José Saramago, Nobel prize winner dies

So I wanted to mention the death of Nobel prize winner Jose Saramago. Here is a link to his obituary in the NY Times. You should read it. He led a fascinating life. I have read a few of his books and I recommend Blindness and The Cave. I have started reading Baltasar and Blimunda and have really liked it so far. So just a bit of book news for all you nerds out there.

And the winner is...

It appears Mr. Murakami was the winner of this round of votes :)  Thanks for giving your opinions!

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert	0 (0%)
Firmin by Sam Savage	1 (14%)
Pastoralia by George Saunders	0 (0%)
The Astonshing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson	0 (0%)
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson	2 (28%)
Lefthand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin	1 (14%)
Maus I and Maus II by Art Speigelman	2 (28%)
Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami	3 (42%)
The Echo Maker by Richard Powers	0 (0%)
The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier	1 (14%)
Lush Life by Richard Price	2 (28%)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman	1 (14%)
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett	1 (14%)
The Plague by Albert Camus	1 (14%)
The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis	2 (28%)
Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett	2 (28%)
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith	0 (0%)

(Reluctant) Movie Viewing

It appears my guilt trip was successful as we will be watching From Hell at my house next Wednesday (June 30th) at 7pm.  If you want to bring any snacks please do.  I have a few bottles of wine that need drinking as well :) See you there!!!

So I just Finished "From Hell..."

...and I found it disturbing. I started out hating the artist. I felt he was too blurry, too vague, and did not make the different characters easy enough to distinguish. But by the end I was thankful there was not too much realism in the images as I might have been sick otherwise (chapter 10 if you don't know). So,I started out not really liking this book, but now I am conflicted. It has really got me thinking. I only lightly dipped into the end notes and I almost want to reread the text and read the end notes as well as they seem really interesting. What does everyone else think? Did this book leave you with any questions? what did you think about the artist?

Slight Change

We will be having book club next week on TUESDAY instead of Wednesday.  It's still being held at Chris and Charity's house.  See you there!

My Favorite Quote About Ayn Rand

So this has nothing to do with "From Hell" or anything. I just hate Ayn Rand and I re-discovered this quote and thought y'all might enjoy it.

“There are two novels that can transform a bookish 14-year-kid’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish daydream that can lead to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood in which large chunks of the day are spent inventing ways to make real life more like a fantasy novel. The other is a book about orcs.” – “The Value of Nothing” by Raj Pate

Sex and the City 2 Review

Here is a link to the review of "Sex and the City 2" that I talked about last night: Burkas and Birkins by Lindy West

Special Screening: Blade Runner

Click the title for more info.