Consumables #29

I haven't done Consumables in a while. Let's catch up.


Books!

The Last Time I Saw You, by Elizabeth Berg
Super light read about a bunch of folks heading to their 40th high school reunion. It was cozy and cute, and everything turns out just as you want it to in the end, no fuss no muss. It was like a really well done Hallmark Original Movie. On the one hand, I loved how all of the characters weren't written as Mid-life Crisis People. Even though it was set at a reunion, the book isn't about nostalgia. On the other hand, there are several references to the fact that certain characters felt a lot of urgency about going to the reunion, since it'll be the last one. "I have to go! It's my last chance to go to a reunion, because it's the LAST ONE!" they kept saying. What was that all about? A little morbid if you ask me. Do people just literally stop having reunions after the 40th? Is that really a thing? I guess I didn't know that.

Room, by Emma Donoghue
This book, which is about such a disturbing topic (a woman who is being held captive by her rapist for years has a baby and brings up her son in this little room- he has never known the outside world at all and is the narrator of the story), made me feel guilty because I found myself singing "In Your Room" by the Bangles every time I picked it up. NOT COOL, LIBRARIAN. But I couldn't help it, for some reason. I found the first part of the book a little tedious, but once it picked up I really liked it. And the fact that I read this novel during the same time that Oprah couldn't shut up about hostage situations was just a coincidence. Weird.

The Various, by Steve Augarde
Upper elementary school age novel about a girl who goes to live with her uncle and cousins for the summer in the English countryside and discovers a forest nearby inhabited by a fairy civilization. The girl was gutsy and adventurous and the fairy civilization was interesting and not cutesy. I liked it enough to finish it quickly, but not quite enough to read the rest of the series. I think it's a great one to have in your pocket for kid reader's advisory.

TeeVee!

Oprah
This happened a while ago, but I heard that Jon Stewart was going to be on the Oprah show sometime but was too lazy to look up when. Instead I just tivo'ed every episode for the last couple of weeks. Aside from Jon, I got a lot of episodes about people who survived being held somewhere against their will. Ingrid Betancourt, the Discovery channel hostages, American hikers jailed in Iran and a lady that was assaulted via Craigslist. I think that's a weird theme. Anyway, I did get my Jon Stewart episode and he made a John Cusack "Say Anything" reference. My friend Alli is in love with John Cusack. Hot, dirty love that has lasted for pretty much since puberty, uninterrupted. He has maintained #1 status on her List for years and years. I am a fan of Jon Stewart. My love for Jon Stewart is not quite as hot and dirty as her love for John Cusack, but we have been known to call these two our Johns (which, yes, is sort of whorey but whatever). Her John is Cusack, and mine is Stewart. This is why it was cute when she saw this episode of Oprah and texted me IMMEDIATELY when Stewart referenced Cusack. "Your Jon mentioned mine!" It was like we were on a double date. Except it wasn't anything like that.

Gossip Girl
How can Chuck Bass talk like that so consistently? And when will Serena stop calling him "Chalk"?

Movies!

Rattle and Hum
I ran across this on tv, and it brought me right back to the days when U2 seemed so fresh. The babyfaces on them!

Vertigo
I told you already about how we got to see this on the big screen. I wanted to go back and see North By Northwest last week, but alas, time was not on my side.

Music!

Summer is totally over, and fall is starting to wane a bit too. Let's say goodbye to warm weather with a warm weather song, shall we?



Have a good weekend everyone!