I won at ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) recently from Goodreads (if you're not a member you should be!) that I am working my way through.
Though not typically my genre, I have to say, I am intrigued to see where this goes. I'll let you know!
Oh, and if we're not friends on Goodreads - change that! I love seeing what other people are reading so I can get more great books to add to my (monumental) to-read shelf.
Just, right off the bat -- what a catchy title, huh?! How could I not read a book as boldly titled as "How To Be A Person"?
I absolutely ADORE Lindy West's writings on Jezebel and Dan Savage has been a favorite for several years now. They both have this delightful, wry wit that somehow manages to cut to the quick while still being hilarious. Yes, there are other writers in this compilation, but truthfully, these two are the stand-outs.
So, does the book live up to it's lofty title? Not really - but it's fun anyway. It's a very light, fast read (under two hours straight) and if you're looking for something fun - definitely check it out. There are absolutely wonderful moments where you will split your sides laughing. Take this excerpt* for instance:
*highlighted/scanned by me and not mean to violate copyright in any way
You're laughing right now, aren't you? I know I was. This book is funny and fun, but I'm not sure it's the definitive guide to being a person.
Though, perhaps that's Lindy and Dan's humor shining through again. Of course this is the definitive book on how to be a person. Of course, it is.
There are many films made every year. Hundreds, likely thousands across the world.
Many of those films are good, but not many of them are excellent.
Once in a blue moon (no pun intended), a truly excellent film is made - a film where everything coalesces perfectly. Emotions resonate, solid plot, characters have depth and likability, a stunning score, etc etc etc.
Moonrise Kingdom is that film.
If you aren't reading this on your iPhone in a theater waiting for this film to start, you're in the wrong place. Go now. I'm serious. You're missing out.
In 1965, a pair of twelve-year-old misfits, one AWOL Khaki Scout - Sam Shakusky - and one very sad, unique girl - Suzy Bishop - flee from their lives and "families" to be together on an idyllic New England island. This prompts a local search party led by a local police captain, a Khaki Scout Master and Suzy's parents Walt and Laura.
What follows is pure magic.
I've read numerous reviews and I'm not sure that I can say more eloquent things than I have read critics so, so allow me to list a few here.
"Briskly paced and jam-packed with visual gags, "Moonrise Kingdom" is a family-movie heartwarmer like no other. Watching it is like shuffling through a shoebox of fading photos and silly mementos. It's shot on 16-millimeter stock that gives the images a warm, buttery Kodachrome nostalgia perfectly in key with the film's anachronistic humor." -- Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A sweetly kooky ode to the intensity of young love. The movie balances broad comedy with occasionally surreal quirk, while still holding the emotional center. Although they don't know each other particularly well, Sam and Suzy find an escape in their union. They willfully lose themselves in a fantasy of being grown up in a world without grownups." -- Mike McGranaghan, The Aisle Seat
"Moonrise Kingdom represents a sort of non-magical Neverland -- that momentous instant when the world can seem so small and a naive crush can feel all-consuming." -- Peter Debruge, Variety
Monday, June 25, 2012
I have a guest post up today at Nerdy Girl Notes about the Legend of Korra and feminism, entitled The Legend of Korra: Anti-Feminism or Bad Writing?
You should go check it out! While you're there, read some of the other interesting (and nerdy!) posts by owner Katie and other contributors.
There are few things better than a catchy, danceable pop song. Especially during summer!
Hot on the heels of the infectious Call Me Maybe, Carly Rae Jepsen teams up with danceable pop king Adam Young of Owl City. As the title suggests, it is indeed a good time.
