring Nicolas Cage as (Lugosi's) Dracula. Of course this story is mostly about the eponymous Renfield and how he keeps his Dracula up and running to do his thing, while struggling to find his own bit of happiness in this monstrous modern world.

The screwball comedy is strong with this one, which is a plus for me. Nothing compliments violent action better than a punch line, am I right? Even in the romcom-leaning segments the cheap gags don't stop.

While Cage isn't the Star of this film, I don't believe anyone could have played his part better. This time Dracula has a better plan, a bigger plan. World domination. It's a terrifying time indeed to be the servant of such an evil god. Good thing for Renfield, he's got a support group for codependents. It's not like anything else could go wrong to fill this wildly entertaining hour and a half.

1. Raising Arizona
2. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
3. Leaving Las Vegas
4. Red Rock West
5. Adaptation
6. Pig
7. Birdy
8. Wild at Heart

9. Renfield

10. Joe
11. National Treasure
12. Guarding Tess
13. Snake Eyes
14. Mandy
15. Dog Eat Dog
16. Color Out of Space
17. Mom and Dad
18. World Trade Center
19. Peggy Sue Got Married
20. The Rock
21. Zandalee
22. Prisoners of the Ghostland
23. City of Angels
24. Willy's Wonderland
25. Jiu Jitsu
26. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
27. Bangkok Dangerous
28. Drive Angry
29. Army of One
30. Lord of War
31. Gone in 60 Seconds
32. Matchstick Men
33. Vampire's Kiss
34. Con Air
35. Face/Off
36. Trapped in Paradise
37. The Boy in Blue
38. Honeymoon in Vegas
39. Deadfall
40. Amos and Andrew
41. Moonstruck
42. Tokarev
43. The Sorcerer's Apprentice
44. Knowing
45. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
46. Bringing Out the Dead
47. The Family Man
48. Stolen
49. Season of the Witch
50. It Could Happen to You
51. The Wicker Man
52. 8mm
53. The Frozen Ground
54. Left Behind
55. A Score to Settle
56. Pay the Ghost
57. Primal
58. Dying of the Light
59. Grand Isle
60. Looking Glass
61. Arsenal
62. Between Worlds
63. Ghost Rider
64. Trespass
65. The Humanity Bureau
66. Next
67. The Weather Man
68. 211
69. Fire Birds
70. The Croods

The Last Closet by Moira Greyland

This is a sort of memoir by the daughter of famous author Marion Zimmer Bradley, and it's a tough read. Like most fantasy fans, I Loved the Mists of Avalon when I read it, recommending it to everyone with an interest in getting inxto reading more (which is most people). But imagine if your famous, successful parents sexually abused you as a child and believed strongly in the _virtues_ of pedophilia? What if you had to find your own way in such a heavy shadow? That's what this story is about. 

Pizza Plus of Glade Spring, VA

In my feeble-hearted search for regional pizza chains I can't believe I hadn't heard of Pizza Plus until this outing, and boy was I missing out. My cheese pizza had a Ratio of 3cr/2ce/2ch. Their dough gets a 5 out of 5 from me. Its texture was perfect with a buttery bottom. While a few sections of the bottom looked like they were undercooked, every bite tasted perfect. 

For overall quality, Pizza Plus gets a 4 out of 5. I think the sauce could have been spread a more evenly, and a bit more of it would have been appreciated. While the crust was delicious, we didn't need so much of it in that outer circle. I know I'm being hard on my dear new friends, but even 1 out of 5 is Still a pizza and I'd eat it gladly if the other components can stand on their own. 

Speaking of standing on their own, I give Pizza Plus's sauce a 3 out of 5. It's good, yes. But it's completely average. It could have come from a pizza sauce can with no alterations made to qualify a 'recipe'. For style, I give Pizza Plus a 4 out of 5. Their salad bar was beautiful and I loved the worn down leather booths, with a mini booth for me. There was kind of an old movie theme with the decor. I sat under a poster with the 100 best movie quotes. Six of them were from Casablanca and one of them was "My Precious" from The Two Towers... what a great quote. They had fun gumball machines, priced at a legendary 25 cents, and a claw machine. But there were no arcade games, which aren't mandatory. I guess the character of the place is there and it's great, but the pizza isn't much different from what you'd get anywhere else, and the vibe doesn't lean to my sensibilities. 

With a Final score of 80%, I'd love to visit Pizza Plus again ASAP and invite everyone I know to join me.  

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwod

You may have guessed it, this book is the sequel to Oryx and Crake, the 2nd in the Maddaddam trilogy. Like many good trilogies, this one stars a different set of characters and focuses on a religious cult that has predicted the events to come in Oryx and Crake (the end of humanity). The Year of the Flood gives a stronger glimpse of what life is like in this theoretical future for those who are both female and less fortunate than Jimmy and Crake. Needless to say, it's juicy and makes you wonder if the prophet was privy to the nature and source of the pending flood. 

Tell All Your Friends about Pizza Dad

It's the least you can do

He bought this pizza for you

For the whole crowd

And I decide now

It's payback time

And they're all about Pizza Dad

Lock in Tell All Your Friends

Each riff, beginning to end

For Pizza Dad

To sing with his band

New words this time

And they're all about Pizza Dad

They're all about Pizza Dad

You owe it to Pizza Dad

Tell all your friends

Starr Bright Will Be With You Soon by Rosamond Smith

This is another one by Joyce Carol Oates' pen name. It's one of those serial killer stories about a woman who went down a dark path and dealt with things in a bad way. As it was probably more juicy at its time, you can't expect Oates to crush it with every single piece. I know there was a light at the end of this tunnel somewhere, but it did not have a profound effect.