Books Q & A

>Q: What are you reading now?

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy, Black
and Blue by Ian Rankin, Lost in a Good
Book by Jasper Fforde and, on audio,
Jazz: A History of America's Music by
Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns.

>Q: What are your favorite books?

This is a difficult question for me
because I read so many books I don't
take much time to reflect on them. And I
haven't read enough of the classics. I
used to list Jeffery Archer as a favorie
author and only discovered in recent
years how bad he is. I still list
Christopher Pike as a favorite because
his stories were so different and had a
big effect on me at the time. What the
hell has happened to him anyway?!
Now, my favorite author is Emma
Donoghue. Her books are great and her
writing has increased in quality with
each one. I especially recommend her
novels 'Hood' about an Irish woman
coming to terms with the sudden death of
her lover, and 'Slammerkin' which is the
story of how a girl survives in 1760's
London after being disowned by her mother.
However, the book that has resonated
most with me is 'A Sort of Homecoming'
by Robert Cremins because of the
protagonist's strained relationship with
his parents, his religion and his country.

>Q: What books did you think you would
hate but loved?

I agree with Alicia's feelings about
Lolita, though I don't usually begin
books I think I'll hate. I guess some of
the books I had to read in school were
surprisingly good - The Mayor of
Castorbridge by Thomas Hardy and Animal
Farm by George Orwell.

>Q: What books do you dislike most?

Badly written books. I read a lot of
mysteries. Sometimes they're enjoyable,
sometimes they're surprisingly
brilliant. Sometimes they're annoying.
Especially books by James Patterson. I
don't know why I felt compelled to read
several books of his even though I knew
the previous one had not only
disappointed me, but infuriated me. I
hate authors who put twists in their
books just for the sake of having
twists. Kind of how I feel about the
movies of M. Night Shyamalan.

>Q: What genres do you like?

In bookstores I gravitate towards the
mystery and suspense section first, then
literature and fiction, then horror. I
guess the vague Literature and Fiction
is my favorite - I love the books of
Nick Hornby, Louisa Luna, Stewart O'Nan,
Douglas Coupland, Richard Bach and more.

>Q: Do you most often read contemporary
works, older works, or both?

Most often contemporary. I'm trying to
make an effort to read older books. I
read 1984 recently and intend to work
back from there. I admire the classics
but I read for enjoyment and don't like
to have to struggle through books.

>Q: What are some of the funniest books
you've ever read?<

I enjoyed all the books I read by
Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Spike
Milligan and Kurt Vonnegut. Nick Hornby
and Dennis Lehane usually have quite
witty sections in otherwise serious
books. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer is
supposedly a children's book but I
thought it was very funny. I also like
the Agnes Brown trilogy of Brendan
O'Carroll, and most of Colin Bateman's
books - especially Divorcing Jack and
Empire State. Chuck Palahniuk's Choke
was dark but hilarious - I'm looking
forward to reading more by him.
Chocolate Jesus by Stephan Jaramillo was
pretty good. I loved Sue Townsend's
Adrian Mole diaries, and Helen
Fielding's Bridget Jones diaries and
Sophie Kinsella's Shopoholic books.
One of the funniest books I read last
year was Big Trouble by Dave Barry. Bill
Bryson is great too. Crum by Lee Maynard
is the funniest book about West Virginia
and McCarthy's Bar by Pete McCarthy is
the funniest book about Ireland. In my
opinion.

>Q: What books have made you cry?

I don't think I've actually cried while
reading in recent years but Slammerkin
by Emma Donoghue, A Sort of Homecoming
by Robert Cremins and Grace notes by
Bernard MacLaverty all brought tears to
my eyes.

>Q: What books have changed your mind
or influenced your life?<

Superfudge by Judy Bloom taught me
there's no such thing as Santa Claus.
The Bridge Across Forever by Richard
Bach taught me that love is worth
risking anything. The Bible taught me
that the God of Christianity is often
horrific. Gilfriend in a Coma by Douglas
Coupland taught me to question. Heidi by
Johanna Spyri taught me to read for
enjoyment. The Dead by James Joyes
taught me that I could enjoy literature.
Last Train to Memphis and Carless Love
by Peter Guralnick taught me that Elvis
Presley was more than a little fucked up.

>Q: What books have echoed or confirmed
your thoughts and beliefs?

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Prozac
Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel taught me
that life is a tale told by an idiot,
full of sound and fury, signifying
nothing. Shakespeare's Hamlet taught me
that there are more things between Earth
and Heaven than are dreamt of in our
philosophy.

>Q: What books do you consider most
underrated?

I think the suspense genre gets a bad
rap. There are some brilliantly written
books in this genre, especially those by
Dennis Lehane, John Connolly, Stephen
Dobyns, Ruth Rendell and P.D. James.


>Q: What books do you consider most
overrated?

Recent 'acclaimed' books like The
Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, The
Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer,
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.


>Q: What books have you changed your
mind about?<

Well, I no longer want to read Sweet
Valey books, or anything by Jeffery
Archer, but I think that's called
growing up :)

>Q: How many books do you own (books of
all kinds, including cookbooks,
>manuals, your own journals, etc.)?


Over 200, don't know exactly.


>Q: How many books are you generally
reading through at one time?


Three or four, and I sometimes put books
I'm reading 'on hiatus' to start
something else. So I'm currently
actively reading 3 books, have 2 on
hiatus, and quite a few that I'm in the
middle of and intend to get back to.

>Q: Do you often read in bed?

It's the only place I can read at home,
because in other rooms I'm distracted by
the Tv or the computer.


>Q: Do you often read while walking,
and do people give you a hard time
about it?<

I used to. Some of my best memories are
summer days walking along the road
reading. Now I listen to audiobooks when
I'm walking or taking the bus.


>Q: Do you ever read while riding?
(Bike or horse)


No. Ce n'est pas possible?


>Q: Do you ever read while driving?


No, but I do read while riding in cars.


>Q: Do you and your family or friends
read aloud to each other?<

I once read to Vic over the phone, and
sometimes have recorded myself reading
stories, but in general, no.

>Q: What book was the most difficult to
read?

Joyce's Ulysses - I got it from the
library, and it's simply not a book you
can read within a month.

>Q: Do you more often buy new or used
books?

Used - it just makes sense to me. I can
get 2 or 3 used books for the same price
as one new book, so why waste money.


>Q: What is the first book you remember
reading?

Heidi by Johanna Spyri - I was around 5
so it was an abridged edition.


>Q: What is the first book you remember
having read to you?


Sadly none, until I discovered
audiobooks. One of the first audiobooks
I remember hearing was Tess of the
d’Urbervilles By Thomas Hardy.


>Q: What was the best textbook you ever
read?

I liked some of the poetry and prose
anthologies we used in English class,
but can't remember the titles.

>Q: What books would be good to have
around for guests to read while staying
with you?<

Short story collections!

>Q: What books do you often re-read?

I have re-read very few books so far in
my life. Sati by Christopher Pike, Every
dead Thing by John Connolly, A Sort of
Homecoming and Send in the Devils, both
by Robert Cremins. Maybe as the quality
of my reading material increases, I'll
re-read more books.

>Q: What books did you think you'd like
but hated?

Neverwhere and American Gods by Neil
Gaiman, Christopher Pike's last book (4
years ago!) The Grave, and various Irish
books by Anne Enright, Pauline McGlynn,
Kate Thompson, and Marian Keyes. Homesickness sometimes leads me to bad books.

This was fun!

What I've been enjoying lately in...

Books


I finished The Quiet Game by Greg Iles in 3 days - great thriller. I also loved his book 24 Hours which was adapted into the movie Trapped. I'm currently halfway through Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy, which is... nice. I was wondering what happened to the American character and then I realised Chris O'Donnell was supposed to be playing an Irish guy in the movie:)
I'm taking a break from White Teeth by Zadie Smith - I like delving into it from time to time. I'm also halfway through Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde. I'm enjoying it, but having grown up reading Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, I'm not as impressed as certain other listees.


Music

My 'welcome' shipment from Columbia House music club arrived yesterday. One of the highlights was the Finding Forrester soundtrack. Though I couldn't recommend it unless you like experimental jazz, the cd includes a song I've loved since hearing it over the closing credits on Meet Joe Black - Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. I also got 5 by Miles Davis, 2 by Coltrane, plus Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie and Tony Bennett. I now have more music by Miles Davis than Elvis!

Movies

Enjoyed Notorious C.H.O, sat though The Texas Chainsaw Massacre again, and I'm hoping to watch Liam today. It stars one of my favorite actors - Ian Hart. He played Professor Quirrel in the first Harry potter movie, and was great in Wonderland, The Butcher Boy, Backbeat, Michael Collins, Nothing Personal, and Hollow Reed. 'Liam' was directed by Stephen Frears (High Fidelity, Dangerous Liasons, The Snapper). I missed it an the International film festival here and was glad to find it at Netflix. Yay for bleak British movies.


TV

Weekly watchings - Buffy, Angel, The Shield, Friends, Charmed, Alias, American Idol. I also enjoy The Daily Show, Will & Grace and Mad About You whenever we happen to catch 'em. Oh, and we watched Scrubs for the first time last week - it was surprisingly good.
I'm a sucker for awards shows, so I watched The Golden Globes plus E!'s pre and post show shows! I'm feeling very tempted to order HBO again in time for the return of Six Feet Under - will have to examine the budget!
Enjoyed Queens Supreme - Oliver Platt's new show. I think it's on CBS Friday. Looking forward to the supernatural ABC show starring Skeet Ulrich - Miracles starts on Monday. Hope Scott Foley's new show (coming in February) won't be crap! He and Jennifer Garner were so cute at the Golden Globes.
Hoping to finally get the MSCL box set in February (ack - Vic's Birthday, Valentines Day and our anniversary!).

Internet

I think I'll drop another plug for Fisher. The guy who once wrote music for Power Rangers got together with a hot West Virginian chick and they make sweet music together! It's probably not something vic and I would listen to if not for sentimental reasons. Fisher's 'I Will Love You' was the first MP3 Vic sent me, and a song she sang along with on tape and in person later. And then there was the band's dedication of the song to us on national radio for our first anniversary. Anyway, their cover of 'L.O.V.E' is a quiry little ditty and will be included on the soundtrack to How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Visit digitalsound.net for pics, MP3s, message boards and more.

Finished listening to Chuck Palahniuk read his book 'Choke.' Wow, definitely my coolest download yet from audible.com. A hilarious book about pathetic people. Recommended!

Having made room on my 'audible otis' player, I decided to download some music to it. What a concept! Anyway, it turned out to be a good idea. Loving the songs again made me love the albums again, and it's all a big rediscovering great music thing! The albums I've been listening to include Tori Amos' Scarlet's Walk (which is growing on me), Tom McRae's brilliant eponomously titled debut, Elbow's Asleep in the Back (worthy of Coldplay-like acclaim), and David Kitt's The Big Romance (quirky, melodic, wonderful).
I've also finally gotten around to ordering the soundtrack to Elvis' incredible 1968 NBC comeback special. Yay Elvis!

Hmm, non-jazz music can be good too.



Books - finished Ridley Pearson's Chain of Evidence and Mary Higgins Clark's We'll Meet Again (don't mock me!!!). Started Greg Iles' The Quiet Game. I love intelligently written thrillers that can be suspenseful and still have something to say about politics, humanity or religion. In this way Greg Iles is up there with John Connolly and Dennis Lehane.

Movies - Lovely and Amazing was great. A painfully perceptive film about love and life and marriage. Catherine Keener is excellent as always. And apparently Jake Gyllenhaal was cute. I've missed having access to great indie movies. Yay for Netflix. If it would only take less than a week between movies! Wanna know what's in our rental queue?

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Liam

Notorious C.H.O.


Hidden Agenda

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

Pumpkin

CQ

The Cotton Club

Mo' Better Blues

Chelsea Walls

Drawing Flies

The Evil Dead

24 Hour Party People

Ordinary Decent Criminal

Y Tu Mama Tambien

Simone

Bread and Roses

Scotland, PA

Divine Trash

Strictly Sinatra

The Real World: New York

Tart

Dazed and Confused

Signs

I'm the One That I Want

Highway

Enigma

The Shield: Season 1: Disc 1:

Monument Ave.

Donnie Brasco

Thelma & Louise

Dogtown and Z-Boys

Guinevere

The Cat's Meow

No Such Thing

The Corruptor

Metroland

Croupier

and over 100 more. So there should be much more movie distractions in the coming year(s).

Finished 1984 by George Orwell and Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding, both of which were brilliant but in very different ways. Started Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce and Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde which I believe I shall consider likewise.

Listening to Billie Holiday, Damien Rice, Kate Rusby and mix tapes of genius!

Watched Blood Work which was disappointing, especially considering that the writer and director are currently adapting one of my favorite books - Mystic River by Dennis Lehane - for the screen. Also rewatched Barbershop which is fun. I'm straight, dog!

Because of a hectic week at work and just wanting to crash when I get home, I haven't read much this week. I did receive some cds ordered before Christmas, the most exciting fo which are John Coltrane's A Love Supreme and Diana Krall's All For You. Not much to write about except...

I've been suffering withdrawal symtoms from Vic. Vic Mackey. I watched 13 episodes of The Shield in one week, and now nothing till next Tuesday. How to describe this show that has replaced The Sopranos as my favorite? The writing is great, the direction fresh. Excellent acting by everyone invoved, even those who appear just for a few minutes. The music is sparse but striking, especially Coldplay's Trouble at the end of the series. The fact the the lead character is a dirty cop paves the way for some fascinating plots. And as I see him do good and bad things, or bad things for good reasons, there are always moral questions. If breaking the rules saves lives, is it worth it? Basically, this is an exciting show. Don't miss any more of it - I regret not listening to the critics before now. Tuesdays, 10pm EST on FX.
Oh Vic, how I miss you :)

Last night I rewatched This is the Sea. Watch out for this movie - it's played on cable channel WE in the past, and is available on video. It's one of my favorite Irish movies for many reasons. Samantha Morton's breakout performance. The acting talent of some of Ireland's greatest - Richard Harris, Gabriel Byrne, John Lynch, James Nesbitt. An excellent soundtrack featuring The Waterboys and Brian Kennedy. An unfortunately topical story in Ireland about tensions between Catholics and Protestants, Republicans and Loyalists. A sweet love story and a dark tale of hatred and obsession. And to top it off, it's got one of my favorite songs ever - Fisherman's Blues by The Waterboys, which was also included in Good Will Hunting, and Dream With the Fishes.
By the way, there are some good movies to be seen on WE. Some I've noticed on this month's schedule include Heavy (Liv Tyler), Dreaming of Joseph Lees (the excellent Samantha Morton again), Best Laid Plans (Reese Witherspoon), Miss Julie (a Mike Figgis movie), The Nephew (another great Irish movie featuring Pierce Brosnan), and Slums of Beverly Hills (Natasha Lyonne!).


Moving on to TV. Finally, a show I can rave about. I was a little slow to catch on to the brilliance of The Shield, but better late than never. Showing on FX, this is an intense cop drama with a main character who is far from heroic. I recommend you see it. The last 2 episodes of the first season air Monday at 10pm, followed by the season 2 premiere at 10 on Tuesday.

I finished The Amethysts by Frank Delaney, an excellent thriller about the ramifications of Nazi evil in the present day. Can't say much about the plot without spoiling it, but this is a great story, sometimes disturbing, and brilliantly written by one of Ireland's lesser known authors. I look forward to reading more by Mr. Delaney.

Love Like Hate Adore by Dierdre Purcell was another excellent book about a difficult subject - a rape trial from the perspective of the accused's family. It was about much more than this however, about the search for family, about the difficulty of communication, the generation gap, about Ireland in the mid-90's. This is another of those books that is so filled with references to Irish culture that I have difficulty recommending it to people of other nationalities. It is however, the only book I've read that I want to recommend to my mother. Maybe I will.

I went to see Catch Me if you Can yesterday. I can't deny that this is an enjoyable movie. Yet, for some reason I want to criticise it. At times I wished for a less recognizable cast. I pictured Steve Buscemi telling the Knock Knock joke, Scott Foley beling solicited by Jennifer Garner. The movie was too fluffy, too light. It was whipped cream in a can. But fun. So I really should quit my bitchin' huh?

A Strange little survey...

> 1. What was the first record you owned?

An Elvis 'Best Of' tape.

> 2. Is there a song that reminds you
most of your childhood?<

Maybe - Thom Pace (theme from Grizzly Adams)

> 3. If you could spend a night with
five musical artists (three for their
minds and two for their bodies) who
would they be?<

Minds of Miles Davis, Craig Armstrong
and Damien Rice.
Bodies of Norah Jones and Britney.

> 4. If your life was a movie, what
would play over the following:

> *Opening credits

Creep - Radiohead

> *Love scene

Black - Pearl Jam

> *Driving scene that consists mainly
of flashbacks and love lost.

My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis

> *Closing credits

I'll Take it from here - Jonatha Brooke

> 5. A song or concert that moved you
to tears<

In concert, Odetta singing Goodnight
Irene. My dad used to sing that.

> 6. What do you listen to when you are...

> *Happy?

Soundtracks... Happy Texas / My Best Friend's Wedding / One Fine Day

> *Sad?

Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

> *Upset

Sarah McLachlan or Jewel

> 7. Name one musical artist you'd like
to see banished.<

Toby Keith

> 8. Name a song you would rather never
hear again.<

Toby Keith ~ The Angry American

> 9. Name an album that is perfect all
the way through<

Damien Rice - O

> 10. Music you like that can be
considered a guilty pleasure.<

Ronan Keating

> 11. If your music collection was
about to go up in flames, which 5 cds
would you save?<

Preferably mix tapes and cds that would be impossible to replace. But as for actual cds... I'd probably save UK releases expensive/difficult to find here:

Damien Rice - O
Gemma Hayes - Night on my Side
David Kitt - The Big Romance
Acoustic - Various
Pure Cinema Chillout - Various



> 12. Is there a song that describes
you or a situation you've been in so
well that you could have written it?<

Creep by Radiohead

> 13. What is your favourite soundtrack?

Vanilla Sky

> 14. Best music-related movie?

High Fidelity


> 15. What is your favourite all-time
video?<

Radiohead - like 'em all, favorite is probably No Surprises.

> 16. Current favourite radio hit?

Beautiful - Christina Aguilerra

> 17. Do you sing or play any music
instruments?<

I sing. Sometimes.