| 29. August: Osage County by Tracy Letts (138 pages) |
[20 Jul 2008|12:54am] |
This is quite possible the best play I've read all year, if not the best play I've EVER read. It went beyond my expectations and then some. I recently borrowed it from a roommate on a whim, and I was greatly impressed.
The dialogue is written with a skill I haven't had the privilege to witness in some time, and each and ever character is genuinely compelling. I was reminded of my own (slightly) dysfunctional childhood in the South, and the play truly spoke to me.
I would love to see it in production, or better yet, to work on it.
5/5
6,113/15,000 = 40.75% of the pages
29/50 = 58% of the books
54.52% of the way through the year
|
|
| So, tell me how you feel without your medicine. |
[20 Jul 2008|07:55am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 lolololol |
] |
| [ |
music |
| |
Ryan Adams // Do Miss America |
] |
So apparently Ryan Adams "stole" from Frances Bean's trust fund? LOLOMGWHUT?
It is too early for my brain to comprehend such craziness. Oh, Courtney. :(
does that makje youf eel like a big man ? stealing from a suicide? A MARTYRED HERO? ... as God Is My Witness Ryan you will pay back every fucking penny of this. 858,000 dollars for Rock n Roll ? wow you were living large- most people reading this dont even know what record or even artist im referring to , as your just this cult americana wanna be dylan thing-
still shooting smack? hows that going for you? BRB lolling.
Damn, this makes me want to put Rock N Roll on repeat, and I don't even like that album.
edit: According-to-Courtney Ed Norton hates Ryan Adams. Boy, is that going to cause some trouble when we get married. (And whatever, they totally bonded over sex with CLove -of COURSE Ryan slept with her, that I would believe- and Black Flag.)
edit2: Great. Now I'm reading all the lyrics with a Courtney Love/Kurt Cobain slant. DAMN YOU.
edit3: Ugh, I've known this for years but ONTD comments are so depressing. "Whoreswhorewhores" everywhere. :/
edit4: I would (will) die laughing if (when) Ryan replies to Courtney. Blog Wars '08!
|
|
| why so serious |
[20 Jul 2008|02:09pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 okay |
] |
| [ |
music |
| |
Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard - A Dark Knight |
] |
I realise this is my fourth consecutive Batman-related post. *becomes boring*
I feel like making another post writing about all the things I loved about the movie but uh no time, no words etc. So will just share this ad I found in GQ. I saw it in Vanity Fair as well, but I wasn't about to buy a magazine for one advertisment haha.
Wham bam comes Bruce Wayne's wardrobe -- single-breasted, three-buttoned suits in a variety of fabrics, single-breasted tuxedos and black wool coats, all with an air of ultra-luxury that heights the contrast of the tale: no one knows this gentleman is also involved in a conflict with a world of grit. "Bruce Wayne is a sophisticated and successful man, and he is very wealthy," says Armani. "He is used to the best things in life and his clothes needs to reflect this. Bruce Wayne as a made-to-measure customer is demonstrating his credentials as a connoisseur."
|
|
| 60, 61, 62 |
[19 Jul 2008|07:35pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 lazy |
] |
The Dracula Dossier - (7/19) - James Reese 343p
The Dracula Dossier (published in October 2008) answers the age old question: Who was Jack the Ripper? And what if he were acquainted with Bram Stoker? 120 years after the brutal Whitechapel murders, James Reese posits a theory as to the reason behind them. The first half of the book reads like a biography of Bram Stoker. The Dracula Dossier is written in the same style as Dracula, told through letters, journal entries and newspaper clippings. Reese excellently captures the mood of the late 1800's in his writing and with the amount of detail woven into the letters and journal entries. He skillfully creates an atmosphere that kept me turning the pages for more. At about the mid-way point, the Jack the Ripper aspect of the book really came into play. What Reese has done brilliantly is to weave the facts with his fiction. The known information of the Jack the Ripper case is used and events explained as Reese's Stoker experienced them. He puts forth an imaginative theory. Unfortunately, for me it just didn't work. Without a spoiler, Reese suggests a super-natural aspect to the "Ripper." Though the writing is great and the theory interesting, it just didn't work for me and I really struggled to finish the book. This crossroads of the story took a book that was rich in historical detail and accuracy, and turned it into a dark fantasy, which ultimately left me disappointed. It was a great idea, with a fascinating start. I wish it had taken a different turn. The first half gets a 5 the second half a 1, giving this book a 2.5/5 61. Key Witch - (7/12) - Robert Tacoma 217p The third book in the "Keys" series. Fun. 60. New Moon - (7/9) - Stephenie Meyer 565p
My complete 2008 list can be found here
|
|
| Almost there!!! |
[19 Jul 2008|03:50pm] |
(x-posted to ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) 50bookchallenge, 15000pages, 100ormorebooks)
I did it!!! Well, at least *one* of the goals, so far...
43.) The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch - 176 pgs
This book has been said to have a lot of cliches in it, but I think it did what it set out to do - provide a good, solid look at one man's life-lessons he'd like to share with his kids, since he won't be around to teach them himself. This lecture was done about a month after he was given 3-6 months to live (pancreatic cancer). I loved it, laughed in some areas, cried in others. I highly recommend it.
44.) Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay - 288 pgs
The first book of a 4 book (so far) series, on which the TV show is based. I watched the first season, and have yet to see the second, but I really felt I got a lot more out of the book that I didn't get in the series. Although I think they got the *perfect* actor to play Dexter.
45.) Dearly Devoted Dexter, by Jeff LIndsay - 292 pgs
Book #2 in the series. A truly terrifying serial killer out there, and even Dexter's Dark Passenger feels a little insignificant in his shadow. Fascinating reading!
And on to #46 - Dexter in the Dark (320 pgs). Unfortunately, somehow I got the large print one, and I feel like it's SCREAMING AT ME!!! But hopefully, I'll get used to it.
( Stats )</div></a> 45 / 50 books. 90% done!
Page Count: 15340 / 15000 pages. 102% done!
Day Count: 201 / 366 days. 55% done!</div>
|
|
| Book # 39 |
[19 Jul 2008|03:44pm] |
Book Title: Cold Fire
Author: Tamora Pierce
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: A +
Short description/summary of the book: Daja and Frostpine expect to spend some peaceful weeks with old friends in Namorn. But things begin to go awry as soon as they arrive. First Daja discovers their hosts'' twin daughters are mages. Then mysterious fires begin to blaze across the frigid city. Daja works with Bennat Ladradun to locate what seems to be a serial arsonist. Daja''s magic saves the city from going up in flames, but nothing and nobody can save her the disappointment of learning the arsonist is someone close to her own heart.
My Thoughts: One of my re-reads for the year an an excellent book!
39 / 50 words. 78% done!
12249 / 15000 words. 82% done!
|
|
| Books 17 & 18 |
[19 Jul 2008|12:18pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 pleased |
] |
Book 17: John Adams by David McCullough. This was a well-written book that I enjoyed reading quite a bit. A number of the specific details dealing with politics went over my head, but overall I found it a great read. I did have trouble "translating" the older-style of English that was used not only in the writing, but in the excerpts of letters that were written by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abigail Adams, and the various other people who floated in and out of the life of John Adams. However, that was part of the fun of reading it.
As much as I enjoyed reading it, though, I am so thankful that I can say that I'm done with it. I moved from that one into a much easier read.
Book 18: Murder of a Chocolate-Covered Cherry by Denise Swanson. I love the Scumble River Mystery series. They're wonderfully-told stories with all kinds of humor mixed into places that are (altogether) rather unexepected. I thoroughly enjoyed this and found it to be a relief after having spent 2 weeks straight (pretty much) having my brain work overtime to read and understand John Adams. :)
|
|
| Run to the lights of the city, these moments pass and we'll be there. |
[19 Jul 2008|07:21pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
bemused |
] |
| [ |
music |
| |
Cut Copy // Strangers In The Wind |
] |
found through ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jacinthsong's del.icio.us.
It's the middle of the night. You're Christian Bale in Rome and you can't sleep. [...] so you get up and decide to walk around the streets at 3am, because hey, that's what people do when they can't sleep right?
So, you are walking and there is only one other person walking the streets. You notice them, but move on, because hey, its 3am, what would another guy be doing walking the streets of Rome at 3am.
The next night Christian has the same problem and so goes wandering again. Again, he spots the guy from last night, but Christian, being the warm and friendly guy he is, waves to the other man. The other man comes rushing over and lo and behold it's Viggo Mortensen. WELL OF COURSE IT IS.
I HOPE TO WHATEVER DEITY THIS IS REAL&TRUE.
&poll;
Poll #1226221 how ~intense~
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: Allfavourite?
If there were two actors who happened to be walking around the streets of Rome at the same time, then I would expect it to be CB and VM, tbh.
|
|
|
[19 Jul 2008|02:06pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 silly |
] |
18. The Crass Menagerie: A Pearls Before Swine Treasury by Stephen Pastis
I love Pearls Before Swine. And this is the first treasury that I've bought outside of Calvin and Hobbes and Garfield. I'm so glad that my newspaper decided to publish Pearls before Swine every day, they always make me laugh uproariously.
(Now back to Valley of the Horses *sigh*)
|
|
| #40: "Wisdom's Daughter: A Novel of Solomon and Sheba" by India Edghill |
[19 Jul 2008|09:21am] |
|
This is the sequel to my previous read, Queenmaker. That book showed tremendous promise but was hampered by the first-person viewpoint of a woman confined to a palace and removed from all action. It felt like one long dialog and very much like the author's first novel. Still, I owned the sequel already and I liked the premise, so I decided to give Wisdom's Daughter a chance. I'm so glad I did!
This book was exquisite. It corrected the problems of the first book in a huge way - there were multiple characters to follow, each with a distinct view on the same events. There are several different settings, and in this volume they are fully realized. Most of all, it is enlightening, witty, and sparkling with chemistry. The book begins with Bilquis, the Queen of Sheba, journeying north to the land of the acclaimed Solomon the Wise to find a female heir for Sheba. The heir turns out to be Baalit, Solomon's own beloved daughter of his true love first wife. Bilquis and Solomon have incredible chemistry,and I don't mean in a sexual sort; they are two intelligent, lonely adults who have found their match. Baalit is a delightful main character, too, who feels confined by the male-dominant Hebrew society and obviously is looking back on her 14-year-old self and shaking her head at her youthful errors. Wisdom's Daughter even manages to build on the main character of the previous book, Queen Michal, and makes her feel more real and genuine, even though she is dead.
Another quirk I loved about this book - King Solomon's queens. As I recall from my Sunday School days, Solomon was maligned for taking brides from pagan lands and letting them continue their believes in Jerusalem, which was then blamed for the fall of the kingdom. That is all covered here, but it includes some of the perspectives of the queens themselves and shows them as sad, lonely figures. They are far from home, married against their will, and all they have to cling to of their home is the old gods - and for some, those are even exaggerated to provide them some comfort and refuge. It provides an enlightening, more feminist view of these women who are voiceless and blamed.
This is an excellent work of historical fiction, and I highly recommend it for those who would love to explore a mostly-ignored period of time. This isn't a romance, and it's definitely not Christian in focus. It's just plain good. It will be joining The Red Tent on my shelf.
|
|
| WHEN IS THE DVD COMING OUT? |
[19 Jul 2008|11:42pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 impressed |
] |
| [ |
music |
| |
The Waifs - London Still |
] |
I went to see The Dark Knight again today and omg it was even better the second time round, and I caught a lot more things I didn't notice fully the first time round.
( Spoilers )
I love how Chris Nolan's Batman films hold up so well after multiple viewings. I bought the Batman Begins DVD shortly after its release and out of all the DVDs I own, I've probably seen it the most number of times.
Also, I finally bought GQ! This picture be so v hot.
|
|
| This scene is the scene to be seen in, not that the scene is what we'd be seen with. |
[19 Jul 2008|12:23pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
peturbed |
] |
| [ |
music |
| |
The Indelicates // Sixteen |
] |
so lift up your top
lift up your top
lift up your top, got to use what you've got
try not to see anything but the fee
it's all tongue in cheek anyway!
we've highlighted lines in the books of Why Not
but the women back then were extremists the lot
I'm have control of my gender, my sex
every whore that I've heard of is free of regret
I think it's fine just to make people smile
I think it's fine to force people to smile
make me a dolly, make me a princess
make me your baby, make me your goddess.
The Indelicates // Our Daughters Will Never Be Free
_____
"Once a whore, you're nothing more." Ugh, stfu Hayley Williams.
I can't stop listening to "Misery Business" by Paramore (the drums! they call to me!). The song really, really offends me but I'm attempting to get over it by pretending it's ttly ironic empowering chickrock. (Of all the songs, eh? It's not like there are a millionplus worse songs out there. It's not like Ryan Ross didn't dedicate a whole entire album to whoreswhoreswhores, rite? I know, okay, a whore! And he was only seventeen when he wrote it blah blah blah. Whatever.)
I love bandom and pop-punk, but it still irritates me on a daily basis.
edit: OMG BORED. Livejournal is so slow today. :( Communities, friendslist - where is everyone? People have lives away from the internet now?
|
|
| Books 45-49/50 |
[19 Jul 2008|10:57am] |
Books 1-4; Books 5-8; Books 9-12; Books 13-16; Books 17-19; Books 20-22; Books 23-26; Books 27 and 28; Books 29-32; Books 33-37; Books 38-41; Books 42-44
45. The Interpretation of Murder – Jed Rubenfeld
This book belongs to a subgenre of historical fiction that I have taken a fancy to: Take any historical person you want and let him stumble upon a murder which makes him take on the role of a sleuth. In the case of Rubenfeld’s novel this historical person happens to be, the title gives it away, Siegmund Freud. Shortly after the famous psychoanalyst arrives in America in order to give a couple of lectures at an University, he is asked by the New York mayor for assistance in the case of the beautiful Nora Acton who has been wounded and left tied-up and half-naked by an unknown assaulter. Traumatized by this experience, she has now lost her speech as well as her memory, and that is were Freud joins the game. ( Mild Spoilers ahead. )
46. Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran - Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Eleven year old Momo suffers from the coldness of his distant father. His mother has left them when he was an infant, together with his elder brother Popol, a boy in every way more perfect than Momo (as his father assures him in every possible situation). That would be pretty worse if it wasn't for Monsieur Ibrahim, the only Muslim grocer in a Jewish street. Having stolen from him for quite some time, Momo must realize that Monsieur Ibrahim has seen through it all. The two of them become friends, and when his father too leaves one day, Monsieur Ibrahim is the only one who cares about Momo.
A cute, but somewhat disappointing book. Which doesn't mean that it is bad in that case, just that I think the story works better performed on stage or in the theatres. It's more about gestures and facial expressions, about watching, listening, smelling, than about words. I wanted to see Momo's father lonely hunched over his books, the hookers on the street, Monsieur Ibrahim's little shop, smell the various food crammed into it, watch the changing, colourful landscape on their way from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea or the dervishes dancing. Reading Monsieur Ibrahim I felt there was a whole world of visual experiences lacking, something that a small narrative or this narrative can never cover. I know that there is a movie adaption, and I hope I will get around to watching it someday.
47.-49. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass – Philip Pullman
As I already said, I like books that work on many levels; that entertains you and yet stimulate you on an intellectual level. A book that keeps my eyes glued to the pages until the very end, that makes me love its characters and suffer with them, that is rich in language, visuality, originality and fantasy, that toys with ideas and thoughts, that's full of hidden references to literature, philosophy and science - that is the perfect book for me. Now I wouldn't say that His Dark Materials is the perfect book, but it was pretty damn good. References? Check. Ideas and thoughts? Check. Originality and fantasy? Check, to the point where I found it bizarrely abstract. ( And yet, ... )
|
|
| Souvenir Books (More Gifts) |
[19 Jul 2008|02:31am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 reading is fun! |
] |
Two very short souvenir travel books, both given to me as gifts some time ago.
8. Wisconsin: The Spirit of America text by Joanne Trestrail. (travel, small HC, 95 p.)
This small 2001 book on Wisconsin is part of the Abram's 50 states series. I didn't buy it for myself but rather received it as a gift years ago. Many other Wisconsinites probably have it or have noticed it in city bookstores, it is intended as a travel gift and short intro to the state but doesn't seem to have sold well as large numbers have been remaindered and still pop up all over the place. As a lifelong Wisconsinite who has traveled through most of the state, I can confidently say that this book covered all the main attractions and most of the peculiarities of the state. This would be a cute gift or souvenir from your trip to Wisconsin, particularly if you were not at a specific attraction such as Door County or the Dells. We have this book at the library and recommend it when ESL students need to look up basic facts about Wisconsin. Perhaps this wasn't the best gift for me personally, but it was an interesting book and hopefully will see use in future Wisconsin trivia games.
9. Paris Vu Du Ciel by Yann Arthus-Bertrand. (travel, small HC, 96 p.)
This book was a gift from a French friend (I actually have quite a collection of art books of Paris between her Christmas boxes and my own visits there). It features a slightly different take on the standard photos-of-famous-places tourist book: these photos of Paris were taken by helicopter to "lead us to a new perspective" that Paris is a city. There is a short introduction to the book, then the rest of the book is divided into sections: Old Paris, the Left Bank, the Right Bank, Working Class Paris, and Paris Today. Although you get a view of some of these things from the Eiffel Tower, it's not really the same as flying over Paris in a helicopter, and this book definitely has a new perspective. If this were larger it would be a nice coffee-table book, but at large-postcard size, it's a nice reminder of a trip if you like book reminders or a good gift to bring home. After all, being a European book, it does have the spine running in the opposite direction so as to confuse casual browsers of your collection and add a cosmopolitan air to the average American collection.
STATS
9/50 books (reviewed)
1,904/15,000 pages (counted)
Coming up I've got a few library books, some short-story collections, more books on religion, hopefully some retold tales, and of course my challenge books. May not be posting for a bit though, as I'm going on a semi-vacation.
|
|
| from bangkok, I follow a local to a side-street |
[17 Jul 2008|02:50pm] |
|
Her strategies for resisting the heat include keeping her legs wide apart and pausing in shady sections. She might be a hundred years old. She talks with another local - about the weather? - then turns down a side-street. Here, there's a mood of siesta; indeed, one man has stretched himself out on a tabletop. The woman enters a restaurant that is also a place for commercial sewing. While she reads the paper, a younger woman fixes clothes and watches the telly. I watch passing tuk-tuks and fruit vendors, tapping my foot. It doesn't look like she'll be leaving any time soon.
|
|
| from roissy, I follow consumerists to a flight |
[16 Jul 2008|11:20am] |
Two boys, looking expensive. Even their haircuts advertise a high price. We pass through the security check together, then I follow them around duty-free. This terminal is new, vast, covered in mirrors. At Beauty Unlimited, they sniff the Hugo Boss perfumes; at Printemps, they browse the Armani shirts; at Sunny Days, they head straight for the Ray Bans; at Pure and Rare, they gain access to the Cigar Cave. One of them is wearing white pointy shoes; the other wears black pointy shoes. After another lap of the boutiques they watch people playing video games. Both of them have their i-Pods on.
Suddenly, White-Shoes meets an old friend! The friend is relatively uncool, and everybody seems embarrassed. These people are so sincere. I realise that I cannot understand social contact without laughter. Over to gate E51, where the flight to Istanbul has been delayed. The two boys hover near the counter, and manage to be the second pair onto the plane. I watch them along the entrance ramp, tempted to wave; then I walk towards my own gate.
|
|
| The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing & Saiyuki Reload 8 (25) |
[19 Jul 2008|12:48am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 hot |
] |
Ta-da! I'm halfway there, but lagging behind a bit. I ought to spend less time online and more time reading! (*determined*) I guess I'd be more caught up if I counted the manga I was re-reading, but ...
Anywho~ I just (literally, just) finished reading The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 1: The Pox Party. It was good ... not at all what I was expecting, but good. Octavian is a "prince," the son of an African "princess" taken to America shortly before the American Revolution. The College of Lucidity keeps him for their own strange purposes, &c. It's really hard to say anything about it without giving anything away. I loved Evidence Goring and was sad when his part was over. I hope he's in the second one in the series, which I plan to read.
It's worth mentioning that the author (M.T. Anderson) is the same man who wrote Feed. I feel like the whole meaning and substance of the story shifted when I found that out. They're not at all alike, but they are. Very strange.
Also, I finally got to read Saiyuki Reload volume 8 awhile ago. Series continues to be good, cliffhangers continue to hang (though the current arc seems to be reaching a climax soon). The short at the end was adorable and funny. Can't wait for more, &c.
|
|
| Books #14, 15, and 16 |
[18 Jul 2008|11:30pm] |
#14 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. This was a re-read for a book club. I did notice some things this time around that I didn't notice the time before; stuff about Bella and Edward's relationship that bothers me a bit, but not as much as some librarians I know. I still need to read Eclipse.
#15 Godchild Vol. 1
Whacked out, violent, beautiful manga about a young man who is "cursed" it seems and who solves crimes. I can't wait to read the second one, too bad it is *still* out at the library.
#16 Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
A demon decides he's going to take a vacation and snitches a body seconds before a mopey, lazy, teenage boy dies. He wants to see what it is like to be alive and revels in the everyday things that we take for granted. The first half of the book was great, then it started to go downhill. The main character starts to seem petty and almost contradict himself. I was very dissatisfied with the ending.
Currently reading Around the World in 80 Days and The Missing Girl. I need to get going because I am now on a committee for the Thumbs Up Award which is given out by the Michigan Library Association to one teen book each year.
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
|
|
|
|
5 (50.0%)