Book Chat - 2/23/2023

Still traveling - lots of driving = lots of reading.

The Island by Elin Hilderbrand

Four women, all related, head to the family beach house for a month to lick their respective wounds. It was very good.

Hadley and Grace by Suzanne Redfern

Two women on a Thelma-and-Louise-like adventure…with children in tow. It was very cute!

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

Meredith’s life was in shambles; so, she turns to her longest time friend, Connie - despite the fact that the two had had a falling out and had not spoken in years. The two set off for Nantucket. (Of course, they do!) There, both women try to figure out the way forward. It was so good.

MK out.

Book Chat - 2/16/2023

Our tour of NZ has been nice, but Cyclone Gabrielle altered the itinerary a bit. Thank goodness, I have reading!

A Single Swallow by Zhang Ling

The lives of three men and one woman are intertwined in this lovely story set during World War II. 

Perfectly Impossible by Elizabeth Topp

It’s a cute, little read about a personal assistant and her wealthy philanthropist employer. Anna is tasked with helping her boss plan and execute the New York Opera’s gala and pre-gala luncheon. It was an entertaining light read.

Gerta: A Novel by Katerina Tučková

The fictional story follows Gerta, half Czech-half German, in her story of survival, through WWII and decades after. It was rather sad, really. I know there are many stories of survival, but it always takes me by surprise what people endure in dire situations. 

MK out.

WIP Wednesday- 2/15/2023

I bought some souvenir yarn  

and started a scarf.

MK out.

Movie Monday - 2/13/2023

Kia Ora y’all! I haven’t had a chance to watch any movies, since I’m out touring New Zealand, but I did visit a movie set yesterday.

MK out. 

Book Chat - 2/9/2023

Our trip down under has begun. We landed in Auckland yesterday morning NZ time. I started a new book on the plane. I would like to finish it, but my iPad ran out of juice. We need to purchase current converters.

I did finish one the other day though!

The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand

When a beloved couple drown on their way to a romantic sail for their anniversary, many secrets affecting their tight-knit group of friends come to light. It was so good! 

MK out.

Movie Monday - 2/6/2023

Leaving on a jet plane tonight; so, not sure what the movie watching situation will be. 

Nominated for Best Actress, Ana de Armas stars in Blonde, a biopic about Marilyn Monroe. She did a beautiful job of playing the often misunderstood Norma Jean and her public persona, Marilyn. Bobby Cannavale and Adrien Brody also starred and they were also very good. I liked it.

Causeway is about a US soldier who returns home following an IED accident. She meets an auto mechanic and the two become friends. Jennifer Lawrence and Brian Tyree Henry (who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor) star in this film. Both did a great job. Good movie!

MK out.

Book and Movie Chat - 2/2/2023

I am hitting two birds with one stone today. First up, I finished another book.

A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand

I’m back to beach reads! In this one, married, mother of four, capable Claire agrees to co-chair the annual Nantucket Gala. The billionaire, executive director of the charity asked her himself. Soon, they are working together and sparks start flying. What will happen? Read the book to find out. It was good, but not one of her best. (Oh! Did I say that out loud?)

I’ve already checked out her next one; so, I’m sure all soon will be right in the world.

In other news, the Oscars nominations were announced last week and it caught me by surprise. I guess The Dash has been very distracting. I got busy though.

Brendan Fraser stars in The Whale and has been nominated for Best Actor. He plays a morbidly obese individual with a complicated past. He makes a living by teaching an online night school class. He doesn’t have many people in his life and he’s very ill. Just when he’s getting close to the end, along comes his estranged teenaged daughter. The acting is superb and the film was pretty good.

I had to watch All Quiet on the Western Front over two and a half days. It was so gruesome! I know it’s based on a book and it’s been adapted to film before. I’ve never read the book, nor seen the previous film efforts. This movie has been nominated for Best International Feature Film and for Best Picture. I don’t know why it was remade, yet again, except maybe to update the technical effects that make a movie look more realistic, but yuck! The acting is really good, but the story is a sad cautionary tale about the reality of war. I did not enjoy.

I thoroughly enjoyed Living. It’s a quiet little story about a bureaucratic government worker who is on in years. He receives some bad news and decided that he needs to break a little out of his comfort zone. Bill Nighy stars and has been nominated for Best Actor. I enjoy watching him act, and he did not disappoint. 

Written and directed by Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans is a semi autobiographical account of Spielberg’s early life. Michelle Williams was nominated for Best Actress for the role of the mother of the family. A young boy is gifted a movie camera and he starts filming things that are happening around him, with his mother’s encouragement. He soon graduates to writing and directing the short homemade movies he produces. Williams did a great job. It was a good movie.

Recent Binges:

Only Murders in the Building Season 1 - Hulu

Emily in Paris Season 3 - Netflix

The Last Movie Stars - HBOMax

MK out.