You and the Little Mermaid can both go f**k yourselves!
Posted by Sarah in books, entertainment, geek toys, reviews on Jun 23, 2011 | 0 commentsIt should come as no surprise that listening to This American Life’s Father’s Day episode at work was probably not a great idea. Actually, it wasn’t that bad until they got to a story about a girl whose father was worried about her going to school in New York after the 9/11 attacks. He decided to build her an anti-terrorist attack kit. This grabbed me immediately because it is TOTALLY the kind of thing my dad would have done. She tells the story of him building the kit over a period of time and then having it at school for a couple of years (not opening it) and then – knowing there was $200 inside – she opened it for the cash because she was going overseas. I was crying before she even recited the letter her dad had left inside. Hell, I was choked up before SHE was choked up.
That story was the only story that really punched me in the gut and I felt like I needed to rebound with something funny, so I looked up an episode I’ve heard referenced a couple of times on TAL. The Greatest Phone Message in the World. Go to Buddy Picture and press play. Here’s a hint, it involves my blog post title. Ultimately what’s just as funny as the phone message is the story of the guy and his friend who actually TOLD him about the message and all their interplay during the story. Definitely worth the listen.
I also loved Simon Pegg on The Nerdist podcast this week. He completely bungles a funny Pippa Middleton joke but it’s so charming it stays funny. For laugh out louds, however, you CANNOT BEAT the latest Doug Loves Movies with Jon Hamm, Bill Simmons (sports writer) and Adam Scott (Community). I was laughing so hard at work that some of my colleagues thought I’d sustained brain damage. Note to self: you’re wearing EARBUDS. THEY can’t hear the voices in your head!
Right now I’m relaxing on my deck, enjoying a Pimm’s Cup and this gorgeous weather (photos in Twitter feed to the right). Summer here is absolutely the best summer I’ve ever experienced. Pimm’s Cups make it better. For those drinking along at home:
In a Collins glass about half filled with ice (pint glasses work too),
1 shot Pimm’s liquor (No.1 is what I’m using)
3 shots lemonade
float of 7Up on top
Delicious and super refreshing.
I got up at 3:30 this morning to go to work and let me just tell you that there is only one acceptable reason to be up at 3:30 a.m.- if you’re still up drinking from the night before. My new alarm app (Gentle Alarm, for those who care) is brilliant and doing the best job ever of waking me up (heavy sleeper) without waking the Spouse (very light sleeper). Also nice, Guster’s Bad World as my wake-up call.
While I didn’t love getting up early, it paid off in the amount of additional work I got done and not having to race to meet my deadline. Not only that, it makes Friday a coast day. w00t!
In reading news, I’m on to Little, Big. Chelsea Handler’s My Horizontal Life was good but not great. A few parts made me snort or laugh out loud but I’m mildly disappointed given how hilarious Shane said Are You There Vodka was. I suppose that will have to be my next effort of hers.
Shades of Milk and Honey was something I had on my wishlist and received as an anniversary gift. Great stuff. If you like Austen, I predict a thorough enjoyment of this novel. It’s set in a similar time with similar society but a couple of fantastical elements to set it apart, as well as some interesting characters. Thoroughly enjoyable read, especially for summertime. On a Buy, Rent or Steal rating, I’m going to go with Buy. It’s a book I see myself reading again (much like I do Austen’s work) and a nice comfort read.
Books and ebooks
Posted by Sarah in books, geek toys on Jun 3, 2011 | 0 commentsI’ve got several started on my K3 but as I was cleaning last week, I found three hardcopies that I haven’t read yet. Once upon a time i would have told you there was NO WAY I’d enjoy an e-reader because I love books. I loved the feel, the smell of the pages and all the sounds associated with reading. Now I look at this tiny pile of books (three, actually) and wince. The idea of having to lug one around, keep my place… it’s just a hassle.
It was noticeable last night when I was plowing through Deadline. No hand cramping, no pages lost when I got up to let the dog out. I clicked through those pages so smoothly and quickly that it still impresses me how much they improved since the last gen. All of that is just to say it’s official – the Kindle has utterly converted me away from carrying text and preferring my e-Ink. Technology win.
K3 also gets extra bonus points for currently holding a couple hundred books on it, guaranteeing that I’m NEVER reading something I don’t want to be.
Additionally, I’m considering a new skin for the K3. My netbook skin arrived and has been inspiring (thanks, Decal Girl!).
Deadline (Mira Grant) kicks ass
Posted by Sarah in books, reviews on Jun 1, 2011 | 0 commentsSometimes you read a book and it’s so big and awesome that you’re thrilled to have read it and sad that it’s over. I felt like that about Feed and then I was simultaneously delighted and horrified to find out it was the start of a trilogy. After all, how often to the other books measure up to that initial, amazing, blow-your-mind goodness?
Deadline delivers, in spades. From the start to the kick, it sinks its teeth in (ha! Zombie pun!) and doesn’t let go. The thing that made Georgia awesome – and some more – in Feed makes Shaun awesome and deranged in Deadline. If you’re like me, you were worried about the voice and how it would work out without Georgia. I can safely say you’ll enjoy the result. At the same time it’s a rip-tearing adventure, it’s also a chilling commentary about news, information and who decides which is which – and who should be controlling the flow (or not, as it were). In a time of wikileaks and Net Neutrality, the recent major corporate hack attacks are going to have those who pay off our representatives itching to pull the trigger on half-baked (if well-intentioned) legislation. More than ever, we need to be paying attention to this and speaking loudly about what ‘freedom’ really means. Pretty awesome that you get all that and zombies to boot.
I started Deadline and couldn’t stop clicking until I was done 4 hours later. It’s so good that I got out of bed to post about how awesome it is on the internet. It’s possible I’ve never been so excited about a third book coming out.
Podcasts, books and my DroidX
Posted by Sarah in books, entertainment, geek toys, recommendations, reviews on May 19, 2011 | 1 commentWhen I got my new DroidX, I began soliciting podcast suggestions from my friends. There were a couple of reasons for this: 1. Drive time. I’ve got a good chunk of it. 2. Faster processor. I loved my Eris but it didn’t manage podcasts well. I had previously had podcasts on my Zune, but who really needs a podcast when you’ve got 90 gigs of music, right?
I upgraded the memory card on the DroidX (from the 2 gig it came with to the 8 gig from my Eris, now to a 16 gig class 6) and combined with the 8 gig internal memory, it means way more room for media. Here’s what I’m listening to:
The Bugle. God DAMN is this podcast funny. Sadly, I’ve had a bitch of a time getting it to sync with WinAmp AND DoggCatcher, so I’ve resorted to putting it in my GReader rss feed subscriptions. If you like The Daily Show, you will like this podcast.
this WEEK in TECH. Kind of the standard nerdcast about tech stuff. Interesting, though not necessarily humorous.
Buzz Out Loud. First of two cnet podcasts, this is longer and has a chick on it. I kind of think of this as Attack of the Show, but audio. Frequently good for chuckles.
This American Life. As with the NPR radiocast, it’s hit or miss for me but worth having.
Doug Loves Movies. Dude, this thing makes me laugh out loud in the breakroom so that people give me the crazy eye. If you want to start somewhere, grab the Adam Carolla, Jerry O’Connell and “Bald” Bryan Bishop ep.
The Nerdist. This is an odd tech-but-not-tech, comedy-but-not-comedy podcast. Not a variety show but it tends to have interviews that lurch wildly from topic to topic. Consistently entertaining.
The 404. Oh my god. This is the second cnet podcast, about 30 minutes long and featuring 3 dudes pretty close to my age group because I get ALL their pop culture references. This show slays me, every day. See show 820 for an awesomely hilarious, dystopian version of The Game of Life. I snickered about that ALL DAY.
The Moth. I just added this and I dig it. It’s like short form fiction standup.
Stuff You Missed in History Class. I think the title is self-explanatory and I’m a history nerd.
You’d think there would be a lot of overlap in my tech podcasts but it’s broken up by the different viewpoints. Where Buzz Out Loud was all worked up about the Android unsecured wifi exploit, the 404 guys were like “Uh, isn’t it ALWAYS a bad idea to get on unsecured wifi?” If I could only recommend two, I’d tell you to get The 404 and The Bugle. Number three is Doug Loves Movies.
On to books. According to GoodReads I’m three books ahead of my ’55 books this year’ schedule. Let me clarify, that means 55 books worth telling people about. I read various amounts of crap and sundry that I don’t count against my ‘real’ books goal because I’m not going to talk about them even if you ask me, because they’re crap and sundry. Not even braincandy. So yeah, I’m looking for 55 books I’ll admit to having spent time with and/or provoke enough thought that I want/need/am interested to discuss.
Yesterday I finished Mockingjay, the last book in The Hunger Games trilogy. I know you’ve heard a lot of hype about these books because JESUSwhohasn’t? That said, the hype is well-deserved. I can’t think of a better executed, more ambitious, sweeping, engrossing and engaging series in recent years (and I’m including other series books I LOVE like Chelsea Cain’s Heart series). It’s brutal and honest and awesome and inspiring and discouraging and real. Not only that, each individual book is fucking great. As a series, you’ll finish Mockingjay and then immediately want to start the series over so you can remember what it was like before you lost your innocence. What I’m saying is that if you haven’t read these books, you need to read these books – immediately, if not sooner. Here’s where I give a plug to booklending.com which is where I borrowed Mockingjay and raced through it in about 4 hours. Gripping, y0.
In related news, if you’ve got book and/or podcast suggestions SHARE THEM! I can use all the audio distraction I can GET at work…
Book sidenotes
Posted by Sarah in books, recommendations, reviews on May 10, 2011 | 0 commentsI’ve been reading and not updating, being the bad blogger I am. In the last couple of days though, I read a couple books worth pausing to post about.
1. Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep. This is a series I started because I got book 2 for free on the Kindle. It was so good that I went back and bought book 1. I read that, reread book 2, bought book 3 and and just last week picked up this book (number 4). Suffice it to say the series has been engaging, entertaining and consistently solid. The characters are well-developed, the writing is tight and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep you involved. It’s one of the ONLY series I’ve purchased consistently on the kindle, despite the $7.99 price tag (I tend to be cheap about books that are in paperback, preferring the $5 or less variety). Each book has been more than worth the purchase price, withstands a reread and has me hooked enough to be looking forward to the next title. Highly recommended, even if you’re not a fan of urban fantasy as it’s not too deep in the genre (more like fiction with fantasy elements). If you pick up the first book, I guarantee you’re going to want to read the rest – and I don’t say that lightly. Spider’s Bite (book 1) Web of Lies (book 2) Venom (book 3) Book 5 is due out later this year.
2. The Center of Everything, Laura Moriarty. This was another kindle free/cheap read and as it stands, it’s only a littler more than $5. I nearly loved this. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the first litfic I’ve read to reflect the pop culture references of my generation or because there was a LOT of parallel in Evelyn’s character and me, but it was an engaging and honest coming of age story that left me a little wistful when it was done. I cared enough to want to know what happens to Evelyn next and I immediately wanted to reread the whole thing. It’s been a while since I felt that way upon finishing a book, which made it worth mentioning.
3. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen. I reread this (the first reading was years ago with my book club in Saginaw) and I enjoyed it as much this time as I did the first. Let me start by saying this is not great lit. It’s not. On the other hand, if you’ve ever thought about joining the circus I can just about guarantee you’ll like it. It’s high melodrama (as one might expect in such a dramatic setting) and a couple of love stories and a great vacation from your life for as long as the reading takes. I’m not convinced I want to see the film but this is a thoroughly enjoyable and fun read.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Posted by Sarah in books, recommendations, tv on Apr 5, 2011 | 0 commentsI started watching Battlestar Galactica streaming on Netflix a week or so ago. It’s eaten at least two full Saturdays. It’s been years now since the miniseries launched the reboot but the show is still incredibly timely and deftly told. The character portrayals are complex and the plotlines still politically subversive (though they were definitely moreso during the contrast of the Bush years). I miss TV that good – miss having a show that I couldn’t WAIT to see and didn’t want to DVR, sitting impatiently through the commercials because I wanted to know what happens next RIGHT NOW.
I’m just into Season 3 and now I’m thinking we should buy the series on BluRay because hot DAMN the special effects are still fantastic.
This week is going well at work – the last two weeks have been a fairly light workload and I’m not complaining. I’m hoping to coast gently into my vacation on Friday afternoon and enjoy warmer climes next week.
In reading, The Weird Sisters as well as a mishmash of things I’ve started and stopped. I did see a bunch of things that grabbed my interest today but I’d rather not buy anything until I get caught up on the current Kindleload.
God’s War
Posted by Sarah in books, reviews on Mar 21, 2011 | 0 commentsThis novel is big and intense, albeit slow going at the beginning. When I read Kameron Hurley’s Big Idea post at Whatever, this was the part that grabbed me:
Thing was, Nyx isn’t the sort who likes to be used. So when the inevitable bounty hunter story starts, we are not dealing with bounty hunters as we know them anymore. We’re not in a world we can immediately recognize. The day is nearly thirty hours long. The suns give everybody cancer. Nobody can remember a time without war. Bugs power the world’s technology and make up the primary food source. Magicians build weapons of war. The world is a contaminated ruin, and most folks die young.
But it’s a world of intensely passionate and powerful people, the kind of people we imagine could be great heroes, avengers. Or monsters.
That’s what God’s War is about. A world at war. The people who police it. The joy and terror and fear and awe of living on after the end of the apocalypse, when everybody says the world has ended… when the war has just begun.
I dug the idea of it being based on Assyrian law and generations-long wars and their impact on a society that’s so far removed (and yet at the same time, not so far) from our own. Hurley does a great job of establishing atmosphere and dropping you into wholesale (bumps, bruises and disorientation) into her planet. As I said before, it starts slow and part of that is getting your bearings but once you’re oriented it takes off. You get pulled in to the cultural conflict and character backstory and complicated political agendas – not to mention casual, not-so-casual violence.
Part of the reason I found it so engrossing is that it’s not so entirely foreign that you can’t imagine how a society gets there. The violence and consequence are nothing less than biblical and if, like me, you grew up trying to sort out the contradiction of the Old vs. New Testament this makes a compelling read. Other than the bug tech and casual interaction with aliens, there are parts of the world where this kind of bloody, destructive action and generational war/hatred goes on today. It’s a view on violence and its impact on how people function that you don’t always see in fiction and makes you re-evaluate the news you’re watching. Smart, engaging fiction. Hard to beat.
Success, tentatively
Posted by Sarah in books, food, geek toys, links, movies, music, reviews, travel on Mar 20, 2011 | 4 commentsI’ve been feeling a weird generalized anxiety lately. I’m not sure what it’s about, but I can tell you that watching the Sunday morning newshows doesn’t help. Lindsay Graham has the singular ability to jack my blood pressure into the roof.
Checking the LJ and rss feeds shows that my journal import has NOT in fact crippled the flist/feed. I’m really glad because it means all my yoga posts have returned. Now if only I could figure out what I was using to crosspost to wordpress.com, it would be amazing to have the same backup but I guess I can widgetize an alternative.
My only weird consequence is categories. I suddenly have a bajillion more categories than I’ve been using since the blog reboot and I haven’t sufficiently researched a way to condense them. Instead I’ve treed them under the reboot categories and just disabled the drop-downs so as not to clutter the page. Yay for tag clouds!
I’m reading God’s War by Kameron Hurley, which I first heard about in a Scalzi Big Idea post. As soon as I read that entry, I thought ‘That sounds awesome.’ Alas, when I went to add it to my Kindle wishlist, it wasn’t available in format. Insert frownyface. So imagine my delight when Books on the Knob announced that Nightshade was giving free ebook copies for a book club! I haven’t used calibre in a while, so I re-downloaded/installed and when the e copy arrived I converted it. So far I’m enjoying it as much as I hoped I would.
Speaking of enjoyment and Scalzi (I kind of was, right?) he gave up Coke Zero for Lent and I’m pretty sure it was the picture in that post which convinced me to try Coke Zero. No lie, it’s delicious. So I guess I’m going to take up Scalzi’s Coke Zero consumption for Lent and make sure Coca-Cola doesn’t lose any market share.
In Netflix movie news, I watched Chloe last week and I really enjoyed it. Not your typical psychological thriller but pretty fantastic nonetheless, with stunning performances all around. 4.5 of 5 stars
Last night we watched The Social Network (which means we might be the last people, ever) and I enjoyed it more than I expected. In fact, I found the Zuckerberg character to be kind of hilarious and Eduardo – I’m pretty sure he was intended to be sympathetic – to be a bit smarmy. After all, it cannot POSSIBLY be in dispute that had Zuckerberg NOT gone to Cali and hooked up with Sean Parker there is no chance Facebook would be what it is today. Also, Winklevi = fail. Especially given that you settled for $65 mil and then sued AGAIN because $30+ mil A PIECE wasn’t ENOUGH? REALLY. All the win goes to Zuckerberg and I hope to Christmas his depositions were in fact that awesome because those scenes SLAYED me.
Unrelated, we watched Zach Galifinakis host SNL and it was funnier than I’ve seen it in a while. The musical act was a bit odd, so I googled/youtubed and was pleasantly surprised to find Jessie J has a great voice. I’m a bit sad that I’ve missed out this long probably because I don’t listen to popular radio but her album drops next month and I’ll definitely be picking it up.
NOLA is quickly approaching and I am EXCITED. Not just because I’ll get to wear shorts and blind the local population with my reflective fishbelly white skin but because FOOD. Food, y’all. It might as well be the sole reason I travel.
Books, TV
Posted by Sarah in books, reviews, tv on Jan 23, 2011 | 2 commentsI’m trying to clean up my “reading” folder on the Kindle – books I’ve paid for but haven’t gotten to yet or, in several cases, books I started but haven’t finished for a bunch of reasons. This is separate, by the way, from the “to read” folder which is chock full of books I’ve gotten for free (107, to be exact) that I’m planning to read or will languish indefinitely because, yanno, FREE.
Yesterday I finished Laura Anne Gilman’s Hard Magic. I’ve had a hard time getting into Gilman’s other series books and this wasn’t much different. I’d started it on a couple of other occasions and then went away from it before I’d gotten more than a third through it (twice).
It was a metric asston of worldbuilding and some character work (at least on the main character) and the explanation of method and practice of magic was painstaking to the point of near-painful. Alas, that’s pretty much all it felt like. In comparison, the plot which was supposedly the jumpstarter for the book felt stalled through much of it and then was seemingly resolved in a couple of pages which left me ultimately unsatisfied. 3/5 stars
I actually waited a day to write the review on this because I thought maybe I was harshing the story unnecessarily. To me it just felt unfinished. Maybe that’s the goal of writing a series? For me, it doesn’t work (which is maybe why I’ve had trouble with her other books). This was thrown into sharp relief by the book I read next.
Spider’s Bite by Jennifer Estep. To preface, I read the third book in the series first. Venom was a Kindle freebie and sounded up my alley, and I could have SWORN I actually reviewed it somewhere but I can’t find evidence to support that hypothesis. Venom was great – a solid introduction to a world the author clearly inhabited, nice worldbuilding, great characters, great story. It was a full and satisfying read and I didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not having read the first two books. How often can you say THAT?
This week I decided to correct the timeline and go back to read the first book. THIS is what solidified my opinion about the Gilman book. It’s the same thing as the third book: full and satisfying read. It’s a fantastic introduction to the narrative – though after reading the third book without context, it was just as good – and the characters all have serious motivations, real problems and consequences for their actions. On top of that, it was a fantastic plot. It’s more than that, though – just like the third book, it felt like the author stretched out, pushed the plot to all the edges, so that even though it’s part of a series it’s a worthwhile standalone read. 4/5 stars to both books
If you’re looking for a new series that’s got plenty of action and lots of convoluted intrigue, Estep’s Elemental Assassin series is what you’re looking for. I’ve got the second book on deck already.
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Unrelated, this week marked the series finale of Medium.
Spouse hates the show – hated the show – so I recorded it and watched it while he was doing other things. First of all, I can’t believe it was 7 seasons already. While I wouldn’t claim the writing was stellar or especially groundbreaking, it was consistently entertaining. Even the more preposterous episodes did SOMETHING to redeem them (not the least, Maria Lark as Bridgette DuBois). It was a mishmash of urban fantasy, mystery and crime procedural but it managed to make every episode heartfelt and enjoyable. While some of the plotlines were predictable, they frequently employed very convincing herrings and kept each episode a fun puzzle to watch. The finale was no different and I’m not going to lie, I cried like a baby. I’ll miss that show. Well done, writers.
Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
Posted by Sarah in books, reviews on Jan 9, 2011 | 1 commentI’d wanted to read this book for some time (it came out in 2005) and finally got to it this year. Given that it’s more than 5 years old, there’s a film and a wiki entry talks about a major plot point – which also comes up quite early in the book – I don’t think it’s a spoiler to mention the book deals with the subject of cloning.
From a style standpoint, it’s a languid and conversational read – almost as though you’re browsing someone’s journal. It works well in this case because the point is for the entire story to be shifting and subjective.
During my med ethics class, we had really interesting and unresolved conversations about the Human Genome project and what its implications would be – including organ donation. This novel doesn’t talk about science at all, which is important to how the story unfolds. While their ‘purpose’ is not kept secret from the students, it’s also not widely discussed as they’re growing up. Their private school environment is sheltering and fostering and, as they age, their gradual shift to society seems no less so. As the end of the book unfolds, it prompts more questions rather than less as the students find out the true nature of their upbringing and the things that set them apart.
4 of 5 stars
Freedom, redux
Posted by Sarah in books, reviews on Jan 6, 2011 | 0 commentsA friend of mine bought me Freedom (latest Franzen novel) for Xmas and tonight I had a chance to talk with her about it. I basically reiterated what I’ve already said here, but something jelled for me while I was talking to her. This was his mid-life crisis novel. Bear with me:
The guy in the book is largely passive and, in fact, suffers a bit of a midlife crisis. The woman in the book – the only strong female character, by the way – is essentially a dude: a jock, few if any female friends, no ‘traditional’ female qualities save a desire to stay home with the kids, and that doesn’t really feel like her desire so much as a lack of other options. The son is the other strong character in the book – someone who has little to no interaction with his parents and no discernible family connect with the possible exception of his sister (who is barely in the book). The kid is absorbed in doing what he wants to do, thinks his parents don’t understand him (they don’t) and expects them to more or less support him while he takes advantage of people and lives up to no one’s expectations.
What finally registered for me when I talked to T tonight, though, was the point of view. For that matter, the point of view of all the reviewers who are convinced that Franzen, through this book, is the second coming of Christ. I’d imagine they’re mostly in Franzen’s age group. Franzen’s age group coincides roughly with my parents. My parents had a hard time understanding the internet. There are absolutely things my parents had a hard time understanding about me – it’s called a generational gap. Exacerbated by technology and pop culture. We all have them.
This is the book my PARENTS would identify with because, to me, Franzen’s talking about this technological divide from the other side of it. One of his characters says something about how it’s SO DIFFERENT that the older character in the book learned to use email in college while they, the younger person, learned to use it ON THEIR PHONE. One: it’s not that different except that Two: email is virtually obsolete in this reference. His characters don’t come across as genuine because, other than poor impulse control, their actions/processes don’t FEEL genuine. I think this is because his ‘parent’ characters are so far removed from my own experience (personally, as well as someone who is friends with their parents) and his younger characters don’t resonate because they’re a picture that he mashed up from Jersey Shore episodes and Republican rhetoric.
For those reasons, a lot of his ‘commentary’ didn’t ring true. It didn’t leave me thinking except to wonder about what the hoopla was all about. I maintain my original premise – we’re all fucked up, we all make decisions, we all live with the consequences. His overarching theme about compromise or how compromise fails didn’t jibe for me and still doesn’t. It’s like he wrote the book from opposing premises using the wife and the husband (albeit in EXACTLY THE SAME VOICE) and then just threw in the son as a foil to show how much none of them knew each other.
It’s not a bad book, it’s just not as good as everyone would have you believe. Now I’ll probably have to dig up some book conversation to see if someone can point out what I’m missing.
Sick day
Posted by Sarah in books, movies, music, tv on Jan 4, 2011 | 0 commentsI woke up feeling like crap more severe than the fending-off -cold kind that I’ve been battling. Since everyone and their cousin at work has strep throat (who gets strep when they’re an ADULT for cripes sake?) I’m going to go to the doctor today.
The lousy thing about sick days is crap tv. I mean, there are other things I’ll do besides crap tv, but then when you stumble across something good – as I just did – you’re halfway through it before you found it and there’s no way you’ll find a repeat precisely because you’re home for the day. I Capture The Castle is on, a lovely and tremendous film with a fantastic story and terrible decisions and brilliant acting. Alas, it’s halfway over already and I don’t own it on DVD. Probably I should read the book but given I’ve 20 books on the Kindle that I’ve actually bought but HAVEN’T read yet, that’s not in the works.It’s kind of surprising, actually, that I haven’t read the book.
When I enjoy a film based on a book and haven’t read it (rarity), I usually pick it up. I think maybe because I enjoy this film so much I don’t want another version of it in my head. Ditto The Princess Bride. Hrm. That’s probably a pretty short list if I put any more thought into it.
I did get to watch last night’s Castle which, as per usual, was great. Funny and sharp, plus a surprise with the actress playing Nikki Heat – not who’s playing her but the direction the episode took. The finale (finale? mid-season finale? when the F is it on regularly now anyhow?) of The Closer was good as well. I’m always impressed by Kyra Sedgwick and Jon Tenney. I was less impressed with Tenney (through no fault of his own) in Legion, which was dreadful.
Yesterday’s drive time was consumed by The Metropolis Symphony. I love it. It’s simultaneously engaging and comic- in the graphic sense, not humor – and energetic storytelling though music where lyrics are rendered obsolete. Fantastic. That’s another great find thanks to NPR.
Added a tumblr feed to the blog (in the right column) so there may be bits and snatches that appear there and nowhere else (of late, quotes).
For now, I think a nap is necessary before a call to the doc.
Firsts of the Year
Posted by Sarah in books, movies, reviews on Jan 2, 2011 | 0 commentsFirst novel finished:
Freedom, Jonathan Franzen
(from my review at Goodreads) I’m not entirely sure why there was so much hype surrounding this particular book – maybe there are people who recognize characters in it. For me, it was a caricature of the American family – the kind of American family, in fact, that the Republicans would try to convince you we’re all becoming.
The problem with trying to make a sweeping commentary on our culture is that you’re invariably going to miss. In this case, it was an enjoyable read but nothing earth-shattering or shockingly profound. The moral of the story is that we’re all fucked up. We all make bad choices. We all live with the consequences. Plenty of writers have done better work with this in less pages.
Incidentally, I can see why the FranzenFreude started – Picoult and Weiner have both written more engaging and compelling works (If you haven’t read Good In Bed, you SHOULD) to much less acclaim.
*shrug*
First film:
Ondine
I’d read mixed reviews of this and while Spouse was wrapped up in Bowl games yesterday I watched it on Netflix streaming. 1. It’s odd to hear Colin Farrell with his native accent 2. This was a charming – but shouldn’t have been charming film.
It’s listed as sci-fi but it reminds me more of the work of Alice Hoffman – real but with fantastical elements that add to the story. No surprise, then, that I kind of loved it. A fisherman finds a woman in his net. She brings him luck by singing the fish into his boat and his sickly daughter concludes the woman is a Selkie and works to keep her.
It’s a lovely and delicate film with a satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.
Top 10 (Book Edition)
Posted by Sarah in books, reviews on Jan 1, 2011 | 0 commentsIn 2010 I read probably 70 books and some of them were utter crap. Plenty were good, but this is the list of books I recommended the most:
1. The City and The City, China Mieville
I got this first on audiobook and loved it so much I got it on my Kindle. While I can’t say I’m a huge Mieville fan, this book is super accessible – a sci-fi-ish conundrum wrapped in an old fashioned Cold War-ish hard-boiled detective fiction. I have literally recommended this book to everyone I know – sci fi fan or not.
2. Feed, Mira Grant
Yeah, this is the book I recommended second most to every single person who asked for book recommendations this year. It was a little slow to grab me in the beginning, but once it took hold it was a screaming, heart-pounding ride. I loved the (different) take on zombie apocalypse and the effects on US culture (pop or otherwise). I read World War Z after this and it paled in comparison. When I say heart-pounding, I’m not exaggerating. At the climax of the book, I actually noticed the fierce thumping in my chest. It’s that fucking good.
3. the Heart series, Chelsea Cain (Heart Sick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart)
If you like mystery and crime fiction, you’ve probably gotten to these already. If you even have a passing interest in the genre, or didn’t like the Stieg Larsson books, READ THESE. This is an amazing series that features an awesome sociopathic villain and deals with the emotional fallout of the detective who caught her. That’s right, HER. And she’s incredible. Not only that, Archie is incredible. Intensely broken, aware of it and attempting to function (and not) in the only ways he can. As the series unfolds, it gets even more crazy/fantastic/awesome. The third book, Evil at Heart, BLEW MY MIND. Cain keeps finding depths and intensity you wouldn’t expect and I read all three books within 48 hours or something equally absurd.
4. The Lady Julia Grey Bundle, Deanna Raybourn
Another cheat (kinda) as it’s three books I got on my Kindle. I’m not a fan of regency or romance, especially. These books are more regency mystery with a dash of romance and they were FANTASTIC. The characters and stories were great, the mysteries weren’t hackneyed and they were a really fun read. Another batch that I read in rapid succession because I enjoyed them so damn much. Think Sarah Tolerance mysteries by Madeline Robins and you wouldn’t be far off the mark. (More Sarah Tolerance books, please!)
5. The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Probably the most controversial book I read this year – see Cat Valente’s excellent dissection of problematic elements over on her livejournal. I’m going to preface this with the fact that I’d been working around picking this book up all year but the first three paragraphs of this post made me buy it and read it immediately. Read the book before you read her post. There are a lot of things she says that I agree with, but there is a commenter – way at the end of the list – I agreed with more. This is an interesting story told by Death during WWII. Death seems to focus on the experience of this one little girl – and its interactions with her – because it can’t focus on the vast horrors humanity was ravaging upon itself. To me it came across as a novel about life, about death and about how the little things we do change us in ways we don’t expect and the big things we do, while so much bigger than ourselves, are still sometimes not so much. It’s about how politics and fear change the way we look at our neighbors and ourselves and that we still have to live with ourselves at the end of the day. It’s worth a read, whether you hate it or not.
6. Mind Games, Carolyn Crane
This book (I gave it 4 of 5 stars) makes it on the list because it has a different take on urban fantasy than I’ve seen before. It w as a good read, not cookie cutter and created an interesting set of problems that aren’t easily solved. The hallmark of a great genre book, in my opinion.
7. East of Eden, John Steinbeck
I know there are plenty of people who love Steinbeck but I’m not one of them. I read this because it was part of a GoodReads reading group and I’m really glad I read it. You don’t hear the words ‘timeless’ accurately applied to a lot of things, but that is what this novel is. Set in a different – and not so different – time, the economic challenges will resonate with anyone who’s paying bills these days. The convoluted family dynamic is also nothing strange to anyone with complicated relations. Sweeping and expansive and surprisingly modern. If you’ve never read it – or if it’s been years – pick it up.
8. The Apprentice, Tess Gerritson
You may have seen the shockingly terrible Rizzoli and Isles TV show. The pilot and a couple of episodes were based on the first book in the series (which was really not good) and this book – a solid procedural with interesting characters. While some of it was a bit heavy handed, I really enjoyed this read. It may say something, however, that I haven’t picked up the next in the series.
9. World War Z, Max Brooks
This is a solid book. If I hadn’t read Feed first, I might have enjoyed it more. The interview-style writing and short vignettes were interesting and covered far more personal experience (as a self-billed Oral History should, I guess) but I was left with the sense that something was… lacking.
10. The Passage, Justin Cronin
Possibly the most overrated book of the year. Not that it wasn’t a good book, because it IS, but because if I’d known it was part of a series I’d never have picked it up. Actually, having read it, it’s a good book but I still won’t pick up the next in the series. It did a great job of creating a post-vampire-apocalypse culture and I think it succeeded where WWZ failed. On the other hand, GD some of it was SLOW GOING. There were pages where I was like REALLY? THIS IS WHAT WE’RE DOING? There are interesting characters and complicated challenges and slightly unrealistic cultural resets in a very short timeframe, but at the end it was a pretty satisfying read. There was some cryptic supposed cliffhanger that didn’t feel like much of a cliffhanger (though it’s cryptic enough that I still don’t know WTF it means, though I won’t buy the next book to find out) but it was a good book. I just reread this and realized it’s not the most glowing endorsement ever but I really did like it, I swear.
Books I wanted to read in 2010 that I’ll get to in 20eleventy:
The Windup Girl (already on my K3)
The Autobiography of Mark Twain
Never Let Me Go (already on my K3)
Matterhorn
Dreadnought (already started)
Kraken
Juliet, Naked
Territory
Freedom (hardcover gift for Xmas)
any of the 150 free books I have lingering on my Kindle
(edit: Anyone who wants to exchange email addresses for Kindle loaning purposes, let me know!)
Post-holiday weekend ennui
Posted by Sarah in books, geek toys, movies, tv on Dec 28, 2010 | 0 commentsI suspect it will lead to a series of top 10 posts.
I’m thinking Top 10 books I read this year, Top 10 albums I listened to, Top 10 films I watched, Top 10 gadgets Top 10 TV shows. I know. Scintillating.
In the meantime, Dave’s dog is howling in my face which makes me think I should go to bed.
Mom has probably landed safely in Detroit (my phone is upstairs) and tomorrow is Hump Day. Saturday begins a new year! Isn’t there something about a year that starts on a weekend being lucky?
No? Fuck it. I say it will be.
