Tumblr!

Dear blog,
I promise I will update you soon. I love you dearly. In the meantime, I have been using this:

http://keirbridges.tumblr.com/

I hope you can forgive me.
-Keir

Finished The Neverending Story! Such a beautiful book.

"I did everything wrong," he said. "I misunderstood everything. Moon Child gave me so much, and all I did with it was harm, harm to myself and harm to Fantastica." Dame Eyola gave him a long look. "No," she said. "I don't believe so. You went the way of wishes, and that is never straight. You went the long way around, but that was your way. And do you know why? Because you are one of those who can't go back until they have found the fountain from which springs the Water of Life. And that's the most secret place in Fantastica. There's no simple way of getting there." After a short silence she added: "But every way that leads there is the right one."

AthFest was wonderful, as always. A lot of great bands, and, as always, running into friends everywhere.

I also saw Mates of State at the 40 Watt. A great (and adorable!) band who put on a really high-energy show! A comedian named Nick Thune did stand-up before the show- he was pretty hysterical.



I finally got around to reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Angel's Game and The Shadow of the Wind. Both excellent and well-crafted gothic novels with suspenseful, character-driven plots. I stopped about halfway through Justin Cronin's The Passage. I have a lot of books on my plate right now and may return to that one later. I can see why Cronin has received so much praise for the novel- he takes a rather tired genre and uses well-developed characters and excellent writing to give it new life. That being said... I think it's just not really my thing.



On the childrens' book front.... My work website has a review of "Lost and Found" by Oliver Jeffers who, along with Peter Sis, is my favorite childrens' author. He is apparently incapable of writing a book that fails to amaze. From the off-beat and amusing "The Incredible Book-Eating Boy" to the moving "The Heart and the Jar," Jeffers's simple, lovely illustrations and sparse prose ensure that each of his books strikes a powerful chord with the reader.



Here's the trailer for "Lost and Found" (it won a BAFTA!)








Which leads to another short I like...




I also recently learned that I will be spending an hour a week in the Young Adult section, which I think is a good enough reason to get to know their collection a little better! That, and the lovely people over there have excellent taste. Thus far, I have read: Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestly (with illustrations and prose evoking Edward Gorey's morbid faux-Victorian/Edwardian works, it's a deliciously chilling collection of short stories all connected in some way to the eponymous Uncle Montague); The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (the first book in his post-Percy Jackson Kane Chronicles- although an intriguing idea, I was not as immediately attached to the characters or their quest but have decided to withhold judgement until I finish the series); The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, beautifully translated by Ralph Manheim (WHERE has this book been all my life? When my friend recommended it, she told me it "completely blew her mind" when she was younger and read it for the first time and has been one of her favorite books ever since. Speaking as an adult [kinda] I can attest that it is completely mind-blowing at any age); and I FINALLY started reading the Scott Pilgrim books (why I waited so long, I have no idea- it's awesome!).

Music-wise, I'm enjoying Florence + the Machine's Lungs (really lovely album, great female vocalist) and The Black Keys' new album Brothers (crazyawesomesexy).

Film-wise, Ponyo (Respect your father! I have a cape!):

is perfect- utterly precious and an instant classic!

Salt:

is fucking awesome. And, let's be honest, it's only supposed to be fucking awesome.

UPDATE: Eating two corn dogs really really fast is a bad idea for your tummy.

Also, go to http://www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us/hqdepts/childrens/books.html to see my review of Geraldine McCaughrean's The Death-Defying Pepper Roux. Short version: In his quest to avoid dying, Pepper experiences more living in a few months than most do in a lifetime. Throughout the novel, Pepper is unwaveringly kind and considerate of others. While these characteristics rarely work in Pepper's favor immediately, they do endear him to a host of characters. The novel does not gloss over some of life's more difficult aspects, but Pepper's optimistic outlook affirms life to himself and to the reader as he strives to keep his. Fans of Roald Dahl will enjoy the story and its dark humor; fans of adventure stories will enjoy Pepper's many adventures at sea and on land. I LOVED this book.

This just in- corn dogs are delicious!

The Features- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1k1pXrP0zM
Very good/fun band! Great music to dance to. One of Saturday night's many excellent moments.

Peter Sis's The Wall and Tibet Through the Red Box- such incredibly, incredibly beautiful books. I don't care who you are.

My whole, entire life right now... Is achingly fucking wonderful.

Wanna see people make a genetic experiment.... and then fuck it? Then SPLICE is the movie for you! -Rachel Parker.

And that is all.