I have been reading Killing Hitler for over a month now and I want it to be over already! I was hoping it would be a little more lively, would pump a little life into war history (which I normally don't like and this book isn't helping to change that opinion), but so far it's desert dry. And it's taking so long to read! I only read now on the train to and from work (and some nights I'm coming home from work so late that my eyes sting and I can barely see straight - is there a rule that says one should not stare in front of a computer screen for thirteen hours straight? Because if there isn't, I'm going to make one.), and non-fiction always takes me longer to read than fiction. This means that I've still got about one hundred pages to go. Ahh! Enough! I keep seeing great books that I want to start reading (American Lion for example), but I can't give up on this book yet. So close to finishing... so close to completion. I have a hard time giving up on books. I'd rather skim parts to speed to the end than start a book and not finish it. Does anyone else have this problem? I guess I just feel badly for bad books... it's like I don't want their feelings to be hurt, or I don't want them to hate me for not liking them, for not seeing them through to the end. This probably indicates some serious psychological problem, but hey, I wouldn't be surprised there. I should probably be speeding through those last one hundred pages right now... I've got Elegance of the Hedgehog sitting on my nightstand, waiting for me to open it and dive in. I just can't bring myself to pick Hitler up. I'm just not that into it.
As for movies, well I've been watching a few (or starting them and then falling asleep before finishing). The most recent ones I've seen are The Seventh Seal, the classic Ingmar Bergman film that takes a look at a medieval knight who engages in a game of chess with Death. We're trying to watch more classics, and while I'm not a huge fan of black and white movies (I tend to like a lot of color in my life), I'm getting the hang of appreciating them. I thought this one was good, and I liked that it was in Swedish. Most foreign films I see are either French, Spanish, or an occasional Asian film. Bring on more Swedes!
Then last night I watched 95% of Brideshead Revisited (fell asleep for the last 15 minutes). The movie was good, but only good. Not great. It reminded me of Atonement in that the book was much better than the movie - you got so much more out of the story on paper than on screen. It really irritated me that on screen there was the budding of some kind of romance between Charles Ryder and Julia before their eventual meeting on the oceanliner. Hated that! And the subtleties of the religious tensions and of the alcoholism were not present in the movie. The camera takes in Julia as a whole upon our first viewing of her, and then focuses on the gold cross hanging around her neck. Hmmm, something about religion must be going to happen here! Great foreshadowing.
Anyway, what's up next for cinema? Nothing for tonight at least. Right now the Grammy's are on and I have no desire to watch, but I'm not sure what else we'll put on. I am Trying to Break Your Heart won't arrive until Tuesday, and The Dark Knight not until Wednesday, so until then the little time I have for TV will have to be filled with On Demand. Thank god for cable!
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