Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-- Shooting Script with Interviews
This reminded me of exactly why I love this movie so much. I am something of a nerd when it comes to reading scripts for films I love (okay, a huge nerd), and this was no exception. What's interesting is that the shooting script has a lot of pretentious moments (yes, more than in the final film), especially when it comes to dialog, with a lot of it sounding like things no one would actually say to each other, and in reading this it becomes clear just how much Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet brought to their roles in the delivery of the words on the page. Credit also goes, I'm sure, to those responsible for those last-round edits that made the final product into the widely beloved movie it is today. A recommended read if you're a film nerd or if you just plain love this movie and want a bit of a deeper look.
The War for Late Night by Bill Carter
Here's the thing: 400 pages is beyond the necessary length for an exploration of how all of the Jay Leno vs. Conan O'Brien went down by about 200 pages. Again, this is a niche read-- if you're a die-hard Conan fan like I am or just plain interested in how major television decisions get made, this book provides a lot of insight and things to think about. Carter is a bit too flowery at times, wanting this conflict to be much more the Shakespearean tragedy than it really was, but he certainly gets props for thoroughness.
Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
The last 18 months or so probably represent one of the biggest hiatuses I've taken from the Bard since I started reading him. I've read most of the popular choices, and when making my list of 100 books it seemed only fair that I include at least one of the less exalted works that I hadn't yet discovered for myself. Measure for Measure is a comedy, but is decidedly atypical. It's got a whole lot of misogyny going on, as well as some good old fashioned disguises and cases of mistaken identity. Overall I enjoyed this one, though I thought the last scenes tied up a bit too conveniently and abruptly (which is saying something when it comes to Shakespeare). Recommended if you like William S's comedies and a lot of hatin' on the ladies in your reading.
Live From New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
I admit I skimmed portions of this tome-- there's just so much to read, and to be honest I don't care a whole lot about NBC executives in the 70's or cast members who got fired after half a season. The book does accomplish what it aims to, which is providing a vast in-depth portrait of the show, its inception, and the many ways it has morphed and changed over the years. The style can be a bit off-putting at times, too-- while I love the idea of having all kinds of interviews with former and current cast and crew members, I think some of it would be much more readable condensed into some kind of narrative (there's a lot of repetition and insights that don't always feel quite relevant to the topic at hand. This is a definite must-read, or at least a should-read, for dedicated fans of the show, but for more casual viewers it might be a bit much.
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Maybe I just really had to experience this one in middle school when everyone else did, but getting through this one was a Herculean struggle for me. I was bored despite the surface-level resemblance to LOST, one of my favorite TV shows, I hated 99% of the characters and their actions, and on the whole I just didn't care about this book. I know it's a classic, and I can see the value for younger readers (especially younger male readers, who I'm guessing were the target audience when the book was written), but for me it just didn't come together the way I'd hoped it would. Also, just as I finally motivated myself to embark on the last chunk of the book, a student I tutor totally spoiled the ending for me, confirming my suspicion that this one was always going to be a fail.
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
This book is the one that stuck with me the most this month. In it we get a detailed account of one teenager's bout with depression and subsequent admission into a psychiatric ward. The novel is based on the experiences of the author, who was hospitalized himself for a week during his own adolescence, and thus lends the story a credibility that adds considerable depth to what might otherwise be just another "sad adolescent" story. But what the narrator/protagonist captures best when it comes to this experience is the feeling of knowing something is wrong with you/making you feel terrible, but never really being able to pinpoint exactly what that something might be.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
It might be surprising, given my obsession with dystopian literature and my own dabblings
Best Book: Fahrenheit 451
Worst Book: The Lord of the Flies
Fastest Read: It's Kind of a Funny Story
Slowest Read: Live From New York
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