I have been blogging about books off and on for several years; I used to blog at Laughing Stars (formerly Stark Raving Bibliophile). I am an amateur reader, budding movie buff, and reviewer, in the true sense of the word -- I do it because I love it. And I can't resist the urge to discuss books and movies with people.
I don't claim that my reviews are objective. I believe there is an individual chemistry between a book and reader or between a film and viewer. We all bring our own knowledge, experiences, and emotions to the table. I hope my reviews help you decide for yourself whether you'd enjoy a book or movie, encourage discussion, and reveal a bit of myself and my life.
Some Favorite Authors:
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Jane Austen
- Geraldine Brooks
- Willa Cather
- Suzanne Collins
- Andre Dubus
- John Green
- Hilary Jordan
- Laura Kasischke
- Barbara Kingsolver
- Ursula LeGuin
- J.K. Rowling
- Leo Tolstoy
- Anne Tyler
- Sarah Waters
- Connie Willis
Some Favorite Movies:
- Amazing Grace
- Billy Elliott
- Burn After Reading
- Chocolat
- Death at a Funeral
- Fargo
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- Howl's Moving Castle
- Juno
- Kiki's Delivery Service
- Love Actually
- Magnolia
- Memento
- Mr. Holland's Opus
- My Neighbor Totoro
- Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
- Ponyo
- Pulp Fiction
- Shine
- Sling Blade
- Spirited Away
- The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- The Chosen
- The Fall
- The Full Monty
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
- The Matrix
- The Princess Bride
- The Shining
- The Wizard of Oz
- What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
- Winter's Bone
Favorite Television Shows: Firefly, Dr. Who, The Big Bang Theory
Some Favorite Quotes:
On How I See Myself: “I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.” ― Augusten Burroughs, Magical Thinking: True Stories
On Raising Children Who Defy Expectations of "Normal": "We allow the light of our children to blind us to what society may define as a lack. We don't see any lack, because our vision is filled with the glory of Who Our Children Are." -- Anne Ohman
On Being a Thinker: "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence." -- Robert Frost
On Prejudice: “You can safely assume that you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” -- Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies; on page 22 of Bird by Bird she attributes this quote to “my priest friend Tom”
On Politics: "The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse: You cannot post 'Thou shalt not steal,' 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' and 'Thou shalt not lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges, and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment."
No comments:
Post a Comment
Hello, and thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts -- reader comments make this blogging gig worthwhile. :-) Due to excessive spam, we are now moderating all comments. Like that dude in the Monty Python skit, we just Don't ... Like ... Spam. I will try to post and respond to your comments as quickly as possibly.