The Thirteenth One

I thought about skipping this one, it being the thirteenth and all, but decided I really wasn't that superstitious.

I'd like to take a moment to welcome myself back to the world of infrequent blogging... Thank you. School is out, my second year is water under the bridge which means I have some extra time on my hands. Extra time= beach, books, blogging. I'm sure more activities will be included.

Last summer my summer reading goal was twenty (20) books. I succeeded. This summer I'm shooting for twenty-five (25). I don't like to start out with a specific summer reading list, that would just irritate me and I would end up dragging my feet and not reading nearly enough. That said, however, there are a few books that I'm definitely going to read:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I have wanted to read this book for a long time, and to be fair I have already started this one, but it is so intriguing and reads so well. I cannot wait to finish it.

Next up is a collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman whom I am quickly falling in love with (with whom I am quickly falling in love). I read Stardust last summer and this summer, if all goes well, I will read more than just this one book of Gaiman's. I must start with this one, however, because I already own it and I am trying to be thrifty... although I could always visit the local library. That has worked well for me in the past.

After working my way through the pile of books that I own but have not yet read, I will move on to books I do not own, but wish I did. Including, but not limited to:

Eighth Grade Bites

by Heather Brewer

I discovered this book and its two sequels (Ninth Grade Slays, and Tenth Grade Bleeds) in Barnes&Noble. I was exercising my oft-used (and rarely unsuccessful) technique of judging books by their covers and this one caught my eye. It really has nothing to recommend itself except for its cover, its title (which is really a lot of fun) and the fact that it's about a vampire, but doesn't seem to take itself as seriously as the Twilight series (which I also have yet to read).

Thus ends the book portion of my blog. Onto other entertainment.

I am a huge fan of tv on dvd and this summer I have at my disposal the entire season of Monty Python's Flying Circus. I cannot wait. I also cannot wait for the release of the third seasons of Heroes and Psych. I have faithfully avoided any and all spoilers about Heroes, saving myself for the time when I can simply sit down and watch them all back-to-back-to-back. I have just as faithfully NOT avoided any and all episodes of Psych because Gus and Shawn are just as amusing the twelfth time around as they are the first.

In an attempt to slow my purchase of movies (obviously not box sets as seen from the above paragraph) I have joined Netflix. The theory was I would simply watch all the movies I wanted to watch without having to buy them. Unfortunately the plan has backfired somewhat because I am simply adding to my ever-growing list of movies-to-own. This list now includes (thanks to Netflix) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (which I loved despite my little brother's contention that it was slow and boring. Shut up Charlie, it was beautiful), I'm Not There (a fascinating biopic about the one and only Bob Dylan), 300 (which almost-but-not-quite as interesting as the graphic novel), and Be Kind Rewind (which was equal parts hilarious and touching).

The plan has, however, been a success in that I watched quite a few movies that I wanted to see, but am very glad I never bothered buying. Seriously stupid movies, some of which I couldn't even make it all the way through. For the sake of these movies I am inventing a new tag: the non-rec. I do not, I repeat, I DO NOT recommend these movies to anyone: Georgia Rule, couldn't even watch the whole thing. Catch and Release, amusing in parts, but ultimately not amusing to save itself from being pointless. The Covenant which I watched to see if the guy who was going to play Gambit in the Wolverine movie could act. I definitely chose the wrong sampling. No one could act with a script that bad. Pointless eye-candy. (Side note: the guy who played Gambit is Taylor Kitsch. And he can act. See- Friday Night Lights the series on NBC.) In the Land of Women, chosen because of my love for Adam Brody, which hails from my days of obsession with The O.C. It was okay. Not good, nor great, but okay. I just kept waiting for more and the end I didn't feel like I was left with anything worthwhile. Not that movies have to be profound, but I like even my comedies to at least be sustantially funny. And yes, I do realize how incredibly subjective my yardstick is.

That's all for today. I may post later this week, simply because I get to use my mother's MacBook and it's super fun.