Book Review: Mark's Noble Quest by Katharine Campbell

Mark's Noble Quest: Rosaline's Curse Book 2 by Katharine Campbell

Having a girlfriend from the 1200s can be a challenge. Expectations were different back then. Everyday heroism involved fighting wild animals and overcoming the elements with what nature provides. This lack of classical heroism (or even of everyday skills) is Mark Reid's problem. He was an academic who lost his job and is now more or less on the run from the law (see the events of the previous story). His girlfriend, Rosaline, was in magical sleep for hundreds of years and has slowly adapted to life in the twenty-first century. She's working at a horse farm where tourists get to ride, the sort of place Mark has never even contemplated visiting. So he doesn't have the horse-riding skills that were commonplace in the thirteenth century or any sword-wielding panache. Much less has he killed any animal, wild or tame. To solve this problem, that is, to impress his lady, he gets help from Brother Joseph, a friendly magical being passing himself off as a monk in a local monastery. Joseph has a ready-made quest for Mark: just climb a volcano and recover a beautiful ring. Mark agrees even though Joseph promises there will three difficult challenges along the way.

The story has the same charming and light-hearted tone of Campbell's previous works. Mark is good-hearted and earnest even though he lacks the skill set that he thinks will win the day. He faces ghosts and gorgons with a sword and a cellphone, an odd combination that works for him and the story. Of course he is victorious at the end, though he also gets a little better perspective on his life and his relationship. He doesn't just do something, he learns something. The book goes by quickly (it's a little over fifty pages) but it is quite delightful.

Recommended.

I did receive a review copy from the author (thanks!) but my opinions are my own.

Report from Isanti, June 2024

Another fun time at Granny and Grandpa's house in Minnesota...

While my father-in-law and I were taking my oldest to a month-long Spanish immersion camp, my children made friends with the cats and did some rowing on the lake at Granny and Grandpa's house.

Simon and son

Cuddling the other cat

So much fun!

Kayaker

Switching boats

A happy sailor

Coming in for a landing

One last shot on the lake

There were some other activities that I never got a report on...

Random harp playing?

The next day I got out in the canoe with Grandpa to check on a geocache they have hidden. My daughter did some more kayaking, just for fun.

Cruising German Lake

Later, we went on a geocaching and playground odyssey that took us to some fun spots.

A fun spot for the youngest

Back at the house with a cat in the yard

The chickens in the yard

We ran some errands in Elk River and I did more geocaching. I discovered the most amazing Little Free Library ever--Bag End! 

The path to the hobbit hole

The front door

Inside

Opening the door activated a gizmo that started playing the Hobbiton theme music from the movies. 

Back at the grandparents, the kids helped to build a life-size yeti cutout to either draw closer or scare away Bigfoot-type creatures. Or maybe just to scare away unwanted visitors. The project involved blowing up a smaller outline and then cutting it out of several pieces of wood.

Bigfoot needs a bigger foot

Almost finished

The grandparents took the kids strawberry picking, which resulted in a lot of strawberries being brought to the house. 

Only part of the collection

To use up some, we made strawberry shortcake.

Macerating the strawberries

Shortbread

Portions for the freezer

It was a great visit and we look forward to the next one!

Book Review: Catwoman: When in Rome by J. Loeb et al.

Catwoman: When in Rome written by Jeph Loeb, art by Tim Sale, and colors by Dave Stewart

Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, travels to Rome with Edward Nigma, aka The Riddler, in tow. She wants to find out something very important to her--who her parents really are. She suspects she is the daughter of Carmine "The Roman" Falcone, a top crime boss in Gotham City. Her investigation leads to a lot of other mafia (if there is such a thing) connections. She keeps having nightmares of Batman following her to Rome to "help" her. She really doesn't want help from the Dark Knight since she's dealing with enough problems for one plot line.

The mystery is intriguing. Selina is enough of a person (at least in this story) to hold her own as a lead. The conflicted nature of her character comes through. The art still has the dark and brooding style typical of Batman comics. She does appear scantily clad several times, so this particular story isn't for little kids. The narrative is good and Loeb has a great sense of how Selina/Catwoman talks. Another Loeb trademark shows up--a lot of other Batman characters are thrown in to the story to provide obstacles for Catwoman. She gets about what she deserves by the end.

Recommended for Batman and Catwoman fans.

Movie Review: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) directed by Adam Wingard

Kong is searching for other great apes in the Hollow Earth, a realm below the Earth's surface where a lot of primitive and prehistoric things live. His melancholy wanderings yield little more than an infected tooth. He returns to the surface where Trapper (Dan Stephens) gets him a replacement tooth courtesy of Monarch, an agency monitoring Kong's activities along with those of all the Titans on the Earth's surface. The main Titan is Godzilla, who wanders around fighting other Titans, typically stopping them from hurting humans (though there is plenty of destruction in his battles). Kong and Godzilla have been living peaceably thanks to living in separate parts of the world. Kong returns below the surface after his dental care and resumes his search for other apes. He becomes successful when he discovers an even deeper layer called the Subterranean World. The apes there live under the oppression of Scar King, a red ape with a bone whip and an enslaved Titan whose breath freezes things. Scar King wants to return to the surface of the Earth but has been kept in check by the Iwi people, a civilization whose only surface members used to live on Skull Island (where Kong was discovered back in the 1960s). The only survivor from Skull Island is Jia (Kaylee Hottle) who has been adopted by Monarch mid-level manager Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall). Their investigation into Kong's activities leads them to the Iwi civilization, creating some dramatic tensions for the humans. The conflicts between the monsters ramps up too.

The plot is quite outlandish. As if the Hollow Earth was not enough, there's an even deeper level! And a deeper mythology to go with it! The monsters behave more or less intelligently depending on the needs of advancing the story. The whole situation is a bit hard to take seriously, though probably no one expects to take it seriously. Some of the fight scenes are entertaining, though my pet peeve of the "obviously meant to be seen in 3D" bits of action are a little annoying when I am not watching it in 3D. The special effects are good if not always convincing. The ending was fairly standard without much surprise or satisfaction.

Mildly recommended--this is more of a special effects extravaganza with some good fight scenes between the monsters. I was entertained but not wowed. The story needs a lot of work.

Game Review: Exit: The Game: Kidnapped in Fortune City by Kosmos

Exit: The Game: Kidnapped in Fortune City designed by Inka and Marcus Brand and published by Kosmos

The sheriff of Fortune City (a town in the American Old West) has been kidnapped by one of the locals and is imprisoned in their cellar. You have come to town to right this injustice, not by being a gun-slinging vigilante. Instead,  you solve a lot of mysteries and riddles to discover which of the local hooligans does not have an alibi. The game proceeds through the usual imaginative puzzles.

The game uses a town map and several locations, including the jail, the gunsmith, and the saloon, to provide the initial puzzles to solve. The very first puzzle is to unlock the sheriff's journal, which provides some key information for the other puzzles as well. In typical Exit style, just about every component inside the shrink wrap is used in one way or another.

Location, map, and locked journal

I liked the use of locations, which allowed some non-linear problem solving. The game lets you choose which building to go to first. After all those puzzles are solved, then the players work on a couple of final puzzles that lead to the sheriff's location and the ultimate victory. Each location is its own fold-out page with valuable information on the front and back. The dispersal of clues throughout the other puzzles makes it possible to work on parts of the final solution before getting there, though obviously there's not enough to make the guess before the last puzzle.

As usual, we had one or two puzzles that we needed hints for, though one of them was because we weren't using a card we were supposed to have. We enjoyed it overall quite a lot (especially the name of the sheriff...R. Grimes--maybe we should have left him in that cellar to avoid the zombie apocalypse). A few other little jokes are thrown in. The game was a lot of fun and didn't seem as difficult as the rating states. 

Recommended.

Book Review: How to Destroy Western Civilization by Peter J. Kreeft

How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas from the Cultural Abyss by Peter J. Kreeft

Kreeft provides eighteen essays on the current state of our Western culture from a (mostly) philosophical view. A lot is going on that undermines the basic principles of our society, often in the name of being "tolerant" or "open-minded." The ongoing sexual revolution highlights the shift away from reality-based thinking. Truth and meaning are not found outside of ourselves; we choose them for ourselves. Reality is not something to discover and explore, which would mean that we need to be beholden to it. We need to accept reality and learn from it according to classical and Christian thinking. According to modern thought, we need to dominate, control, and define reality. 

Kreeft's discussion of the problems that arise is very insightful and interesting. He has a very entertaining style and is easy to read, thus making his ideas easy to understand and digest. He uses a lot of common sense, a tool often neglected in modern thinking. Providing solutions and ways to shift back into a better, more realistic way of thinking is refreshing. So many doom and gloom books are about how terrible things are without any sense of a way out. Kreeft does talk about our problems but provides plenty of answers too.

Recommended.

Random Minnesota Stuff 2024

Here's some stuff from our Minnesota trip that didn't make their own post...

We went out for brunch on Father's Day. Across the street was this amazingly large sporting goods store called Scheels. They have a ferris wheel and a fish tank archway! At the end of the trip, our kids rode the wheel.

Indoor ferris wheel

Putting the "aqua" in aqueduct?

Getting off

Next to our hotel for the first night is a large conference center called Earl Brown Heritage Center. The property was originally a family farm. It was bequeathed to a university in hopes that it would become a teaching farm or agricultural extension. The university wasn't interested and sold off the land. It eventually turned into a sprawling conference center that retains some of its farm roots.

Farm-like entrance

Not many farms have fountains

Entrance by the big parking lot

An odd bit of decoration

Questionable blend of farm and electronics

At least they have some livestock wandering around

We went over to Chanhassen to scope out the neighborhood and get dinner at a brew pub. We got their a little late and most of the brew pubs were closed for Sunday afternoon, even though it was Father's Day. 

One claim to fame there is a large dinner theater complex where we wound up having dinner (at their pub, not with a show). After that, we went over to another claim to fame--Prince's Paisley Park Studio. We were too late to get in there, too, so we took some pictures from outside.

The way is blocked!

The studio complex

The next day my father-in-law and I took my son to Concordia Language Village just outside Bemidji, Minnesota. He's studying Spanish so the village (where they spend a month speaking only Spanish) has a hispanic flavor.

Approaching the village

Spanish-language countries?

Checking in

Going to the dorm

The plaza

Main room

Saying farewell for the month

Grandpa and I drove back through Bemidji where we saw a famous site. Northern Minnesota is Paul Bunyon country and they have a famous statue of the giant lumberjack along with his faithful companion, the blue ox Babe. 

I am the shorter one

Not far away is a statue of Chief Bemidji, the native for whom the town got its name. 

The chief and me

On our way back south we stopped at Zappy's Cafe in Akeley. The food was really great but the service was even better. Look at how many tater tots that came with my burger!

A great meal

My wife and I went to have dinner with a cousin in the area. We walked around their neighborhood and took some pictures.

My wife and her cousin

Me and the missus

Playing in the community game room

On the last day, my wife and I had some time to explore on our own. We went to visit the Capitol. In the area is a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The bluff has some Native American burial mounds and educational displays.

Info on the burial mounds

An airplane guidance tower

Another view of the mounds

Nearby is a geocache that requires a ladder! We did not have a ladder.

Can you see it?

Maybe next time

We went to lunch (without the kids) to Yoerg Brewing Company, the oldest beer-maker in Minnesota. They first opened in 1848 (ten years before Minnesota became a state!). They brag about their "cave aged" beers. The current pub serves hundreds of beers from across the world but no IPAs, since you can get those anywhere (at least, that's what the proprietor said). 

Yoerg Brewing Company

I tried a flight of beers while my wife sampled a local root beer.

Five beers in one sitting!

From left to right above, Yoerg's Beer is a steam beer, which is a lager-style that is brewed in heat rather than cold-brewed; Yoerg's Roggenbier is a rye beer with a nice flavor like a hefeweizen; Westmalle's Dubbel is a Belgian-style bock beer with a rich flavor; Gulden Draak's Tripel Dark is a tripel beer (also Belgian) that has an even richer, nutty flavor. Left to right was also my preference for these beers, the tripel was definitely the best of many good drinks.

I had the Austrian kasekrainer (a cheese-filled sausage) and soft pretzel for lunch. Sauerkraut comes as a side along with a pickle and Dusseldorfer mustard.

Yummy

We decided to get dessert since they serve cheesecake made by nuns(!). I picked another beer off their extensive menu, the Doppelbock Oak/Smoke by Brauerei Heller-Trum in Bamberg, Germany. The malt is smoked-kilned with oak wood giving it a smooth and smoky flavor. I am a big fan of Lapsang Suchoong tea (which has a lot of smoky flavor), so this was delightful to me. The cheesecake was good too.

Beer and cheesecake

The whole experience was quite delightful. We will definitely come back here on our next trip.

The quiet interior on a Thursday afternoon