the whfo library

things have been sort of hectic lately, and with what free time i have (with work causing some serious interruptions to personal time) i've been trying to revamp the kidlings website as his 2nd birthday approaches. holy shit - 2 years already. anyway.....

recently finished:

• rachael & leah (orson scott card): the third book of his 'women of genesis' series. which sort of irked me, because it's going to be four books - due to the necessity of having to split this particular story. it's a good series. no one breathes life into his characters like card does (ok, very very very few do). from his sci-fi to his biblical/historical stuff, i've read them all, and with the exception of his initial foray into the horror genre - i own them all. (for a first horror novel, it was pretty good, but i'll never go back and read it so i passed it on).
• pilgrim (timothy findley): ok, so here's a guy that rivals card for character development and believability. second book of his i've read that deals with psychotherapy. this one uses carl gustav jung as a main character. i thought it was brilliant, and disturbing, and loved it. however, i feel seriously behind the times, as this book is not his newest, and i found out he had passed away only recently. i started with 'not wanted on the voyage', and haven't been able to get enough findley. great stuff

recently started:

• the carnivorous carnival, book the ninth (the lemony snicket)
• accordian crimes (annie proulx) - you may recognize the name from 'the shipping news'

recently watched:
ok... this is kind of a sad area - nothing really new, as i've been tossing in old stuff i've watched because i'm not really paying attention to it - sort of background with the whole web thing happening. so... there will be a list, but no commentary (or at least not much) for the stuff i've watched since the last library post.

• chocolat: great movie. love depp. were i prone to such things, i might cry everytime i watch it. as i'm not, i just crave chocolate.
  
• the corpse bride: burton rocks. fabulous movie. original, but sort of comes across a bit 'nightmare before christmas' - this is due to the style it's done in. classic elfman songs and score.
  
• the terminal: best role i've seen tom hanks in. freakin' brilliant movie. poignant and touching, but not stupidly. and it has stanley tucci & catherine zeta jones.
• cherish: a goofy romance movie about a woman accused of a crime she didn't commit. great 80's based soundtrack (assuming you like such things). i picked it up on a lark, and was thrilled with it. (did the same with a flick named 'jet lag' - and was just as thrilled)
• father's little dividend: the better half has a soft spot for old b&w movies. it was just that to me - and slightly amusing, but i didn't really pay much attention to this one. don't get me wrong - love some of them, but this was really fluff even back then. a sequel to the original 50's father of the bride.
  

recently finished:

• the hostile hospital, book the eighth (lemony snicket): i was amused. maybe it's because i forgot i had pulled this one out a month ago, and it has sat hidden under a pile of miscellany until yesterday. maybe it's because i was tired to the point of exhausted and had trouble seeing straight. it seemed less forced that the last one - probably my imagination. still... amused.
• the scroll of saqqara (pauline gedge): gag. i've been a big pauline gedge fan since she started: child of the morning, the eagle and the raven, stargate. this one was monotonous, and in many places worse than a harlequin romance novel. the saving grace is the vast amount of research she does - so you know at least the placement, family lines, etc are pretty much as accurate as possible. the plot was thin - and easy to figure out early in the book. this one, was my upstairs washroom book for about 2 months. i almost didn't bother finishing it.

recently watched:

• fun with dick and jane (jim carrey, tia leoni; remake of a '77 film): will own this one. saw it in "cheap" theatre (i assume these are universal? cut rate 2nd class theatres that show movies for half or less than the standard chain?) laugh out loud funny. laughed so hard in parts, i missed dialogue. in the style of liar liar, but a better blend of physical/slaptick and humour comedy. better than bruce almighty (mostly because it's a little less guy based penis joke style humour). didn't realize it was a remake, but should have guessed when i saw mordecai richler's name in the screenwriter credits.
• skeleton key: renter. like most of my movies, i own it because it was cheaper than seeing it in the theatre. it was decent, and even though i had most of the plot figured out, it did through a couple of twists. besides, i like kate hudson. she's a cutie and a decent actress. a nice gothic style horror flick, with some pretty creepy stuff in areas. not a slash and gore, nor an 'edge of my seat' thriller, but still solid. watch it again? when the right night &/or mood hits. it will most likely survive a thinning when i get around to it.