January 2 – Movie Day

Love the movies, and especially love it when I can have a “two-fer” movie day and go to movies back-to-back. Sue, Leslie and I went to Dubuque today for just such a day. We saw ‘Up in the Air‘ with George Clooney and ‘Nine‘ with Daniel Day Lewis and a cast of many. None of us were happy with the ending of Up in the Air, but I suppose it was more true to life than what we were hoping for. NINE was confusing in the beginning as to what was happening. But I did enjoy it because it gave you stunning visuals and a lot to think about. I loved the Kate Hudson dance, Leslie thought her moves were simple and easy. Penelope Cruz had a great roll in the film and did an outstanding job. Overall, of the three theater movies I saw already this year, I’d rate them #1 – Sherlock Holmes, #2 – Nine, #3 – Up in the Air, but I liked them all and think they were all worth seeing. Rather than watching SNL, we decided to watch the movie Chicago – and discovered that Rob Marshall, the director of Nine, also directed Chicago. One could definitely see the similarities. All in all – starting out the year with lots of movies is a wonderful way to begin the New Year. After a hectic December, it is nice to start off being lazy and unproductive and taking a some “me time”, instead of always tackling a list of things that “has to be done”. That will have to start happening on Sunday in preparation for going back to work on Monday.

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Books to Read Before I Die – 2010 Challenge

I saw this challenge listed on Small Town Stranger blog, and went to the source blog for all the info, Bibliophile by the Sea and decided to try to do this. I am going mostly for books that I have sitting around that I want to read but never seem to pick up and finish. There are two books on the lists that I don’t own yet, one is due to be released in a couple of weeks, and the other I’ll probably try to get from the library. I thought I would keep the list to 12, but it has grown a little beyond that.

Here are the rules (FROM BIBLIOPHILE BY THE SEA):

1. Between now and December 31, 2009, make a list of between 10 and 20 Books to Read Before You Die. (depending on interest, this may be an annual event challenge).
2. The books on your list can come from your stacks or the library, and be in print or audio format.
3. Once you’ve created your post with tentative titles, THEN sign up using Mr. Linky, by pasting the link to your post, along with your name/blog name. This is how you will be registered. Finalize your list by 12/31/09 (no changes to the list after 12/31/09).
4. NOTE: If you don’t have a blog, you can still sign up and join in the fun.
5. All bloggers who complete the challenge will be entered in giveaway to win an Amazon Gift Card.
6. Questions/comments, please feel free to comment or email me (that is comment or email Bibliophile By the Sea – not me).

Here’s the list that I came up with by surveying books piled by my bed, on the end table, on the radiators, and on my wish list.

1. Queen of the Road – Doreen Orion (just received this one for Christmas – it’s about traveling – a subject I love).

2. Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott (This is a book on writing that I now own two copies of, since I couldn’t remember if I had one or not, and just bought the second copy at the used book store.)

3. Master Your Metabolism – Jillian Michaels (The new year is rolling around, and once again with it, the quest to eat better, be healthier, lose some pounds. Maybe this could help).

4. Five Quarters of the Orange – Joanne Harris (Just one from the pile of books by the bed).

5. Blues Highway – New Orleans to Chicago – Richard Knight (Also from the used book store, and a good follow-up to my American Music History class. Perhaps a trip to Memphis or somewhere along the Blues Highway could be a reward for finishing this book).

6. It’s All too Much – Peter Walsh (Oh yes, a clean sweep of my house would be a wonderful ROI on reading this book and implementing the ideas in it!)

7. Riding the Iron Rooster – Paul Theroux (Travel, Trains, China – all subjects of interest).

8. A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style – Tim Gunn (Yes, you can deduce that I have the TV on  a lot – but I’m multi-tasking while it’s on).

9. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Settefield ( A debut novel, story about storytelling. I think I bought this for my daughter, neither one of us had read this yet.)

10. Taking Flight: Inspiration and Techniques to Give Your Creative Spirit Wings – Kelly Rae Roberts ( Had it for over a year, it’s time to read it.)

11. The Invisible Wall – Harry Bernstein (The 96-year-old tells the story of his boyhood in England – another purchase from the used book store – someone should stop me from going there again until I do read some of these books.)

12. The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun – Gretchen Rubin (Coming out tomorrow, December 29th – I follow Gretchen’s blog and who doesn’t consciously want to be happier?)

13. Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter​ Story by Sue Monk Kidd (Just waiting to get this from the library of used. I love traveling with my daughter, so I want to read how this mother and daughter enjoy their travels together).

Check back for updates to see how much progress I make on the list in 2010.

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