Book: The Wednesday Wars
Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Like/Don't Like: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader on Long Island and the only Presbyterian in a class full of Catholics and Jews. All of his classmates leave on Wednesday afternoons for their different religious classes, leaving Holling alone with his teacher, Mrs. Baker. To pass the time she makes him read Shakespeare plays, which at first he hates, naturally. But over the course of the year he learns to love them and finds them very applicable to everyday life.
So, that's it in a nutshell. But it is an incredibly nuanced story. The writing is magnificent. It is sweet and very funny and I laughed and cried my way through it. I loved Holling. His voice was so distinct, as are all the characters in it. Everything wove together beautifully and bonus, Shakespeare!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Inception
Movie: Inception
Like/Don't Like: Like!
This movie is the capitol of Crazytown. I finally got around to watching it and by finally I don't just mean that it's been out forever but that it has been sitting in the Netflix envelope on top of the DVD player for about 2 months now. Why? Because everyone told me that I needed to pay close attention because it's a little hard to follow and I just haven't had patience for those types of movies lately so I kept putting it off until last night when I had the time and attention span it needed.
I don't usually go in for action movies. I don't like guns and punching and stuff like that - so my senses were a little jarred by the end of it. And my mind was spinning because, Knights of Columbus, that was confusing. All those layers of dreaming were tough to keep track of. And I got a little tired of all the dialogue sounding like a dream technician's textbook. But on the whole it was a really cool movie. The premise was cool, the music was cool, the stunts were cool (and I never notice stunts). I thought it was so fascinating and I was on the edge of my seat through most of it. I wish I had watched it with someone so at the end of it all I could have turned to them and said, "What the...?" and then had an in depth convo about the whole thing.
Like/Don't Like: Like!
This movie is the capitol of Crazytown. I finally got around to watching it and by finally I don't just mean that it's been out forever but that it has been sitting in the Netflix envelope on top of the DVD player for about 2 months now. Why? Because everyone told me that I needed to pay close attention because it's a little hard to follow and I just haven't had patience for those types of movies lately so I kept putting it off until last night when I had the time and attention span it needed.
I don't usually go in for action movies. I don't like guns and punching and stuff like that - so my senses were a little jarred by the end of it. And my mind was spinning because, Knights of Columbus, that was confusing. All those layers of dreaming were tough to keep track of. And I got a little tired of all the dialogue sounding like a dream technician's textbook. But on the whole it was a really cool movie. The premise was cool, the music was cool, the stunts were cool (and I never notice stunts). I thought it was so fascinating and I was on the edge of my seat through most of it. I wish I had watched it with someone so at the end of it all I could have turned to them and said, "What the...?" and then had an in depth convo about the whole thing.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tanya's Lebanese Kabab
Restaurant: Tanya's Lebanese Kabab
Location: 915 W. Foothill Blvd, Upland, CA
Like/Don't Like: Mmmmmmmm...shawarma.
This place opened up just down the street about 2 months ago and at the previous meeting of the restaurant club it was suggested as our next stop. Great call, Heather! And also, you're coming with me the next time I go, which will be soon.
It's a tiny little place in a strip mall, sparsely decorated but clean. We ordered the chicken kebab, beef shawarma, falafel, kuftah, and mutabel. All standard Mediterranean food and all super delicious. The seasoning on everything was great. The tahini was mild, which I liked, and their garlic sauce was not, which I REALLY liked.
The price was terrific. We paid $30 for all of that food and it was more than enough. And best of all, the service was wonderful. The owner/cook came out several times to see how everything was going and to chat and when I asked what a certain drink on the menu was he brought it out for us to try for free. It's called jalab, by the way, and it tastes like a bouquet of flowers steeped in syrup. Very, veeeeery sweet. But it smelled like a garden.
Overall - awesome.
Location: 915 W. Foothill Blvd, Upland, CA
Like/Don't Like: Mmmmmmmm...shawarma.
This place opened up just down the street about 2 months ago and at the previous meeting of the restaurant club it was suggested as our next stop. Great call, Heather! And also, you're coming with me the next time I go, which will be soon.
It's a tiny little place in a strip mall, sparsely decorated but clean. We ordered the chicken kebab, beef shawarma, falafel, kuftah, and mutabel. All standard Mediterranean food and all super delicious. The seasoning on everything was great. The tahini was mild, which I liked, and their garlic sauce was not, which I REALLY liked.
The price was terrific. We paid $30 for all of that food and it was more than enough. And best of all, the service was wonderful. The owner/cook came out several times to see how everything was going and to chat and when I asked what a certain drink on the menu was he brought it out for us to try for free. It's called jalab, by the way, and it tastes like a bouquet of flowers steeped in syrup. Very, veeeeery sweet. But it smelled like a garden.
Overall - awesome.
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Thirteenth Tale
Book: The Thirteenth Tale
Author: Diane Setterfield
Like/Don't Like: It was exasperating. Don't.
This is a 400 page book, which is not much of a challenge. I mean, it's not Dickens or Atlas Shrugged. Yet it took me one month to read the first 200 pages (ONE MONTH! Did I somehow end up in Remedial Reading?) It zapped my will to read. So this morning, at only halfway through, I made the decision to stop reading. I even made an announcement, "I'm not going to finish that book." Because I just didn't care. I didn't care about the characters, the mystery was too slowly revealed, the pacing was laborious. I could not justify spending another minute on the book. So how did I get to this point - a mere 12 hours after making the proclamation that I quit? Spite. I was a little peeved that I had wasted an entire month of reading on a book that I wouldn't even finish. So I postponed cleaning my room and dug in. And I have to say the second half was decidedly better than the first. But not enough to make me want to recommend it to you.
The concept is an interesting one and, on a personal level, a familiar one. A woman whose twin sister died at birth (I thought that would give me some kind of connection to the story because I have a twin sister who died at 4 months. It didn't.) is brought in to write the biography of a famous but reclusive writer who is also a twin. There are a lot of mysteries and all of them are solved nice and neat and the end. But the problem is that I felt very little satisfaction in any of the answers because getting there was so exasperating. The story really suffers from a lack of good editing. What could have easily been said in 1 paragraph was often said in 1 chapter. Characters who should be important to you seem to have no personality beyond what is necessary to keep the mystery alive. It was hard to care about anyone in this book. Once I made the resolve to finish the book it went really fast. The pacing was still dragging but more things were revealed, enough so to keep my interest. But once the big reveal came - the point at which I should have been yelling, "No way!!" because I didn't actually see it coming - I just shrugged and said, "It figures."
Author: Diane Setterfield
Like/Don't Like: It was exasperating. Don't.
This is a 400 page book, which is not much of a challenge. I mean, it's not Dickens or Atlas Shrugged. Yet it took me one month to read the first 200 pages (ONE MONTH! Did I somehow end up in Remedial Reading?) It zapped my will to read. So this morning, at only halfway through, I made the decision to stop reading. I even made an announcement, "I'm not going to finish that book." Because I just didn't care. I didn't care about the characters, the mystery was too slowly revealed, the pacing was laborious. I could not justify spending another minute on the book. So how did I get to this point - a mere 12 hours after making the proclamation that I quit? Spite. I was a little peeved that I had wasted an entire month of reading on a book that I wouldn't even finish. So I postponed cleaning my room and dug in. And I have to say the second half was decidedly better than the first. But not enough to make me want to recommend it to you.
The concept is an interesting one and, on a personal level, a familiar one. A woman whose twin sister died at birth (I thought that would give me some kind of connection to the story because I have a twin sister who died at 4 months. It didn't.) is brought in to write the biography of a famous but reclusive writer who is also a twin. There are a lot of mysteries and all of them are solved nice and neat and the end. But the problem is that I felt very little satisfaction in any of the answers because getting there was so exasperating. The story really suffers from a lack of good editing. What could have easily been said in 1 paragraph was often said in 1 chapter. Characters who should be important to you seem to have no personality beyond what is necessary to keep the mystery alive. It was hard to care about anyone in this book. Once I made the resolve to finish the book it went really fast. The pacing was still dragging but more things were revealed, enough so to keep my interest. But once the big reveal came - the point at which I should have been yelling, "No way!!" because I didn't actually see it coming - I just shrugged and said, "It figures."
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Tango Baires Cafe
Restaurant: Tango Baires Cafe
Where: Upland, CA
Like/Don't Like: YUM
My friends and I have started up a restaurant club to try out some of the little places around town. Tango Baires Cafe was our first stop tonight and it was a hit. We each ordered different meals so we could sample a variety of entrees. Wise choice. Everything was delicious. It's Argentinean food so there was a lot of beef, but also pasta, sandwiches, empanadas and pizza. I think their sauces are what really put them over the top. Especially their pesto. Everything was fresh and yummy. The menu is VAST, which is a slight negative for me because I am easily overwhelmed by too many choices, but I do love that I can try something different the next 50 times I go.
Where: Upland, CA
Like/Don't Like: YUM
My friends and I have started up a restaurant club to try out some of the little places around town. Tango Baires Cafe was our first stop tonight and it was a hit. We each ordered different meals so we could sample a variety of entrees. Wise choice. Everything was delicious. It's Argentinean food so there was a lot of beef, but also pasta, sandwiches, empanadas and pizza. I think their sauces are what really put them over the top. Especially their pesto. Everything was fresh and yummy. The menu is VAST, which is a slight negative for me because I am easily overwhelmed by too many choices, but I do love that I can try something different the next 50 times I go.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Jane Eyre
Movie: Jane Eyre
Like/Don't Like: A solid adaptation
It's hard to be objective with a story that I know so well as Jane Eyre. I have read the book countless times and have seen every film adaptation. I am always hesitant when a new one comes out because I wonder what more it could possible add to what has already been said. But I'm pleased to say that this one held its own. And if all it added was more fuel to my already enormous desire to run reckless across the Yorkshire moors then job well done.
It was beautifully gothic and moody. Most scenes were shot nice and tight so it added to that trapped and mysterious feeling you should get with this story. It was quite faithful to the book. Obviously, considering the time, several elements had to be edited or cut out completely but what was left held true to the heart of the story. And any liberties that were taken added rather than distracted.
Sitting across the aisle from us was a group of girls who must have come into it without any prior knowledge of the story. This seems shocking to me. But it ended up being adorable because they gasped at every revelation. One of them even shouted out "NO WAY!" when the big mystery was revealed. (Now that I know that there are actually people out there who don't know what happens, I wouldn't dream of telling you.) It reminded me of the first time I read the book oh, 20 or so years ago, and had no idea of what was coming and just being completely enthralled with the whole thing. There is a reason why they keep making new movies of it. It's just that awesome.
Like/Don't Like: A solid adaptation
It's hard to be objective with a story that I know so well as Jane Eyre. I have read the book countless times and have seen every film adaptation. I am always hesitant when a new one comes out because I wonder what more it could possible add to what has already been said. But I'm pleased to say that this one held its own. And if all it added was more fuel to my already enormous desire to run reckless across the Yorkshire moors then job well done.
It was beautifully gothic and moody. Most scenes were shot nice and tight so it added to that trapped and mysterious feeling you should get with this story. It was quite faithful to the book. Obviously, considering the time, several elements had to be edited or cut out completely but what was left held true to the heart of the story. And any liberties that were taken added rather than distracted.
Sitting across the aisle from us was a group of girls who must have come into it without any prior knowledge of the story. This seems shocking to me. But it ended up being adorable because they gasped at every revelation. One of them even shouted out "NO WAY!" when the big mystery was revealed. (Now that I know that there are actually people out there who don't know what happens, I wouldn't dream of telling you.) It reminded me of the first time I read the book oh, 20 or so years ago, and had no idea of what was coming and just being completely enthralled with the whole thing. There is a reason why they keep making new movies of it. It's just that awesome.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Eat, Pray, Love
Movie: Eat, Pray, Love
Like/Don't Like: don't
It wasn't that this movie was particularly bad. It just didn't resonate at all. It seemed to be a collection of self-help aphorisms and pretty pictures. Very pretty, really. I silently wept into my pillow as they showed scenes from Rome because I miss my gelato guy. Julia Roberts' character was difficult to relate to, and sometimes difficult to like, and the side characters, Richard Jenkins especially, seemed a lot more real and compelling but were only on for about 20 minutes each. It didn't motivate and it wasn't particularly entertaining. But Jarvier Bardem in nice to look at and it inspired me to eat more pasta just for the joy of it.
Like/Don't Like: don't
It wasn't that this movie was particularly bad. It just didn't resonate at all. It seemed to be a collection of self-help aphorisms and pretty pictures. Very pretty, really. I silently wept into my pillow as they showed scenes from Rome because I miss my gelato guy. Julia Roberts' character was difficult to relate to, and sometimes difficult to like, and the side characters, Richard Jenkins especially, seemed a lot more real and compelling but were only on for about 20 minutes each. It didn't motivate and it wasn't particularly entertaining. But Jarvier Bardem in nice to look at and it inspired me to eat more pasta just for the joy of it.
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