2008 Books Read List

I'm updating the sidebar to have 2009 books read, so here is the copy and paste of 2008

• A Mercy, Toni Morrison
• The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
• The Almost Moon, Alice Sebold
• Therapy, David Lodge
• The Story of Edgar Sawtell, David Wroblewski
• La Place, Annie Ernaux
• STALLED (started reading) : The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie
• Half Assed, Jennette Fulda
• Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut
• l'Occupation, Annie Ernaux
• The Fourth Bear, Jasper Fforde
• The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
• Matilda, Roald Dahl
• Under the Volcano, Malcom Lowry
• Getting Things Done, David Allen
• A Death in the Family, James Agee
• In the Country of Last Things, Paul Auster
• A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, Julian Barnes
• Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee
• Six Sick Hipsters, Rayo Casablanca
• The Autograph Man, Zadie Smith
• Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Alternatives to Sex, Stephen McCauley
• Empire Falls, Richard Russo
• Suite Française, Irène Némirovsky
• No Country For Old Men, Cormac McCarthy
• Rabbit is Rich, John Updike
• The Kite Runner, Khalad Hosseini
• Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides

Almost Famous - movie

I should have tried to sleep, but instead I played with the video on demand on my flight and found Almost Famous, a movie I'd missed in the theatres and that I knew I'd never buy on DVD. It was an enjoyable film, the best of the 3 I saw on planes that day... granted, 20-odd hours into my trip, I wasn't very picky...

The Wedding Date - movie

I watched The Wedding Date with Debra Messing & the very adorable Dermot Mulroney on the flight back to Paris. There were a couple of really sexy scenes with Mulroney that pretty much made the movie worthwhile, although I can admit it is classic chick flick trash. Since I rarely watch this kind of movie I have no problem enjoying it when I do!

Ghost Town - movie

I watched Ghost Town on a flight from Denver to Newark. It was not a great movie and I would have been disappointed had I made any effort whatsoever to choose it - be it with my time or my money, but since it was in front of my face and I was eating lunch on the plane I at least didn't feel ripped off. Greg Kinnear is pretty annoying and has basically not changed since he started acting.

It's hard to believe this got a 7.3 rating on imdb... it really was not a good movie.

Doubt - movie

I went to see Doubt with my mom and her wonderful friend Hildegard. I'm really glad we went, it was a great movie with amazing acting, and I fear I would have missed it had my mom not been in the know...

Slumdog Millionaire

I went to see Slumdog Millionaire with a big chunk of my family and I loved it. Very creative, amusing, touching story, told in a great and modern way. Makes me want to see much more of Danny Boyle's pictures I've missed.

Denver Museum of Contemporary Art - Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst is a man not afraid of death or coming back in another life as a member of the animal kingdom, since he seems to love putting animals in some type of decimated form into his art. (Those are real butterflies stuck into the paint, and of course he's famous for putting all kinds of beasts into formaldahyde and then on display).

The new but small Denver MCA had a very small (4 works) show of a few pieces of Hirst that I saw with Pam & her girls. I think the guide/guard said it best when he said "he's a very successful artist if you judge by his prices, and the collectors must know something". He indeed is the master of marketing, is very provocative, and has become filthy rich. Still, is it really good art?

The MCA has a great upstairs area for kids, a big playspace full of FatBoy bean bags. It was more fun (and less urban hip - well, Denver hip which of course means jeans) with kids piling them up and jumping on them...

Bottle Shock

I watched Bottle Shock on my way to the US, mainly because although my airline had a new video-on-demand system, there was NOTHING I wanted to see. So after looking through the titles twice, I finally settled on this. It was incredibly mediocre.

There Will Be Blood - movie

We watched There Will Be Blood thinking it was a Coen Brothers movie (it's not) and I was prepared for way too much violence but it was a different - and better - film than I expected.

It was deep and dark and heavy, but human and real. A very good movie.

la Vie Devant Soi - theatre

We went to see La Vie Devant Soi, which won several awards at the Molieres this year. It was really good, and to top it off we had a great time exploring the Indian groceries and restaurants afterwards on our way home.

36 quai des orfevres

We watched 36 quai des orfevres last night. It worked for about 30 minutes w A when he got too scared and asked to go watch Spongebob Squarepants. It's definitely not a kid movie. It was a good police movie, though, quic-paced and well-acted. Not a masterpiece, but makes you remember that Gerard Depardieu has his career because he can be really good (although he's often not).

MR 73

E came home from a trip having watched a TV miniseries done here in France that he really liked. Apparently it was some hours-long complex police drama, and he really wanted to see more by the directors.

This film, MR 73, is the first of those (the other being 36 quai des orfevres). It was a dark but interesting and well-paced film, with great acting. We both really liked it.

The Almost Moon - Alice Sebold

I picked up The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold last weekend in London and I kept it around for reading instead of Cat's Cradle that I had traveled with, because Cat's Cradle didn't grab me, and the first sentence of Almost Moon did ("When all is said an done, killing my mother came easily").

It was no literary masterpiece, and the central characters lack anything positive to make you really care about them. The story was actually well-told despite that, and the suspense well built (even if you didn't really care about the outcome). I felt parts were expecting people to be idiots. The big reveal that the father had been in a mental institution was so obvious I couldn't fathom who wouldn't have already figured it out based on the highly manipulative way it was presented - so it makes the main character look like a dope.

The next book will be an award winner, I don't want more disappointments...

Elizabeth - DVD

I watched Elizabeth, a 1998 movie that I had somehow missed at the theater when in London as it seemed the best choice of the films available, and the least likely to be something my husband would regret.

Cate Blanchett was phenomenal, the rest of the cast pales next to her.

A well-made movie that was enjoyable.

Mark Rothko at the Tate Modern

We saw Mark Rothko at the Tate Modern - the main driver of me wanting to schedule a return visit to London this Fall, in fact. The gray series of paintings were really great, but otherwise there was not much I had not already seen, since the Seagram paintings are on permanent display at the Tate and I've been many times. E didn't appreciate it much, but he was a good sport about coming.

British Museum

We went to the British Museum, where E could easily have spent all day. It was enjoyable, in particular the cataloging room which has these incredible display cases. Some of which were taken over by Damien Hirst's brightly painted skulls, Cornucopia.

Francis Bacon at Tate Britain

We went to see Francis Bacon at the Tate Britain, an exhibit I probably would have skipped had it not been for E, and I'm very glad we went. I didn't know Bacon's work very well, but enjoyed it and the intensity of emotion he communicates.

Therapy, by David Lodge

I could not say I loved this book, in fact, at times I really struggled to get through it, but in the end travel boredom won out and I did keep plodding along. The book was a suggestion from my husband who must have read it at a point in his life where therapy seemed a good answer.

I found the main character not very sympathetic, and a lot of the plot devices over-worked.

I'm looking forward to picking up award winners again - and plotting my final Rabbit book for not too long from now...

No Country for Old Men

We were set to watch a lot of Coen brothers this weekend (except we both disliked O Brother and turned it off after 40 minutes) but we did watch all of No Country for Old Men.

I'd read the book early this year and it was probably the only reason I thought the violence was tolerable - because I knew it was coming and knew the story.

I think the movie was well-done and well-acted, and like the book it was rather subtle and psychological.

Tommy Lee Jones was awesome, as was Javier Barden.

The Story of Edgar Sawtell - David Wroblewski

My mom has been recommending this book to me for ages - largely because the author is a friend of hers. I knew she loved the book and thought it was terrific, but as I didn't pick it up right away I had no idea her friend would wow the publishing world and be a runaway bestseller in his first attempt at bat, sitting high on the NY Times bestseller list, gaining lots of great reviews as a great summer read, and even making Oprah's book club.

I really enjoyed David Wroblewski's The Story of Edgar Sawtell, and I enjoyed even more having the time to read it. It's a big book, and therefore not practical for schleping on travel and in my purse for zipping about town, but I took it with me on a 3 day weekend and read it in the train to and fro, along with lovely chunks of the day with a cup of tea...

I'm a dog person, and maybe you have to be to really like this book. But the characters are great, the story keeps moving, and the writing style is clean and punchy. Definitely a good read.

Dogtown & Z Boys

There are very few movies that aren't worth 99c and Dogtown and Z Boys, while outside of my usual choices, was one of those value deals where the 99c rental on iTunes seemed like a great bargain after watching this amusing documentary that introduced me to a snapshot of time and pop culture in an amusing way.

There is nothing magic about the movie making, but the subject was interesting even to the uninitiated, and the fact that it's a grown up Z Boy making the movie made it kind of sentimental and touching.

Tartuffe - theatre

We went to see Moliere's Tartuffe at the Theatre de l'Odeon tonight. It was really good, and the theater was a real gem, old and ornate, great seats, and very enjoyable. It helps that I've already seen and read this play, but the production was good and the evening emotional and wonderful.

Entre les murs

Yesterday we went to see the Cannes palme d'or winner, "entre les murs' (title in English will be "the class")

It's based on a book written by a teacher about the kids in his class, and played by real people, almost a documentary but it's loosely scripted and incorporates a "dramatic event". The kids are his real students not professional actors, with lots of improvising. It was not a GREAT film but it was good, and gave me a glimpse into the French school system and in particular the disadvantaged youth. Most of the situation could have applied to any country's immigrant neighborhoods.

I enjoyed the movie, and it was the first time we went w A to see a 'grown up' film. He was very cute during the movie, clearly in shock in seeing kids in school treating a teacher so differently than how he lives school in his small experience in a well-to-do neighborhood.

Deconstrucing Harry

We watched Deconstructing Harry this week. It was excellent, one of the best of the Woody Allen films starring Woody Allen in both of our views. We laughed out loud multiple times, and just found the whole film original and great.

I really needed a laugh and I got one.

Donnie Brasco

I watched Donnie Brasco on my iPhone, in smallish bits, as breaks from working too much over the weekend.

I'd actually never heard of this mob flick with Al Pacino & a really adorable Johnny Depp, I must have been sleeping when it hit theatres in 1997, but I was awake when it rented for 99c on iTunes.

I liked the movie, although having recently done most of the Sopranos season and then having seen Gommorah, it was definitely in the Sopranos vein.

An entertaining film - not great, and it hasn't stayed with me very well in the days since, but it gave me the break I needed...

Le Cercle Rouge

We watched the French thriller/police movie Le Cercle Rouge in two parts.

The actors were terrific, all of them, but in particular Yves Montand and of course Alain Delon is always easy on the eyes.

I liked the movie. Suspenseful, not violent, great characters.

La Place - Annie Ernaux

The small, compact and bare bones books of Annie Ernaux are powerful things. You get deep inside the emotions of a person without it being a fancy or dramatic affair.

La Place tells the story of her relationship with her father, and it's deeply personal and real.

Makes you want to read more (and in French!)

Amsterdam - Ian McEwan

I've been stuck on Salaman Rushdie's Satanic Vesres for several weeks now - the book was harder than I was prepared for, and when the story slowed down I just stopped reading for a while. I've tried forcing myself a few times but didn't really feel it, the reading bug didn't catch, and so I decided to start something else.

Ian McEwan's Amsterdam was a good choice - a fast read, good story, well told and quick action. It's the first of his novels I've read, and from what I've gathered not his best. I didn't love it but it was enjoyable, and if nothing else I'm grateful it moved me out of stuck on reading.

Gomorrah

We went to see Gomorra this evening. Sad, touching, brutal and frightening. As is often the case, the Cannes jury didn't pick an easy film as the best picture this year.

I'm glad I recently did Sopranos marathons, because I was better able to tolerate the violence, and because it made that NJ mafia look warm and fuzzy.

In Gomorrah the director did a great job of developing empathy for several characters, in particular the two young punks who have more testosterone than brains, the couture foreman, and the older money man. The best was probably the young Tito, although waste management situation was also pretty incredible.

Hard movie, but very good.

Three Days of the Condor

We watched Three Days of the Condor last night, which was a real mid-70's period movie featuring paranoia of the government trying to do everything possible to protect Middle Eastern oil interests. Could easily be remade for today, that issue is just as pertinent (although maybe we're a bit less affected by the post-Watergate era).

Redford was excellent and I've never seen anything before with a young Faye Dunaway. We liked the movie, although I wouldn't put it on a "best" list...

Didier

Our choices for family movies are getting broader as A gets older, but Didier was more in the kid-stuff genre anyway. It was amusing and an original idea (dog gets transformed into a man) but the pace was slow at times and unless one is a huge football (soccer) fan there were some sequences that were grating on my nerves.

Still, a fun little film, and the acting of Chabat and Bacri was good.

The Sopranos

E and I started watching the Sopranos together in February, after his surgery. While E really like Season 1, he liked the second one much less and decided he didn't want to continue. I've made slow progress through the episodes on evenings when I'm by myself since then, and have just finished the series.

I'm sad it's over, it was original and I really enjoyed watching it.

Fargo

I loved Fargo when I first saw it in the theatre years ago, I loved it when I bought it on VHS (was one of about 3 films that I owned instead of renting) and I loved watching it last night w E, who had never seen it.

The clearly Midwestern tone, the hilarious Minnesota accents, the dark, sick humor and the fabulous acting.

The movie was just as good this time as my memory, even if the element of surprise was missing, and I enjoyed sharing it w E. Made us both want to watch more Coen brothers movies in the future.

It also reminded me of the snowglobe I got with the Fargo VHS tape years ago -- it came with a crazily original and sick snowglobe that had both white for snow and red for blood and featured the woodchopper scene.

L'Enfant Sauvage

We watched the 1970 François Truffaut movie L'Enfant Sauvage as a family the other night.

Apparently it's based on a real story, one that most French people have heard about (A had learned of it in school, and he's only 8). The child actor was really good, as was Truffaut himself, and the film was enjoyable although not a masterpiece either for the story/script nor for the cinematography. It didn't have the originality and daring of some other Truffaut films, but it was a good movie and it's nice to start being able to see films together that aren't action movies or real kid stuff.

The Big Sky

We watched this Howard Hawks western this week - The Big Sky, a nice distraction at a time when I needed one. The movie starred a very young (and good looking) Kirk Douglas, and had all the Western classics - horses, Indians, bad guys, shootings, etc. plus beautiful Western scenery.

I wouldn't put the movie on a top-10 list but it was amusing and we liked it. I keep liking Westerns the more I see them. They are not usually very complex but are often pretty amusing.

Terracotta Soliders

We were looking for a good family outing and found this, the "Soldats de l'eternite". At the end of summer there aren't too many expos in play, and I'd seen most of what I wanted to see, so this seemed like a good choice, mixing art (for me) and history (for E) while staying short and manageable for all, friends included.

The works themselves were interesting but the layout was a pain and the ratio of really good stuff to filler was pretty poor. The Pinacotheque is not one of my favorite spots, and this expo did nothing to change that impression.

We also took in the gardens at the Musee Rodin (but not the actual museum) and that left more of an impression on me - he was just masterful, and the gardens are lovely, even on a crowded sunny Saturday.

La Vie Est Une Longue Fleuve Tranquile

We watched La vie est une longue fleuve tranquile. It was clever, amusing and a good, relaxing movie. There were many moments that were thought to be hilarious to the French, some of which went over my head, some of which I understood but didn't find nearly as funny as E did. Humor is cultural.

Reds

My mom bought E Reds as a gift a year or two ago, but we'd never had the courage to attack such a long movie until now. We did watch it in 3 parts, something we do fairly often with longer movies.

I had a good memory from when I was young and had seen it in the theatre, but obviously my memory was fuzzy. It was nice to see it w E, who did like it too. The story, the acting, were really good.

Peter Doig - at MAM

This was the same exhibition I saw in London at the Tate, this time here in Paris at the MAM. I had really loved discovering him and his work, and was thrilled to see the same exhibit coming here. I liked the presentation at the Tate much better, but it was great to see the paintings again. I also had more time to linger and listen to the video, last time we were in a rush to catch our train back.

Bridget Riley @ MAM

I'd been really looking forward to this exhibit of Bridget Riley, because I've always liked her work and always loved the space at the Museum of Modern Art of the Ville de Paris. The exhibit was cool, although I found her work a bit uneven. I really liked the wall installation she did of circles in the place, and a lot of her early work. The variations of colors w Egypt and other themes I found less compelling, but I did appreciate the comment I'd read that she is best classified as one of the last post-impressionists rather than an op-art artist.

Regarde les Hommes Tomber

We watched Regarde les hommes tomber, a Jacques Audiard film.

It was good, but not great. The story was interesting but a bit slow and kind of bizarre, but always seemed just a bit off and I never got completely into the film.

1000 Years of Good Prayers

Seeing this movie was a happy gamble. I was trying to kill time before meeting my husband and seeing a movie was just the ticket, if there was something playing starting when I arrived. Only one thing was - A Thousand Years of Good Prayers by Wayne Wang.

I figured my chances were considerably better than all the summer junk I'd missed by a few minutes, and was thankful my French is up to watching a movie with a Chinese soundtrack shown w French subtitles (I have memories of 2 foreign films I saw in my first year here when that was hard).

This movie was touching, sad, and felt very personal and intimate. A very good movie. It fit my mood very well, and fit the timing needs perfectly.

PS I Love You

Can you say "Chick Flick"? I watch this type of movie so very rarely nowdays that it took me a few minutes to recognize the genre of PS I Love You, and it really wasn't hard to identify, since it was a textbook-perfect example.

I did, however, fall for all of it. Crying, smiling, over-the-top sentimentality. There is still a part of me that loves this kind of movie, even if it is mind candy. Sometimes candy hits the spot.

Napoleon Dynamite

Everyone talks about Napoleon Dynamite, a movie that came out after I'd moved to France. I finally bought it on DVD but hadn't watched it until now.

I LOVED IT!

All the best of what I love in independent film.

Great acting, great story, hugely original and very very funny.

Be Cool

Get Shorty was a great movie - original, funny, well-done. This sequel, Be Cool, was not.

It was, however, a good movie to watch on my iPod while trying to distract myself on the train back to Paris. And I always like to watch Travolta and Uma Thurman if they are not in the roles of their lives...

Half Assed - Jennette Fulda

I've been following Jennette Fulda's blog "Half of Me" for some time now. When she wrote a book I decided to buy it to support her.

It was a funny and amusing memoir, more complete than looking at a few blog posts on her current events. And of course her story of losing about 200 pounds is pretty amazing.

Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut

Finally, a book that made me want to read a lot more by the author! I picked this up just after Vonnegut died, and realized when reading it that he was really a very original mind.

I'd first read Vonnegut in high school - Farenheit 451, introduced by a great teacher, Mrs Braverman. That book has always stuck with me.

I'm hoping to add more Vonnegut in the future.

This one was funny and quick and original and really made you think and laugh.

l'Occupation - Annie Ernaux

This was a quick read, and for once, in French.

It's about a woman who is left by her lover and all her thoughts around the lover and his new woman.

Sad, intimate, and touching.