cfk has bookflurrieson Wednesday nights, with links to lots of other diaries about books and reading on daily Kos.
sarahnity has Books by kossacks, on Tuesdays.
If you like to trade books, try bookmooch.
plf515 is away this week so he let me fill in for him again since I had so much fun last time.
So, the Academy Awards are Sunday. This has been a particularly literary year for Best Picture nominees -- The Reader and Slumdog Millionaire are based on novels, Benjamin Button is from a short story and Frost/Nixon on a play (Milk is the only original screenplay). I'm a huge movie fan, in some ways even more than I am a book guy, and this is always my favorite time of the year. So when I get the chance to read a great book that talks about movies, well that's just the best of both worlds. Here are a couple of titles that do a fantastic job talking about the film industry.
Down & Dirty Pictures by Peter Biskind: A lot of people are crediting Harvey Weinstein with propelling The Reader into the Best Picture category this year. This book talks about the insurgence of Independent films in the 1980's through the 1990's, specifically from the viewpoint of the Weinstein's Miramax Studios and Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival. It does a great job of discussing the independent films of the past couple of decades as well as what utter jackasses the Weinsteins can be. Biskind also wrote the terrific book about film in 70's, Raging Bulls and Easy Riders.
Pictures at a Revolution by Mark Harris: Speaking of which, while we think of the 70's as a time when fresh, independent filmmaking was in vogue, the process actually began in the 1960's when the creaky studio system and censorious Production Code fell. Harris looks at this transition by examining how the five Best Picture nominees of 1967 were created, from conception to Oscar night. Another highly entertaining look at the clash between Old and New Hollywood as well as a terrific look at film making and the changes that a movie goes through from beginning to final product.
The Celluloid Closet by Vito Russo: The basis for the entertaining documentary of the same name, this is another fascinating look at the history of movies from the angle of how Hollywood has portrayed homosexuality. Russo can be a little strident at times but he does a fine job not only examining gay characters but those that may be straight but just don't fit the norms of masculinity or femininity. My only fault is that since this was written in the mid-1980's, we don't get a study of the past two decades when portrayals of gays and lesbians have seriously shifted.
Stuff I'm reading (aside from Monster.com listings):
Grapes of Wrath: Power read this for a class in college and decided to re-read it to truly enjoy it. It's amazing how much it echoes themes we are experiencing today.
R. A. Salvatore's Legend of Drizzt series: I usually try to stay away from D&D inspired fantasy, but I've just read the first 3 in the series and was surprised by how much I enjoyed them. They make good breaks between heavier books.
Looking forward to starting Redbreast by Jo Nesbo: Norwegian detective series that caught my eye when it came out last year. The second book just came out and looked interesting enough that I decided to give it a shot.
Okay, enough about me -- what are YOU reading this week?