The Big Short

Where I got the book

A friend :)

Why I’m reading

I basically put all of Berlin-Peck’s summer movies on my (extensive, 300+ entry) IMDB watch list -- but this one was the most interesting. We weren’t really in the mood for a comedy or a drama, and a documentary would’ve put us to sleep, so this was more or less perfect.

Expectations

A reenactment of the 2007-2008 housing/financial crisis, with a bunch of famous people, contextual humor, and some fourth-wall breaking to explain the problem in simple terms.

How was it

It was vaguely what I expected, with only a few differences -- the fourth-wall breaking wasn’t as obvious or gimmicky, it followed several separate groups of people who never really meet, and the explanation isn’t as simple as I thought it would be. Of course, that’s not to say I didn’t love the movie; it was fantastic… and the explanation couldn’t be simple. Apparently the crisis was not just irresponsibility, it was IRRESPONSIBLE CRAZYPANTS EVIL STUPID. The story follows several groups of people who saw the housing/financial crisis coming, and shorted the housing market (i.e. bet that the housing market would fail). Housing is traditionally very stable, so it seems like a stupid bet, but there’s tons of corruption happening and no one is doing their homework. But remember: these guys made money in the crisis, but they absolutely did not cause the crisis.

The main players (at least, the guys on the cover…) are:

• Michael Burry (Christian Bale) The nonconformist, brilliant, socially inept, ex-neurologist, metalhead founder of the hedge fund Scion Capital, and (one of) the first to predict the crisis. He goes all-in on sell credit default swaps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_default_swap) against the housing market. My favorite character, although Carell had the better part and performance.
• Mark Baum (Steve Carell) Head of FrontPoint Partners, a small hedge fund that also shorted the housing market early on. Several of his team members actually go out and visit many of the towns and houses suspected of mortgage fraud. Although his anger management problems were a bit campy at the start, he’s the emotional center of this movie. Based on Steve Eisman.
• Jared Vennett (Ryan Gosling) A trader who believes Burry’s prediction and tries to sell credit default swaps to hedge fund managers, including Baum -- he makes money on the fees. Acts as the narrator of the story. I found his role the most confusing, really; as far as I can tell, he’s helping himself (sales fees) and Baum (swaps sound stupid, but will actually be profitable) and hurting the bank he works for (which will eventually have to pay out for the swaps).
• Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt), with Charlie Geller (John Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Finn Wittrock) The latter two are young, small-time investors who jump on the bandwagon. Rickert lends a bit of Oceans 11 fun to the movie, using his experience and connections to let them follow through on their plans.

Recommendation

Anyone looking to understand the crisis -- and yeah, you do actually have to think, it’s not a topic that lends itself to simplification. Great if you’re not in a comedy mood but too tired for drama; it’s a little of both, but doesn’t yank on your heartstrings. Not good if you’re looking for a fun Ocean’s 11 style romp around Wall Street (that’s probably Wolf of Wall Street).

Feels

A little bit documentary, a little bit drama, a splash of Ocean’s 11 -- it’s exactly what every cool economics professor wants to be. It was never going to be a blockbuster, because it did its job too well to be a blockbuster.

Favorites

The renter we meet when Baum’s team goes mortgage fraud sightseeing. He’s fat, in his late 20s, poorly dressed, vaguely hispanic, tattooed, and sleepy -- the perfect stereotype of oh, of course this is the kind of person who caused the financial crisis. But no, no, no -- he’s been paying his rent on time and just settled his little girl in school; it’s his landlord who hasn’t been paying the mortgage. He was on screen less than a minute, and encapsulated exactly the kind of person who was blamed for, and most hurt by, the crisis. Also, the alligator was hilarious. Also, the few times a character turns to the screen and comments on a plot point (i.e. to say whether something dramatic actually happened or was added for drama).

Least favorites

The ending-before-the-ending, where they suggest everything worked out and the people responsible were punished -- just kidding, no one got punished, it’s still going on! They were trying to shock the audience, but I could practically feel the reward centers in my brain reacting as if there really was a happy ending. It was the end of the movie; audiences are already conditioned to expect a happy ending, and the movie gave them one -- it wrapped everything up nicely, and the ‘just kidding!’ had no more impact than a hand coming out of a grave at the end of a horror movie. If they really wanted shock, they should have left it on a dark note.

Artemis Fowl // Eoin Colfer {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
It’s one of those series/characters I keep hearing about, and it’s Scifi, and it’s available on audiobook.

Where I got the book
Greenwich!

Expectations
To be honest? Not high. I got pretty burnt by the trainwreck that is the Dresden Files, so I’m hesitant to start another popular scifi/fantasy detective series. Also, Artemis is a girls name.

So how was it?

The adventures of Artemis Fowl, pre-teen super-villain ; his bodyguard Butler ; fairy LEPrecon officer Holly Short ; the technical genius centaur Foaly ; and Mulch Diggums, a kleptomaniac dwarf.

Soooo much better than I expected. It’s not high literature (or even high fantasy) and it’s definitely YA, but it’s a good solid adventure with a well-built world and lots of interesting characters. Fairies are real, and they're technologically advanced. Awesome.

I’ve seen it billed as something similar to Sherlock Holmes, and Artemis is theoretically the villain... and while that’s not untrue, it’s not really accurate. Artemis himself certainly fits the idea of a young Sherlock well (or, since the audiobook reader gives him an Irish accent, BBC’s Moriarty) and some deduction happens, but the plot is more action/adventure than detective mystery. As for his villainy, you might not even notice that he’s the “villain” of the first story if he (and other characters) didn't keep mentioning it.

I blew through the whole series in a few days:

1. Artemis Fowl
   Twelve-year-old Artemis, super-villain in the making, kidnaps fairy officer Holly Short for a ransom of fairy gold.
2. The Arctic Incident
   Artemis and the fairy LEP reluctantly team up to fight a goblin conspiracy, led by an evil pixie.
3. The Eternity Code
   Artemis looses a piece of refitted fairy technology to an evil human businessman, and once again teams up with Holly and the LEP.
4. The Opal Deception
   Fairy LEP drafts Artemis to help prevent humans from finding and destroying a major fairy city.
5. The Lost Colony
   The demon island Hybras, banished millennia ago, returns to the normal time-stream.
6. The Time Paradox
   Artemis and Holly go back in time to save his mother from a magic-related illness; the timeline gets all sorts of messed up.
7. The Atlantis ComplexArtemis is suffering from magic-related paranoia and OCD, and is kidnapped.
8. The Last Guardian
   Artemis and Holly struggle to prevent an evil pixie from destroying the human race.

Recommendation
Fans of Scifi and Fantasy. I'd call this "techno-fantasy" or "techno-detective-fairies."

Feels
A little bit like like a detective story, a little like a classic YA novel (before they all got obsessed with love triangles and contests).

Favorites
I really can't choose. Technologically advanced fairies, for one. The ridiculous characters.

Least favorites
Okay, let me get this off my chest: OMG ARTEMIS IS A GIRL’S NAME. Greek goddess. Hello. I actually just met someone who didn’t know that. But hey, at least someone acknowledges that in the second book.

The Art of the English Murder // Lucy Worsley {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
This somehow made it onto my to-read list while I was bookmarking Sherlock Holmes audiobooks. I needed something non-fiction after finishing the Hunger Games series.

Where I got the book
Greenwich/Overdrive.

Expectations
I barely read the title before clicking… but hey, Sherlock Holmes.

So how was it?

Once I got past my innate urge to start taking notes, this was pretty interesting! It explores the historical context behind the English murder-mystery genre: when it started, its predecessors (Gothic novels, penny-dreadfuls, melodrama, theater), historical and cultural contexts (capital punishment, crime, famous murderers, the development of police and detective agencies, literacy), and its continued influence and popularity. It was actually very appropriate for having just finished the Hunger Games series (even moreso than BBC Sherlock).

Recommendation
Fans of murder-mysteries and crime dramas (looking at you, CSI) will enjoy this -- but it’s  non-fiction, so no plot or drama.

I would actually recommend reading this after the Hunger Games series, if you need some time to recover -- both of them deal with the spectacle of death and murder.

Feels
Informative, but not too dry. Well organized.

Favorites
Reading about the development of police and police detectives was interesting -- something so obvious as a government-run police force, or even individuals who figure out crimes based on any kind of evidence (not just forensic evidence!), was apparently controversial. Like, “oh no, it couldn’t be him, he’s such a nice guy!” was a legitimate defense. The author also pays attention to women throughout the book, which is pretty cool. Female authors, female murderers, female detectives, and female readers are all included as part of the narrative, not as a side note or subsumed by the male perspective.

Least favorites
I’m surprised the book never really addressed Sherlock Holmes (or Agatha Christie, or Colombo, or any other detectives) in TV and movies. Insanely popular shows like CSI are a pretty obvious heir to the murder-mystery detective genre. This was published in 2013 so there’s really no excuse.

Hamlet // Benedict Cumberbatch {Theater}

Quick note on Hamlet, with Benedict Cumberbatch at the Barbican.

First of all, what the hell National Theater, are you allergic to money? This (and most other NT Live film recordings) are only available on limited single-day runs at tiny local theaters; they will never be released on DVD.

My big thing with Shakespeare (not that I'm a connoisseur) is how most performances end up sounding so unnatural -- the feeling might be there, and the words might be well delivered, but they seem disconnected from each other.

Cumberbatch (Hamlet) was actually very natural in most of this production, especially the conversational and comedic sections, although I wish he'd slow down and let us see his conflict during the soliloquies. Sian Brook (Ophelia) actually seemed like she was connecting with her lines, although I didn't like the way she chose to interpret the character. Ciarán Hinds (Claudius) was appropriately dramatic, but he speachified the whole time -- his conversations never felt like he was actually conversing with the other actors. I liked their take on Horatio (Leo Bill). Rosencrantz (Matthew Steer) and Guildenstern (Rudi Dharmalingam) were very natural and heartfelt. Polonius (Jim Norton) stole. the. show.

Fragile Things // Neil Gaiman {Audiobook}

Why I'm reading
Neil Gaiman is fantastic.

Where I got the book
Audiobook from Greenwich. Again.

So how was it?

A collection of short stories and poetry featuring Gaiman’s unique mixture of spooky, creepy, morbid, snarky, dark horror. Also includes lots a little tidbits of poetry interspersed between the chapters, and introductions/context in the foreword. The audiobook is read by Gaiman as well -- he’s brilliant.

The Mapmaker 
I wasn’t really sure about this one. It’s the story of a Chinese emperor who creates a miniature map of China in his garden. It’s extremely accurate and a huge drain of resources; then he dies, and the map is abandoned and grows over. Something about transience, maybe, and the whims of people in power.

A Study in Emerald 
Oh. my. god. Oh my god. I can’t even. This is a retelling of the Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet within the Cthulhu universe, where the ruling class consists of Lovecraftian monsters. That’s right: Gaiman wrote crossover fanfiction, and it is fantastic. Sent me into mental cascade failure by the end. I made Alan listen to it, it was so good. Read it here!

October in the Chair 
The seasons tell stories around the campfire; October tells an oddly peaceful horror story about a young runaway boy playing in a haunted graveyard. The framing (i.e. the seasons) was more memorable than the individual stories. There was a moment where the ghost’s story reminded me of Bradbury’s "Yes, We'll Gather at the River" -- sure enough, it’s dedicated to him.

Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire 
An author struggles to write realistic fiction, in a world where elaborate Gothic horror constitutes ‘realistic.’ A fun little turn-up of expectations.

The Flints of Memory Lane 
A tiny little story where the author -- like several of these, I’m not entirely sure if it’s really Gaiman, a fictional Gaiman, or just an arbitrary fictional author -- encounters a chilling gypsy woman. There’s no real backstory or follow-up, and that seems to be the point; some things are just unexplained and creepy.

Closing Time 
A few pub (club) goers tell ghost stories before closing up shop for the night. The main ghost story follows a young boy who falls in with three slightly older and more delinquent boys; they find a creepy old playhouse, and the older boys disappear inside. Turns out the youngest of the three is in the club. Nothing is really resolved. I’m not sure if it’s an allegory for loss of innocence, child abuse, or just the scattershot nature of stories.

Bitter Grounds 
A man drops his life and picks up another one at random, following where it leads, until he ends up at an anthropology conference in New Orleans and … something something something zombies? It’s a rambling story that actually makes sense as you read, but doesn’t have a cohesive plot.

Other People 
A man is tortured until he understands why he deserves to be tortured. Creepy and sad, although it’s hard to feel one way or the other about the main character without knowing why he deserves torture.

Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story 
A story about a (psychopathic?) young orphan overcoming his terrible upbringing, meeting the mysterious and insanely wealthy Mr. Alice, and becoming his devoted right-hand man. Surprisingly nasty; disturbingly satisfying in a way that’s seriously Not Good. No, despite my vocabulary, this is nothing like Sherlock!

Good Boys Deserve Favors 
Strangely endearing, I can’t really call this one ‘horror.’ It’s the story of a boy who takes up playing the double bass, although he has no particular passion for it -- and has one spontaneous moment of connection with the instrument. There wasn’t anything about this story that really stood out, but I liked the sense of having one perfect in-the-moment experience.

The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch 
The narrator is invited to entertain his friends’ standoffish acquaintance; they all go to a really weird circus performance. Well written and entertaining (of course) but I didn’t really connect with this one.

Harlequin Valentine
I like Harlequin type characters (incidentally, Harley Quinn was my Halloween costume!) so I enjoyed this quasi-mythical take on the character/archetype of Italian theater. The story is sad if you empathize with the male main character, but delightful and fun if you consider Harlequin the main character -- exactly the kind of dark humor you want from a Harlequin. And his seamless transition into real life was so cool.

The Problem of Susan 
Another sort-of-fanfiction, this time in the Narnia universe. Not being familiar with Narnia, the source of her turmoil isn’t quite clear to me -- but I always appreciate fanfiction that goes for a darker, realistic, more complicated interpretation of simple/idealistic stories.

Instructions 
A poem with instructions on what to do if you find yourself in a fairy tale. Similar to The Evil Overlord List.

How Do You Think It Feels? 
A weird little story about a guy who cheats, falls in love with his young mistress, gets his heart broken… and makes a gross little stone demon? I didn’t connect with this one at all. Also, holy shit, this was porny! I mean, hey, I regularly listen to worse podfic, but Overdrive occasionally plays snippets before switching over to headphones, and I was listening to this at work D:

Feeders and Eaters 
A weird not-quite-zombie story with this undercurrent of unhealthy compulsion. It doesn’t quite make sense -- shouldn’t there be a more straightforward way to eat? -- but somehow that makes it creepier.

In the End 
Genesis in reverse; the last book of the Bible. Weird.

Goliath 
A little side story set in the Matrix universe, following one human as the war causes glitches in the Matrix. I loved the experience of a mostly regular human within a glitching Matrix!

Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Louisville, Kentucky 
A circular, dizzy adventure that feels like something between heatstroke and time travel.

How to Talk to Girls at Parties 
Two teenage boys -- your typical extrovert and introvert -- wander into a party full of alien tourists, looking to hit on girls. Apparently this is going to be a movie! I don’t think it has enough plot to be a movie, but John Cameron Mitchell is directing, so it can’t not be great.

The Day the Saucers Came 
I’ve heard this one before; it’s cute. As the world falls into elaborate and redundant ruin, the author is preoccupied with his love life.

Sunbird 
The gastronomical adventures of the Epicurean Society, an ages-long society dedicated to eating everything you could possibly eat. They’ve run out of new things to try, when one of the older members suggests the mysterious sunbird in Egypt. As fanciful as it was, this one felt weirdly reassuring.

Also, I couldn’t help but picture the character Methos from Highlander.

Inventing Aladdin 
The inner thoughts of Scheherazade -- the “author” of stories like Aladdin and Arabian Nights -- as she invents new passages every night so her sultan husband won’t behead her. Exactly as I’ve always pictured her; what an awful situation.

The Monarch of the Glen
A crazy, blurry take on Norse? pagan? mythology, (apparently) part of his American Gods novel. It follows Shadow, a reincarnation of a Norse hero, as he wanders into a small town. He ends up playing bodyguard -- and then the entertainment -- at a strange pagan party.

Storm Front // Jim Butcher

I don’t think Connecticut knows how to spring -- which, hey, I’m not complaining that it warmed up so fast. After an extremely snowy winter, we had about a month of foggy, chilly ~20 degree weather, then one day hit 70, then another week of ~20, and suddenly early summer. One of my professors back in college said she’d never understood spring until she experienced it in England, where apparently the seasons don’t flip overnight. This is how you know I’m from Connecticut : talking about the weather is practically our national pastime.  

Why I'm reading
I watched a few episodes of the TV show, and it was pretty good.

Where I got the book
ebook from Greenwich Library, using the Overdrive app. Berlin-Peck lists both collections of the Dresden series, but weirdly enough the first set is “unavailable” -- not borrowed, just unavailable.

Expectations
Honestly? John Constantine.

So how was it?

I couldn’t finish this. I just couldn’t. I got a few chapters in, and gave up. Maybe if it was a short story I could have persevered, but even then, it didn’t have the infuriating unintentional humor of subatomic dinosaurs.

Harry Dresden is a wizard private eye -- yes, you read that right, he’s a wizard named Harry, in a book published three years after the first Harry Potter -- in a world run by shadowy wizard councils, mafia bosses, and good-cop bad-cop tough-but-also-somehow-feminine-hot-female-cop / annoying-ugly-skeptic-male-cop duos. Sounds pretty interesting, right? But the writing was just excruciating.

I can 110% understand how this would make an engaging TV show, because -- unless some very strange choices are made -- a TV scifi hero isn’t going to spend the entire first episode monologuing about himself as things happen in the background. Since the problem is bad characterization, even a minimally engaging lead actor could make the series actually interesting.

And yeah, a lot of long series take a while to get better -- to grow their beard, as it were. I have no doubt that the later books are better… but better than this still isn’t worth it for me.

Recommendation
I just can’t recommend this, but hey, I guess it works for a lot of people. If you’re looking for a quirky, noir, slightly humorous, slightly sci-fi, down-on-his-luck private detective that’s actually well written, check out Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gently.

Feels
Self-involved. Lame. Unbearably, ignorantly, "look at the gams on that, uh... bossy strong female character who won't sleep with me" sexist. If a book can dwell on itself, that’s what it seems to be doing.

Favorites
I can't even.

Least favorites
He’s a pretty big Marty Stu, and a little bit neckbeardy, to be honest. Opening doors for women, with a couple of paragraphs explaining his old-fashioned philosophy, and dropping off-hand comments to the reader about all his Dangerous Wizarding Powers. He’s a super powerful, super impressive wizard -- we know this because he tells us, not because of context clues, or characterization, or even seeing him use his awesome powers. It’s just constant, constant talking about himself.

Writing style
It’s trying -- and failing -- to be noir. The fact that Dresden talks about himself constantly doesn’t just make me dislike the character; it’s bad writing, and terrible world-building. He’s constantly dropping hints about himself, which I imagine are supposed to build mystery and suspense, but it has all the subtlety of a bowling ball out a window. No, I take that back -- a bowling ball out a window has more intrigue than these books.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"

Dorian Gray // Oscar Wilde {Movie}

Why I'm watching
I liked the short novel by Oscar Wilde -- and okay, let’s face it, the lead actor is adorable.

Where I got the movie
Browsing the ‘new’ section at the Greenwich library. I always thought my RA classes overemphasized browsing for discovery, but it turns out it’s surprisingly effective. Not only do I run into titles I forgot I wanted to see -- I also find stuff I’ve never heard of, and it’s interesting to just pick something up without any expectations.

Expectations
...not high. Something about the pretty-boy lead actor, and the fact that I’ve never heard of this new adaptation of a very famous short story, makes me think this was a flop, although a high-budget flop.

So how was it?

Surprisingly, the movie doesn’t wander too far from the original plot. It begins with Dorian Gray sitting for an oil painting for his friend Basil, listening to Basil’s hedonistic friend Lord Henry. He becomes convinced that beauty and pleasure are the most important things in life, and sells his soul so that the portrait ages in his place. Dorian pursues a sexual and ultimately sinful lifestyle, staying young and beautiful while his portrait ages and becomes disfigured.

It was actually a fairly good interpretation of the story, with excellent supporting actors and a surprisingly good performance from the lead. They found a pretty-boy actor (a must, for Dorian Gray) who can act. The supporting actors had a lot of… character? They stood out as complex and individual personalities, rather than “Rich friend #1 with black hair,” “rich friend #2 with beard,” and “attractive woman #1.”

The movie did a great job showing the seedy underbelly of high society, too. Instead of getting heavy handed -- or worse, outright explaining it in dialog -- there were interesting moments woven in, and a pretty cool artsy montage blurring the lines of high society, public image, sex, murder, etc.

Feels
Victorian without being a caricature of the era. Dark, but maybe a little to neat and tidy for the subject matter. No pulled punches when it comes to the hedonistic subject matter, but not a lot of actual nudity. Felt a little too clean.

Favorites
Casting for Dorian -- for all of the characters, actually. I was also incredibly impressed by the subtle but strong cultural differences between the Victorian society Dorian leaves, and the one he returns to some 18 years later.

Least favorites
The painting CGI was okay, but I would have preferred a more subtle approach with no CGI at all. The rest of the movie had some idea of subtlety, and then you’ve got some hissing squirming crypt-keeper looking thing going on in the frame. If they left that as more of a subtle, mysterious danger, it would have gotten rid of the B-movie vibes.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Sherlock Holmes I & II // Robert Downey Jr. {Movie}

Why I'm watching
I've been meaning to see it for a while, and it just so happened to come back in while I was at the circ desk.

Where I got the book
Berlin-Peck Library, returns cart :)

Expectations
Fun, relatively mindless action-adventure.

So how was it?

Fun, relatively mindless action-adventure. Holmes and Watson take on a case with dark magic, mysterious deaths, and politics. The sequel is about the same.

It's not groundbreaking, but the plot was fun, the characters were great, action was good, good cinematography and pacing. It had some bromance and great female characters and no annoying romantic subplots. Sure, there's some drama over Watson being engaged, but it's bromance drama.

Recommendation
If you like Psych, House, or any mostly-humorous interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, you'll love this.

Feels
Fun, a little goofy, interesting without trying to be too twisty or dramatic.

Favorites
Mary being super cool about everything.

Severance // Chris Bucholz

Why I'm reading
I want to start reading more sci-fi, and the summary made this look fantastic. A generation ship, cliques, drugs, costumed orgies(!), meat plants, and a murder mystery.

Where I got the book
Another LibraryThing Early Reviewers ebook!

Expectations
An inventive futuristic world, a murder-mystery plot, probably some so-so YA level character development, randomly capitalized Things and Groups, and a "twist" ending about the purpose of the generation ship. A sci-fi snack.

So how was it?

Severance follows Laura Stein, a vaguely mid-level engineer on the generational ship Argos, which is headed towards a new home in another star system. One of her underlings ends up dead after a routine maintenance assignment, leading Stein to unravel a conspiracy that could rip the ship in two.

It was exactly what I expected... only a hell of a lot better than I expected. The writing was a little clunky (like a YA book) but I don't even care. The world development was fantastic -- imaginative, but still grounded, built into the plot but not harped upon, and completely plausible. The plot never felt too slow, didn't put the main character through dramatic trials just to watch her suffer, and built up foreshadowing without (gasp) being too predictable.

There was a great amount of humor, too, from the friendly piss talk between Stein and her friend Bruce, to the hilariously stupid inhabitants of Argos. The description had me worried, with mention of groups like Breeders and Markers... factions and capitalized Proper Nouns are a big, cheesy thing in YA literature. Yeah, that's not a problem with this book. I won't spoil what the Markers are because it's too funny, but they exist in the same world as teenagers who look at the curved ship walls and spin until they puke (vomit clubs, and they've gone out of style).

N.b. I keep referring to YA books, but I'm not sure if this fits or not. Reading level and entertainment value, yes, YA. But there's a reasonable amount of casual swearing, and honestly, it avoids a lot of the annoying YA tropes.

Recommendation
Sci-fi and action/adventure fans, mystery fans.

Feels
Exciting, fun, a little gritty -- but it doesn't make a point of being gritty, if that makes sense. Dirty and a bit scruffed up. I think I could see this adapted into a movie fairly well. It has an almost comic book vibe.

Favorites
Characters, hands down. He doesn't dig too deep into any of the characters, but they're realistic and fun. The main character is relatable without being Typical Teenage Girl, competent but not especially good or bad at what she does, smart and brave but not unreasonably so, etc. etc. She's just in the right place at the right time, and does what needs to be done. Well, okay, there's one special bit about her -- she's a "canned baby" -- but it's not a big deal.

Least favorites
The writing was indeed a little clunky... I wanted to break out my red pen at points. There were also two side characters I wish had a little more "screen time," so I could appreciate their friendship. But overall, I had very little to complain about.

Writing style
Clunky, yes, but... there are little tiny hints of Douglas Adams' influence. Ramshackle technology, a silly little metaphor here and there, and a storyline that jumps around and doesn't always go where you're expecting. Not perfect, but it has its delightful moments.

The Queen's Necklace // Alexandre Dumas

Why I'm reading
After Monte Cristo, I wanted to check out the author’s other works. I picked The Queen’s Necklace at random.

Where I got the book
Project Gutenberg (again!)

Expectations
I’m going into this blind, for once. I'm expecting something like Monte Cristo, maybe a little more mystery - robbery? - and less action. But I must say, the first line… "Our old acquaintance, the Marshal de Richelieu, having with his own hands colored his eyebrows with a perfumed dye." What have I gotten myself into?!

So how was it?

I found out after the fact that this is the second book in a series, so... yeah. I might look into reading Memoirs of a Physician and The Marie Antoinette Romances.

The story has three plots intertwined - and when I say “plots” I do mean “plots”. One, enterprising young Jeanne maneuvers herself into the high life she believes she deserves; two, the mysterious Monsieur de Cagliostro takes interest in a doppelganger to the queen; and three, Beausire, the doppelganger’s seedy boyfriend, plans the elaborate theft of a necklace made for the queen.

Recommendation
For readers who enjoy court intrigue, historical dramas, and mistaken identity. Not for fans of action and adventure. If the slow parts of The Count of Monte Cristo were too slow for you, avoid The Queen’s Necklace.

Feels
Sedate, with sparks of mystery and surprise. Lacks closure.

Favorites
The introduction is extremely engaging; unfortunately, it doesn’t have much to do with the story. M. de Cagliostro was my favorite character - almost like the Count, but we’re not told much about his motivations.

Least favorites
The story was slow, and lacked a lot of the tension that made Monte Cristo such a good read. I’m not a huge fan of the whole doppelganger trope - and, even though the queen figures it out fairly early, she does nothing to avoid the typical doppelganger shenanigans. At least everything falls apart quickly and realistically (if not intelligently) instead of building an improbably web of assumptions and mistakes.

Writing style
This is episodic, just like Monte Cristo. Once again the different perspectives are used to create dramatic irony.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!

Gone Girl // Directed by David Fincher {Movie}

Why I'm watching

I’ve heard great things about it, one of my favorite musicians did the soundtrack, and the book was flying off the shelves this summer. Alas, I am a bad librarian, and didn’t read the book. 

Where I saw the movie
Our local theater.

So how was it?

How well do you know your loved ones? Nick and Amy live a placid married life, until one day Amy disappears from their suburban home. Her diary, and a romantic scavenger hunt set up for their anniversary, point to her husband as the killer. I can’t summarize too much, because this is the kind of movie you don’t want spoilers for.

Alan came home the next day and said “oh good, you’re still here.” Jerk.

Let’s talk about the music.
Gone Girl is the third soundtrack created by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, of Nine Inch Nails fame, in collaboration with director David Fincher. They won an Oscar for their first effort in The Social Network, and later won a Grammy for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Fincher found inspiration at the spa/chiropractor, where the new-age background music was "inauthentically trying to make him feel alright." And… yeah, even if they’d never worked together before, Reznor is exactly the guy you want for music that’s just a little bit off.

I knew about the soundtrack before seeing the movie, but conveniently forgot… until a completely normal, run-of-the-mill, boring cocktail party had me on edge. Without the music, it was a fairly boring expository conversation between two characters; with the music, you can pick up on the claustrophobia and anxiety.

The Wikipedia page has a great write-up of the soundtrack’s development and response from critics. NPR has a great First Listen article. USA Today has some great insight into the theory and mechanics behind the music.

Recommendation
For fans of psychological thrillers. I know it stars Ben Affleck, but this is not a date movie. I repeat: this. is not. a. date. movie.

Feels
Uneasy into downright terrifying. The movie is best described with the inspiration for its soundtrack: new-age music gone bad.

Favorites
Can I pick the whole thing? Because wow, that blew me away. The casting was perfect (yes, even Affleck), the cinematography was great, the pacing of the story was excellent, the plot was interesting and original, the surprises were surprising, and the music - oh my god the music.

Least favorites
I’m not sure how well the movie will stand up to re-watching. The movie doesn’t rely on a big twist (like, say, the 6th Sense) but part of the thrill comes from not knowing what will happen next.

Astounding Stories // multiple authors

Finished the October 1930 Astounding Stories of Super-Science!

Some of these would make good Twilight Zone style TV episodes. A couple of them are hilari-bad. They’re chock full of familiar Sci-Fi tropes and early imaginings of the future, along with some fairly awful science.

Stolen Brains // S. P. Meek 
A Sherlock/Watson-style duo solve a case involving mysterious amnesia, an unexplained spherical ship, and a brain-goo-stealing megalomaniac dwarf. Simple, but not painful.

The Invisible Death // Victor Rousseau 
Invisible Comrad Mad-Scientist-cum-Emperor decimates the United States with fuzzy science, Explains His Plan to the Manly Hero, and is betrayed by Misguided Female Love Interest. An adventure in thirteen verbose chapters.

Prisoners of the Electron // Robert H. Leitfred 
A honey-I-shrunk-the kids plot, with kitschy futuristic inventions, dumb-as-bricks female characters, awkward and uncomfortable romance, heaps of treknobabble, and -- I kid you not -- subatomic dinosaurs. The author tortures his thesaurus and describes his characters’ eyes no less than 9 times before anyone even gets shrunk. I could go on. and on. and ON. A fantastic candidate for literary MST3000.

Nanette gazed with staring eyes... 

Also, can we appreciate this stunning feat of metaphor and thesaurus abuse?

Dazzling white teeth caught the glow of the blue-white incandescents along the platform, and became under the bow of her red lips a string of priceless pearls.

Jetta of the Lowlands (Part 2 of 3) // Ray Cummings 
An interesting look at climate change from a 1930s perspective.

An Extra Man // Jackson Gee 
Something goes wrong in the invention of a Victoria-age transporter -- yes, a transporter, like Star Trek. In terms of prose, this one strikes an incredible balance between vivid and (deliberately?) absurd; it reminds me of Doctor Who, somehow. Best of the bunch.

John Wick // Keanu Reeves {Movie}

Why I'm watching
Keanu Reeves + action movie = AWESOME. 

Where I saw the movie
Our local theater. I LOVE our local theater… matinee tickets are like $5, and the chairs are super comfy. You can even move the armrests out of the way to snuggle. We went by ourselves on a weeknight, so the theater was mostly empty.

So how was it?

John Wick is your typical, formulaic action/revenge movie. And it. is. awesome. John Wick is the guy you send to take out the guy from Taken.

The story is pretty basic. After his wife’s death, ex-hitman John Wick comes out of retirement for revenge. And by revenge, I mean take down the Russian mob and kill everyone involved. It has all the tropes: retired hitman, deceased wife, revenge, cool cars, seedy underground crime organizations, Russian mobsters, annoying sons of Russian mobsters, gun fights, knife fights, car chases, a chase scene through a crowded club, dramatic one-liners and sarcastic quips… everything you could want in an action movie, and it’s all done really, really well. And it keeps a perfect balance between stylized and realistic.

Recommendation
This is an action movie that will appeal to pretty much everyone, as long as you don't mind a little blood. There is a lot of violence, but no excessive gore.  

Feels
Touching, sad, cheesy, hilarious. You will sniffle, you will laugh, you will cheer.

Favorites
The realism and detail in the fight choreography, especially the club scene. What action movie is really complete without a chase scene through a crowded club, techno music blasting? And NO ONE can deliver a cheesy action hero one-liner like Keanu Reeves. I don’t want to give anything away about the (very sparse) plot, but the opening scenes definitely get you ready for some serious hardcore revenge.

Least favorites
There was one death that I wish hadn’t happened, although I can see why it was sort of necessary for the plot.  

Related viewing
If you liked this movie, check out the Korean action movie Man From Nowhere starring Bin Won. The fight choreography has a similar level of realism and intricacy, and Bin Won has a similar deadpan delivery.

So what did I really think?

Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!