Finding Inspiration in Entertainment

I’m not feeling particularly inspired today. I hate when days like that happen. I’d really like to be inspired every day, have something meaningful to say every day, but it just doesn’t always happen that way. For those days, I usually just start writing and see where I end up, which is usually somewhere I really had no idea I was going.

Looking through the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (at least the latest that was in my mailbox, which may or may not always be the most current one), I saw that there will be a movie version of Wuthering Heights out soon. Unlike some, I do enjoy the classics, and the Kiera Knightly version of Pride and Prejudice actually turned out quite well. There seem to be some interesting points in this newest version of Wuthering Heights, in particular that Heathcliff is black, and that will create some interesting undertones in regard to the story. I may end up disappointed, as I often do when books become movies, but I will give this one a chance.

I just finished reading The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly. Mickey Haller is the main character in the book. You may know him as The Lincoln Lawyer (of both the book and the movie). Matthew McConaughey played Mickey Haller in the movie. The Lincoln Lawyer was actually the first Michael Connelly book I read, and after seeing the movie previews with McConaughey’s Haller, I was intrigued enough to read the book to see if I’d like the story. I did, so I watched the movie and wasn’t as disappointed as I thought I might be by comparing it to the book. While reading The Fifth Witness, I kept picturing McConaughey as Mickey, and I kept thinking that they should also make this book into a movie, and they should definitely get McConaughey to reprise the role. I don’t think I could accept anybody else. And this book has a great twist that comes at the end. I didn’t see it coming at all, and neither did Mickey Haller.

J.K. Rowling has published a book for adults. The Casual Vacancy departs from wizards and muggles and, from the review I read in EW, is about filling a vacancy for a parish councillor. The EW review only gives the novel a B-, but most of the time I don’t pay attention to the grade given out by the EW staff, especially for books and movies. Generally, we rarely agree about what is or isn’t good. After reading what the book is about, though, I just don’t know if I’m willing to give it a chance. I read the first Harry Potter, then waited years to finish the series. I wasn’t overly impressed with the first book, and it just wasn’t in my line of interests. After watching the sixth movie with Cody, however, I noticed a huge difference, so I went back, and in what seemed to be no time at all, I had finished the series. I have since watched all the movies as well. Truth be told, I did end up enjoying the Harry Potter books and movies, but I’m just not sure I’ll be able to get into a book about filling a position on the town council. I’m not ruling it out yet, but it’s nowhere near the top of my “must read” list.

For now, though, I’m putting down the Entertainment Weekly and going back to my Kindle. The final installment of Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus, The Mark of Athena, is out, and I need to make another big dent in that story.

What Have You Read This Year?

After doing five updates on the status of my New Year’s resolutions, it’s a little late to realize there was something I could have been doing differently. Honestly, I have no idea why this is just now occurring to me, but I’m just five months in, so it’s not too late to rectify the problem. So, this blog will seek to do just that.

In all the update blogs, I’ve told you the recipes we’ve made as part of the challenge to make at least one new recipe every week of the year. I’ve updated you about whether I’m on track to meet my reading goal of 75 books for the year. However, I haven’t been telling you what I’ve read (I mentioned some titles in January’s update, but I’ve given you nothing since then). Maybe (or maybe not) you’ve wondered what I’m reading. I’m going to tell you what I have read so far this year (22 books), and then beginning with the June update, I’ll include those titles in that blog, just as I do with the recipes. With that, here’s the list of what I’ve been reading.

January: I read eight books in January. My first book was one I’d read before, the classic Pride and Prejudice. I enjoyed it as I always do. After that, I read Meg: Origins by Steve Alten. If you haven’t read any of the Meg series, please do. There’s nothing quite like a prehistoric mega-monster shark living in the present day to set up a conflict. I also read Tracie Peterson’s A Slender Thread, about five sisters raised by their grandmother who reunite for their mother’s funeral. The other five books I read make up the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan: The Lightning Theif, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. These are books that a lot of my students, especially the boys, talked about a lot, and out of curiosity, I read them so I’d know what they were talking about. It’s a good series, and if you know any reluctant readers, perhaps you could introduce them to this series.

February: I only read one book in February, which makes me sad. I read Elmore Leonard’s book, Raylan. This book tells some of the stories that are featured on the series Justified, where Timothy Olyphant plays the lead character Raylan Givens, a federal agent from Harlan County, Kentucky. I enjoy the series, so I read the book, which I also enjoyed. However, I got behind in watching the series, and I think my DVR has erased some of them, so I’m going to have to wait until it comes out on blu-ray to catch up.

March: This month was a little better, but only a little, as I managed to get two whole books read in March. I read John Grisham’s collection of short stories, Ford County. This was a great collection of stories, and I found it very interesting that even though he set the stories in Mississippi, I realized I knew people just like those characters living right here in Kentucky. The other book I read was Foreign Influence by Brad Thor. That was my first Brad Thor book, and if you’re interested in books about conspiracy theories and political thrillers, I suggest you check out his work.

April: I just want to skip this paragraph. If you remember, I had to confess that I didn’t finish one book in April. It was a very sad reading month.

May: I’ve done some catchup work in May, and I managed to read 11 books. Three of those books are by Jodi Picoult: Songs of the Humpback Whale, House Rules, and Salem Falls. Each of these was completely different. As in most of her books, multiple characters tell the story. Songs of the Humpback Whale was a little confusing at first, until I figured out that some characters were telling the story from the beginning and going forward while others were telling the story from the end coming backwards. After that, it was easy to follow. As usual, she shows the complexity of family relationships, demonstrating how there are no easy answers to difficult questions. House Rules was probably my favorite of these three, even though I hadn’t figured out exactly how the crime had played out until the reveal at the end, at which point I had a “duh” moment because I’d missed a clue that would have made it all make sense. This book was also the most disturbing because of the complexities of Asperger’s Syndrome that we just don’t understand. I didn’t really like the resolution, because it leaves you hanging. Salem Falls is somewhat related to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. It played out well, though the final scene is probably one of the most disturbing that I’ve ever read. I also read Richard North Patterson’s In the Name of Honor, a military crime thriller, which was very good, and I read the final two books in James Patterson’s Witch and Wizard series, The Gift and Fire. As with the Percy Jackson series, these books are great for those who may be reluctant readers. The quickest read of the year has been Wylie Overstreet’s History of the World According to Facebook, which is a parody and must be read as such or you might end up terribly offended. He provides status updates for a variety of characters throughout history. I read and enjoyed Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. It’ll be interesting to see how the movie plays out, but this book puts an interesting spin on history. I also read another Brad Thor book, The Athena Project, about a group of female operatives who are tough enough to make most men tremble in fear. It was a little slow in a couple spots, but it’s nice to see female characters given the same kind of story as male characters. Finally, I read Southern Comfort by Fern Michaels, which is a nice little mystery story, but I was a little disappointed by the end, where everything just seemed to come together too quickly and conveniently. I feel like she missed some good storytelling moments.

So there you have it, the 22 books I’ve manged to read thus far in 2012. I would recommend all of these. I need to read 53 more to meet my goal. I’m only sure about what two of those will be. My AP kids have to read On Writing by Stephen King and Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynn Truss as their summer reading assignment, so I’ll be rereading both of those soon. In the meantime, I need to scour my shelves and my Kindle and choose the next book to read.

Share a Movie with Your Valentine

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, so today I’m going to take a look at my favorite love stories. These are ranked in no particular order, other than the way they come to me as I’m writing.

1. Noah & Allie – The Notebook – The love story of Noah and Allie is impressive because it’s based on Noah spending day after day after day at the nursing home, reading their love story to Allie, who now has Alzheimer’s Disease. Most days, Allie doesn’t remember who Noah is, but that doesn’t stop him; he’s there every day to read to her, because to him, it’s worth it for that one time that she will remember. For those of you who have only watched the movie, I suggest you read the book. The movie wasn’t bad, but the book is a whole lot better. Especially the ending.

2. Scarlett & Rhett – Gone with the Wind and Scarlett – Again, if you’ve only watched the movie, you’re missing a huge part of the story. You cannot truly appreciate Scarlett’s selfishness if you haven’t read the books. Both rogues (yes, I just called Scarlett O’Hara a rogue), these two star-crossed lovers deserve each other, and much to everyone’s surprise, by the end of the saga, they have actually learned something and realize they really do love each other.

3. Elizabeth & Mr. Darcy – Pride and Prejudice – It takes some time but Elizabeth finally overcomes her prejudices against Mr. Darcy. It’s really no surprise that he overcomes his pride before she overcomes her prejudices, though. You know those strong, female characters. They can be a bit stubborn. In the end, though, it all works out, and Elizabeth is pleased to find that she really can marry for love and not money. It doesn’t hurt any, though, that the man she loves has money.

4. Baby & Johnny – Dirty Dancing – Patrick Swayze is my all-time favorite actor; it’s easy to see how socialite Baby fell for wrong-side-of-the-tracks Johnny. Unlike the others on the list, there’s nothing to indicate that Baby and Johnny stayed together forever, but I’d like to think they found their way back to each other. I certainly believe that neither of them was the same after their summer at the Catskills.

5. Sally & Harry – When Harry Met Sally – Based on the title of this movie, the movie could have ended about five minutes into it, when Harry met Sally, but it goes deeper than that. Harry and Sally met when they had a common goal, a destination to reach and carpooling was the logical thing to do. Of course, their paths continue to cross, and they eventually become friends who cross the line. It takes some time, but they realize they were meant to be together.

So if you’re in need of a feel-good love story this Valentine’s Day, check out one of the ones above, and you won’t be disappointed. Do notice, however, that I purposely left Romeo and Juliet off the list. It’s not Shakespeare’s best play, and it’s not the greatest love story in the world. They are a couple of teenage kids who met, fell in love, married, and committed suicide in about the span of a week. It’s Shakespeare so there are some good lines in the play, but it’s not the place to look for a great love story.