Much to my dismay, I tend to stumble through classic literature. I think I loose myself in the language and read 10 pages without capturing a thing.

However.

Silas Marner was written in the UK in the 1860's and is set at the turn of the century, approximately 50 years earlier - it's a page turner.

The story itself almost resembles a fairy-tale: Silas is an aloof outsider living in a stone house all alone. He hoards his gold and becomes obsessed with the treasure.

But this book is also filled with irony, humor, and symbolism not lost by the language of 200 years ago. The fortunes and misfortunes of Silas (which are directly tied to the other main characters) can be taken as whimsically or profoundly as you'd like.

A short book, fairly easy read, and a timeless tale. I highly recommend.

The fascinating life journey of one of Time Magazines "100 Most Influential People". This account of her life looks in depth at the nature of Islam and Middle Eastern / African culture.

See Blog - http://theoriginalgirly.multiply.com/journal/item/580?mark_read=theoriginalgirly:journal:580&replies_read=9

Ya know those people, or those times - when you look up as if into your own brain, and you say -

"I knew this girl once"...
"I went to this place once"...

And you grin?

Those little pockets of time where things are a little surreal. They usually don't last long, and often we aren't even aware they're happening. That's just one of the things I think this film is about.

The Guy (unnamed) in the leading role is a street musician who also works in his father's shop repairing Hoovers, when a Girl (yup... just "Girl") happens by and starts questioning him about his music.

She's different. Bold. A little annoying at first, but eventually they strike up a friendship that bonds through mutual musical talent. Over the course of the week spanned in the movie, they grow close and become entangled in each others lives. They both have complicated pasts, and the reality of that is at the fringes of life as they write music, lyrics, and record a CD together. I'm not telling if it gets romantic or not. You have to see it.

In the end, there's a deep impression of how we have an impact on each others lives, when we cross paths with each other it can leave a mark. The anonymity of "Guy" and "Girl" actually made me think of blogging. It doesn't matter what we call ourselves. Heck, the Blogger who recommended this movie... I've never even used his real name. But, to read all of you every day - to have this medium, it's a personal thing. All of us leave a mark on each other somehow I think.




PS. This movie is reviewed as a "Musical"... don't let that fool you. It's just full of great music. There's plenty of script too. Ooh, you might also find it under "Foreign" (Irish), or "Indie".

Oooohh!

If you like thinking about thinking... this is an awesome book!

Hello? Anyone still there?

No, really. This book is for those who like to pull apart why people (including ourselves) think the way we do. What is it about a certain topic that shocks us and is it really so bad?

Each chapter has a quiz or test, and they're not simple little things that you can figure out (oh A will give me the highest points, eye roll)... noooo, no. These are tricky quizzes designed to delve into how you actually think.

And the answers might shock you.

So, if you can't be honest and accepting of yourself (all in good fun) - not really a book you want to invest in. But if you love the twirlings of the mind (and I know some of you do) this is one of my favorites.

Maus was my first graphic novel - or "comic book" style novel. At 200-ish pages it flew by, and I'm not sure how much of that was because of the easy format or how much was the story itself.

In the story, the author portrays himself writing the story of his father who was an imprisoned Jew in various camps during WWII. The book is mostly flashback, hilighting the fathers story of Nazi regime but does flash to the "current" and hints (not so subtly) at residual issues.

The book itself is amazing, with Jewish mice, German cats, and Polish pigs. The dialogue is fantastic... I could hear the slang, it was written so well. The story pulls in different directions, and the underlying details get at the things we don't often hear about will holocaust survivors.

Thoroughly Therapeutic
Honey & Bilberry
FOOT CREME

Is it tacky to post this?

Whatever. Let it be tacky. My feet are hereby the driest in the universe (it's on the net, so it's true) and this is the first stuff ever that has worked for me. I use it 2 days in a row and *whamo* feet are better.

**It's also not greasy - I can put it on and then actually WALK across the floor.


**Nor does it smell all perfumey - It is all natural, so it smells like... somethin. I don't know what, maybe honey and bilberry?

It's the first lotion of any kind in my entire life that I'll ever actually finish.

It's tricky, this movie. Not everyone will like it.

It's about a young Jewish Man (Elijah Wood) who goes on a journey to the Ukraine to find a woman who saved his grandfather.

But it's funny.

But it's not a comedy.

See?

His guides on the journey are an old, cranky, blind (but - not really) anti-semitic grandfather, his "seeing eye bitch" - and the translator grandson, who speaks as if he learned from a thesaurus. "Many girls want to be carnal with me... because I'm such a premium dancer!"

The humor though. Is more on the dry side.

Then, All kinds of deep things happen and twists, curves, and amazingly left field stuff that makes you sit still and stare at the screen. Really stare, in that absorbed way. Excellent writing (this film was once a book).

In the end, I was moved.


Alex (translator) to Jonathan (Jewish man):
I have reflected many times upon our rigid search. It has shown me that everything is illuminated in the light of the past. It is always along the side of us, on the inside, looking out. Like you say, inside out. Jonathan, in this way, I will always be along the side of your life. And you will always be along the side of mine.

What is it about these Bachman Books?

They're darker than King, but in a different way - if you've read one, you know. I think it's more of a mental, psychological ride he takes us on.

Anyway, something about "Blaze" captured me right away. It was one of those novels that I found myself reading until the words weren't making sense at night.

The story is hard to get at without giving too much away, but the main character - "Blaze" is the "goodish" bad guy that you find yourself cheering for and pitying and then realizing he's dangerous over and over again.

Meanwhile, the larger plot of the perfect crime is unfolding and a sub plot of .. "what the?" left me page turning.

Easy read. Captivating read.
Good 'ol fashioned airplane novel.

If you only see one 1920's silent foreign film this year...

Yeah. I know. I've said before that Netflix recommends some strange stuff for me right? Well this one was based upon the fact that I liked:

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Annie Hall
Taxi Driver

So... if you didn't like any of those.. move along, nothing to see here.

Anyone still here? Chops? Maybe? Lets proceed.
The version I got from netflix had the option to watch this set to an opera score - (Yes, I realize that my nerd is showing.)

So, set to music - it was pretty cool. The lighting was intense, and they really over act in silent films. Bravo!

Okay, if nothing else - see this for the sake of seeing a silent film. It was a good one. I've watched others, and this was good. Plus, the history of it is something to awe at. They used the actual trial transcripts - and this version was found in the closet of a Dutch mental hospital.

(say wha?) It's true.

To be honest, I was drawn to this book because of the cover.

It's a really nice cover.

Then I read the little blurb:

"a compelling vision of Buddhism and an in-depth analysis of the nature of consciousness."

Well, You had me at hello.

This book is honestly quite intense. It delves into some psychology and philosophy about how we think. There are lots of big Buddhist words, but you can get through the book without studying them.

Overall, I'd say it offers a good logical basis about how we think. There are times when I'd be confused with my nose IN the book, but once I snapped it shut and took things scientifically it made sense to me.

Digest it in little chunks, go slowly, and don't think too hard.

I don't read "girly books".

Romance, mushy stuff... it's really not for me. So I was a tiny bit hesitant when I picked up this book about a life-long bond between two women in a vague time period (19th century) China.

But WOW. It rocked my socks.

It's historical fiction, and brilliantly written. The story begins with Lily and Snow Flower as young girls from different cultures who are brought together through the custom of becoming "old sames", an arranged contract between women to become, and stay lifelong friends.

Together they experience foot binding, their own arranged marriages, and childbirth... all while communicating in a secret language on a silk fan passed between them.

The undercurrents of this book were complex enough to make the commentary about status, culture, war, sexism, family, and sacrifice in Nineteenth century China.

And it's not a mushy girl book!!

Yummy warm cozy winter appetizer... all my guests raved! It's easy and gorgeous too :) Thanks to Chris for this recipe.

Ingredients
8 in. round of brie
3/4 C dried cranberries
3/4 C chopped toasted pecans
3 tbs. brown sugar
1/4 C honey

Remove the rind from the top of brie leaving 1/2 inch around the edge.
Mix dried cranberries, pecans, brown sugar and pile on top of the brie.
Drizzle honey over it.
Place in fridge till ready to serve.
Place in microwave and heat for 2 minutes on high.
Serve with crackers. (Carr's wheat crackers suggested).

Today, magically, at 4,224 words - something happened in my novel.

I was sitting here, sideways on the couch, - laptop on my lap. I had my eyes closed and I was picturing one of my characters, Charlie.

He was in the brush, where I'd left him. It was stormy and raining and he was crouched behind something wooden. He was watching someone, and I sat here watching him. I was making observations about the scene, and before I knew it the log that his right foot was resting on had started to come loose.

Neither one of us had seen it coming.

It happened so quickly, that log came loose from the slope, rainwater washed down, and Charlie slid - clenching teeth and hands, raising his left knee then the right to find purchase against the muddy incline.

He reached the bottom in a second, but was a frantic mass of elbows and knees struggling to stand in the slippery mud. By then, everything had changed. For him, and for me.

It's a lot of fun to follow these folks around.

Nine year old Trisha is lost in the woods after a simple stop seperates her from her family. Thinking she can easily find her way out she begins walking... deeper into the woods of Maine.

What I love about this book is that all the way through it feels like... "wow, that could so easily happen to me", making it all the more frightening when she begins to feel that someone (or something) is watching her.

Unsure if she's dehydrated, hungry, sick, or dilusional from bug bites and fever - she turns to her only companion Baseball player Tom Gordon on her Walkman. Listening to the Red Sox play baseball helps keep her focused.

In 1888 a blizzard swept through the praries of the northern US killing school children and animals so quickly they froze where they stood.

David Laskin follows the stories of imigrant families from overseas, to the promise of a better life, to the hardships and loss in America, to this final tradgedy that was said to change the community the way 9/11 changed ours.

The stories are amazing, and although entire chapters focused on the weather and development of the storm could have been omitted in my opinion - it's still an excellent read.

Blink is an interesting book, full of case studies proving that our mind is a tricky place.

If you're already aware of this and pay attention to your thoughts, challenging things - you'll probably get a kick out of many of the experiements documented.

If you tend to float through life, this book will astound you. You'll be absolutley amazed by the things you'll learn. It's worth the read.

Author Phillip Roth chronicles his fathers death in this very intimate look at growing older, growing up, and becoming a parent to our parents. The thoughts he shares are so accurately described that you can't help but feel a kinship as you read along - even though his tale is largely non emotional.

Phillip Roth is an excellent story teller, able to move the reader with passages that seem to be about ordinary things.

"A Good Man is Hard to Find"
My favorite short story in this collection of her work, Flannery writes in a true, detailed and almost harshly real way that somehow endears you to her characters. This story, although brief, plays tricks with the struggle of good and evil along many different lines and left me thinking about it long after.