Friday Night Television Break

Since there are very little things I enjoy watching on Friday nights (although lets be honest I really would watch anything,) I went to the movies to see Fever Pitch. Is it cinematic genius, no. Is it a fun, date night out, yes. Even though reliving the Yankee monstrous collapse of last fall is a little heartbreaking it's a light, funny, feel good movie. A few moments are a little slow with a few jokes falling flat. If I were grading it I would give it a B+. Had it not been so late (12:25am) I would have snuck into Millions, but I didn't feel like getting home at like 3:00am. This was also a good movie to bring my husband to as he is OBSESSED with fantasy baseball so there was something for everyone.

What's on my nightstand?

In addition to the movies and television I've been reading a lot lately. Some books and authors I thought I'd let you know about:

Jodi Picoult: I've just discovered this author and have become a big fan. Her book My Sister's Keeper is an ethically charged story of a 13 year old girl suing her parents for medical emancipation so that she no longer has to be a donor for her cancer ridden sister. Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective and it really makes you start thinking about what a parent would do for a dying child at the risk of themselves and their other children. It also brings up all sorts of other interesting debates about the maturity of the 13 year old and the ethics of creating a child for the sole purpose of being a donor for a sibling.

As a result of liking the one book so much I picked up her latest book, Vanishing Acts. In this novel a 30ish year old woman finds out that her father who she has known all her life and who lived with her now kidnapped her as a child and her mother was still alive despite believing she was dead.

Truth and Beauty: I just finished this book this afternoon. It's by Ann Patchett. A true story of her long friendship with another writer, Lucy Grealy. It is a touching tale about a growing friendship however I was a little disappointed. EW gave it a really good review, enough that I went out to get it but I was a little bored at parts. The one interesting thing about the book was the idea of relationships and the role each individual plays in the relationship.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A good friend just lent me this book and it is a quick read. The topic though is super crazy. This guy who used to be the editor of the French Vogue had a massive stroke and was left with something called Locked In Syndrome. Basically he was completely paralyzed with the exception of being able to slightly move his head and blink (although my husband says wink) one eye. He had all of his mental faculties so that is why he is "locked in." In any event he winked this entire book based on a code that was thought up. I found the book sort of blah as it was his observations, thoughts etc but the idea that he winked the whole thing was incredible.

Prep: The lie is that this is not on my nighstand right now, I actually returned it. I was forced to read this book for my bookclub. I was pretty much bored the entire time reading about the main character's four years in prep school. There were like two good visually stimulating moments but for the most part I couldn't even envision the main character growing up and it was very frustrating to me.