I’d like to say that I’ve lived from this moment on without regret, but what makes a life worth living are the small calamities and the train wrecks we live through; a scar becomes a story of endurance.
–Tod Goldberg, from the story “Myths of Our Time” in the collection “Simplify”
Category Archives: Books
À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…
Making: A second Curious George quilt as well as another stripe-y baby quilt. Yadda yadda.
Reading: Short stories by infamous blogger Tod Golberg: “Simplify”. They’re good. As witty and sarcastic as you would have guessed, but more tender than I expected.
Watching: Catching up on TV I was too lazy to watch last week (you know, the ones I don’t HAVE to watch that night when I get home: DS$, Reaper, Gossip Girl), season two of How I Met Your Mother after Michelle got me totally addicted and we whipped through all of Season 1 while she was here, and re(re)watching earlier episodes from the current seasons of Bones and FNL. New (random) episode of The Closer on tonight! Yay! Really want to see both August Rush and Juno (opens tomorrow!) this week.
Listening: To the new Radiohead “In Rainbows”. Yes, I broke down and bought it after Paul said it’s all he’s listened to in two weeks and then it started popping up on everyone’s year-end lists. I haven’t listened to Radiohead in YEARS but I do find this “listenable” which is more than I could say for their last few albums. Also finally bought Augie March “Moo, You Bloody Choir” (it was out in Australia when we went but I had bought an older album instead at the time) and Brother Ali “The Undisputed Truth” (yay! needed some new rap).
Mystery: “True Evil” by Greg Iles
You know when something in a book can just creep you out so much because you don’t know whether it’s something the author just dreamed up out of nowhere or if he’s read about it and the ability to do that horrible thing is actually out there right now in the real world and could be happening to people? And I’m not talking “horrible thing” like something in a crazy horror/ slasher/ murder flick. I’m talking subtly yicky yicky mentally-disturbing “what if people are really doing that?” horrible. And it’s not the part about hiring someone to kill off your spouse instead of you going through a divorce. I’ve still kinda got the skeeves. But that’s really why you read a book like this one: to get your scary kicks.
Mystery: “Deal Breaker” by Harlan Coben
Not your typical genre piece in that the main character is a sports agent rather than a PI, or retired cop, or former FBI agent or whathaveyou. Yet your typical genre piece with the “tougher than the main dude” sidekick (think Joe Pike in the Elvis Cole books). Some really yicky aspects to the mystery. Still: very enjoyable, lots of sarcastic witty humor. Already bought the second one.
Short Stories: “Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work” by Jason Brown
Very intense set of stories; it took me a while to realize they were all taking place in the same town, with some recurring characters in the background (references to the same basketball coach, for example).
Subtle and quiet feeling, but the quiet before the storm. Emotionally brutal, sometimes breathtakingly so. Really, really good.
À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…
Making: Whipping up a quick baby quilt as I realized one’s about to pop in the next two weeks but next Thursday is probably the last time I’ll see the mom for a while… You’ll like it, it’s based around Curious George panels.
Reading: A very philosophical memoir “The Life of Hunger by Amelie Nothomb. Needless to say, I’m now starving.
Watching: The bitter end of Fall TV with some shows almost done (I am loving Bones so much right now!) and cramming in a BUNCH of movies over this Holiday week (Gone Baby Gone and No Country for Old Men already, the Bob Dylan movie today, Margot’s Wedding hopefully Sunday).
Listening: Hmmm. This has been a weird week. What with guests and TV and movies, I haven’t had a lot o’ listenin’ time. Played Eddie Vedder and Band of Horses for Michelle. Listened to Big Star and Pavement (from my Love Is a Mix Tape playlist) while quilting yesterday before moving on to watching Star Wars…
Big Screen: No Country for Old Men
Super (awesomely!) violent and sometimes gross. It’s from a McCarthy book so you should know that going in / shouldn’t come as a shock.
Super freakily (psychologically) messed up villain (Javier Bardem. Spooky as shit. Crazy entrancing eyes).
Great performance from Tommy Lee Jones and solid from Josh Brolin (and I’m not even a fan of his!) and it’s fun to see LOTS of random actors popping up in bit parts (the coach from “One Tree Hill”, the nasty lady who ran the grocery store on “Jericho”, Woody Harrelson (what a relief to see him in something good again after that other shitehole movie which I actually think was way worse than I seem to have written there), Garrett Dillahunt who just played a Russian mobster on “Life”)…
I have to say: what made this movie for me was pure Coen brothers; you can tell/feel where they inserted themselves into this script: the small-town, down-home country humor and the warm personal relationships and comfortable feeling between many of the characters (despite the nasty killings and brutal stuff). And believe you me, humor and warmth = those are NOT things you will find in a McCarthy book.
Really excellent filmmaking and I (given my extreme dislike of McCarthy’s writing) wasn’t even really sure I wanted to see this…
Ben Bridwell recommends.
Bridwell of Band of Horses on Pitchfork’s Guest List (link via LargeHearted Boy).
I’m going to check out:
Tunes: A Decent Animal
Book: “Joe: A Novel” by Larry Brown.
À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…
Making: Still working on the Friendship Star quilts, finishing the binding on the mini leftovers quilt, and have a stack of fabric pulled out to wash since AmandaJean brainwashed me into joining her quilt-a-long.
Reading: Subtly violent short stories “Why the Devil Chose New England for His Work” by Jason Brown. Just three more to go. And obsessing over book blogs and all the “reading challenges” people are involved in.
Watching: As much fall TV as I can stuff into my head before it all comes to a horrific grinding halt. Had secret plans to go to a movie every night this week, but that plan quickly fell apart one day in.
Listening: David Gray‘s new covers album (available only on his site I believe); the Natalie Portman-produced Big Change: Songs for FINCA compilation; and an album and an EP by Great Northern, which I think I just randomly found on iTunes, not sure what caught my eye but they’re good.
Best of October
The best movie I saw in October was Control, the Ian Curtis/Joy Division biopic that I actually went to twice. Beautifully filmed, powerfully acted, with great tunes.
The best book I read in October was … a three-way tie? Hmmmm, OK the one I’ve thought about the most since reading it is “In the Woods” by Tana French. But I thought both the new Haven Kimmel and Jonathan Coe were really, really good as well.
The best gig I went to in October was Rogue Wave. Really compelling and the lead singer has such a distinctive voice.
My favorite tunes in October were the latest albums by Band of Horses, Mr. Hudson & The Library, Joe Purdy, and singles from Nada Surf “See These Bones” (via Fuel/Friends) and folksinger Tom Paxton “George W Told the Nation.”
Random personal highlights: Brunch with MaryKay!; Chicago Film Festival.
Lowlights? White Stripes concert cancelled, thank you Meg’s stupid internet sex tape; Steph’s visit cancelled, thank you stupid airlines.
Seems like a slow month, doesn’t it? But October is very busy at work for me, so there you go. Stupid work.