Books & Movies

I've been reading a lot lately, but let's start with the Wall E movie review. Aside from being funny and cute, it was very interesting in that most of the movie doesn't have dialog. The story is told 75% visually. I highly recommend you add this to your list of movies to see.

Now to books! As I usually do, once I find an author I like, I get obsessed and read all their stuff. My latest author is Stephenie Meyer and the book that sucked me in was Twilight. I'm a little late to the party on this one, but I've been burned by several books written for younger audiences that have received overly-generous reviews. It's about a teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire. Sounds cheesy but it's a very well written book and I enjoyed reading it...so much so that I read the three books in this series in four days (book two is New Moon and three is Eclipse. The next book, Breaking Dawn, comes out in about a month (please see my widget countdown on the left side of the screen). I can't wait for the further adventures of Edward and Bella!

Then I picked up the other book she wrote outside of the series called Host. This one doesn't fall into teen fiction since it centers around adults. It's a science fiction story about an alien species that uses human bodies as hosts for their parasitic life form. It's a good story because it focuses on people and relationships, and not too much on crazy sci-fi stuff. Definitely add this one, if not all of her books, to your reading list.

Book Review

Last week I finished reading People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. My dad passed this one along to me (I never would have picked this up on my own). The plot of this book is similar to the movie The Red Violin (an excellent movie, btw) in that the main story takes place in modern times, but then flashes back to various points in the object's history to learn about what was going on with the people at that time. It won a Pulitzer so it's a little heavier than what I normally read, but I enjoyed it.

This week I started a book called The Zero and I couldn't get into it so I gave up on it. I guess it's safe to say that if you read a book review on here that I liked it as I don't make myself read books that I don't enjoy.

Book Review: Heartsick

Heartsick, a murder mystery thriller written by Chelsea Cain, was a wonderful read. Our protagonist, Archie Sheridan, is trying to find a serial killer that's kidnapping and murdering teenage girls. The side story (and the most interesting part of this book) is that Archie makes weekly jail visits to a convicted serial killer, Gretchen Lowell (a la Hannibal Lecter). The sick twisted fun part is that Archie was Gretchen's last victim - not that Archie caught her. He was tortured for ten days during which he died and was brought back to life by his tormentor, and was then mysteriously released by what we initially assume is her mercy. It's a fun journey in the dark, tormented mind, body, and soul of Archie. Put it on your list of books to read.

A Lot To Catch Up On

I haven't been posting, but I've been busy. Let's start with the poll results. 50% of you were looking forward to the Indiana Jones movie, 35% the next Harry Potter movie, and 15% the next Batman movie.

Let's move to books next. I can now say I've read all of Jasper Fforde's book since I finished reading The Fourth Bear, part of his nursery crime series. I loved it, of course (see reviews of all his other books in my previous posts). The twisty-turny plot had me guessing how he was going to pull together an ending that involved Goldilocks, the Three Bears, giant cucumbers, seemingly random devastating explosions, and the Gingerbread Man. (Ever wondered whether he was a cake or a cookie? Read this book to find out why it's so important.) Like everything else he wrote, this is funny, witty, and spellbinding. I recommend you put all of his books on your reading list.

I also read a book called Lamb by Christopher Moore, a smart-ass of the first water. Lamb is the Gospel of Biff, Jesus' best friend. Mr. Moore weaves a funny and creative tale as he attempts to fill in the blanks of the first thirty years of Jesus' life. Put this on your list of books to read, too.

I just finished reading a chick-lit book called Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison. This isn't really my genre. It was a cute little no-brainer read. If you're looking for something fun that doesn't involve any thinking pick this one up.

Now on to movies. I have to start with my favorite movie so far this year, Young @ Heart. This incredible documentary follows a choir full of senior citizens for a few months as they learn contemporary songs (well, more contemporary that their generation) in preparation for a concert. The movie opened with one of the women performing Should I Stay Or Should I Go by the Clash. It was great! I laughed, I cried, and I was, most importantly, inspired by the zest for life these people have. I saw it at a local theater that tends to show independent films, so you may have to hunt for this one. It is worth it. I have six words for you: must see must see must see. If you're not convinced, search on You Tube for a few downloads from the movie. They made videos for a couple songs in the movie and, of course, someone put them on You Tube. But the movie is so much more than these videos.

I also rented Untraceable and Michael Clayton. The first one was decent. Rent it if want a scary movie on tracking down a serial killer. The second was very good, but make sure you're in the mood for a serious movie.

The last movie I have to report in on is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It's definitely worth seeing - who doesn't want to see Indy in action again - but I can't help but be disappointed. It's been 15 years and this is the best script Spielberg and Lucas could come up with in all that time?! If you want to read an overly-verbose review of the movie rife with spoilers on just about every plot point, check out my other blog I have with my friend. There's a link on the left side of this page to J and K at the Movies.

That's all for now. Don't forget to vote in my new poll!

The Big Over Easy

I just finished The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. (Please see my previous posts for reviews of this other books.) This first book in his Nursery Crime series follows detective Jack Spratt and his assistant Mary Mary through the murder investigation of Humpty Dumpty. It was funny and witty just like his other books. I especially appreciated the twist at the end (which I won't give away here in case you are inclined to read it). I highly recommend this book, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one in this series, The Fourth Bear.

Movie Reviews

No Country For Old Men was interesting to watch. I definitely recommend it, but don't expect it to be the feel good movie of the year. Honestly, with a hair cut like that freaking you out, I hope you weren't expecting a warm fuzzy.

Baby Mama was a lot funnier than I expected. Amy Pohler is one of the funniest people I've watched in a long time. Definitely put on your list of movies to watch.

I'm Not There was WAY to artsy-fartsy weird. I couldn't finish watching it. I only rented it because Cate Blanchett is in it, and I think she's the best actor in the world. Trust me, that's the only reason I picked this one. Needless to say, I wouldn't recommend it.

A Scanner Darkly

A Scanner Darkly was a dark (sort of sci-fi) movie starring Keanu Reeves. It's about a small group of addicts hooked on a drug called Substance D which is highly addictive and difficult to recover from without sustaining permanent damage. Despite the heavy topic it had several humorous scenes courtesy of Robert Downey, Jr., reminiscent of John Goodman in The Big Lebowski. It had a few unexpected twists at the end (which I always appreciate). If you haven't seen this yet, I recommend you put it on your list of movies to rent.

Movie Reviews

This weekend on cable I caught Saw III and Transformers. If you watched the first two Saw movies, this third one is more of the same. Whether that's good or bad is up to your personal tastes. I will say that it takes a twisted mind to come up with all those twisted ways to kill people.

I had no expectations for Transformers, but it turned out to be OK once it got going. However, if sci-fi actions movies aren't your preference, you won't like this.

I would say the same thing for both of these movies - catch them on cable if you have the time, but don't waste your money to rent them.

Movie Review: P.S. I Love You

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised about P.S. I Love You. I'm not generally into chick flicks, but this one was clever and well acted. It has a fun supporting cast with Lisa Kudrow and Gina Gershon stealing all the scenes their in. If you're thinking of renting this one, do it.

New Blog for Movies

Me and a friend have decided to start our own blog to post movie reviews. We went to see Iron Man this weekend and thought that would be a good place to start. My friend is going to write up the first review, and I'm going to post my comments after her write up. We'll keep a dialogue going as long we feel we have topics to discuss on the movie.

Please check it out at http://jandkatthemovies.blogspot.com/. There's also a link on the left under my Check This Out section. Feel free to post your comments on either our blog or the movie.

Enjoy!

A Few Updates: Books, Movies, TV

I'm continuing to read my way through Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. I've read The Well of Lost Plots and Something Rotten, and I'm currently in the middle of The First Among Sequels, which is his last book (so far) for Thursday Next. Please see my previous post for my comments on how great these books are. Once I finish this book, I plan to start on his nursery tale crime series for which has only written two books to date. I'll definitely post a write-up on those two.

I recently re-watched Juno. If you haven't seen it yet, put it at the top of your list. It's very funny and touching. Diablo Cody won an Oscar for writing this touching tale about a pregnant teenager. I know - it sounds like an after-school special but I guarantee that you will enjoy watching it.

I also watched No Reservations with Catherine Zeta-Jones-Douglas. I thought it was supposed to be a romantic comedy, but the romance was low and the comedy almost non-existent. It was like a Lifetime movie, but with good actors. Needless to say, I didn't enjoy this and don't recommend it.

A while back I went to see There Will Be Blood with Daniel Day-Lewis. I loved this movie. He is such a great actor and earned a well-deserved Oscar for his performance. Be forewarned that this is not a happy, feel good movie. It's a character study of a sociopath. It's based on a book called Oil! by Upton Sinclair. I don't think I'd enjoy reading his books, but this movie was fascinating.

If you don't already, watch Lost on ABC. What a fabulous show! I admit that the third season meandered a little too much, but this fourth season is pure dynamite. My two favorite characters are Benjamin Linus and Sayid. Ben started out in season two as "the bad guy," but as we progress, it's becoming clearer that he is the best multi-dimensional character ever written for a TV show. He does bad things, but we are starting to understand that he has a purpose for all of his decisions, and he's trying to do good for Jacob/the island. (If you haven't seen it I can't begin to describe Jacob.) And Sayid is just cool. If you were really stuck on an island, you'd definitely want him on your side. He is a former member of the Iraqi National Guard and his title was Communications Officer - meaning that we was good at torturing people to get them to communicate the information he needed. But he is also a very complex character. Any time there's a Sayid-centric show, the theme of is always "don't 'ef' with Sayid!" If you haven't watched it and/or need to catch up, you can watch all the episodes for free at abc.com.

And last but not least, please vote in my poll.

My New Favorite Author

I was fortunate to be stuck on an overly-long business trip last week - fortunate because I had enough time to read a great book and discover a fabulous author. His name is Jasper Fforde and the book I read was The Eyre Affair. Yes, Eyre as in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. There are also numerous references to Dickens, Shakespeare, Bacon, and Milton. Sounds like stuffy, snobby British literature, right? Thank God that this couldn't be farther from the truth. It was a fun, humorous, witty page-turner that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Set in an alternate reality heavily focused on literature, Baconites go door-to-door trying to convince people that Francis Bacon wrote all of Shakespeare's plays, people get stuck inside of poems, and forging verses of literature's greatest authors is punishable by law. Our heroine is Thursday Next, a literary detective who is called upon to investigate the kidnapping of characters from literature's greatest works and prevent their literary homicides. It's silly, imaginative, and quite charming.

So, of course, I have already finished the next Thursday Next novel titled Lost in a Good Book. It's full of the same humor and charm as the first novel and I loved it just as much. I think there are five Thursday Next novels written so far, in addition to another series he's seems to have started regarding crimes committed in fairy tales that need to be solved by Jack Spratt and his assistant, Mary Mary. I think the first novel in that series is The Big Over Easy about the murder of Humpty Dumpty. But as soon as I post this, I'm going to start on the third Thursday Next novel titled The Well of Lost Plots. I'm sure you'll see another posting on this very shortly.

So hurry to your nearest library or book store to pick up anything written by Jasper Fforde. I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Surprise!

I bet you're shocked to see a post, eh?! Well, here's what's new...

I went to see Vantage Point last weekend. Don't waste your time or your money. It has a lot of good actors, but plot is weak and it has a really dumb ending.

Today I went to see Nim's Island (the choice I had was this or Fool's Gold and Fool's Gold looks really, really bad). Nim's Island was really cute and funny! I liked it, but it had a lot of animals in it and I like anything with animals. Jodi Foster's role was really funny. It's a departure from the types of characters she's played in the last few years. And Abigail Breslin was really good. It's a movie geared toward kids, but adults that want a fun, feel-good movie will enjoy it as well.

I've also watched all the episodes of the The Office. Everyone who works in an office and 95% of the people who don't will enjoy this show. It's really funny, but it's the type of humor where you laugh AT the protagonist, not WITH him (that's where 5% of people won't like it). If you haven't watched it yet, I highly suggest renting them all. It's too good to miss.

So that's all I've got for now. Please vote in my new poll.

Barry's da Bomb!

I went to see Barry Manilow in concert last night. Oh. My. God. He is so great! I had an expectation level that his performance would be good, but he blew me away. At 67 his voice is as powerful and mesmerizing as it's always been. He doesn't strain to hit the high notes or hold the long, dramatic notes at the end of his songs. His performance was first class from start to finish.

I was a little panicky at the beginning of the show. After opening with It's a Miracle (great show opener, by the way), he sang a medley (first verse and one chorus) of a few of his bigger songs. I was worried that he wasn't going to sing the full version of my favorite song of his, Weekend in New England. Then I really went into a panic when I realized that he might not sing it at all! The guy's got 40 years of songs behind him; I don't know what he's going to choose to sing. But in the middle of the concert I heard the first five notes of the song and I got very giddy knowing that I was actually going to hear him perform this song live! Then he starting singing and my heart instantly began to melt. I couldn't even sing along to all the words because I was getting choked up. (Yes, I'm a geek, but you guys already knew that.)

He also sang Mandy and Copacabana, of course, as well as many, many other hits. He sprinkled in a lot of stories about his life, which filled in the background of his stunning career. He had a very large band, four back-up singers, and a few moving parts on his stage. He was very interactive with the audience the entire night. It was obvious that that his fans love him and he loves his fans.

The highlight of the night came somewhat early in the show when he brought one of his fans on stage to dance with him as he sang Glen Miller's theme song, Moonlight Serenade. What a lucky lady! But my favorite part of the show (aside from him singing my favorite song) was the people sitting around us. I nicknamed the women sitting in the row behind us The Barry Manilow Fan Club, and some of them actually were members of his official club. Their excitement was a lot of fun to listen to during the concert and they were very nice to talk with before it started. The couple I was sitting next to were very nice, too. The guy was SO into the music, that several times during the night he made gestures with his hand as if conducting the music during the grand crescendos of a few of Barry's songs. I find that concerts are much more enjoyable when the people around you are not only listening to the music, but feeling it as well. It just makes the atmosphere of the concert that much more enjoyable. [As a side note, when I went to see The Police, the guys standing next to me talked during the whole concert. I don't know why they spent money to go to that concert when they could have just went to bar if all they wanted to do was talk and drink beer. It totally bummed me out.]

Barry Manilow's concert was so inspiring to me that I actually started playing the piano again today. I have a big book of sheet music to a lot of his songs that I never learned how to play when I was taking lessons. I introduced the idea to my teacher and showed him the book, but he clearly wasn't interested in hearing me hack away at Barry Manilow songs, so I never attempted it. I remembered today that I had it and cracked it open. I'm muddling through the intro to Mandy. I know I'll never sound even close to the original version, but I never wanted to play for anyone but myself, anyway. I'm thankful that Barry's performance last night inspired me to want to learn to play a new song after all but ignoring the piano for over a year.

Thank you, Mr. Manilow.

Movie Review: Eastern Promises

I went to see Eastern Promises a little while back. I think it should still be in the theaters if anyone wants to check it out. It stars Viggo Mortenson and was directed by the guy who did A History of Violence, also starring Viggo. I thought this movie was really well done (as was H of V).

It's pretty intense. It takes us inside the Russian mafia and all the dirty, nasty things they do. This is not the feel-good-movie-of-the-year. If you get queasy watching violence on the big screen, you will probably have to turn away during the bathroom fight scene. It goes on for several minutes and gets pretty bloody.

Having said all of that, it's a really good movie and you should put it on your list of movies to watch. But if you want something that goes down a little easier, check out Hidalgo. It stars Viggo and is about a guy and his horse.

Movie Review: Bourne Ultimatum

A couple weeks ago I finally went to see The Bourne Ultimatum. I'm sorry I didn't go sooner! What an incredible movie. I had an extra-large jumbo coke that I sucked down before the movie even started, so I had a very full bladder during the movie. But there wasn't really a slow part in the movie to take a potty break. I ended up running there and back to the bathroom so I wouldn't miss too much.

This was a great ending to a very exciting movie trilogy. I haven't read them, but I understand that Robert Ludlum's books are quite entertaining as well (if any of you want to check them out). In any case, I highly recommend all three movies if you haven't had the opportunity to watch them yet.

I hope you all had a great summer!

Movie Reviews

I rented some movies last weekend, and boy, were some of them bad! I know it will come as no shock to you that Beowulf & Grendle was terrible. I thought seeing a movie adaptation would change my mind about how boring Beowulf was to read. I thought wrong. This was really boring, just like the book.

The Fountain was also pretty bad. It was a bizarre sci-fi thing (usually right up my alley) but it was really boring because there was hardly a plot. Don't be fooled by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weiss. While they are good actors, they can't help a weird movie with no plot.

The other stinker was The Contract. I was lured in by Morgan Freeman and John Cusack, both fabulous actors. However, the movie had a really bad 80s plot to it. At one point one of the bad guys shot at John Cusack with a machine gun from about 10 feet away and missed him. I think he should have taken some lessons from Dick Cheney.

But two of the movies I rented were really good. Fracture with Anthony Hopkins was really good. He shoots his wife (we see him do this at the beginning of the movie) for cheating on him. The movie is both a legal thriller and a mystery as we try to figure out how he hid all the evidence. Very good, but don't waste your time watching the two alternate endings on the DVD.

The other good one was Apocalypto. It took me a long time to watch this because, at the time, I was really sick of hearing about what a kook Mel Gibson was, the not-typical subject matter of the movie made me leery, and the subtitles turned me off. However, it was a really, really good movie that shows you many different aspects to the ancient Mayan culture. And don't worry, there's lots of plot so it doesn't get boring at all.

HBO Rocks!

For those of you who haven't subscribed to HBO, you're missing out on some of the greatest TV shows ever made. Obviously, The Sopranos was the hugest show ever. It's seven seasons long and as of right now all but the last season are out on DVD. Warning: Once you start watching you WON'T be able to stop, so make sure you have some DVD watching time allotted for yourself. The first three seasons are the best. They focus on Tony's relationship with his mother, who is the most evil woman ever! (For those of you familiar with the history of ancient Rome, it's no coincidence that David Chase named her Livia.) But the actress who played her died and the focus of the show shifted in the fourth season. Some people complained that "nothing happens" in many of the episodes in the last four seasons, but, aside from being stupid and whiny, they're wrong. I site as my example the first episode of the last season when Tony, Carmela, Janice, and Bobby were hanging out at the beach house chatting and playing Monopoly almost the whole episode. There was so much going on in the dialogue between these characters in what they said and how they said it, and also in what they didn't say. It was a one hour verbal boxing match. Great stuff. You owe it to yourself to rent this series if you haven't already seen it. (And those of you who have seen it I'm sure wouldn't mind watching it all again.)

If seven seasons is too much for you to commit to right now, maybe the three seasons of Deadwood is for you. Again, a phenomenal show. It's about the gold rush in Deadwood, South Dakota. Almost all of the characters in the show were real, including Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, and everyone's favorite character Al Swerengen, played brilliantly by Ian McShane. Don't think that this is some dumb 60s western crap. It's a very gritty and real portrayal of how Deadwood started as barely a wide spot in the road until word spread that there was gold in them thar hills. It became the fastest growing city (probably ever), growing from a few dozen to over 10,000 in two or three months. The dialogue was so intelligent and high-level that I often had to consult with my friends the next day to figure out if we caught everything that was going on. Definitely a must-see.

You also need to check out the two seasons of Rome. If you ever thought the ancient history of Rome was boring, this will change your mind - guaranteed. It covers the history of Julius Caeser, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, Brutus, Cassius, and Cicero, but primarily through the perspective of two soldiers of the mighty 13th, Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo. Vorenus and Pullo are fictional, but through them you get to see how the lower classes lived. I found it particularly interesting to see how the mafia originated - who knew its roots went that far back? You will get sucked into this one really fast. Phenomenal actors and dazzling sets really bring to life the history of these people. They plow through a lot of history in two seasons. I wish they hadn't cancelled this one. It seems like it could have gone on for several more seasons without getting the least bit boring.

I try to resist watching too many TV shows, so I skip a lot of the popular things most people watch. One of the shows I skipped was Big Love. However, in the glimpses of the show I catch here and there I'm getting addicted to it. I'll be renting the first season and scouring HBO for reruns of the second season to get caught up.

The moral of the story is that if it's on HBO, it's probably really good, so watch it.

Poll Results

Voting is now over and an overwhelming number of you have cast your votes. That's a lie. Only three of you voted! Please vote in my polls. That's the funnest part about having a blog!

Anyway, it was a three-way tie between Spring, Summer, and Fall. No one voted for Winter. I personally love Fall the best. The weather cools off to a brisk temperature so you can start wearing cosy sweaters and comfy sweatshirts. The leaves turn so many beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange. It reminds me of being back on campus at MSU at the beginning of a school year before I got all burnt out. I love being outside in the fall. The only down side is that the bees are out in full force at the cider mill.

I like Spring too, of course. It just seems that in Michigan Spring only lasts about a week before the temperatures heat up too much and I start sweating when I'm outside. Then it's Summer right away - my least favorite season. Bugs are out in full force, it's too hot (I hate sweating), and you have to worry about having sunblock all the time. One of my most hated things about summer is eating outside. I don't know why people love to eat outside. It makes me really irritated to have to have to swat bugs away from your food and try to get a seat where the Sun isn't blaring directly in your eyes.

I think Winter is the most unappreciated season. I love how pretty all the trees are with snow all over the branches. As with the fall, you get to wear cozy sweaters while you curl up with a hot cup of tea in front of the fireplace. Best of all: No Bugs! Some of you may complain about having to shovel snow. But I would rather shovel snow in the winter than mow the lawn in the summer when you sweat profusely and get attacked by bees. And, I'm sure you would admit that you shovel snow less than you have to mow the lawn.

As Summer is drawing to a close, your assignment, dear reader-of-my-blog, is to find the beauty of Winter this year. Start to appreciate that we get four fabulous seasons here in Michigan. And one of those great seasons is Winter. As the holidays approach, start to take notice of all the wonderful things Winter has to offer - things that you never took the time to appreciate before. Maybe one of them is that without Winter, you wouldn't appreciate Spring, Summer, and Fall as much.

Giving Your Stuff Away

My parents and I are going through all our clothes and "stuff" to give it to Purple Heart. It's amazing how much we have to give to them! It's about five times more than I thought we'd have, which is fabulous. All of it is in good condition (if it wasn't we would have thrown it out) and now it can be used by people who need it.

I encourage anyone who reads this think about all the "stuff" you have and whether you really need it (or even use it) and consider whether you can part with it so some other needy person can enjoy it, possibly more than you do right now.

Christmas isn't that far away. You'll get new "stuff" to replace the old "stuff" you gave away. :)

Latest Movies Seen

I just rented a bunch of movies for the weekend; here are my reviews.

300 - Totally awesome! This is a great action movie based on a true story about 300 Spartans who held off the entire Persian army.

Pan's Labyrinth - Very good movie, but depressing. Don't let the subtitles throw you. It's worth watching. Just remember that it's not the feel good movie of the year.

Perfume - I never heard of this one before. I saw it on the shelf at the video store and saw that it starred Alan Rickman (the coolest actor ever) and Dustin Hoffman, so I grabbed it. It's weird but interesting. Kind of a bizarre ending. You should be in the mood to watch a not-mainstream movie when you rent this one.

Number 23 - I knew this one was supposed to be weird, but it was a boring journey getting to the denouement.

Night At The Museum - This was a fun movie! It was better than I thought it would be. Put it on your list of movies to watch.

Breach - This is based on the real-life spy who did the most damage to our country's intelligence ever. It's an interesting movie, but don't look for plot twists or action; it's a character study film.

The Hitcher - Sean Bean is a good actor, but I think my vote is for the original 80s movie with Rutger Hauer. If you've seen the original, don't waste your time on this one.

Hannibal Rising - This chronicle of Lecter's youth is a must see for all his fans. Or read the book. It's not necessary to do both.

Little Children - A well acted character study that lasts 2 1/2 hours. I was bored after a while.

Poll Results

Ha! This poll was a trick question and you fell for it! They are all immensely talented so you couldn't possibly pick one over the others.

Yet, you did. Obviously, Sting won due to his popular solo career after The Police. Andy and Stewart have had successful solo careers as well, however their popularity has not been as wide-spread as Sting's.

If you are interested, please check out their individual websites for details.
http://www.andysummers.com/
http://www.stewartcopeland.net/
http://www.sting.com/

Book Review: The Kite Runner

Last night I read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. It's well written and the story is good. This is his first novel but it reads like a book by veteran writer. However, it is a very grim story. Horrible things happen to the characters. I almost quit reading after the first 100 pages. I usually don't read books like this, but a friend loaned it to me and highly suggested I read it.

Again, it's good, but read this at your own risk. If you can stomach the first 100 pages stay with the whole book. But be warned that the atrocities aren't over until the book is over.

Overall, I would recommend this for the writing, but I hesitate to tell you to put it on your must-read list based on its content.

I think my next book is going to be The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. It should be a little more fun than this last one. I'll let you know!

Poll Results

The results are in and, while he will redeem himself in the last book (2 votes) and is lucky to be portrayed by Alan Rickman (2 votes), it looks like Snape is in bad need of a shampoo (3 votes). I quite agree!

And, by the way, so does Fred Weasley. On page 444 of Deathly Hallows he says that one of the characters "...can move faster than Severus Snape when confronted with shampoo...." [snicker, snicker]

A new poll will be on its way shortly. I know you can't wait!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

It's been a wonderful 10 years following Harry through his adventures, and now it's over. Be prepared to laugh and cry, and especially brace yourself for some shocking deaths.

I was the first one out of the store at midnight. I raced home as quickly as I dared and began reading immediately. 3 extra large Starbuck's coffees helped me stay awake most of the night. I took a 2 1/2 hour nap from 4:30 to 7, and finished at 1:45 this afternoon. Then I took a shower and a long nap!

My dad is reading it now. I won't comment on anything except what has happened in the first 100 or so pages that he's read. I'm anxious to discuss this, so when you've finished give me a call.

Until then, cheers to Harry, the boy who lived.