Today, we're starting a new thing here at Daily Word Allotment. In an effort to not only keep track of books I read, movies I watch, and other forms of entertainment I enjoy, but also to let all of you know what I think of them, I've decided to talk about them here. As I am far too lazy to write full reviews of all of them, I'm going to try to keep my commentary on each to three sentences or less - my brother would be proud of me for limiting my words! Anyway, here we go, starting about a month ago with the commencement of summer.
Title: The African Queen, or How I Went To Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My MindAuthor: Katharine Hepburn
Why?: Because it was referenced in an article somewhere on the internets. I thought it was slate.com, but now I can't find the article, so heaven knows where I read about it.
Three Thoughts: I want to be Katharine Hepburn when I grow up. However, I do not want to make a movie in Africa, because it sounds beastly. That being said, the story was great, especially for a Hollywood nerd like myself.
Title: From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries #8)Author: Charlaine Harris
Why?: A few work colleagues got me hooked on the series, upon which the True Blood TV show is based.
Three Thoughts: Like Twilight, if Twilight were written for grown-ups and had a more complex storyline. But I mean that in a good way. Not the best of the series, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Title: The Pact
Author: Jodi Picoult
Why?: Because my mother keeps buying them and giving them to me to read.
Three Thoughts: After you read more than a few of her books, they're kind of all the same. And yet, I still find them compulsively readable. If you're looking to start reading them, though, start with Plain Truth over this one, and check back after I've read a few more of them.
Title: Date Night
Notable Cast Members: Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Marky Mark, James Franco
Why?: Because I like the four previously listed cast members, and I want to give them my money. Especially Franco.
Three Thoughts: The cast, especially the supporting cast, make the film. The plot is rather formulaic, but certain bits of awesome shine through. I kind of want to see it again to pick out the more quotable moments.
Title: Flow: The Cultural History of MenstruationAuthor: Elissa Stein and Susan Kim
Why?: I know I saw this one referenced on slate.com, and I thought it would be interesting, if only in a retro-kitschy type of way. And the library had it, so it was easy to get.
Three Thoughts: Old advertisements and archaic medical procedures and terminology never cease to entertain and fascinate me. What doesn't entertain and fascinate me is people's hatred of the pharmaceutical industry, and throwaway comments about how Big Pharma is out to get them. Overall, though, interesting if you're a science and history nerd like me.
Title: The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
Author: Michael Lewis
Why?: Because I liked the movie far more than I thought I would. You know, if they had marketed it as a sports movie from the beginning, instead of making it look like your standard famous-actress-plays-difficult-character Oscar Bait, I would've been all over it.
Three Thoughts: A lovely story, without the sappiness you'd expect from some of the movie trailers that played last summer. A lot more football-oriented than the movie, although not so much that it should deter those of you who aren't football fans (and not Ravens-oriented enough to deter even the hardest of Steeler fans). Ended a bit abruptly, given what has happened since the subject left college, but a nice afterword was added to the paperback edition to try to bridge this gap.
1 comment:
I love this new feature! I like that it is short and to the point--keep going!
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