debxena

Books I've read this week:
Sebastian, by Anne Bishop. I've enjoyed her writing for quite some time, and have read most of her books (while owning only a few). Sebastian I read in one sitting, and thoroughly enjoyed the concept of a jigsawed world connected by bridges and borders. Not to mention the blossoming attraction between Sebastian and his sweet rabbit/tigress, Lynnaea :) Belladonna, in particular, fascinated me, and I look forward to seeing the story continue in the next book, once I get my hands on it.

Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman. I am very glad that I saw the BBC mini-series first (we own it on video and re-watch it occasionally), because Neil has added in so much more depth with the book. If I'd read the book first, I think the mini-series would have disappointed me deeply. As it was, I appreciated the change of the Floating Market to Harrods (as I know Neil had wanted to shoot it there but been unable to get the permissions), and didn't like the addition of hair to Hunter - I adored the look of her as played by Tanya Moodie. We don't own this book (although we own a lot of other Gaiman works), but I think I really need to get my paws on our own copy soon.

Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson. I knew nothing about this book, other than it was very well-received, and had been made into a film. So it was an unexpected world which drew me in. While the story itself seemed somewhat unoriginal, Guterson's rich descriptions and depth of emotion really resonated with me. Not to mention I learned an awful lot about fishing and strawberry growing...

Movies I've seen this week:
The Alibi, from 2006. As often happens these days, another film about cheating and lies pretty much left me cold. There was an interesting confluence of events that seemed like it should have ended in a Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels climax, but portions of it were too clearly signposted while others were muddied, so it didn't really work for me. That said, I was pleased to watch Steve Coogan for a couple of hours - I found him quite attractive (although that may have been the character he was playing).

Batman Begins, from 2005. steelphoenix thrust this upon me when I told her I'd never seen it, and Ben and I sat down to watch it earlier this week. And we thought it was great! I proceeded to watch through all of the extras on the second DVD as well. And we'll be going to catch Dark Knight Returns at IMAX this week. Christian Bale did bulk up beautifully for the role, I have to admit!

TV Shows I've seen this week:
On the old TV show front, Ben and I are working our way through Chef (which I used to watch with my mum, and still find brilliant. Lenny Henry's tirades are masterful), and Andromeda S3. It seems to have lost its way since S2.

Last night we watched the pilot episode of Fringe, which was ... interesting. And gross. We both agree that Walter Bishop was the most interesting character (his lab notes are fascinating!) , but I have a special love for the sarcastic attitude of his son Peter. We'll watch a few more episodes, at the very least, to see where it goes.

We also checked out the first couple of episodes of True Blood. We'd seen half of the leaked pilot ep, and noted the replacement of the actress playing Tara, the best friend of Sookie. The new one is growing on us. And damn, does Bill Compton ever do the Nick Cave brooding look! We'll definitely be watching more of this, and not just to see Anna Paquin in short shorts. The reimagining of the vampire mythos and how they gradually explain how it works in this 'verse is, unsurprisingly, fascinating to me.

Yes, I know I haven't posted for two months. This is better than dear-air, right?