Mirkwood Reflections

Have not been doing well with updates here. Here are my summer reads. The comments in italics are my thoughts as of today, so some of the less memorable books won't be very detailed. Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon - 6/10/2010 Excellent - Historical Fiction Re-read (AUDIOBOOK) My second time reading the latest book in the Outlander series. Loved it more listening to it. But you? You must start at the beginning. Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas - 6/17/2010 Good - Historical Fiction Poignant tale of children caught in an avalance in a 1920's mining town Very touching story with an interesting presentation. Each story is told independently and then woven together at the end. Loved it, though it was sad. The Burning Wire by Jeffrey Deaver - 6/22/2010 Good - Thriller Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs combat a perp killing people with electricity. Better than the last Deaver I read which seemed to be slightly soapbox-oriented. Read It and Eat by Sarah Gardner - 6/29/2010 Excelle...

As you may have surmised from the lack of recent posts, life has overtaken me. The part-time job I've taken means less time for writing and much less time for reading. I have all I can do to keep up with my book club's selections. (And I have managed it so far, but the size of the Dickens volume I am supposed to tackle this summer has me quivering in a lump in a lonely dank corner.) So, here are my April and May reads - pitiful list, though it may be. Becca By the Book by Laura Jensen Walker 4/2/2010 Good - Inspirational This was an inspirational romance and I neglected to write a summary. I remember it was about a book club, mostly about the non-Christian member of the club. I also did not realize it was part of a series of books and it wasn't the first one in the series, or I probably would not have read it. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead Good - Children's (Read Aloud) I believe this was the Newbery Award winner for 2009. Mysterious and engaging, the book addres...

Titanic National Geographic special This was really interesting - about how many errors were involved in the sinking of the Titanic. From the inferior iron rivets to a insulting comment made by the radio operator, so many tiny things contributed to the sinking of the great ship. It helps that I have been fascinated by the Titanic since I first heard of it as a child. Law-Abiding Citizen Found this one really distasteful. I don't watch a lot of "R" movies and this would be a good example of why not. Really gory vigilante justice film. Even Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx didn't save it. Save your time. Alice in Wonderland Watched this in the theater with my sister - her treat! Thank you, Janet! It was rather surreal, but that comes with the territory, eh? Both Lewis Carroll and Tim Burton fit that category neatly. A beautiful film - lots of vivid colors and interesting things to look at. Sherlock Holmes Not as good as I'd hoped, but maybe I was too tired to appreciate...

Five books in March. Fewer than I'd have preferred due to my new part-time job and to reading Wuthering Heights . See below... Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier - 3/3/2010 Good - Fiction Elizabeth Philpott and her spinster sisters move to Lyme and befriend Mary Anning, a fossil hunter who discovers complete skeletons of never-before-seen creatures. This was interesting, something different than usual. I love Chevalier's books. Brava, Valentine Adriana Trigiani - 3/9/2010 Good - Fiction Valentine's brother joins the business and they investigate production of the ready-to-wear shoe line, plus Valentine reconnects with Gianluca from Italy, and family secrets explode all over the place. I liked this one better than the original Valentine novel. In fact, I've enjoyed this one more than any Trigiani I've read since Big Stone Gap. Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte - 3/17/2010 Difficult - Classic Classic tragedy of Heathcliff and Cathy - read it yourself if you want to ...

April 7 - I just realized I never posted this despite writing it on March 21. So, here you have it. lol Last week, I only watched ONE movie. I know - can you even believe it? Not only that, it was a movie I've seen lots of times already - The Proposal . One of my new favorites. IMDB This past week, I did manage a few more. Went to the theater to see The Bounty Hunter . It was just ok. The funny moments were almost all in the trailer. I felt like Gerard Butler's character was too flawed to be a convincing romantic lead, though I do enjoy watching him on film. I like Jennifer Aniston too, and the supporting cast was also enjoyable. I felt like a lot of it was a rip off of Stephanie Plum - right down to the big blue classic car that Stephanie has to drive. But it was a nice outing with a friend, even if it was a rather forgettable film. IMDB Our book club selection this month was Wuthering Heights , so last night we watched the newest film version (2009). The filmmakers made Heat...

I've had this post half-written for a couple weeks. Thought I'd better publish it before the MARCH reads are ready to be posted. LOL I found time to read 4 books in March - rather a small amount for me. By a Lady by Amanda Elyot - 2/11/2010 Good - Chick Lit CJ, an actress preparing to portray Jane Austen on Broadway, is sucked through a time portal to 1801 Bath England where she meets her role model and is in for a surprise! I enjoyed this one - Time travel, Jane Austen, romance - what's not to like? The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte - 2/17/2010 Excellent - Classic The mysterious new young woman who resides at nearby Wildfell Hall intrigues young Gilbert. This was our book club choice for February and it was a pleasant surprise. I knew there were three Bronte sisters, but I'd never heard of this book, written by the Bronte who didn't write Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. It was great - I highly recommend it! The man who loved books too much by Allison Hoo...

This week I started a new job working from home. It allowed me less time for watching movies - can you imagine? I still managed 5 films. The 39 Steps - PBS Masterpiece Theater. Rupert Penry-Jones (better known as Captain Wentworth in Persuasion?). WWI. 'Nuff said? It was enough for me. :-D IMDB Danc e Flick - Every now and then, I wonder if I ought to tell the world that I've seen a certain movie. This is one of them. Since I tend to watch dance-themed movies, I figured I'd get a lot of the jokes. Yep. I did. lol And I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that. IMDB New York, I Love You - Another one of those ensemble cast movies. Very strange one. It was more of a love story TO the city of New York, rather than a love story set in NYC or even about it. Short mostly unconnected vignettes - some amusing, some heart-rending, some romantic, some tragic, some hopeful, some thankful. Watched it because of some of the actors in it - Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, & Orlando...