Reading Watching, Listening..... October in Review

What I Was Reading in October

Deeper Reading: Comprehending Challenging Texts by Kelly Gallagher

Fluke: Or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Three Cups of Tea by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Fluke was loads of fun (bizarre, strange fun) and this weekend I picked up another Christopher Moore title. I bought Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. The Thief Lord is a juvenile novel that is less impressive. I'm slowly making my way through it since I had a student read that recently.

The Golden Compass is a reread in anticipation of the film. I've also been hit with a barrage of emails and commentary from coworkers who've heard rumors about the film and the "evil mastermind conspiracy" to destroy young children and turn them into atheists. Someone tried to tell me it's about female circumscision. It is not. They got that from misreading Spark Notes, I swear some adults aren't as intelligent as your average 9th grader. At any rate, I'm rereading this book so I can be better informed for the inevitable need to defend the book.

Three Cups of Tea is a nonfiction book club pick that I'm only half done with since I had to put it aside to complete the Deeper Reading book. I am enjoying it, though some in our book club thought it wasn't very well written. I may have more to say on it when I actually finish.

The Deeper Reading book by Kelly Gallagher was excellent and I'd recommend it to English teachers. I liked his ideas, they were theoretically insightful and practical for use in the classroom too.

What I Was Watching in October

On TV

Dancing with the Stars

The Bachelor

Desperate Housewives

Brothers and Sisters

Samantha Who?

Two and a Half Men

Big Shots

Grey's Anatomy

Private Practice

The Office

Pushing Daisies

There's not too much to say about these shows. Dancing with the Stars is filled with class acts and amazing dancers this season but I think that Marie Osmond has overstayed her welcome and that Sabrina should never have been voted off. I think that Jane Seymore is amazing and beautiful and a lovely dancer, but she's also not of the caliber it would require to win the competition. Right now I am rooting for Mel B.

Regarding the Bachelor, I'm not convinced that this guy is that great or any of the girls. I wonder what will happen. I liked Jenny best and thought that Deanna and McCarten were nasty girls who were mean and opinionated and now Deanna is starting to seem nicer. I didn't like Bettina and I wasn't crazy about miss crazy... hillary. Though she was good for entertainment purposes. I guess, I could see him rejecting them all.

I swore I was done with Grey's Anatomy when Burke didn't return but I find myself watching it even though I don't like any of the characters. It's a curiosity thing more than anything. Private Practice is pretty crappy, but I do like Tim Daly and so I find myself watching a show that I think is not good. I mean, it's like Addison moved south and her brain melted. I really don't like her character on this show as much.

Big Shots is Sex and the City for men... only not as interesting.. and more about relationships than the sex, maybe?

Samantha Who? and Two and a Half Men continue to be two of the best sitcoms on TV in my world. Though The Office is in a class of its own. Christina Applegate is great but her mother is even better.

Pushing Daisies is also great fun. Each episode is like sampling a delicious pie. I can't wait for my next serving. I realize that this show has people who love it and those who hate it... and I happen to be a lover. Anna Friel makes it that much better.

I tried Chuck on for size and found it dull and predictable and the characters not very fun.
Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters are shows I should also give up, but I can't seem to make myself. I don't really enjoy either of them... Brothers and Sisters, least of all. I really wish Lost would come back on. Do you suppose they wrote those shows already or will this strike affect those episodes as well.

On DVD

A View to a Kill

Blades of Glory

The Living Daylights

The Fountain

Black Book

A Mighty Heart

I found A Mighty Heart to be profoundly depressing. There's not much more to say about that. It's yet another reminder that I, as an American, do not want to visit the Middle East or immerse myself into any of the drama in Iraq, Iran, or any other turbulent culture. It's a sad story and I didn't find a lot of hope in it.

Blades of Glory wasn't as stupid as I expected it to be. But it wasn't good either. I'd avoid this one too. It was good mindlessness... ranked somewhere just above Anchorman for me.

The Fountain was awful. Also remarkably depressing. This one starred Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. He plays a research scientist and she is his wife, dying of cancer. It was trippy and strange and moved between modern day in a dreary dark lab and the mayan culture recreated in a work of fiction written by his wife. I think this one is responsible for some strange dreams I had the next few nights.

I don't seek out stories about WWII or the holocaust and yet something drew me to Zwartboek or Black Book. IMDB describes it ... In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance. Carice van Houten plays Rachel/Ellis and does an excellent job. I thought this film was well done and the casting was right on, their performances excellent.

At trivia once this month, we had an entire round of Bond questions. Watching The Living Daylights and A View to a Kill helped me out in that. I am starting to have these films blend together a wee bit. Roger Moore is a bit too old in A View to a Kill and I thought that Christopher Walken played the best role I've ever seen him in, in this film. He was a wonderful crazy bad guy. The Living Daylights is the first of the two Timothy Dalton films and I've decided he's not my favorite. I found it an interesting commentary on the whole Berlin Wall, Communist world. It's like I am on the verge of forgetting that was part of our world in my youth. In fact, it made me want to watch The Lives of Others again.

What I Was Listening to in October

a random sampling from my MP3 player here are my posted shuffles:

Oct 2
All Fired Up by Pat Benetar
I'm the Man Who Loves You by Wilco
Roxanne by The Police
Take it Easy (Love Nothing) by Bright Eyes
The First Cut is the Deepest by Sheryl Crow

Oct. 20
Barricades and Brickwalls by Kasey Chambers
Angel by Shaggy
Freedom of the Road by Martin Sexton
I'm in Love Again by The Animals
Honey Bee by Tom Petty

Oct. 28

Fire by Bruce Springsteen
The Day John Kennedy Died by Lou Reed
I Don't Know by Jimmy Witherspoon
Do You Remember by Jack Johnson
Pretty by The Cranberries