recent book and movies

I am a huge Downton Abbey fan, and when I saw a review on NPR that billed The Uninvited Guests as the perfect read for Downton fans, I ran to the library to snag a copy.  I found it to be so strange, eerie, and grotesque -- like a modern fairy tale.  I stayed with it until the end, but I felt kind of icky as I was reading it.  Aside from Smudge (whose Great Undertaking was brilliant), the characters were not the kindest lot in the world.  Still, it was a good read, and like a good fairy tale, there was a happily ever after.

Another NPR recommendation was Pure.  I read this and then quickly developed mastitis.  I don't know if the two were related, but I think they were:  The book just depressed me.  To the author's credit, his writing is so vivid and his descriptions of pre-revolutionary France so precise, it was hard to remember I was actually in 2012 Connecticut USA.  The grim subject matter, the filth and foulness, all of it...Pure  became a bad feeling I couldn't shake off.  I understand why this book is critically acclaimed (and I believe it deserves the credit it has received), but it was simply not my cup of tea.

Thank goodness for the next book:  Growing a Farmer by Kurt Timmermeister.  I absolutely adore this book, as I do most books on farming.  But this one is different.  First, Timmermeister is so self-deprecating, so funny, I laughed out loud at the same farming mis-adventures I've read about in other books a dozen times before.  Second, I loved how he sees farming through the lens of business.  He had owned restaurants before he ventured into farming, so cash flow and balance sheets were wisely a part of his farming approach.  Even if you don't love farming or business, give this book a try.

 

Finally, a guilty pleasure.  When I was recovering from mastitis (the worst bout I've ever had!), I was browsing through Netflix.  I wanted something fun and not at all serious.  I settled on Strictly Ballroom, and don't regret the time I spent watching it for one second.  I had heard of the film before, but other than name recognition, I knew nothing about it.  What fun!  Outrageous costumes and make-up, ridiculous dancing sound effects that had me laughing out loud, and a sweet love story.  I loved how the movie pokes fun at the world of ballroom dancing, but at the same time, conveys the beauty and emotion of dancing.