Author interview- Mindy Klasky

Welcome everyone! This is the second author interview on Review Carnival. This time, I will be interviewing author Mindy Klasky whose works include the As You Wish series, Jane Madison series, The Glasswrights series and others.

Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories.  She never forgot that advice.
Mindy’s travels took her through multiple careers.   After graduating from Princeton University, Mindy considered becoming a professional stage manager or a rabbi.  Ultimately, though, she settled on being a lawyer, working as a litigator at a large Washington firm.  When she realized that lawyering kept her from writing (and dating and sleeping and otherwise living a normal life), Mindy became a librarian, managing large law firm libraries.  Mindy now writes full time. (taken from the official website)

Now here's the interview

TRIVIA

Favorite color-  Blue

 Favorite author-  This changes, with my mood, with the weather, with whatever I happen to be reading!

 Favorite book-  The Lord of the Rings is the book that most influenced my life, because it was the one that first got me to think about writing, and storytelling, and becoming a full-time writer

 Zodiac sign-  Libra

 Your motto-  “Thou mayest” (from Steinbeck’s East of Eden)

 City of your dreams- Florence, Italy (where I traveled on my honeymoon!)

INTERVIEW

RC- First of all, thank you very much for doing this interview with Review Carnival. We are really honoured. The first questions is: When did you decide that you wanted to be a writer? Is the life of a writer like you had imagined it to be?

Ans.  My first major writing project (aside from short stories for class) was an attempt at writing a sequel to The Lord of the Rings, which my best friend and I decided to write over spring break when we were in eighth grade.  (We didn’t finish, even though we spent both weekends and the entire week of vacation on the project!)  That experienced whetted my appetite for writing.  When I was in law school, I returned to writing fantasy novels (as a break from the tedium in some of my classes).  Writing full time has been better than I ever imagined it – for the first time, ever, I have time to develop all (or at least, most) of the stories in my head!

RC- Who has influenced you/your writing style/choice of genres the most?

Ans.  I bounce between genres, mostly between traditional fantasy and romance (with a fantasy element).  For my romantic fantasy novels, I was most influenced by Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary – because of its light tone, its realistic depiction of a frustrated singleton, and its literary references.

RC-  Do you ever have the dreaded writer's block? How do you deal with it?

Ans.  I don’t have writers’ block, per se – I always have ideas for my stories, and the ability to put them in a computer file.  I do sometimes suffer from laziness and/or distraction – where I just don’t feel like writing.  The best solution for that, at least in my case, is to make myself sit down and start writing.  After the first 10 minutes, I’m over “the hump” and able to continue working.

RC- What kind of characters/settings do you like the most?

Ans.  I enjoy writing about young women who discover their inner strengths.  Sometimes, in my more serious traditional fantasy novels, this discovery is literally and figuratively painful.  In my lighter romantic fantasy novels, my characters don’t suffer as much – but they do discover how they can best be strong, independent women.

RC- Thanks for being with us and giving so much of your time. The last question is: What message would you like to convey to your fans?

Ans.  I very much enjoy being in touch with my readers.  I welcome people to stop by website – http://www.mindyklasky.com/ – and to join in on my blog posts with comments and discussion!  Thanks so much for the opportunity to visit here!

Manga review- Spicy Pink

Spicy Pink is a josei manga by Wataru Yoshizumi. It is only two volumes long. I finished reading it within two hours.

Spicy Pink tells the story of Sakura, a shoujo mangaka who meets a rude, plastic surgeon in a doctors and mangakas gokon. They start out with an informal relationship that later progresses to liking. But both of them have had past relationships that make their way into their lives again.

The manga was too short to be of any value. This manga has the same problem that persists with other Wataru Yoshizumi's mangas- it's very light and shallow. She could've increased the depth at least for a josei. I have mentioned this many times in her manga reviews- Relationships in her manga are not serious. The same problem persists with this manga. It was tolerable with Ultra Maniac and Mint na Bokura since they focused on sibling relationship and friendship. But Spicy Pink is the story of a twenty six year old and thirty year old who meet in a gokon. There's no scope for a shallow relationship here.

The manga had conflicts but these were not satisfatorily solved. The manga focused more on her friendship and work than romance. All the romantic conclusion is crammed into the last chapter. It was too short to make anything happen. Even in the end, the protagonist remarks she doesn't know how long the relationship will work out but she wants to make the most out of it while it is still going well. This is what I say when I mean problem. The romance is not deep and passionate or fulfilling. Even Sakura's friend who had a worse relationship got married.
While it is true that in reality many romantic relationships end in dating, in mangas, people expect some fantasy. Even if it is josei and supposed to be realistic, she should have at least carried on the romance well while it was lasting. They rarely meet up and most of the time the femlae protagonist is busy in friends and work.

It is okay for a manga you'd finish in one hour and be happy that you've read  manga but there are better one shots and short mangas out there. Skip this one.

Characters-3/5
Story-3.5/5
Art-3.8/5
Overall-3.4/5

Pros

Art
Idea
Cover

Cons

Shallow romance
Not a good ending
Too short
Unresolved conflicts
No comedy or seriousness

J-Drama review- Seigi no Mikata

Seigi no Mikata (正義の味方^?, Ally of Justice) is a story first published by Shueisha as a manga, and then made into a short-running TV drama in 2008 by Nihon Television, directed by Satoru Nakajima. The story is about a 15-year-old girl named Yoko, who is being tormented by her older sister Makiko. Only Yoko and her parents know her sister's true nature, while other people are fooled by her unbelievable good luck.

15-year-old Yoko is constantly tormented by her self-centered and fiendish older sister Makiko, who works for a government office after having graduated from a famous university. But despite her ill nature, Makiko's actions tend to somehow make things better for those around her, causing others to praise her as an "ally of justice."

Because of her sister's attitude, Yoko longs to be free. She decides to get her sister married so she will move out. However her plan backfires. There is also a boy called Riku who always teases her because he has a major crush on her. He becomes one of her closest confidants.

Makiko eventually reveals her true nature to her husband, Naoki, who decides to get a divorce.

Meanwhile a close friend of Riku's, Chika, tells Yoko that he is about to move away. Her friends attempt to get Yoko to confess through a live T.V. program, but her sister storms in and starts yelling at her, right before Yoko confessed and when she (Makiko) is taken away by security.

A few days, Naoki and his parents arrive to talk with Makiko. As the divorce is about to be finalized,
Makiko tells everyone that she is pregnant. The series ends with Yoko finally talking to Riku before he went to Osaka and Makiko giving birth to a baby. Yoko is the one left caring for it.

Now for the review- It was an okay drama. What was good was that the story was interesting. The younger sister's characters and romance and quite good though her love became a disappointment in the end. The character of the elder sister's husband was also very nice and polar opposite of the elder sister's character.

The biggest problem with this series was the elder sister. Her personality was extremely unlikeable and at times, she feels more like a villian than a heroine. The fact that Yamada Yu did her role made matters worse. Yamada Yu is not visually pleasing as one might have expected the elder sister to be. She is totally stone-faced except for some fake and childish expressions she shows in the series. I still cannnot believe that Yamada Yu won an award for this.

The younger sister blames her older sister for her misfortunes but it really is her fault for listening to her older sister like a puppy. The older sister once doesn't say very harsh words or threaten her. There was virtually no comedy in the drama. If the drama makers were relying on the cruelty of the elder sister to make the viewes laugh, they have failed terribly.

A drama worth skipping and I am not sure why I ended up watching it.

Pros- Everyone except Yamada Yu acts well
Mother-in-law brings much needed variety to this show
Riku and Yoko's romance

Cons- Yamada Yu's poor acting and lack of visual apppeal
Boring storyline which becomes extremely repetitive and predictable
Weakness of the younger sister

Book review- Edward de Bono- Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono is a famous thinker, author and physician who is credited with inventing the tern 'Lateral thinking'. His books mostly revolve around thinking processes, patterns and methods. He developed the six hats thinking method which has been very successful. It is used in board meetings and schools to promote fruitful thinking and get maximum results in minimum time.

This is the first time I read a book of this nature (non fiction and thinking). Other non-fiction books I read were all the books by Linda Goodman. This is quite different from those. The review might be a little biased because I am not used to reading such books.

The six thinking hats are six ways of thinking about the same thing. They prevent argument and save time. Edaward de Bono explains in the beginning how the six hats method has helped reduced time alloted to board meetings and solve problems quickly with effective results. Here is a summary of the six hats.

White hat- It is a way of thinking objectively- merely stating facts without bringing in emotions.
Red hat- Considered a pair with white hat. It is thinking on basis of feelings.
Black hat- It is counting the cons and negetive aspects of things. It is used for caution. This hat is often overused.
Yellow hat- The opposite of black hat. It is seeing the brighter side of things- counting pros. However, it can sometimes be unrealistic.
Green hat- Green means fertile land. It signifies the growth of ideas.
Blue hat- Like the blue sky that covers us all below it, a blue hat thinker is mostly the manager or the head of the meeting who triggers all kinds of thinking.

The books is factual and theoritical in nature. CEOs and other managers and office employees might find it useful. Though these methods of thinking are interesting, the book focuses more on applying these in board room meetings, schools etc. rather than encouraging individuals to use these hats in appropriate situations. Like a white hat view, the book states facts- the qualities of each of the hats. It doesn't bias the reader or help in using these in daily life. Even the examples in the book are taken from board room meetings.
It is a little disappionting that the book endorses this method only for CEOs. Common people can benefit a lot by using these hats. The book however doesn't speak about the micro level.

The book also talks about how ego gets in the way of parallel thinking, another concept brought out by Edward de Bono.

While the six hats thinking method was interesting, it really didn't help much. As an individual, I found no use of reading the book. It is focused on boardroom meetings and gatherings where decision making is required. Though it is a nice way of decision making, the author could not tell what use it has for an ordinary person who doesn't atttend board meetings.

Overall, a rather theoritical book. It states facts objectively. It is about Edward de Bono's new method- something like a textbook with examples. It is rather short- around 180 pages with lots of spacing and big print. I really don't know how to give a score to this book because I usually read fiction and the non fiction I read is completely different from this book. I'll leave the score upto you.

Pros

Creative idea
Cover
Detailed explanation

Cons

Of no use to an individual
Theoritical
Does not teach to use principles in real life situations-impractical
Contains references to previous books

Drama review- Hotaru no Hikari season 1&2

Hotaru no Hikari is a popular drama starring actress Ayase Haruka and actor Naohito Fujiki in the main roles. It is based on a popular josei manga of the same name. It has a second season too.

Ayase Haruka starring as Amemiya Hotaru is an average office lady with a decent amount of elegance. She works very hard at office and most of of co workers consider her a mature and elegant lady. But when Hotaru gets home, she changes into her jerseys, sits on the porch and drinks beer from cans. Furthurmore, she keeps her house in a terrible mess, sleeps wrapped in newspapers and eats preserved food. Her lifestyle undergoes some change when her manager (bucho) movies into the house with her. The house is the manager's father's property. Bucho (manager) is in the process of divorcing his wife but does not tell Hotaru about this. They make a cohabitation treaty and decide to stay together. Hotaru can be her true himono onna (dried fish woman) self with bucho. She also develops a liking for Teshima who wroks with her. The manager helps her make her way to his heart which trying desperately to hide the secret of their staying together.

The drama has lots of comedy with Ayase Haruka doing goofy expressions. Ayase Haruka is at her best here. Her acting skills fitted very well into the character. I saw Naohito Fujiki's G@me earlier in which his acting disappointed me. Here however, he shows me a completely different side. His acting is just as good as Ayase Haruka if not better. The characters fit well together. Even if the pairing didn't have much chemistry, it went on well. The house and many other backdrops are beautiful.

Most actors and actresses act well in the series. The comedy is refreshing with a unique storyline. Hotaru's personality is unique and even though different from Bucho's, it fits well with him. Ayase Haruka is mostly kawaii (cute) with a sweetened voice and lots of clumsiness and comic dialogues. Her monologues are entertaining.  Along with the protagonist's romance, the side characters' romance stories go on as well. In the first season it is Yuuka and in the second it is Yamada nee san.

The second season focuses on Hotaru's marriage. She comes back from Hong Kong after three years. During these years, she never once phoned or wrote to Bucho. He is angry in the beginning but towards the end of the first episode, proposes marriage. However, Hotaru doesn't know what marriage should be like. In this season Yamada, Hotaru's senior and Seichi's Takano's friend get married after a rocky relationship. There are new characters in the second season with Yamada, Takano and his friend being the only ones from the previous season. Hotaru faces many difficulties and Takano even withdraws his proposal for marriage. But in the end, they get married.

The second season was as good as the first one. Both had the same problem- They beat around the bush too much. In the first season, Hotaru was busy with Teshima and confessed to Bucho only in the last scene of the last episode. Much like that, in this season too she focuses on work and daily life and gets married only in the last episode.

The second season had more merits than the first one. While the first season is entertaining, it is disappointing since Hotaru beats around the bush and never confesses to Takano. In the second season however, their romantic relationship is given more importance. They clear hurdles and progress together. Takano manages to pick up some of Hotaru's habits like sleeping on the porch with newspapers in place of bedsheets. In the end, he leaves for Taiwan but Hotaru doesn't accompany him. He comes back and gives her the marriage paper after one year but she leaves it in her room and the cat poops on it. She promises to bring another one the following day. The drama ends at that but it didn't leave any ambiguous ending. Knowing Hotaru, she'll probably get another marriage paper and of she fails Takano is there for her.

The music for both the season was horrible. The first theme was Yokogao by aiko and the seocond one was Kimi ga iru by Ikimonogakari. I couldn't even hear the second one, it was hardply featured. The first one though genric was played in the last scenes of the first episode so, it has some sentimental value. But overall, the songs were terrible.

The first season is more or less incomplete without the second season that is why I watched them continuously. The first season ends with confession and leaves a question about their future together in the viewers mind. If you want to complete the journey and be satisfied, I recommend the second season too. The pros for the second season are much like the cons. Hotaru remains a himono oonna with too many monologues and clumsiness till the end. Her senior Yamada says it is okay to be a himono onna as long as she remains cute. Even though after the second season, you feel like you've got an overdose of Hotaru, it is still fun watching.

Overall, one of the best romantic comedy dramas. I enjoyed the comedy. The romance was quite slow but okay. The actors and actresses acted well with proper script, direction, story and backdrops. I have started to like josei dramas. Nodame Cantabile, Kimi wa petto, Hotaru no hikari, Gokusen and many other wonderful dramas have been adapted from josei mangas. Viva josei manga!

Characters-4.5/5
Story-4.2/5
Acting-4.5/5
Script- 4.3/5
Music-3/5
Overall-4.4/5

Pros

Entertaining
Comedy
Characterisation and development
Acting
Backdrops
Second season that completes the story
Ending

Cons

Might get repetitive after the second season
Beats around the bush too much especially in the first season

Book review- Sophie Kinsella Dreamworld of a Shopaholic

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic is the first book in the acclaimed Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. It is about a financial journalist, rebecca Bloomwood who is a shopaholic. She is obsessed about buying clothes, makeup and shoes the point that she lands in financial troubles when her Switch card is frozen and her VISA ooverdraft is long due. She is in a sea of debts but still cannot her urges to shop. She ends up lying to others and making excuses to herself.

The book is written in the witty and humorous style of Kinsella. The character of Rebecca is quite unrealistic. I have never seen anyone so obsessed with shopping and spending money despite the knowledge of debts. The fact that she is twenty-five makes it harder to believe her complete lack of sense. She behaves like a child (running away from an interview when she doesn't understand Finnish, saying things she doesn't want to say on impulse, making up completely fictional and often fantastic-sounding diseases to avoid meetings with her bank manager)

Her attempts to cut back or make more money are also futile. She tries to woo a millionarire bachelor despite having nothing in common.

I am a very frugal person and I found it impossible to relate to the character of Rebecca. I didn't enjoy this book as much as her previous book The Undomestic Goddess. The letters before each chapter are good jokes in thelselves. One thing that is not lacking in this book is hilarity. It is an easy read but unnecessarily long. Some of the events could have been easily cut without making a difference to the overall quality of the book.

Pros- Original idea
Humorous writing style

Cons- Main character is hard to relate to
A bit too shallow in the love department
Unnecessarily long

Hope that the future installments of the series are better.

Drama Review- Nobuta wo produce

Nobuko Kotani is a shy, reclusive girl who doesn't fit into her school. Her fringe is forever covering her eyes and she has no social skills. To make matters worse, she is picked on by other students. Shuji is a teenager who is searching for the meaning of youth and teenage life. He is pretty popular but thinks of it as shallow. He wants to make the most out of his teenage life. Akira, is Shuji's sidekick who gets along with everyone except Shuji. Shuji finds his optimism irritating and his habit of poking his nose into everything quite annoying. When the boys set their eyes on Nobuko Kotani referred to as Nobuta (pig), they decide to reform her and make her the most popular girl in school. The decide to produce her (like a music producer) to make an image for her and make her popular. Nobuko has no problem and she decides to ride along. Shuji however, doesn't want to be seen with Nobuta fearing that he might lose his popularity. Shuji and Akira give her lessons on the terrace.

The drama is basically a friendship and youth drama. Kamenashi Kazuya didn't act too well and there wasn't much acting to do in Maki's role. Yamashita Tomoshisa was the only one who acted well because his character was significantly different from the other two. While producing Nobuta, Shuji and Akira become close friends. Nobuta becomes more sociable and starts cutting her fringe. There are some common teenage problems like popularity, bullying, jealousy etc. depicted in the drama.

In the end, Shuji leaves school because his father is moving to Tokyo. Akira and Nobuta are left behind. Nobuta tells Akira to follow him to Tokyo because Shuji and Akira are best friends and need to be together. She becomes popular in school and says she can manage on her own. Akira obeys her and Shuji and Akira end up in the same school in the end. Nobuta remains in the same school but makes friends and remembers Shuji and Akira occassionally.

The drama was mediocre at best in my opinion. It is not much different from all the youth dramas out there. My boss, my hero is a much better version of Nobuta wo produce. It had an all star cast therefore, received good viewership ratings. Most actors despite being famous didn't act well.

The theme song, Seishun Amigo sung by Kamenashi Kazuya and Yamashita Tomoshisa sold over a million. The B sides Kizuna and Colourful were insert songs of Gokusen 2 and Dragon Zakura respectively in which the actors had main roles. Due to over promotion, the single sold well. The theme song is not very prominent in the drama.

Story-3.5/5
Characters-3.6/5
Acting-3.5/5
Script-4/5
Music-3.4/5
Overall-3.5/5

Pros

Yamashita Tomoshisa
Theme
All star cast

Cons

Acting
Stereotypical
Boring at some points because of bad acting and dull characters
Ending

Drama review- Atashinchi no danshi

Atashinchi no danshi is a drama starring popular actress Maki Horikita. It had around 10% viewership.

Maki Horikita is a poor girl who lives in temporary tents with other poor people stealing food and visiting cybercafes. Her father abandoned her while she was young and left her a huge debt to pay. She is frequently hounded by loan sharks. One day, while running from creditors, she reaches an abandoned construction site where a rich man lands from his private jet and pays her loan. In exchange, she has to be his wife until his death after two months. Believing that this shouldn't be hard, she agrees. Only after his death does she discover that the contract she signed is ten feet long with many more details. He had adopted six sons each with a different personality. Maki Horikita's job includes looking after these rebellious youngsters, forcing them to eat together at the table, get along with each other, stamp their fingers, play games and discover the treasure that is hidden in Trick heart castle which is where they live.

One striking feature about this drama is the beautiful backdrops. Trick Heart castle's interiors as well as exteriors are eye candy. Almost all actors are good looking which makes this drama a visual treat. Since the director is the same person who directed Hana Kimi also starring Maki, the backdrops, style and everything is similar to it but inferior in a sense. The script is okay but Maki Horikita's acting is stiff.

The story progresses quite well with each member's family background, past experiences and interests being shown. Sho, has a son. The kid is supersmart and the oldest one was a biker. They learn to work with each other despite differences and make a loving family. Maki faces challenges but she overcomes these. Some sons stay with her just for the inheritance but later, they become attached to each other.

In the end, the siblings discover that Chisato is not their mother but the real daughter of the president and the marriage contract is fake. Many propose to her but she rejects. In a sense, she is their sister (step sister). The vice president decides to takeover the trick heart castle and capture the treasure. Chisato and the six men discover the treasure just in time. The treasure is a room full of gold biscuits and a story book which tells the touching story of seven knights who prevented the take over of Trick heart castle and discovered the most precious treasure called 'family'. The vice president, defeated by the president's foresight, gives up on the treasure. All the seven siblings go their seperate ways. Soem go back to their original parents with only Chisato remaining in the castle. Later, they all come back because they have become attached to their family.

It is a modern day Kamen Rider with a family twist. The ending especially was a little childish. The drama is a family drama.

Overall, okay for light entertainment but don't expect anything great and groundbreaking. A good drama for families to watch especially those with teenage kids.

Acting-3.6/5
Backdrops-4.4/5
Script-4/5
Characters-4/5
Story-4.2/5
Overall-4/5

Pros

Ending
Beautiful scenes
Theme
Characters

Cons

Maki Horikita's acting
Stereotypical family drama
Childish and inconsistent