Wednesday Book Links

Have you heard of blind book dates? You've heard of not judging a book by it's cover, but what if you also didn't know the author or the title? Would you buy the book if you only knew the price and a few themes and plot points? I honestly probably wouldn't, I'm too cheap and picky...I mean frugal and discerning. (HGTV)

Lovebird bookworms unite! Buzzfeed shows us how to throw a fabulous literary wedding. My favorites are the library card save the dates with their cute phrases and the dog-eared paperbacks as wedding favors. (Buzzfeed)

24 cats that love books almost as much as we do. (Flavorwire)

I am super psyched about this movie coming out in December staring George Clooney and Matt Damon. It is based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.  The title pretty much says it all. This was an elite group of men, part of the U.S. military, that were charged with minimizing damage to the art and architecture of Europe during WWII. There is also an excellent documentary called The Rape of Europa that I highly recommend.
 
And last but certainly not least, the National Book Foundation's 5 Under 35 program honors five young fiction writers selected by past National Book Award Winners and Finalists and this year the honorees all happen to be women.

Cozy and Inspiring Campus Movies for September

Wonder Boys
Grady is a rumpled professor and a novelist who teaches creative writing at a Pittsburgh university. He third wife has just left him and he is having an affair with his department head's wife. His current novel is over 2,500 pages long "and the ending keeps getting further away." His agent, a transvestite, a James Brown look-a-like, lots of writers, smart people, and Frances McDormand round out the cast. I love that this film takes place over the course of one weekend. The weekend serves as a microcosm of Grady's life and the seedier side of academia without being mean-spirited. Grady is a mess, he is a magnet to messy situations, but he is a good man filled with good intentions.
 
Mona Lisa Smile
Set in 1953 Wellsely College this movie is about the choices educated young women had at the time. A new art history professor arrives on campus to inspire some and come into conflict with others. I always find a large female cast inspiring and I think Julia Roberts is at her best in this film. She is very authentic in this role, she doesn't over play the bohemian aspects of her character's lifestyle, nor does she get cutesy or sentimental with the character. The debates she initiates with the young women about social issues, family, career, and the art history are alone worth watching the movie.

Dead Poet Society
Love poetry, seize the day, find your own voice, view the world from different perspectives, and on and on this movie goes with the inspiration. This film posses it in spade! Smart, curious and sensitive boys on a beautiful New England campus come of age in 1959. This movie is funny, heartbreaking and a classic.

Educating Rita
A charming British movie from 1983 is about a young hairdresser and wife who decides to find herself by taking an open university course. Michael Cain plays the burned-out alcoholic Ph.D. that opens a whole new world to Rita through education. Rita opens his eyes to a fresh new perspective that he has been craving. We watch Rita grow and blossom intellectually. She transforms herself and her life and it's a thing of beauty to watch. Five stars for inspiration!

Oleanna
Based on the play by David Mamet, this two-character movie is completely dialogue driven. The two characters are John, a male college professor, and Carol, his female student. Carol first approaches John about failing his class, later she accuses him of sexual harassment. John is desperate to have the charges dropped, his tenure, promotion and family all hang in the balance. This is an intriguing look at the power struggle between the two. This is a movie where a lot happens emotionally, but where there is very little physical action. I understand this is a turn off for a lot of people but I just get lulled into the rhythm of the dialogue.

A Beautiful Mind
A romanticized and cleaned up version of real life Noble Prize winner John Nash. Nash attended and later taught at Princeton University. Many scenes take place on this beautiful campus. Russell Crowe plays the mathematical genius who suffered from schizophrenia and Jennifer Connelly plays his long suffering wife. It's a bit sentimental but well made and well acted.

Bonus!

Real Genius 
...is inspiring in the sense that humor always inspires a good mood. If you don't laugh at the jokes you'll laugh at the goofiness of a very young Val Kilmer and the 1980's sensibility and fashion. A good watch for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

The Inspiring Work of Female Comedians

I tend to get a bit obsessive about a particular subject or genre. As a result I read, listen to and watch as much as I can. I read every night before I fall asleep, I listen to podcasts as I take my (almost) daily walks, and I rewatch favorite TV shows and movies as I cook and wash dishes and other tedious kitchen chores. I do not generally choose non-fiction books but lately I have been reading the work of female comedians. None of these materials is new on the market but I am just getting caught up with them.

READ


Girl Walks into a Bar by Rachel Dratch
Rachel Dratch writes about her career, dating, and having a baby at 43. She approaches everything with her amazing sense of humor. Because she is not a typical Hollywood beauty the only parts she is offered are for women 20 years her senior, grossly obese women, butch lesbians and sometimes 65 year old grossly obese butch lesbians. The book is a quick and entertaining read.

Bossypants by Tina Fey
 It has taken me quite some time to finally read this book. The only fault I can find with it is it's very creepy cover, it never fails to freak me out. She made me laugh out loud and do that embarrassing thing where I try to repeat what I just read and can't get it out, but I keep trying and just sound like a babbling/laughing idiot. I am inspired by her willingness to admit to and own all that is uncool and unpopular about herself.

LISTEN



Girl on Guy with Aisha Tyler
This is my current favorite podcast that keeps me company on my walks. I love listening to this woman. She is so energized and engaged by her guests. She is sharp, articulate, funny, curious and insightful. Her interviews tend to be long, about 90 minutes. It usually takes me at least 2 days/walks to get through one interview. Aisha tends to have fellow comedians as guests, but has also had on rappers, actresses (some occasional girl on girl action) and one of my favorite episodes featured RuPaul.

WATCH

There a ton of great movies by, for, and about girls and women but these are just two that I watch again and again.


Bridesmaids with Kristen Wigg, Melisa McCarthy, and Maya Rudolph
With the exception of that one scene (which I really wish ended up on the cutting room floor) I love this movie. I love Annie's journey out of rock bottom and her struggle with feeling left behind while her best friend plans a wedding. The supporting cast is one bad ass group of women and Melissa McCarthy could make a funeral funny. My favorite scene is when Annie, alone in her kitchen, makes one perfect cupcake. I enjoy watching her do what she loves and root for her for the rest of the movie.

Mean Girls written by Tina Fey
We all love Mean Girls. Where do I even start? This film has so many quotable lines. Lindsay Lohan was at her best. The mean girl pack is just a riot, Janis and Damian are just the best, and Amy Pohler as Regina George's mom is hysterical and pathetic at the same time. Cady's back story of growing up in Africa and being home schooled was always very intriguing to me and serves as a great foil to life as a girl in a modern high school. And of course the lesson on supporting other girls/women instead of tearing them down is the cherry on top of one of the best teen movies ever made. You go Glenn Coco!