Duel in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon by John Brant: Read for work.
Distractions 2005
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Duel in the Sun: Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon by John Brant: Read for work.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
The Wedding Date: During the day, when Doodles is at day care, I spend a lot of time just pacing, trying to keep Sweetie Pie from crying. Daytime TV turns me off and most movies I don't want to watch without Adam. So I had to find some films I could watch during the day while pacing that Adam wouldn't care that he'd missed. This is one of them. And it fit the bill perfectly. I like how it dives right in to the story, without too much back story weighing it down. It was fluffy. It was silly. It was a chick flick. Perfect for a rainy day with a screaming child.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
I'm No Saint: A Nasty Little Memoir of Love and Leaving by Elizabeth Hayt: I'm not sure where I heard about this book, but when it came up on my library reserves, I felt compelled to read it. I think that a different time of my life, I might have really enjoyed this book. But right now, it just didn't click for me. It's the story of a pampered suburban mom in a marriage she's unsure about and the resulting single life she leads when her husband leaves her. I have no problems with sex in books (as I think everyone knows), but it just felt really gratuitous here. I felt like she was simply going for shock value. The book was just so self-indulgent and Hayt comes across as quite unlikable. The ending was a little surprising to me and it rescued the book from being a dismal read for me.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Be Happy or I'll Scream!: My Deranged Quest for the Perfect Husband, Family, and Life by Sheri Lynch: Read for work.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell: I put this on my library reserve list an age ago and when it finally came in, I so wasn't in the mood to read it. But I did anyway, and I'm actually glad I did. While it definitely falls into the trashy reading department, it was a refreshing change of pace. It wasn't all about the guys, but about three somewhat older women and their careers (and, okay, their guys, but it wasn't the only focus of the book). It was fluff and it won't stick with me, but it was enjoyable.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Davita's Harp by Chaim Potok: The imagery in this book is remarkable. I admire the way Potok captured the voice of a young girl, allowing us to see what she is seeing and forcing the reader to fill in gaps or, occasionally, simply not make the connection, just as Davita would. It was a fascinating look into a time (the late '30s and '40s) and place (Brooklyn) and ideas (communism, Orthodox Judaism) that I don't know much about. The story is sad and touching and wonderfully written.
Monday, October 03, 2005
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark: I decided that--at least for now--I've had enough of the mom/parenting books and it was time to sink my teeth into something. This absolutely fit the bill. I enjoyed Spark's style--the repetition of events and phrases, the openly telling key points and then explaining later--and it made this story of Scottish girls and their relationship with their teacher engrossing. I'm curious now to see the film to see how it handles many of the small details.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
The Big Rumpus: A Mother's Tale from the Trenches by Ayun Halliday: This book has replaced Operating Instructions as my favorite mom book. Okay, that's not fair because I think they're coming from different places, but this is an excellent "momoir." I really like that I don't agree with Halliday on a lot of what she did with her kids, but still completely related to her and didn't feel at all put off. And no book in recent history has made me miss New York City like this one has. Maybe we could adjust to life in a two-bedroom apartment in a fifth-floor walk-up... or maybe not.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Trembling Before G-d: An interesting documentary about gays who were or are Orthodox Jews. The documentary was slow to start, but it was both depressing (in that so many are not accepted by the communities they long to be in) and thought-provoking (just why aren't they)? I'd have liked more on the religious aspects of the rejection, but still found this an insightful documentary.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Breeder: Real-Life Stories from the New Generation of Mothers edited by Ariel Gore and Bee Lavender: This is an excellent collection of essays from the folks who bring you HipMama. The moms in this book are all the young hip type, but very relatable, even by an old suburban mom like me. One warning: Don't read the section "Danger" when you're a postpartum hormonal mess. It'll kill you.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Your Two-Year-Old: Terrible or Tender by Louise Bates Ames: Another one from the Gesell Institute. As with the one-year-old book, I found the developmental info to be really, really helpful, but it's hard to get past the outdated and sexist notions of the author (the book was originally published in 1976). The author accepts spanking, assumes mother will be home, and thinks father should be the stern one. However, the information on the developmental stages is really on and many of the suggestions she profefrs are extremely helpfu.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Toddler: Real-life Stories of Those Fickle, Irrational, Urgent, Tiny People We Love edited by Jennifer Margulis: Can you tell I'm totally into the essay format book? This was a fun read, with less substance than a lot of the baby essay books. I thought that a few of the essays were rushed, but some were truly excellent and made this great reading for any parent of a toddler.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Room to Grow: Twenty-Two Writers Encounter the Pleasures and Paradozes of Raising Young Children edited by by Christina Baker Kline: While this book was no Child of Mine (by the same editor), many of the essays in here were quite moving. The weakness of the book lies in its less focused subject: it covers toddlerhood to the teenage years. So while Child really nailed the first year of life with baby, this one felt like it drifted around more. It doesn't detract from the essays, but it does detract from the cohesive feel of the book. I did like that this collection, unlike Child, included essays from fathers, which made for an interesting point of view.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin: This wasn't the most helpful book on natural childbirth, but it was certainly one of the most inspiring. It didn't give me lots of "how tos," but the first half, which is all women telling their own childbirth stories, was surprisingly encouraging. I thought it would be much less interesting and that I'd be more, well, grossed out than I was. The second half, which is more the practical info, I found to be a little alarmist about hospital births. And I found the claims of "orgasmic birth" to be a bit hard to believe. Overall, though, it's help to encourage me to give this natural birth thing a go.
Overnight: An interesting documentary about this jerk of a filmmaker who "overnight" becomes a huge success by selling his screenplay The Boondock Saints to Miramax, and then, of course, manages to piss all his money and success away, alienate his friends, and become a real winner of a human being. As a documentary, though, it's really fun to watch and you've got to wonder if he realizes how he comes off in this.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer: I thought that Maneater was such great trash, that this one was bound to be fun. Either I just wasn't in the mindset (which, truthfully, I wasn't but when the library books I reserved ages ago come in, you've got to check 'em out when you can) or this just wasn't as good. Back to the childbirth/mothering books for me.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Monday, July 18, 2005
Friday, July 15, 2005
Hitch: I don't like the King of Queens, so I was surprised at how funny Kevin James was in this. A totally light-hearted sweet comedy that actually had me laughing out loud.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: I wasn't looking forward to watching this--it was Adam's pick--but I found it's quirkiness to be both charming and humorous. The film is beautiful to look at, although, ultimately, it's difficult to care about the characters and the story is lacking. But I still enjoyed it.
Unbelievable Truth: I love this film. I received it as a birthday present, and while it doesn't give me the charge it gave me all those years ago, I still think this is one of the finest true indie films made. Hal Hartley's dialogue is sharp; I think this, his debut film, is his best. I'm psyched I own it so I can watch it again and again.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Making It Up as I Go Along by Maria T. Lennon: A mom book with an interesting twist: single mom Saffron got accidentally impregnanted when she was working as a war correspondent in Sierra Leone. The premise is interesting, but the details of her return to Malibu where she inherited--with major conditions--the $10 million dollar home of her foster mother, are just silly. The motherhood details are fun, the Sierra Leone plot--though far-fetched--is unusual, but overall, it just doesn't add up.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Monday, June 27, 2005
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld: Interesting to read this after Snobs because in many ways it's about America's version of classism, albeit on a junior level. The story of a girl from Indiana on scholarship to a snobbish East Coast boarding school is more coming-of-age tale than anything. Although I couldn't understand how with her mediocre grades she managed to say on scholarship, I thought the story really captured the teenage voice well, and that was the only real flaw to the book.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Love and Sex: I love a good indie pseudo-intellectual romance (a la the Eric Stoltz genre) and this just wasn't it. Oh, it was entertaining in parts, but I wanted to scream to them, "It's not going to get better! Don't bother trying to save it!" Not bad if nothing else is around, but not worth going out of your way for.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Snobs by Julian Fellowes: What a fun summer read. I'm not sure if this is a high-quality beach book or a low-brow literary read, but either way, it was an interesting glimpse into British society. Not knowing much about the English hierarchy, a lot of this was new to me and occasionally it didn't all make sense. But the story of a social-climbing young woman is good fun and the voice is engaging.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Ray: Very interesting stylistically and a fascinating story. I knew nothing about his life, so for me it was all new, and I thought Jamie Foxx did a fabulous job.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Meet the Fockers: Why do I do this to myself? Why do I watch such complete dreck? Friends told me I'd like this because 1) the baby signs (which we do with Doodles) and 2) they thought the liberal Jew caricature was funny. I have to say, I actually found it borderline offensive. Completely unfunny.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Bar Mitzvah Disco: The Music May Have Stopped, but the Party's Never Over by Roger Bennett, Nick Kroll, Jules Shell: Read for work.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Life on the Fringes: A Feminist Journey Towards Traditional Rabbinic Ordination by Haviva Ner-David: Ner-David is a feminist striving for acceptance within the traditional, Orthodox Jewish community. Her book is both an explanation for why she has chosen this difficult route (as opposed to becoming ordained as a Conservative rabbi) and a memoir of her journey. While her commentary biblically justifying her right to pray in the manner she chooses to is interesting, what is most compelling about this book is the account of her own journey--her rejection of Judaism in college, her decision to return to observance, her own conflicts and confusion on how to raise her daughters as feminists within the Orthodox community. At times, I found her personal beliefs to be too conservative for me; however it's impossible to read this and not respect her decisions and have a clear understanding of why she's done what she's done.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Bridget Jones : The Edge of Reason: I enjoyed the book, but didn't love it, and I felt that the movie was equally mediocre. The funniest part was in the extras when "Bridget Jones" interviews Colin Firth.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
The Surprising Power of Family Meals : How Eating Together Makes Us Smarter, Stronger, Healthier, and Happier by Miriam Weinstein: Read for work.
Spanglish: I'm not sure what I was expecting from this film, but this wasn't it. It wasn't quite a comedy and the drama was unbelievable. Tea Leone's character was flat, the Flor/John thing unbelievable, and the kids were too gosh-darn great.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Closer: When I say I loved this film, I know you'll take it with a grain of salt, as it does star Jude Law, and how could I not love anything with Jude Law. But I thought the compressed style of filmmaking, the completely amoral characters, and the stark dysfunctional nature of the relationships was really compelling. This is one of those films that sticks with me.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Welcome to Heavenly Heights by Risa Miller: The writing was beautiful in this story of the (mostly) women in an apartment in a West Bank settlment in Israel but ultimately, I wasn't really moved. Miller follows too many characters so just as I got involved in one character's life, I was abruptly pulled out. The ending was emotional, but delivered in a way that distanced the reader from the action. Perhaps I would have liked it more if I hadn't read it just after Seven Blessings, which I loved.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Sideways: While I enjoyed this, I'm not sure it was worthy of all the fuss that was made over it. Or may I'm just bitter because I couldn't have a glass of wine while watching it (this pregnancy thing can really get in the way of a good time). It really irks me that in all these movies, really average looking guys end up with gorgeous women. But it was a nice story, a quiet film, and it was a pleasant experience.
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Alfie: While I still love to look at Jude Law (sigh! Jude Law!), this movie really shouldn't have been made. The original Alfie was a total product of its time, and it just doesn't translate into modern day. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't seen the original, but I just didn't feel that this Alfie had as much at stake. Still, well worth a watch just to see Jude Law. Sigh. Jude Law!
Friday, April 01, 2005
Monday, March 28, 2005
Seven Blessings by Ruchama King: What a beautfiul story of sidduchim (matchmakers) in the Orthodox community in Israel. The book was entertaining, but it also gave a glimpse into a world I don't know much about. The writing was lovely.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World A. J. Jacobs: This book was interesting. It's written encyclopedia style as Jacobs works his way through the Britannica. Each entry he either gives tidbits or relates it loosely to his personal life. Many times I thought I'd stop reading, but I found his personal life interesting enough (he and his wife were trying to get pregnant) that I kept going through. Much of what he wrote was quite funny but the style wasn't one that held me to the narrative. Overall, I enjoyed the book and learned a few new facts, but I wasn't captivated.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Jubana!: The Awkwardly True and Dazzling Adventures of a Jewish Cubana Goddess by Gigi Anders: Read for work.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Monday, February 07, 2005
Before Sunset: I actually liked this one a lot more than the first one. It had more of an emotional center for me; there was more at stake. I liked how the characters had flip-flopped emotionally, but it worked so well. I won't say it wowed me, but it gave me something to think about.
The Office Special: What a wonderful wrap-up to the series. The ending was perfect! And it was still all quite funny. This is one of the best series I've ever seen.
Sunday, February 06, 2005
Shrek 2: Everyone raved about this and I think I had too high expectations. We watched it on a day we were snowed-in with Doodles. He lost interest in five minutes, but Adam and I made it through. Don't get me wrong; I thought this movie was great. But I enjoyed the first one so much more.
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Lost Tribe: Jewish Fiction from the Edge edited by Paul Zakrzewski: A mixed bag of stories. I actually found myself quite put-off by one or two, but a few of the stories made the collection worth reading (I particularly liked "The Argument" by Rachel Kadish, "A Poland, a Lithuania, a Galicia" by Tova Mirvis, and "Goodbye, Evil Eye" by Gloria DeVidas Kirchheimer). Unfortunately, much of the writing in here wasn't new but reprints from established authors and too many of the writers felt too disconnected from their Judaism.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: What a freakin' stupid movie. And I laughed so hard!! "I drank a lava lamp. It wasn't lava."
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Spider-Man 2: Someone needs to teach Spider-Man to sew better so his hood doesn't keep coming off! A fun movie. I don't think I was in the right mood for it, but it was an enjoyable way to spend a very snowy evening.
Monday, January 17, 2005
Manchurian Candidate (new): Too hard to get the amazing original out of my head as I watched this. Denzel Washington was good, and the changes were interesting, but it simply couldn't live up to, "Why don't you pass the time with a game of solitaire?" And the movie completely lost me in the last two minutes. Stick with the original. Never mess with a classic.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Delovely: I love period pieces and I generally find anything about the twenties and thirties to be compelling. This story of Cole Porter's life had an interesting construct in that it was formulated as a musical of Porter's (Kevin Kline) life. At first it irritated me; shortly into the film, though, I decided it actually worked well, and I soon found myself sucked in. My father, who is more of a buff on the era, tells me that the movie is quite loosely based. In fact, Porter's wife (played by a beautiful and young Ashley Judd) was actually Porter's senior by twenty years. But still a nice film with excellent music, of course. I particularly liked the cameos of modern-day singers doing the Porter songs in his productions.
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Seattle and the Demons of Ambition: A Love Story by Fred Moody: Moody's tale of Seattle sucked me right in, and I loved following his ups and downs with the city. At times the book became a little bogged down when he delved farther into the tech world than I was interested it, but ultimately it paid off in the end when he himself got caught up in it. I have to wonder if a non-Seattlite would find this book interesting. As it was, the story was that much more interesting as I knew a few of the people he mentioned. For folks who lived the tech highs and lows in Seattle, this would be a fun read.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews: This is the type of book that makes me give up all thoughts of being a writer because I'll never do it as well as Toews does. Her story of a Mennonite teenager is remarkable. The voice is genuine, the story compelling, and the ending is perfect. A fabulous, fabulous read.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
What I'm watching, what I'm reading in 2005
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