After finishing the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt I had to watch the movie again. I saw it a long time ago but only vaguely remembered it so on to the Netflix queue it went. I was bitterly disappointed. The book is SOOOOO much better; how John Berendt could allow his wonderful book to be so mangled by John Lee Hancock, who wrote the screenplay, is beyond me. (To give credit where it's due, John Lee Hancock has improved- he also wrote the screenplay for The Blind Side, which was great.) The book was loosely factual; Berendt apparently took some artistic license here and there. The screenplay then took that and mixed everything up even more. People who didn't know each other at all in the book were all of a sudden bosom buddies in the movie. According to IMDB, both the book and the movie also made gay characters straight. They even gave the writer in the movie, John Kelso, who was played by John Cusack and is loosely based on John Berendt, a female love interest. John Berendt is gay too but he doesn’t have any sort of love interest in the book so I didn’t know that until I read it on IMDB. (There are too many Johns involved in this movie!!!)
I can understand why the characters were all mushed together- there were so many quirky, colorful people in the book and they all needed to be tied in to make one cohesive story, but it was not well done. They also shortened the trials that took place from four to one and left out the political aspects of the vendetta against Jim Williams by his neighbor and major supporter of a largely incompetent DA. Williams, the main focus of part two in the book and the focus of the entire movie, was found guilty of murder twice in Savannah. He also had one mistrial before the fourth and final trial, which took place in a different city, ended in a not guilty verdict. The real life trials took 10 years and Williams spent a good amount of that time in jail, which made it all the more tragic when he died just a few months after his acquittal. Of course they had to shorten that up to get the movie down to a reasonable time, but they lost some important aspects of what happened by doing that. In addition to leaving out the political vendetta, they lost the implications that the Savannah juries found Williams guilty in large part because he was gay, not because the evidence was there. The gay aspect was touched on, but it wasn’t central.
The casting was good for the most part, but I think Jude Law as Billy Hanson, the murder victim, was a mistake. Jude Law is a good looking guy but he's not drop dead gorgeous and that's what they needed for that role. I couldn't find any pictures of the actual Billy Hanson on-line but he was described as being "the finest piece of *** in Savannah", and I'm sorry, but Jude Law just didn't cut it. Somebody buff, too- there was a need for muscles and a six pack, and they dressed Jude Law in baggy, baggy jeans that did nothing for him. He’s talented enough that he carried the acting part convincingly, but visually it didn’t work for me.
The Lady Chablis played herself and she was hilarious. In the book she's in Part 1 and I don't think she knew Jim Williams or Billy Hanson in real life. (I could be remembering that incorrectly- maybe she knew of them but didn't interact with them?) There was one of her scenes they included that should have hit the cutting room floor because it made no sense in the context of the movie, but it was funny. In the book Berendt makes friends with a wide variety of people in Savannah and is invited to all sorts of social events. One of these events is a cotillion hosted by a black fraternity for their chosen debutantes. This has nothing to do with his association with Jim Williams and the trial, it's just another thing that happens as Berendt is in Savannah.
Well, the motivations for this are not made clear in the movie at all so it makes no sense. The movie isn't about an author's adventures in Savannah, the movie is about a murder and the subsequent trial. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, John Kelso is going to this cotillion for no clear reason. He mentions it to the Lady Chablis, why I have no idea, and they have a conversation about how she wants to go and he's trying to talk her out of it. In the book he tries to convince her that she would be bored by telling her that the girls are all goody two shoes types, they've never done drugs or had abortions or stolen things or gotten into any trouble whatsoever, and he gives this whole list of criteria the girls have to meet to be chosen as debutantes. In the movie, he says something like "most of the girls have never shoplifted". Huh what? Going from these girls are sweet innocent goody-goodies to "most" of them haven't shoplifted? What the heck? Anyway, in the book Berendt thinks he's convinced her that she would be bored to tears, but she shows up anyway, as she does in the movie. It's probably the funniest story in the book, and it's pretty funny in the movie too so I understand why they wanted to put it in, but it doesn't fit. If I were part of the black community in Savannah I would be upset about the way Kelso described the girls, too- "most" of them haven't shoplifted. These are upstanding, decent girls who deserve better than that. Sheese.
I could go on nit-picking about the things that bugged me in the screenplay, but I'll move on to the positives. John Cusack and Kevin Spacey were, of course, amazing. They are both really talented guys and gave great performances. This is definitely a case of watch the movie first and save the book for afterwards. Or skip the movie and just read the book- it's a treat.
My linky thing still isn't working, so here are some links for you:
The book:
http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Garden-Good-Evil-Berendt/dp/0679751521/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325968291&sr=1-1
The movie on IMDB:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119668/
John Lee Hancock, who wrote the screenplay:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0359387/
A picture of Jim Williams (Kevin Spacey captured his look perfectly):
http://people.bu.edu/lzoller/family/April1/jim_williams_real.jpg
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book review. Show all posts
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, August 12, 2011
Book Review: Sisterhood Everlasting
I've been on a reading binge lately. First I ripped through the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs which were very entertaining, although not exactly literary classics. Next I gobbled up Sisterhood Everlasting: A Novel (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) by Ann Brashares. I read the other Sisterhood books several years ago after getting them for The Eldest. (Who had no interest in them whatsoever; they aren't fantasy, after all.) I enjoyed them and also enjoyed the movies so I was happy to see a new installment. This book follows the girls as adults, all of them almost 30. There is travel, with time spent in Sanotorini, Greece, several locations in the US, Australia, and London. There is sadness, too; I won't give too much of a spoiler other than to say keep reading. It gets better and the girls come to terms with what happens in surprising ways. It dragged in the middle and I got aggravated with how much time was spent on detailing the grief the girls felt over what happened; that part was over-done, although it does make the point. I don't generally enjoy sad books so I found that aspect hard to take. Once the writing got past that, however, the conclusion felt right.
Now I'm searching around for what to read next. I think I've settled on a Neil Gaiman book, Neverwhere. I read the sample on my Kindle and ordered the book, so that's the next review you'll get!
Now I'm searching around for what to read next. I think I've settled on a Neil Gaiman book, Neverwhere. I read the sample on my Kindle and ordered the book, so that's the next review you'll get!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Review: Crazy Sexy Diet
I bought Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr early in January thinking it would be great to get a feel for a veg diet program. What to eat, healthy portions, all that kind of info. I finally got around to giving it a closer look over the weekend and I was so disappointed I returned it to the bookstore. While saying it's OK if you don't want to go all the way vegan it was still pretty negative about ALL food from animals, even eggs and dairy. Personally, with my soy issues, I don't feel I can give up eggs and dairy and still maintain a healthy diet. I don't need someone lying and telling me I'm eating "chicken fetuses" if I choose to eat an egg from a source that is as humane as I can find at Whole Foods. Last time I checked, they do NOT sell fertilized eggs for human consumption at the grocery store.
While there may be a lot of legitimate reasons to forgo eggs, such as protesting battery cages, the nutritional profile, and so forth, making the claim that the eggs are somehow baby chickens is a flat out lie that I found patronizing and irritating. In fact, if the chickens are treated well, eggs are the least offensive animal product. Chickens are going to lay eggs no matter what. If they are kept away from roosters the eggs will not be fertilized. If we don't eat them they go to waste, and where's the sense in that?
I didn't read the whole book. I read through the table of contents and only a few sections caught my interest. There was a lot of justification for eating a plant based diet (which is a good thing, but I get it already!) and not a lot in the way of practical recipes, meal plans, that type of thing. When I read the few sections that caught my interest, I found myself irritated by the author's chummy writing style. It was just too, I don't know, Valley Girl for me. Not with the "like, you knows", but very teenager-y, and gee, aren't we great pals?
I was really disappointed. It was like a nutrition text written by teens, for teens. I'm sure the author meant well and this might be THE book for some people, but it's not for me! I'm thankful the bookstore took it back.
While there may be a lot of legitimate reasons to forgo eggs, such as protesting battery cages, the nutritional profile, and so forth, making the claim that the eggs are somehow baby chickens is a flat out lie that I found patronizing and irritating. In fact, if the chickens are treated well, eggs are the least offensive animal product. Chickens are going to lay eggs no matter what. If they are kept away from roosters the eggs will not be fertilized. If we don't eat them they go to waste, and where's the sense in that?
I didn't read the whole book. I read through the table of contents and only a few sections caught my interest. There was a lot of justification for eating a plant based diet (which is a good thing, but I get it already!) and not a lot in the way of practical recipes, meal plans, that type of thing. When I read the few sections that caught my interest, I found myself irritated by the author's chummy writing style. It was just too, I don't know, Valley Girl for me. Not with the "like, you knows", but very teenager-y, and gee, aren't we great pals?
I was really disappointed. It was like a nutrition text written by teens, for teens. I'm sure the author meant well and this might be THE book for some people, but it's not for me! I'm thankful the bookstore took it back.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Book Review: Third World America
The full title of this book is actually "Third World America: How Our Politicians are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream" and it's by Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post. It is a non-fiction political book but it isn't as partisan as you might think given that Arianna is widely known as a liberal Democrat. She rags on politicians on both sides of the aisle.
The book starts out with doom and gloom, as these kinds of books are wont to do, but then she turns it around and talks about things we can all do to turn our country around. We can make changes without waiting for the government to get some mojo and take action. The ideas she has are practical and do-able, for instance, if you are fed up with the big bonuses and excesses at the big banks, tired of their "tricks and traps" designed to part you from your money, then just MOVE YOUR MONEY. It's that simple. Take your money OUT of the too-big-to-fail banks and make them just a little bit smaller by banking with a small community bank or credit union. You can find such a bank in your community by inputting your zip code at the Move Your Money web site. This has nothing to do with partisan politics, liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. This has to do with exercising our power to choose and letting Wall Street know that there are consequences for bad behavior.
The book ends on a positive note. The author, as an immigrant from Greece, believes in this country. She feels our "can-do American spirit" will surge to the fore to solve the problems we are facing. I hope her positive predictions are right!
The book starts out with doom and gloom, as these kinds of books are wont to do, but then she turns it around and talks about things we can all do to turn our country around. We can make changes without waiting for the government to get some mojo and take action. The ideas she has are practical and do-able, for instance, if you are fed up with the big bonuses and excesses at the big banks, tired of their "tricks and traps" designed to part you from your money, then just MOVE YOUR MONEY. It's that simple. Take your money OUT of the too-big-to-fail banks and make them just a little bit smaller by banking with a small community bank or credit union. You can find such a bank in your community by inputting your zip code at the Move Your Money web site. This has nothing to do with partisan politics, liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. This has to do with exercising our power to choose and letting Wall Street know that there are consequences for bad behavior.
The book ends on a positive note. The author, as an immigrant from Greece, believes in this country. She feels our "can-do American spirit" will surge to the fore to solve the problems we are facing. I hope her positive predictions are right!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
NaBloWriMo Post 2
I'm having a hard time with this post because it means tearing myself away from the VERY compelling book I'm reading. I'm on book three of the absolutely riveting Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins and it's taking a huge amount of self discipline to tear myself away long enough to do... anything but read. I started book one, The Hunger Games, yesterday and whipped through that and book two, Catching Fire, last night and this morning. Now I'm on the third book, Mockingjay.
The story follows Katniss Everdeen, a young girl sent to the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are like the gladiatorial games of Roman times meets reality TV- they are fought to the death and televised for all to see. The setting of all this is a post apocalyptic North America where the government is dictatorial and cruel. There is an uprising (of course) but the allies our heroine turns to have a government that is more like communism, where everything is tightly controlled. (So far- I'm only partially through the third book where the allies are introduced.)
But that's all you're going to get out of me for now; I have to go finish the third book!!!
The story follows Katniss Everdeen, a young girl sent to the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are like the gladiatorial games of Roman times meets reality TV- they are fought to the death and televised for all to see. The setting of all this is a post apocalyptic North America where the government is dictatorial and cruel. There is an uprising (of course) but the allies our heroine turns to have a government that is more like communism, where everything is tightly controlled. (So far- I'm only partially through the third book where the allies are introduced.)
But that's all you're going to get out of me for now; I have to go finish the third book!!!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Book Review: Between, Georgia
I've been stuck walking on my treadmill for the past two days. Have I mentioned that I HATE walking on my treadmill? The only way it's bearable is if I can read. The best way to read while walking on the treadmill, hands down, is with my Kindle. I can set the font to extra large which is necessary because of my darn aging eyeballs and the fact that I can't bring the book as close to said eyeballs as I would like, but reading glasses don't work well when the book is far away. (A lower power than I normally use works, if the font is large enough.) The Kindle is also great because it sits nicely on the music stand I have rigged up to hold my reading material on the treadmill. It's also easy to turn the pages; with a regular book or magazine page turning while walking can be tricky.
So, since I had to walk on the treadmill, I had to find a new book, which is also easy with the Kindle. I had a bunch of book samples on there from the last time I went browsing. One of them was for a book called "Between, Georgia". I started reading the sample and got hooked; I ordered the book after about 3 pages. (And the books are delivered almost instantaneously, which is great.) I don't want to give the story away, but I was riveted. I read the book in two days (so it got me through two treadmill walks) and loved every second of it. There was adventure and romance and quirky characters and mean dogs and explosions and... an ending, but I won't tell you what kind. The main characters are wonderfully human and flawed. The reviews on Amazon can give more details; I'll end with telling you I enjoyed it, and if you're looking for something to entertain you on a treadmill, go for it!
So, since I had to walk on the treadmill, I had to find a new book, which is also easy with the Kindle. I had a bunch of book samples on there from the last time I went browsing. One of them was for a book called "Between, Georgia". I started reading the sample and got hooked; I ordered the book after about 3 pages. (And the books are delivered almost instantaneously, which is great.) I don't want to give the story away, but I was riveted. I read the book in two days (so it got me through two treadmill walks) and loved every second of it. There was adventure and romance and quirky characters and mean dogs and explosions and... an ending, but I won't tell you what kind. The main characters are wonderfully human and flawed. The reviews on Amazon can give more details; I'll end with telling you I enjoyed it, and if you're looking for something to entertain you on a treadmill, go for it!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Book Review: Jane Eyre
I've been immersed in England of the Victorian era as I devoured Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë over the past few days. I first rented the movie from Netflix (which was in two parts so I had to wait for part II after I returned part I, just like watching it on PBS where you have to wait a week between episodes) and watched that. It was the 2006 Masterpiece Theater version starring Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson and was quite good. I've also seen the version with William Hurt. There are seven different versions available through Netflix; a couple of the others look familiar so I know I've seen more of them. I don't remember ever reading the book until now, however. I never considered myself a Brontë fan; too dark and brooding for me. I prefer the sparkle, lightness and wit of Jane Austen, who died when Charlotte Brontë was a year old.
I have to admit I've changed my mind. Oh, Jane Austen is still my favorite, but Charlotte Brontë is pretty awesome as an author. Jane Eyre grabbed me; I couldn't stand to put it down. I was even considering taking my walk with my Kindle in hand but thought better of it. (I used to read as I walked through the halls at school, after all.) The story has dark elements, which is what I was put off by in the past, but it has so much more. The darkness is outweighed in the happiness the title character manages to find for herself, and it ends well. And the love story; the passion, the romance! Love it, love it, love it. Mr. Rochester is totally hot. He's all male, but still compassionate and tender when it comes to Jane. He is flawed but his flaws make him that much more desirable. I hated for it to end! It's left me in that post-book fog; I long for Victorian England. (DH managed to benefit; don't tell him he was playing my Mr. Rochester last night.)
As I say to The Eldest, (until she says "YES, MOTHER, YOU'VE SAID THAT ALREADY") the classics are classics for a reason, and that's because they are GOOD. Jane Eyre is no exception. I'm glad I finally carved out the time to read it. I find I enjoy the classics so much more now as an adult. I have a deeper understanding of what I'm reading and, after having read all of Jane Austen's works, a better grasp of the language and customs of that period in history. (But I did make use of the dictionary feature on my Kindle a number of times; what a vocabulary!)
I'm hoping to make time for more reading this summer. The Eldest made a habit of re-reading the Harry Potter books every year around Halloween for several years in a row; I'd like to re-read my favorite classics the same way. Well, maybe not yearly, but every few years. I am hoping to delve into a few of Jane Austen's novels and watch the BBC six hour mini-series version of Pride and Prejudice, the one with Colin Firth, before the summer is over. (That's the definitive version, of course; the 2005 movie with what's her name is pitiful.) As for a way to relax and rejuvenate, I'll take Jane Austen and Colin Firth over a trip to the spa any day!
I have to admit I've changed my mind. Oh, Jane Austen is still my favorite, but Charlotte Brontë is pretty awesome as an author. Jane Eyre grabbed me; I couldn't stand to put it down. I was even considering taking my walk with my Kindle in hand but thought better of it. (I used to read as I walked through the halls at school, after all.) The story has dark elements, which is what I was put off by in the past, but it has so much more. The darkness is outweighed in the happiness the title character manages to find for herself, and it ends well. And the love story; the passion, the romance! Love it, love it, love it. Mr. Rochester is totally hot. He's all male, but still compassionate and tender when it comes to Jane. He is flawed but his flaws make him that much more desirable. I hated for it to end! It's left me in that post-book fog; I long for Victorian England. (DH managed to benefit; don't tell him he was playing my Mr. Rochester last night.)
As I say to The Eldest, (until she says "YES, MOTHER, YOU'VE SAID THAT ALREADY") the classics are classics for a reason, and that's because they are GOOD. Jane Eyre is no exception. I'm glad I finally carved out the time to read it. I find I enjoy the classics so much more now as an adult. I have a deeper understanding of what I'm reading and, after having read all of Jane Austen's works, a better grasp of the language and customs of that period in history. (But I did make use of the dictionary feature on my Kindle a number of times; what a vocabulary!)
I'm hoping to make time for more reading this summer. The Eldest made a habit of re-reading the Harry Potter books every year around Halloween for several years in a row; I'd like to re-read my favorite classics the same way. Well, maybe not yearly, but every few years. I am hoping to delve into a few of Jane Austen's novels and watch the BBC six hour mini-series version of Pride and Prejudice, the one with Colin Firth, before the summer is over. (That's the definitive version, of course; the 2005 movie with what's her name is pitiful.) As for a way to relax and rejuvenate, I'll take Jane Austen and Colin Firth over a trip to the spa any day!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Book Review: Love Walked In
I'm on a reading binge right now. I bought a copy of Love Walked In to tuck in my beach bag for our Blizzard Beach day at Disney World and it did not disappoint. (I have a Kindle but I wanted a paper back for the water park. Can't see all the sand doing a Kindle any good, plus it would be unattended while we all went on the water rides. Real books will never die!!!) It was so well crafted. Now that I'm writing more myself as well as reading several blogs just because of the quality of the writing, I'm paying more attention to that sort of thing.
The story follows two characters, one young pre teen and a 30 something woman, as they find each other and form a deep friendship. The woman dates the young girl's emotionally distant dad and winds up babysitting when the dad goes to London. The girl's mom has recently abandoned her due to the onset of mental illness and the child has no one to fall back on, except the dad's girlfriend. The child manages to create a family and support network for herself from this, following in the footsteps of the "plucky" heroines she admires in literature. I was charmed by both the story and the writing; it's a good summer read.
I'm currently reading two non-fiction books about going veg (Becoming Vegan and The New Becoming Vegetarian) and I've started the newest Stephanie Plum novel. My only problem is my best reading time is right before bed, but I've been passing out every night as soon as I lay down. When Stephanie Plum can't keep me awake, you know it's bad!
The story follows two characters, one young pre teen and a 30 something woman, as they find each other and form a deep friendship. The woman dates the young girl's emotionally distant dad and winds up babysitting when the dad goes to London. The girl's mom has recently abandoned her due to the onset of mental illness and the child has no one to fall back on, except the dad's girlfriend. The child manages to create a family and support network for herself from this, following in the footsteps of the "plucky" heroines she admires in literature. I was charmed by both the story and the writing; it's a good summer read.
I'm currently reading two non-fiction books about going veg (Becoming Vegan and The New Becoming Vegetarian) and I've started the newest Stephanie Plum novel. My only problem is my best reading time is right before bed, but I've been passing out every night as soon as I lay down. When Stephanie Plum can't keep me awake, you know it's bad!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Book Review: Eating Animals
I've started reading the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer. I must say it's a difficult book; it's hard to read, in graphic detail, about the unnecessary suffering of living creatures and the filth that goes into our food supply, all in the name of cheap food. We're not vegan or even vegetarian, although we participate in Meatless Mondays, but we're heading that way fast. I was at the grocery store earlier tonight and I couldn't bring myself to pick up a package of chicken; it just made me so sad to think about how the animal that it came from probably lived and died, plus it kind of grossed me out to know it could have taken a dip in fecal soup after it was killed. Ewwwww!!!
Now we're going to go watch Food, Inc. DH didn't want me to get the movie from Netflix but a friend watched it and said it had a powerful impact on her. She even went cold turkey on meat. (Yes, a pun, but sadly this isn't really a laughing matter.) She went from a traditional diet straight to vegan in the space of time it took to watch that movie. I'm kind of worried about it; we like our Thanksgiving turkey!!
Now we're going to go watch Food, Inc. DH didn't want me to get the movie from Netflix but a friend watched it and said it had a powerful impact on her. She even went cold turkey on meat. (Yes, a pun, but sadly this isn't really a laughing matter.) She went from a traditional diet straight to vegan in the space of time it took to watch that movie. I'm kind of worried about it; we like our Thanksgiving turkey!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
What I'm Reading: You on a Diet
I'm smack dab in the middle of the book You on a Diet by Drs. Roizen and Oz. I've been having trouble getting off the 9 pounds I gained in Europe and felt I needed a recharge so I took You on our trip to NC. (We drove; there was lots of time to read.) It's been languishing in my "to read" pile for months now; DH gave me both You on a Diet and You, Staying Young (by the same authors) for Christmas last year. I have to say I am impressed with the topics covered in this book. The docs are going over the physiology of eating, why some people gain weight while others don't when they eat the same things, viral and hormonal causes of weight gain, how we digest our food, what makes us get hungry in the first place, and so much more. It is fascinating; I would enjoy it even if I didn't need to lose an ounce.
One particular fact stood out for me in the very beginning of the book. 95% of dieters who have lost 50 pounds or more are unable to maintain the loss after two years. I lost close to 50 pounds (I didn't weigh myself when I started out; didn't own a scale at that point but I know I was around 180) and it's been two years; yipes! I'm reading this book just in time, and I'm hereby recommitting to losing the rest of the 9 pounds from Europe (I've already lost 6) and keeping myself in that 5% of dieters who are successful at maintaining. It is a daily fight; if I let up at all I gain weight so easily. This book is a good recharge, though; there is so much vital information that will help me continue to be successful. I recommend it highly for anyone who is struggling with weight issues as well as for anyone who wants to be healthy for life.
One particular fact stood out for me in the very beginning of the book. 95% of dieters who have lost 50 pounds or more are unable to maintain the loss after two years. I lost close to 50 pounds (I didn't weigh myself when I started out; didn't own a scale at that point but I know I was around 180) and it's been two years; yipes! I'm reading this book just in time, and I'm hereby recommitting to losing the rest of the 9 pounds from Europe (I've already lost 6) and keeping myself in that 5% of dieters who are successful at maintaining. It is a daily fight; if I let up at all I gain weight so easily. This book is a good recharge, though; there is so much vital information that will help me continue to be successful. I recommend it highly for anyone who is struggling with weight issues as well as for anyone who wants to be healthy for life.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Book Review: My Life in France
I am totally charmed by Julia Child after reading her book My Life in France which she wrote with her grand-nephew, Alex Prud'Homme. The book begins with her move to Paris with her husband, Paul Child, just after WWII. Paul is in the diplomatic service and they are posted there for several years. During that time she falls in love with La Belle France, the French people, and French food. She attends Le Cordon Bleu to learn to cook with style and succeeds beautifully, or maybe that should be she succeeds deliciously! (Warning: do not read this book on an empty stomach.) ;) The book continues with additional postings to a more rural area of France, then Germany and Oslo, and back to the United States and follows Julia's career as a cook book author, cooking teacher, and through her roles on television. She and Paul finally build a small house in France and stay there for part of every year. The book is both a love song to France and food as much as it is an auto-biography of Julia herself.
There is another book associated with the movie but I don't have any plans to read that one. I've looked at the blog associated with the book and it didn't catch my interest. The author of the blog details her efforts to cook every recipe in Julia's first cook book (written with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle) Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I didn't spend too much time on the site, but what I saw couldn't even begin to compare to the food blogs out there now, but I've already talked about the blog when I wrote up my movie review.
Suffice to say, if you consider yourself a foodie, if you travel, if you love France, if you like to read biographies, or if you have any interest in Julia Child, this is the book to read.
There is another book associated with the movie but I don't have any plans to read that one. I've looked at the blog associated with the book and it didn't catch my interest. The author of the blog details her efforts to cook every recipe in Julia's first cook book (written with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle) Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I didn't spend too much time on the site, but what I saw couldn't even begin to compare to the food blogs out there now, but I've already talked about the blog when I wrote up my movie review.
Suffice to say, if you consider yourself a foodie, if you travel, if you love France, if you like to read biographies, or if you have any interest in Julia Child, this is the book to read.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Book Review: Mindless Eating
Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
by Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
Dieting? Thinking about dieting or trying to control your weight? Do you want to make smarter, healthier food choices? You'll want to read this book, even if you are an avid Weight Watcher or South Beacher or Atkins Advocate. Whatever your diet, the information in Mindless Eating will help you do it better and easier. I'm pretty much at my maintenance weight (four more pounds to get the rest of the Europe weight off) but even so, I still found a lot of fascinating food information in this book. I discovered why my mini-plate technique helped with my weight loss and maintenance success, for instance.
The majority of the book reports on how the author, his students, and various research associates created several scientifically sound studies, some of them downright hilarious, to figure out why people eat the way they do. They conducted studies involving self-filling soup bowls, North Dakota wine, and stale popcorn, among others. The conclusions are enlightening and helpful for anyone wanting to lose weight or maintain a current healthy weight. The end of the book includes recommendations on how to apply the study results to real life to achieve effortless weight loss. Additionally, it's darn readable. The author has a great sense of humor reflected in the book. The Eldest and I were stuck waiting for bureaucracy this afternoon and she wound up reading and chuckling along with me; she's planning to read the whole book as soon as I hand it over to her.
*I purchased this on my Kindle but there were some charts comparing diets in the back of the book that were almost unreadable due to their small size and my aging eyesight. You can normally change font size for text but I wasn't able to make the charts bigger.
**Disclosure: I bought this book for myself. I'm not a commercial blogger so I don't get paid for any reviews. If I'm reviewing it, you're getting my unbiased opinion.
by Brian Wansink, Ph.D.
Dieting? Thinking about dieting or trying to control your weight? Do you want to make smarter, healthier food choices? You'll want to read this book, even if you are an avid Weight Watcher or South Beacher or Atkins Advocate. Whatever your diet, the information in Mindless Eating will help you do it better and easier. I'm pretty much at my maintenance weight (four more pounds to get the rest of the Europe weight off) but even so, I still found a lot of fascinating food information in this book. I discovered why my mini-plate technique helped with my weight loss and maintenance success, for instance.
The majority of the book reports on how the author, his students, and various research associates created several scientifically sound studies, some of them downright hilarious, to figure out why people eat the way they do. They conducted studies involving self-filling soup bowls, North Dakota wine, and stale popcorn, among others. The conclusions are enlightening and helpful for anyone wanting to lose weight or maintain a current healthy weight. The end of the book includes recommendations on how to apply the study results to real life to achieve effortless weight loss. Additionally, it's darn readable. The author has a great sense of humor reflected in the book. The Eldest and I were stuck waiting for bureaucracy this afternoon and she wound up reading and chuckling along with me; she's planning to read the whole book as soon as I hand it over to her.
*I purchased this on my Kindle but there were some charts comparing diets in the back of the book that were almost unreadable due to their small size and my aging eyesight. You can normally change font size for text but I wasn't able to make the charts bigger.
**Disclosure: I bought this book for myself. I'm not a commercial blogger so I don't get paid for any reviews. If I'm reviewing it, you're getting my unbiased opinion.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Book Review: Blue Zones
It's been a while since I've written up a book review but that's not because I'm not reading! My latest read is a non-fiction, "The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest" by Dan Buettner. I first heard the author on NPR then again when he was featured on Oprah, both times talking about his book and the ways we all can maximize our life span. I had it in my Amazon shopping cart for the longest time then finally ordered it for my Kindle. I plowed through it pretty quickly since it was fascinating!
When talking about this book, it helps to know what Blue Zones are. Longevity researchers coined the term while looking for areas where a larger percentage of people live to older ages than is statistically expected. One prominent researcher circled possible areas on a map with a blue marker, thus the term Blue Zone. (I thought it had to do with blue hair as a reference to older women who dye their hair blue, or something, but no.) ;) So they found four blue zones to focus on for the book, and the author went with teams of researchers to each place to find out why and how these folks lived so long, and for the most part with great vitality to the very end. He found many, many things they do naturally that we can incorporate into our lives to maximize our own good years.
It's the PERFECT book for the semi-health nut I'm turning into lately. It reinforces some of the good practices I've developed since losing weight and even has a few new things to try that you wouldn't automatically think of. I have The Eldest reading it for science and she went on a bike ride with us yesterday with no grumbling, so it's making an impact with her as well. An example of one easy change I've incorporated is putting a nut bowl out in the house. That's nuts in the shell, thank you, which makes portion control more natural. It's easy to over-do it when you can grab a handful and throw them in your mouth but this way you have to get them out of the shell first. The kids enjoy it although there's more sweeping up to do!
As a mom, it's so important to me to set a healthy example for my kids. I want them to live long, healthy, happy lives and taking care of their bodies is an important component to achieving those goals. I hope everyone will read this book and the entire world will go on a health kick! :)
PS: Maybe we can all aspire to be like this guy.
When talking about this book, it helps to know what Blue Zones are. Longevity researchers coined the term while looking for areas where a larger percentage of people live to older ages than is statistically expected. One prominent researcher circled possible areas on a map with a blue marker, thus the term Blue Zone. (I thought it had to do with blue hair as a reference to older women who dye their hair blue, or something, but no.) ;) So they found four blue zones to focus on for the book, and the author went with teams of researchers to each place to find out why and how these folks lived so long, and for the most part with great vitality to the very end. He found many, many things they do naturally that we can incorporate into our lives to maximize our own good years.
It's the PERFECT book for the semi-health nut I'm turning into lately. It reinforces some of the good practices I've developed since losing weight and even has a few new things to try that you wouldn't automatically think of. I have The Eldest reading it for science and she went on a bike ride with us yesterday with no grumbling, so it's making an impact with her as well. An example of one easy change I've incorporated is putting a nut bowl out in the house. That's nuts in the shell, thank you, which makes portion control more natural. It's easy to over-do it when you can grab a handful and throw them in your mouth but this way you have to get them out of the shell first. The kids enjoy it although there's more sweeping up to do!
As a mom, it's so important to me to set a healthy example for my kids. I want them to live long, healthy, happy lives and taking care of their bodies is an important component to achieving those goals. I hope everyone will read this book and the entire world will go on a health kick! :)
PS: Maybe we can all aspire to be like this guy.
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