Start Your Engines

It's Monday again.  
Time is just racing, non?
Preparations.  
Celebrations.
Contemplations.

Time to . . . 

(On Monday mornings, I share a few things I found over the weekend.)

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A Quote

"In a way Winter is the real Spring -- the time when the inner things happen, the resurgence of nature."
    --- Edna O'Brien

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In case you missed the announcement earlier this month, the next Read With Us book is Fever by Mary Beth Keane.  We won't be discussing the book until February, so you have plenty of time to find the book and read with us after the holidays!

In other reading news . . . here's an interesting article from The BBC about how reading has changed over the past decade.  Have you noticed any of the trends noted in the article???  Or maybe . . . some trends that aren't listed at all???

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This is the best time of year to go to the movies.  Most of the year's top movies have release dates from October through December, so there's something good playing at the theater all the time.  Last week, Tom and I went so see Dark Waters and Parasite.  Both are excellent movies. . . but Parasite?  Oh, my!  If you have a chance to see that one . . . GO!  I'll just say . . . wow.  (And don't let the Korean subtitles intimidate you.  After a couple of minutes, you don't even notice the whole movie is in Korean.)

I know I know.  A lot of you don't like going to the theater.  Lucky for you . . . there are all kinds of Oscar-buzzy movies you can watch right in the comfort of your own home!  Like . . . Hustlers.  (You can rent this one on Prime.) (Jennifer Lopez is awesome -- and expected to be a major Oscar contender for her role.)  Or Rocketman.  (You can rent this one on Prime.)  (Oscar buzz for Taryn Egerton, who plays Elton John.) (If you liked Bohemian Rhapsody last year, you'll probably like Rocketman, too.)  Or Marriage Story.  (Streaming on Netflix.) (Probably the most Oscar-buzziest of the bunch, and totally worth the hype.)  

How about you?  Have you seen any movies to recommend lately?

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Although I don't have a word for you this week, I do have a poem to share.  

White Lie
Austin Smith

Christmas Eves our dad would bring
Home from the farm real hay
For the reindeer that didn't exist
And after we were finally asleep
Would get out and take the slabs
Up in his arms and carry them
Back to the bed of his pickup,
Making sure to litter the snow
With chaff so he could show us
In the morning the place where
They'd stood eating, their harness
Bells dulled by the cold, their breath
Steam, all while we were dreaming.

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That's it for me on this Monday morning.
I hope your week is off to a good start!

 

Comments

[Bonny]

I watched Marriage Story last weekend and was captivated. It drew me in and swept me along, and I don't often feel like that when watching something. I may even watch it again.

We carried out a bunch of white lies (boot prints in the snow, reindeer nibbles on carrots, and once even a bit of Santa's suit got caught on the flue). I wish I had thought of hay, and I miss the fun of white lies.

[Mary]

Happy Monday, Kym! I have noticed a trend toward prettier covers ... lots of gold! and love that poem - thank you!

[Kat]

Happy Monday! I am going to sit down shortly and queue up A Marriage Story and do some mitten knitting!

I love that poem - and yes, we were white lie perpetrators in my house as well!

[Vera]

I love that poem and the quote at the beginning.

[Vicki]

I am woefully behind in the movie-watching department this year, though expect to catch up a bit after the holidays. I love seeing movies in the theater, but I am grateful for the home-viewing options!!

[Patty Nugent Delay]

Thank- you for all of that! Looking forward to checking out marriage story and starting Fever!

[Sarah]

I almost never see any Oscar contenders until after award season is over, but I am looking forward to the new Little Women -- it'll be the Christmas Day movie I go to with my mother and daughter! My brother sees almost every movie released, though, and raved about Parasite.

[Geri]

Love this time of year for the movies! We starting watching Marriage story but my hubby wasn’t loving it so we stopped and went to bed. He headed to the indoor softball arena so guess what I’ll watch! Love the poem!

[kim in oregon]

Thank you for that amazing poem!

[Margene]

We don't do much for Christmas, but time IS marching on quickly. I can't believe the end of the week will bring solstice and that the end of the year is so very close! I see a trend toward real books and a step away from ebooks. I hear book sales are up over all. Our LBS is doing quite well and, in fact, both of the great LBS are doing well. I love shopping there to find staff recommendations and enjoy the heady scent and feel of so many grand books.

[Carole]

We seem to have no time for movies lately but I hope we will see a few over our Christmas break. I love that poem.

[Chloe]

I love Going To The Movies. Such a different experience. We Just saw "Knives Out." The whole theater was having so much fun. Back in the Day (Before Your Time) I had my youthful fill of thought-provoking foreign movies. Now I just want to laugh.