Reviews by Ayame

This book is about trilobites...obviously. However, it also tells the story of the fossil-finders. The reader will learn a lot about trilobites and the world they once inhabited. It's a surprisingly engaging book and the author has a light touch and a sense of humor.

The first time I heard this, it was on a cassette tape and I was in college back in the 90's. The songs are simply tasty, candy-coated fun. The lyrics evoke the fun of falling in love and the music made me want to dance. It's really beautiful and had a huge effect on me as an artist.

We got this as an "Easter" gift and my kids really love it. The story is pretty entertaining and has a good lesson about sharing. This is really timely for us here, because my kids are always saying "Mine, mine, mine." The songs are cute and Elmo is really extra cute in this story. There are a lot of creative and fun creatures in the story, too. :)

Sean Spencer pretends to be a psychic for the Santa Barbara Police Department. He pulls it off not by actually being a psychic, but through his excellent observational skills and help from his partner, Gus, and help from his ex-cop father.

Sean Spencer is hilarious. He's a slacker who fell into the psychic gig by accident and he plays it up wonderfully. He pretends to have visions, impersonates people and breaks every rule in the book to solve his cases. He teases, tweaks authority figures and is rather childish nearly all the time.

His partner, Gus, goes along with some of Sean's antics, but he's more grounded than Sean. He actually has a real job, for example. Sean is a great foil for Detective Lassiter, who is rather uptight and by the book.

The comedy in this series and the skeptical nature towards all kinds of "hocus pocus" and "woo woo" are what really make this show shine. I've laughed out loud at many of Sean's performances. Lassiter, who is so uptight, is funny to watch being tweaked by Sean. I love how Sean uses people's desire to believe in ghosts and other supernatural phenomena to further his goals in solving cases.

It's a unique show and worth watching. Sean's relationship with his dad is very funny, too. Check it out! :)

This is the first book in the very long Foreigner series. This book introduces the reader to the world of the atevi and the humans who have settled on the atevi world. The atevi look like us in many ways, but it is a mistake to believe that they think like us. Most of the book is told through the eyes of the translator, Bren. His job is to keep peace between the humans and the atevi.

The intrigue and the alien civilization presented here are simply wonderful. The atevi do not have friends. They do not love. Their emotions are based on associations and man'chi. Assassination is a legal recourse for the atevi, and Bren finds himself attacked early on in the novel, setting the story in motion.

If you enjoy stories about alien civilizations and how humans react and deal with aliens, you'll love the book. It's full of great characters and the atevi, despite not understanding the concept of "liking" someone, are completely likable and lovable in their own, strange way.

Cherryh is great at drawing you into a completely alien world and making it feel very real. Absolutely wonderful.

I've read the next two in the series, too, and they do not disappoint.

This cartoon sadly only aired for two seasons, but they are two very funny seasons. This show plays on all kinds of pop culture and anime references. It's not only fun to catch the references, it's also fun to watch Coop destroy things and accidentally save the day with his giant robot.

The character dynamics between Coop, Jamie and Kiva are really funny and some of the flashback sequences where Coop relives the past are excellent too. What was Cartoon Network thinking to cancel this show? It's too good for them, I guess. ;)

I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I got it for my daughter who is Barbie-crazy and watched it with her and my son.

The songs in the movie are fun and catchy. The characters that are "played" by Barbie, the princess and the pauper, are both strong women who understand responsibility and who are able to make their own choices.

I think that this movie is a good one for girls to watch because it shows female characters who are smart, self-reliant and fun. I like my son to see women who aren't just stereotypes, and he likes the animation and music, too.

The cats, Serafina and Wolfy are cute and add some comic moments to the film. One of the best parts is Martin Short. Short is the voice talent for the villain, Preminger. His song "How Can I Refuse?" is really excellent and fun to listen to over and over, as I have (my daughter has the soundtrack, too.)

This book helped make sense of something that I always thought of as a mystery: Why did Oscar Wilde sue Queensbury for libel when he was sure to lose? Why risk being sent to prison for being a "sodomite"?

This book delves into the "secret life" of Oscar Wilde and holds nothing back. Oscar's sexual double life is examined unflinchingly and reveals much about not only Oscar's life, but also his work.

I really enjoyed the way that his relationship with Bosie was portrayed. Previously, I have read that it was nothing but a poisonous relationship, and while it had its dark times, McKenna reveals how much love the two of them really felt for one another.

After reading this book, I felt that Oscar's life was less of a tragedy, and more of an adventure.

This book is not for homophobes or anyone who is easily upset about frank discussions of sexuality.

There is also a very interesting part about the Prime Minister, Roseberry.

This show is simply amazing. I have learned quite a bit from it, ranging on topics as different as gun control, drugs, manners and religion. The show is very irreverent and really tries to tackle the truth.

If you can't handle things like religious icons being attacked, skip those shows and watch Penn and Teller's take on conspiracies, political correctness and sex, instead.

It's a very eye opening show and seems well researched. It's a lot of fun and you'll learn a lot.

An added bonus, is that if you're an atheist, like myself, it's nice to see some atheist celebrities taking on some very "sacred cows" so to speak.

Love this show!

This was one of the best movies I've seen all year. I took my daughter to see it and she was captivated. She even got up in the theatre and danced around like the penguins. (It was a very empty theatre on Christmas Day, thankfully!)

I loved how the film could work on very many levels. I've read other reviews, and just about everyone who's written about this seems to have their own perspective on the movie. I think that's what works best about it. There are a lot of ways you can look at the theme of the movie.

I think the movie is mostly about how one person can really make a difference if they are not afraid to do what they do best. Mumble's gift is dancing and by not being afraid to use that gift, he changes life for all of the penguins. I think this movie is inspiring and great for kids to watch. A lot of people think that what they do doesn't matter, but everyone can make a difference, like Mumble does in this movie. :)