The books of April and May 2015

Yes, I know, I'm lame to combine two months worth of books, movies, and crafts. I have been busy though. Obviously not so much with reading, crafting, or seeing movies, but with work and life. So, everything's cool.

Crafts:
In April, I gave my friend her birthday present. I got the pattern off of etsy of course. She's the one who introduced me to Flight of the Conchords, so I felt this gift was only fitting:

A freaky dream...

In May, I sent my mom this cute little cross-stitch made from a pattern bought at Daily Cross Stitch:

Come on! Let's make a break for it!

Also in May, from the same site, I made a cute mom and baby giraffe for my friend's baby shower:

They were just so cute...and went well with the giraffe themed gift.

Movies:

In April, I saw only one movie: Woman in Gold. If you did not see this movie, definitely rent it when it's on DVD. Helen Mirren plays a woman who escaped at the last minute from Vienna when the Nazi's took over. Her family lost everything, including the Klimt painting of her aunt. This is the story of her suing for reparations and deciding the fate of Klimt's woman in gold. It's a really great story based on true events.

In May, I saw two movies: Tomorrowland and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Tomorrowland was fun...very fluffy, a little emotional, and interesting to see on a large screen. The movie kept my attention the whole time. Like I said, it was fun.

Age of Ultron was awesome. James Spader is a genius robot bad guy. The additions of Quicksilver (although you can't call him that in this movie) and the Scarlet Witch were well done. There were a few parts that dragged, but it's information we'll need to get us through the next phase of Marvel movies, so I'm ok with it. I know I'm biased toward loving these movies, so take it with a grain of salt. I had a great time and will see it again and own it. 

Books:

In April I read: Patriot Threat by Steve Berry, Serena by Ron Rash, A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab, and The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain.

Again a disclaimer: not everyone likes the political thrillers...I do. Steve Berry wrote another great book. The Patriot Threat has all the action of the other Cotton Malone books...but this time, no family drama or girlfriend drama. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember enjoying it a lot and that it read fast. My favorite is still the one about Queen Elizabeth I, but this one, for being based in American politics, was really good. I'd rank it better than the Lincoln Myth, but not as good as the Jefferson Key (of the mainly America-based mysteries). 

Serena was about a husband and wife in the logging industry back when people became worried about public lands and parks and such. The story goes through their marital ups and downs, the characters involved in their lives for better or worse, and the downfall of their business and marriage. It was recently made into a movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. I can see this playing well on the screen...might be worth a rental if you're not up for reading it.

A Darker Shade of Magic was a book about magical kingdoms...how all the realms are magical, but some more than others. The base of the story is in London...gray London is regular London as we would know it (no magic), black London (bad magic) is sealed, red London is the purest and best run magical realm, and white London is the one trying to get more magic back and do bad things with it. The main character can travel between these magical realms and ends up involved in a plot to undo things done in the past and let loose the uncontrollable magic. He finds a friend who helps him along the way and learns more about himself during the journeys between realms. It was ok. In a world without new Harry Potter novels, sometimes I take magic-based stories where I can get them. I'm not sure how I found out about this one, but it did keep my interest.

Mark Twain wasn't someone I expected to write about Adam and Eve, but he did so very, very humorously. The story is diary entries from both Adam and Eve about each other and the animals and the beginning of time. I'd read somewhere in an article that Jarmusch was loosely influenced by this story when he was making Only Lovers Left Alive...which makes sense. It's not a play-by-play interpretation, but I could see where he read it and had ideas. It's short and pretty funny. The complaints of the original people were the same complaints men and women have about each other today.

In May I read: The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris, The Lost Island by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, The Fatal Crown by Ellen Jones, and All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner.

The Gospel of Loki is a book I've been waiting for a while to read. When I went to London last year, it had been released there and I had to wait for it to come here. Joanne Harris also wrote Chocolat and I love that book and the movie interpretation. Loki's story was very entertaining. It's the entire beginning and end of the Norse gods as told from only Loki's point of view. It didn't hurt that when I think of Loki, I think of Tom Hiddleston...that may have influenced my liking of the book a notch or two. If you like the Norse myths, it's just a fun read.

I picked up The Lost Island to take on a trip with me. It ended up being so good that I was halfway done before I even got off the plane. I had to go to a bookstore and find another one in the series to read...I chose Gideon's Sword since it was the first of the three. Gideon Crew has a terminal illness and changes from his life as a worker at Los Almos National Labs to using his former thievery skills to complete specific jobs as required by his new boss, Glinn, and his elusive company that works in failure management and pyschosocial engineering. Both books are fast paced and full of action and have plots that seem completely insane. Gideon's Sword has Gideon first tracking down and dispensing payback to the man who framed and murdered his mathematician father, then meeting Glinn and having to track down a Chinese invention while an assassin thwarts his every move. The Lost Island is the third book and Glinn sends Gideon and another employee to find a cure all off the coast of Nicaragua, based on a map hidden under the paint on a page in the Book of Kells, which was based on a map made by the ancient Greeks. This led them to tying a historical work of fiction to real life in the modern world...and massive destruction of said real life. They are very fun, completely implausible reads that you kind of wish could be true. After I finish up the stack of books I've got right now, I'm probably going to buy the one I've not read yet.

The Fatal Crown has been hanging around me for a while. After all the action/adventure, I needed a little history. This book focuses on Maud (who became the female head of the Plantagenet line) and Steven (House of Blois) and their fight for the English Crown after Maud's ver forward thinking father made her head of England when he died. Steven usurped the crown with help from others (mostly because people wouldn't be ruled by a woman, no matter how qualified). It also included an interesting twist of having the cousins be in love with each other and them siring a child that would one day become King of England. It was not overly factual, but most of the characters did exist. It was an interesting take on the story...and one I believe I've read before in a very different, more factual format. There are two sequels...I am not sure if I'll get to those or not.

All Fall Down is typical Jennifer Weiner. That means it's well written, I get a little bored about halfway through, but end up not wanting to put it down until it's done because the story itself is good and she doesn't always take the easy way out with her characters (ie, not always a every thread sewn up perfect happy ending). In this book, Allison and her husband have kind of a perfect life that is slowly deteriorating. Their little girl is sensitive to a lot of things; Allison's blogging job has become more than full time; her dad has developed Alzheimers; her mom is still not able to take care of anything on her own; and Allison has turned to prescription drugs to even get through an hour of a day. The story follows Allison ignoring all the signs, ultimately being put into rehab, and slowly pulling herself back together. It's a really good read.

Well, that's two months worth of stuff. Hopefully I'll get back on schedule now. Later!

The books of March 2015

I have really been putting this off...sitting in front of the computer when I could be doing something else. Well, now I'm making myself do it. And on a beautiful day, if not a little too warm.

Crafts:
Just one birthday gift to show. Of course it's from another etsy pattern. If you've not seen Flight of the Conchords, it won't make much sense. So go watch the entire series...NOW!

A freaky, freaky dream...

Movies:

In March, I went to see two movies...I've just not been overly motivated to go to see things lately.

Cinderella (the new, live action one) was cute. I only went to see it because I knew Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter would steal the show...and they really, really did. Cate's outfits were amazing! So were Helena's...and her eyelashes were insane. I figure you all know the story by now...they played a little with the backstory of how the dad dies and delved in more to how the wicked stepmother became who she was. I also enjoyed the clothing on the stepsisters...the polka dot dresses were awesome. I probably could've waited to see this one on dvd, but I didn't mind spending the money. 

Insurgent is the sequel to Divergent (there's one more coming...which I'm guessing, like all the other teen trilogies, they'll hack into two movies instead of one). When I saw Divergent, I left the theater feeling kind of like, "enh...that was ok"...which is kind of how I felt about all the books too. To prep for seeing Insurgent, I rewatched Divergent and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. So, hopes up, I went to see the second one...and left the theater feeling exactly the same as the first time. They did a really great job with casting, and I like the storyline. I guess maybe there are just too many dystopian futures out there in books and movies. A couple of the stunts did wow me though, so I'm glad I saw it in the theater.

Books:

In March, I read: Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London by Nigel Jones, Turtle Face and Beyond: Stories by Arthur Bradford, Funny Girl by Nick Hornby, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Eric Larson, and The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by Dan Jones.

Tower is a decent read. It has a lot of facts...and incorporates the fiction about the place as well...to give as full of a story as possible. I really liked visiting the Tower of London but this didn't really take me back to it. I do feel I know more about the structure now, but I didn't find it as interesting as I thought I would. 

Turtleface and Beyond is a collection of short stories that are sometimes connected and very offbeat. I took a chance with this one. It was ok but did not make me want to read his other books. I like strange little stories, but this wasn't my cup of tea.

I thought Funny Girl was great! I think we all know that I like Nick Hornby's writing, so my feelings on the book shouldn't be a surprise. A girl from a small town in England moves to London to become a huge television star. Along the way, she meets the people who will form her urban family in the city and this is really their story as much as hers...she's just the glue for keeping them together. It follows them all (writers, actors, producers, actual family, random friends) throughout the run of the television show and to the reunion years later for the dvd release. Hornby writes characters that have plenty of flaws and make good and bad choices...this was just a really good read.

Erik Larson's books have been hit or miss with me, but the thing about all of them is that they stay with me and I find myself thinking about them long after I've read them. Dead Wake is no different. Before reading this book, all I knew about the Lusitania is that it was sunk by the Germans before the war around the UK and that some Americans died on it as well as many others. This book really showed the whole picture. History of the ship and the company who owned it; history of the captain of the ship; history of travelers on board; history of German submarines and the wartime set up that put everything in place for the sinking of the ship. I found this one to be interesting and hard to put down. I guess if I had to rank the books, I'd put this second behind Devil in the White City. You will learn something though, so if you're looking for fluff, this isn't your book.

The Wars of the Roses is something I've read about for years. Brace yourselves for this: I like books about the history of England. I keep reading them even if I've read a ton of books on the same thing. You always find something different in each author's research...or, in the case of fictionalized histories, you get a different viewpoint into what the author thinks of the cast of characters. What stood out here is that Dan Jones writes to engage the reader in the story of history and that's fantastic to me. I've got his book on the Tudors as well and I am looking forward to reading it.

Well, there's March done. We're over halfway through April and time is moving way too fast. More soon!

The books of February 2015

Finally got the snow and ice...and now it's finally melting. I figure that despite the rising temperatures, we probably have one more wintery storm coming? I mean, we usually do since it's only March at this point.

Crafts:
Not too many crafts this month. A couple of gifts, but I've also been working on other projects. As usual, both patterns came from awesome sellers on etsy. First, for a new friend who loves the movie Mean Girls as much as I do:

On Wednesdays, we wear pink!

Second, for an old friend who enjoys various video games, another Nintendo themed gift to add to his collection:

It's just good advice.

Movies:

I didn't make it out much with the sub-zero weather and the laziness combining forces. But I did manage to see two really fun movies.

Jupiter Ascending could've gone either way. The directors are hit and miss with me: hits being The Matrix and V for Vendetta; misses being everything else they've touched. I went in expecting the worst, but I was extremely entertained. The story is okay-ish...and at times, too slow. And I can not stand Eddie Redmayne, despite his acting chops. He really squicks me out...which is a good thing for a villain so I guess the casting decision was wise. Some of the costumes were fabulous and the alien machinery...I still think about it. The machinery from the movie...the delicate, gracefulness of the movements from these huge mechanical things...it was really beautiful in a way. I read an article after I saw it that kind of sums it up...overall, it's not a great movie, but I loved it anyway because it had everything I wanted to see in a movie. I'm planning to own it when it's released so I can watch it over and over...probably much to the dismay of many who know me.

Kingsman: Secret Service might be one of the best spy movies I've ever seen. In no way is it serious like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or the Debt. In no way is it overly campy like some of the old Bond films. In every way it is utterly entertaining! Explosions! Fireworks! Colin Firth! Bespoke tailors! London! It's actually been hard to keep me from going to see it again. I completely loved this violent little movie and will also own it one day for repeated viewings.

Books:

My reading list was fairly short this month (although it doesn't count the other history book that I'm still trying to finish up): Yes Please by Amy Poehler; Tudor: Passion. Manipulation. Murder. The Story of England's Most Notorious Royal Family by Leanda de Lisle; As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes with Joe Layden; Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division by Peter Hook.

Do you like Amy Poehler? Do you think she's funny? Then read this book. I like her and I think she's funny. My feelings are unchanged after reading. No spoilers...but you will laugh out loud.

If you read this blog even every once in a while, you've noticed that I'm a bit into history...specifically history of the United Kingdom. Tudor is about the Tudor family and all the things they did (good and bad) trying to keep the seat of power. There's a lot in this book that I've read in other books, but since I clearly don't tire of the topic, I kept reading. It's not the best of these books that I've read, but it did cover a lot of ground, people-wise. If you like reading about the Tudors, it's a decent way to pass some time.

As You Wish was great! I love The Princess Bride and reading this brought it all back to me. I loved all of his insights behind the scenes and once I was done, I re-watched the movie...something I hadn't done in a long time. It really does stand up...and now that I know the secrets, I can see the things he talks about in the book as they happened in the movie. It's a fun read...parts of it made me laugh so hard, I cried. The interviews with other cast and crew members were a nice addition to the memoir. Every one clearly loved working with each other and making such a timeless movie.

After reading Mad World, I wanted to read more about the music scene. Unknown Pleasures is about how Joy Division came about and it's demise with the lead singer's death...and a little about them becoming New Order. These people came together without much in common to make some of the best music to come out of Britain in the 80s and beyond. Their sound is still very recognizable today and as Hook points out, in retrospect, the lyrics are just the lead singer's inner torment spilling out into the music for our consumption. Ultimately this is a pretty sad, messed up book. But so was the band, the individuals, and the time. It's a good read despite the bias of the former band member against other band members. 

Back to reading...

The books of January 2015

Is it me or is time speeding up? As usual for January, it was cold and I was indoors a lot. Well, that indoors thing never really changes in any season.

Crafts:
Leftover from the holidays, three more cross-stitched jewels. All patterns found on etsy. Glorious, glorious etsy! This first one is for my friend who has "had it up to here".

Ho, ho, no.

Another friend loved Fraggle Rock back in the day, so she got a little homage to that show.

Like the Muppets, but not.

And since Arrested Development is always the gift that keeps on giving, I gave this to another friend who I knew would understand.

Movies:
I actually went to several movies in January. I started out strong on the first day of the year seeing Whiplash. It's hard to put into words how amazing this movie is. It's a very focused and driven piece, accentuated by great acting and a stellar beat. I've loved J.K. Simmons for a long time and even though he's playing a character that I'd not like to meet, he is still amazing and I want him to win all the awards. This also has a great soundtrack and you'll be very tempted to buy some jazz after seeing it. See it if you can...it's a really awesome guy flick that chicks can also enjoy.

The Gambler was ok. It was no Departed, which is what they were advertising it to be-ish. It was also no John Wick (out on DVD yesterday if you missed it). I like Marky Mark, I mean, Mark Wahlberg, so I wasn't disappointed. It was just something that I probably would've liked more sitting on my own couch in my own place.

The Imitation Game was quite good. I've since been told, by sciencey people who know things that I never will, that it wasn't as factual as people are believing it to be. You know what? I'm ok with that. It was a good story, even if parts are made up. Unless I'm seeing a documentary, I'm willing to let my brain believe what it's being given on the screen. So, I enjoyed it...I get that it's not 100% true and that's cool. What's even cooler is that it was Benedict Cumberbatch for a couple of hours. And while yes, there's truth stretching, it's also not completely wrong what Keira Knightly's character said at the end about what Alan Turing did...on some level, he did make computers a tangible thing for some people and when you think about all the tech we surround ourselves with today, that's amazing.

Inherent Vice is not for everyone. I really enjoyed it, but I went in understanding that (a) Paul Thomas Anderson still had The Master stink on him (yes, I know people liked it, but I did not...it seemed not like a PTA movie at all to me...which was sad) and (b) it's a Pynchon novel. The people sitting behind me on a double date did not have that information. They were stunned and confused and had no idea what to make of it. So, if you think maybe you want to see it, be prepared...it's gonna get strange, but if you're open for it, you'll like it.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb was a cute movie that made me have too many feels. I don't know what my deal was, but wow, I was clearly in need of a good cry...and the lighthearted family movie did it. I loved seeing all the things in the British Museum come to life though...it made me feel like I was walking around there all over again. It was truly sad to realize that was the last new movie I'll see Robin Williams and Mickey Rooney in...such great actors and they're just gone. There were a couple of things thrown in there for my generation that the grandparents and grandkids in the audience didn't get, but me and the lady two rows down thought they were hysterical. Definitely watch it if you like the other ones...it's a good wrap up of Ben Stiller's character development.

The last movie I saw was Cake. Sometimes, in all the Brangelina-related dramas, I forget that Jennifer Aniston is actually a good actress. She's been in a couple of little indie movies that I've really enjoyed and this one, while quite the downer, is really good as well. Her character's super dark sense of humor and over the top sarcasm are excellent coping strategies and she does them well. See this if you can. It's got a lot of sadness to it, but there's a teeny, tiny glimmer of hope at the end that makes you leave thinking it might be ok.

Books:
I didn't read too much in January...clearly I was busy going to see movies. I read: Bagthorpes Liberated by Helen Cresswell, The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane by Alex Irvine, Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs that Defined the 1980s by Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein, The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I by Stephen Alford, and Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid by Wendy Williams.

I loved, loved, LOVED the Bagthorpe series when I was younger. They're difficult to get hold of now, but Helen Cresswell created an extremely eccentric and competitive English family. The grandmother is conniving and unrepentant; her husband is selectively deaf in that he only hears what he wants to hear; her son, the head of the family is a cantankerous writer who is forever fighting and plotting and failing to get what he wants; his wife is benevolent but often loses her temper; their children consider themselves highly evolved and accomplished...except for Jack, who is by al counts quite ordinary...and his dog, who is called Absolute Zero; the ethereal aunt who can't bear anything untoward; her adoring husband who enjoys driving like a maniac; their precocious little girl Daisy who is a fire-starter (literally); and the housekeeper, who thinks they're all insane. I went looking online around the end of December and found out that there were another 4 books beyond what I owned. EXCITEMENT! I got this one from the library and immediately fell back into their world. Bagthorpes Liberated picks up where Bagthorpes Haunted leaves off. They're returning from their trip to find that a vagrant has taken up residence in their home...and they forgot to tell the milkman they were away. Hijinks ensue...pretty much for the entire book. I love this family! It was nice to revisit them...now I need to find copies of the other three books I've missed.

The Secret Journal of Ichabod Crane is pretty much a brain dump of the plot lines of season one of Sleepy Hollow. It went very quickly for me since I'd seen season one and already knew everything that happened. There are some cool little additions to the text, but this is one you can skip unless you're a diehard fan of the show.

Mad World? Pretty much written specifically for me. Small interviews with amazing bands from the 80s. I think I'm going to have to own the book...it was a great read! It's always cool to get the inside story on your favorite bands and song...that's part of why Behind the Music was such a great series. I hope they write another one...there are still a lot of 80s bands that need recapping and in the words of Depeche Mode, I just can't get enough!

The Watchers sounded promising. It's about the spy network during the reign of Elizabeth I. Unfortunately, it didn't translate into anything terribly exciting in book form. It was interesting, but kind of dull at the same time. I learned more about plots to kill Elizabeth, but I wasn't shocked by anything I read...no spy named was a surprise. I don't know...maybe I expected more Bond than factual reporting. It's always good to learn more history though, so my time wasn't wasted.

I waited a long time to read Kraken...and given my obsession with Clash of the Titans, that should come as a shock to you all. Again, kind of a disappointment. Many years ago, I read The Search for the Giant Squid and loved the way it was written, including mythology and pop culture along with fact. This book was just fact really. I liked the chats the author had with the field experts...they seemed to be interesting...and the history parts were interesting, but again, despite my interest, I felt it to be a bit dull. No spark. I think this one can be skipped.

Up next, more reading, more crafts, more movies, and THE OSCARS! Happy February!

The books of December 2014

It's already January and it's already snowy and super cold. Hurrah? I'm thinking about how I'd like this year to go...and I'm hoping it's a good one.

Crafts:

All the Christmas gifts have been given except three at this point...two of those include craft projects that will have to be on the January blog. Sad. Oh well. All patterns came from different stores on etsy.com. If you don't use etsy yet, you should. It's like a miracle shopping mecca for people who craft!

First up, a wee owl dressed as Santa:

Christmas crafting is always a hoot!

Next, a pretty little snowflake:

I think if snowflakes were all colorful like this one, people might like it better.

Continuing the snowflake theme:

Snowflake tree! 

One friend got some helpers in various states of stress:

That last really sums up how I feel on certain days.

Simple math:

This is the kind of math we can all enjoy!

Another kind of tree:

It's a tree! Made of gears! That are green!

This one is a nice life lesson stitched with a kitty who is not to be messed with:

Unikitty is unimpressed with your inability to be nice!

And for my brother-in-law who can not stop repeating this quote:

It is! Everything is a trap all the time!

Movies:

I saw three movies in December. The first was, of course, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. This was a lovely end to the trilogy and set us up nicely for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The battle was really cool. There was a lot of emotion in this. I kept waiting for Luke Evans to control those bats like he did in Dracula Untold, but it never happened. Shame. I think they really missed an opportunity there. Anyway, it's one of those that if you like them, you'll see it and like it as well. 

Next up was Big Eyes. This was a nice little movie. I went in knowing nothing about it except it was about the artist who painted the "big eyed" paintings and had Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz playing the main characters. It's based on the story of the artist Keane, and how her husband took credit for her work and after years of what basically appeared to be emotional abuse, she left him and ended up suing him after he tried to blackmail her into creating more art for him. I really liked this movie a lot. 

My last theater viewing of the year was Into the Woods. I've heard a lot of differing opinions on this, but I really, really liked it. It was ridiculous and over the top and all fairy tales! It was lots of fun. I think the funniest part to me was the song with the two princes complaining about who has it worse. But I also enjoyed Red Riding Hood's songs. It had a lot more laughter than I expected...perhaps more than it was meant to have? Anyway, I enjoyed it and that's what I wanted from it. 

Books:

In December, I read: Prince Lestat by Anne Rice, Revival by Stephen King, Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett, Texts from Jane Eyre and Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg, and I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer.

Prince Lestat was an all around surprise. I was browsing the book section in Target when I saw it and added it to my library request list. Apparently, not a lot of people around here knew about it, so I got it quickly. As you probably remember, Anne Rice and I have a troubled relationship...she keeps working through any crisis of faith through her writing and I keep getting really annoyed that she tries to cram her viewpoints down my throat through her words. In any case, the vampire books, that's what set off the initial rift. I loved the first and second books. Book three was horrible until exactly halfway through where it became the best book ever. Then books four and five started the cramming of beliefs. I got frustrated and didn't read anything else by her until the wolf books came out fairly recently. I liked the first one of those and the second one was pretty boring. So, that's why I chose a library request instead of buying the book...I wasn't willing to take the chance of spending money on something I wouldn't like. That said, it was kind of great. I loved catching up with all those characters. The cramming of beliefs was tempered somewhat by having written the wolf books before this. It was just a nice homecoming for all the vampire characters. I enjoyed it and since she left it open ended, I kind of hope there are more that follow. If you liked Interview with a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat, I think you'll enjoy this one as well.

Stephen King is another hit or miss writer for me. Of the more recent books, 11/22/63 was amazing...Doctor Sleep was a great sequel to The Shining...Mr. Mercedes was just not good to me. I was bored and didn't like the characters. Revival, though? Just a really, really great book. I don't think that I've read anything quite like it before. Preacher man turned carny turned faith healer turned obsessive, murdering freak...and the coming of age story of the boy whose path was intricately tied to him. It was engrossing and I didn't like putting it down to do things like work and sleep. I highly recommend this one.

Edge of Eternity was the third book of Follett's Century Trilogy. It was just as good as the other to books. The focus this time was civil rights, the rise and fall of the Soviet Bloc, the Vietnam War, the Kennedys, and there was an epilogue of the Obama inauguration. In other words, it covered the last third of the century. It was good...I got a little confused at the beginning as to which family lines were being followed, but I caught on pretty quickly...probably because the second book had been a recent read. If I'd waited a year or something, no way would I have remembered them all this time. The trilogy as a whole was good, but it's a definite time commitment from readers. 

Texts from Jane Eyre was extremely silly, but that was the point. The author created conversations between literary characters in text form. Some of them made me laugh out loud. For the most part though, this was complete fluff.

Judy Greer is an actress I've liked for a while, so I'd been meaning to read her book since it came out. I'm really glad I finally did...she's even more hilarious in book form. If you like laughing and know who Greer is, you'll want to read this. She's a very normal person with a great perspective on being an actress and all the insanity that comes with it. 

That's it for 2014. I've already seen two movies in 2015 and I'm on my second book. More to come!

The books of November 2014

November went way too quick, didn't it? And it's already a week into December. Seriously, time is whooshing by us! I got to go home for Thanksgiving and see family, so that was very nice. Otherwise...I didn't do too much.

Crafts:
I forgot one from October...for my friend who like kitties (pattern found on etsy):

Stretchy kitty

The next one was for a friend who's hooked on Supernatural (pattern also from etsy):

I'm still weirded out that he was Sami's twin on Days of Our Lives

Movies:
I only made it to one movie this month: Hunger Games: Mocking Jay, Part 1. It. Was. Awesome. I didn't really love the book...I remember thinking it was kind of boring. Luckily, the movie was really good and makes me excited to see Part 2...which seems like it's a billion years away, but given how fast time is going, shouldn't be that long of a wait at all.

Books:
Much of November was spent making crafts to give away as gifts in December, so I didn't get a lot of reading done. But I managed to get through the following: Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich, The Illusionists by Rosie Thomas, and Written in My Heart's Own Blood by Diana Gabaldon. I also started Prince Lestat by Anne Rice, but I haven't finished it yet...so far, so good.

Janet Evanovich has her formula for the Stephanie Plum books down pat. Car explosions, near death experiences, same two men vying for her attentions...it's all there. There's not really a point in talking about these anymore...I read them; they're funny; I'm going to keep reading them even though it's pretty much the same every time. If you like the series and haven't read this one yet, get to it.

I took a chance on The Illusionists. It wasn't my best pick. About halfway through, I realized I still didn't like the characters and didn't care what happened to them. I don't know...it seemed like a good idea, but I just never truly got into it enough to enjoy it. The main trio of characters were interesting solo...and their act of illusions were interesting...but just something never gelled as I read. Probably stress from reading instead of doing crafts.

So the EIGHTH Diana Gabaldon Outlander book was more of the same. She left the tiniest of windows open to write book nine...which makes me sad. All the major players are currently safe and together in the post-Revolution America. Seems like a fabulous time to let it lie, but she won't. There are still people in the 1980s who are out to get the gold from Brianna and Roger...and to find out more about the time traveling. There is one man in America who wants to take the French lands from Fergus. The story picks up where the last book left: Jamie has taken John; Claire is trying to recover from the shock that Jamie's alive; Brianna and Roger are trying to find Jem...same old perils, different time periods, different players. Some things were nicely done in this book...both of Roger's poignant moments at the rocks in the 1700s come to mind. I'm still not overly sure of why they brought the witch into it again. I actually enjoyed reading this one a little bit...which is saying something since the last four have been like dental surgery on the enjoyment level for me. I just want them to catch a break and have as normal as a life that they can have...and that's kind of what this was...I mean, you know, except for the battles of the American Revolution.

So next month will have more books (hopefully) and more movies...I know of three I want to see as soon as they come out. Hope everyone's having a good holiday season!

The books of October 2014

It's November! Time for even more pumpkin things, my birthday, and Thanksgiving. I'm definitely ready for all of those things. I was slightly less prepared for the 20 degree drop in temperatures, but that's what winter accessories are for, right?

Crafts:
I was able to send one gift out to a friend for her birthday. Her recently found affinity for the Beatles made her gift easy: the movie Help! and this little gem (pattern from etsy, work by me):

Psst...hey! Be-at-le!

Movies:

I saw two movies in October. The first one, Dracula Untold, was a whole new take on the Dracula origin story and I liked it a whole lot. They made it make sense. And the special effects (and Luke Evans's torso) were awesome! If you like the regular Dracula story, but want something a little different, you'll probably like this. The best part is how they bring it into modern times instead of Victorian England for what will hopefully end up being an intro to the sequel (always a possibility).

The other movie was John Wick. I have a very large soft spot for Keanu Reeves. For a 50 year old, he took quite a lot of beatings in this film. The character goes through a horrible loss and through some random coincidences, ends up being targeted by a mob boss's son. The son then makes the mistake of stealing his car and, I'll phrase this like the trailer, "messing with his dog". I don't know how many bullets were used...it wasn't a wasteful use like in the building lobby in the Matrix...this was calculated with each bullet having a purpose. Turns out, John Wick wasn't just another schmoe with a nice car...they totally picked on the wrong guy. It was extremely entertaining.

Books:

This month I read the following: After Dead by Charlaine Harris, The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III's Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones, The Blood of Olympus: The Heroes of Olympus Book Five by Rick Riordan, While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell, and The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith.

After Dead was the follow up of characters from the Sookie Stackhouse books. It was really short (maybe a couple of paragraphs at most for less known characters) and, well, kind of boring. Two strong B-characters got a shout out, hinting that there may be more later, which makes me think they'll get their own books. But yeah, I'm not really sure why she bothered writing this.

The King's Grave is the book version that goes with the documentary (currently available on Netflix). I just wanted to read more about how they found his grave in a parking lot. The book actually supplied a lot of history on Richard III as well as going over the recent findings of the grave site. I wasn't overly moved by Langley's part in the video, but the book is a bit more informative. I like history and this is one of the more interesting historical finds in the past few years, so I felt it worth my time. She's not a scholar, so you don't plow through loads of complicated footnotes or anything like that. She just lays out her involvement with the project, how she felt as it progressed and the discovery was complete, and the history of Richard's last days interspersed as they grow nearer the end of the project. Interesting...not something I needed to own though...thanks local library!

The Blood of Olympus I totally own though! It was fantastic! I realize the Rick Riordan series are aimed at kids and young adults, but I don't care. They are too much fun. This was the last of the Greeks vs. Romans. The demigods battle horrible demons and monsters to save the world...again. I don't want to give anything away for those who haven't read this yet and want to, but you won't really want to put it down. And! AND! The next series? Norse gods! Can. Not. Wait.

While Beauty Slept was a book I took a chance on because I usually like retellings of fairy tales. Blackwell isn't nearly as entertaining as Mercedes Lackey in this genre, but it was an interesting twist. Told from a maid's (to Queen's attendant, to lady-in-waiting) point of view, the story covers a little time before the Princess Rose was born up through her marriage. It's not the same story...fairies are real people; true love sometimes waits; 100 years sleep would've been a blessing considering; and princes can be what you make of them. The different take on the story took away the fairy tale atmosphere of it all. It was good, but not the best.

Another Jennifer E. Smith book finished in just about four hours. Her books are like my crack. I can not read them fast enough. The main characters in The Geography of You and Me live in the same building in NYC but are worlds apart financially. They spend a day together when the city is in a blackout and they get trapped in the elevator. From elevator, to apartment, to rooftop, to a city that's turned into a party, the two misfits bond. Then the girl and her parents go to London and then move to Scotland while the boy and his dad take off west, stopping at several cities along the way. They keep in touch via postcards and occasional emails. After more traveling on both sides, they are able to see each other in San Francisco. They think the bond is shattered, and they part upset. But they can't stop thinking about each other. Eventually they meet up again where they started and the story starts again. Smith is a GREAT storyteller. I love it when a new book of hers comes out because I know for a few hours, I'm going to be somewhere unexpected with characters who are complex and simple at the same time. 

Ok. Back to cooking and baking. Less than two months until Christmas...that seems unreal!