Sunday!
We’ve found another book that you probably need to get for the single-digit kids in your life, or the tweens who might be responsible for reading to their baby siblings. (And, when I say “we”, I mean “Maribou”.)
The Incredible Book Eating Boy
It’s a cute story, it’s got a somewhat cute twist in the middle, and ends with a cute surprise that will make the young’uns laugh pretty hard and give the someone older ones an opportunity to engage in some light absurdist slapstick humor to make the young’uns laugh even harder. And then they’ll want to read it again.
It’s not quite as sneakily didactic as some of the other books we’ve recommended here (Zen Shorts
So… what are you reading and/or watching?
Watching – the first two episodes of Utopia – a wonderfully-shot, ultraviolent UK thriller series about a murderous shadowy cabal that manipulates world affairs, and the graphic novel (and its fans) that may be its undoing . Too soon to tell yet whether it’s beautiful-yet-empty, but so far it’s hella stylish and fast-moving, so for right now I’m in for the ride.
The first two eps of Other Space, the sci-fi comedy from Paul Feig (Freaks & Geeks et al) on Yahoo! (and boy, does it feel strange to type that…). A little wobbly so far, but still silly good fun (and it has some of the MST3K guys on board) so…
Last week’s iZombie was the best yet, since they are starting to converge the various storylines. If they can keep adding to this world, we might have something special here. I really like Rose McIver a lot in this.
GoT and Mad Men tonight, obvs. Is it me, or has the dialogue in GoT been kind of…blah (a few Tyrion/Varys exchanges aside, but that is sort of a given)? Up until now there was often a little bit of poetry and subtext to it but the dialogue in the first two eps has been mostly just strictly functional. Not sure if that is because they are starting to diverge from the books, or because the show’s writers are losing steam (or, maybe all the characters are too ground down by now for flowery language anymore).
Or maybe it’s just me.Report
Tried the pilot of Zombie, and it didn’t quite sink in for me. Whatever I loved about Veronica Mars I just didn’t see.
Also watched almost the entire first season of Silicon Valley. Why the fish haven’t I been watching that all along?! It started out OK, but got seemingly exponentially funnier with each episode. (For those who have yet to see it, the Satanist baptism scene is in itself worth all the time it takes to watch the series.)
Lastly, I finally bit the bullet and watched the last few episodes of Justified — which I’d been putting off just because I didn’t want to come to the end. My goodness I’m going to miss that one. The last scene with Raylan and Boyd was pretty damn near pitch perfect, and like TNG and Cheers, the series somehow found the perfect last line to exit on.Report
I’ll quibble about that last line – it should have been Raylan who delivered it, as he’d delivered it so many times before to shruggingly explain the otherwise-inexplicable.
To have it come from Boyd’s mouth seemed a little cheesy to me.Report
Netflix just caused a belly laugh — a front-page scroll of movies (you know, the ‘trending now’ and ‘popular on netflix’ and ‘critically acclaimed’ thumbnails?)
there was one, “Watched by Kimmie Schmidt (The Incredible Kimmy Schmidt, and if you haven’t watched this series, why the hell not?) Kimmie’s been watching stuff like I Escaped a Cult, Doomsday Preppers, 13 Going on 30, and Billy Madison.
First time a thumbnail scroll has ever evoked a belly laugh for me.Report
Reading: Lots of kids’ books, of which the abovementioned was my absolute favorite. Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts, which I love. Now in the middle of Nikolski, by Dickner (in French), and Don’t Sleep, There are Snakes, by Everett, both of which are extremely interesting but not very compelling – easy to put down even though I enjoy picking them up again. I’ve also been reading the archives of Jonathan Strahan’s Notes from Coode Street blog, which is a very odd (but appealing) exercise. Reading 10 year old blog entries is strangely historical in feel, given that the Net changes so fast.
Watching: A mixed bag – some HIMYM, some Hamish MacBeth, some Daredevil, some Wolf Hall.
Listening: Coode Street Podcast, old episodes of Mahvesh Murad’s Karachi radio show 89 Chapters, and random old podcasts from the 2000’s as linked to in Notes from Coode Street. I finished listening to Blood Rites (6th in Butcher’s Harry Dresden series, which I’ve already read), and I’m about to start listening to Tiny Beautiful Things. I am ambivalent about how it will be to listen to the author of an advice column read her own work out loud… but it’s a really *good* advice column. Oh, and for some reason or another, the publisher was giving away an audio Best of Edgar Allan Poe, read by Edward Blake, a few weeks ago, so I’ve been listening to that too. It’s very well-done.Report
So I finished Enemy Mine yesterday; it’s paranoid and bleak. The last episode has what’s quite possibly one of the most romantic scenes ever filmed; though it’s got no fancy dresses or baubles to brighten it up. Well worth the watch, though it ends on a discordant note. . . should have had a season 2.
Then, to recover, I went for something lighter, and stumbled upon Silver Linings Playbook, and decided Jennifer Lawrence is probably one of the greatest actresses to ever grace the screen. Incredible performance. Not to mention an outstanding performance by De Niro.Report
edit: finished The Last Enemy and I’m tired from sorting out stuff in the kitchen that hadn’t been sorted out in years. Deciding to keep/not-keep/restocking shelves and cupboards is mentally draining. But my kitchen is very nicely organized (almost, anyway,) and the rest of the house awaits similar treatment. I shall be blubbermouthed by the time I finish, I fear, unable to put three words together without them mangling.Report
I knew what you meant. *hugs* I’m embarked on a similar project in our house, and I know what you mean about that too. Every tiny decision saps a little more energy and brain, and when there’s hundreds of ’em…Report
@maribou last night, I watched Burning Plain.
OMG.
What an incredible movie.Report
@zic *watches trailer* Yet another intriguing zic-pick! *adds to library queue*Report
It’s now Tuesday, and I’ve been reading ScotusBlog and it’s many links through the day and hoping some of the OT great legal minds are preparing posts. Just wanted to say I’m greatly anticipating them, and a bit of encouragement in your writing. But it sure would be nice to talk about it this evening somewhere.
With great affection,
zicReport
My dear @zic
Unfortunately, this is going to have to wait until tomorrow, unless someone else is going to take the lead on it. Today is my last day of massive deadlines and I am contractually obliged to adjunct teach in the evening. I’ve not read any oral argument yet and am on tenterhooks to do so.
Please stay tuned.Report