I have written many books. Many half-books that is.
This weekend I picked up one of my many half-books and starting writing again. And it just starting coming out like a torrent, the book is writing itself.
Last night I went to Elysee and pumped out another ten pages totaling 52 pages written since Saturday and 101 pages all together.
When I first starting writing, 100 pages seemed like some far off milestone that with each twist and turn of the road never seemed to get any closer. But now that it's here I can see the next 50 is seems close and...achievable. I want to finish this thing. I'm ready.
Boyan and I went to the movies and saw "I Love You Man" last night. Before we left for the theater we did the normal check: wallet, keys, cellphones and Student I.D.s.
So, we were shocked when we went to AMC to learn that Student discounts are now only given on Thursdays. THURSDAYS. Can you believe it?
The movie, by the way, was pretty funny. Not the funniest movie I've ever seen but I laughed pretty hard and would recommend it to others.
It also has a pretty amazing soundtrack. You should check it out.
I was never really into this book when I was younger, but I appreciated it's originality. Regardless this movie looks like it's going to be amazing. I can't wait to see it.
I finally finished reading/listening to Lolita. And while the books was amazingly well-written, I found myself at the end of the journey completely sick of the book. I even found Jeremy Irons' voice annoying after awhile. And, considering how much I admire Mr. Irons, I think that says a lot.
How is anyone supposed to read this book and not be completely appalled and chaffed by Humbert Humbert's ad nauseum obsession with Dolly. I was counting down the seconds till the book was over. But, with that being said, I admit that I'm very glad to have read Lolita, and will in the future pick up one of Nabokov's books that doesn't focus on manic desires for the unattainable and grotesque.
The hummingbird feeder on my parents patio is the watering hole for all Newport Beach Colibris. Boyan caught it all on camera so you can take a look. It's insane.
You can see all of Boyan's videos and pictures of the hummingbirds on his flickr.
Jezebel posted today that a new Grey Gardens is coming to HBO starring Drew Barrymore.
It's a remake of the 1975 documentary that depicts the life of the eccentric aunt and cousin of Jackie O, Edith Ewing Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edith Bouvier Beale.
The original documentary looks fantastic (see below) but the new version looks great also. You can watch the trailer on Jezebel here.
Burning red hair atop a pale face and placid blue eyes. Oh, what I would give to be painted with her pallet.
I adore Neko Case, and if you can get your hands on her "Live from Austin, TX" album you should because it is life-altering. I have yet to pick up her newest album, "Middle Cyclone," but what I've heard on KCRW (Jason Bentley plays This Tornado Loves You at the start of Morning Becoming Eclectic almost everyday. By the way, what happened to Nic?!?!) I liked.
Anyways, the A.V. Club interviewed her, and you can read it here.
I just finished reading, or listening rather, to Claire Messud's "The Emperor's Children."
I really enjoyed listening to this book. I even took to downloading the audio book and listening to it on my MP3 player so that I may listen while not in my car.
It is so well written. Beautiful descriptions. Lyrical sentences. I've rarely read (again, or listened to) a book where I felt like I knew exactly what the author was trying to say. It spoke to me, every scene, every character came alive.
Unfortunately I finished the book feeling dissatisfied. The resolutions of many of the characters remained unclear at book's end. The author left me wondering what happened to all of the people I had come to love and with whom I commiserated, which I think it a disservice to the readers who had spend so much time getting to know them. Ultimately, what purpose does it serve to create a story of intertwining dialogues and perspectives just to let them all fall flat at the end by providing no or a weak resolution?
I'll definitely buy it and read the story (really read it) just to observe how Messud constructs her sentences and paints her descriptions. I'll even read another one of her novels. She's a masterful writer, I hope only on further investigation that her storytelling is better than what I conceived upon my first impression.
You can read Salon's review and recap of her story here.
Doesn't this look like a beautiful place to see a play? Who wants to go with me?
Wikipedia says: "The Minack Theatre is an open-air theatre, constructed above a gully with a rocky granite outcrop jutting into the sea (minack in Cornish means a stony or rocky place). The theatre is located near Porthcurno, 4 miles from Land's End in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
Nowadays, the theatre is used from June to September for a full summer season of 17 plays, produced by companies from all over the UK and visiting companies from the USA. The theatre is open for visitors throughout the rest of the year."
There are quite a few author's I like to keep track of, and mother-daughter team P.C. and Kristin Cast are definitely one (or two) of them. So imagine my surprise when I found out today that their newest book "Hunted" was going to be out next Tuesday! It's like Christmas came early! In all the mess and confusion of trying to apply to grad school, and starting new classes, and zooming through Charlaine Harris' books, I totally forgot that a new "House of Night" book was due out this March!
I re-read the books (Marked, Betrayed, Chosen) in anticipation of their fourth book "Untamed" last September, and rushed to Borders the day it was out (the sales clerk had to get the book out from the back they hadn't even put them on display yet). I read the entire book that night.
These books are so much fun. Less tame than Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, but with a little bit more bite than Stephenie Meyer's Twilight (not to mention that Zoey Redbird is the kind of protagonist that I wished Bella Swan could have been).
Also, they made a cool little trailer for the book which you could watch below:
I'm glad to see that the Casts are getting so much promotion, I feel like so many good books fail because they aren't properly promoted, so get the word out Untamed is out March 10th!
He desperately wants to be considered funny. He'll ask me, arms outstretched expectantly, "I'm funny right?" And I'll answer, "Yes, Boyan. You are the funniest person I know."
He's Bulgarian. Okay, sure, you shouldn't love someone because of where they come from, but I appreciate the new perspectives on the world that he has given me because he is not from here.
I have written many books. Many half-books that is.
