Books and Movies

The Great Debaters was our viewing choice last night, and it was a worthy way to spend an evening. Denzel Washington directed and starred in this film based on the true story of a debating team from Wiley College (an all-black school) in Marshall, Texas.

Washington stars as Professor Melvin Tolson, a poet and teacher who coaches the debate team. The year is 1935. Blacks are not allowed entrance to state colleges. Blacks are still lynched in the state of Texas - and all over the south. Sharecroppers have a standard of living that is barely above slavery.

Enter James Farmer, Jr., Samantha Booke, and Henry Lowe, Tolson’s choices for the debate team. They are young - Farmer, Jr. in particular, who is only 14 - but they are smart and they have a passion for justice. After an undefeated season, they are invited to debate Harvard’s debate team - the first time Harvard welcomed the team from an all-black school.

Denzel Washington is always brilliant. Forest Whitaker stars as James Farmer, Sr. - and his son, Denzel Whitaker (named for Washington), plays his son in the film. Talent certainly runs thick in the Whitaker blood. Also putting in wonderful performances are Jurnee Smollet as Samantha Booke and Nate Parker as Henry Lowe. It was also nice to see Gina Ravera in a small role as Tolson’s wife - something completely different from her portrayal of Lt. Daniels on TNT’s The Closer.

Highly recommended.

Teaser Tuesdays ask you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

I received The Grift by Debra Ginsberg in the mail yesterday - a brand new hardback copy, when I was just expecting an ARC! I haven’t started it yet, but I thought I’d use it for today’s teaser.

He told her that she was the most beautiful and unusual woman he’d ever met and that he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since he’d met her. Marina couldn’t imagine the kind of helpless innocence one would have to have to fall for a line like this, but she supposed there were still women out there who did. ~ p. 87

Click over to Should Be Reading and leave a link if you play along!

I’m playing along with Musing Mondays today.

How do you choose the books you read? Do you like the cover art on a book? Do you rely on reviews? Do you let friends and/or family recommend books to you? How about books you find on other people’s blogs? Do you read the blurb/description?

My short answers would be: yes, sometimes, yes, often, and yes.

When I am fortunate enough to spend time in a bookstore - which doesn’t happen very often - I will often pick up a book simply because the cover art attracted me. However, I then read the blurb/description, and if it’s not something I’m interested in, I’ll pass. So I guess the cover art doesn’t make my decision for me, but will prompt me to pick up a book to investigate further.

Reviews - it depends. It seems like some of the more literary magazines have reviews of books I’ve never heard of and probably wouldn’t be interested in. I’m thinking “The New York Review of Books,” which I subscribed to for a very short time. I do like the book review section in “Entertainment Weekly” magazine, though, and have picked up a couple of books from their reviews.

Friends and family - yes, most definitely. I am blessed with a best friend who loves books and reading as much as I do, and we have very similar taste. If she recommends something - I know I’ll love it. I also get good book recs from my sisters and my mom.

Book blogs - love, love, love book blogs. I have found so many great reads - and some absolute favorites - because they were mentioned by other book bloggers. It’s a great community, and a great place to find books.

I haven’t had much time to read this weekend; we’ve been extremely busy. We went to a BBQ at a friend’s house Friday night. It was a lot of fun - good conversation, and the kids had a ball playing Wii and swimming in the pool.

Tonight, we attended our friends’ daughter’s wedding. It was beautiful, but hot - it was an outdoor wedding, and it was 107 degrees here today!

Tomorrow, we head to my parents’ house to celebrate my mom’s 60th birthday. In the evening, we’re going to take the kids to see Space Chimps at the drive-in. We live in one of the few communities in the US to still have a drive-in theater - and the boys have never been. It’s a double feature with Kung Fu Panda, but we’ve already seen that, so we’ll just stay for the first film.

I have had some time for reading, though. I finished Stealing Athena (my review) and My Husband’s Sweethearts (my review) and finished listening to Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes.

The Pacific and Other Stories by Mark Helprin is my current audiobook. I’m not quite sure what I think yet. I didn’t care for the first story - which was quite long, although the actor doing the reading is truly amazing, doing many different characters and accents. The second story was a little better. The third is good so far. We’ll see - I guess I’m still forming my opinion about whether I’m going to like this one or not.

I’m reading Guernica by Dave Boling, and his writing is so beautiful and descriptive that I feel like I’ve been visiting the Basque region of Spain prior to World War I.

I picked up The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen because my daughter Natalie insisted that I have to read it.

What are you reading on this Sunday in August?

Stealing Athena by Karen Essex tells the story of two historical women, two women whose names I had never heard before picking up this book, but whose stories are fascinating.

Mary Nesbit convinces her father to allow her to marry Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, because she desires to marry for love. Her father is not convinced of his worthiness - especially financially - but agrees to the match. Very shortly after marrying, Lord Elgin is named the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, and they set off for Constantinople.

While acting as ambassador to the Turks, Elgin is determined to rescue the famous Parthenon marbles in Athens, Greece, before Napoleon can get his hands on them. The Turks have devastated the Acropolis, sometimes crushing the marbles and using the materials for building homes, other times melting down the lead in the statues for bullets. Elgin is consumed with his plan to bring the marbles back to Britain and establish Britain as a leader in the Fine Arts movement.

According to the novel, Elgin would have failed miserably in his plan without the charms and financial resources of his intelligent wife, Mary. She uses her wits and her money to help her husband achieve his goals, even while his body is deteriorating from what was probably syphilis. (Both he and his doctor told his wife that he suffered from rheumatism.)

Set against this story of the Elgins and their removal of the marbles is the story of Aspasia, lover of Pericles, the man who commissioned the marbles to be crafted during the glory days of Athens.

It was interesting to see how much the fates of women were similar in these two historical eras, even though centuries passed between their lives. Women were not expected to be intelligent, educated, or opinionated. In Mary’s case, her husband loved her charm and beauty when it was benefiting his ambassadorship and plans for the marbles, but was also constantly jealous of the attention other men paid her.

Aspasia was not allowed to marry Pericles, because of a law Pericles himself had passed prohibiting Athenians from marrying foreigners. She lived with Pericles as his wife, but was considered a disrepectful woman who was too opinionated and had too much influence on Pericles.

Both women underwent public trials because of the choices they made in their lives. Neither woman allowed herself to be destroyed by the public and private persecution.

Essex is an extremely talented author. Stealing Athena is well-researched, and it kept my interest all the way through. I was fascinated to learn the stories of these women and how they impacted history in spite of their gender. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction - especially the work of Susan Vreeland and Tracy Chevalier - would enjoy this book.

4 out of 5 stars

Here is a video of Karen Essex reading a passage from her novel and talking about her inspiration for the work:

My Husband’s Sweethearts by Bridget Asher was the book that kept me company poolside as my kids swam this week, and it was good company indeed. Asher’s writing style reminds me a little of Marisa de los Santos, who has a blurb on the front cover of my ARC copy. While Asher may not have quite as unique a voice as de los Santos, or be quite as polished an author, her characters are fully drawn, quirky, and will make you love them.

Lucy hasn’t lived with her husband Artie for six months, since he confessed to multiple infidelities. Artie has been trying to win her back, sending her flowers every day, swearing that he still loves her, but Lucy’s not buying it. Then she receives the news that Artie is dying.

Lucy heads home to Artie’s deathbed, angry that she will have to go through this hardest of times alone, while Artie’s sweethearts got to be in on all the good times. She decides she won’t go through it alone, and starts calling the women in Artie’s “little black book.”

During the weeks that follow, Lucy will learn the meaning of forgiveness, letting go, and family. Is family simply the people we’re related to, or can family be something we choose?

4 out of 5 stars

I can’t remember where I saw this reading personality quiz, but it looked like fun. Turns out I fit into all four categories!

Your responses showed you fitting equally into all four reading personalities:

Involved Reader: You don’t just love to read books, you love to read about books. For you, half the fun of reading is the thrill of the chase - discovering new books and authors, and discussing your finds with others.

Exacting Reader: You love books but you rarely have as much time to read as you’d like - so you’re very particular about the books you choose.

Serial Reader: Once you discover a favorite writer you tend to stick with him/her through thick and thin.

Eclectic Reader: You read for entertainment but also to expand your mind. You’re open to new ideas and new writers, and are not wedded to a particular genre or limited range of authors.

I have to admit that question six cracked me up: “You’ve finished your last book, what do you do?” I have almost 100 books here that I haven’t read yet! I keep thinking I’ll make a dent in my to-read stacks, but then another ARC comes in the mail, or a friend loans me a book, or I see something at the library that I just can’t pass up… I’m sure you know how it is.

So, what’s your reading personality?

August Rush is a must-see film, pefect for family viewing. Just have plenty of kleenex handy.

Freddie Highmore stars as August Rush, a young boy looking for his parents, Lila and Louis, played by Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. They met, had one night together, and then her father dragged her away. When she is hit by a car in the final days of her pregnancy, her father gives the baby up for adoption and tells Lila that her baby is dead.

Fast-forward eleven years. Evan Taylor is living in a boys’ home, being tormented by the older boys because he believes that he can hear his parents’ music calling to him. He runs away, meets a musical Fagin named Wizard (played by Robin Williams) who uses young street musicians to hustle for him. When Evan’s musical genius becomes evident, Wizard convinces him to change his name to August Rush, and tries to book him some gigs, taking a handsome cut for himself.

When Evan escapes, he finds his way to a church, where the minister recognizes him as a prodigy and takes him to Julliard. From there, Evan composes his Rhapsody in the hope that his parents will hear it and find him.

This is an unabashedly sentimental film. Some may deride it for that reason, but I like sentimental films. Highmore is brilliant - he has a very bright future ahead of him if he keeps his wits about him and doesn’t go the way of other child stars. Russell and Meyers have perfect chemistry, and the ending, while predictable, will take your breath away.

Rated PG

I saw the Teaser Tuesdays meme, which originated at Should Be Reading, at Books on the Brain, and decided to join in.

Teaser Tuesdays ask you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Please avoid spoilers!

My teaser is from My Husband’s Sweethearts by Bridget Asher.

“Look, I can handle it from here,” I say. “Your turn at his deathbed is over.” ~ p. 101

Intrigued? This book will be available on August 26th - my copy is an ARC.

I finally got to see The Dark Knight tonight. And, it was as incredible as everyone is saying. And, yes, Heath Ledger fully deserves a posthumous Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the Joker.

But, before I get into talking about the movie, can I just say:

Ahem.

Okay, back to the movie.

Christian Bale is once again excellent as the tortured vigilante. His love for Rachel Dawes endures, and he’s hoping that she will still make good on her promise to be waiting when Gotham no longer needs Batman. In new DA Harvey Dent, he sees a white knight that will save Gotham and give Batman his awaited reason to retire.

But he doesn’t count on the Joker. He’s unlike the rest of Gotham’s criminals - not motivated by money or power, he simply wants to create chaos. There is no way to make him stop, and he’s out to get everyone who’s trying to fix Gotham.

Heath Ledger is truly brilliant. He makes Jack Nicholson’s Joker look like a pussycat. I expected his performance. What I didn’t expect was Aaron Eckhart’s amazing Harvey “Two-Face” Dent. His performance was the biggest surprise of the film.

It is obvious from the way the film ends that Bale will be donning the bat-suit at least one more time - and that couldn’t make me happier.