Downtown Abbey Season Two

Downton Abbey does not disappoint with an even more sizzling and complex season Two which keeps us on the edge of our seats in avid anticipation of the third season.

The characters are well-defined and have each ripened gracefully on the screen as the drama unfolds. Kudos to the creator and to the writers of the series for presenting such a superd period drama series–as well as the stars if the series who have brought life to the characters.

Downton Abbey is set in the 1910s around the time of the First World War. It’s an era which is not typically portrayed on tv series and thus it has been enjoyable to see this period tackled creatively and tastefully by the Downton Abbey.

Can’t wait for the next season!

(c) Niconica 2012

Hart of Dixie

Rachel Bilson rocks as Dr. Zoe Hart in the tv series Hart of Dixie. In addition to being poignant and funny, there’s a feel good factor to the series which seems to be shot on a set which seems to resemble the Gilmore Girls set.

The characters are quirky and lovable and the story oozes a certain wholesome and adorable small town feel which takes us back to the ‘good old days’ which exist in our psyches (and perhaps not in reality). It’s a feel-good tale with a Sourhern charm which transports us into the world of Dr. Zoe Hart as she navigates living in Bluebell, Alabama.

A lovely and enjoyable show indeed.

(c) Niconica 2012

Drop Dead Diva Rocks

I had my reservations when I hears about the premise of the tv series Drop Dead Diva but watching it dispelled my hesitations. It is entertaining with drama, comedy, and romance all in one easy to watch format.

The fun frivolity (and I mean this in a good way) balances out with the gravity and relevance of the legal cases. Another way of looking at it is that the fashion, style, and comedy lightens the legal tv series genre without taking anything away from the integrity of ‘lawyer shows.’

It is indeed a refreshing and fashionable take on ‘lawyer shows’ and is very addictive to watch with interesting characters. Thumbs-up!

(c) Niconica 2012

The James Potter Series by G. Norman Lippert

It is with a heavy heart thay i read the link on www.jamespotterseries.com where Lippert says that he will be putting the writing of thr fourth book of the lovely James Potter series James Potter and the Morrigan Web on hold so that he may be taken seriously as a writer and not merely a fan fiction writer.

It seems to me that he has proved his mettle with the three James Potter books and it’s sad that he would have to take a break from writing the interesting James Potter series just to prove that he is a serious writer.

Isn’t the mark of a serious writer the passion to tell wonderful stories as evidenced by having millions of readers? And he definitely has a wide readership and a following as he has taken the known HP world a step further.

I just recently finished reading the third book and would be purchasing Lippert’s other books Ruins of Camelot (www.ruinsofcamelot.com) and The Riverhouse (www.riverhousebook.com) to support him in continuing and being able to enthrall us with the James Potter series. Both these books are available on Amazon Kindle.

It’s a pity that his Girl on the Dock (www.girlonthedock.com) book is not available on Amazon Kindle because I’d definitely purchase it too to support a promising writer.

If you are an avid Harry Potter fan and have suffered the post-Potter depression as I have, no doubt the James Potter series (www.jamespotterseries.com) would cheer you up and transport you from the mundane Muggle world back to Hogwarts and the Wizarding World.

(c) Niconica 2012

James Potter and the Vault of Destinies

As far as fan fiction goes, G. Norman Lippert is at the top of the heap for sheer volume, scope, and creativity despite a few slight weaknesses along the way.

I’ve enjoyed reading all the books of the James Potter series. I felt that the first two JP books characterization was weaker (though still interesting and creative) and that the plot was resolved satisfactorily.

In JP3 (James Potter and the Vault of Destinies), the characters were well developed and the premise of the plot was compelling and complex.

All the promise of the creative and intricate world building fell short at the ending which felt more like an ending of a chapter than a conclusive ending to a book.

The ending was rather abrupt and seemed more like the build-up towards the big climax and I have to admit I felt disappointed because I wanted more from it.

I also felt that the ending was vague and did not resolve or explain the main dilemma satisfactorily which was restoring what is missing and returning certain objects to their rightful place (without giving too much away).

It feels that James Potter and the Vault of Destinies is JP3-Part 1 and an equal length part 2 would be needed to resolve the Vault of Destinies issue comprehensively.

It is actually to Lippert’s credit that he has created such a robust world drawing upon the world Rowling has created, and manages to weave magically elaborate plot in JP3 that it seems that the Vault of Destinies still has a way to go before “The End” and before the next JP book.

If JP4 is created without resolving the Vault of Destinies book, it would leave us hanging since the tradition of the Harry Potter books is that the books are continuing but at the same time self-contained in the sense that they satisfactorily resolve the issue placed in the title.

(c) Niconica 2012

In Sheep’s Clothing: Understanding and Dealing with Manipulative People

 

George K. Simons, Ph.D. has written a landmark book about understanding and dealing with manipulative people. It is both remarkable in that it is easy to read while at the same time able to cover pertinent details. This book should be mandatory reading for everyone.  I am pleased that I stumbled upon this book on Amazon since it discusses the nature of disturbed covert-aggressive personalities and cautions us to not underestimate them and fall for their ploys.  I highly recommend this book!

(c) Niconica 2012

A Voice of One’s Own: Conversations with America’s Writing Women

Mickey Pearlman and Katherine Usher Henderson have, in A Voice of One’s Own, presented interesting and insightful essays of their interview with a notable selection of America’s Writing Women.

It’s an enriching experience to learn the thoughts and personal histories of successful woman writers. Pearlman and Henderson have certainly given women writers the stage in this book, after duly noting that women are often featured as token women writers otherwise.

It is heartening to read and learn about the writing journeys of women writers which are often intertwined and inseparable from their personal lives and experiences.

It’s also encouraging to learn that they come from all sorts of walks of life and professionally pursued writing at different ages and due to different circumstances though all have enjoyed and displayed a knack for writing during younger years.

I highly recommend this book to all writers–especially to aspiring female writers.

(c) Niconica 2012

VLC Media Player : An Awesome Go-to

It’s unbelievable how many various codecs exist and are required to play different forms of videos.

For someone like me who grasps at straws with these technical things, it’s frustrating to not be able to just click play and be able to watch video files even when it’s already on a DVD disc.

Good thing a friend told me about VLC Media Player which is a free open source media player which works with most platforms without requiring codec downloads.

It just takes minutes to download and set up even with a basic computer and it’s up and running. As the post title indicates… VLC Media Player came through awesomely for me and I’m able to watch Gilmore Girls for the nth time. Yay!

(c) Niconica 2012

Faber-Castell Color Pencils

In terms of color pencils, Faber-Castell is not my first choice because it seems that more pressure is needed to produce darker shades. Upon perusal of the back of the box, it says that the leads are especially SV bonded to prevent breakage.

It is true that the purpose of less breakage has been met but the color is not easily applied. It takes more effort to produce the richer shades. It seems that the SV bond (whatever it may be) works a little too well that it also prevents the color adhering to the paper in as little time as possible.

What I like though about Faber-Castell is that the price is more affordable for such a reputable brand. It’s an entry level brand which would definitely suit students and the general population, including beginner art hobbyists. It also comes with a wide array of colors and it additionally has a space for the name of the owner of the color pencils which is quite handy and practical.

In a pinch, when my favored art materials brands are not present this is the better and most reasonably priced brand available. As it’s not secret that art materials are not cheap so we sometimes are a bit hesitant in investing in two sets of premium color pencils. Faber-Castell does well as a respectable and acceptable back-up color pencil set for its array of colors and price.

(c) Niconica 2012

Thomas Moore’s SOUL MATES: Profound

Thomas Moore‘s Soul Mates is a must-read! I usually write this recommendation at the end of my review but this time I decided to lead with it.

This book is a profound and moving work of artful and poetic literature and I believe that anyone who takes the time to read it will be enriched by the insights Moore shares with us.

I’d like to think that divine providence had a hand in my chancing upon this book and I would like to share this blessing with you all on this first day of the year 2012…

May the new year be kind to all of us…

(c) Niconica 2012