Saturday, August 11, 2012

Waiting And Reading

I have been getting antsy about not hearing about this job. My friend who works there said the lady didn't even tell them she was interviewing OR going on vacation but the IT guy showed up at her office and installed a new computer in the empty office so I feel like I might still be in the running (since we're not sure if she has actually interviewed anyone else). So my fingers are still crossed. Because she hasn't told me no yet either.

So to curb my antsiness, books!

I just finished book 3 of the Song of Fire and Ice series. I had to take a little break in the middle because Good Gravy These Books Are Violent. I am not big on violent movies so I think it is official that there is no way for me to be watching the HBO version, no matter how many good things I hear about it. But I heard a great comparison for this book in particular: somebody called it the Empire Strikes Back of this series, and that makes (hopefully for future books) total sense. Horrible things happen to characters you like and it ends on a very uncertain note. But I will definitely be continuing this series. It also helps to remember that it is based on the wars of the roses and there was quite a bit of royalty then that didn't get happy endings. History books just usually aren't as gory.

However, I needed a palate cleanser. Stella Gibbons wrote one of y favorite books of all time, Cold Comfort Farm, and when I was at the used bookstore with my mom a couple of weeks ago, we found one of her other books, Nightingale Wood.
It still has the same atmosphere and style, but somehow the humor is not the same. I like the way she creates a character, but none of these characters spoke to me like the fabulous Flora Poste.

Cold Comfort Farm is a hilarious book, and has to be one of the best book-to-movie conversions ever. The cast is beyond perfect, with Kate Beckinsale, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry, Eileen Atkins, Ian McKellen and Rufus Sewell. It boggles my mind that somebody made this, and that it was a TV movie and that they got these actors, and that they are SO WELL CAST. I don't even want to explain it too much, everybody should just go read it. And watch the movie. Nightingale Wood is very much less exciting and fun in comparison.

2 comments:

Kerry said...

Nightingale Wood is now on my library list!

I am really pulling for you to get this job. Fingers crossed!

Anne At Large said...

Can't wait to see what you think! It's cute and quirky and I definitely enjoy how Stella Gibbons writes, I was just apathetic about most of the main characters (although there are, of course, hilarious minor characters).