Saturday, January 31, 2015

Month in Review: January 2015


Books I've Read

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
I'm surprised that I haven't read this book before now, as I'm a lover of true crime books. And this is the second most famous true crime book after Helter Skelter. I have to say this book really freaked me out at times, meaning I could only read it during the day time. That is a rarity for me, that has only happened when I read Helter Skelter, and parts of the Stranger Beside Me (the book about Ted Bundy).  I did enjoy this read, as much as you can enjoy the retelling of such a tragic tale. I think the psychology behind it, is what is fascinating to me most of all.

Mary Poppins She Wrote by Valerie Lawson
I decided to read this book because I so loved the movie Saving Mr. Banks. But I knew from researching on my own that the move was of course, Disneyfied (which I have no problem with because I'm a Disneyphile). So I wanted to know a little on the real story of the making of Mary Poppins and the life of P.L. Travers.  I really enjoyed this book! What an interesting life Travers had, and she was such a feisty woman. It made me appreciate one of my favorite Disney movies, Mary Poppins, even more. Even if the movie was much, much different than the books. 

Movies I've Seen

Wild
I was so excited to see this movie because I absolutely loved the book, which I read a year ago. This movie was only playing in one theater in Huntsville, and I was thrilled because I thought I would have to wait for the DVD release. I thought it was an excellent book to movie adaptation. The writers only left out a few aspects of the book that I could recall. And I could tell why they did, as it would have cluttered up the movie narrative. The movie is less raw than the book. I found the book hard to read at times, because I felt her pain so acutely. I didn't have the same reaction to the movie surprisingly. But it doesn't mean it wasn't good. I just always respond more to the written word.

In Cold Blood
After I finished the book,  my mom lent me her copies of the original 1967 movie In Cold Blood. The movie really focused on the manhunt for the killers, and I think it was an overall good overview of the life of the killers. It was suspenseful and creepy at times, but it did not always hold my attention all the way throughout.

Capote
Of course, after I finished In Cold Blood, I needed to watch Capote. This move was so enthralling. I really liked learning more about Capote and his process for writing the book.  It made me wonder about the relationship between him and one of the murderers (Perry Smith). It was fascinating how the whole process of writing the book became his whole life (and he never wrote again after this book). The movie made me want to learn more about Capote.

The Honeymoon Killers
My mom basically forced me to watch this movie over the weekend  that I was recovering from surgery. I enjoyed it well enough, but it was not my favorite. It did make me want read the wikipedia page about The Honeymoon Killers, but really that was the only thing I got out of the movie. 


Books Read in 2015: (2)
Movies Watched in 2015: (4)  


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1 comment:

  1. I just finished Wild on Audible this morning! I watched the movie when I was at the half way point and didn't love it. I think I'm going to rewatch it though, just in case I missed something. I felt like they left out too much and if I wasn't reading the book I wouldn't have been able to follow the movie as well.

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