I'm gonna read...

[gonnaread]

Currently reading: Outlander by Diane Gabaldon

Last summer, at work and on facebook, several of my friends were losing their minds because the second season of Starz TV show Outlander. They all had their panties in a twist and I had no idea why. Eventually I had a couple of day offs with my BFF and it was right when she pulled a muscle on her back and was bed ridden for a week, so we sat down and watched the first season, and obviously, we feel in love with Claire and Jaime and all of the Highlanders of the show.

After that, I found out the show is based on a series of books by Diane Gabaldon and *gasp* they are so popular that people have had ‘Gatherings’ in real life, and many other conventions for the fans. A few days later, Amazon had a ‘Summer reading’ sale and they were offering the first seven books for something like $7, so I bought it and forgot about it. I read a few chapters, but the thing with reading a book after you watched it on TV can go two ways: you either devour everything or you just can’t go on with it. The TV show is really well made, so I ended up setting the book aside and not touching it again, until...

...this week, when my mom and I reorganized pretty much my whole house and I decided to make a point of reading every book I bought and never actually got to read (which could potentially be a problem, because this month alone there are 4 or 5 books coming out that I already pre-ordered.

The thing with reading a book that inspired a well made, well produced TV show, is that you end up not having to imagine much of the scenery, characters, anything, and that kinda kills it for me. The first book is very well represented in the first season, so I feel like I’m rewatching the show as I read. But I will persevere. I will finish this book, and the other 7 that follow, because I do love this characters and I want to know what happens next without having to wait 12-18 months to be able to watch it on TV.

More to come when I am done (which could take a while...)

[gonnaread]

King Arthur: The Legend of the Sword

This weekend, my husband I went out to watch the new King Arthur movie. I confess I was giddy in anticipation -- I’ve been waiting over two years for this movie to come out and I absolutely love the cast.

Now, like everyone else, you hear about box office and that may drive you to see a movie or not. I heard a lot of bad reviews about this one, so this put me out a little bit. I do, however, love the story of King Arthur, how he rose to power and became a great king for England. I know about Merlin, and Guinevere, and even the obscure Lady in the Lake and what she represents. So early-ish morning on Saturday, the husband and I drove to our favorite movie theater and hunkered down to watch this movie.

Now, don’t get me wrong -- I absolutely can see why people would dislike it. Guy Ritchie has a very distinct way of directing, and it’s easy to tell. Some of the scenes where other directors would straight up aim for an ‘epic moment in the life of Arthur’, he simply took it as it was -- another stepping stone in the life of this great man. 

I agree with some reviews that they may have gone a tad overboard with the special effects -- all extremely well made though, you cannot take it away from it -- and because of that some of the story seemed rushed. My husband defined this movie as the Matrix meets Lord of the Rings, and I kinda agree that it does have that feel, but I absolutely loved it. It was different than everything else and very entertaining to watch (plus, Charlie Hunnam is a feast for the eyes), but if you are going to watch this movie expecting a “Troy” like experience, be prepared to be disappointed. As for myself, I went expecting to be entertained and left feeling happy with my choice to ignore the reviews and make my own opinion about it.

[gonnaread]

Brothers and Sisters (ABC-tv)

I’m in the process of re-watching (and when I can, re-bingeing) the ABC tv show Brothers and Sisters. I’ve watched it for the first time when it aired and couple more times since it was cancelled/ended. 

The dynamic of the Walker family is just so enticing -- I catch myself wanting to be part of that crazy, loud, drunk family, but who loves each other through good and worse. It’s like what I assume being part of a cult feels like. These characters are so real, and the story kicks off with their patriarch dying at the end of episode and this brings all this crazy story line about long lost siblings, and cheating, and politics, and fighting, and the Walker reunions. By the end of episode 2, you just can’t detach yourself from the TV and even though it’s been about three years since I last saw it, I still catch myself wanting to know where these plots will lead and what would happen to these beloved characters.

The interesting part for me is how your loyalties shift as the series progress and you start having favorites who later on turn into people you despise. It is so realistic, real life is like that too, how many times haven’t we find ourselves feeling betrayed by the very people we love the most? 

This is a show I recommend to everyone. And it’s a shame it no longer airs, because even today I catch myself thinking what would Kitty Walker say about our government, or what would Kevin and Scotty’s wedding be like, so many other things I keep myself wondering about these characters. 

I know people say that too much tv make people alienated, but I think a huge chunk of who I am came from examples I learned while watching tv. So give it a go. It might not be your cup of tea, or it might. But in a world where it’s hard to stomach watching the news, the Walker might give you just enough inspiration to get through a difficult day.

[gonnaread]

A blog about reading...

And watching a movie or a tv show. And listening to music, or audiobooks. And maybe what I think about those things too. Some posts may be about projects. Some may be about my dog. Some about a recipe I wanna try and share the experience with you.

I was spring cleaning this weekend and I noticed I have a LOT of books from several phases of my life, some I never touched. And I feel like I’ve been doing a disservice to them and to myself by not reading them. So that got me thinking about maybe sharing with people how I feel about it before/during/after I finish them.

Anyway, hope you stick around. Or you won’t. But I’ll be here!