The Rosy Rivalry Game

Today’s the day.  The Ohio State-Michigan football game.  It often the most important game of the Big Ten season because these two teams are always in the hunt for a championship.  But this year it’s a little different.  Ohio State has already secured the Big Ten Champions title for the 5th year in a row and we are headed to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 13 years!!!  Michigan has had a rough couple of years and a win today would give them bragging rights, a moral victory. 

I love this game, always the last game of the season, but I’m always a little sad too because that means that college football is coming to an end for another year.  Yes, the bowl games are a couples of days on non-stop football, but Ohio State has not been putting their best foot forward in the past few years, so the bowl game comes with trepidation.

So, here’s hoping for a Buckeye victory today.  Feel free to leave a little love for your favorite team.

Fave Film #16 – A Walk on the Moon

1999

Cast- Diane Lane, Viggo Mortensen, Liev Schreiber, Anna Paquin

It’s 1969 and the Kantrowitz is spending another summer away from the city.  Marty (Schreiber) and Pearl (Lane) have been parents since they were 17, and 14 years and two children later they are comfortable in the life they have made.  Well, Marty is comfortable and Pearl is restless, wondering if life has passed her by.  Enter the Blouse Man (Mortensen).  In the age of hippies, Woodstock, and men on the moon, Pearl finds her own sexual revolution.

Why I love it - I should confess that I watched this movie after I fell in love with Aragorn in Lord of the Rings and I needed to see every movie that Viggo Mortensen had been in.  Imagine my surprise when I found this gem with Diane Lane, who I also love watching onscreen.  These two have some seriously hot love scenes in this movie.  I loved the Blouse Man and was hoping for a happy ending for him, I mean, it’s Viggo, so of course I was rooting for him.  Imagine my surprise when by the end of the movie I also had a crush on Liev Schreiber. 

The acting of these three with the teenager Alison (Paquin) and Marty’s mother (Tovah Feldshuh) was top-notch.  Actually I think Feldshuh stole every scene she was in and I loved her character, caught in the middle with the knowledge of infidelity. 

Apart from the outstanding cast and excellent acting I could feel for Pearl.  I do not have children, but every woman can relate to romanticizing the road not taken.  I may not have agreed with her actions, but I understood the motivations behind them.  The choices we make at 17 will still be with us at 31 (how old I think Pearl is).

And this was a story about marriage and what makes it work or fall apart.  It’s never black or white and this movie shows all of it shades of gray.  Oh, and did I mention it was hot? 

According to IMDb Lane wanted Mortensen for this role so much that she gave up part of her salary so they could afford him.  Smart girl.  Take a look at trailer and see if this might be a movie that you’d like too.

The rest of my Top 100 List.

The House on Tradd Street, by Karen White

Finished 11-10-09, rating 4/5,  fiction, pub. 2009

I recalled that when I was a child, before I’d learned to ignore such things, if I were paying very close attention, I could hear the murmur of very low voices all the time as if someone had left a radio on in a distant room.  But tonight all I heard was silence, and the pressing thought inside my skull.  The photo album.

I put on my robe and slippers and headed toward the guest bedroom, turning on every light as I went.  Regardless of how many times I saw them, it was always easier to see dead people when the lights were on.

Chapter 11

Melanie Middleton is a very successful real estate agent in Charleston, an expert at selling historical homes while having no love for them at all.  When she visits a new client one day and becomes the owner of his historical house a few days later due to his death, she is not happy.  She is forced to live in the house for a year and is given an allowance to restore it.  Only she is not the only one in the house.  The spirits who stay there both fight her and push her into solving a generations old mystery.

Her best friend Sophie and estranged father are both on board to help, as well as a good-looking true crime author working on his next big story.  Before long Melanie is forced to confront her past with her father and accept the help of a man she knows is silently grieving.  And these ghosts are not the Casper kind.  They can do real damage.

I really liked this book.  Melanie is a feisty 39 year-old woman who has relied on no one to achieve success and I was rooting for her to comes to terms with her father and grow to love the house.  The mystery of the missing diamonds was one that had me guessing til the end and the ghosts, while unnerving, added depth to the story. 

White writes with great humor and attention to detail and I am looking forward to the next book with Melanie.

This was a library book.

Golden Conspiracy: A Jacsen Kidd Mystery by Robert James Glider

Finished 11-13-09, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2009

“Our elders’ chants of truth and example are like the writings of the apostles in the Bible.  The chants make them immortal by the lessons their stories give, helping our children make important decisions about life, love, survival, marriage-anything associated with the human condition.  We sing them in the language of our ancestors so our children never forget their heritage.”

“How do you exchange stories that are not written?” Peri asked.

“Each month a council meeting is held, and afterward a family meeting,” George explained.  “Each family’s representatives sing the stories.  You see, the chants are considered collective treasures among our people.”

Chapter 10

In 1503, a Spanish ship sank and was lost forever, as was all of the valuable gold on board.  Now it’s 2010 and as the direct descendant of a famed pirate, Jacsen Kidd, spends his time recovering valuable treasures and donating them to museums.  He and his partner, chef Peri Schmoond, are on the hunt for the Spanish ship that is at the bottom of the Caribbean sea.  But they aren’t the only ones searching for the gold.  A frequent nemesis and a man long thought dead are both following the pair and don’t care if innocent people die.

I rarely accept books for review and I’m not sure why I decided to accept this one.  It is a treasure hunt with killers and pirates, not my usual reading.  But I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy the high seas adventure.  There was quite a bit of history about sailing and the islands and there was no shortage of action. 

This is Glider’s first novel, the first of three Jacsen Kidd mysteries, and with this comes my most glaring problem with the book.  It needed  a firm hand with the red pen.  There was an exclamation point on every page, sometimes more.  I felt like there was lots of yelling.  I’m not trying to be harsh, because the story was good, but it was distracting to me.  I think it would appeal to boys and young men looking for adventure on the high seas.

This book was sent to me by the author.

Teaser Tuesday- The Jane Austen Book Club

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!). Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Jocelyn’s Austen wrote wonderful novels about love and courtship, but never married.  The book club was Jocelyn’s idea, and she handpicked the members.  She had more ideas in one morning than the rest of us had in a week, and more energy, too.  It was essential to reintroduce Austen into your life regularly, Jocelyn said, let her look around.  We suspected a hidden agenda, but who would put Jane Austen to an evil purpose?

Second paragraph

Sorry it’s so long.  I’m teasing myself since I plan on starting this in the next day or two.  I need to get busy on finishing the Jane Austen challenge!

Renee Zellweger Was In That? Quiz

On Friday I mentioned that I thought Bridget Jones Diary was my favorite Zellweger movie, so I decided to take a look.  I’ve seen 11 of her movies and Bridget Jones’s Diary was my favorite and since I’ve just told it would be #1 that one is a given.   I’ve listed her characters in the order that I like the movies  best.  Can you identify the movie?  Leave a comment telling me the # and the name of the movie.  No Googling – that’s cheating and no fun!

1. Bridget Jones – Bridget Jones’s Diary

2. Tami (blink and you’ll miss her) – Reality Bites – Strangelove

3. Roxie Hart - Chicago - Literary Feline

4. Ruby Thewes – Cold Mountain - Wrighty Reads

5. Dorothy Boyd – Jerry Maguire - Wrighty Reads

6. Bridget Jones - Bridget Jones Edge of Reason – Wrighty Reads

7. Anne Arden - The Bachelor - Life in the Thumb

8. Buckle Bunny

9. Lexie Littleton – Leatherheads - Word Lily

10. Betty Sizemore- Nurse Betty – Wrighty Reads

11. Irene – Me, Muself & Irene – Bermudaonion

Is there a great Zellweger film I’ve missed seeing?  Let me know.

Answers to last week’s Veteran quiz are up here.

The Russian Hill Murders, by Shirley Tallman

Finished 11-9-09, rating 4.5/5, mystery, pub. 2005

Book 2 in the Sarah Woolson series

I had long since grown weary of these tantrums.  “So, you see, Mr. Shepard, you need not trouble yourself,” I continued, doing my best to ignore this outbreak.  “Mrs. Mankin will be my responsibility.”

“She will be no such thing!  Under no circumstances are you to take that woman’s case.  Do you understand me?”

I was dismayed to feel my own temper rising; above all, I was determined to maintain my composure.  “As you are fond of pointing out, Mr. Shepard, I am a mere woman.  Nevertheless, you have made yourself perfectly clear.”  I didn’t think it expedient to add that, despite its clarity, I had no intention of obeying his edict.

Chapter 2

Sarah Woolson is one of three women attorneys in California in the 1880’s and the only way she was able to get a job in a San Fransisco law firm was through boldness and a little luck.  She is stuck in a closet-sized office doing work for the men in the office when a woman walks in asking for her assistance.  As Sarah goes against her boss, with the help of fellow attorney Robert, she also becomes the focus of a sexy man who she later fears could be a murderer.  There are two mysteries to solve, one involving the horrible sweatshops of the day, and a little romance for Sarah, who wants no part of it.   And Sarah finally gets her day in court defending a Chinese man accused of murder.

I read the first book last month and loved it so much that I had to read the next as soon as my library could get it for me.  I liked this one even more than the first.  Sarah is a tough cookie, maybe a little too tough to identify with in the first book, but in this one we get to see a bit of her vulnerability.  I loved seeing her family again and the mystery was great.  I did figure it out before the end, but I really didn’t care. 

I’ve already put the third one on hold at the library.  This was a library copy.

My review of Book 1.

Audrey & an Award

Many of you know that I like old movies and Audrey Hepburn.  Well, I ‘ve been thinking of challenge for me (and for you if you are  interested) for 2010 featuring the beautiful Audrey.  And then I won a button from Katrina at Bloody Bad and decided to try it out.  There are two I really like and I’d like to know which one you like best.  Please leave a comment and let me know. 

  or 

Aren’t they both great?  Thanks, Katrina!  Are you teased enough to check out the challenge next month?

*-*-*-*-*

Christine at booktumbling passed this along to me.  I always enjoy her blog and I greatly appreciate that she thought of me.  It comes with a few questions…

Where is your favorite place to read a book?  Our front room when the sun is shining in, our family room cuddled under a blanket or in the hot tub in the middle of the day (for when I’m feeling decadent ).

Bookmarks or dog ears? Bookmarks, but will dog ear if desperate.

What is the best book you have read so far this year? The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd are the 3 I have given 5 stars to this year (I’m stingy).

Do you like to snack while reading and if so, what is your favorite snack? Not really a snack.  A glass of wine or a cup of hot tea is nice.

Book borrower or book collector?  Both!  I refuse to discriminate against any book

I always hate to choose among so many wonderful blogs, but I do think it’s nice to showcase a favorite blog when I get the chance, so I’m awarding the Ohh La La!  I Adore Your Blog! award to Heather at Gofita’s Pages.  Her blog is fun and fresh and if you haven’t stopped by you should!

Fave Film #22 – Bridget Jones’s Diary

2001

Cast Renee Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth

Bridget Jones has decided that this is the year for change, so she keeps a diary detailing her thoughts, sorrows, and exploits.  She’s sleeping with her boss and dealing with the break-up of her parents 35 year  marriage, but she’s still charming, sweet, and a little too obsessed with finding a man.

Why I love it - I will start with the obvious reasons first – Hugh and Colin.  Yes, yes, Renee was fantastic as Bridget (actually this may be my favorite Zellweger role), but it was the two leading men that kept my attention from wandering.  They were both perfect as the men on either side of Bridget.  I could, and have, watch these two in anything.  Colin did steal my heart in this one as a man of few, but absolutely romantic, words and longing gazes.

As for the movie, it had wit and humor and a main character that I both wanted to shake and hug, which is no small feat.  The girl is laugh out loud funny.  Bridget’s journey from clueless to fierce was wonderful to watch.  And Renee was fearless as Bridget, showing off the weight she had to gain for the role. 

I liked it better than the book and that’s not easy for me to admit.  Perfect casting and great writing make this a lighthearted comedy worth watching.

Here’s my complete list of Top 100 Movies.

Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding

Finished 10-31-09, rating 3.5/5, fiction, pub. 1996

completely exhausted by entire day of date-preparation.  Being a woman is worse than being a farmer–there is so much harvesting and crop spraying to be done: legs to be waxed, underarms shaved, eyebrows plucked, feet pumiced, skin exfoliated and moisturized, spots cleansed, roots dyed, eyelashes tinted, nails filed, cellulite massaged, stomach muscles exercised.  The whole performance is so highly tuned you only need to neglect it for a few days for the whole thing to go to seed.

Sunday 15 January

Bridget is a single thirty-something Londoner in a dead-end job who is shagging her boss.  This is her diary of a year that details her weight, alcohol intake, cigarettes smoked and is an irreverent look at a woman not sure who she is or what she  wants.  Well, besides shagging her boss. She’s barely able to run her own life. let alone those of her parents, who are splitting up.  Bridget is helpless, funny, and charming.

I was shocked to realize as I finished this book that I actually preferred the movie.  Granted it is a favorite of mine, so expectations were high, but I really thought the movie was more fun and more romantic.  The book had a harder edge and while I usually like that, the movie had already won me over.  The mother in this movie was horrible and I was surprised that the movie did not really include the character of Tom, who I really liked.

This book was good and I liked it.  Bridget is a character was easy to fall in love with and hard to forget.  I think I’m going to watch the movie tonight and relive the laughs.  Look for my review of the movie tomorrow.

This was from my personal library.