The Literate Kitty

A storybook romance, a fairytale wedding, a perfect marriage... such things fill the hopes and dreams of romantics (and eternal optimists) everywhere. Is it actually possible for that sort of idyllic union to exist, though, when two separate individuals are involved, each bringing his or her own beliefs, attitudes, habits, and other little idiosyncrasies to the partnership... any (or all) of which can grate on the other person’s very last nerve?  For a realist (okay, and something-of-a-pessimist) like myself, the answer is an unequivocal “no”; there's no eternal state of bliss, no truly happily-ever-after... just a vague hope that the good times might somehow outweigh the bad. Because, oh, there are so many things that can go wrong--terribly, horribly, awfully, tragically wrong--as author Gillian Flynn brilliantly illustrates in her latest tour de force, Gone Girl . ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ / ~ It should have been such a happy occasion for Nick and Amy Dunne--celebra...

(With smiles and tears...) You made me laugh. You showed that kindness and grace have nothing to do with a fancy background... but everything to do with heart. You were curious about--and interested in--everything. You endured so much pain, so many disappoinments... yet you never lost your joy.  You made me want to be a better “me”, to live up to you. :) Happy Father's Day, Daddy.  Your little girl still misses you. Every day. xoxo

While (not-so-valiantly) battling through one of those especially-nasty, lingering cold-and-flu thingies a few months ago, I thought--not for the first time--how awesome life would be if only someone were to finally come up with an effective cure for the accursed ailment... not another useless “remedy”, but something that would either stop the stupid virus in its tracks or plain render us immune. And then I remembered the zombies... and promptly squashed my little daydream dead. (Hiking up my big-girl panties and toughing it out suddenly gained a whole lot of appeal, even if it meant "sleeping" upright on the sofa for three weeks straight.) If you’re saying, “Wait... what? ”, right now, hie yourself on over to these two reviews before reading any further:  here  and  here . Otherwise, it’s time for the thrilling conclusion to acclaimed sci-fi author Mira Grant’s zombie-riffic “Newsflesh” trilogy, Blackout .  ☠ ~ ☠ ~ ☠ ~ ☠   When last we left...