Jami and the Fake Interview

So I haven't blogged for awhile (again) and was thinking I should, when I read an interview with an author in EW magazine. I liked the questions and have to admit that at this point in my life, it seems very unlikely I will be interviewed by EW. Therefore, I decided to blog my answers. Which classic have you never read, but pretended you did? Ah, I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I have never actually read Little Women. I've read bits of it, I know the story, and I started in once, but I think at the time, I was too young for it. After that, when I would go to pick it up, I'd think I know the story already and then get something else. I need to read it, for real. What book would you use to swat a fly? Hmm, there aren't too many. I think even silly Harlequin romances have their place. I will admit that I hated Ellison's Invisible Man when I read it in 9th grade, but I might not have really "gotten" it. Or I might still hate it. I'll never know because I hated it enough to not give it a second chance. Tell us what your favorite childhood books were. If you want to go waaaay back, the Amelia Bedelia books were probably the first series I was into. I loved the Beezus and Ramona books, Judy Blume, the Hardy Boys (but not Nancy Drew) and sadly, in fifth grade I started sneaking some Stephen King, who is most certainly NOT appropriate reading for an 11-year-old. Are there books you have gone back and read over and over. Short answer: TONS! Long answer: I have loved "The Blue and the Gray" by John Leekly enough to have read 2 copies to pieces. I think it's out of print now, but I might have to find another copy. "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" causes me to laugh out loud and tear up every time I read it. The Fletch series and Flynn series by Gregory MacDonald are ridiculously clever and funny. Anne Rule's "Small Sacrifices" is one I can't put down even though it horrifies me. I think I read it over and over trying to make the (true) story make sense. I have a few other favorite authors, but no one standout book among their collections. Is there a book that scared the pants off of you? As I mentioned before, I started reading Stephen King way too young. I read "Christine" in one night too scared to sleep from reading it, but too into it to put it down. I finished at about 4 am and it was one of the first times I remember seeing a sunrise. I think it was the summer after 7th grade. Is there a book you always meant to pick up but never did? I'd like to read some more of the "classics" that I haven't gotten to, "Great Expectations", some of Jane Austen's lesser known books (the ones that haven't been movies yet) and those cat mysteries people seem to love. What do you want to read next? I'd like to get "The Self Sufficient-ish Bible" out of the library, because it sounds like the sort of thing I'd like. Feel free to answer these questions on your blog, unless you expect EW to be calling.

Jami Recognizes a Loss

Most likely the name Gregory McDonald doesn't mean a thing to you. You probably have seen his most famous work, though - Fletch. The movie, while great and a definitely classic, really isn't that close to the novel. Actually, to the terrific series of novels. They are equaled by the Flynn series. Mr. McDonald passed away earlier this month - I only just learned. I love the Fletch book especially for their wry wit, clever clues and "real" detective work. I sometimes read them thinking how different the stories would be in the days of Google, cell phones and GPS devices. Fletch, clever and curious, isn't a bumbling/lucky detective, but a quick-witted, tenacious journalist who knows when there's a story and has a questionable moral code. Flynn is brilliant and almost opposite of Fletch, and they even meet in one of the novels (I believe it's "Confess, Fletch" but don't quote me on that). So farewell, Mr. McDonald. Thank you for the gift of hours and hours of escaping into the stories.

Jami Reads and Watches

It's not uncommon of me to be wary of a movie made from a book I love. Too often we have all been let down in this way, right? But I will frequently get the book for a movie I enjoyed. A great example of this is Fried Green Tomatoes (movie title, the book adds "At the Whistle Stop Cafe"). Liked the movie, loved the book. In fact, I have had to buy this book several times because I've lent it to someone and not gotten it back. In most cases the book is better simply because you can put way more into a book that you can a movie; we can hear people's thoughts, the story can go on and on without needing an intermission. Squeezing a whole book into a movie often requires cutting out subplot, side-stories and entire scenes. I wanted to mention this because I just read "I Am Legend", after seeing the movie not too long ago. I got the book from the library on a whim - it was on a shelf and had Will Smith on it. And I did enjoy the movie, so what the heck? Turns out this is my least favorite type of "adaptation", the kind where the movie bares almost no actual resemblance to the book. The Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds is another fantastic example of this. Basically, they (by which I mean the adapters) take the bare bones most basic part of the idea and the name of the antagonist and pitch the rest. How are they allowed to call it the same thing? I know you can't copyright titles, but how misleading can you be? I understand that some things may be updated, like the use of cellphones, let's say, but if you're going to toss out the majority of the story, call it something else. Maybe "inspired by . . . " Here's a brief look for I Am Legend: BOOK Location: West Coast Cause: Bacteria mutated by (implied) nuclear war Dog: Finds and befriends a stray Wife & kid: Died from plague, wife came back to get him Job: Ex-military, then some sort of factory Friends: None Listens to: Classical, loud enough to cover sounds of vampires Meets: Woman who betrays him Grows: Garlic to protect house Nemesis: Former friend who is now a vampire, groups of roaming vamps Habits: Smoking, excessive drinking, fits of rage, killing random vamps House: Boarded up windows & doors, one floodlight outside Ending: Unhappy MOVIE Location: New York City Cause: Man-made virus gone wrong Dog: Beloved pet of late daughter Wife & kid: Died in helicopter crash escaping the plague Job: Military research doctor Friends: Store Mannequins Listens to: Bob Marley Meets: Woman who helps him escape, and restores (some of) his faith Grows: Fields of crops for eating Nemesis: Angry vampire whose girlfriend he stole Habits: Exercising, researching, experimenting on vamps House: Ultra-protected windows, floodlights all around Ending: Guardedly hopeful So, even from this brief off-the-top-of-my-head list, we can see how this is not at all the same story. Just saying.

Jami Rereads a Book

I love to read and the books I really enjoy, I'll read over and over. There are books that I have probably read 10 time that I still cry at the sad parts and giggle out loud at the funny parts. I like a good story and it's okay if I know it. When I find an author I like, I tend to "out-read" him/her, that is, to read everything I can find that he/she has written until I'm caught up and waiting for more. I have several authors that I tend to buy (used) because I know I'll keep reading them. That's not the point of this post, just getting us on the same page. A couple days ago, Eddie had gotten enough into his trains that he wouldn't notice if I stopped pushing my one assigned train and read. However, the book I am currently trying to find time to read waited for me downstairs, meaning that to get it, I'd have to stand up and walk out of the room, drawing attention to the fact that I'd stopped playing trains. In my reach, on the upstairs bookcase, sat a book by one of my favorite authors, albeit the one book by her that I didn't like. It'd been so long since the last time I read it, I couldn't remember why I hadn't liked it. I'm not going to tell you the title or author, because that's not the point of this story, either. I picked it up, figuring it would keep me entertained for whatever brief time I had and then when I reached the point where I remembered why I hadn't liked it, I'd put it back. But, I never reached that point. I read the thing, cover to cover, in a couple of days. I really enjoyed the story, even when I got around to remembering the ending, just a chapter or so before I got there. So what happened the previous reading? I don't know, but I have some guesses. The author is generally reputed as writing comedic novels and this story wasn't funny. I mean, a few places where I chuckled, but not a hilarious romp through anything. Maybe I'd started it expecting a good laugh and been disappointed, so I'd missed the goodness of the story. I can tell you that it's probably been 5 years since I first read it, and I'm a different me than I was before Eddie was born, before I became a full-time Mommy, before some of the other things that I've experienced in that time. Maybe I just wasn't ready for the story then and now I am. It makes me wonder what things in life we experienced at just the wrong time. If I hadn't bought this book, just borrowed it from the library and returned it, I'd never have read it again, and I wouldn't know that it really is a good story. What other books or movies or places or people have I come across when I had the wrong attitude or expectations or emotions or maturity? How can I ever know?

Jami's Friday Feast

Feast 181 Appetizer Who was the last person you hugged? Eddie Soup Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us. No matter what you're wearing or how you're groomed, you look better if you act like you're totally confident. Salad What does the color yellow make you think of? Flowers Main Course If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around? Babies and dogs dressed up in costumes that amuse me. Dessert What was the longest book you ever read? Which is longer, the Bible or the Stand?

Jami Thinks You Need to Read This

I'm not reviewing this book - I'm telling you to go out and buy, borrow or download it and really read it. Murdered by Mumia - by Maureen Faulkner & Michael Smerconish Faulkner is the widow of the murdered police officer and this story is not about the trial per se, as much as the living legend Mumia has become after the trial as well as the things that she has had to endure since the murder. This book is not about whether or not the death penalty is right, and that's not the point, either. Of all involved, who has the most interest in being sure that the right person is convicted? The one who loved him the most, his wife. Faulkner attended every day of the trial and has even published the entire transcipt at http://www.danielfaulkner.com/ This is a hard book to read on many levels, but I challenge you to read it, regardless of what you know, or think you know, about the murder of Danny Faulkner.

Jami and the Bloodsucking Undead

Though Halloween is upon us now, vampires have been very "in" for a few months now, and I'm not entirely sure why. I don't know if it started with Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS, to those in the know) or with the Goth movement or just because the idea of not aging is oh-so-appealing to our society, even at the cost of one's soul. I've never been a big horror fan; I don't like being scared. I liked BtVS, preferred Angel and haven't even watched Moonlight, the new Angel plot-alike, which I can't comment on, having not watched it. I have however recently read a few very good books which have vampires and are, I promise, not even a little scary. I reviewed Stephenie Meyer's Twilight on Circle of Friends review, so I won't be repeating myself here. Meyer has completed the trilogy, so now's a good time to start them. I also want to recommend You Suck, a Love Story by Christopher Moore, which I read and will be reviewing also on Circle of Friends. I'm not going to say much more on that one here, except it has possibly the best ending to any vampire book I've ever had. Both of these books are set in the present day with email and cell phones, unlike some of the more traditional vamp stuff. The vampires have real problems and concerns, more human than super-natural in some cases. So, if you want a good book, not scary, about soulless blood-drinking protagonists, check these books out and have a very Happy Halloween!!

Jami Worries About Mystery Writers

I'm not a huge fan of mystery novels. While I absolutely adore the Fletch and Flynn series by Gregory MacDonald and I read the Sue Grafton alphabet series, I much prefer true crime as long as it is well written (read Ann Rule if you want really excellent, expert writing about crime). True crime is useful: we can learn how some crimes could have been prevented, how justice was served or averted, and why people commit crimes to begin with. Fiction crimes are not as useful, IMO, because reading about how an imaginary person solves an imaginary crime most likely isn't going to help me. The other main problem I have is with the murders, because let's face it, most of these are murders, is how they are written. A good writer, I believe, can write a fascinating story around what we would call and "ordinary" murder. You know, a shooting, a stabbing, your basic baseball bat to the head. However, one of the trends seems to be coming up with more gruesome, creative and horrific ways to off your victim, and to me that's both piss-poor imagination and lazy story-telling. I just put down a book that I won't be picking back up because the detailed description of the attack on the second victim, more disgustingly brutalized than the first, actually made me sad and sick and I couldn't bear to read about what would happen to the third. Not because I am so queasy about violence, but because someone spent time thinking this up - for entertainment. Like the torture-porn movies currently so popular, I find this more than distasteful. I see this not as a different type of creativity, but a lack of it. And I worry about the psyche of someone who spends time thinking about newer, more awful ways to kill someone. In one of the Fletch novels, victims are thrown off a balcony and strangled. Yes, it's a crime, but it's also not exactly new or interesting. I'm sure that most experienced homicide detectives have seen at least one of those. What makes it a good story is how the crime is solved, the uncovering and piecing together of evidence. How does motive fit in, how are the players all connected? Less than 100 pages into the book I just stopped reading, I could tell there would be none of this. The killer, in fact, had already been discovered, so while they still had to prove it and all, blah blah blah, there was already rehashing of crimes and a surviving victim having nightmares where she relived her crimes or discussed her various scars or injuries. Ick. It can't be good for your brain to read that, or worse, to ponder it the way you must to write it. To research how to slay people and think up new ways to hurt them longer, or more disturbingly. Not plotting out an original story with a murder in it, with new twists on old motives or interesting clues and a good way to put the puzzle together, but just unique ways to cause pain and ultimately end someone's life - this is what bothers me. I guess there's not much point, except that I can't see a point in reading, writing or watching that sort of thing, and I don't think it's good for your soul. That's all.

Jami Catches Up

Whew, it's been awhile since I posted. Thanks to a busy week and a minor computer issue, suddenly it's been a week with no post. Apologies. First, congrats to Lori - this week's winner of Jami's Word Game for her excellent use of last week's word, "vexatious" - see her use in the comment section of this post. Lori doesn't have a blog (as far as I know) so no link, but way to use the word, Lori and keep up the fine work! Lori recently taught me the word "chaplet" which actually came up in a conversation shortly thereafter. Three weeks, three different winners, are you next?? I know you can do it. This week's word is: turbid [tur-bid] 1. not clear or transparent because of stirred-up sediment or the like; clouded; opaque; obscured: the turbid waters near the waterfall. 2. thick or dense, as smoke or clouds. 3. confused; muddled; disturbed. This is a new one on me, I'd heard of "turgid" but never this one. Best of luck, post your entries and I hope you win. Other brief notes: We're going camping this weekend and I can't wait. I so need a break and there's not much that's both cheap and totally relaxing as drinking malt-ternatives around a campfire. However I am also totally dreading the part of the weekend that is leaving Eddie for two whole days. I've never been away from him that long (since he came home). He's all excited, he loooooves going to Grammy and Pop's house, it's all he's talked about all day. So I may be crying into my malt-ternative. I'm out of Sue Grafton books. I thought she'd finished the alphabet (she writes the A is for . .B is for . . . mysteries). I counted on a nice full 26 books before I ran out, she started writing these in the 80s, after all and I go to get T and it's not even released yet!! There is a 200+ person waiting list!! What the $*%#? Where's my *$#%^ "T", Sue?? "S" came out two years ago, I read way faster than that! Grrr. This happens to me with every author. I'm not even a huge mystery fan, it was just something to keep me busy between other books and now I'm out. So sad. Does anyone else think OJ Simpson is some sort of criminal savant? Commits a double-homicide, gets away with it, commits some more felonies (sure, 10 years later, but still) and makes such idiotic remarks as "I thought what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" (um, I doubt they said that to encourage you to come to Vegas and commit armed robbery; I think they were going more for the legal, but perhaps less moral activities) and something about how could people say he'd think he'd get away with a crime (hmmmmmm). Sigh. Please, OJ, muster what little dignity you have left and stop breaking the law. Please. Here's the story of a woman who tried to eBay her two kids (just for a couple of days). I can't imagine what could go wrong with that. Having kids leads you to say things you never thought you would, like "Please quit rubbing cheese into your hair", "No chasing the dog with pliers!" and "You're lying, you did poop!" I had a dream last night, the details unimportant, but the cool part was that it had a soundtrack - all Monkees songs, too. So now, I guess we're all caught up. Don't forget to post your entries to the word game here. Peace out, I gotta go catch a tiny lunatic and try to convince him to go to sleep.

Jami Takes It Easy

Well, folks, I'm on vacation. I had planned to blog more while here, since the cottage we have at this little beach was advertised as having wireless connection, which is sort of true. I'd considered the idea of writing a post, going to the single corner of our space where we get connection, weak and unreliable though it might be, and quickly pasting it, but that seemed like too much work for vacation time. We are at the beach - and Eddie's in toddler heaven. Not only does he have access to sand, toys and snacks, but he's basically got the undivided attention of 5 adults (the Husband, me, my parents and my grandmother). He's going to be sorely disappointed next week when he is stuck back with just me, and I don't attend to his every whim. As much as I love the beach, I am becoming almost sun-phobic. Being the whitest white girl in the history of the planet, I burn much too fast and then spend days in constant pain or at least uncomfortableness. I hate that. I've spent most of the time on the beach huddling under the umbrella, reading my books. I've read I Love You, Beth Cooper, by Simpsons writer Larry Doyle and enjoyed that quite a bit. I'm about 2/3 through Island of the Lost by by Joan Druett, the true story of one island where two ships wrecked within few months of each other, without knowing the others were there. One group did exceedingly well, the other, well, didn't. I've also just started The Cat-Napping another Bertie and Jeeves novel by the always hilarious P.G. Wodehouse, and if you haven't read any, do pick one up. We've been to the zoo - good fun. I haven't taken many pictures, as again, it seems like work, but I promise, I'll get to some and post a few. Happy whatever day today is to you, having a great time, wish you were here!