Scott Freeman

Blogging through every book that I read during the year means that I can’t get behind or I have a huge backlog of titles to work through. In the interest of succinctness I will give a basic up or down on the last 5:

Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid by Dr. Denis Leary

Leary can grow old quickly, especially as he tries to channel George Carlin. However, when he is on he is definitely on. The advantage of the audio book is that Leary narrates and you are able to experience a performance of the material rather than a recitation. It is worth a listen for the section on Oprah alone.

Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman by Dave Pilkey

This is just fun reading and there is nothing more enjoyable than reading this sophomoric scatological series with an irreverent six year old.

The Gingerbread Girl by Stephen King

This is a novel of a young woman who picks up running after the sudden death of her infant daughter. She ends up running from her life to an isolated stretch of beach. She runs straight into the path of a psychopath. This captures the heart of some of King’s classic psychological horror stories. I am not a fan of Mare Winningham’s narration but it is vintage King writing.

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

This is a fun epistolary collection that chronicles Hanff’s exchange with a London bookseller over the course of two decades. It was made into a stage play and a film but the reading is not os such substantive weight that would make me think that either would be worth going out of the way to witness. It is a light and easy read but nothing overly memorable.

My Dead Girlfriend by Eric Wight

This graphic novel bills itself as being part 1. I anxiously await volume 2 but it seems to have been delayed. Nevertheless a highly enjoyable read. If you like graphic novels then pick this one up.

I Slept With Joey Ramone by Mickey Leigh

This is one of my favorite reads thus far this year. Mickey Leigh was the younger brother of Joey Ramone. He has written a memoir that traces his life in wake of the supernova that was the frontman for the greatest punk rock band of all time. I have read some criticism that Leigh figures too prominently in the story but this is not a story about the band. It is about Mickey and Joey and that is important to remember. What transpires is an intimate portrayal that holds no punches but at its core depicts the power of family and devotion. A must read for a fan.

I can think of no greater musical injustice than the fact that Michael McDermott is not a household name. He is the greatest songwriter of my generation and his lyrics resonate with me more than any other artist. He writs the human need for belonging and meaning so well and every song is laden with heart and emotion.

This song is a beautiful tune of redemption and hope. In 40+ years of church going this ranks as fine of a hymn as I know. It is not a song of blessed assurance but fervent hope in the midst of doubt. That speaks volumes to me.

This is, quite simply, one of the greatest Heavy Metal songs of all time. When I first discovered Metallica back in 1984 I did not fully realize that I would spend the remainder of the decade as an unapologetic metal-head. Ride The Lightning was the impetus behind that. I lost interest in Metallica years ago but this song, about a man contemplating suicide, still has me banging my head.

This is a fine dystopian novel that I would run great risk of spoiling it if I said too much. It has been adequately described as a sort of Logan’s Run. Although this time the cut off age is 50 and those who are are committed to the Unit are used as guinea pigs for medical experiments and organ donors.

Holmqvist tells the story in an understated manner that allows you to immerse yourself in the story while the action precedes at a pace that could be described as languid but is deceptively action packed.

What results is a sober look at the meaning of life, the value of individuals and the dangers of rampant capitalism. Having read this so soon after The Girl Who Played With Fire it is obvious to me that some of the best fiction today is coming out of Scandinavian countries.

These two books are a pair of graphic novels that I found to be fun reads. My two oldest daughters have recently expressed some interest in Greek mythology with the impending release of The Lightning Thief movie and a screening of Jason and the Argonauts. With their interest I realized I needed to do some brushing up on the stories.

The story of Demeter and Persephone is an intriguing one. The story explains in Greek lore the reason for the seasons and this book captures the legend in succinct and captivating ways.

Out From Boneville is the first in an epic series of graphic novels entitled Bone. I don’t know much about what the series is about strictly from the first entry but it is intriguing enough for me to read more. If you are a fan of graphic novels then both of these are worth picking up.

This is the first 2010 book thatt I have read this year. Joshua Ferris is an highly acclaimed young writer and I really wanted to like this book much more than I did. A man has a condition that forces him to walk until he drops with exhaustion. This unnamed malady is a compulsion that affects not only him but his long-suffering wife and daughter.

This book is less about the condition that manifests in such an odd manner but the strain that it causes upon the marriage. This book is a maudlin take that garners neither hope nor redemption.

Ferris is, no doubt, a talented writer. He has a mastery with words that is rare among the schlock that is often churned out today. However, this is a threadbare story that offers no resolution. If like like artful prose and a bleak story this is for you.

As you know I am a huge Academy Award buff. I have seen every best picture and best actor winner and see all the major nominees each year. One of my favorite parts of the season is predicting who the nominees will be.
There is more to the process than just picking the most popular or most critically acclaimed films. There is understanding and charting the buzz and backlash, of following the other awards and knowing which ones mean the most (guilds are much more important than the globes, for instance) and trying to determine what the surprises are. With that said here are my picks:

Best Picture–This is, by far, the most interesting category. In a desperate bid to reclaim ratings glory and to ensure that some blockbusters are nominated they expanded the field this year to 10 nominees. It was unnecessary in retrospect because Avatar is a shoo-in for a nom and the front-runner at this point to win. What makes this a bit more interesting is that the first five this year are all locks. There would be no doubt whatsoever who the field would be in any other year.

Avatar
Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Up In The Air
Precious
Up
An Education
A Serious Man
Blind Side
Invictus

Analysis–As I mentioned the first 5 are certain. I also believe that Up and An Education are in as well. There are a number of movies vying for the last three slots. I believe that the box office and love for Sandra Bullock pushes Blind Side into the final field. Other movies that could sneak in include Star Trek, District 9 and The Hangover.

Best Actor
George Clooney for Up In the Air
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
Morgan Freeman for Invictus
Colin Firth for A Serious Man
Jeremy Renner for Hurt Locker
Analysis–I believe that this field is locked but I would love to see Viggo Mortenson recognized.

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock for Blind Side
Meryl Streep for Julie and Julia
Carey Mulligan for An Education
Emily Blunt for Young Victoria
Gabby Sidibe for Precious

Best Supporting Actor
Woody Harrelson for The Messenger
Christopher Waltz for Inglorious Basterds
Matt Damon for Invictus
Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones
Christopher Plummer for The Last Station

Best Supporting Actress
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air
Mo’Nique for Precious
Julianne Moore for A Single Man
Penelope Cruz for Nine

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow for Hurt Locker
James Cameron for Avatar
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air
Clint Eastwood for Invictus
Quentin Tarantino for Inglorious Basterds

Only two artists have multiple songs on my list. One of those is The Boss. I have been blessed enough to see Bruce three times in concert and I have in each occasion walked away speechless by his command of the stage and his take on the indomitable nature of the human spirit.

No song resonates more with me from his oeuvre than this one. I first heard this song in 1999 when Bruce closed the Staples show with it. To me this is his most hopeful, most redemptive and most faith filled song. It’s a Christ message wrapped in that vintage E Street sound.

Tom Sawyer.

Sherlock Holmes.

Atticus Finch.

Joseph K.

The literary world is full of indelible characters. Those fully-fleshed out individuals that are so original, so unique that they jump off the page and come to life in your mind.

Alongside the Heathcliff’s and Phillip Marlows there must now be space made for Lisbeth Salander. The heroine of Larsson’s posthumous girl trilogy is at once sympathetic, iconic and elusive.

And in the second novel Larsson really brings us into the psyche and tortured history of this character. Mystery novels are churned out at an alarming rate and the vast majority of them are instantly forgettable. Lisbeth Salander, however, will not let you easily forget this one. Introduced to us in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Salander is a skilled computer hacker who also has been pronounced incompetent by the Swedish Judicial System. However, there is more to her than the tattoos, modifications and technological sleight-of-hand.

Once again, Salander’s path crosses with the main character from Dragon Tattoo, Mikael Blomvquist. However, this time the story will not only force Salander to confront her own past but also find her wanted for murder.

We get one more book from this masterful voice who died too soon. If you haven’t read either of the girl books then by all means pick them up before the final volume, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest, is released in May.

This is a fun and inspiring little book. It will not take you long to read and is almost guaranteed to lift your spirits.

Greive has assembled 75 images of animals and provides the captions that serve as a motivational pick-me-up. I don’t usually like this sort of thing but the images were worth the time to flip through.