Some of that other stuff that the blog is supposed to be about...

... you know, the books and movies and TV things (blather and nonsense go without saying).

I got tired of waiting for The Last Olympian to come out in paperback, and finally shelled out for the hardback. I loved this entire series, and thought that the final installment was a good ending (while leaving open the possibility for more episodes, though not necessarily featuring Percy Jackson himself). The minute I finished the book, I boxed it up and sent it to Voracious Reader, whose father snapped a picture of her standing by the dining room table reading, the moment she took it from the box.

And shortly thereafter, I purchased The Red Pyramid, which is the first book in Rick Riordan's new series, the Kane Chronicles. I read this one immediately as well, and wasn't quite as enchanted with it as I was with the Percy books, though I'm not sure why. It could just be that it features a whole new set of characters and a totally different setting, when I wasn't quite ready to give up the other characters. I didn't dislike the book, I just didn't love it, and I did find it a bit harder to follow. I'll certainly buy the next ones in the series. And I'll find out how Voracious Reader feels about it when I take the book to her in a few weeks. (!)

I believe I mentioned that I bought the 40 lb paperback of Under the Dome at MSP on the way to my class reunion. It wasn't exactly light reading (literally) but as with all Stephen King books, it drew me in instantly, and I spent all of my time in the various airports and on various airplanes reading (not to mention whatever downtime I had during the week on the coast). I didn't finish until a few days after we got home, but it was a satisfying read, though (again, as with many King stories) the ending wasn't quite *there*, the rest more than made up for it. I loved spending time with the characters and was sorry when I finished the behemoth. It's going with me on the next trip, for Voracious Reader's Father.

I happened to be in Aberdeen last week with a bit of time to spare, so I took in noon matinee of Inception. The movie was visually stunning, and the story was agreeably complex and confusing (I have a feeling that if I look at it too closely, it'll fall apart. So I'm not going to). I went to the movie alone, and by alone, I don't mean that I bought one ticket and watched a movie without a companion, I mean that I was the only one in the entire theater. That was one eerie experience, lemee tellya, sitting in a totally empty theater, watching an odd and unusual movie. I was very glad to know, when it was over and I rejoined the people in the mall, that the Zombie Apocalypse had not begun while I was wandering around in Leonardo DiCaprio's dreams.

And on the TV front- I am currently enjoying The Good Guys. It is absolutely and totally over the top, not a single plot line is believable, and Bradley Whitford chews scenery with the pros. But... the stories are fairly intricately plotted, the acting is fun (in that over-the-top-what-the-hell-is-he-doing-now way), and Colin Hanks is good in his character (though I am sometimes distracted by how much his voice and mannerisms resemble his father's), and- this is the most important- it makes me laugh out loud at least once in every episode. I'm going to hang in with this one for awhile, and see where it goes.

And you guys- I've hung in there with American Idol through all 9 seasons (and you have hung in there with me for several of the most recent). I can deal with Simon decamping, and Ellen choosing not to return, and the firing of Kara (though I will miss her sparkly outfits), and even the addition of JLo is okay with me. But... I don't know if I can deal with 15 year old auditioners. I am not down with The Bieberizing of America. Srsly.