Can't Commit

I have been trying to read Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert.  Much as I enjoyed EPL, I cannot seem to get through Committed.  I just don't care about the history of marriage, blah blah blah blah.  However, I do feel enormous sympathy for what she and her DH had to go through.  It just doesn't seem fair that they would have to go through so much trouble/red tape to live in the great USA.  But, as my dad always said, Life Isn't Fair.  Cue the eye roll.

Book vs TV, Vol 2: Pillars of the Earth

My DH and I have been watching Pillars of the Earth on Starz.  Both of us read the book and loved it.  So well written.  And there is just something about a book so heavy you could inflict a serious head wound with it.  So far, we are really enjoying the series.  They made some interesting (and, in one instance, icky) changes.  The icky change is obviously the incest thing with William Hamleigh and his mother.  Quite unnecessary and way too over-the top.  It was perfectly believable in the book that William was just a bloodthirsty son of a bitch who enjoyed killing, maiming, raping, etc. without the extra dose of parental abuse.  I don't know if they are just trying to find a teensy bit of sympathy for William by showing that he (in the TV series) is emotionally and physically abused by his mother.  I am not falling for that! 
Also, as much as I love Ian McShane, I feel he was miscast as Bishop Waleran.  He was so delightfully arrogant and over the top on Deadwood that it feels like he's holding back as Waleran.  There is no glint of mischief in his eyes.  He seems flat and wooden.
At first I was unsure of Jack but Eddie Redmayne has really grown into the character.
Rufus Sewell as Tom Builder has also grown on me.  I think it is because I've only seen Sewell playing the villian or that guy who gives you the creeps. 
Last but not least, Prior Phillip.  Love Matthew MacFayden.  Huge MI:5 fan.  I am enjoying his take on Prior Phillip.  He really shows how hard Phillip struggles with his pride.

Rock Hard

My DH recently finished Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston.  Here is his review:

I always wanted to be a mountain climber, but living in a state where the highest point is Woodall Mountain (elev. 806 ft.) my Eiger dreams were crushed at a young age.  So I live vicariously through the stories of Jon Krakauer, David Brashears, and now Aron Ralston.
Aron's story takes place in the back country of Moab in Robbers Roost.  Shortly into his planned half-day excursion, a half-ton bolder becomes dislodged and pins Aron's right hand against the canyon wall.  His outlook bleak, he must spend the next five days trapped in his personal hell.  Being an avid outdoorsman and highly experienced mountain climber, Aron must use his survivalist skills to deal with his diminishing water supply and sleep deprivation.
Aron's never-say-die attitude and love for family and friends becomes his mantra to get out of this canyon alive.  After five days, Aron is reduced to drinking his own urine, which causes further dehydration.  The decision has to be made to cut off his hand (with a dull knife) or die.
I love these stories of ultimate survival, and Aron Ralston did not let me down.  So grab a large glass of water (you will need it) and read this book.

Book vs TV, Vol 1: Sookie say what?

So, who is completely underwhelmed by True Blood?  I know it's because I have been reading Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse books for years.  I love them.  I love how silly they are and how it seems completely natural that there are vampires, werewolves, other shifter-types, and fairies.  I especially love how the descriptions of Sookie's clothes sound so tacky!  Like, of course she would wear scrunchies and white-lace dresses with matching glove/sleeve thingys.  The books are dark and twisty but have moments of levity as well (Hello Bubba!).  The books of course are not without their faults.  It's impossible for every book in a long series to be great (HP excepted).   
I just do not get excited about the show, even though my DH and I make sure to watch it every Sunday night.  For one thing, True Blood Sookie (TBS) gets on my last nerve.  She is way less whiny in the book and lots more self-sufficient.  Book Sookie (BS) would never have let her house stay that dirty after a crazy maenad spread mud all over the place.  Also, the most important thing about Sookie is her ability to hear people's thoughts.  In TB, the characters discuss her "ability" but we rarely get to hear what she hears.  I guess that is one drawback of switching from a first person narrative to a third person, multi-character focused plot.  And TB has apparently bestowed some other, yet-to-be-named power upon our poor, unsuspecting heroine...cue suspenseful music.  Plus, Sam's TB story is redonkulous (sp?) and I want to FF through his scenes.

Attraversiamo!

Just finished EPL.  Really enjoyed it.  It didn't blow me away like I thought it would.  I think it is one of those books that I will continue to think about and what I can take away from it.  It does, however, make me want to search for my own balance.  Not that I want to fly to India/Bali to learn how to do so (nor do I have the time or money or inclination to leave my DH alone while I do so), but I want to simplify.  Maybe take up yoga and learn how to meditate.  Could I sit still for an hour, much less five minutes and focus on something other than my legs tingling or the urge to grab my phone and check my messages or play Angry Birds (damn that game)?  Not sure, but I want to try.  That's all for now.  I will keep digesting and maybe revisit EPL at a later date.  Namaste!

More pasta please!

Since the movie is about to be released, I thought my first post would cover Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
First, I am wondering why there are so many females out there who hate this book.  I guess it's that weird, jealous-thing where females have trouble being supportive or happy for other females.  I've had a friend who thinks the book is entirely selfish and who thinks its ridiculous that someone got an advance from a publisher to leave their life and go on a year-long adventure.  Mind you, this person has not read the book.  I told her she was just jealous.  She agreed.
To be fair to the author, Gilbert was a successful writer with street cred, not some random nobody whose only published writings consist of blog posts (ahem).  Another friend, who did read it, said she got annoyed with the selfish parts.  But, isn't that the point of a memoir?  A memoir is an account of one's personal life and experiences.  I'm not sure how you feel, but I don't want to read someone's memoir that leaves out the messy, selfish parts.  Isn't that the point?  That by reading this person's journey, you might learn a little bit more about yourself?
I haven't finished the book, but so far I find Gilbert's honesty about the end of her marriage and her insecurities to be refreshing.  It's hard for women to tell the world how we really feel without worrying about being stuck. By stuck I mean typecast.  Like, she's emotional or she's a bitch.  Once you shed that first tear, you'll forever be "the emotional one."  Forgetting the fact that women (and people, in general) are too complex to be generalized in such a way.

Let's talk about spoilers

Since this is a book review of sorts, we need to discuss the appropriate use of spoilers.  I will try not to reveal major plot points, such as twist endings or surprising character reveals.  However, if the ending or suprise twist or whatever is ridiculous or doesn't make sense, then I reserve the right to discuss said ridiculousness/stupidity.  If the book has been published for a while and was immensely popular, then you are out of luck.  If you don't know the ending of something like the Harry Potter series, then I have no sympathy.  I mean, where have you been?  (I am sorry DH*, but it's true)  It's like if you still haven't seen The Crying Game or The Sixth Sense, sorry, but she's a he, and he's dead, respectively.  Depending upon how this blog progresses, I will probably tweak my spoiler policy.


*DH is how I will refer to my dear husband, who has yet to read the Harry Potter series.

First blog post ever

Hello fellow book lovers!  This is my first blog post ever.  I never had any desire to start a blog post.  I mean, who wants to waste time writing personal things for the world to read and inevitably criticize?!  Then why start now, you ask?  My husband enjoys his blog, and I need a new hobby.  If no one reads it, then I'll consider it an opportunity to hone my writing skills. 
Why then, books?  I have always loved to read.  I love books, love the way they smell (even the funky-smelling library books), love the way they feel in my hands (an upcoming post will discuss how this love coexists with my Kindle), love the way they transport me somewhere else for a short time.
The purpose of this blog is to discuss books I am reading, have read, and want to read.  These won't be reviews per se, just my initial reactions plus likes and dislikes.
What this blog will NOT do:  resemble an English lit class; contain boring essays on themes/motifs/blah blah blah; attempt to impress you with my large vocabulary. 
I just want to talk about what is good, bad, annoying, funny, silly, heartbreaking, etc.  Sounds easy, right?
I am also hoping that this blog will force me to branch out to books I don't normally read, like memoirs, biographies, and science fiction.
Some upcoming posts will also include the topics such as books adapted to TV/movies, which books to read depending upon your mood, and bargain books.