friday december 28
With a great story, big stars, a legendary director, and a very capable screenwriter, Charlie Wilson's War has opened in theaters accompanied by rave reviews and Golden Globe nominations. Containing elements of espionage, wealth, glamour, and political intrigue, this film is based on a true story of the days when Texans took the law into their own hands, not in the 1880's, but actually, the 1980's. Directed by Mike Nichols, Aaron Sorkin (who created NBC's West Wing) adapted the screenplay from a 2003 book by George Crile, a former producer at CBS news who came into notoriety following the Vietnam War when he took on the US Department of Defense in the form of Gen. William Westmoreland.
George Crile died in 2006, but the real Charlie Wilson is still around, residing in Lufkin, Texas, where he is commonly known as "Good Time Charlie". Tom Hanks and his production company, Playtone, have created a film of substance that entertains and provides some backstory to the current issues in the Middle East. The Library offers Crile's book in regular print, large print, and Downloadable Audiobook formats.
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wednesday december 26
I recently noticed on the library's book discussion group calendar that the Miami Township Branch Library book club will be discussing Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer on Tuesday, January 8th at 10:00 a.m.
I read the book this past summer and was blown away. I found myself wanting to talk about it with anyone who would listen--much to the annoyance of my husband and coworkers, I’m sure. But Krakauer’s book is that good. He grabs your attention and doesn’t let go.
Under the Banner of Heaven tells the true story of Mormon fundamentalists Dan and Ron Lafferty, who murdered the wife and infant daughter of their younger brother Allen in 1984 but claimed they were acting on direct orders from God.
The most interesting aspect of the book for me was Krakauer’s detailed history of the Mormon faith, a religion I knew little about. If you have further interest in this subject, watch the acclaimed PBS documentary The Mormons on DVD.
Krakauer’s earlier book Into the Wild was recently adapted on film and just received four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, and two Academy Award nominations. His bestseller Into Thin Air (1997) is also a gripping read.
Steve Martin, noted actor and comedian, will be among the honorees at the 30th Annual Kennedy Center Awards this evening.
He has written a book about his own life, Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life (2007), which I enjoyed as an audio book. Martin tells affectionately about his life so far and his road to fame. He originally wanted to be a magician, and for years he had magic (and poetry reading!) as part of his act.
Martin has a fascinating and very smart mind, but really I don't know why this should be a surprise. His comedy and acting are clever and easily accessed by almost everyone but especially people around my age, baby boomers who weirdly have things like flower power and air raid drills in our common history. He seems to sum us up, somehow.
It's not a long book. It is succinct. I loved it. And if I have gotten to know Steve Martin at all, I think he is probably a bit bemused by his prestigious honor this evening.
friday december 21
Fans of the audio versions of the Harry Potter books by J.K.Rowling are already familiar with my favorite audio book narrator, Jim Dale. According to his web site he has been nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!
I did a little research and discovered that Jim Dale has a widely varied background on the stage and in movies in addition to audio book narration. For example, much to my surprise and delight I discovered that he was the "bad guy" in the movie Pete's Dragon, a favorite of my kids when they were little.
The list of his awards and accomplishments is too long for my limited space here, but I was probably the most impressed by his Tony Award for his creation and performance on Broadway of the main character in Barnum! OK, did you know Jim Dale wrote the lyrics to the song Georgy Girl?? Neither did I!!
What a gift he is, this talented multi-faceted man who has touched so many lives with his award-winning performances, not the least of which are the Harry Potter books.
wednesday december 19
Everything after the first chapter of The Great Starvation Experiment is anticlimactic, because it's here that Todd Tucker describes Hitler's 1941-1943 siege of Leningrad. A million Russians may have starved during the 872 days before the Red Army broke through the blockade. After the zoo animals, people killed their pets. They ate wallpaper paste and shoe leather. During the second year, they began breaking more basic taboos.
Thirty-six American conscientious objectors, chosen among other reasons for their sound mental health, volunteered for an experiment whose goal was to study starvation's physiological and psychological effects, and to discover the most effective way to conclude a period of starvation. The Americans' goal was both humanitarian and military: the government assumed that Russians who had been weakened by famine would be physically and mentally unable to resist Stalin's armies at war's end.
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I love minor novels. Don’t get me wrong, I love major novels, too—big, muscular novels of ideas and literary bravura—but sometimes a small-scale work is just the right size. Lately, that seems to be what I’ve been in the mood for. (Did you like Moon Women and Uninvited Daughters?)
Englishwoman Marika Cobbold’s 1994 debut, Guppies for Tea, is another graceful, assured, and deliberately small-scale work.
Amelia Lindsey, by nature rather vague and irresolute, finds herself forced to take up the role of caretaker for her widowed grandmother, Selma. The family has put Selma into a nursing home—nice enough in its way, but depressingly cheerful—and Selma hates it.
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monday december 17
The beauty of light becomes more pronounced when contrasted with darkness. The December 22 Winter Solstice brings the longest night of the year and the perfect opportunity to create light with candles. For a unique solstice experience you might want to "unleash your inner druid" and have a solstice day - without electricity. At sunset, bring out the candlelight. "Candlenight" is a winter solstice celebration that started in Japan in 2003. Books such as Illuminations by Wally Arnold will inspire you to decorate with candlelight, while Light A Candle by Sylvia Browne will inspire some candlelight rituals. Candlegrove and School of the Seasons are among the web sites that are devoted to seasonal celebrations around the world.
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