First of all, a very special thanks and shout-out to the Wendy Pan for her most excellent review of the Amazon Kindle. As a hopeful librarian in training, I have serious issues with the thought of giving up printed books, though we all know I have certainly found solace in my Kindle for iPhone.
I was going to let the Wendy Pan's obsession sit as Obsession de la semaine, but I already had mine plotted... so hers shall be the review de la semaine. Dig?
So the reason I can't come up with a review myself is because this week I am obsessed with... Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Have I mentioned that one of the ways I maintain my sanity in life is through marathons of excellent TV shows? It's been far too long since I have Buffy'd, Aliased, Felicity'd, and Battlestar Galactica'd, and my psyche is showing the signs of neglect.
Part of the ohholyhell awesomeness is the heroines, obviously. Sydney Bristow is one of the best (duh), and I have even taken important life lessons from Felicity, especially in the realm of... not getting drunk and waking up in a frat boy's bed.
ANYWAY.
Buffy and I have very little in common, and I can't relate to her, so it's hard for me to call her One of My Favorite Heroines. That said, Joss Whedon wrote a brilliant character; a valley girl who fights vampires, is secretly super smart, and has common sense coming out of her ears. And as I watch first two and a half seasons (Thank you, Boy Scout. There is a secret place in Boyfriend Heaven for Boys Who Let Their Girlfriends Work Out Their Issues Through Vampire Violence), I cannot help but think about another teenage girl who falls in love with a vampire against her better judgment (?) and lives to tell the tale. Whether that tale is horrifically bad or not.
But as in so many most excellent things, the best part of Buffy is the supporting players. Xander, Willow, and Giles all make or break the show... the few eps that any or all of them are not present are lacking severely. The dialogue, the intelligence, the His Girl Friday-brand rapport is insane (in the best way) and when (the long-suffering) Boy Scout announced that he wasn't a fan of Buffy because "it's just not realistic," I couldn't help but take it as the best compliment ever.
This is where we are. Obsessed with marathoning, and marathoning Buffy. It's comfort food for the nerd's hibernating soul.
20 January 2011
Kindle: To excite (interest, feelings etc), Ignite
Okay, so, I had my doubts. Well, not really. But for the sake of argument - let's pretend I did. I had read about them and I had a narrow vision of what they might have been like. But never in my wildest imaginings did I expect to fall in rapture! I am speaking, of course, of my Kindle!
Dan Darling gave me one for Christmas after I expressed an interest in stealing Sam-I-Am's from him. Maybe Dan Darling had ulterior motives. The Amazon boxes were piling up on the front porch... daily! Maybe he thought this would curtail my reading (ha!) maybe he just plain old accepts that I am a reading machine and loves me anyway! For whatever reason, I am the proud owner of a Kindle (with a lighted brown leather cover, no less!)
Did it take a while to get used to? Nope! I downloaded my first book the day after Christmas. A Nora Roberts. And I like to think I helped to push her over the top as the all time best selling author on Kindle (to date.) I read with the usual distraction of a Beagle on my lap. I held my Kindle with one hand and became adept at turning the page without even moving my arm! I downloaded my next book later that day and was reading as if I had a lot of time to make up for. Dan Darling asks, "Are you still reading the same book?" Um, not quite! 15 books later (this is just since Christmas mind you) he caught me reading a paperback book. "What's that?" It was my Book Club book. The one I had ordered from Amazon before I knew I was getting a Kindle. I started/finished that on a snowy/icy Wednesday with the same Beagle on my lap. I had to turn pages. I had to read both sides of the book (not just a single screen.) It was awkward. I survived. Hereafter, I will make sure I can download my Book Club books.
Will I ever prefer a book to my Kindle again? Absolutely! I must have my J.D. Robb books in bound, covered editions. I own them all so far. And downloading them all to my Kindle would be really silly! And since I am notorious for rereading things over and over, it makes sense for me to have the whole series... in print.
That being said, I am a huge Kindle fan! I have no intention of using it just when I travel! I will use it any and every opportunity I am given! UPS doesn't visit so much anymore, but the satisfaction of going online and ordering a book and having it loaded in my Kindle immediately is beyond description!
I did have one minor issue with my brand new Kindle! And it was not pretty. I had finished the last of my downloaded books and was ready to find another - when our internet went down. I drove around town (at 9:00 at night) looking for WiFi. Even the town library was inaccessible from the parking lot! I was like an addict! It was a long night! I will have to make sure I always have a few books on my queue! Lesson learned!
Dan Darling gave me one for Christmas after I expressed an interest in stealing Sam-I-Am's from him. Maybe Dan Darling had ulterior motives. The Amazon boxes were piling up on the front porch... daily! Maybe he thought this would curtail my reading (ha!) maybe he just plain old accepts that I am a reading machine and loves me anyway! For whatever reason, I am the proud owner of a Kindle (with a lighted brown leather cover, no less!)
Did it take a while to get used to? Nope! I downloaded my first book the day after Christmas. A Nora Roberts. And I like to think I helped to push her over the top as the all time best selling author on Kindle (to date.) I read with the usual distraction of a Beagle on my lap. I held my Kindle with one hand and became adept at turning the page without even moving my arm! I downloaded my next book later that day and was reading as if I had a lot of time to make up for. Dan Darling asks, "Are you still reading the same book?" Um, not quite! 15 books later (this is just since Christmas mind you) he caught me reading a paperback book. "What's that?" It was my Book Club book. The one I had ordered from Amazon before I knew I was getting a Kindle. I started/finished that on a snowy/icy Wednesday with the same Beagle on my lap. I had to turn pages. I had to read both sides of the book (not just a single screen.) It was awkward. I survived. Hereafter, I will make sure I can download my Book Club books.
Will I ever prefer a book to my Kindle again? Absolutely! I must have my J.D. Robb books in bound, covered editions. I own them all so far. And downloading them all to my Kindle would be really silly! And since I am notorious for rereading things over and over, it makes sense for me to have the whole series... in print.
That being said, I am a huge Kindle fan! I have no intention of using it just when I travel! I will use it any and every opportunity I am given! UPS doesn't visit so much anymore, but the satisfaction of going online and ordering a book and having it loaded in my Kindle immediately is beyond description!
I did have one minor issue with my brand new Kindle! And it was not pretty. I had finished the last of my downloaded books and was ready to find another - when our internet went down. I drove around town (at 9:00 at night) looking for WiFi. Even the town library was inaccessible from the parking lot! I was like an addict! It was a long night! I will have to make sure I always have a few books on my queue! Lesson learned!
17 January 2011
In Which Monday Menu Mayhem is Still Mayhem-ic
Greetings from the sad, sad land where the Patriots are no longer in contention for the Super Bowl.
It's been a culinary weekend here at Scout Camp, starting with marinated steaks, lemon mousse, and roasted butternut squash. Unfortunately I cannot write about any of those things since none of them are part of The Great Experiment, but let me assure you that they were very, very good.
This weekend's Nigella (semi-)triumph was the African Drumsticks, which are essentially just marinated chicken legs. However, the marinade was delicious; Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, apricot jam, ginger and some onion (chopped with gratifying efficiency in my sexy new chopper).
The recipe indicates that the chicken can marinate overnight, so we let it do just that, and it came out perfectly-- totally succulent and flavorful. In fact, the only criticism we both had was that it could have used a little more spice. Will have to try to remember that for the next round.
And apologies to Lady Liberty. We were so busy devouring, the idea of photography was completely lost.
Oh, and thanks to Boy Scout, who is dutifully cleaning up the mayhem I left in my wake while I write this entry.
Happy MLK Day!
It's been a culinary weekend here at Scout Camp, starting with marinated steaks, lemon mousse, and roasted butternut squash. Unfortunately I cannot write about any of those things since none of them are part of The Great Experiment, but let me assure you that they were very, very good.
This weekend's Nigella (semi-)triumph was the African Drumsticks, which are essentially just marinated chicken legs. However, the marinade was delicious; Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard, apricot jam, ginger and some onion (chopped with gratifying efficiency in my sexy new chopper).
The recipe indicates that the chicken can marinate overnight, so we let it do just that, and it came out perfectly-- totally succulent and flavorful. In fact, the only criticism we both had was that it could have used a little more spice. Will have to try to remember that for the next round.
And apologies to Lady Liberty. We were so busy devouring, the idea of photography was completely lost.
Oh, and thanks to Boy Scout, who is dutifully cleaning up the mayhem I left in my wake while I write this entry.
Happy MLK Day!
13 January 2011
In Which Thoroughly Obsessed Thursday Reads Warrior by Zoe Archer, Becomes Obsessed
There was a very precise “ohholyshit, what have a stumbled on to here?” moment that came relatively early on in Warrior by Zoe Archer. This is that moment:
It comes on page 97 of the adventure involving Gabriel Huntley, Thalia Burgess, and the Blades of the Rose, a secret society tasked with guarding the Sources of all of the world’s magic.
When Gabriel accidentally witnesses a murder near the docks in London, he feels honor-bound to deliver a message carried by the dead man and intended for Thalia Burgess’ father, who happens to reside in outer Mongolia. Gabriel has literally just retired from the army and has yet to establish himself back at home, and so has very little trouble jumping on a boat and journeying to the other side of the world.
What he discovers once there is that a) he has a serious thing for Burgess’ daughter (natch) and b) magic actually exists here on Earth. These are not simultaneous happenings, but they take place close enough to one another.
Because Burgess is injured, it’s Thalia who has to set out to protect the Source (of magic) located in Mongolia, and despite warnings that his work there is done, Gabriel decides to tag along for the ride.
I don’t think I can stress enough how much I LOVED this book. I loved Thalia; she’s headstrong and not at all proper, but doesn’t see the need to defend herself or the way she has been raised on the edge of the map. She’s had her heart broken, but survived, and doesn’t try to fight her attraction to Gabriel on principle. In addition, as the quote above demonstrates, she has a rather badass sense of humor.
As for Gabriel, he’s an alpha (oh boy, is he ever) but he’s not a raging butthole. And that is awesome. He’s super proud of Thalia and all of the things that make her less-than-normal (she’s not shocked by his language, can shoot a rifle like nobody’s business, etc.) and is protective of her in a reasonable and not at all psychotic way.
Here is what I really like though: this book represents the perfect, flawless combination of my two favorite genres, which are fantasy and romance. All I could think while I was reading this was “This is like The Enchanted Forest Chronicles! With hot sex!” There aren’t any moments of “Um... that’s awkward and makes no sense” in either direction-- in the fantasy or the romance. It’s books like this that make be feel like a seriously inferior writer of fiction, because I know I’m never going to write anything half as awesome. Or even have an idea that is half as awesome.
Warrior is the first book in the Blades of the Rose series, and before the end of the book we got to make the acquaintance of three more Blades... and look at that! There are three more books to order!
I. Cannot. Wait.
“Gabriel made a face. ‘Dried mutton and horse sweat? Even enlisted men were fed better. It’s grounds for mutiny.’
‘I hope not,’ Thalia answered. ‘Flogging is so time consuming.’”
It comes on page 97 of the adventure involving Gabriel Huntley, Thalia Burgess, and the Blades of the Rose, a secret society tasked with guarding the Sources of all of the world’s magic.
When Gabriel accidentally witnesses a murder near the docks in London, he feels honor-bound to deliver a message carried by the dead man and intended for Thalia Burgess’ father, who happens to reside in outer Mongolia. Gabriel has literally just retired from the army and has yet to establish himself back at home, and so has very little trouble jumping on a boat and journeying to the other side of the world.
What he discovers once there is that a) he has a serious thing for Burgess’ daughter (natch) and b) magic actually exists here on Earth. These are not simultaneous happenings, but they take place close enough to one another.
Because Burgess is injured, it’s Thalia who has to set out to protect the Source (of magic) located in Mongolia, and despite warnings that his work there is done, Gabriel decides to tag along for the ride.
I don’t think I can stress enough how much I LOVED this book. I loved Thalia; she’s headstrong and not at all proper, but doesn’t see the need to defend herself or the way she has been raised on the edge of the map. She’s had her heart broken, but survived, and doesn’t try to fight her attraction to Gabriel on principle. In addition, as the quote above demonstrates, she has a rather badass sense of humor.
As for Gabriel, he’s an alpha (oh boy, is he ever) but he’s not a raging butthole. And that is awesome. He’s super proud of Thalia and all of the things that make her less-than-normal (she’s not shocked by his language, can shoot a rifle like nobody’s business, etc.) and is protective of her in a reasonable and not at all psychotic way.
Here is what I really like though: this book represents the perfect, flawless combination of my two favorite genres, which are fantasy and romance. All I could think while I was reading this was “This is like The Enchanted Forest Chronicles! With hot sex!” There aren’t any moments of “Um... that’s awkward and makes no sense” in either direction-- in the fantasy or the romance. It’s books like this that make be feel like a seriously inferior writer of fiction, because I know I’m never going to write anything half as awesome. Or even have an idea that is half as awesome.
Warrior is the first book in the Blades of the Rose series, and before the end of the book we got to make the acquaintance of three more Blades... and look at that! There are three more books to order!
I. Cannot. Wait.
11 January 2011
In Which I Review Unlawful Contact by Pamela Clare
This book made me really, really happy.
It’s not an awesome book, but it’s a good one, a solid one, one that bridged the gap between the DNF Pamela Clare and the “hey, this is pretty good” Pamela Clare.
Not surprisingly, this book sits squarely between the two in the Denver iTeam series.
Sophie Alton is the reporter on the iTeam who covers prisons, prisoners, all things jailbird-y. She’s been writing a series of stories about Megan, a recovering heroin addict and new mother, who has cleaned up her act while on parole, and is seeing her child for the first time since the baby was born in a prison hospital.
The bad news: it seems Megan took off with her kid during the “supervised” visit (ha).
The worse news: Sophie is lured to jail to interview Megan’s brother Marc Hunter (yep, he’s doing life for murdering a fellow DEA agent... a misunderstanding, natch) and he takes her hostage in order to escape from jail and find Megan, who he believes to be in a reasonably extreme amount of danger ("Mortal danger?" "Is there any other kind?").
The good news: It so happens that Marc Hunter is the mysterious bad boy known as “Hunt” from Sophie’s high school days, you know, the guy she gave her virginity to right before he left for the army.
OK. So the plot is not the strong suit in this one. Fortunately the characters and their relationship are. Over time, you see, neither Marc nor Sophie have forgotten That Night, and Marc happened to know exactly who he was luring to the jail, even if Sophie doesn’t recognize him until later.
There were plenty of times when I wanted to roll my eyes at things happening in this book. The whole lusting-after-the-captor thing is pretty played out (and ruined forever in both the good and bad way by Judith McNaught’s Perfect), but there were small ways in which this was redeemed. For example, for the last half of the book when Marc and Sophie are on the run together she is with him by choice, his having let her go, as promised, as soon as he was safely away.
It was also helpful that there was very little melodrama about “trust” and Sophie questioning whether Marc was a “good guy” or a “bad guy.”
The entire time he’s out, Marc is looking for his sister. And like a man who has been in prison for six years and separated from his sister for years before that, he has no effing idea where to look. There’s no magical connection, no “guy inside” who gave him clues and a road map-- Marc is literally at a loss, and so does what is reasonably the best thing he can do to find the information he is looking for.
I liked Sophie and Marc’s relationship a lot. They both have very fond memories of their one night together, and while the lead-up to that night is certainly abrupt, I didn’t doubt that that single memory would sustain him through prison, and her through various disastrous romances (and no, Sophie did not remain celibate in memory of his singularly amazing wang).
The twists were not so twisty, and the stuff peripheral to Sophie and Marc was occasionally annoying. But this was a solid romance with a (nearly) coherent plot, featuring neither a TSTL heroine nor a raging douchebag hero (At some point they’re arguing about her lack of discretion while they’re hiding out and he says “This isn’t about me controlling you; it’s about staying safe.” See?? He all but announces he’s not a douchebag).
All-in-all, I’m very glad to have read this book. It bridged a gap that needed to be bridged, and really made me excited to read Pamela Clare again.
It’s not an awesome book, but it’s a good one, a solid one, one that bridged the gap between the DNF Pamela Clare and the “hey, this is pretty good” Pamela Clare.
Not surprisingly, this book sits squarely between the two in the Denver iTeam series.
Sophie Alton is the reporter on the iTeam who covers prisons, prisoners, all things jailbird-y. She’s been writing a series of stories about Megan, a recovering heroin addict and new mother, who has cleaned up her act while on parole, and is seeing her child for the first time since the baby was born in a prison hospital.
The bad news: it seems Megan took off with her kid during the “supervised” visit (ha).
The worse news: Sophie is lured to jail to interview Megan’s brother Marc Hunter (yep, he’s doing life for murdering a fellow DEA agent... a misunderstanding, natch) and he takes her hostage in order to escape from jail and find Megan, who he believes to be in a reasonably extreme amount of danger ("Mortal danger?" "Is there any other kind?").
The good news: It so happens that Marc Hunter is the mysterious bad boy known as “Hunt” from Sophie’s high school days, you know, the guy she gave her virginity to right before he left for the army.
OK. So the plot is not the strong suit in this one. Fortunately the characters and their relationship are. Over time, you see, neither Marc nor Sophie have forgotten That Night, and Marc happened to know exactly who he was luring to the jail, even if Sophie doesn’t recognize him until later.
There were plenty of times when I wanted to roll my eyes at things happening in this book. The whole lusting-after-the-captor thing is pretty played out (and ruined forever in both the good and bad way by Judith McNaught’s Perfect), but there were small ways in which this was redeemed. For example, for the last half of the book when Marc and Sophie are on the run together she is with him by choice, his having let her go, as promised, as soon as he was safely away.
It was also helpful that there was very little melodrama about “trust” and Sophie questioning whether Marc was a “good guy” or a “bad guy.”
The entire time he’s out, Marc is looking for his sister. And like a man who has been in prison for six years and separated from his sister for years before that, he has no effing idea where to look. There’s no magical connection, no “guy inside” who gave him clues and a road map-- Marc is literally at a loss, and so does what is reasonably the best thing he can do to find the information he is looking for.
I liked Sophie and Marc’s relationship a lot. They both have very fond memories of their one night together, and while the lead-up to that night is certainly abrupt, I didn’t doubt that that single memory would sustain him through prison, and her through various disastrous romances (and no, Sophie did not remain celibate in memory of his singularly amazing wang).
The twists were not so twisty, and the stuff peripheral to Sophie and Marc was occasionally annoying. But this was a solid romance with a (nearly) coherent plot, featuring neither a TSTL heroine nor a raging douchebag hero (At some point they’re arguing about her lack of discretion while they’re hiding out and he says “This isn’t about me controlling you; it’s about staying safe.” See?? He all but announces he’s not a douchebag).
All-in-all, I’m very glad to have read this book. It bridged a gap that needed to be bridged, and really made me excited to read Pamela Clare again.
10 January 2011
In Which Monday Menu Mayhem Makes Beef, Takes Pictures!
And a Merry Monday to us all!
I sincerely hope that wherever you are, you had a pleasant weekend, and that you're keeping warm. Here in the Northeast we're gearing up for another snowstorm (Nope... it's not getting old yet! Ask again in March), and I'm hoping for a(nother) snow day, because they seem to make me very productive.
On to the Mayhem! As requested by the Her Ladyship, the lovely Lady Lalib (why is alliteration so much fun?!) here is a photo of the latest Nigella recipe, Carbonnade a la Flamande (Beer Braised Beef Casserole), produced yesterday with staggeringly positive results:
Note the use of Our (barf) new Dutch oven! (She needs a name, by the way! Suggestions in the comments section, please).
Once again, this selection began with the frying of bacon, which is really The Only Way to start cooking something. The only note I would have for this recipe by way of criticism, though, would be that the fat definitely needs to be drained from the bacon before continuing with the next step. Some fat is desired, but the end result has what I would consider to be too much.
At any rate, fry some bacon, add some onions, make a broth involving beer, mustard, and brown sugar (Guinness was most readily available), chuck in the oven for 3 hours and voila!
Most definitely serve with noodles (Ziti was the only thing we had...) and you have yourself a rockin' Sunday dinner, with leftovers to spare.
The best part of this meal for Boy Scout and his traumatized kitchen (the kitchen is always traumatized when I visit...) it all gets made in one dish! Hooray!
I sincerely hope that wherever you are, you had a pleasant weekend, and that you're keeping warm. Here in the Northeast we're gearing up for another snowstorm (Nope... it's not getting old yet! Ask again in March), and I'm hoping for a(nother) snow day, because they seem to make me very productive.
On to the Mayhem! As requested by the Her Ladyship, the lovely Lady Lalib (why is alliteration so much fun?!) here is a photo of the latest Nigella recipe, Carbonnade a la Flamande (Beer Braised Beef Casserole), produced yesterday with staggeringly positive results:
Note the use of Our (barf) new Dutch oven! (She needs a name, by the way! Suggestions in the comments section, please).
Once again, this selection began with the frying of bacon, which is really The Only Way to start cooking something. The only note I would have for this recipe by way of criticism, though, would be that the fat definitely needs to be drained from the bacon before continuing with the next step. Some fat is desired, but the end result has what I would consider to be too much.
At any rate, fry some bacon, add some onions, make a broth involving beer, mustard, and brown sugar (Guinness was most readily available), chuck in the oven for 3 hours and voila!
Most definitely serve with noodles (Ziti was the only thing we had...) and you have yourself a rockin' Sunday dinner, with leftovers to spare.
The best part of this meal for Boy Scout and his traumatized kitchen (the kitchen is always traumatized when I visit...) it all gets made in one dish! Hooray!
6 January 2011
In Which Thoroughly Obsessed Thursday Discovers Scott Pilgrim
I’m not sure which came first: Wanting to read Scott Pilgrim, or wanting to watch the movie. If I’m being honest, I think the chicken came before the egg; the only reason I was aware that there was a series of graphic novels about Scott Pilgrim was because I knew that there was a movie being made that starred Michael Cera as the titular slacker-in-waiting.
There are some who have beef with Michael Cera, and to them I say “I get it.” But I have been smitten with the kitten since 2004 when my mother gave me the first season of Arrested Development for Christmas. In my eyes, George Michael Bluth can do no wrong, and you’re really not going to convince me otherwise. So don’t try.
I should also mention that at this time it would take an absolute act of Peter Jackson to get me into the movie theater. It’s expensive, it’s sticky, and, much like television, I don’t have time to adhere to someone else’s schedule. On Demand and iTunes rentals are my friend.
So last week in the midst of the Christmas chaos my baby brother brought me his copy of Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life and then proceeded to ask me every single day if I had read it yet. And then I finally did. And then I watched the movie.
The series is seven novels long, one (I assume?) per “ex” (NOT “ex-boyfriend”) that Scott has to defeat to maintain his “going out” status with his newly discovered soulmate, Ramona Flowers. Admittedly I should have read all of them before watching the movie, which does indeed encompass all of them.
First, the graphic novel review, with the qualifier that I am no Great Reader of Graphic Novels: I thought it was charming, easily read, and very funny. There were times when I was laughing out loud. According to my brother (who, as the only reader of Scott Pilgrim I know personally, shall henceforth be known as The Expert) it does better on subsequent readings (“you see more”) and I don’t doubt him for a second. I was charmed by Scott, despite the fact that he is a huge loser who really needs to do something with his life, dammit.
Next the movie review, because this is my blog and I can review anything I want: The movie is good, if not great, and a respectable transference of graphic novel sensibilities to the large screen (or in my case, the small screen of my laptop). Michael Cera is Michael Cera-y, and this did not offend me (though Candy was not so impressed when she reviewed both at SmartBitches back in August). Again, I didn’t read all of the novels, so I had not really had an opportunity to fully form Scott Pilgrim in my head. As in the novel, my favorite character was Scott’s gay roommate (with whom he shares a bed... without conflict!... I can’t tell you how awesome I think this is) Wallace Wells played by Kieran Culkin, and unlike in the novels, I had a full appreciation for Anna Kendrick’s Stacey Pilgrim, Scott’s super-annoying/awesome sister.
So now my brother is happy, we have something to talk about, I have more things added to my TBR shelf (Ha ha. Ha. I laugh so I don’t cry), and I crossed one of the many movies on my Don’t Forget to Watch This At Some Point List.
Yeah... it’s a good day.
There are some who have beef with Michael Cera, and to them I say “I get it.” But I have been smitten with the kitten since 2004 when my mother gave me the first season of Arrested Development for Christmas. In my eyes, George Michael Bluth can do no wrong, and you’re really not going to convince me otherwise. So don’t try.
I should also mention that at this time it would take an absolute act of Peter Jackson to get me into the movie theater. It’s expensive, it’s sticky, and, much like television, I don’t have time to adhere to someone else’s schedule. On Demand and iTunes rentals are my friend.
So last week in the midst of the Christmas chaos my baby brother brought me his copy of Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life and then proceeded to ask me every single day if I had read it yet. And then I finally did. And then I watched the movie.
The series is seven novels long, one (I assume?) per “ex” (NOT “ex-boyfriend”) that Scott has to defeat to maintain his “going out” status with his newly discovered soulmate, Ramona Flowers. Admittedly I should have read all of them before watching the movie, which does indeed encompass all of them.
First, the graphic novel review, with the qualifier that I am no Great Reader of Graphic Novels: I thought it was charming, easily read, and very funny. There were times when I was laughing out loud. According to my brother (who, as the only reader of Scott Pilgrim I know personally, shall henceforth be known as The Expert) it does better on subsequent readings (“you see more”) and I don’t doubt him for a second. I was charmed by Scott, despite the fact that he is a huge loser who really needs to do something with his life, dammit.
Next the movie review, because this is my blog and I can review anything I want: The movie is good, if not great, and a respectable transference of graphic novel sensibilities to the large screen (or in my case, the small screen of my laptop). Michael Cera is Michael Cera-y, and this did not offend me (though Candy was not so impressed when she reviewed both at SmartBitches back in August). Again, I didn’t read all of the novels, so I had not really had an opportunity to fully form Scott Pilgrim in my head. As in the novel, my favorite character was Scott’s gay roommate (with whom he shares a bed... without conflict!... I can’t tell you how awesome I think this is) Wallace Wells played by Kieran Culkin, and unlike in the novels, I had a full appreciation for Anna Kendrick’s Stacey Pilgrim, Scott’s super-annoying/awesome sister.
So now my brother is happy, we have something to talk about, I have more things added to my TBR shelf (Ha ha. Ha. I laugh so I don’t cry), and I crossed one of the many movies on my Don’t Forget to Watch This At Some Point List.
Yeah... it’s a good day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)