161 Project: #5 - The Given Day

Honest to goodness, I don't know how long it has taken me to read this book.  It has been slow going, but I did it - I finished all 704 pages, including 2 of acknowledgements, because...  because... because I just could not stop reading.

Plain and simple.

There is nothing, nothing, plain & simple about this book.  First off, Dennis Lehane (I make no bones about this) is one of my favorite authors and it was this respect for him that pushed me on to not leave one word behind.  It's what propelled me through the tough times of this book, which were probably the first 350 pages...

I thought about shutting it down more than once.  As much as I love Dennis Lehane, this was different from what I've read of him in the past.  His McKenzie-Gennaro series reveals a dark, gritty Boston full of sinister evil that I can only take in small doses - after a few novels I need a break & cavort towards "chick lit" to clear my mind, and heart, of those distressing images his words conjure up.  But this novel, The Given Day, wasn't his usual.  It went deep into the soul and twisted through history, brought tears to my eyes and pain to my heart, filled me with pride and flooded me with shame. 

At the end, I had a single thought:  Wow.

I am walking away with so much more from this novel than I brought of me to it.  I'm a little overwhelmed, actually.  My mind is reeling with thoughts of who I am as a writer (well, who I hope to be), the turbulent times our country went through being born and growing through its infancy, the sanctuaries we think we have but then cease to be, the hard realities of this world - the fear, the pride, the illusions, the misunderstandings, the deceptions, the tidal waves of change and yet that neverending glimmer of hope through it all...

As always, I fail to do justice here.  I can't get the words down.  I can't describe what I'm feeling.  I can only  hope that somehow the message does come across, although, I honestly don't know how it ever can.

testing, testing, 1-2-3 testing

I am TRYING to auto post blog updates to Twitter.  Is it working????

#ihatebeingtechunsavvy

Step One... the new library

A bookshelf is as particular to its owner as are his or her clothes; a personality is stamped on a library just as a shoe is shaped by a foot.  ~Alan Bennett

Finally.  A niche carved out in the basement for my volumes of books (ignore the exposed ceiling, please).  Nine feet wide and eight feet tall - and still not finished with stocking these shelves!  I'm filled with a mix of melancholy wistfulness:  a combo of elation, excitement, depression, fear, apprehension, disgust.

What?

Yep...  elation, excitement, depression, fear, apprehension, disgust.

Elation & Excitement:  finally, finally, FINALLY, the books are released from storage & set free to live & breathe on the shelves!  What joy to see book lined shelves - absolute joy!!!

Depression: sure are a lot of books on here that I've had for years... years!... and haven't even cracked the spine of...

Fear & Apprehension:  so many books, so little time...  what if I can't read them all?  What if there is something really important in here that I should have known before now?  What have I missed out on?  How come there are 2 copies of this same book???  Grrr...  What on earth do I read next?  How do I decide???  What about my ever-growing list of "books to be read"?  How will I ever stay current with the "hot list" if I'm stuck in time reading what I should have read 10, 15 years ago???  What happens to these beloved books if I die?  Will my family treasure & appreciate them as much as I do?  Will they keep them or give them away?  What if, what if, what if???

Disgust:  what the hell is wrong with me that I've invested so much money over the years & then not read these books?  Why did I buy some that I did?  Was I thinking I would learn something from this topic?  Was "everybody reading it" so I had to buy a copy, too?  Did I buy it for a true internal purpose or for show?  Just who am I trying to impress anyway???  Am I really going to read this, I mean, really???

~sigh~

OK, doom & gloom rant over!  I'm either going to jump in with both feet or throw in the towel.  That's a decision for another day, tho.  Because today I'm going to finish unpacking these books & stocking these shelves.  Then the slow, painful process of honest elimination can begin. 

~double sigh~   

the reading nook

my favorite spot

Husband & Wife by Leah Stewart

 

You know it's good when...

• you finish it in five days, while on vacation with your family & every day is packed!
• you have to force yourself to stop reading so you can eat.  Sleep.  Visit.  Be polite.
• you think about it ALL. THE. TIME.
• you want everyone to know you finished it so you post it on Twitter.
• you sigh heavily when you realize you just read the last line.
• you wish you had written it yourself.

 Can you tell I enjoyed this book?  What a great read!  Some of - well, alot of it - hit a little too close to home and I found myself in that bittersweet melancholy wistfulness of what might have been...

This is the book that started it all...  I saw the movie Presumed Innocent and was so intrigued I went out & bought the book the next day.  I absolutely thought it was the best book I had ever read (at the time) and fell in love with legal thrillers.  And not just legal thrillers, but the law in general. 

That was many, many years ago and I've, unfortunately, left Scott Turow behind - he is not forgotten, tho, and he is definitely fondly remembered.  I definitely plan to begin reading him again someday, and hopefully, soon (whenever will this crazy 161 Project be done???).  Until then, I'm catching up with Turow's Rusty Sabich, the main character in Presumed Innocent, via TNT's Mystery Movie Night with the premiere air play of Innocent. 

No Harrison Ford, no Raul Julia (RIP), no Bonnie Bedilia, but I'm enjoying it just the same.  I can tell - again - so much is missing, skipped over, pushed into the (less than) 2-hour time span.  Guess this means I'll be adding Innocent to my reading pile sooner rather than later.

***update***  I did NOT like this movie!  Hope the book is better.  :/

Certain Prey, the movie & the book

Huge, huge, HUGE John Sandford fan here - fell in love with his writing back in 1989 when my roommate, a flight attendant, came home with "Rules of Prey" (she was an avid reader, too, and had picked it up on an airport layover).  I confiscated it, then devoured it and then anxiously awaited the next in the series (talk about torture).  I've been reading this series, in order, ever since which means I've been following Lucas Davenport for 22 years now and my passion has never waned.  He's the best, he's a beast.  Oh, and John Sandford, his creator, is pretty cool, too.  He is definitely my favorite author and Lucas Davenport is still, after all these years, my favorite character.

So how excited do you think I was to hear there was a movie based on "Certain Prey" (book #10 out of 21) airing on USA Network Sunday, November 6th?

Pretty darn excited.  I even wrote it on my calendar so I wouldn't forget.

And I didn't.

Gotta say, I was not disappointed.

So wonderful to see a story come to life, especially when it comes to life RIGHT.  What could I expect from a 2-hour-w/commercial-interruptions-included-made-for-TV-movie?  Not much, right?  WRONG.  Dead wrong because this movie was dead on.  Well, except...  I pictured my black Irish, tough, brooding Lucas Davenport looking like this...

(it was the early '90s, remember?  And I did think Alec Baldwin was dreamy back then...)

Instead, the movie gave me this: 

NOT bad!  NOT complaining, just thinking Mark Harmon is a bit old for the womanizing, sex-fiend Davenport of 1999 when Certain Prey was published (maybe, tho, as the current married, committed father Lucas has grown into he'd be PERFECT).  But, I have to admit, it did end up working for me.  And quite well...

My favorite character in the movie is Carmel Loan.  Except...  well, I pictured her looking like this:

Tough as nails Ellen Barkin in her younger days (am I showing my age????).  What I got was...

Lola Glaudini of Criminal Minds and, as Carmel, she kicked ASS!  By far the best acting of the entire movie.  She absolutely nailed it.  You go, Girl.

I could go on & on & on, but I won't. 

Well, wait...  there was one character I didn't care for (but I think I didn't care for her in the book, either) - Marcy!  Literature Marcy looks like this:

A young, sexy Sean Young.  BUT the movie Marcy looked like this:

And THAT didn't work for me, but it wasn't Athena Karkanis' fault.  She's lovely and she tried really, really hard (maybe too much?).  I really think she didn't work for me because I don't like Marcy in the books, her character kinda sorta irks me...  and in the movie, they made her, really, VERY annoying.  Ugh.

Sorry, Athena.

The rest - Clara, Sloan, Mason, etc. - they were fine.  And I loved the movie, I truly did.  It followed the book closely, which was nice, believe it or not.  (Some folks don't like that.  Have to say, I'm not necessarily one of them).  You know, I read this book so long ago BUT it was one of the Davenports that has stuck with me through the years.  I remember it almost vividly and as we were watching (my son & I), I would say, "well, in the book, this is what was about to happen" (NO, I am NOT "one of those" who spoils the ending!  He, being only 13, had alot of questions - and he likes to guess what's going to happen next & he would ask me so I'd tell him.  Honest.).  And, sure enough, that is what would happen next. 

I got a little nervous there at the end because I thought they weren't going to have that one little phone call - if you saw the movie or read the book you know what I'm talking about! - but they did have it & I am sooooo excited, cuz, I'm thinking that means another movie should be coming!!!  Yay-o-yay-o-YAY! 

Hope Mark Harmon is up for it.