Making: Quilting friendship star blocks. Knitting socks.
Reading: Reading a multiple-movie-references book “Don’t Make a Scene” by Valerie Block. Looks like chick lit from the outside, but rises above it. Enjoying it!
Watching: Heroes season 1 on DVD (wow I like it so much better than I liked it when I tried to watch it in real-time last year. what’s up with that). And the only show that’s premiered so far (on my list anyway): K-Ville.
Listening: New stuff I bought yesterday and stuff I bought last week and stuff I bought in Belgium and Common who I’m going to see tomorrow night and The National who I’m going to see Saturday night…I’ve got a crazy mix of things going on right now.
Category Archives: Books
Memoir: “A Three Dog Life” by Abigail Thomas
This would be a tear-jerker on a good day so maybe not the best choice when you’re super tired and feeling lonely anyway.
Author’s husband suffered traumatic brain injury; basically becomes a different person. This is her story of coming to live with that. It’s very sad in some places. But it’s also hopeful. She always chooses the route of hope. Quite touching.
Loved her writing style. Conversational, easy tone, concise yet not lacking in details (something I used to get compliments on in grad school — although you don’t see much evidence of it, here do you?!?! — so I tend to like that in others as well).
Fantasy/Mystery: “Storm Front” (Bk 1 Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden = the only wizard in the Chicago phone book. Thought it dragged a bit in the middle, but the last third of the book really picked up. Intriguing mystery, very tricky how it all came together. I’m interested enough to read the next one in the series.
À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…
Making: Focusing on Friendship Star blocks this week. With the hope of maybe possibly finishing those before I die…
Reading: I’m sorta lazily reading a magical mystery “Storm Front” by Jim Butcher while I am also devouring the trade paperbacks of the Runaways comics (just in time to read the new ones being written by Joss Whedon!)… I’ve read a lot of great books recently, I wanted a little breather while I am still running over them in my mind…
Watching: Summer season finales (The Closer, yay; Rescue Me, starting to bore me; Saving Grace, so much better than people realize; Damages, I don’t love it that much) and obsessing over Season 1 of Friday Night Lights (yeah NOW I’m obsessing. Before? That was nothing!) before the season 2 premiere on October 5. Now I actually have a happy reason to be home on Friday nights. Yay!
Listening: Lots of new stuff on my plate, but also really on a “The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter” kick today. He’s bringing all sorts of other folk to mind (first song Bob Dylan, “Right Moves” makes me think of Bob Seger [especially the chorus!], some songs Bruce Springsteen, some Leonard Cohen)… Rollicking, good humored, meandering… I’m enjoying it.
Fiction: “Day” by A.L. Kennedy
A war veteran finds himself acting as an extra in a film about the war…and finally finds himself back in a place he understands. A place where he can finally come to terms with his war experiences, his regrets, his hopes…
What an amazing book. Just as Kennedy’s last novel “Paradise” took me so much into the mind of the alcoholic main character that I could practically taste the alcohol on my tongue, this book brings you into a completely different world, yet just as fully. Alfred’s experiences in the war (WWII, by the way), and the bonds he formed then, and the emptiness he’s felt since…
I found it extremely powerful and moving. It’s the third Kennedy I’ve read, the third I’ve loved. To think that the same author could write so movingly on such different themes…truly awe-inspiring. She ranks right up there with Pat Barker and Ann Patchett for me — three of the greatest living authors of our time.
Best of August.
The best movie I saw in August was also the only movie I saw in August (pathetic!): Stardust. Lucky for me, I quite enjoyed it.
The best book I read in August was a tie between “Run” by Ann Patchett and “Seven Types of Ambiguity” by Elliot Perlman. The former is relatively short, concise, but emotionally overwhelming, family drama. The latter is long, meandering, stream of conscious from various narrators, personal relationship drama. Both were highly enjoyable.
The best concert I went to in August was a three-way tie: the Lollapalooza performances by The Polyphonic Spree, Lupe Fiasco and Ben Harper.
My favorite tunes in August were: Matt Nathanson!!! both his new album “Some Mad Hope” and his live album “At the Point” are totally awesome. Awesome!!; Okkervil River “The Stage Names”; and Earlimart “Mentor Tormentor” (hypnotic! entrancing!). And I’m still listening to the stuff I bought in Belgium en français…right now I really like David Hallyday, MC Solaar’s “Chapitre 7” and Kaolin’s “Mélanger Les Couleurs”.
Random personal highlights: Lollapalooza! Trip to Belgium! Plus some quiet days with the Fam up in MN.
Lowlights? Tired out. Two weeks off really throws you for a loop when you return to normal. Need a vacation to recover from my vacation.
Mystery: “Indemnity Only” by Sara Paretsky
Wow you really feel the “age” of a detective novel when there aren’t any cell phones in it so everytime she needs to call someone she either needs to go to her home, office or a payphone. Crazy! How did we live!?! (Hahahahaha.)
Set in Chicago, and I (like my dad, and probably the reason he recommended it) really enjoyed tracking the plot through my neighborhood and near my office and around lots of places I’ve been. Fun.
Mystery: “Rain Fall” by Barry Eisler
A half-American, half-Japanese Vietnam vet working as an assassin in Tokyo, falls in love with the daughter of his latest victim…
This was quite entertaining. Not your standard detective novel; reminded me a little of “Bangkok 8” although it’s not as quirky as that.
And according to a note in the back, all the Tokyo stuff in it is real except two things. So there are a few places I might have to do add to my Tokyo notes (Japan is a possibility for next spring)….
Protected: À la Super Eggplant, currently, I am…
Fantasy: “Witchery: A Ghosts of Albion novel” by Amber Benson & Christopher Golden
The sequel to Accursed. Things continue to get harder for Tamara and William; the more magic in their lives, the harder all their relationships, even with each other, become. Some really neat stuff. I knew Sophia was asking for trouble, but DAMN I had no idea THAT would happen…. Yay. Can’t wait for another.
And p.s. there is one super super sexy scene that really took my breath away. So you know, there’s that. As well.