Category: Blogging from A-Z

E- Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

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Blogging From A-Z

This month I’m focusing on movies, but I plan to compare the book to the movie in another post so I’ll tell you about the book since I just finished it.

Extremely loud and incredibly close large.JPEGFinished 4-6-17, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2005

Unabridged audio read by multiple authors. 11 hours.

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is a precocious Francophile who idolizes Stephen Hawking and plays the tambourine extremely well. He’s also a boy struggling to come to terms with his father’s death in the World Trade Center attacks. As he searches New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key he left behind, Oskar discovers much more than he could have imagined.             from Goodreads

This description is accurate but not complete.  There are really three storylines, with Oskar’s voice carrying most of the story.  His grandmother and grandfather are the other two narratives and to say that this family is a little different is an understatement.

Oskar is an old nine and very likely on the autism spectrum even though it’s never stated specifically.  After his father dies on 9/11 his emotions spiral, so some of the autistic like traits could stem from that, but I personally thinks he’s an asperger’s boy with many of the strengths.  I love that his dad really played up those strengths so when we saw Oskar hoofing it around New York on his own it didn’t seem completely out of the question.  I love Oskar.  I recognized my son in him and fell in love. He also made me laugh and broke my heart.  By being true to himself he brought happiness to people’s lives.

The dueling grandparent narratives were okay.  They were both broken people so their stories sometimes contradicted each other and always left me feeling sad.  For much of the book I had some sympathy for the mute grandfather and little to spare for the grandmother.  I guess that held true but I did at least understand the grandmother better by the end.

I think I would have really loved this one if I had read the actual book.  I understand that there were drawings and illustrations that really helped make this something special, but the library didn’t get the book to me in time 😦  When it comes in I will flip through a take a look.  For that reason I don’t recommend the audio.

Take a chance and fall in love with Oskar.

D- Desk Set, fave movie #90

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Blogging from A-Z

I’m more likely to watch a favorite movie again and again before I’d re-read a favorite book.  Maybe it’s because a favorite movie takes less time or I can share that time with a friend.

Desk Set cinema poster.jpgDesk Set, 1957

Cast-Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Joan Blondell, Gig Young

This was the 8th pairing of Tracy and Hepburn and their first color film.

Bunny (Hepburn) is the head reference librarian in the research department at the fictitious Federal Broadcasting Company.  She has a beau in the company and after seven years she still holds out hope for more.  Sumner is an efficiency expert and a man with a machine, EMERAC.  As he spends more time in the research department the women there start to fear for their jobs.

Why I love it – I’m a Hepburn fan (Katherine and Audrey). I love the strength, smarts and independence that Katherine pulls off in every film.  She was able to shine as the woman who knows everything (or at least how to find it). I like Tracy well enough, the easy chemistry between them seems so comfortable after all of their years and roles together.

Like the recent Hidden Figures, it is about an office of women depended on for their intelligence who were slowly being replaced by computers.  Remember when we had to use the card catalog to find references and information?  Well, these women were Google before Google.  Librarians don’t get enough big screen attention.

It’s light and fun and the dialogue is sharp. A smart romp that will leave you smiling.

I realized this last time I watched it that the screenplay was written by Henry and Phoebe Ephron, parents to Nora who would go on to write so many iconic romantic comedies.

Here’s a clip…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO7YjISL2XA

 

C – Catch & Release, Fave Movie #89

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Blogging From A-Z

I decided to give this month’s challenge a movie theme so today I’m writing about one of my top 100.

Catch and releaseposter.jpgCatch and Release, 2006

Cast-Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith, Juliette Lewis, Sam Jaeger

The movie opens at the funeral of Gray’s (Garner) fiancé, the wedding cake in the refrigerator ready for the big day that would never happen.  As Gray tries to find her bearings after six years with Grady, she leans on his friends who are just  as in the dark about the real Grady.  When Maureen shows up, kid in tow, everyone has to reassess who Grady was and what that means for the future.

Why I love it– Okay, to be completely honest, I didn’t like this the first time I saw it.  I thought the story was convoluted and felt like it was missing something.  This may be still be true, but since then I’ve seen it several more times over the years.  It’s a comfort movie and it’s got some great kissing scenes 🙂

I love the actors.  Kevin Smith carried the movie with his humor and heart, while Olyphant and Garner turned up the heat.  The Boulder setting was beautiful and makes me want to visit!

What would you do if you found out devastating news about the man you were supposed to spend the rest of your life with after he died?  Maybe you wouldn’t do what Gray did, but I think some of us would wish we had the grace and courage.

I love this soundtrack. All of it.  It may be what keeps me coming back (well, that and the kissing). What If You is one of my favorites and I discovered while writing this that musician Joshua Radin is from Cleveland.  All the cool kids come through Cleveland 🙂

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo6Lg6ffNmA

 

 

 

B – Beauty and the Beast, a tale as old as time

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Blogging From A-Z

When I went to hear author Eloisa James speak last month she mentioned the original story of Beauty and the Beast and I realized that it had never occurred to me to wonder if Disney had taken liberties with the source material.  So, I did a little looking around and found that the tale originated with Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740 and, yes, Disney and others since then have molded and shaped the stories into something different.

Beauty and the Beast 2017 poster.jpg

 

Instead of Gaston there were brave brothers.  Instead of jealous village beauties there were jealous sisters.  Instead of enchanted servants there were fairies that seduced and helped.  But, in the end, a rose is still a rose and the tears of a beauty still transformed a beast.

Some researchers think that the Beast could have inspired by this real man, Petrus Gonsalvus, who had hypertrichosis.

I admit that I prefer Dan Stevens, interesting likeness just the same.  I like the Disney version, although having read more about the original I’d like to see that onscreen too!

I did like the new version with Emma Watson and nothing can beat the songs.  Have you seen it? What did you think?

 

Z is for Gabrielle Zevin Zeroes Zafon Zahn

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The Storied Life of A. J. FikryThe Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. Finished 4-26-14.  Rating 4.5/5, 260 pages, pub. 2014

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew.      from Goodreads

I spent a few years working in bookstores and loved the experience and, most importantly, the people I worked with.  Book people are the best kind of people, diverse in all ways but their love for the written word.  So, it is no surprise that I loved this book about small town bookstore owner, A.J. Fikry.  When we first meet him he is a depressed man with no interest in being otherwise, until a surprise gift is left in his bookstore.  His life changes overnight and so does he.  He is a transplant to the small town of Alice and had never truly been embraced, but the bookstore itself becomes a community of the best kind and A.J. is swept into the this giving world when he needs it the most.

Lovers of books and small towns will surely love this breezy book, but anyone who appreciates a look into the mind of a life turned around by love will probably like it too.  I think this would make a great tv show. I would love to hang out with these characters once a week to get my literary fix.  Loved every page!

I received this book from She Reads.  Go on over and see what other bloggers think about this one.  HURRY and you can enter to win a free copy!  

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Blogging from A to Z

authorCarlos Ruiz Zafon

I’ve only read The Shadow of the Wind, but I loved it.

movieZero Dark Thirty, 2012

Surprisingly good, with a great female lead.

actorSteven Zahn

Never a lead, but always solid (Reality Bites & You’ve Got Mail being favorites)

bookThe Zero Game by Brad Meltzer

I listened to this one on a road trip when it came out and liked it well enough.  And it starts with Z and that means my A to Z April challenge is officially over.  And just in time because I’m exhausted 🙂

 

Y is for You Young Yankee Yann

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Blogging from A to Z

bookYou Learn by Living by Eleanor Roosevelt

Roosevelt wrote this book only a few years before she died and in it she chronicles what the many years of her life taught her.  She covers a variety of topics: learning, fear, using your time, maturity, readjustments, usefulness, individuality, getting the best out of people, responsibility, politics participation, and being a public servant.  This book holds up remarkably well and many of the affairs of the world are eerily relevant today.

Eleanor was born to privilege and the book makes that evident.  Some of the advice, while coming from a good place, seems somewhat elitist.  On the other hand, she is a woman who has seen the people of the world at their best and worst and has come away with a passion for life and making the world a better place.  Her antidotes about some of the important men of the day, her lunch with Calvin Coolidge and conversation with Mr. Krushchev are two that come to mind, make the book that much more interesting.  I found the book enlightening, inspiring, and educational.

movieYankee Doodle Dandy, 1942

A biopic film of the renowned musical composer, playwright, actor, dancer and singer George M. Cohan, from his start in his family’s vaudeville act to his success on Broadway.  A true American success story.

The choreography and music of the stage shows is based on the original Cohan productions and are showstoppers.  It feels like getting a behind the scenes looks at a way of life few get to experience and knowing Cohan was a real person makes it all that more enjoyable.

The music and story will make you feel proud to be an American without that theme seeming heavy-handed or political.  This is the story of America before and during the two World Wars and patriotism is inherent to the time.

 actorBurt Young?

I liked him in the Rocky movies and his name does start with Y.  That’s all I got.

authorYann Martel?

I’ve only read Life of Pi, but Y is a hard letter for names!

X is for Trixie Deveraux’s X-Men & a record!

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Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog yesterday and read my 24 Hour Read-a-Thon posts.  You made it my busiest day ever  in my 6+ years of blogging with 735 visitors 🙂

Blogging from A to Z

movieX-Men, 2000

Fun, fun , fun.  And it introduced us to Wolverine.  Great cast and not quite your typical superhero movie.  Thumbs up!

bookthe TriXie Belden series

I loved this series as a  kid.  I see that they reissued it in 2003 and it makes me want to go back and read about 13-year-old Trixie, who I always liked better than Nancy Drew 🙂

authorJude DeverauX

I read so many of her historical romances growing up (A Knight in Shining Armor showing up on this list already) and based on that, feel good about listing her as a favorite.  I prefer her older titles to the few recent books of hers I’ve read.

actor

Try as I might I just can’t seem to think of an actor or actress who I feel comfortable listing as a favorite.  I could’ve used Joaquin Phoenix  but I already used him for J.  Is there any actor with an x in their name who you would consider a favorite?  Am I missing someone?

 

Winners and an Update

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deweys-readathonbuttonI’ve got two winners from my TBR Mini-Challenge…

There were 837 books in the picture and, amazingly, Malin guessed 838!  She wins #15 from the Book Depository.

And I randomly chose a number for the winner of a book from my TBR pile and the winner is Elle!  She chose P.S, I Love You.

Thank you all for playing!

I’m feeling pretty good at hour 21. I might actually make it!

I haven’t finished a book since the midway point, but I’m almost at the end of Paper Towns by John Green and I’m halfway through The Cliff House Strangler by Shirley Tallman.  I was able to listen to Paper Towns as I monitored the mini-challenge, so that was good 🙂

I don’t have any good snacks left 😦

W is for When Winslet Wares Watership

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Blogging from A to Z

actorKate Winslet

There are some actresses that come across so true and gutsy on-screen as well as in real life and Winslet is one of the few for me. I love watching her in the movies, but more than that she is someone who I’d love to hang out with.  Loved her most in The Reader, Revolutionary Road, The Holiday, Finding Neverland.  Of course, Titanic is what put her on the map and she was flawless there too 🙂  What’s your favorite Winslet movie?

movieWhen Harry Met Sally

Can a man and woman ever truly be friends or will the sex thing always get in the way?  When recent college graduates drive from Chicago to New York together they despise each other.  When they meet a few years later they are both in happy relationships.  Fast forward a few more years and they run into each other again, both in need of a friend.  They become close and appreciate the friendship and avoid ruining it with sex, mostly.

Why I love it- I thought Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan had such great chemistry and the dialogue was spot on, only more funny.  I liked seeing them get over their initial judgements of each other and see each other as friends.  And it really did make me laugh out loud.  A lot.  The days of the week underpants, Surry with a Fringe on top, and the wagon wheel coffee table are a few that come to mind.

One of my top ten all time faves.

bookWatership Down by Richard Adams

I am not a huge fan of fiction books from the perspective of animals, but this one, well this one proved that I could love the right one.  Oh, these rabbits stole my heart.  On a journey from their home to find a new warren, adventure and heartache and everything in between befall these rabbits.  Even of the bunny on the cover scares you off, I think you need to read a few chapters and see.  A true classic.

authorCiji Ware

In 2002 I won this book from Writerspace and once I read it, went on to read the other four she had written at the time.  Loved them all.  Not sure why I haven’t read her latest two releases.  I need to get on that!

 

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V is for Viggo Verdon’s Violet Vendetta

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Blogging from A to Z

actorViggo Mortenson

The man has charisma.  And acting chops.  And good looks.  And he doesn’t choose boring parts. Before Lord Of the Rings he was in another favorite movie of mine, A Walk on the Moon

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_RTdIcYFCo

I love all three leads in this movie.  And then came Lord of the Rings and it was all over for me.  I swooned.  His roles in the grim A History of Violence and Eastern Promises were outstanding too.

bookViolets of March by Sarah Jio

Emily, author of one bestselling novel years ago, has just signed her divorce papers.  Not able to write and not sure what to do about it her best friend convinces her that a change of scenery will help, so Emily contacts her Aunt Bee on Bainbridge Island, Washington.  Once she’s back on the island where she spent the wonderful summers of her youth, she finds a hidden journal written by the mysterious Esther, and Emily wonders if she is somehow connected to her family.  Totally immersed in Esther’s story and frustrated by her aunt’s refusal to talk about family secrets, Emily found the perfect way to forget about her divorce and the muse to start writing again.

The story in the journal parallels current day Bainbridge Island and as Emily pieced together who was who I tried to keep up.  I admit I had some ideas, but did get a bit confused by the large cast.  I didn’t really care though, I was just happy to be along for the ride.  One of these days I hope I find my way to Bainbridge Island.  The place felt magical.

I loved this book.  The writing was beautiful, there was such depth and beauty on every page.  The awesome writing coupled with the two addicting storylines make this one easy to recommend.

authorJohn Verdon

I’ve read all three of his Dave Gurney thrillers and loved them all. (Think of a Number, Shut Your Eyes Tight, Let the Devil Sleep)  His next one comes out in July so there’s still time to jump on the bandwagon!

movieV is For Vendetta, 2005

Dystopia, anarchy, and creepy masks…what more could you want?