Books and Babble
  • Home
  • Books
    • Book Review Archive
    • Movies, Places, etc
  • Babble
    • Tiki's Clicks >
      • Cameras
      • Phlog
      • Pictures >
        • Portraits
        • Europe 2006
        • Korea 2008
        • Ghost Town USA 2010
        • 2011 >
          • Seattle 2011
          • Critters
          • Southwesterly Parts >
            • Animas Forks
            • Silverton - Lake City
            • Moab
            • Santa Fe
            • MacDonald Observatory
            • Around Town
            • Bayfield
          • Northerly Parts >
            • North Shore Photo Shoot
            • Duluth
            • Boundary Waters
            • St. Louis
          • Niece
          • The Great American Road Trip
          • Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
        • 2012 >
          • St. Louis 0112
          • Wedding and Reception
          • Michigan & Minnesota
          • Camping in Jasper
          • Houston Zoo 102412
          • Smithville Photo Contest
          • HMNS Pixel Party
          • Texas Ren Fest
          • Picture A Day
        • 2013 >
          • Arizona
          • HMNS Pixel Party - Faberge 0213
          • Houston Lightning
          • New Orleans
          • Minnesota Road Trip
          • S&S Wedding
          • Fireworks
          • Hungary Hungary Honeymoon
  • About Me
    • Places
  • Bakes Blog

Review of David Sedaris' "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim"

9/23/2010

0 Comments

 
I just finished reading "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" by David Sedaris.

Sara gave me this book because she had two copies, and I was immediately interested in reading about someone else's dysfunctional family. It's individual stories about David Sedaris' family and their crazy shenanigans.

The beginning few stories were not as funny as I had hoped, but by the end I was cracking up.  At times I felt bad for laughing at certain moments that might have been sad or uncomfortable, but Sedaris just has such a great way of writing humorously. 

I sometimes wish my life was as interesting enough to write about, but not the kind of interesting that Sedaris' life was.  I don't know how I would particularly react if I had a close relation that wrote about me in a not-always-so-good light.

I liked the book, but I kind of hate that I liked the book.  I feel that a lot of this shouldn't have been funny but was.

Let's put it this way, I wish David Sedaris would write fiction.  He really has a way with words that I enjoy and he is a very good humorist. Writing humor is hard, and he has the knack.  I will probably read another book by him, but I'm in no real rush to do so. Out of 5 stars, I would give it a solid 3... I could take it or leave it.
0 Comments

"Flipped" Movie Review

9/14/2010

0 Comments

 
I just went to see Flipped with a friend of mine.  I had no idea what it was about except for the little he told me. This is what I have to say about the movie:

If you have a margarita and then go to the super early matinée of this movie when the theatre is completely empty, it is really easy to make side comments the whole way through... which we did.  The movie wasn't bad, but tequila makes everything a little funnier. So my actual thoughts on the movie without the bias of alcohol? It was a total surprise. Maybe I've become so desensitized everything in movies these days, but this was a good family film.  There is a little swearing, but really that's it.  I was expecting more drama and more sex and more action. Nope. It was a good family film.  I'm not disappointed that those things weren't in the movie, in fact, it made me rethink the movies I've seen recently. I was a little disappointed in how quickly the ending came around, like Rob Reiner got bored and decided to end the movie early.

Overall, I would give this movie 3.5 stars out of 5. Don't think I would see it in theatres, but it's good to watch. I also don't think I'd own it.
0 Comments

"Interstate 60" Movie Review

9/13/2010

0 Comments

 
Netflix is a dangerous thing. When you rate movies, Netflix recommends movies to you based on your ratings.  Maybe I've just rated enough movies, but the recommendations are usually very good.  One such movie that just popped up was a James Marsden movie from 2002 (?) called Interstate 60.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of this before! I don't really know how to describe it.  It's like a modern day fairy tale.  I really like mythology, and that's what got my attention. It starts out with two guys talking at a bar about the lack of mythical beings in American myths. Then another guy joins the conversation saying that this isn't true, America is just too young for these beings to have gotten around enough for people to know about them. 

James Marsden's character is living in his father's shadow and just wants an answer to his life. Gary Oldman plays O. W. Grant (One Wish Grant) and he hears Marsden's wish for an answer.  Marsden gets sent to deliver a package across the country on Interstate 60, a fictional highway. 

I really love how this movie makes you think and question what you think you know about things.  It's funny and entertaining, it's original and creative.  It's just a good movie.  I can't believe I hadn't heard of it. 

This is definitely going to be added to my DVD collection!
0 Comments

Review of Audrey Niffenegger's "The Time Traveler's Wife"

9/12/2010

0 Comments

 
I didn't actually finish the book, but I read quite a bit of "The Time Traveler's Wife".  You see, the book didn't belong to me so I had to return it before I leave the state.

My thoughts on this book:

It was hard to get into.  The "chapter" set up is rather odd. I don't do well with numbers and there are a lot of dates and age comparisons and changes.  I found myself completely ignoring how old people were during whatever year and I think that took away from the story.  I like the family holiday part, that seemed like the most "real" part of the book.  I don't know what it was, I just couldn't get into it.  I had no motivation to see where this ends up.  I mean, the title is "The Time Traveler's Wife" so we know they get married, but it takes them half the book to do so. It's no big surprise.  The only really surprising parts of this book are when you find out about Henry's life.  I didn't find him to be a very sympathetic character so it wasn't enough to make me want to read more.  Generally my rule is: if a book doesn't catch you by the time you finish the first third, it's not really going to get much better.  I gave this book well over it's "third" and... well, I'm giving up on it.  Sorry to all the people who loved the book, but those are just my thoughts.  But don't take my word for it! Find out for yourself, and check it out at your local library!
0 Comments
    Picture
    For the record, these reviews are my personal opinions about the books I volunteer to read. I'm not getting paid by anyone to read or review them. A lot of people charge a penny for their thoughts... mine are free. 
    Subscribe to receive email updates!

    Enter your email address:

    Archives

    November 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    February 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010

    Categories

    All
    A Dance With Dragons
    A Feast For Crows
    Aldous Huxley
    Allegiant
    Amanda Palmer
    Amy Tan
    Anansi Boys
    Andrew Matthews
    Anne Of Green Gables
    Apt Pupil
    A Sound Of Thunder
    Audrey Niffenegger
    Austin
    Authors
    Battle Royale
    Bbc
    Benjamin Button
    Billy Pilgrim
    Book Club
    Books
    Book Sale
    Brandon Sanderson
    Brave New World
    Brians Winter
    Bushwhack
    Cabin In The Woods
    Cemetery
    Childrens Books
    Chuck Ney
    Cindy Spencer Pape
    Click
    Cloud Atlas
    Coraline
    Crooked Tree
    Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
    Cycle Of The Werewolf
    David Farland
    David Mitchell
    David Sedaris
    Desperation
    Diana Gabaldon
    Different Seasons
    Dinosaurs
    Dirk Gently
    Divergent
    Douglas Adams
    Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim
    Drinking Game
    Dystopian
    Earthsea
    Elantris
    Emp
    Enders Game
    Ender Wiggin
    Epistolary
    Equus
    Everythings Eventual
    Eye Of The World
    Eyes Of The Dragon
    Family Film
    Fantasy
    Fiction
    Flash Gold
    Flipped
    Foxfire
    Frank Peretti
    Fran Kranz
    F Scott Fitzgerald
    Game Of Thrones
    Gary Oldman
    Gary Paulsen
    George R R Martin
    Gerald Chicalo
    Gerald's Game
    Gnomeo And Juliet
    Goosebumps
    Half Price Books
    Half Way Home
    Hamlet
    Handling The Undead
    Hatchet
    Haven
    Homesteading
    Horns
    Hugh Howey
    Hunger Games
    Hunted
    I Love Video
    Insomnia
    Insurgent
    Interstate 60
    Into The Tall Grass
    James Marsden
    Jeff Blumenfeld
    Jeff Wheeler
    Joe Hill
    John Ajvide Lindqvist
    John Steinbeck
    Joss Whedon
    Justin Scalise
    Kathryn Stockett
    Kindle
    Kurt Vonnegut
    Kvothe
    Language
    Lets Get Invisible
    Library
    Lindsay Buroker
    Liseys Story
    LM Montgomery
    Michigan
    Monkeys Paw
    Monster
    Monty Roberts
    Movie Review
    Movies
    Movie Store
    Needful Things
    Neil Gaiman
    Netflix
    Night Of The Living Dummy
    Nonfiction
    Of Mice And Men
    One Second After
    Orson Scott Card
    Outlander
    Patrick Rothfuss
    Paul Bettany
    Peacemaker
    Performance
    Photographs And Phantoms
    Places
    Plague Dogs
    Planet Of The Apes
    Play
    Post Apocalyptic
    P&P
    Pride & Prejudice & Zombies
    Priest
    Ray Bradbury
    Relationships
    Review
    Richard Adams
    R L Stine
    Robert A. Heinlein
    Robert C. Wilson
    Robert Deike
    Robert Jordan
    Rolf Potts
    Romance
    Romeo And Juliet
    Sandkings
    Sci-fi
    Serial Story
    Shakespeare
    Shardik
    Shawshank Redemption
    Short Story
    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    Slaughterhouse-five
    Something Wicked This Way Comes
    Song Of Ice And Fire
    Spoilers
    Stand By Me
    Starship Troopers
    Steampunk
    Stephen King
    Survival
    Suzanne Collins
    Texas
    The Cabin In The Woods
    The Colorado Kid
    The Dark Tower
    The Dragon Reborn
    The Girl Who Cried Monster
    The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
    The Great Hunt
    The Help
    The Horse Whisperer
    The Joy Luck Club
    The Kingkiller Chronicles
    The Life Of Pi
    The Long Dark Teatime Of The Soul
    The Lost World
    The Man Who Listens To Horses
    The Mist
    The Name Of The Wind
    The Shadow Rising
    The Shining
    The Stand
    The Sum Of All Men
    The Talisman
    The Time Travelers Wife
    The Wise Man's Fear
    The Wretched Of Muirwood
    Thinner
    Travel
    Update
    Ur
    Ursula Leguin
    Vagabonding
    Veronica Roth
    Watership Down
    What Im Reading
    Wheel Of Time
    Where The Red Fern Grows
    William R. Forstchen
    Wilson Rawls
    Wizard Of Earthsea
    W W Jacobs
    Yann Martel
    You Want To Go Where

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2015 COPYRIGHT Nicole Koves. All rights reserved.