This is part one in a series entitled: California with Jenn and Elizabeth
Note: I had a severe cold, that's why I sound and look so tore up.
California with Jenn and Elizabeth: Remembering Grad School from Jenn on Vimeo.
I saw New Moon again on Sunday night. It was different watching it in a theater with only a handful of people instead of a filled to capacity with super fans theater. It wasn't as good the second time around. It made me impatient. Some scenes were too short and some were too long. I still loved the October, November, December, January scene with Bella - her screaming and desolation is really powerful. And Aro scared the bejeebers out of me. But, other than that I left feeling like - eh?
The Lazy, Yet Discerning Ficster gave an insightful review of New Moon from the perspective of someone dedicated to the books and characters. You can read it here.
Mirror Image, Danielle Steel
Okay, so I am admitting to the internet that I read Danielle Steel novels. I stopped reading them years ago, BUT I occasionally pick one up when I need a mindless, entertaining and predictable read. Mirror Image is about two twins in the early 20th century. All Danielle Steel novels have the same formula - wealth, older men, incredible beautiful woman who are unaware of their beauty and who are perfect in every way. There's no worry in life and the right relationships are always full of bliss.
The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, Phyllis Tickle
I feel like this book redeems me for wasting time with Danielle Steel. This is an academic-ish book about how Christianity is changing - how it has historically changed every 500 years and why it does. This book was honestly a little scary to me. As Christians we sometimes hold tradition to be absolute truth. But, as Phyllis Tickle points out - it is not. So, I was scared and wondered if I was being brainwashed by being a Christian - and then I calmed down and realized I shouldn't worry about change. It's a short book and I recommend it to Christians who are interested in "Cultural wars" and Church dynamics. Tickle writes in an almost funny, conversational style which is refreshing because history and academia can be stale sometimes. She makes it come alive.
Jane Austen and Her Times, G.E. Mitton
Really boring, kind of textbook-ish. I wanted to read it for context. What kind of life did Jane Austen lead and what was her world like and how did it influence her writing? It's KIND OF addressed in this book, but you have to wade through a bunch of boring stuff to get to it.
In the President's Secret Service, Ronald Kessler
Interesting book about the lives of Secret Service men and women. Some gossip about former presidents included. I agree with what's implied throughout the book - how someone treats the "little people" tells you a lot about their character.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, JK Rowling
12 years into the series, I decided to finally read it and see what all the fuss is about. I learned that Voldermort, Gryfindor and Dumbledor are NOT Lord of the Ring References, like I had thought for so many years. :) JK Rowling is a good writer and the story of Harry and his background is really touching and powerful. But, after reading it (and liking it), I realized that I'm just NOT into Harry Potter. It's not bad, I'm just not into it. At least I gave it a try! And also, all those people that said Harry Potter was trying to satanically influence their children, etc, need to actually READ the book before making judgements about it.
PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death and God, Frank Warren
Love me some PostSecret. My favorite secret was the one about a person wanting to die by killing zombies.
Juliet, Naked, Nick Hornby
Nick Hornby wrote High Fidelty, About a Boy and a bunch of other good books. This book isn't one that I would naturally be inclinded to read, but Hornby is such a good writer, he makes anything interesting to me.
Books read this month: 7
Books read this year: 53
Without giving away any spoilers, I want to say that New Moon is a very good film. I was very pleased. It did justice to the book and smoothed over nicely the normal akwardness of translating a book to the movie screen. It was funnier than I expected and yes, I did cry.
But, here's the thing.
New Moon is really a movie for those who are obsessed love the books. If you haven't watched the movie Twilight or read the books, you're probably going to wonder what all the fuss is about. You might like the movie, but probably not.
This is how I would compare it.
Pride and Prejudice. Great book. They make a movie of it. While Keira Knightly's version is good, any true, obsessed Pride and Prejudice fan will always prefer the Colin Firth eight hour BBC version. The Kiera Knightly version glossed over parts and gives you a general (well done) representation of the book. But, the Colin Firth BBC version. Sigh. My oh my. It sucks the marrow out of the book and pays attention to all the little details that you relish. And it can do that because it's EIGHT HOURS LONG.
While I liked the movie New Moon and thought it represented the book very well, I wish there was a Colin Firth BBC version of it. You know what I mean? Some of my favorite characters only have a few lines in the two hour movie and it pained me to not see them featured more. Twilight Saga fans LOVE the characters, are dedicated to the characters. A book has time to explore, but a movie has to get to the heart.
I'm definitely going to see New Moon again in the theater sometime this week. It's a JOY to see one of your favorite stories come to life and in a good, well done way. But I thought after waiting months for New Moon to come out, when I finally saw it I would feel...satisfied. But, surprisingly, it's left me hungry for more.
