Movie Trailer: Twilight

Here's the newest trailer for the upcoming Twilight movie which comes out on December 12 (aka: not soon e-friggin-nough).



At first I was skeptical of Cedric Diggory as Edward but now that I see it I am happy. Kristin Stewart should be good, I liked her in Speak. Here's the other trailer that's out.



For more Twilight info the movie site is here, IMDB is here. The book site is here. And the new book comes out August 2nd. Chances that I will be going to midnight madness for that book? 100% baby.

Spinx by Robin Cook

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Signet (July 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451159497
• ISBN-13: 978-0451159496

Alright, I know the cover image looks awful, but I had to search out this masterpiece of 80's intrigue for you to see (or for me to criticize). First, shafts of light in the dark = mood lighting. Next, please note our main character's total mom jeans and windblown 80's mop top. She's also totally running like a girl (cause she's in danger, eep!). Next, there is the Arab looking Dracula in either a mirror or a sarcophagus who is supposed to look like Frank Langella and actually kinda does.
Anyway, moving on. I read this because someone I really like and respect gave it to me. This might have been good in 1979 when it was written (and before I was born) but it does not hold up today. Alright: Egyptologist Erica Barron goes to Egypt for the first time by herself and then tries her hardest to win the Darwin Award. Somehow Erica ends up involved in a black market conspiracy involving a Seti I statue and murder (insert dramatic music here: dun dun duuuun!). Also she meets two different older men (with hot 80's chest hair, and as a bonus, one is French) who are clearly both using her for different things. Also there's lots of people following her and she almost gets killed a lot. A ton of other dudes die in her immediate presence and this does not seem strange to her nor does it cause the police to want to jail her in any way. Weird. Oh, and there's a guy who she was dating back in America who they keep cutting to and it's very annoying. He's the worst subplot of all time. So, yeah, there are three potential beaus and not one graphic sex scene. boo!
Also, lots of stuff in here seems vaguely racist, but I have a hunch that it wasn't so bad at the time it was written. This is one of those books where you keep wondering what the characters are thinking (and not in a good way) and then they do the dumbest thing next and all you can do is shake your head.
Oh! And did you know Robin Cook was a dude? And a doctor? And handsome? Moral of the story? Maybe he should have stuck to medical thrillers.
And, cause I know you're interested: here's the movie info (though I caution you that the reviews for that are worse than this one)

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 270 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (May 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375822747
• ISBN-13: 978-0375822742
• List Price: $5.99
• I finished this book on Feb. 8th

This is the first book in a series for middle schoolers. I bought it at a mega sale over the summer and it's been sitting around chatting with other books in the "To Be Read" pile for a while now. I decided it was time to dust it off (literally) and give it a go.
The book is based in the post-apocalyptic underground City of Ember. It seems that the city was built and set up with stores of food and electricity and the people of the city forgot over time what the real world is like. They are left with one set of instructions to get out after what would presumably be a good amount of time for the world to become safe again (250 years).
We meet our heroine, 12-year-old Lina Mayfleet on "Assignment Day" at school. This is the day where they effectively graduate from formal education and are randomly assigned a job (which totally sucks). Lina wants to be a messenger and, of course, pulls the crappy job of pipeworker. Doone, a social upstart who wants to save the failing city pulls messenger and is annoyed. So, you guessed it, they pull the old switcheroo.
Next Lina finds a piece of paper which seems to detail something important, but has been munched on by her baby sister. It is, of course, the instructions for getting out of the city. The problem is, no one knows they are supposed to be looking for it. She and Doon set out to decipher the broken message and save the day.
The idea of the underground city is cool. They have greenhouses, but most of their supplies come from storehouses and of course, the canned good and lightbulbs are rapidly depleting. Which brings me to another point. It's hard for us to imagine a world that's entirely dark but that's how this place is. It is lit only by overhead lights and at night instead of dusk and sunset it just goes dark at lights out. Yikes. Also: the power is failing. And there are occasional blackouts. Can you imagine? During these blackouts the lights are off completely and everything is pitch dark. Here that's not the case, even when there is a blackout there are still stars, there's still the moon, but these people live in fear that the lights will go out forever and that will be it. For some reason, they haven't figured out candles. (Lame).
The story is interesting and creative and the characters are good. The reading level is low, so I'm sure it would be very easy for this to be read by the 9 year olds that Amazon suggests. This series is very popular in the elementary and middle schools that I've seen. Here's a few links to some lesson plans for the book: Random House reader's guide, or the Teacher's @ Random teaching guide.
Oh, and it's going to be a movie with Bill Murray. I just got my paws on the rest of the series so you can expect those reviews soon.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Audio CD
• Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition (August 23, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307282279
• ISBN-13: 978-0307282279
• List Price: $50.00
• I finished listening to this audio book on Dec. 22

I always think it's funny when you listen to a book on tape read by a woman and they do the voices. Lynn Redgrave read this and she was amazing, her voices and accents were outstanding. However, many times, when women try to do men they sound like old men because the woman does the voice gruffly to distinguish it from her own. The reason I'm telling you this is because I imaged Mo to be much older than Brendan Frasier who will play him in the movie. You can see the trailer here.
Okay, so, Mo is a bookbinder and he has a secret: he can read things out of books. This is fucking awesome except he can't necessarily control the things he reads out. For example: 9 years ago Mo was reading his wife a story and he accidentally read out two really bad guys, one sort of good guy and read his wife into the story. Balls. I hate it when that happens. Anyway, this is all news to Meggie, his daughter, until the sort of good guy, Dustfinger, shows up and starts a kerfuffle. Turns out, the big bad, Capricorn, has an even bigger bad he wants Mo to read out (not to mention treasure and wenches) of his story while Dustfinger desperately wants to be read back in.
Then, the good guys do lots of stupid things, like get themselves caught, get themselves put into nets and get all their books burned. Double balls. Eventually, they come up with some pretty lame plans to save the day. I don't mean to make fun, it's just this: if I were ever caught by the bad guy I would be very docile and agreeable. Seriously, I feel like things work better if you are not so obviously trying to escape. Maybe play along. People in books never do that, especially pre-teen girls. Give me a break, I would be baking Capricorn and his creepy mother cookies and offering to do their laundry so as not to get myself kilt.
Oh! Dustfinger has a marten with horns. That's this kind of marten, and not Marten Broadcloak, in case you were wondering. P.S. I want to snuggle with a marten. Additionally: my new puppy's middle name is Marten. His first name is Viggo (as in the Carpatian)
So, one of the things I liked about this book was the complete reverence the characters had for books. It was funny to read this and the Thirteenth Tale at the same time because they were both bibliophile books.
I am excited about this movie, but I am worried that it will be cheesy and I can tell from the trailer that lots of made up extra stuff goes down. Either way, I have a crush on Paul Bettany and I hope to see lots of him breathing fire. I also have a crush on Helen Mirren, so that should be good too.
Anywho: this is part of a trilogy, and you can read more about it here. I shall be reading the second book at some point, that's a promise. In case you were wondering, if I could read things out of books I would read out Oy from the Dark Tower series. I would want to read out Edward from the Twilight Saga, or Roarke, from the ...In Death series, but the truth is: they wouldn't be into me so that would be a bummer. I like to think that Oy and I could have fun though. Oy! Un!

New Feature: Movie Trailers!

Hey my lovlies. So, because I review movies that are based on books, and because there are some I am excited about, and because I feel like it (and love run on sentences) I am adding a new sexy feature to the blog. Movie Trailers! I this will probly be rather haphazard and posted only when there is something I am really excited about. Either way: hope you enjoy!
First up is the new Chronicles of Narnia movie Prince Caspian. I will totally need to read this again before the release of the movie as my memory of it is very foggy. Sadly, none of the kids have gotten any cuter, but Prince Caspian is pretty good looking, despite having some awesomely bad layers. You only see it for a minute so I couldn't tell if it was more 80s or flat-ironed man shag. Either way: here you go:



Next up is Inkheart, which is a popular YA novel by Cornelia Funke. I am currently listening to this on tape, so I almost didn't want to watch the trailer, but it's very cool that it will be a movie. Also, Vanessa Redgrave is reading my version, so in my head, I thought the father was older than Brendan Frasier. (I should not want to make out with Moe, is my feeling.) Either way, be patient and you will have my book review for that soonish (I think the tape is something over 10 hours). Enjoy:


Update: I've finally finished the book and I've watched the trailer. I have some concerns, but hopefully it will be awesome. Also: huge crush on Paul Bettany. Especially if he plays with fire. *sigh*

Dreamcatcher by Stephen King

• Paperback: 684 pages
• Publisher: Albin Michel (April 9, 2003)
• ISBN-10: 2226131906
• ISBN-13: 978-2226131904
• List Price: $7.99
• I finished this book on Oct. 27

So, as you know, I lurve me some Stephen King. And oddly, I have never read this book before. However, I did watch the film version from 2003 when it came out in theaters. Now, the movie actually follows the book pretty closely but for two things: though Morgan Freeman is effin awesome, he's not Kurtz in my head. You know who is? Maybe a crazy Kevin Spacey, I dunno. The other thing is: was there some obsession with the song Blue Bayou in the movie? I seem to remember that, but it's totally not in the book. (and great, now I have it in my head mmm Linda Ronstadt is dreamy...)
Okay, back on task: shit weasels. That's right. This one is about creepy crawly skeeviati monsters. And evil foliage. Oh, I'm sorry, did you want a real synopsis? Here goes: a group of four friends go camping in the Maine woods and aliens slowly start to take over the world via red fuzz and creepy parasites that cause their hosts to cook up some super-funktastic farts. Also, the superfriends have a mysterious fifth pal, Duddits, whose powers have rubbed off a bit on the others. My friends did give me a Harry Potter Sorting Hat, but that's not quite as cool as goddamn telepathy. Just sayin...
So, this book was super gross and cool. One of the characters gets sort of taken over by an alien and lives for a while in an office in his own head. I loved those scenes, I got chills once or twice somewhere in there. Another example of the magic of my b/f SK. I read this book for the challenge and it gets extra points for allowing me to type the phrase 'shit-weasels' (there! I said it again. hee)

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc. (1988)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000JWW2G4
• I finished listening to this audio book no Sept. 21

So, I own a copy of this book, I don't know where I got it, but when I went to read it all the pages where in super bizarre wrong order. So, I got it on tape from the library.
I have seen lots of different takes on this story. Remember Bill Cosby, or (terrifyingly) Kevin Bacon and his invisible nudie shots? Yikes Stripes. (Uh, scratch that: upon further investigation Bill Cosby was a ghost in that movie, not invisible. Either way, it was bad). And once again, after hearing the real story I am surprised at the original.
It's mostly an account of what happens after our hero (whose name, we will learn, is Griffin) is already invisible. He's actually kind of bad at it. I'm not saying that I would be better, but I like to think if I found myself invisible I would be a bit more stealthy. Also, he's quite rude to people, which makes him suspicious. Apparently he doesn't know you catch more invisible cats with sugar (or something). Anyway, so he makes a series of mistakes, gets busted and shenanigans ensue. And before he was invisible? He was an (presumably ornery) albino. So, you know, things kinda went from bad to worse with him.
The reader here was an English woman and it's always funny to me when women do men's voices in books on tape. It always leaves me with an impression that every man in the story is sort of a pansy whiner. But, she did do a great cockney accent so that was cool.
Overall, the story was interested, and it led me to think about what I would do if I couldn't be seen. Cause our crank-meister Griffin thought it was gonna be cool to kill folks cause they couldn't see him. That's just rude. I think I would probably cause much tamer mayhem. Like, you know, switching the soup at Bennigans, or goosing people.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Classics (November 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553212710
• ISBN-13: 978-0553212716
• List Price: $4.95
• I finished this book on August 21

Okay my lovelies. Here's the thing, I have mentioned about a billion times that I love vampires, but the truth is: I had never read this before. The place where it all started. For shame. Also, I have seen the 1992 film version so many times that I could not stop picturing those actors as the characters. Boo!
Anywho: I'm sure everyone knows the story of this one. However, if you haven't read it and you are going on popular perception of it, you've probably got it wrong. First, there is no love affair between Mina and Sirius Black, I mean Gary Oldman, I mean Count Dracula. The 1992 movie led us to believe that Mina was all "Blood? Yes, please!" But that's not the case. Also, Neo's portrayal of Jonathan Harker in that movie may lead you to believe that Harker is, in fact, a tool. This is not so. In fact, one thing I was continually struck by is how good the people in this book are. They are almost unrealistically kind and understanding. I wanted to hug them. Also, Dracula is not killed by a stake to the heart. I'm just saying...
The book is written in journal entries and newspaper clippings which is very cool. You get to see all the different characters points of view and it's not as cheesy as the switch off chapter narration of some books. I have to say that even though I knew what was going to happen I was still very invested in the melodrama of it all. I can see why this book spawned such an empire. From crazy fan sites, to movies, to being studied in school to delicious breakfast cereal. Mmmm, marshmallow bats...
Though in my head I am definitely cooking up a sexier version of vampires (1/2 Edward from Twilight and 1/2 my boyfriend Trent Reznor perhaps?) I feel a much better vamp enthusiast having read this. And I promise: I will certainly be picking up more classic gothic horror in the near future.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Paperback: 870 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (August 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439358078
• ISBN-13: 978-0439358071
• List Price: $9.99
• I finished this book on July 16

Okay, as you may have guessed I am a huge Harry Potter fan. And, since the new book is coming out in 4 days I had decided to refresh my memory of the 5th and 6th books. Of course I waited too long and now I'm spending lots of time reading HP to get it done before midnight madness on Friday. My favorite thing to do lately since re-reading these is shouting spells at people. Stupify! Reducto!
Anyway, firstly I will confess that number 5 (OOTP) was not my favorite in the series. There is a lot of teenage brooding (Harry) and actually, a bit of adult brooding as well (Sirius) but rereading it after just seeing the new movie did bring some things back into light for me.
In this book Harry and the forces of good (AKA The Order of the Phoenix) battle the forces of bad (AKA Voldemort and friends) by staying in a dank house, getting lots of detentions and trying to pass exams. Worst synopsis ever? You bet! Anyway: I really liked reading about the Dumbledore's Army classes and hearing the Prophesy again. Also, hearing the Prophesy again made me revise a few of my theories about the upcoming last book (which I will share with you in my next review). Did you remember that the prophesy could have been about Neville? I totally forgot that!
We also get to hear a lot more about Dumbledore and his plans and reasoning for things, which I dig. He gets a bit sentimental in that scene, actually (Aww, someone lurves Harry.) However, one of my favorites dies in this book which pisses me off (also, they effed that bit up in the film).
I liked the new movie version of this a lot, mostly because it cut out a lot of the angsty whining of the kids and added a little more action. Though, I must say, Mr. Daniel Radcliff is looking a bit old to be the 15 year old wizard he is portraying. He looks like maybe we could date in real life. Not that I'm interested of course, cause, you know... I like the old men. So, yeah, that's right, I have my heart set on Snape. Or, as I like to call him, Alan Rickman, my boyfriend. Cause he's a kickass legilimens. Dig it.
If you haven't read the books I highly suggest doing so. Unless of course...you hate fun! If you have read the books and have questions try reading some Harry Potter wikis. Yeah, that's right, there are more than one. Good ones are here, and here. If you want to read college thesis level examinations and conspiracy theories about Harry Potter than go to this site whose very name used to be a spoiler. Or enjoy MuggleNet. If you are into board games I highly recommend Harry Potter Scene-It.
And, in case you guys labored under the delusion that I am anything other than a completely flaming dorky power nerd: please enjoy a picture of me in the sorting hat. Gryffindor!

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (January 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060521848
• ISBN-13: 978-0060521844
• List Price: $6.99
• I finished this book on June 30

When I was student teaching in a middle school this book was all the rage with the 8th grade girlies. So it came to me highly recommended as sort of a teen Bridget Jones. I must confess that while I see the fun in books like Bridget, I am not usually into such feminine fare. However, the confessions of 14 year old Georgia Nicolson are silly and fun. Also, quite innocent for such goofy and racy titles.
Basically, we're looking at diary style entries detailing Georgia, her cat, and Robbie: the Sex God (hehe) The British slang is funny and is explained with a little glossary in the back of the book. For your own amusement you can look up slang here. Even more bizarre is the Cockney Rhyming Slang I came across while researching, seriously: huh? P.S. Snogging = kissing, and really, it's an extremely satisfying word to say. Mmm...snogging....
Oh, sorry...anywho: Georgia is fun and she has a crazy cat who harasses people and eats things (but, regrettably, does not talk). Any reluctant reader teen girl would love these books. For me it was a plane ride to Florida read that was quick and funny and simple.
Apparently there are a thousand (or, you know, six) of these books out. Evidently they have some different titles here as opposed to the UK (or I'm making that up, but I definitely saw some weirdness with the titles on US sites vs. UK) my top two favorite titles are: Startled by His Furry Shorts (really, who isn't startled by that?) and Away Laughing on a Fast Camel (watch out, they spit!)
In addition: because every remotely popular thing is made into a movie, this book will be made into a movie sometime in the future. Currently the IMDB page isn't giving me much to go on. I'm hoping they do it justice, and that they don't cast sexy 20 somethings to play the awkward teens, because that annoys me. (Alexis Bledel in both Sin City and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in the same year, anyone?)
I'm super tempted to end this with some horribly cliched British phrase, but I won't. I want you to know I respect you, people, and I'm restraining myself with all my might. Cheerio. Dammit! That one slipped out.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

• Mass Market Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Signet Classics (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451526961
• ISBN-13: 978-0451526960
• List Price: $4.95
• I finished this book on June 21

Hehe. This makes me chuckle. It's one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. I couldn't find a good cover image (the book I have has a pattern of a fairy and dude with a donkey head. it's very 70's) so I ganked this image from somewhere. I dig it because Titania has Farrah Fawcett hair. I totally wish my hair floated around me like that, though I'm sure it would get cumbersome after a while.
Okay, so this is the last book of the challenge, and I've finished it on the last day, which is, as I mentioned: my birthday. And this play is a little birthday treat. I had to read it by myself though: I tried to get my boyfriend to read this out loud with me, but he wouldn't do it (lame!). Though I'm sure most of you have read it, my lovelies, here's my snarky synopsis. So four young people with mixed up love lives venture into the forest and get hassled by fairies. Said fairies work their magic and mess up their love lives even more and of course, shenanigans ensue. Also there are some goofy actors and one of them gets his head turned into a donkey. That reminds me of some of the transformations in Strange Happenings, how about you?
I love everything about this story, it's fun and low on the tragedy (unlike all the Shakespeare we had to read in school). Speaking of school: if you feel the need to over analyze this please feel free to do so here.
Reading this makes me want to watch the movie again. I like the 1999 version with just about every famous person ever in it. I highly recommend it, everyone is very good looking and shimmery. I remember seeing this play performed live when I was a youngster at Shakespeare in the Park here in Buffalo. Between getting bit by mosquitoes it was super enjoyable. For those of you who have not enjoyed it I say: to the theatre (or netflix) with you! or, you know...read it...possibly with friends. Extra points to those who use fun voices/accents.

The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (July 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679879250
• ISBN-13: 978-0679879251
• List Price: $13.60
• I finished this book on June 3

Okay, so this one is the second in the His Dark Materials trilogy. I read the first book last spring when I was in my young adult books class. I have been waiting to read the others for a while now and I finally had time. Not to mention, they count towards the challenge.
The first book (soon to be a movie staring the hungry Nicole Kidman) centers mostly on Lyra, a little girl in a world that both different and similar than ours. In Lyra's world everyone has a Daemon, who is basically an animal version of their soul. The daemon's of children change to whatever animal shape they want but when a child becomes an adult the daemon takes on a fixed form. At the movie's website you can take a quiz and get your own daemon. Mine is a badass wolf, (fear him!) by clicking you can also see what yours might be (and if you do, tell me in the comments!)
In this book there is a lot more going on than just Lyra's exploits. We meet a boy named Will who is from our world, and many other characters. My favorite part of this book is all the different plots going on and the different motivations of all the different characters. Reading I was struck by how real and human so many of the characters felt to me. There is, however, an injury of a character that made me mighty angry and which reminded me of a similar injury in another book which also steamed me up. (hint: dad a chum, dad a chee, I can't help but bring up Stephen King all the time, I'm rubbish.)
This trilogy has a lot going on in the allegory department. Toward the end of this book many things became clear to me and I'm very excited to jump into the next one. The book focuses on, to name a few: sin, evolution, the Fall, and many other religious ideas. I'm expecting there to be an all out war with the heavens in the next book and I'm not thinking I'll be disappointed.
There's about a million sites online dedicated to this series, but here's what I suggest: for character and plot info as well as analysis check out spark notes and the wikipedia article. Also check out the Random House page and this page which has a whole chat community.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st ed edition (February 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380977281
• ISBN-13: 978-0380977284
• I finished this book on Mar. 18

Okay, so I'm a big fan of the Neil Gaiman stuff I've read before, like Sandman and Coraline. I also happen to heart his blog. He's cool and funny and links to neat stuff, in addition to saying something during scrotum-gate about loving librarians.
So, being the flaming nerd that I am I felt it only prudent to read more of his stuff (the good news is, he's written approximately a bajillion things). I interlibrary loaned a bunch of his books, and Stardust happened to be the first thing to arrive (there's another one waiting for me as we speak, which makes my day). Guys, two pages in I was in love. There's many reasons, so here goes. Number one, the design of the book is great (though I've since learned there are illustrated copies, I do not have one of those). The pages are that cool uneven rough cut which I find oddly satisfying. The author and title info are in a weird place, which is also neat. I also love chapters that have descriptive names, and I double love ones that are titled "In which..." and then cryptically detail what happens in said chapter. love. it.
So, besides all that stuff we have a funny, sweet and captivating little fairy tale. Tristan makes an impossible promise to the most beautiful girl in town and sets off into the land of Faerie to retrieve a star for her. The good news is: he finds the star (who is a young woman like creature) the bad news is, he's about six months walk from home and trying to bring an obstinate star with a broken leg back with him. There are also other story lines that of course come flawlessly together in the end. There are some ghosts, many people changing into other things and back again and even the mysterious unknown lineage of several characters, so, basically, all the components of a great fairy tale. Not to mention that Gaiman's prose is funny, weird and perfect. Reading this pasted a goofy smile on my face and gave me the warm fuzzies. I can't wait to read more of his books.
I have since learned that they are making this into a movie. I hope it will be good, though it seems like the story has been changed marginally. Claire Danes plays the star, so that's cool, I imagine she should look like she did in Polish Wedding, and looks like she will, so I'm psyched about that.

300 by Frank Miller

• Hardcover: 88 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse; 1098 edition (December 15, 1999)
• ISBN-10: 1569714029
• ISBN-13: 978-1569714027
• List price: $30.00
• I finished this book on Mar. 7
  

So, in honor of the movie coming out this week (which I'm super stoked about) and my love for graphic novels, I wanted to check this out. I however, being a broke college student had to wait for one of my more economically comfortable pals shelled out the $30. That seems like a lot for something that's under 100 pages, but fyi: it's totally worth it.
Miller's telling of the epic battle between 300 Spartans and approximately a zillion Persians centers around Spartan King Leonidas. He is an incredible badass and takes his army of cohort badasses to certain bloody death on the name of his beloved home. You've got to appreciate that. It kind of makes you feel guilty when you complain about jury duty. At least no one's asking you to spend your whole life training to die in a battle you have no hope of winning. I'm just saying.
The illustrations are complex and bloody and breathtaking. The books is also a sort of weird rectangle shape, and it's so big it doesn't quite fit in my bookbag. It does, however, have a nice heavy weight to it, which I appreciate. At the end there is also suggested reading, and I love things like that.
My only hope is that the movie is as interesting and entertaining as this. Having read this, I now have even higher hopes than before.

**Update** I saw the movie last night, and I know that this isn't 'movienerd' but I have to tell you that it was amazing. It was stunning and beautiful. I wanted to lick it. That is all.

Double Indemnity by James M. Cain

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Orion; New Ed edition (March 24, 2005)
• ISBN-10: 0752864270
• ISBN-13: 978-0752864273
• I finished this book on Mar. 2

Okay, so this another one by James M. Cain, the author of The Postman Always Rings Twice. I had been pretty impressed by that one, so I was looking forward to this one, having seen the 1944 movie version and loving it.
So this one is written as a confession, like Lolita, or Postman, but you don't know it until the end. It's narrated by Walter Huff, a wayward insurance salesman, who speaks in that 40's kind of manly man talk that has now become cliched. Huff goes on a routine call to renew an existing customer's auto insurance and meets his wife. Right away she's offering him tea and asking about accidental insurance. This sets off about a billion flags in Huff's head, but he decides it's a good idea to continue seeing her. Soon, they're planning the husbands' murder, with Huff trying to go for the maximum insurance payout, double indemnity. Apparently people were nervous about trains in the 40s (the way they are about planes now) but statistically very few accidents actually happened on trains. (This is akin to that you're more likely to die in a car crash then in a plane adage, I guess). So, most insurance policies offer double payout on a train accident because people think they're getting a deal, and they so rarely have to pay out for it.
The thing that's odd about this is how fast Huff is willing to become a murderer. It's like one chapter in and he's kissing this dame and then, boom, let's kill him. Weird to me. There's not even wanton sex acts, like in Postman so you can't argue that it's that making him crazy. Anywho, they stage an elaborate train accident and of course hi jinks ensue. Turns out that our femme fatale is not the kind of girl we think she is (of course) and that the pretty young daughter is more charming than we thought.
I have to say that all in all, I actually like the movie better. The book is actually chilling in some scenes, mostly due to Barbara Stanwyck's incredible performance. Because I have a crush on here, here's more pictures, of her, here and here, and one from the movie with her and Huff from the movie. I thought the book was suspenseful and enjoyable, but I'm not in love with the ending, which was slightly different in the movie. The movie ending was changed to reflect both characters getting their just desserts, due to the production code of the time.
All in all, a good read, but I would recommend the book version of Postman before I'd recommend this one. If you're really interested, I believe you can get both books published together with another of Cain's popular pulp novels, Mildred Pierce, and have a good old triple feature. Mildred Pierce was also made into a movie with Joan Crawford.

The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (May 14, 1989)
• ISBN-10: 0679723250
• ISBN-13: 978-0679723257
• List Price: $10.95
• I finished this book on Feb. 18
  
• This book is number 98 on the list.

I wanted to read this one anyway, and finding it on the list was really just an added bonus. I've seen both the John Garfield/Lana Turner version of the movie and the JackNicholson/Jessica Lange one as well. As for those, I like the older one better, though the new one was sexier and had a better poster. Anywho, having seen those films I was surprised at how short the book was.
This one is called one of the original thrillers, and it does not disappoint. A young man takes a job at a restaurant run by an older man and his femme fatale wife. They begin a torrid/borderline violent affair and decide to kill him. It doesn't work. So they decide anything worth doing is worth doing twice and give it another go. This time they succeed. Then they go to court. And get away with it...for a while.
The story is narrated by the young man, in his sort of poor English tramp speak. There is added bonus 1940's slang (stinko = drunk) and good use of the phrase 'hell-cat'. The story really has an in depth plot and it flows along surprisingly fast. I was impressed with the naughty bits, they were not all that graphic but they were very racy for their time. I was pleasantly surprised on that count.
I also really like the title, and was disappointed not to have an explanation of it in this story (the Lana Turner movie has an explanation, while the Jessica Lange one does not). I suppose I sort of assumed it would be there and it wasn't. Then, in doing research, I read conflicting opinions on what it meant. I'd like to give my take on it, because, well, it's my blog. The title refers to the idea that if you are expecting a letter or package, even if you miss it the first time it comes, the postman will always comes around a second time. Eventually, you will get it. The same is true of fate, even if you manage to dodge it once it will come back around and get you in the end. That is what this story is about, and what makes the ending so perfect and kind of oddly sad at the same time.
My final thought on this one is that it should have been higher on the list, if for nothing else, the appeal it has. It's racy, it's a crime story. It is fun, some of the others on the list...not so much. That's all I have to say about that.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Everyman's Library; New Ed edition (December 17, 1992)
• ISBN-10: 185715133X
• ISBN-13: 978-1857151336
• List Price: $21.58
• I finished this book on Feb. 6
• Number 4 on the list.
  

Okay, so I think that everyone has an idea about this book. It's one of those books that you hear about, and maybe wonder about. I admit I was very curious, having seen the newer film version, to get my hands on it.
For those who don't know, Lolita is often banned, challenged and considered obscene, as are many of the books on the list (see which ones, here). It is the confession of a man in prison. Humbert Humbert stole away his 12 year old stepdaughter and systematically raped her for years. Hum unapologetically explains his thought processes and habits. Though the sex scenes are never very graphic, the explanations of his habits are still disturbing.
Somehow, though the subject matter is upsetting and in fact there really is no uplifting message nor is there redemption at any point, I found Humbert's telling of the story easily accessible. I found him poetic, and while I didn't sympathize with him, I'm not even going to lie that there were times when I was rooting for him. Though the whole of Humbert's tale is about child rape, there were really only two sections I found overly disturbing, and they were both brief and not at all graphic. I have a feeling I was not as freaked as I thought I would be because you kinda go into it knowing what it's about and that's what you're getting into. You are prepared. Plus, like I said, Humbert is an eloquent story-teller.
Movie side note: In the film version Jeremy Irons plays Hum. Though I find him wonderful in the role, the Humbert of the book is very handsome. While I find Irons oddly attractive, he is not, perhaps, as beautiful as the novel's Humbert proclaims himself to be. Okay, sorry, back to the book.
The book uses a lot of repetition, as well as copious allusions to other works. Humbert also goes to great pains to describe Lolita to us. Her beauty her actions, his feelings. At times, it's actually sort of romantic, until you remember that he's talking about a little girl. One thing that kept bugging me throughout, is that our main character speaks French, a lot. With no translation. I could understand some of this from high school French, but not much. It wouldn't have killed me to know what he was really saying in this parts, I'm just saying. There were some sections where the action of the story dragged, but Humbert's narration usually brought me through them without boredom. In researching this book after reading it, I liked coming across all the different covers. A google image search shows several different, as well as pictures from the movie, if you interested, dearies. The cover I have is simply the title and a flower with some wilted petals. Lame-o. I prefer the lips, or the pigeon-toed legs covers, personally.
So, the moral of this story is: I liked this book the most so far out of the ones I've read from the list.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Reissue edition (November 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393312836
• ISBN-13: 978-0393312836
• List Price: $13.99
• I finished this book on Jan. 15
• Number 65 on the list
  

So, this is one of those that I have heard about all my life, but don't really know anything about it. I haven't seen the movie (though I'm netflixing it) and I didn't really know much, except that it was violent. Little did I know that it was written in another language. No, really, I would say that at least 50% of the things our 'humble narrator' says are in his made up slang. This was really off-putting at first, but I finally figured it out. That said, it's pretty hard to use context clues when most of the words in a sentence don't make sense. It reminded me of sitting in Italian classes (ugh).
Anywho: the story is about a future in which lawlessness is rampant, and evil teen gangs rule the night. Little else is known about this future and the society in which the story takes place. I would have liked to hear more about that, personally, but I don't really think it takes away either. Alex, our main character and narrator, has a little gang that steals, beats helpless old men, and rapes women in front of their wives. For fun. He is also a classical music enthusiast. His buddies eff him over and he goes to jail, where his jail buddies do the same. He then goes through a conditioning treatment which steals from him both the abilities to enjoy violence and classical music. Eventually he is fixed and allowed to be violent again and then decides to grow up.
The major theme of the book is the importance of choice. When Alex is conditioned he isn't being bad but he also isn't choosing to be good. I think it's hard to realize all that underneath the violence and shenanigans. You also sort of feel bad for the little sociopath rapist at times.
Plus, after I finished reading it I found a glossary of the slang language on line and I'm mad I spent all that time trying to figure it out. Either way, I think it's an interesting book, sideways thumb, you know? Not quite thumbs up or down.
Anyone interested can check out the sparknotes on it here.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (July 2, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0380977788
ISBN-13: 978-0380977789
List Price: $15. 99

I read this little book the other night, and I must admit that I had to sit up to finish it so I could know whether or not this book had a happy ending. The reading level for this book is listed at about 9 - 12 but I must confess that this gore loving scary movie junkie totally got the creepies from it.
Little Coraline is very smart, very bored, and very ignored by her parents. As you can probably guess this a bad combination and she gets into trouble. She finds a door to another version of her apartment with another version of her parents, who are waiting to make her theirs. Except they have buttons for eyes. That's right buttons for eyes. Does that give anyone the heebie jeebies other than me? Yikes. Anyway, they keep getting creepier and creepier until Coraline has to fight her way out.
In a related note why can't my cats talk like the one in this book? They would be more interesting, even if they only said 'feed me'.
I also found from some preliminary poking that this is going to be an animated movie with Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher. I have some problems with this. I know DF is really cute and talented but does she have to be in every child role ever? I also would like to see her tackle some older parts because I think she could really pull it off. Oooh, sorry, this is a book blog. But you can probably expect that I will talk about movies made from books I've read, just to let you know. But I think that the movie could be really cool, so I'll be sure to keep you updated.
This book was cool and creepy and definitely worth the short time it took to read.