Reading Log as of April 27th

 

My 52 Books group is ending the month with a quest over land, by sea, through space or into ourselves. I have a few interesting nonfiction books on my shelves that fill the bill such as Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit from the personal Quest’s List as well as the memoir – True North: A Journey into Unexplored Wilderness by Elliott Merrick, plus All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley.

Robin Hobb’s Dragon Keeper, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi By Shannon Chakraborty, and The Bone Ships By RJ Barker, among others mentioned in the most recommended lit.

From the Wisdom list – Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig, and Virginia Woolf’s A Room on One’s Own. I’m looking forward to reading them all. I may not get to all of them this year but I’ll have fun trying.

I’m two thirds through Frozen River and enjoying it. But spending way too much time on youtube and watching podcasts and travel shows so need to put a kibosh on that and immerse myself in reading.

My buying ban is officially over. Bought myself a blind date with a book from Etsy and received the science fiction book Scythe by Neal Shusterman which was a win because have been meaning to read that one for years.  Also went to Barnes and Noble by myself so I could browse to my heart’s content and picked up Evie Woods The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris as well as All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley.

Our Saturday Night movie was The Shadow with Alex Baldwin.  So so. The acting was a bit cheesy. 

Reading Log as of April 20th

 

Happy Easter! 

Currently reading The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon which is good so far:

“A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history. Ari

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.”

At bedtime rereading Nora Roberts Inn BoonsBoro Trilogy and on the second one – The Last Boyfriend.

Still plugging away with Les Miserables.

Our Saturday Night movie watch - A Few Good Men. Excellent

 

Reading Log as of April 13th

 

Found out why I haven’t been reading as much. Went to the eye doctor and was advised my eyes are a little bit different from each other and if I had the proper glasses, my eyes wouldn’t have to work as hard. Getting fitted for bifocals soon.  Oy!

Les Miserables – Jean Valjean has a crisis of conscience.

I reread Nora Roberts Northern Lights and it always surprises me. For some reason, I want The Professor to be the murderer and yet again, he wasn’t.  LOL!

Almost done with Kazuo Ishiguro’s The buried Giant. Interesting story, especially with the Arthurian language. They find such polite ways to say the worst things.

Picked up T.R. Ryden’s Occam’s Razor which looks and sounds really interesting:

“When ancient artifacts discovered in the Great Pyramid of Giza shed new light on a DNA pattern, venture capitalist James Anderson is thrust into an action-packed road of scientific exploration and discovery. An unlikely participant in the events that begin to unfold, he begins to realize he has stumbled upon the greatest and most terrifying cover-up in human history.

Occam’s Razor is a chilling speculative fiction thriller which ties together several well-known, and some not-so-famous controversial theories concerning alien visitation, human evolution, ancient legends, and much more. Explore just how plausible it is that the people in power may already know about an impending disaster, and join Anderson and his team as they figure out what to do in the face of unstoppable catastrophe.”

Our Saturday Night movie was the 2015 movie Jupiter Ascending with Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis which was excellent. 

James' Review -V for Vendetta

 

In the 1980s, the landscape of DC was changing as their comics became more than just "for kids". Stories like The Killing Joke and Watchmen were pushing the envelope, targeting an older crowd, and Alan Moore contributed to it. Near the end of the decade, DC fans were in for a surprise as Alan Moore and his team crafted another dark and memorable comic, one that focused on battling Fascism...

V for Vendetta.

Released in 1988, the story focused on the "terrorist" known as V and a woman named Evie as they fought tyranny in a world where England was under fascist rule. Yes, in the world of V for Vendetta, England, which fought Nazism in World War II, was taken over by a fascist party. Alongside Watchmen, V for Vendetta became one of the most influential comics, and would eventually gain a movie adaptation in 2006 staring Natalie Portman as Evie and Hugo Weaving as V.

I obtained the graphic novel earlier this year and read it to the end, and, in the last month, my parents and I watched the film adaptation. It isn't every day when you get to watch an R-rated comic book movie with your mom and dad, especially as they'd seen it before at one point. So, what do I think of the comic and the movie. Let us start with the comic, and I have no intent of spoiling the ending in case you never read it.

The story is compelling, intense, and motivational. V is a well-written mysterious character, and Evie serves as the audience surrogate, our way of seeing the world of the Norsefire-controlled England and V's crusade against the fascist. The tone is dark, and ominous, and, as it is aimed at an older crowd, there are a couple instances of explicit nudity, female nudity, and there is a sex scene at one point. As for the violence, V does kill bad guys here and there, but the blood is used... sparingly. However, the sex, nudity and blood is not the focus, its the story of good against tyranny while discussing the importance of individual freedom.

The movie, which involved the Wachowski Brothers of Matrix fame, tells the same story, but makes some changes. The late John Hurt stars as Adam Sutler, the film counterpart to the comic's villain Adam Susan, which can offer 1984 vibes for those who have seen the 50s and 80s adaptation of the novel, and when I was watching the film, I initially didn't realize the man playing Sutler was Mr. Hurt. Likely because I was focused on the other actors like Natalie Portman and Stephen Fry, but John had some incredible range, and is a joy to watch even though he was the villain here.

My overall thoughts?

I love the comic, and its worth a reread. I might reread it today or tomorrow. You can't go wrong with a story where someone opposes a British fascist regime, and the artwork is spectacularly gorgeous, not to mention the writing is incredible. The movie version is equal, despite taking creative liberties, such as certain events being revised or omitted or the villain having a name change along with how his fate plays out. The comic gets a 9.9 and the film gets a 10/10. Mr. Moore's contribution to DC is legendary, even though he isn't fond of movies adapting his works, but he deserves the respect. See you all later, people.

-James M

Reading Log as of April 6th

 

Our next 52 Books Bingo category is Narrative Nonfiction. Also known as creative or literary nonfiction which are true stories told in literary form rather than dry objective reporting. Narrative nonfiction entertains as well as informs but engages the reader’s emotions as well their attention.  Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt was the first nonfiction book I read written in narrative or creative nonfiction format and led me to reading read more nonfiction.

Have several Erik Larsen novels in the shelves which bought for hubby but will fill the bill for narrative nonfiction as well as Joan Didion’s Slouching to Bethlehem. It’s been years since I’ve read Didion so haven’t made up my mind what I’m going to read yet.

I’m currently on page 168 in Les Miserables and have discovered how Jean ValJean rises and Fantine falls. Good stuff.

Finished the middle grade mystery Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner which is book 1 in the Keeper’s Trilogy.  Will have to get the other two books to continue. A dystopian world in which kids up to the age of 12 are kept chained to their parents for safety. Goldie runs away and finds a mysterious world in the museum. Fun story with monsters and folks who help Goldie not only grow up and learn to fend for herself, but also help the city. 

Still in the midst of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant and enjoying it so far.

Our Saturday night movie was the 90's movie - Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci, - which was entertaining and not too gory.   I watched the series way back when which was really good until it went the way of Lost with the last season.