What I’ve Been Reading

Joey has never been a big reader. I think he was halfway into an autobiography by Larry Bird when I first met him and I think he finished it like last year. I think.

Anyways, after hearing him say his problem was that nothing ever holds his attention, I suggested he pick up a thriller. Something along the lines of a Stephen King or a James Patterson novel. A month and 3 (very long) books, later, I find myself dating someone who’s always reading. Meanwhile, I’m playing around on my phone, letting my brain rot and wondering what is going on?!

But I guess I did finish a few books recently too, so maybe I’m just being dramatic.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

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My favorite book. Favorite. I still remember reading it for the first time and being so so sad when I finished it. There’s nothing grandiose or life-changing about it. It’s just a cute little story about a writer from London who starts a correspondence with a literary club on Guernsey, an English island that was occupied by the Germans during World War II (the book takes place right after the war ends). The whole book is written in letters, which I love. The book is endearing, enchanting, heartbreaking at times and so so happy at others. Also, I find it incredible that the book was co-authored (mostly written by Mary Ann Shaffer and finished by her niece Annie Barrows after Mary Ann’s death) and yet, it is seamless. I just adore this one.

The Kite Runner

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Everyone read this already years ago, right? Okay, we’ll I’m behind on the times. I read this one while we were in Jamaica and turns out, it’s popular for a reason. It’s really good. I judge a book on its ability to make the reader feel. That, and a good plot, interesting characters and an author who actually knows how to write. The Kite Runner has all of these. It’s basically the story of two boys who are not only man and servant, but also best friends. I will say that the book definitely tugs at your heartstrings. At times, I was so mad at the main character and at others, I was so proud of him. I think this one is worthy of the hype.

Bel Canto

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Another vacation read and sorry Mom, but I was not a fan of this one. My mom and I usually align on the kinds of books we enjoy but this recommendation was a miss for me. It started out promising, when a group of politicians are taken hostage by a terrorist group. The remainder of the book details the relationships and bonds that are formed between the two groups. It’s very heavy on character development, while the plot slows to a crawl. I think this is what my mom loved about it and why I didn’t like it. One of the hostages happens to be a highly-acclaimed opera singer and I’ve heard that the book itself it supposed to read like an opera. You can’t like em all, I guess.

Happy Friday!

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Are you a big reader?

What are you reading/or read recently?

Do you have a favorite book/author/genre?

Lessons from Les Mis

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Contrary to popular belief, French people actually all have English accents.

If you waste time eating sushi at Hapa and arrive 10 minutes late to a popular movie, on Friday, during winter, when there’s nothing better to do than see a movie, you will have to sit in the 3rd row.

If you sit in the 3rd row of a movie theater during a 3 hour-long movie, you will start to feel like you have the neck and back of an 80-year old and wonder what the actual 80-year old sitting two seats away feels like.

The length of the French Revolution is equivalent to what a 3 hour-long movie feels like. Which is a million years.

Helena Bonham Carter actually CANNOT pass up the opportunity to play a weird English woman with a cockney accent.

If you remove Anne Hathaway’s hair, her neck grows 3 sizes.

If you’re sitting next to two girls who talk through the entire movie and who stop trying to keep quiet halfway through, the death stare in totally warranted.

Sasha Baron Cohen is funnier when he’s not trying to be ridiculous than when he is.

Russel Crowe is physically incapable of smiling.

The sun never shines in France.

If two characters are crawling through the sewer and are covered in human waste, it is not a good time to be having a laugh attack.

It is perfectly acceptable to sing all conversations and to insert Les Mis songs into every day life. Example: I tweeted a tweet in times gone byyyyyy.

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(If that picture doesn’t make you laugh, you aren’t human.)

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Have you seen/read/heard/performed in Les Mis?

Do you have a favorite musical?

Have you ever had to sit in the front section of the movie theater?