Summer ‘03 Reads and Views

BOOKS

Completed--

  The Land That Time Forgot; Edgar Rice Burroughs. World War II, and a young man's ship is sunk by a German U-Boat. The story of the prehistoric island he comes to with his faithful dog and the love of his life, and those who try to rescue him. This really has three stories that all come together in the end to reveal the mystery of the island. My favorite is the third, but you MUST read the first two to understand it. All together, the three seem a little similar, but really, really good.

****1/2

  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; JK Rowling. Everybody knows about this book. The fifth installment in a series that I wish would keep going after the seventh. An excellent book!

*****

  Carry On, Mr. Bowditch; Jean Lee Latham. A book about the historical figure, Nathaniel Bowditch, though fictionalized. I read this when I was younger and liked it immensely. This second reading  wasn't as good. The author seemed to cram too much of his childhood into a few chapters to get to the good stuff. Still good though.

***

  The Witch of Blackbird Pond; Elizabeth George Spear. After the "Mr. Bowditch" reread, this was purely refreshing and wonderful. I've read this book several times, it only gets better. The story of a girl from Barbados who moves in with her upstanding, religious family in the US during the height of the witch trials. I LOVE it.

************

  The Tombs of Atuan; Ursula K Le Guin. Even though this is the second book in a series and I haven't read the first, I absolutely loved this book. My first chapter book was Le Guin's Catwings...So, I guess maybe I am just fond of her work from that. This book was different but wonderful.

*****

  The Refugee Summer; Edward Fenton. I read this several years ago, having stolen it from my sister's library picks. Set in Greece (my favorite) in 1922. I hardly remembered it, but I really liked it. Out of print, so I had to get it at library. It was sad and poignant and would be a good read for anyone, not just those interested in Greece and the Greco-Turkish war.

****

  The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; John Le Carre. This is a great read. I love spy fiction, and Le Carre's first-hand experience makes this one realistic and good.

****

In the middle of--

  Dombey and Son; Charles Dickens. So far so good, but it's over 900 pages... Since it might take all summer to read this volume, I have others in mind to read simultaneously. I'm pretty sure that this is going to be a good book for a strong woman to prove she's capable and great.

so far...****

Next Up--

  The Secret Agent; Joseph Conrad. I'm in the mood for spy fiction. This was the book that Hitchcock's 1936 "Sabotage" was based on. Not to be confused with Hitchcock's 1936 "Secret Agent", which was based on a book by W Somerset Maugham (my absolute least favorite author ever!).

  Daniel Deronda; George Eliot. Saw the PBS mini-series of this and had to get the book. I love Hugh Dancy (who played Daniel). Though I hope the female lead isn't as annoying in the book as Romola Garay's in the movie.

A Wizard of Earthsea; Ursula K Le Guin. This is the first book in the series (of which The Tombs of Atuan was second). I hope it's as good as the second, and I'm pretty sure it will be.

MOVIES

In the theaters--

  Finding Nemo. Funny, wonderful, poignant.

****

  Pirates of the Caribbean. Hilarious, Wonderful, Great, Fabulous, Hilarious. I loved the ride, the movie's better. I'm a huge fan of Orlando Bloom, but Johnny Depp stole the show.

***** Oscar! Oscar! Oscar!

  American Wedding. Funny, but not great. I will see anything with Seann William Scott in it, and I like Jason Biggs too. Bear was my favorite new character.

***

At home--

  Ghostbusters 2. I haven't seen this in a while, but it was great. I love everyone in it, especially Dan Aykroyd.

****

  Hackers. Good, exciting. Wish I was a hacker, or had the abilities to be one.

***1/2

  The Harvey Girls. The best part of this old movie is John Hodiak. It's good, but to see John at his best, get "Lifeboat"--one of my all-time favorite films.

***

  Never Been Kissed. This is overall a good movie. It gives people hope, and there are a couple of parts I have to watch over and over while others are just frustrating. However, it's just so absolutely a wonderful, perfect, fairy tale ending that it makes a person (me) realize that will NEVER happen. Still, it's good. I love Michael Vartan, esp. on the ferris wheel!

***1/2

Edward Scissorhands. I loved this movie as a child, and time makes it even better. I love Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, and Danny Elfman. Any movie made with any one of them is good...together they are brilliant. I hate Wynona Ryder, but this is still an excellent film.

****