Today we began our life as a cable tv-free household. We decided to cut the cord for the summer as a test, and see how it goes just using our Roku box for streaming any movies and tv we want a la carte.
I can't imagine this will be a problem -- Netflix has lots of pbs shows for the kids (they love Martha Speaks, Fetch with Ruff Ruffman, and Word Girl), and lots of Doctor Who for me to still catch up on.
I actually think we won't even notice until (if) football season starts in the fall.
I will miss my daily viewings of Pardon the Interruption and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday, June 5, 2011
CR Review #18: Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
I'm not (and have never really been) a particular fan of Rob Lowe. Other than The Outsiders and Class, I don't really remember seeing any of Rob's movies in the 80s, when he was a huge star. I didn't really care about the "brat pack" and I thought he was way too pretty for my tastes. It wasn't until after his infamous video tape from the DNC that I became a bit more interested in what he was up to and the choices he was making: Bad Influence and Masquerade certainly weren't really good movies, but they were ok for a friday night rental. He was funny in Tommy Boy and Wayne's World, but only because he had really small parts. Loved him as Robert Wagner in the Austin Powers movies, simply because his role was ridiculous. I never watched the West Wing, but thought he was pretty good in the Stand (as a deaf/mute, no less). And I think he's funny on Parks & Recreation.
I recently saw him making the rounds on the cable news talk shows, talking about his new book and his political views, and had to admit I was somewhat interested by what he had to say. So I headed down to the library, picked up his new autobiography, and sat down for 4 or 5 hours to read it.
I really enjoyed reading about the process of making The Outsiders, and how devastating it was for him to find him almost completely cut from the end version of the film. I liked how he took the time to call out colleagues and friends of his who had made the biggest influences on him with their professional and pleasant behavior (nice things to say about Bill Murray, C Thomas Howell, Mike Myers, and Christopher Walken). I appreciated that he had some brutally honest things to say about the unpleasant world of Hollywood, his struggles with sobriety and monogamy, and he why he and his wife live outside of LA and have not encouraged their kids to be a part of show business. His stories about his political involvement were also interesting, especially his time on the Dukakis campaign trail.
Hands-down, the most entertaining stories in the book were his encounters with Matt Dillon throughout the years. Each time he crossed paths with Matt, the anecdote made me laugh out loud.
What was disappointing to me were the bits that simply didn't appear in the book. Little to no mention of his relationship with his brother Chad. A bit odd, I thought. Almost nothing about his teenage relationship with Melissa Gilbert, who has nothing but bad things to say in her own book about the way she was treated by him.
In a nutshell, a quick and entertaining read, especially for anyone out there who had a fold-out poster of the Outsiders cast from Dynamite magazine hanging in their junior high locker.
I recently saw him making the rounds on the cable news talk shows, talking about his new book and his political views, and had to admit I was somewhat interested by what he had to say. So I headed down to the library, picked up his new autobiography, and sat down for 4 or 5 hours to read it.
I really enjoyed reading about the process of making The Outsiders, and how devastating it was for him to find him almost completely cut from the end version of the film. I liked how he took the time to call out colleagues and friends of his who had made the biggest influences on him with their professional and pleasant behavior (nice things to say about Bill Murray, C Thomas Howell, Mike Myers, and Christopher Walken). I appreciated that he had some brutally honest things to say about the unpleasant world of Hollywood, his struggles with sobriety and monogamy, and he why he and his wife live outside of LA and have not encouraged their kids to be a part of show business. His stories about his political involvement were also interesting, especially his time on the Dukakis campaign trail.
Hands-down, the most entertaining stories in the book were his encounters with Matt Dillon throughout the years. Each time he crossed paths with Matt, the anecdote made me laugh out loud.
What was disappointing to me were the bits that simply didn't appear in the book. Little to no mention of his relationship with his brother Chad. A bit odd, I thought. Almost nothing about his teenage relationship with Melissa Gilbert, who has nothing but bad things to say in her own book about the way she was treated by him.
In a nutshell, a quick and entertaining read, especially for anyone out there who had a fold-out poster of the Outsiders cast from Dynamite magazine hanging in their junior high locker.
Monday, May 16, 2011
CR Reviews #15 - 17: Delirium, Before I Fall, Matched
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Matched by Ally Condie
I picked up both novels by Lauren Oliver at the library a few weeks ago, after having read a few reviews here on CBR3. I was intrigued by the many positive things said about her writing style and her originality, and most of all, her ability to really paint a picture of a real teenager.
I first read Delirium (not for any reason other than that it was a new release from the library, and would be due sooner). Delirium is the story of a futuristic society that has outlawed love. Love has been found to be the cause of all of the world's problems, and when citizens turn 18, they have a procedure (a lobotomy? seems to be something like that) that leaves them incapable of love, and sends them on their way to live an emotionless, stepford life with a partner chosen for them by the government and children they don't particularly have any attachment to.
Lena is almost 18 and about to undergo her procedure, when she meets Alex, a mysterious and handsome young man that introduces Lena to another way of life, where people make their own choices and have their own feelings. Lena begins to question everything she's ever known, including what happened to her mother…as a child she was told that her mother -- who had undergone the procedure unsuccessfully several times -- had committed suicide because of her "delirium". As Lena begins to remember more about her mother, and Alex reveals more about the lies being told to the public by the government, Lena wonders about her own future, and if she can possibly change it.
I didn't love this book, but will check out the next installment in the planned trilogy (by the way, why is every YA book part of a trilogy?), as I am interested in finding out what the government is hiding and whether or not their initiatives are global, or strictly something going on in the US, and am also curious about Lena's mother.
I'm quite glad that I read Delirium before I read Before I Fall. If I had read Delirium second, I doubt I would have even finished it, as I would have been completely disappointed. Before I Fall is a beautifully written, painfully true-to-life account of what life as a teenage girl is like.
Before I Fall is the story of Sam, a popular senior girl at a posh suburban Connecticut high school. She is a part of the most powerful clique in the school (clearly, the "mean girls"), and in the opening pages of the book, not a very nice person. In the first chapters, she and her friends go to a party, drink excessively, and get into a car crash, that seemingly kills Sam.
However, when Sam wakes up the next morning, she's not quite sure if she is alive or dead. Sam is then forced to relive her last day on earth over and over, until she changes her life and her relationships for the better, and can finally be at peace.
More than just a teenage version of Groundhog Day -- really a very moving and beautifully written story of teenage friendship and relationships. My one complaint (which has been noted by other reviewers here) is regarding the ending and the character of Juliet…but I won't get into the details for those who haven't read the book yet. I just wonder how Sam's choice will really make Juliet's life any better…to me it seems like Juliet might actually be worse off in the end.
Lastly, I finished reading Matched, by Ally Condie, sort of a partner for Delirium. Matched also tells the tale of a futuristic society, in which all choices are made by the government (the Society) -- food is provided, jobs are assigned, spouses are chosen, and even the date of your death is prearranged.
Cassia and Xander, best friends forever, have just been "matched" together to become husband and wife. When Cassia decides to find out more about her future with Xander and turns on a small computer with information about him, she instead finds that maybe he isn't her perfect match after all. She sees another boys face -- the face of another friend, Ky Markham.
Cassia finds herself coming into contact with Ky more and more, and can't help but wonder if he is her soulmate instead of Xander. Ky and Cassia begin a dangerous, secret friendship, growing ever closer and closer, until of course, the government steps in and tears them apart.
Again, this book is the first in a proposed trilogy…the second installment should be out later this year, where we can find out if Cassia can ever be with Ky, and what the government is covering up. Like Delirium, I'm not desperate to know what happens to Cassia, but am quite curious about the world in which she lives, so I'll probably pick up the next book to find out.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Matched by Ally Condie
I picked up both novels by Lauren Oliver at the library a few weeks ago, after having read a few reviews here on CBR3. I was intrigued by the many positive things said about her writing style and her originality, and most of all, her ability to really paint a picture of a real teenager.
I first read Delirium (not for any reason other than that it was a new release from the library, and would be due sooner). Delirium is the story of a futuristic society that has outlawed love. Love has been found to be the cause of all of the world's problems, and when citizens turn 18, they have a procedure (a lobotomy? seems to be something like that) that leaves them incapable of love, and sends them on their way to live an emotionless, stepford life with a partner chosen for them by the government and children they don't particularly have any attachment to.
Lena is almost 18 and about to undergo her procedure, when she meets Alex, a mysterious and handsome young man that introduces Lena to another way of life, where people make their own choices and have their own feelings. Lena begins to question everything she's ever known, including what happened to her mother…as a child she was told that her mother -- who had undergone the procedure unsuccessfully several times -- had committed suicide because of her "delirium". As Lena begins to remember more about her mother, and Alex reveals more about the lies being told to the public by the government, Lena wonders about her own future, and if she can possibly change it.
I didn't love this book, but will check out the next installment in the planned trilogy (by the way, why is every YA book part of a trilogy?), as I am interested in finding out what the government is hiding and whether or not their initiatives are global, or strictly something going on in the US, and am also curious about Lena's mother.
I'm quite glad that I read Delirium before I read Before I Fall. If I had read Delirium second, I doubt I would have even finished it, as I would have been completely disappointed. Before I Fall is a beautifully written, painfully true-to-life account of what life as a teenage girl is like.
Before I Fall is the story of Sam, a popular senior girl at a posh suburban Connecticut high school. She is a part of the most powerful clique in the school (clearly, the "mean girls"), and in the opening pages of the book, not a very nice person. In the first chapters, she and her friends go to a party, drink excessively, and get into a car crash, that seemingly kills Sam.
However, when Sam wakes up the next morning, she's not quite sure if she is alive or dead. Sam is then forced to relive her last day on earth over and over, until she changes her life and her relationships for the better, and can finally be at peace.
More than just a teenage version of Groundhog Day -- really a very moving and beautifully written story of teenage friendship and relationships. My one complaint (which has been noted by other reviewers here) is regarding the ending and the character of Juliet…but I won't get into the details for those who haven't read the book yet. I just wonder how Sam's choice will really make Juliet's life any better…to me it seems like Juliet might actually be worse off in the end.
Lastly, I finished reading Matched, by Ally Condie, sort of a partner for Delirium. Matched also tells the tale of a futuristic society, in which all choices are made by the government (the Society) -- food is provided, jobs are assigned, spouses are chosen, and even the date of your death is prearranged.
Cassia and Xander, best friends forever, have just been "matched" together to become husband and wife. When Cassia decides to find out more about her future with Xander and turns on a small computer with information about him, she instead finds that maybe he isn't her perfect match after all. She sees another boys face -- the face of another friend, Ky Markham.
Cassia finds herself coming into contact with Ky more and more, and can't help but wonder if he is her soulmate instead of Xander. Ky and Cassia begin a dangerous, secret friendship, growing ever closer and closer, until of course, the government steps in and tears them apart.
Again, this book is the first in a proposed trilogy…the second installment should be out later this year, where we can find out if Cassia can ever be with Ky, and what the government is covering up. Like Delirium, I'm not desperate to know what happens to Cassia, but am quite curious about the world in which she lives, so I'll probably pick up the next book to find out.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
CR Review #14: A Visit From the Goon Squad
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
I had been reading lots of reviews for this book, mostly positive, and mostly intriguing. I made a note to put it on my library list, and then forgot about it. Then it won the Pulitzer prize, and I made a note to check my library list to see how long the wait was. Still wasn't dying to read it, but curious nevertheless.
And then, one day, I read a tweet that made me push it right to the top of the library waiting list…a tweet from John Taylor of Duran Duran. He called it the greatest book ever and told everyone to run out and get it immediately. As a lifelong fan of Duran Duran, this was the sign that I needed that it was time to read this book.
A Visit From the Good Squad is made up of a bunch of inter-weaving chapters, crossing different eras in time and different locations around the world, all more-or-less dealing with the same group of characters. We meet Sasha, a kleptomaniac who lives in New York City and works for a record producer. In the next chapter we meet her boss and learn about his family and his neurosis. Then we flash back 30 years and find out how he was in a rock band and meet the girl who was in love with him from afar. And in each chapter after that, we hop from character to character, era to era, city to city.
I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book, loving the story of the rock & roll and punk lifestyle and finding out more about the tertiary characters in that world. But I didn't love the end of the book -- 30 pages of powerpoint and then a futuristic chapter. Interesting and original, but just not for me.
I'll still give Jennifer Egan another shot, as I found her language and characters to be rich and lifelike (someone else in the CBR3 reviewed The Keep, so that's next for me). Sorry, John Taylor, this was not the greatest book ever. I guess this is why I've always been more of a Simon LeBon girl.
I had been reading lots of reviews for this book, mostly positive, and mostly intriguing. I made a note to put it on my library list, and then forgot about it. Then it won the Pulitzer prize, and I made a note to check my library list to see how long the wait was. Still wasn't dying to read it, but curious nevertheless.
And then, one day, I read a tweet that made me push it right to the top of the library waiting list…a tweet from John Taylor of Duran Duran. He called it the greatest book ever and told everyone to run out and get it immediately. As a lifelong fan of Duran Duran, this was the sign that I needed that it was time to read this book.
A Visit From the Good Squad is made up of a bunch of inter-weaving chapters, crossing different eras in time and different locations around the world, all more-or-less dealing with the same group of characters. We meet Sasha, a kleptomaniac who lives in New York City and works for a record producer. In the next chapter we meet her boss and learn about his family and his neurosis. Then we flash back 30 years and find out how he was in a rock band and meet the girl who was in love with him from afar. And in each chapter after that, we hop from character to character, era to era, city to city.
I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book, loving the story of the rock & roll and punk lifestyle and finding out more about the tertiary characters in that world. But I didn't love the end of the book -- 30 pages of powerpoint and then a futuristic chapter. Interesting and original, but just not for me.
I'll still give Jennifer Egan another shot, as I found her language and characters to be rich and lifelike (someone else in the CBR3 reviewed The Keep, so that's next for me). Sorry, John Taylor, this was not the greatest book ever. I guess this is why I've always been more of a Simon LeBon girl.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
CR Review #13: Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Amy is 16 years old and has just split up with the first love of her life, Jason. She and her parents are moving away. Where are they moving? Oh, just to a planet 300 light years away. It seems that the Earth is in crisis and a team of settlers are being sent to a new planet, where they can set up a new civilization. They'll just have to be frozen for 300 years, and then when they wake up, boom -- they'll be at their new home.
Except things don't go exactly as planned. Amy's sleep chamber is mysteriously unplugged and she begins to thaw. She is rescued by a boy named Elder, who lives on the spaceship, and he gives her the bad news that she's been unfrozen 50 years too early and cannot be re-frozen or she will die. Elder is being groomed to someday lead the inhabitants of the ship (under the wing of the current leader, simply named Eldest). He quickly falls in love with Amy, and she just might be ready to have feelings for him too.
The book is a sci-fi teen romance, with a little bit of mystery thrown in. Who unplugged Amy? Why are other sleep chambers being unplugged, and their occupants left to die? Why does everyone on the ship seem so lack any sort of emotion? What is Elder's role in all of this?
This is the first in a planned trilogy of books about Amy and Elder. I'm not sure I"ll continue with the series, but then again, I'm not exactly the target audience. I applaud the originality of the story, but am not sure I cared for the resolution of the big mystery at the end, and was not particularly wrapped up in the characters.
Except things don't go exactly as planned. Amy's sleep chamber is mysteriously unplugged and she begins to thaw. She is rescued by a boy named Elder, who lives on the spaceship, and he gives her the bad news that she's been unfrozen 50 years too early and cannot be re-frozen or she will die. Elder is being groomed to someday lead the inhabitants of the ship (under the wing of the current leader, simply named Eldest). He quickly falls in love with Amy, and she just might be ready to have feelings for him too.
The book is a sci-fi teen romance, with a little bit of mystery thrown in. Who unplugged Amy? Why are other sleep chambers being unplugged, and their occupants left to die? Why does everyone on the ship seem so lack any sort of emotion? What is Elder's role in all of this?
This is the first in a planned trilogy of books about Amy and Elder. I'm not sure I"ll continue with the series, but then again, I'm not exactly the target audience. I applaud the originality of the story, but am not sure I cared for the resolution of the big mystery at the end, and was not particularly wrapped up in the characters.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
CR Review #12: Gunn's Golden Rules
Even though I have never watched a single episode of Project Runway, I am a big fan of Tim Gunn and his belief that everyone is beautiful and that all we need are a few good pieces of clothing and someone to show us how to wear them. I picked up his book on a whim, thinking it might give some fashion tips (as a stay-at-home mom of 3, I definitely need a few), and was somewhat disappointed to find that this was another sort of book altogether…but it wasn't a bad book and in the end I was glad I read it.
Gunn's Golden Rules basically gives Tim a chance to rant and rave about the lack of manners in our current society. He complains about the lack of written thank you notes, "helicopter" parenting, casual Fridays, and bad tipping in restaurants. Many of his complaints are valid: emails sent instead of a handwritten note after a death are clearly inappropriate; people in the service industry are actually human beings and should be treated as such; parents -- not children -- should be blamed for the ill behavior of their kids, etc.
He also touches briefly upon his upbringing and the difficulties he had growing up gay in a very straight household, and he mentions his suicide attempt as a teen.
I would have liked more names to be named in his stories about divas in the fashion industry, but I'll make do with the few ridiculous stories told about Anna Wintour and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Gunn's Golden Rules basically gives Tim a chance to rant and rave about the lack of manners in our current society. He complains about the lack of written thank you notes, "helicopter" parenting, casual Fridays, and bad tipping in restaurants. Many of his complaints are valid: emails sent instead of a handwritten note after a death are clearly inappropriate; people in the service industry are actually human beings and should be treated as such; parents -- not children -- should be blamed for the ill behavior of their kids, etc.
He also touches briefly upon his upbringing and the difficulties he had growing up gay in a very straight household, and he mentions his suicide attempt as a teen.
I would have liked more names to be named in his stories about divas in the fashion industry, but I'll make do with the few ridiculous stories told about Anna Wintour and Diane Von Furstenberg.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
CR Review #11: The Waste Lands
The Waste Lands by Stephen King, is book #3 in the 7-book Dark Tower Series. (My reviews for books one and two can be found here).
The book picks up shorts after the end of book 2. Roland and his two new gunslingers, Eddie and Susannah, are beginning their quest to find the Dark Tower. They quickly find their way after meeting Shardik -- a 70-foot tall robotic bear, and "guardian of the beam" (the beam being basically an invisible path that leads to the tower).
Meanwhile, Roland is slowly going insane. When he entered the body of Jack Mort toward the end of book 2, he stopped Mort from pushing Jake Chambers into traffic, thus saving his life. This makes Roland wonder: If Jake never died, then Roland never met Jake at the waystation, and he never let Jake die under the mountains. Young Jake Chambers is going through the exact same thing back in 1970s New York -- did he die? is he alive? Jake shuffles through life, opening every door he sees, hoping that this door will be the one to take him back to Roland's world.
Jake ditches school during finals (when he opens his backpack to reveal an English paper he doesn't remember writing -- about Roland, trains, something named Blaine, and the Truth). He heads downtown and finds himself in a bookstore (owned by Calvin Tower, of course) where he feels the need to buy two books: Charlie the Choo-Choo (a kids book about a train) and Riddle-Dee-Dum (a book of riddles with the answers torn out). Outside, he happens upon a vacant lot, and inside, the most beautiful rose he has ever seen -- and he knows that it must be protected at all costs.
Back in Roland's world, Eddie has dreams and visions that help him formulate a plan to bring Jake over to their where/when from New York, and eventually the ka-tet of Eddie, Roland and Susannah get Jake over to their where/when and they continue their journey. Along the way, they meet Oy (my second favorite, after Eddie), a racoon-like creature called a Billy Bumbler, and Jake insists that he join them on their quest.
Eventually, they come to an ancient city called Lud (which looks very much like New York), and Jake is taken captive by a man named Gasher, member of the Grays faction of Lud (the opposing faction are the Pubes). Gasher's leader is the Tick Tock Man, and they live beneath the city in an ancient bomb shelter. Roland and Oy rescue Jake, and shoot up the bomb shelter, leaving everyone there for dead (Tick Tock is actually not dead, and is saved by the Ageless Stranger, who we know as Randall Flagg from The Stand).
Meanwhile, Eddie and Susannah race across the city to find a train (who goes by the name of Blaine) that can take them out of Lud and across the Waste Lands, over 800 miles closer to the Tower. Blaine will only take them if they entertain him with riddles. Blaine intends to commit suicide with Roland and his team on board, unless they can stump him with a riddle that he can't answer….
And its there that the book comes to a rather strange and sudden ending.
In rereading these first three books, I'm sort of disappointed now to have to move on to Wizard and Glass -- a book I enjoyed so much when it first came out, but now I'm too impatient to get back to the story and don't want to have to sift through hundreds of pages about Roland and Susan and Cuthbert. I'm thinking if I have time, I'll read Salem's Lot again before reading the Wolves of the Calla, so I can try and remember the details about Pere Callahan. Looking forward to getting back into the story, for sure.
The book picks up shorts after the end of book 2. Roland and his two new gunslingers, Eddie and Susannah, are beginning their quest to find the Dark Tower. They quickly find their way after meeting Shardik -- a 70-foot tall robotic bear, and "guardian of the beam" (the beam being basically an invisible path that leads to the tower).
Meanwhile, Roland is slowly going insane. When he entered the body of Jack Mort toward the end of book 2, he stopped Mort from pushing Jake Chambers into traffic, thus saving his life. This makes Roland wonder: If Jake never died, then Roland never met Jake at the waystation, and he never let Jake die under the mountains. Young Jake Chambers is going through the exact same thing back in 1970s New York -- did he die? is he alive? Jake shuffles through life, opening every door he sees, hoping that this door will be the one to take him back to Roland's world.
Jake ditches school during finals (when he opens his backpack to reveal an English paper he doesn't remember writing -- about Roland, trains, something named Blaine, and the Truth). He heads downtown and finds himself in a bookstore (owned by Calvin Tower, of course) where he feels the need to buy two books: Charlie the Choo-Choo (a kids book about a train) and Riddle-Dee-Dum (a book of riddles with the answers torn out). Outside, he happens upon a vacant lot, and inside, the most beautiful rose he has ever seen -- and he knows that it must be protected at all costs.
Back in Roland's world, Eddie has dreams and visions that help him formulate a plan to bring Jake over to their where/when from New York, and eventually the ka-tet of Eddie, Roland and Susannah get Jake over to their where/when and they continue their journey. Along the way, they meet Oy (my second favorite, after Eddie), a racoon-like creature called a Billy Bumbler, and Jake insists that he join them on their quest.
Eventually, they come to an ancient city called Lud (which looks very much like New York), and Jake is taken captive by a man named Gasher, member of the Grays faction of Lud (the opposing faction are the Pubes). Gasher's leader is the Tick Tock Man, and they live beneath the city in an ancient bomb shelter. Roland and Oy rescue Jake, and shoot up the bomb shelter, leaving everyone there for dead (Tick Tock is actually not dead, and is saved by the Ageless Stranger, who we know as Randall Flagg from The Stand).
Meanwhile, Eddie and Susannah race across the city to find a train (who goes by the name of Blaine) that can take them out of Lud and across the Waste Lands, over 800 miles closer to the Tower. Blaine will only take them if they entertain him with riddles. Blaine intends to commit suicide with Roland and his team on board, unless they can stump him with a riddle that he can't answer….
And its there that the book comes to a rather strange and sudden ending.
In rereading these first three books, I'm sort of disappointed now to have to move on to Wizard and Glass -- a book I enjoyed so much when it first came out, but now I'm too impatient to get back to the story and don't want to have to sift through hundreds of pages about Roland and Susan and Cuthbert. I'm thinking if I have time, I'll read Salem's Lot again before reading the Wolves of the Calla, so I can try and remember the details about Pere Callahan. Looking forward to getting back into the story, for sure.
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