This week in books, television, and movies

1. BOOKS

We are still making our weekly trips to the public library, and the kids are racking up their reading points.

I just finished the most amazing book called, ‘Partitions’ by Amit Majmudar. It is his debut novel, and it is about the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan. It is absolutely stunning. The prose has such a lyrical, authentic quality. It is less about the historical aspect, and more about the humanity.

Anyway, I cannot recommend it enough.


2. TELEVISION

... something I’ve absolutely had enough of: “The Trial and its Aftermath”. Yeah, you know to what I’m referring. I admit, I did watch parts of the trial (Phil would use the word ‘obsessively’, but then again, he watches weird things on SYFY, so there’s no accounting for his television viewing), but now that it is over… IT’S OVER, PEOPLE!!

Were we all unhappy with the outcome? I’d say, at least, oh, about 93% of the U.S. population felt that it was an absolutely shocking acquittal, but does that mean that more than a week since it ended, CNN Headline News still needs to be hijacked by constant coverage of the trial, post-trial, interviews with jurors, and Nancy Grace’s shrill diatribes?

Can I just get the news now, please?!? I really don’t care to turn on the news and hear a family therapist break down the toxic relationship between Cindy and Casey Anthony, or listen to a team of hair & make-up stylists describing how they would alter Casey Anthony’s appearance to help her maintain her anonymity once she’s out of prison.

I've heard there are other things going on in the world, that are not restricted to a courthouse in Orlando??

3. MOVIES


In addition to books, and audiobooks, we’ve been checking a lot of DVD’s out of the library. Some have been hits and some have been disastrous misses.

Hit: Disney’s ‘Swiss Family Robinson’… we watched it last week for pizza and movie night, and the kids were completely enamored. I had never seen it, but I’ve been to the tree-house and Disneyworld and now I ‘get’ it. They loved watching it the first time, and the 2nd and 3rd. I do have to say, though, that it is a LOOOONG movie. Kids in the olden days must have had longer attention spans because this movie was well over 2 hours.

I was beginning to think those pirates would never abandon that island!

Definite Miss: ‘Coraline’… the kids watched it, and when it was over, they put the DVD back in the case, and put it back in the library bag. And then proceeded to put the library bag in the car.

All 3 reported that they never wanted to see it again, and that it needed to be taken back to the library ASAP. They all agreed to never speak of it again.

Why? Oh, I don’t know… it might have a little something to do with the fact that it is a movie about a little girl who visits the ‘Other World’, but tries to escape because she doesn’t want buttons sewn onto her eyes, like all of the other ghost children. Her parents are kidnapped, and she has to sever the hand of the ‘Other Mother’ to save her parents and the eyes of the ghost children.

I swear to you… I had no idea. And yes, it *is* a children’s movie. A creepy, nightmare-inducing children’s movie.

The up side?

They don’t ever complain that they are ‘bored’ anymore... especially since I bought my own copy of the movie, and offer to let them watch it if they can’t find anything else to do. ;)