Guess what? I still
haven’t signed up for internets at home. But, I possess a thumb drive, so
everything is ok. And, as the Talking Heads say, “Same as it ever was.” But
fingers are crossed that this will be the month I call the cable/internets
people. Football starts TODAY and I don’t have the ability to watch it in my
own home. Seems like a crime against nature.
Crafts:
Christmas gift crafting has been going on all month. So
nothing to post right now…that’s right, no one can see his/her gift until actual
gifting time. But trust me, I can see the pile of unframed items to my left and
it’s only going to have more on it by the end of this week.
Movies:
I still can’t get over how many movies came out that were
worth going to see in the theater this summer. Despite box office lows…and
highs (AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!)…I know I’ve done my part to keep movies in
production this year.
Total Recall…the new one. I thought they did a really good
job updating the super cheesy Arnold version from about twenty years ago. I rented the old one to refresh my memory and
found the new one more to my liking. It was more explanatory…which I’ve lazily
come to expect of films. It had a very Underworld look and feel to it since
Wiseman directed. I don’t know…there are plenty of haters out there, but I
ended up enjoying it.
Next up was the Norwegian film Headhunters. I noticed at
Target the other day that it’s now out on DVD. Get it. Watch it. I was really
blown away at how there were so many believable (and unbelievable) twists that
I never truly knew who was up to what and how it would all go down. Well
played, Norway. Well played. Plus, for those of you who enjoy Game of Thrones,
the not unattractive Lannister brother who sleeps with his sister? Yeah, that
guy is in this…no incest in the film, so, bonus!
The Bourne Legacy…what can I say about this one? Hmm. How
about HURRAH FOR JEREMY RENNER? Yeah, that works. This one was so fun to
watch…lots of action…and I, for one, never missed Matt Damon (this should not
be a surprise for most of you). But I really, really, really hope they make
more with Renner because the Pam Landy character plotline? That cannot stand.
Go fix it, Renner! We heart you!
The last movie I saw in August was surprisingly not The
Avengers (even though I was sorely tempted since they brought it back for Labor
Day weekend). I saw Beasts of the Southern Wild. I don’t really have words to
describe this movie…at least not words that make loads of sense when strung
together: moving, uplifting, depressing, sad…I could go on, but maybe
beautifully broken and tremendous work. It wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever
watched, but it was very good and made you think…and cry if you’re a
crier…which apparently I am.
Books:
I ordered some books for instant delivery on my Kindle when
they had the big sale, but I’ve not gone back and started reading them yet. I
bought A Wicked Snow by Gregg Olson and haven’t started it yet. For some reason, of all the paperbacks lined up in
the store, it wanted to be bought.
Here are the books I read in August (cheating and continuing
reading through September 2nd because I really wanted to finish the
one I was nearly done with at the time): The
Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen Carter, The Family Corleone by Edward Falco, The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory, Changeling by Philippa Gregory, and Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness.
I was so excited when I read the synopsis for The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln. I
enjoy history and “what if” histories. This is the story of what would’ve
happened if Lincoln had been shot, but not killed, and Johnson had been killed
instead. But really? It’s not that at all. It’s the most boring story ever
about a history that never happened while focusing on two law clerks. The clerks, one white male and one African-American female, spend time discovering the
plot behind the impending impeachment. The storyline about the female being not only one of the first women in the legal field, but also being African-American was interesting, but if that was supposed to be the real story, it should've been more of the focus. I really didn’t want to finish it, but
it was like a two-week investment of my time. I was determined. It picked up
ever so slightly near the last 100 or so pages. Not worth your time. (Note: major kudos to whoever titled the book because the title really screams "Read this! It'll be great!")
I love The Godfather
movies and books. LOVE them. When they had a contest a few years ago and
published what happened in between the films, I was hooked! So when I kept
seeing The Family Corleone at the
library, I put it on my request list. While it wasn’t as bad as some other
books I’ve read, I again felt ripped off. This one focuses on Sonny Corleone
when he’s in his late teens. Sonny’s not my guy. I enjoyed reading some of the
back-stories for the older guys and stuff, but I am never really a fan of anger
because you’re an angry, entitled teen. So this one, while entertaining and
following along in the tradition of the Corleones, it wasn’t my thing.
The Kingmaker’s
Daughter is the last (I think?) installment of the Cousins’ War. You might
remember that I liked the first one, was ok with one of the other two, and
hated one of them. This one was decent. It took two sisters and had them
married off to would be kings of England by their father. All of it ended horribly, of course, but this
one was a bit more believable…how the rivalry and reconciliations might have
been…the horrible scheming for status at court. Philippa Gregory can definitely
be hit or miss. This one was more on the hit side, but with sections of boring.
Philippa Gregory is now also writing a teen/young adult
series. The first one out is called Changeling.
It starts out interesting…a young monk is pulled from duty basically for doing
math. The higher-ups send him as part of a mission to discover the truths among
the mysteries. He ends up at a convent, looking into the devilment that’s come
over the nuns. This part of the story was ok. As he solves the mysteries put
before him, he receives the next part of his journey direction. So, the second
part of this book had him searching out a werewolf who killed a small child
long ago. This part of the book was so bland. I’ve read enough werewolf stories
and there’s still new ground to cover. This didn’t do it. I’m pretty sure I
won’t be reading the follow up books in this series.
Following her A
Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness kept me spellbound once again
(heh…spellbound…see what I did there?) with the follow up book, Shadow of Night. (And yes, as an 80s
person, I totally can’t say the title without wanting to sing Pat Benetar’s
Shadows of the Night.) Shadow picks up EXACTLY where Discovery left off. Our
witch and vampire couple time travel back to Elizabethan England. The history
she wove into this book was fabulous! The vampire had some very notable and
notorious friends. They travel to France and to Prague and back to their own
time eventually. Usually at the end of each section, there’s a chapter taking
place in modern day…it’s not always labeled, so sometimes it’s a little jarring
since one minute you’re discussing Doctor Faustus with Christopher Marlowe and
the next you’re at Sotheby’s auction house after hours making purchases. I
love the conversations with Queen Elizabeth! I feel that Harkness really did a
great job weaving the history and the people into the story. Now I have to
wait…probably like a year…for the next one.
So, not so many books this time, but I really did a lot of
crafting…I promise!
