Crafts:
I think I did some? I don't know. I may have spent all of my time in front of the tv or the computer. If I find pictures later, I'll post them.
Movies:
In January, I only saw two movies in the theater. I blame the weather for that...and my laziness...and all of the drivers who think they can drive in snow and ice but repeatedly prove to me daily that they can not.
I saw The Wolf of Wall Street. I didn't read much about it going into it...I generally prefer it that way. I'm not a huge Leo fan, or Jonah fan...I could possibly be classified as a pretty big Matthew fan though. Anyway, for three hours I laughed at things I'm ashamed to have laughed at...much like I did when I saw There's Something About Mary. It also hit me mid-movie that it was based on a "true" story...I remembered the Steve Madden stuff. (Shocker that it was the shoe designer that tipped me off, right?) I did really like this movie, but it was way too long and all of the stuff that guy said he did? I just can't believe it all...his memories had been completely taken over by drugs and alcohol by the time he thought to write that book. Do I believe he remembered it that way? Yes, that I believe. Enjoyable film, but watch at home without any kids around.
Inside Llewyn Davis was the other movie I saw. It was good. Really good. Cohen brothers good, so quirky, funny, and thoughtful. It was the folk music scene in NYC before Dylan became big. I don't that I could ever bring myself to say bad things about any Cohen brothers movie though...I might be biased. Please watch it though...it's seems like a small film in a big film world. I hope lots of people like it.
Books:
I managed to squeeze in a few books (and half of another one) this past month. I read: The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown by Claire Ridgway, The Bat: A Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbo, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, The Radleys by Matt Haig, and Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield.
The Fall of Anne Boleyn: A Countdown is a book written in diary format to follow dates and track Anne's downfall. It's non-fiction and taken from many sources: diaries, letters, ledgers, calendars, notes, and items written during and after her rise and fall. Ridgway gives the information and then states what she feels the information suggests based on non-biased sources and those who were trying to bring about the Queen's end. It was nicely laid out and I enjoyed reading it...even though I keep reading about the same topics.
The Bat is the first in the Harry Hole detective series by Jo Nesbo. Nesbo also wrote Headhunters, which was one of the best foreign films (Norwegian) I've seen in the theater in the last couple of years. The Bat is the introduction to Harry, a drunk policeman who's barely keeping it together after the murder of his sister and death of his mother (I think that's the order...it's been a while so I may be off). He's sent to Australia from Norway to coordinate with their police force on the murder of a B-celebrity from Norway. I enjoyed this quite a bit...Harry and the characters in this book are pretty interesting. Australian politics, historical aspects playing out in modern times, chasing bad guys, seedy underworld - it's all there. Harry clearly know how to enjoy a lot of things about life, despite his need to not be alive. The story in this one takes several turns, but it comes back to Harry solving the crime and plunging back into ways he's worked at forgetting. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
Beautiful Ruins was ok. I liked the story alright, but it seemed to drag. I liked the location more (Italy). In the end, I don't think I ever connected with the characters. And it had a storyline about movies in it! This book should've had everything I needed to like it, but for some reason, I just wasn't that moved by it.
The Radleys was bought on a whim...whim meaning it was on sale. The Radley family are modern day vampires, trying to lead a life of abstinence. They don't sparkle in the sun, but the teens are definitely moody. Because they don't drink blood, they do age. Basically, they could just be anyone's neighbors. One night, the teen girl accidentally does what a vampire will do and the family is caught in turmoil. Turmoil that becomes crisis when Dad calls his brother who abstains from nothing. I thought this was a fresh take on a vampire story. A funny little book that was a quick read.
Bellman & Black I bought (also on sale) because I remembered reading The Thirteenth Tale by Setterfield a while ago. What I couldn't remember was what I had liked and disliked about the first book, so I took a chance on the second one because I was certain I didn't hate the first. Anyway, when I finished this, I wasn't too sure I'd liked it. But, I've thought about it every day since. It starts with a boy killing a rook with a slingshot with his friends...an insignificant act for many young boys...that oddly shapes the character's life. He, Bellman, grows up and he takes a job at his uncle's mill. Bellman's father left his mother long, long ago. Bellman has had no contact with his father's family except for this uncle and his family. The uncle realizes his son (who was with Bellman on the day the rook was hit) has no use for the family business and so he begins working with Bellman to take over the mill. Things continue...Bellman is great at his job, he loves his job, he meets a girl and gets married and they have children...the business of aging. Then, people begin dying from the sweating sickness. Bellman loses almost everyone he has ever loved over a short period of time. He has a moment in the cemetery and changes his life. The book becomes a book about the business of funerals and grieving. It's quite well done and the time period well researched. What seems to have stayed with me were the chapters that weren't numbered, but marked only with an "&". Those were filled with information about rooks and the names that are given to flocks of them: a murder, an unkindness, and so on. The more I think about the book, the more I realize that it sticks with you and it's interesting. It doesn't matter if I liked the topic or not...well done, Setterfield.
That's it for January. Hopefully I'll get out more in February, but seeing as how we just got another sky dump of snow, maybe not. Stay warm!
