Just got back from afternoon errands and movie watching. I'm telling you, if In the Shadow of the Moon doesn't win the Oscar for best documentary this year, something is wrong with the Academy. It gave me the chills.

How about some books, you philistines? :lol: Anyone got any good mystery recs? I love a good mystery, especially if it's a bit, er, quirky. To add a little House-interest... I tend to cast actors and actresses in the roles of the characters as I read and there are a few books I've read where HL fits perfectly as the characters. And I'm not talking about The Gun Seller. Strangely, when I cast HL in books I'm reading, he always wants to be British - so no House-like characters so far. First, Kate Atkinson's two novels, Case Histories and its sequel One Good Turn are fabulous. They're both mystery/drama? Dramedies? Eh, they also have quite of bit of comedy as well as some very poignant moments. Hard to classify. Basically, they both center on a PI named Jackson Brodie (older HL fits great as this character) and his current cases. The novels are interesting (set in Cambridge and Scotland, respectively): sections alternate between different characters involved in Jackson's cases and the cases are all connected, but not in the sense of a traditional mystery. I love both of these - they're probably the best things I've read in the past year. The characterizations are fabulous. Young HL is great as the lead in Connie Willis's To Say Nothing of the Dog, which is a sci-fi/time travel/mystery/romance/comedy of manners. The title should give you some idea of the type of humor - it's witty and adorable. The plot is a little hard to explain, but it basically centers around a young Oxford historian (from the future where time travel is possible, but essentially useless) who goes back in time to the Victorian period for some 'rest' and gets involved in a mystery. Really cute, definitely not hard sci-fi, though there's some talk of paradoxes and chaos theory and such. As for books with no role for HL in sight, I really enjoyed Sunshine by Robin McKinley. Anyone who enjoys a good, quirky, slightly dark fantasy involving vampires and humans should like this. I've recommended this to everyone I know who's a Buffy fan and (so far) they've all really enjoyed it. Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart is also really well done: about a sweet, but pathetic, ex-punk in Texas who just happens to be able to see ghosts. So, also not really a typical fantasy or horror. Also very sweet - my mom even liked this one. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger (<-- hope I spelled that right) was also very good - interesting and sad. I had a little trouble with her characters, who seemed a teeny bit flat, but other than that this was very engaging. Watch out: the ending will wreck you. That's not really a spoiler since you know how it will end at the beginning. Anything you enjoyed recently?

taken from the Hizzy, it's like a scavenger hunt lol Okay, galaxygirl, did you see Numb3rs? When they said Val Kilmer was really evil, they WERE NOT kidding. Jeez, poor Colby. But still very, very, very hot Colby. And since I'm being shallow, I like Megan's hair. I thought it was a good episode overall. I'm looking forward to Colby and David repairing their relationship. Getting the shallow out of the way: I loved Megan's hair, I have such a girl crush on her. Didn't like Charlie's hair, it's too long in the front. I'm so relived Colby turned out not to be a traitor, but how on earth are they going to make the team feel good about him again. That's such an emotional roller coaster to go through. I'm really curious what happened to Megan while she was away. Val Kilmer was awesome in all his evil glory. I hope they get Tony Scott to direct again, this was a great looking episode. random thought of the day: I flove daddy Eppes.

Books I have enjoyed are: I Am Legend - Richard Matheson Also, Back When we were grownups by Anne Tyler - a great book that (IMO) has one of the best endings in a book ever Also Blink -the Power of Thinking without Thinking -by Malcolm Gladwell - very interesting

Riding the bus affords me the time to read more than I would normally have. I got a big kick out of "Between the Bridge and the River" by Craig Ferguson. It's funny and witty and intelligent. "Pontoon" by Garrison Keillor was a quick, harmless read. If you've been visiting Lake Wobegon for a few decades you'll enjoy the book. The characters are fun, and familiar. If you've never heard of the little town that time forgot you'd be better off with "Lake WobegoneDays" or "Lake Wobegon Summer, 1956" ~Tangent--I just discovered there's a thing called the 'Lake Wobegon Effect' that describes people's tendency to over-estimate their worth and abilities. This amused me.~ I'm trying to read Lisey's Story right now-but it hasn't grabbed me like I thought it would. I've read almost everything Stephen King has written, but I'm out of practice with his style. The Time Traveler's Wife sounds promising. I need to read something that's happy. Can someone suggest to me something happy or at least uplifting?

Hmm, rsh, an uplifting book? Well, an interesting book is How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, a Harvard reasearch doc, I believe. The book is particularly relevant to House fans because it tells how doctors actually make diagnoses and how much depends on their observational skills, also that patients withhold/don't tell/lie all the time. Also the doctor's emotional state, whether or not they like a patient personally, all that has a huge influence on the diagnosis and testing process. (One doc liked a guy so much he wouldn't put him through a grueling test, turns out the guy had the disease and needed the test.) So it turns out that the House character is well-drawn: keeping an emotional distance from patients really is a good thing. Also, the Jane Austen Book Club looks good... eta: ITA on Wodehouse, Jerome K Jerome: both light, cheery and hilarious, and the odd but good scifi To Say Nothing of the Dog (from the JKJ title). Say, someone from the other Hizzy recommended that to me ad it was cool. Is that person on board here? ;-)

Right now I'm reading Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and I've been totally sucked into it. I think I'll have to check out Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart. I love atypical fantasy/horror books. When I have insomnia, I always reread The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Edited because I lack proper reading skillz today.

I need to read something that's happy. Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair. Whenever I'm depressed I dip into that (its one of the Friday Next books, I've got the first three, but not the one that got published recently yet). I don't know why I can't get into the last HP, but I read one chapter & stalled out (I rushed through the previous books) & I've got a copy of Zadie Smith's White Teeth that I was given, but haven't even opened yet because I've been reading Galileo's Daughter.

John Barrowman is coming out with a new album. I was very excited about this news --then I saw the track list. SQUEEEE!!!! And, I can't believe he's covering "You're So Vain." Or any of them. My 80s music geek is coming out. And JB can handle it, if not make it somewhat sellable. Having said that, they're also on US time for American Idol... If FOX can give us AI on US time, what's wrong with not making us have to wait months and months and months to see House on an actual TV. I think it's an NBC-Universal thing to be honest. How many shows with NBC-U in their credentials are airing at the US pace in the UK? Just imagine he's giving you a private concert or crooning to a tied up and oiled David Tennant or John Simm! That should help you stomach the covers. Umm...now I can't finish my Latin homework. In addition to the aforementioned scenario, I'm also picturing the three of them tarted up like the boys in Fellini's Satyricon and cavorting in a Roman bathhouse. *drools* Unfortunately, I've seen next week's Doctor Who ep already and it's not lookin' too good for Golum. Matter of fact, I hope y'all like Golum!Doctor, and then demigod!Doctor<-/spoiler. ETA: Did anyone catch the premiere of Moonlight on Friday? I watched it to see Sophia Myles (aka David Tennant's lady love) and it was wretched. So cliche. It's a vampire show and the ending montage was set to Evanesence, Oy. It made the Buffy shaped hole in my heart even bigger. Oh no! At least SM will be able to dress DT again. Those outfits and hair while she was gone? Awful!!! Books? I'm hooked on anything by Nicci French. Especially both Secret Smile and Killing Me Softly. And it's all because I can picture David Tennant in both (partly because he played a character in the made-for-tv movie of the former). And also Christopher Eccelston in the latter. When I hear the title The Secret History I think of a book I've tried to read several times that is an alternative-history novel of a similar title where Germany won WWI, steam-power runs cars, and ghosts walk among us. I've never gotten past chapter one. Otherwise, my reading lately is comprised of textbooks. Which, I really have to go read now (and yes I know I have to get up in four hours).

Just imagine he's giving you a private concert or crooning to a tied up and oiled David Tennant or John Simm! That should help you stomach the covers. I have no idea what this is in relation to, but I don't even care. Holy smokes.

I'm intrigued by the new Fox show New Amsterdam (or something like that). Speaking of crushes: Nikolaj Coster Waldau, oh boy! A friend of mine writes sci-fi novels, and we always joke about "casting" the characters in her books. I *immediately* sent her that guy's photo. Yum. I have to admit, the Evanescence pushed the cheese level of Moonlight to an uncomfortable place. I'm hoping they'll be over that by next week. I will be delighted to hear John Barrowman sing "Being Alive." I will hope that I never hear him singing Air Supply. (Seriously, does he have the upper range? Some of their stuff has crazy high notes.) I had started to read the Dresden Files novels this summer, but now I really must focus on my textbooks. Which aren't nearly as exciting.