Things I read, watch, listen to and do in 2009!
I've decided that this year, maybe I just won't do books, but also movies, music, concerts, etc.
Books:
- The Temptation of the Night Jasmine by Lauren Willig
So good, of course! Longer review, flocked, here. - The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory
This book, which was classic Philippa was about the period that Mary, Queen of Scots spends in England after being forced from her own throne. It's about the time she spends with the family (Bess and George Talbot) and how they all interact with and affect each other. The last chapter jumps about two decades to M-QoS's (as I like to call her) execution and that jump is a bit jarring, but it's not really what the book is about. It was a quick read and definitely enjoyable and exciting. - Fallen Skies by Philippa Gregory
Well. This was intense. Mostly in that nothing happened for almost two years of basically the whole book and then everything blew up in the last twenty-four hours slash 50 or so pages of the book. Also, it was a reaaly disturbing look at how war affects its participants. And I mean REALLY disturbing. - The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury
Really interesting and exciting. If you can read it with a grain of salt and not be too put off by most of its ridiculousness, I'd recommend it. It's fast and entertaining, if nothing else. - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
This book was so beautiful in its simplicity and sparseness, its honesty and its humor. The characters felt so real and genuine and it really put a smile on my face. I really want to read the rest of the series now. - People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Wow, this book was awesome! It has everything I love: history, books, a little mystery, and Jewish culture. I had a fantastic time reading it, and it was never boring, and I loved the way the plot structured. (I would like to add a side note, that I find it hilarious that Brooks won a Pulitzer for what is, basically, glorified fan fiction.) - The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
This book was charming, humorous, and a delight to read. At 120 pages, it's the perfect quick read. - The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
This is the incredible story of Antonina Zabiniski, the wife of the Warsaw Zoo's keeper, who, while her husband fought against the Nazis with the Polish Underground, used her bombed-out, empty zoo as a temporary resting place for Jews who needed a place to hide while waiting on false papers and safe passage out of Poland, all while raising a young son and giving birth to a new daughter. Beautifully written, it almost reads like a novel, but it's nonfiction, and the incredible research Ackerman obviously did makes the story really come to life. I was blown away by this book. - The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
So I'm not much of a mystery girl, so a lot of the time I was kind of confused as to what was going on, but ti was still a great book to read. - Vagabond by Bernard Cornwell
Well, we all know how much I love Bernard Cornwell and how much I love the 100 Years War and searching for magical Christian relics (the Grail, that is). Do I even need to write a review? Do I? Can't wait to get my hands on teh third book and read it. - Hereticby Bernard Cornwell
Okay, maybe I went out right away and bought the third book. And maybe it took some turns I totally didn't expect. And maybe it was good. But you know, just maybe. - Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell
Third in a row! A good book. Took a long time to get to the actual battle, but I did like the story. I kept feeling like there was some weird sort of Robin Hood fantasy going on - there were brothers named Scarlet and a William "of the Dale" but as it turns out, he took all the main characters except for one from real records, which was very cool. One complaint: the cover has a background image taken from Kingdom of Heaven, which was about the Crusades, which was like 200 years before Agincourt. Poorly done, cover designer. Also, something I never thought of that he mentioned in the historical note: Since 1415 was before the modern calendar, we should really celebrate (is that the right word?) the battle on November 4, not October 25. Which makes Nov. 4 awesome because it was also election day '08. - Twilight of a Queen by Susan Carroll
The fifth in the Dark Queen series, and pretty good. These are always a good quick read if you love history, romance, and light fantasy. - Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692
A narrative tale of the witch hysteria in CT. Interesting read and really shows that Salem was so atypical of what usually happened with witch hysteria in colonial New England. - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
Wow...this book was incredible. I loved every bit it, the wonderful story, the style, everything. Blown away. A book to make you cry, smile, feel every emotion possible and all at the same time, too. Highly recommend it. - The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
Wow. This book was fabulous. Fast-paced, thrilling, well-written, and made me re-fall in love with the Wars of the Roses. She chose a fascinating heroine and I really enjoyed this. (I'm glad that she admits that this book was more "fictitious" than her others, though that's a relative term since a lot of her novels incorporate a lot of historical speculation.)
Movies:
- Burn After Reading
Um. This movie was weird. That's all I have to say. - Everything is Illuminated
Oh, my God this movie is incredible. Just...wow. We watched this at my internship training, and it touched on so many important things. Wow. - He's Just Not That Into You
Meh. It was cute, most of it was really awkward, Ben Affleck was cute, I loved Jennifer Connelly. That's all. - North & South (BBC Miniseries)
OHMYGOD RICHARD ARMITAGE. I can't believe I'd held off watching this movie for so long. It's AMAZING. - Watchmen
This movie was interesting. The story was fine, the acting was average, and there was a lot of blood. Maybe I'd've liked it better if there was less blood. - Duplicity
This was awesomely incredible. Witty, fast-paced, suspenseful, and totally doesn't end the way you think it will. Absolutely fantastic! - Promises
A documentary that looks at the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in an incredibly unique way: through the eyes of the children who are affected. My emotions during this movie ran from frustrated to amazed and back to frustrated. Watch this movie and I don't think you'll ever be able to underestimate the power of dialogue and friendship, and what it can do for this world. - Rounders
One: Matt Damon is gorgeous. Two: John Malkovich is a badass. Three: Edward Norton. Four: Excellent. - The Last Templar
Meh. Victor Garber was fab, and even though I definitely didn't picture Reilly (WTF why did they change his name to Daley?) as Scott Foley, I ended up really liking him. But: I thought they under-developed main parts of the plot, like the whole Templars-taking-down-the-Church thing would have been confusing to someone who wasn't expecting it. Also, I was annoyed at times by Mira Sorvino. But it was kind of exciting when OMAR SHARIF randomly showed up. - Our Mutual Friend
Okay, I'm not much a Dickens fan, but it's a BBC costume drama I haven't seen, so I thought I should go ahead. I don't know how much I really liked it, but if Dickens is your cup of tea, then I think it was well-done and well-acted. David Morrissey was incredible as creepy psychopath, nevermind how that sentence sounds! - The Painted Veil
I wasn't sure how much I was going to like this movie, but it was incredibly beautiful. Slow, perhaps, but wonderfully tragic. - Star Trek XI
SOOOO GOOOD. So well done, and the casting was brilliant. You could catch where the actors were paying tribute to TOS, yet they were totally their own. The alternate reality thing actually turned out to be a great idea, plus there were plenty of good-looking men. AND LEONARD NIMOY! - Music and Lyrics
Aw, cute. Yeah, that's all I've got to say. A fun romcom to watch with a girlfriend. - Daniel Deronda
Really catching on my BBC adaptations, aren't I? Anyway, it was very good, and HUGH DANCY. I really need to read this book. Also, Andrew Davies is amazing. - Bride Wars
Wow, this was pretty lame. I mean, it was kind of funny, and I'm glad Anne Hathaway didn't end up with a douchebag, but it was so predictable, and honestly, kind of like, "OMG we're females and all we want to do is get married." The back stories could have been developed way more to make it more interesting. - The Proposal
This was way better than I was expecting! It was actually really hilarious and Ryan Reynolds, helloooo. - Confessions of a Shopaholic
Cute! And Hugh Dancy! And not too much cheese. It was there, but only one really awful line. - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Not my favorite. It was enjoyable as a movie, but as a movie-from-a-book, I didn't really think it was all that greatly done. Highlights included Rupert Grint's arms, ALAN RICKMAN, Helena Bonham Carter, and, would you get this, I thought Blaise Zabini was really hot. Just saying. - Saving Private Ryan
Um, my dad made me watch this movie with him. It was a) long and b) violent and c) really depressing. - The Ugly Truth
Enjoyable and entertaining. Funny, if not predictable, and not too saccharine. (How could it be?) - (500) Days of Summer
I really liked it. Bittersweet, but in a very good way. Worth just to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt dancing down the street a la Gene Kelly, with a little animated bluebird. NOT KIDDING. - Julie & Julia
A very sweet movie, fun movie. Made me hungry! - Adam
An incredible movie. I haven't been so touched by a movie in so long. I actually cried. So amazing and Hugh Dancy did such a spectacular job. - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
I really want to write a really snarky post about this movie. And you know what, I probably will. And that's really all I have to say! - I Capture the Castle
Sad, but beautiful. I've decided I really, really, really like Romola Garai. - The Time Traveler's Wife
So good! So dramatic and suspenseful and well-acted. Also Eric Bana is GORGEOUS. And so is Rachel McAdams. And together, they are beautiful. - Overture to Glory
This movie was very interesting, but super depressing. Like, so much. - Der Dybbuk
Weird and creepy. And also depressing. - Faithless
An interesting look at human emotion through emotion and memory. - The Doll
A good laugh. Ossi, the main girl, is a pretty cool kid. - I've Loved You So Long
On the one hand, extremely depressing. On the other, beautiful and sad and fascinating. - The Informant!
A very interesting and well-done movie. This is more of a character study than a retelling of events, but I think that for what it is, it was done extremely well. It was nice to see something different at the movies and Matt Damon was phenomenal. - Emma (2009 BBC Miniseries)
It had good parts to it, to be sure. I like Romola Garai. And Michael Gambon infinitely. JLM did a good job with the proposal, I think. No Northam, but this was a pretty adaptation. - Au Revoir Les Enfants
This movie was so incredible. I cried. It's smart, it's touching, it's heartbreaking. - Death and the Maiden
This movie is disturbing on so many levels. I understand, of course, that Polanski did not write the play, but that he chose to direct a movie adaptation of a play about race is somewhat bothersome. Obviously, there's more at play here than rape, including dictatorship and torture which are subjects that may speak to him. But, I really don't know how I feel about this movie. Sometimes angry, sometimes sad, sometimes indignant, I just don't know. - Ragtime
So I watched this to supplement a project I was doing. It was okay. Obviously I have preconceptions about what this story should be and this wasn't it (yes, I know I shouldn't have expected it to be). It was long and tiring, and I really didn't get the energy out of it that I expected. - Up in the Air
Fabulous! Hilarious, witty, smart, and a great movie. Great acting, great script. - The Young Victoria
I really liked this movie. Very beautiful, and beautifully acted, as well. Some historical exaggerations, but they were made with acknowledgment and for reasons, clearly articulated by the director, that I understand.
Music:
- The Animal Years by Josh Ritter
This is not a new album; it came out in 2006. But, I recently bought The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter after last.fm recommended it, and I loved it, plus I had an iTunes gift card, so I bought another album as well. I like it. It's very folksy and mellow and beautiful. - Chasing Mississippi and You, The Night, and Candlelight by Dave Barnes
So Dave Barnes came out with a new EP, You, the Night, and Candlelight, and I realized I still didn't have Chasing Mississippi, so, uh, you know, I bought it. Also, can I just say how much I love the titles of his albums? - Ghost Notes by Matthew Barber
So, I forgot how, but I got linked to this amazing video, and of course the music is just my kind of music, so of course I had to buy it. Good decision for my music soul. - It's Not Me, It's You by Lily Allen
Pure pop brilliance. "Chinese" is my favorite so far. Oh, love love love. - The Rebirth of Venus by Ben Lee
Uh, so I thought I wasn't going to buy any new music until the summer, but then I got an iTunes alert about this album, but well, it's Ben Lee and I'm still kicking myself in the ass for not going to see him for free when he came to Vassar, and it was a good decision to buy this. He's infectious and catchy as always. My favorites so far are "I Love Pop Music," "Wake Up To America" and "I'm a Woman Too." - Not Even in July by JBM (Jesse Marchant)
So, a while back, I heard "Cleo's Song" on NPR's Second Stage Podcast, and I was absolutely in love, but I had no money. I kept the podcast download and just listened to it over and over and over again, and for some crazy reason I looked it up on iTunes this morning and the album was $5.99 and so I had to buy it! It's beautiful and sparse and just amazing. - Hair (The New Broadway Cast Recording)
OMFG THIS IS SO AMAZING. LIKE SO MUCH. LIKE I DON'T EVEN HAVE WORDS. - Amanda Leigh by Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore has proven herself as a fantastic singer with these last three albums. She has this beautiful melodic voice, and it's so nice to hear her singing real songs. - Lines, Vines and Trying Times by Jonas Brothers
Oh yes, that's right. You know, it's an interesting album. I didn't like it too much when I first got it, it's been growing on me. It's...different. There are only a few songs that sound like "JB" songs. In some of the songs, I hear everything from Weezer to U2 to Shania Twain. (That is not a joke.) I like it a little more each time I listen to it, except for this one weird song about aiding and abetting a bank robbery that I just don't get at all. And of course I'm pissed off that there's a duet with Miley Cyrus, because now I'm going to have MILEY CYRUS in my iTunes. Blech. - Far by Regina Spektor
I think a lot of the songs sound a lot more "produced" than her previous albums, but at the same time, they don't lose the essence of her her musicality and ability and creativeness. Really like it so far! - My One and Only Thrill by Melody Gardot
The voice and music are classic, the lyrics and new and fun. Love it! - Cradlesong by Rob Thomas
You know what? I like Rob Thomas. I liked Matchbox 20, so I bought his first album, and I like that so I bought this. And I like it. - Radio:ACTIVE by McFly
Let's not even pretend like I don't eat up pop/rock boybands like what. Especially British ones. I can't say that it compares to the early albums, but it's still fun. - The Boy Who Knew Too Much by Mika
OMFG SO GOOOOOOOOOD!!! SO GOOD IT'S GOLDEN, YOU MIGHT SAY...CAPSLOCK NECESSARY. - Hello Starling by Josh Ritter
Another Josh Ritter old album that I felt compelled to make my own. Brilliant! - Battle Studies by John Mayer
You know, each album of his thrives on furthering developing his sound in a new direction while still maintaining something of his old self, and this one does just that. I like it a lot. People hate on Mayer a lot, but I really like his music. - Blue Lights on the Runway by Bell X1
I've really loved their previous stuff, so I went ahead and finally got this, even though it came out a few months ago. I love their sound, which is a little chill, a little rock, and a lot awesome.
Concert, Shows, Etc:
- New York City Ballet: 20th Century Music Masters @ The New York State Theater (The David H. Koch Theater) (February 7)
A great and diverse repertory program. The first two pieces were choreographed by Balanchine, but both very different. The Stravinsky piece was quirky and modern, and omg, Albert Evans and Wendy Whelan! and the Ravel piece was more dark and brilliant. "West Side Story Suite" was of course the equally brilliant Jerome Robbins and I loved it. - The Manhatten Transfer @ Tarrytown Music Hall (April 24)
Ahhh so good! They're such great performers! - Broadway: Hair (2009 Revival @ Al Hirschfeld Theatre) (April 25)
OH MY GOD THIS SHOW WAS AMAZING. It's so high-energy and so well done. The leads were fabulous, Sasha Allen has the most gorgeous voice ever, and I thought Claude was really fantastic. The guy who played Hud also had the most beautiful baritone voice. AND WILL SWENSON TOUCHED ME. - The Dave Brubeck Quartet (with Eldar) @ Tarrytown Music Hall (June 13)
Wow! Well, it's Dave Brubeck, so it's a legend, obviously. Eldar was really cool because his hands move so fast! - The Bolshoi Ballet: Le Corsaire @ The Kennedy Center (June 20)
It was very good. Not as good as when we saw the Kirov do it a few years ago, and I liked the Kirov's staging better. The Bolshoi's Conrad was a little off, but Medora was fabulous! - Pete Seeger @ Vassar (October 10)
It's Pete fucking Seeger. He is awesome. He told us stories and danced around the stage. It was incredible. - Broadway: Ragtime (2009 Revival @ Neil Simon Theatre) (previews/November 14)
This show was brilliant. The staging, the acting, the singing, the dancing. GO SEE IT NOW! - Broadway: Bye Bye Birdie (2009 Roundabout Revival @ Henry Miller's Theatre) (December 16)
Look, there was a lot of individual talent in this show, but it was flat. There was low energy, and a show like BBB needs high energy to carry it because honestly, there's not that much in the was of plot or brilliant songs. Nevertheless, it was cute and a fun experience. - New York City Ballet: The Nutcracker @ The New York State Theater (The David H. Koch Theater) (December 26)
Lovely as usual. A tradition since I was four years old!
Last updated: 12.31.09