See you when you stop CRYING

Jo Knowles knows how to make me weep! From page... maybe 150, on through the end, I had to read See You At Harry's through tears. BIG tears! The fat ones that blur your vision.

Knowles strikes the reader down with grief, living with guilt/perceived fault, and also managed to squeeze in a coming out story. This novel is powerful and (obviously) heart-breaking. Across the board other reviewers keep saying how this is every parents' worst nightmare and they don't recommend it to parents, but I think that's wrong. Though, I too don't want my own mother reading this book, I wouldn't keep her from it per-sey. As tragic as this story is, it's also a wakeup call and a reminder about how precious life is. I wouldn't want to deny someone of that feeling - please read: 5/5 stars.

Look At Me

My previous review of Jennifer Egan's work was less than stellar. When I read A Visit From The Goon Squad, I knew deep down I'd have to revisit Egan's work. Honestly didn't think I'd read another one of her novels this year, but I was rewarded.

And how... I LOVE this novel! This is a brilliant work about identity and rebuilding your character. The book as two contrasting voices from characters baring the same name. The lives of the two Charlottes are knitted together in more ways than one. Look At Me came highly recommended to me and now I'm passing along the recommendation: 5/5 Stars.

Life Before Man

*Chuckles* My original (accidental) post title was called "Life Before Mad". Doesn't make much sense even regarding this book... There was very little emotion held to me. There were a few things I just couldn't get over, which is why I ultimately gave this book a two:

1. I'm puzzled by the need for Parts... 5 of them? There wasn't really any change in theme or anything.
2. So this was the thought of a "Modern Marriage" from the mid-late 1970's? Blug! Just an open relationship in which we (the reader) grow to (kinda) sympathize with the Home-Wrecker.
3. Speaking of the Home-Wrecker, non of the character were very likable. (I even grew to dislike Lesje... the least bitter character.) Or I just learned to hate or become board with the lot of them.
4. Character Chris (he off'ed himself BEFORE the start of the book,) is mentioned a lot, but at the same time is underdeveloped and comes off as less than a ghost.
5. A whole-lot of nothing occurs.

But you know, Atwood's writing IS good. It just wasn't enough to pull me through this novel any quicker. The ending was "meh," and I just struggled throughout to commit to the story. So I was bored and cared very little for this (what I guess you'd consider) love triangle. 2/5 Stars.

More Heart-Break

In the same jumble of movies, I picked up In the Land of Blood and Honey and Sarah's Key. I flirted with the idea of reading Sarah's Key, but there is was sitting on the shelf, waiting for me to rent it. I'd seen the trailer (below) for the movie and thought, "yeah I think I'll like this". I knew it would be tragic, but unlike Jolie's film, this one ends on strong ray of hope. What these movies have in common is the wrenching need to escape to freedom.

This movie is about a little girl's journey to rescue her brother from a secret locked compartment in their former apartment. There are a lot of movies about escaping from concentration camps but this one does stand out against the others: this films focus on discovery, and the puzzle of one's lineage are intriguing. 4/5 Stars.

In the Land of Blood and Honey

Horrifying, but still a must-view film. I knew very little about the Bosnian War. It's with Angelina Jolie's intention to draw light to the horror, all the while blending it into a "Romance". This isn't a lovely film, in fact the ending is very striking and heart-breaking.

Though I liked In The Land of Blood and Honey, I would not want to sit through it again. It most certainly needs to be viewed, but it's powerful, so watch out: 4/5 Stars.

No HELP in the world....

I never watched a trailer for this movie, which I regret... maybe. I bet I would have watched it anyway. There was very little sparking my interest at the rental shop, and for a 3/$10 deal, I had to grab something. Jenna Fischer's in it.... The end.

I had a lot of hope for A Little Help. Honestly, I can't remember the ending.... it was that exciting. Boring is the only word to describe this movie. 1/5 Stars... Sorry Jenna!

Apologies

I think I should apologize for the lack of posts. Though I haven't been VOCAL about my recent reads and viewings, I have been trying to keep up with the challenge. To be fair, I think the film side of my 50/50 is going to be a tough promise to push through. I said in the beginning of the challenge that I had my doubts, and honestly, I still do.

According to my Goodreads counter, I'm 5 books behind on my challenge... of course this is after taking a 1 month break from concrete reading. I'm confident that I can catch up with the reading portion of my challenge, but I am worried about viewing that many movies. I am much more committed to the book-reading portion of my challenge which is why I'm so far behind on movie-watchings. After my count, I've watched 22 films so far this year. Ooops! Actually, that number seems kind of high to me; may need a re-count.

So we're back to reading and watching. Whoo! My "leisure" challenge is a lot of work! ;-)