Read, Watch, Listen..... December in Review

What I Was Reading in December

Expletive Deleted a good look at bad language by Ruth Wajnryb
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Stitch 'N Bitch by Debbie Stoller
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Safron Foer
The Resilient Self by Steven J. Wolin, M.D., and Sybil Wolin, Ph.D
The Joy of Knitting by Lisa R. Myers
Zen and the Art of Knitting by Bernadette Murphy
Lady Chatterly's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

Juvenile/Young Adult books

Crank by Ellen Hopkins
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

What I Actually Read (and completed) in December

The Joy of Knitting by Lisa R. Myers

For December our book club selection was a young adult novel of our choice. I had just read Siberia, so I discussed that one and also told about Touching Spirit Bear. I had good intentions of getting Crank read but a student borrowed it and I didn't get it back in time... Darn kids... always reading.... Ha! I never did manage to finish Gilead. I do like it, but it's slow going and right now I am mostly "stopped." The knitting books were dual-purposed. First I am wanting to learn how to knit... secondly I wrote an article for our local women's magazine on knitting and was loaned two books for that purpose. The book I am enjoying most (and am amazed I haven't finished) is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. I would recommend this one so far!

What I Was Watching in December

On TV
Project Runway
Grey's Anatomy
White Christmas (because it's not Christmas without it!)
Love's Long Journey (Hallmark Movie)

I've managed to get hooked on a reality show! I can't believe it. I watched the first season in one fell swoop last spring or was it summer? I was fascinated by the creations the designers came up with and with all the time deadlines and various limitations placed on them. It isn't so dramatic like other reality shows in which cast members are eliminated. Sure, we all have our favorites, but ultimately it's about the fashion for me. Grey's Anatomy is a show I've only watched a couple times so far because I often "miss it"... though now that I have just obtained a DVR, I suspect I'll be watching more TV than ever.... (probably NOT a good thing!) I have long hated TV dramas and find much more pleasure in the sitcom. I particularly dislike things like ER or other medical or lawyer shows. How I ended up liking this one I am not sure; I think it has something to do with the characters... their relationships.... as I guess it always does.

Rented
King Kong (1976)
The Addams Family
Addams Family Values
The Wedding Date (again... didn't like it much the 1st time)
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Broken Flowers
40 Year Old Virgin

This month I watched The Addams Family movies for the first time. I thought they were just terrific. The dry humor.... clever puns.... the romantic obsessive connection between Gomez and Morticia.... I can't believe I lived this long without seeing these. Angelica Huston and Christina Ricci's performances in the first one are particularly terrific... but both films are witty, charming, and memorable! I was looking forward to renting the Jim Jarmusch film, Broken Flowers, for the longest time and I have to say that while it had great potential even as I watched it... I was disappointed in the film. My friend Matt summed it up for me... he said that so much rested on the ending... it was a movie that seemed to be building toward something but the ending fell flat. Bill Murray is terrific and there are great characters in the film and a delightful premise, but I wouldn't recommend the film. The 40 Year Old Virgin was a film that was promoted as riotously funny, but I have to say that while some bits were amusing, I really didn't find the show funny at all. Hmmm.... I had seen Mr. and Mrs. Smith in the theatre and I do love a great action/adventure show and this one was a treat. The King Kong (1976) film was in preparation for seeing King Kong (2005).

Theatre
The Family Stone
Memoirs of a Geisha
Rumor Has It

The Family Stone just missed the mark as a favorite film of the year. I liked it quite a lot. It was nothing like I expected and I found myself in tears several times. It reminded me of Home for the Holidays in some ways... perhaps it was just the dysfunctional family at the holidays. If this movie had any flaws (actually I am sure there were plenty of these.. but I mean flaw that "bothered" me) it was that the ending was a little too neat and tidy for me. This is one I will purchase. Memoirs of a Geisha is one that I had high expectations for and this usually proves to be a let down. It was beautiful cinematically and the story was intriguing.... however it felt as if it wasn't as developed as it needed to be. I am not sure what they could have done, but I felt as if I was missing a great deal and not caring as much as I wanted to about the characters. I trust the book by Arthur Golden is much better and since I have it sitting on my shelf, perhaps I will give it a go... though, based on the movie, I am not quite so excited to. Rumor Has It was just crappy.

What I Was Listening to in December

The Monterey International Pop Music Festival (rented the DVD)
Bruce Springsteen
Christmas music

The Monterey Pop Music Festival is one I have wanted to watch since I saw Woodstock last summer. I was not disappointed. This festival was rather different from the one that followed a couple years later. You can read all about it here. The music was delightful and the performances, a treat to see. It was a landmark event for a lot of musical groups (Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Who) and there was a lot of footage on The Mamas and the Papas which piqued my interest in them as a group as well. Bruce Sprinsteen is one artist I have kind of missed overe the years and at the request of a dear friend I decided to give him a listen. Of course, being December, most of my music was of the Christmas variety and given a chance I might listen to this stuff all year round. I love new and old cds and have started amassing my own "favorites collection." It wouldn't be Christmas without Brenda Lee and Bing Crosby.