The books of September 2012

Coming to you from my very own internets in my own apartment. Woohoo!

Apparently September was spent on my couch, cross-stitching things that I still can't show you yet and watching loads and loads of tv on dvd (and actual tv once I bought an antenna). So a little on the boring side, but everyone needs a slow month, right?

Movies:
I did abandon my couch for the big screen a few times. I went to see The Master. I really, really, REALLY liked Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, and Magnolia, but this was not Paul Thomas Anderson's best work...at least not to me. I get the loosely hidden threads of "this could totes be scientology but it's not, so, you know, don't judge". Mostly there were just parts that weren't nice to watch. But, the actors were spot on...it was an okay story that was portrayed very well. I think I just wasn't moved by the story to care about it or any of the people. Also, making Joaquin Phoenix unattractive is never going to make you bank.

Cosmopolis is the creation of a film maker that I really love, David Cronenberg. Not totally his creation, I mean, he didn't write it...Don DeLillo did and I talked about it when I read it a few months ago. The film is just as strange as the book, but I could swear the ending was different...which is fine because it didn't start until 10pm and I was getting super sleepy. I thought the tech would be a bit more in your face, but they toned it down. Each character was about what I'd imagined when I read the book...and then I only knew that the main guy was being played by RPattz. He did a great job as this character, but really, not much more was required of him here than is required of a sparkley vampire. (Don't hate on me...I just prefer him as Cedric.) The scenes were very well played out and Paul Giamatti, as usual, stole the show with his part. This is something that you may want to rent...it's something you'll continue to think about after you've seen (or read) it.

I also saw Looper. Looper freaking rocked. It was complicated and awesome. Kurt at Mamapop already reviewed it without giving away any plot...I suggest you check it out here. It was brutal and took you places that were logical given the time travel story-line, but all of that darkness was redeemed and worth it in the end. This movie surprised me. I went in for an action film and left with the satisfaction felt usually from seeing something like Inception or Adjustment Bureau - that feeling of having seen an unexpectedly great story that sucked you in to the point where the silence at the end is almost jarring because you want more.

And, of course, I bought The Avengers on DVD. And I still love it. I've only watched it twice since I got it last week :)

Books:
I don't think I bought any books this month...maybe one or two on the Kindle. I really need to stop getting things from the library and starting using the Kindle more...I like it and now that I have internets at home, I can load it up whenever I want without leaving the couch. Perfect.

This month I read When It Happens To You: A Novel in Stories by Molly Ringwald, It's Not Me, It's You by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor, 11/22/63 by Stephen King, and The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo by Tom Reiss.

Yes, that Molly Ringwald. Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink...you know, the redhead. I took a chance with this one and I felt rewarded. She gave us a teen to rally behind while growing up and now she gives us a story about people whose lives intersect in horrible, interesting, and lovely ways. Each chapter was a different story that overlapped somehow with a different chapter and set of characters. This is a very good, if not slightly sad, read. Give it a shot if you want something slightly on the downer side.

It's Not Me, It's You is a series of short stories about the author's life. It's pretty funny...I mean, how can you wrong with a woman wearing a lamp-shade over her head on the cover? It didn't give me the laughing fits that I get from Jen Lancaster or Jenny Lawson, but it was a fun read. I have another one by her and now that I'm familiar with her style, I think I'll enjoy this other one even more.

Everyone has given 11/22/63 good reviews. I'm bandwagoning. November 22nd is my mom's birthday, so I've heard her story about Kennedy's assassination. But this take is very inventive. It's another "what if" historical alteration book. This time (unlike The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln), the story follows the main character's plot, but the plot of the assassination as it currently stands. In order to change history for the better, a man is talked into going back in time to stop the assassination of Kennedy by (a) figuring out if there really was a conspiracy and (b) killing Oswald. Along the way, he changes other people's histories, making the butterfly effects insane. This is a historical event that it makes sense to wonder about...what would've happened if Kennedy had lived? So many people have wondered about it...and this is just one possible (fictional) scenario. I feel like the main character hadn't given much thought to the "what if" because it was simply fact, which is why it worked...for most of us it's simply something that happened and is part of our past. What parts of history could know a different outcomes...even just in your head? I liked the whole story...the time travel, the lessons learned, the part every single decision and micro-particle play in history. I haven't enjoyed Stephen King in a long time, but he's back. It's a great, thought-provoking book.

Lastly, I read The Black Count. This book came out a couple of weeks ago. Long ago, I think I read something by Dumas. I couldn't tell you which book it was. And I've seen movies about his books. And I read another book based on Dumas' books. So, what I'm saying is, I was familiar. What I had no idea was that he and his father were mixed-race men. Taking the way back machine to pre-revolution France shows a very different world-view on slavery and races than I would have thought. I didn't study loads of French history, so maybe this is only a surprise for me. Anyway, turns out Dumas idolized his father and most of his writings are fictionalized versions of his life and times in some form. His father was a great general, served Napoleon, won honors and distinctions, and then was imprisoned in Naples and never regained his former status due to petty jealousy, illness, and a massive change in attitude toward those of mixed-races. It was very interesting, but not my usual fluff, so it took a bit to get through.

October will be another crazy month, but I should have some crafts that I'll be able to post and I've already seen some movie previews that look good. And, as always, there's that huge stack of books on my nightstand, each patiently awaiting its turn to be read :)