Sunday afternoon tea and reading with les Gang in the chocolate brown bedroom
I tried recently to read the tres hyped, sci-fiish, virus* gone wild, vampire, 800+ page tome - The Passage. In fact I made it to p 320 before tossing in the towel with a big ol' sigh of disappointment because I didn't like it. I felt nothing for the characters, I felt the writing was very average ... and it just wasn't compelling me ... at all. I had such high hopes that it would be the page turning thrilling novel, a genre I often long for.
Then I tried Monica Ali's in In the Kitchen. The life of an executive chef in a busy 5 star London hotel kitchen. The story begins with a dead body, lots of wonderful details of the culinary kind ... but again after more than 100 pages my interest wasn't there. So now I have Jonathon Franzen's new book Freedom on loan for only 3 weeks from the library. 3 weeks only because it's new, hot, much talked about and also Oprah's latest book pick and there's a very long list of people behind me waiting to get there hands on it. 70 pages in, 2 weeks remaining and so far so good. I love the way it's written and the plot seems to be one of those riddled with quirky characters, present day Americana stories. I also have his first book The Corrections (a huge hit also and could have been an Oprah pick but he kind of turned it down Gasp ! - remember that big bad scandal.
* 2 virus gone wild page turners - fiction The Hot Zone and non-fiction The Coming Plague
a few recent movies watched at our 29 Black Street Every Night is Movie Night
(and all borrowed from our county wide library system)
Charlie Wilson's War - ****
Inglorious Basterds - ****
Magnolia - *****
Coco Chanel - ***
Temple Grandin - ***** !!
David Bowie - Cat People (Putting out the Fire) - Magnolia soundtrack - what a great song !
Must say I love your crazy scrap quilt, especially the fur additions...
ReplyDeleteI've been working on one for years, have 6 12" blocks completed, wonder if I'll every get it finished.
that bedroom looks gorgeous! love the color on the walls, the crazy quilt, that beautiful table, les gangs... please can you invite me to read there?
ReplyDeleteWOW...you actually watched Temple!! I am impressed.... she lives in our town and mom has seen her speak several times, truly amazing.
ReplyDeleteTail Wags to All.
~moose
i am 100% smitten for that first photo. it's marvelous.
ReplyDeletexo Alison
Moose, the Temple HBO movie was fantastic !! I had read her story years ago and couldn't wait to see the movie. Now I'd like to read some of her books. Your Mom is lucky to have heard her speak. Woof from Sam & Win (and me too).
ReplyDeletewww.templegrandin.com
and dear flowers ... me thinks "we" sure do LOVE the same kind of photos ;-)
The Hot Zone is, without a doubt, the most frightening book I have ever read! <<>>
ReplyDeleteI half-heartedly started Temple Grandin thinking I wouldn't like it. I don't like big message movies, but that was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the afternoon nap with Les Gang. Your very own peaceable kingdom!
So, when it gets colder, does the ball of animals get closer and tighter? You know the kind of mass where it's hard to tell where one cat starts and where one dog ends?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that Bowie song!!! But Cat People disappointed because the scene where Ed Begley, jr. gets his arm ripped off is just TOOOO fake looking.
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