L – Hugh Laurie’s The Gun Seller

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Blogging From A-Z

I loved Hugh Laurie on the television show House, MD so when I saw this book on the library shelf I was curious.  Jason listened to it first and raved about so I gave it a try but when the last word was uttered I had far less enthusiasm.  Why?  Well for the last three or so CDs I really didn’t know for sure who was double crossing who and which side I was supposed to be on.  I wasn’t just a little bit confused, I was really lost.

Title: The Gun Seller, Author: Hugh LaurieI finished listening to The Gun Seller on March 28 and give it 3 stars.  That seems a little low since much of the frustration stemmed from me not being smart enough to follow the audio.  I loved the narrator,  Simon Prebble, but I think I may have been able to keep up better if I’d been reading the print book.

Thomas Lang goes by many names and accents in this spy novel and he may or may not be one of those types that falls in love for no reason and then does very dumb things because of it. I did like him, even if he sometimes acted like a lovesick dolt.  I loved his quick wit and bravado.

This was a solid first novel for Laurie and I’d be happy to read more by Dr. House.  Only next time I’ll try the print version.

Did you know Hugh Laurie was an author?

J – Jack Reacher, Never Go Back

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Blogging From A-Z

I love Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.  He is the man.  If I ever get into any kind of trouble I hope that Reacher is going through town so that he can take care of it.  I was late to the series and am not rushing through so I’ve read the first 11 of the series.  I compared the first Jack Reacher movie with the book it was based on here.  Tom Cruise was not a popular choice to play the anti-hero, but I think he managed to pull it off.  I was surprised that they made a second film after the limited success of the first.

Never Go Back is based on the 18th book of the series, so I have a little while before I read it, but I did watch the movie with Jason over the weekend.  Jason loves the series too and thinks that Cruise is a good Reacher.

The movie is good.  He kicks some butt, but amazingly doesn’t sleep with any women in this one.  He might have a daughter, he escapes from a military jail, and he travels to both DC and New  Orleans.

So, if you are a fan of the series, who do you think is the perfect Jack Reacher?  I’ve always thought if Liam Neeson were a decade or two younger he might be able to pull it off.

 

 

I- It Happened One Night – Fave Film #98

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Blogging From A-Z

It Happened One Night (1934) theatrical poster.jpg1934

Cast-Clark Gable & Claudette Colbert

This was the first film to win all 5 of the major Oscars,  a feat not to be repeated until 1975.  Best Film, Best Actor (Gable), Best Actress (Colbert), Best Director (Frank Capra), Best Screenplay (Robert Riskin)

Socialite Ellie (Colbert) eloped with someone named King Westley, only when her father found out he whisked her away before the marriage could be consummated.  When she escapes his yacht, she boards a bus hoping to get from Florida to New York without being noticed, even though her photo is plastered on the front page of all the newspapers.  Peter, a drunk and unemployed reporter boards the same bus and sparks fly.

Why I Love It – This is one of those movies that I remember loving so much, and yet, didn’t survive a rewatch with the same enthusiasm.  Oh, I still loved it, but I initially had this somewhere around 20 and now it’s down to 98.

I still loved Colbert and Gable, they were perfectly matched in every way.  The chemistry that started as hostility  really worked.  I am not necessarily a Clark Gable fan, but the sparkle in his eye in this one won me over.  And Colbert was luminous.

This is dated, but in a charming way, mostly.  The editing was sometimes a bit rough, but nothing too terrible.  The ending was cute and gave me a chuckle, always an appropriate response to a screwball romantic comedy, of which this was the first.  And for that reason alone, everyone should watch it.  Always start with the original 🙂

Interesting to note that this movie inspired Bugs Bunny!

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A0LEV0_FfO1YLFsAkZ9XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEyM2JtNnZlBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjM2NTVfMQRzZWMDc2M-?p=it+happened+one+night&fr=yfp-t#action=view&id=19&vid=97cd72dedfbe2686532ed5a91a3175f3

 

 

H – Head Strong:The Bulletproof Plan to Activate Untapped Brain Energy to Work Smarter and Think Faster-In Just Two Weeks

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Blogging From A-Z

Today I am part of a TLC Book Tour for Head Strong.  I agreed to today last month and am lucky it worked for my A-Z challenge too 🙂

Title: Head Strong: The Bulletproof Plan to Activate Untapped Brain Energy to Work Smarter and Think Faster-in Just Two Weeks, Author: Dave AspreyHead Strong by Dave Asprey

When I saw this on the book tour list I was really thinking of my husband.  It my mind I think I had some vague notion of reading it together or some such sweet thought, but, like most sweet intentions, it just never happened.  So I found myself starting a book that I wasn’t all that interested in, but was immediately surprised by just how much this book is in my wheelhouse, so to speak.  This successful man could have easily written this book with a biomed mom, the two are that similar.

Asprey was an overweight and overwhelmed 20 something who would often fall asleep in meetings.  To his credit, he was very successful, but he also knew something had to give.  One thing led to another and he ended up doing a brain scan and finding out his mitochondria were way out of whack.  I think it’s important to note here that Gage has mitochondrial disorder, so I know that his knowledge is solid.  He even taught me a few things I didn’t know already about the science.

You can fix your mitochondria.  The first and most important way is through diet.  Hm.  Those who know me and have followed some of the books I read on the blog know that I am no stranger to diets and this one is everything I’ve been trying to tell parents for years: no dairy and no gluten.  I learned about mold in food which I knew nothing about and I’m a little miffed that I know about now because he’s ruined coffee for me.

Okay, let me focus here.  What you eat is important but so is the elimination of toxins and junk light and adding in sunlight, exercise and meditation.  These may not sound new, but he does go into the science and reasoning behind it.  He also talks about some high tech resources that are out there now that I know Jason will interested to read about.

The reasoning behind his recommendations is detailed and the book is laid out in such a way that you can skip the more confusing parts and go right to the recommendations.  I think the two week plan needed more recipes, but that is my only suggestion.

I liked it and think Jason will too.  It’s full of great tips and explanations.  (Be warned that this is not the book for you if you are looking for a quick fix.  Yes, the title says two weeks, but these are not minor changes easy to accomplish.)

Thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of the book.

 

 

 

 

 

G – is for Giving

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Blogging From a-Z

I love the book blogging community.  I love the memes, the comments, the events, and most importantly, the friendships.  Six years ago I started a monthly post of the movies I’d seen that month with a quick 5 word review.  I asked all of you to add your 5 words to mine so that they would be more complete.  This also happened around the time that Jason and I got serious about giving to charities, so I decided to combine the two.

When I reach 100 commenter reviews, the person who has contributed the most will choose a charity.  I’ll then send that charity $100 in that person’s name.  I exclude religious or political charities.  And after that is done we start all over again at 0 and work out way to the next 100.  If you are interested in seeing the past winners and charities click here.

So, we have a winner and, coincidentally, he is someone who first came by the blog during my first Blogging From A-Z Challenge years ago.  Tony Laplume is an author, check out his Amazon page and a blogger.   This morning when I checked, I saw that Tony had left 90 reviews overnight!!!  Wow!

Tony Laplume chose the Red Cross as his charity and after I post this I’ll be making a $100 donation in his name.

That means that 43 of his reviews will count toward the next 100 threshold so unless someone gets busy Tony will get to choose another charity soon!

To browse through the monthly posts (you can everyone’s reviews) click here.  To go from the master list go here.  At this point the master list is incomplete and I’ll be working on it over the weekend.

Thanks for participating everyone!  I hope I wake up tomorrow with another $100 to donate!

F – Far From the Madding Crowd

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Blogging From A-Z

I joined the Classics Club a few years ago and the goal is to read 50 classics in 5 years.  Well, I have less than 3 years to read 39 classics!  Yikes.  When the letter F came up I was going to watch Father of the Bride, one of my top 100 movies, but then I saw this on the shelves at the library and decided to give it a try.  I’ve never read Thomas Hardy and if I liked the movie then I could add the book to my classics challenge.

Far from the Madding Crowd (2015 film).jpgFar From the Madding Crowd is a 2015 film featuring  Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Michael Sheen.  Bathsheba Everdene is on her aunt’s farm in 1870 England when she meets Mr. Oak.  He proposes.  She says no husband, no way.  She inherits her uncle’s large, very successful farm.  The neighbor, Mr. Boldwood, asks her to marry him.  No husband, no way.  A soldier shows up one day and kisses her, boom, they’re married.

I liked the movie quite a bit and think I will add this to my classics challenge.  Sure, I’m a sucker for a good romance, but more than that I really want to get to know Bathsheba a bit better.  She is a fascinating woman.

Has anyone read it? What did you think?

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…

 

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 🙂