Saturday, December 24, 2005

Stuff

Just making sure this still works. :)

Recently finished Dan Simmons' "Ilium," loaned to me by Scooter. A great read, even if (like me) you've never read the "Iliad". I also have many, many unanswered questions (such as exactly when/where the Trojan war is happening in the book); luckily, I'm first in line for the next copy of the sequel, "Olympos," returned to the Saint Paul library, and I'm looking forward to that like I haven't looked forward to a book in a while. I sure hope it has answers.

While I'm waiting, I'm reading Steven Levitt's "Freakonomics," on recommendation of Cyn. It's a breezy read, and interesting. I'm uncomfortable with the thought that its breeziness makes many of its conclusions feel unsupported, but it's certainly providing food for thought.

Yesterday we all went to see "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." There were a number of additions -- the scene on the fracturing ice, the scene up the tree, Edmund meeting Tumnus in the dungeon, etc. -- but they tended to serve the plot and pacing well, and there was little if anything important omitted to accomodate them. I'd like to gripe about the expansion of a single-page battle near the very end of the book into the pulse-pounding climax of the movie, but I honestly can't; I'd rather think that Lewis would wish he'd written it that way. So, on the whole, kudos to Disney and the filmmakers for doing a pretty good job of getting it right.

Happy holidays to all. I hope the gifts you receive are the ones you want.