Well, it has been AGES since I blogged books or movies. I haven't actually watched much in the way of movies, but tonight the General and I had JesusCamp delivered to our door, courtesy of NetFlix, and I must say, it was un-freakin'-believable. If you want to be scared out of your wits about something that is actually going on today, go rent JesusCamp. And the cinematography was beautiful. Absolutely stunning video.
I haven't been keeping as close an eye on my reading this time around--least ways not in terms of writing up the little book reviews. I started doing it and then I determined it got in the way of my reading time, so I quit. Reading has been a really good escape for me this year in a number of ways, and I would rather just sit and read than to worry about what I'm going to write about the book afterwards.
So, if you noticed over to the right, I have a box that continuously updates as I enter a book as "Read, 2008". It doesn't show every book, as it only has 4 screens of up to 6 books, but it does a good job of showing you the most recent books I've read anyway.
So far this year, I've read 44 books. I'm frankly stunned by that number. I had ZERO intention of reading 100 this year, but it seems like when I'm not reading, I'm at loose ends as to what I can do with myself and my spare time. So, here's what I've read so far, and I'm putting my favorites for the year in BOLD PRINT. :-) And if I have any comments about a particular book, I'll put that in parenthesis after the title.
- How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less by Nicholas Boothman (Fascinating, absolutely fascinating book, I read it only recently, so I'll have to report back on its efficacy after I practice it)
- TTYL by Lauren Myracle
- Bobbie Faye's Very (Very, Very, Very) Bad Day by Toni McGee Causey
- Bitsy's Bait & BBQ by Pamela Morsi
- Footnote Washington by Bryson B. Rash
- The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell by Loraine Despres
- Don't Kiss Them Goodbye by Alison DuBois
- Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Crusie
- Uglies by Scott Westerfield
- Secrets of My Suburban Life by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (a new favorite--THANKS, NICOLE!)
- Songs Without Words by Ann Packer
- The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares
- 84 Charing Cross by Helene Hanff (always a favorite--THANKS, LESLEY!)
- The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
- Oh My Stars by Lorna Landvik
- The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Queen of the Oddballs And Other True Stories from a Life Unaccording to Plan by Hillary Carlip
- The Summerhouse by Jude Devereaux
- A Very Brady Guide to Life: Groovy Solutions to Life's Most Puzzling Dilemmas by Jennifer Briggs (lame, lame, lame--used from the 90s movies, not the TV show)
- Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey
- I'm Proud of You: My Relationship with Fred Rogers by Tim Madigan (OMG, what a tear jerker!!! You have been warned!)
- Flirting With Pete by Barbara Delinsky
- Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg
- Roses are Red by James Patterson
- The Other Woman by Jane Green
- Mortified 2: Love is a Battlefield by David Nadelberg
- Mortified: Real People. Real Words. Real Pathetic. by David Nadelberg (Laugh out loud hilarity--and God do I wish I could say I couldn't relate at all, but I could relate all too well)
- The Mystery of Mr. Nice by Bruce Hale
- In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
- Ghost Girl by Tori Hayden (forget a grain, read it with a box of salt)
- Knitting Under the Influence by Claire LaZebnick
- Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography by Lemony Snicket
- Name All the Animals by Alison Smith
- Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich
- The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life by Cecile Andrews
- Good Grief by Lolly Winston (really starting to love her!)
- The Year My Life Went Down the Loo by Katie Maxwell
- Daredevil Vol. 3: Wake Up by Brian Michael Bendis
- Dishwasher by Pete Jordan
- How to Make Your Man Behave in 21 Days or Less Using the Secrets of Professional Dog Trainers by Karen Salmansohn
- The Seven Lively Sins: How to Enjoy Your Life, Dammit! by Karen Salmansohn
- Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailkis
- Quickie Stickies: 100 Pick-Me-Ups for When You're Feeling Unglued by Karen Salmansohn
So, that's them. I'm currently in the middle of a bunch of books and am excited to find myself reading a lot of memoirs and nonfiction this year. It's quite a change!
3 pearl(s) of wisdom:
Re Tim Madigan's book about Mr. Rogers: Pull up this YouTube video of Fred Rogers testifying before a Senate hearing in 1969. At first, it's easy to snicker at how he sounds versus the jadedness around him. That doesn't last. You will see Mr. Rogers, whose real-life mannerisms aren't that different from his TV side, put a gruff, a-hole Senator in his place, all but moving him to tears ... and convinces him to restore the PBS funding that Congress was planning on taking away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEuEUQIP3Q
You cannot walk away from this video without a solemn awe for this man. We can make fun of Mr. Rogers all we want (and I have, and probably always will), however you have to acknowledge the good he's done in this world.
I met MRS. Rogers while she was in Troy for a piano recital early in 2000. She is truly sweet and talks just like Fred did.
--Talmadge "Trying to flag down a trolley" Gleck
I grew up in a denomination that was like the kind of church stuff shown in "Jesus Camp" ..... only my mother never did send me to the church's youth camps in the summer (only a week, but still). She sensed that I would be utterly MISERABLE there, and she was right: I would have been. And so she played up the things I wouldn't be able to do there that I could do at home; mostly, all the silly stuff our church practiced that we didn't. Heretics, we were.....
I haven't thanked her enough.
I hope you enjoyed SECRETS OF MY SUBURBAN LIFE!
Post a Comment