My Next Book Purchace

I just saw a book I have to have.  This will definitely be my next purchase.  I know nearly nothing about it, but after seeing the title and reading a charming interview with the author, I need to read it.  It is being released on April 28 and I can't wait!  In case you can't read it on this small picture, it is called Jane Austen Education:  How Six Novels Taught me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter by William Deresiewicz (who is a self-described Jewish kid from New York).

Movie Review: Atlas Shrugged

I went to see Atlas Shrugged:  Part I, and one of my Facebook friends asked me for a critique.  I decided to copy and paste over to here.  So, for what it's worth, here are my thoughts:  I loved it. It exceeded my expectations. The owner of the movie rights self-financed and it was done on a very low budget, but it doesn't look like it at all.  (A number of other viewers heartily disagree with me on this, but I stand by what I said).  The cinematography was beautiful. The movie nearly perfectly captured the essence of Part I of the book. I couldn't believe how quickly the two hours passed. At times the dialogue was a little clunky, but the book is also that way. The man behind the movie couldn't get a distributor, so he did that himself too. It only opened in 250 theaters Friday, and it was kind of a miracle (wrought by much hard work) that he had that many. I think it's going to grow, though. Our (completely full) theater broke out in applause when it was over. Part II coming April 15, 2012 and Part III (you guessed it) April 15, 2013. Not looking for any Oscars, though. The Hollywood crowd will not like the politics.