"Defending Your LIfe"

This DVD - "Defending Your Life" - written by and starring Albert Brooks is a great conversation starter. Some friends recommended this and I just got around to finding a copy at the library. It also stars Meryl Streep who (as always) does an incredible acting job and is able to portray her character with genuniness and believability.

Daniel Miller (played by Brooks) is celebrating his birthday in his brand new car when he's distracted and crashes head-on into a bus. The next thing we know Daniel is in heaven where he's defending the life (not too successfully) he lived. During his "free" time he meets Julia (played by Streep) who is successfully defending her life and everyone she encounters truly enjoys spending time with her.

What does "Defending Your Life" involve? It means showing you lived a full and fearless life and, if you can't, you return to earth and try again. After meeting Julia, Daniel doesn't want to return to earth but wants to go on spending time with her.

This is a humorous and thought-provoking movie and I do recommend it for everyone!

pazt

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Helen Simonson's debut novel, "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand" is set in a small, rural English village - Edgecombe St. Mary. The story focuses on widowed and retired Major Ernest Pettigrew who has his own ideas about integrity, honor, and proper behavior and puzzles over the behavior of his only son. The Major's world is turned upside down when his brother (and only sibling) dies unexpectedly. It's at this point that a widowed Pakistani shopkeeper in the village, Mrs. Jasmina Ali, shows him kindness and friendship and their friendship takes them both down a path that will ultimately change both their lives and the lives of their family, friends, and neighbors. It's a love story, a story about biases, and also a story about how a man pretty set in his ways begins to change his thinking when exposed to new and unexpected situations that bring him face to face with a world outside of the bubble he's been living in.

Simonson's writing is poetic in its descriptions and I love how she develops her characters to the point that you feel like you're right there living their lives with them and feeling what they're going through right along with them.

My husband picked this book up at the library off their "best picks" shelf and shared extensively about the book as he was reading it. Normally, if I plan to read a book myself, I discourage him from telling me anything about it so I was surprised when (despite knowing a lot of the book's details)I decided to read the book, too. I'm so glad I did because it is such a delicious experience. We recommended it to our book club and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like something that is poignant as well as funny to read. You can learn more about this New York Times Bestseller at www.majorpettigrew.com.

pazt

P. S. I Love You

"P. S. I Love You" was a DVD I checked out from the library and my spouse and I watched it several weeks ago on one of our movie-at-home date nights. It's a love story -- serious but funny -- and I liked it so well that I am trying to decide if I want to add it to our personal DVD library so we can watch it over and over like some of our other favorite romance movies. It boasts an all-star cast that includes Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Lisa Kudrow, Harry Connick, Jr., and Kathy Bates. When we watched the additional scenes (or ones that didn't make the final cut), I wish they'd left them in as they added so much to the story. This movie is based on the bestseller by Cecelia Ahern which I think I may now need to read. Although the movie has its sad moments, it is mostly about joy and hope and new beginnings and I highly recommend it.

pazt

"The Thing About My Folks"

Peter Falk and Olympia Dukakis portray Sam and Muriel Kleinman and their son is played by Paul Reiser. Although the story revolves around the fact that Muriel Kleinman has left her husband after 47 years of marriage, the real plot line (in my opinion) is about the father/son relationship and Falk and Reiser are incredible in their performances. It takes a road trip and some trips down memory lane to change their relationship and what a trip it is! Despite the serious subject matter of the movie, it is infused with a lot of humor, too. The Kleinman's also have 3 daughters who play minor but pivotal roles in the movie as well as their daughter-in-law who is played by Elizabeth Perkins.

This was our date night movie last night and it's a movie we would both highly recommend.

pazt

"Once In Every Life"

This is the second novel I've read by Kristin Hannah and is my favorite so far. The story lines are completely different but they have common threads -well developed relationships (particularly family relationships), romance, suspense and a plot twist. I'm not usually a romance fan so I skimmed over two fairly lengthy sex scenes which didn't really add to the story for me but this book was a quick read that kept me engaged from beginning to end. It's about two lonely people searching for second chances. There was humor, too, that had me laughing out loud at times.
pazt

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress (A Memoir of Going Home) by Rhoda Janzen

Rhoda Janzen's memoir of the breakdown of her marriage is insightful and humorous. She proves that you can go home again when you have a supportive and loving family. Although they may not always understand the choices she's made in her life, they're there for her when she needs them.

I grew up in a community that was predominantly Mennonite and Catholic and I was neither. What I know (and think I have always known) about Mennonites is their goodness as well as their willingness to help others in need -- family or not. Rhoda's memoir just reinforced that belief for me.

This was one of my favorite reads this year and Rhoda's interactions with her mother had me laughing so hard at times that I couldn't talk!

pazt

"The Geography of Bliss"

Author, Eric Weiner, is searching for happiness so he decides to visit the World Database of Happiness in the Netherlands to find out which countries are the happiest and which are the unhappiest. After some in depth time in the Netherlands he sets off to visit some of the happiest and unhappiest countries in the world. He shares in the book his observations after visiting The Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova, Thailand, Great Britain, India, and returning home to America. I probably wouldn't have picked this book up except our couple's book club chose it for their May read. I enjoyed learning about the different countries -- some I'd not heard of before -- and I enjoyed Weiner's style of writing and his humor. I won't spoil it for you and tell you which countries are the happiest or unhappiest -- You'll have to read it for yourself!

pazt

"On A Clear Day" DVD

This has been on my list of movies to see since I saw previews for it at the movie theater. Although I didn't make it back to the theater to see it, it was a recent date night movie and I enjoyed the way it wove a serious theme with some light moments. When Frank Redmond (played by Peter Mullan) loses his job, he decides to swim the English Channel as a personal challenge. In the meantime his wife is trying to pass the test to become a bus driver. As they each strive to reach their goals and keep what they're doing secret from one another, challenges arise in their relationship and with their son and his family. Frank has the support of his friends and eventually his decision to swim the English Channel brings the family together in a way that brings unexpected healing to old wounds.

pazt

"The Spellman Files"

Think Janet Evanovich and, if you love her novels, I believe you'll also like Isabel "Izzy" Spellman and her wacky family created by author, Lisa Lutz. In this debut novel about the Spellman family and their private investigation firm, the family is introduced: Izzy's Mom (Olivia) and Dad (Albert), her older brother (David) and her younger sister (Rae), Uncle Ray (her dad's older brother who Rae is named after), and last but not least, Petra (Izzy's friend since childhood when they were mischievous partners in crime). We also meet Inspector Henry Stone of the San Francisco Police Department and get a detailed list of Izzy's former boyfriends, how long they dated, and why they broke up.

I'm off to pick up the second book in the series, "Curse of the Spellmans!"

pazt

"No Reservations" DVD

After seeing part of this movie on television one night, I wanted to watch it from beginning to end so picked it up at our local library for a recent date night. Catherine Zeta-Jones (Kate) stars as a workaholic master chef who is suddenly responsible for her orphaned niece (Abigail Breslin)and is clueless as to how to relate to a grade schooler. Actually, she's clueless about relationships in general!

Kate's employer makes seeing a therapist a condition of her continuing employment but Kate seems to enjoy cooking for her therapist more than talking about her issues. When a new chef is added to the kitchen and Kate thinks he may be threatening her job, tensions and romantic sparks fly! However, the path is not smooth and Kate has some learning to do along the way to true love and new parenthood. It's a charming movie with some great acting.

Be sure to check out the special features after the film. I found it fascinating to learn how much time the cast had to spend in kitchens with chefs to appear realistic in playing their roles (and they do!). When host Marc Summers visits the set for an episode of his food network series, Catherine Zeta-Jones admits she doesn't cook in her private life.

pazt

Carl Hiaasen

02/16/10

If you've never read a book by Carl Hiaasen, I'd highly recommend you give one a try. I've found them to be laugh out loud funny at times and filled with "characters" like none I've ever "met" before. Hiaasen also manages to get in some political or environmental statements in a humorous way.

"Skinny Dip" was recommended to me when I was looking for a book to lead a discussion on at my book club group last summer. I was recuperating from eye surgery and just wanted something light and fun to read. My spouse and I both thoroughly enjoyed this book -- so much so that he asked for more Hiaasen books for his birthday. He read "Strip Tease" -- the one the Demi Moore movie is based on -- but didn't find it as good as "Skinny Dip." Since I haven't yet read it, I won't voice an opinion until I have.

At his recommendation I recently read "Stormy Weather" and found it as entertaining as "Skinny Dip." Carl Hiassen's books rarely share the same characters so that's an advantage for me because I can read them in any order.

I'll keep you posted as I read more Hiaasen in the future.

pazt