A Lesson Before Dying

I finished this book yesterday.  It has been in my "stack" of books for years and I think was on Oprah's Book Club list probably over 10 years ago.  I finally got around to reading, well listening, to it.  Such a good book, sad, thought provoking and in this time really thought provoking.  With all the stuff going on with Paula Deen and that girl on Big Brother lately with racial slurs and words tossed around my mind has been on the subject a lot.  The books time period is in the 1940's in Cajun country about a young black man named Jefferson who somehow gets tied into a robbery gone bad and he's the only one left standing.  Being black, in the 40's and the south he is convicted to death and all of the waiting for his execution effects everyone in town in some way or another.  The story is of course sad but it brings thoughts to mind of the time era and how far we HAVE come in the world yet when I watch the Big Brother show and see that young girl espousing the racial crap I see we still have not come very far.  Why can't we learn to love everyone, to stop this insane difference that keeps us so far apart from becoming human beings!  My mind is a jumble of these thoughts lately.  Sorry.  It's a really good book.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Again I am going to write about this book, Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James.  I attempted to read this dang thing and failed miserably.  I am not a prude by any stretch of the imagination and I rarely stop reading a book but this one, yes I did.  I've been thinking about it again because I found out the thing has been opted for a movie with possibly Dakota Fanning or Shailene Woodley as Anastasia and possibly Robert Pattinson as Grey.  It is described as "mommy porn," but I beg to differ really.  Again, I am not a prude and don't mind the sex stuff so much but the degradation of Anastasia in this book when we as women are trying to hold on to what we have fought so hard for, our rights.  Really!  I know I didn't finish the book and should not have an opinion but I draw the line at S&M and a man telling a woman what to wear, what to eat, when to sleep, etc.  That book should NOT be touted by women, really,   Are we back to letting men club us on the noggin' and draggin' us around by our ponytail!  I THINK NOT!

The Descendants

I recently finished the book The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings.  I thought it was a good book, sad and definitely a bit depressing but a good book.  I really wanted to get it read so that I could see the movie, which I did yesterday.  They stuck pretty close to the book, omitting stuff that would have been nonsense.  I thought George did an excellent job in the movie, for a guy who has never been married or had children, he did a good job.  What disturbed me most, on a personal level, was the wife, Liz that was in the hospital bed dying during the entire movie, deteriorating each and every time they showed her on the screen.  It brought back flashbacks of my momma in her nursing home bed, whithering away day by day.  Good job make-up guys.  What surprised me most of the afternoon was the way the movie stayed with me and I'm not sure why.  I don't think it is Oscar worthy as a best picture, although I think Clooney did an Oscar worthy performance, but it stayed with me.