"Oh, you know, reading books, watching movies, drinking coconuts..."

I have been spending a lot of my "me time" over the past year reading and watching movies. So here is a list of the books that I have read and movies that I have seen for the first time while in the RMI, in no particular order (I feel like I am forgetting some...)

BOOKS

"1984" by George Orwell

I borrowed this classic novel from Alex Rivadeneira '10 and started reading it during orientation before finishing it during the beginning of the school year. I am a HUGE fan of "Brave New World" by Adolous Huxley and "1984" has been mentioned in almost every conversation I have ever had about "Brave New World" because of its similar in its dystopian futuristic depiction. While I can see the parallels on the surface, the similarities end there for me. While I enjoyed the classic, the book fell flat for me whereas "Brave New World" crescendoed to one of my favorite novel endings of all time. Maybe the drive to compare the two made me like "1984" less. I was disappointed by the choices made by the characters in the end and how those choices where presented. The journey to the end--the hiding from the Big Brother, following the thoughts of an individual trying to break from the mold, and the romance--were all engaging.

"A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry

This is the book that I have finished most recently. I have always wanted to read it since I saw my mother and sister reading it years ago. The cover, a small Indian child balancing on a pole precariously resting on an open palm, has always intrigued me. The book takes place between 1947 and 1977 in Mumbai and tells the story of 4 people, a homeowner turned tailor manager, her friend's son, who is a college student, and two tailors, an uncle and his nephew. You are given their backstories and then told how they learn to live together during a period that is historically coined as "The Emergency" period that is taking place in urban centers in India at the time. The book, compared to Dickens on the back cover, is very Dickensian (surprise) in its presentation of urban centers and deteriorating influence that the city has on people. The book ended very sadly; be prepared.

"Logicomix" by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou

One of my favorite books that I have read here. It is a graphic novel that follows the professional and personal life of scholar Bertrand Russell as he pursues the foundational quest in mathematics. The comic, as many graphic novels do, takes on a fourth wall perspective as the four creators of the comic draw themselves into the book and discuss the presentation of the facts presented to them. This graphic novel gripped me despite my disdain for math. It presented highfalutin theories in a very approachable way and taught me a history that I knew nothing of.

"No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy

I was drawn to this book because I loved the movie. The movie was able to create incredible tension, to the point where I was grasping the arm rests for the majority of the film. The book, however, dragged. I enjoyed the simple, slow, yet loaded dialogue that helped to create aires of the western landscape and mindset, but the presentation of information that developed the plot was just as spacey and simple, leaving too many seeming holes in the progression of the book. Still, I highly encourage you to watch the movie!

"Cold Mountain" by Charles Fraizer

This book was also extremely slow. I read it every night before going to bed and it took me an extremely long time to get through it, however I enjoyed it. The book is about a man who gets injured and decides to desert his service in the Civil War and head back home to his love. His journey through the American landscape is juxtaposed with his lover's journey of discovery as she attempts to manage her land and make a place for herself as a single woman. The book did a good job of using slow placing to show the difficulty of his journey and her detachment. I would definitely suggest it for some good night time reading, as it was always able to put me to sleep (in a good way).

"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Jumpla Lahari is the best author I have discovered while in the RMI. Her first short story collection is full of stories that talk about first generation Indians in America, their parents, and the effect of trying to cling to a homeland and culture in a place that does not bend to the same norms. Her pacing is incredible and she is able to make simple, seemingly trite actions and words speak volumes. I am in the middle of reading her second short story collection, "Unaccustomed Earth" and am enjoying it just as tremendously. Check her out!

"Pillars of the Earth"/"World Without End" by Ken Follett

I also saw my mother and sister reading these books when they first came out and I was always intrigued by the concept. I love novels that delve into worlds that I know little to nothing about. Taking place in the Middle Ages, "The Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End" center around the building of a cathedral and a bridge, respectively, by a monastery. Learning about building, monastic life, and the politics and the church and state make for incredibly engaging books. Mandy and I (who read both books here) have been watching the TV series which one of Mandy's friends sent her. I am not impressed with it, but, like the book, we can't seem to stop watching them.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Another classic that I feel many people read in high school that I never had the opportunity to read. The book tells the story of the development of the a village through the eyes of Okonkwo and how introduction of Christianity starts to destroy the values that the main character stands for. The book also ends sadly, as evident rom the title.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

I have also also wanted to read this book. I am infatuated with China and Japan and am complete sold on anything that allows me to learn more about life or culture there. The novel follows the life of Wang Lung and his family. He gets married at the beginning of the novel and has children but always tills his earth and stays close to the land. As the book progresses bad weather causes a drought and the family is forced to move to the city where they have moderate success as beggars. When Wang Lung returns to his land, he works even harder and begins to accumulate more and more property, eventually becoming a member of the upperclass. This change, which removes him from working on his earth, does not bode well for Wang and his family. I enjoyed this novel very much, though the writing was not extremely engaging.

"No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith

This book is the first in a series that was turned into an HBO show a few years back. It tells the story of exactly what the title says, ladies' detective agency in Botswana. The main character, Mma Precious Ramotswe, is clever and solves her cases with wit and bold action. Each chapter is a vignette of sorts and ends with a funny or poignant quip. It was a very quick read and I liked it a lot.

"The Hotel New Hampshire" by John Irving

John Irving is probably my favorite author. His ability to weave a web is unparalleled in my mind. I feel like I leave his books knowing everything there is to know about the characters he has created and the worlds they live in. I asked my mom to send me two of his more famous books that I had never read. This one and "The Cider House Rules," which I have yet to read. This novel was a bit disappointing. While I enjoyed it as I do all Irving novels, I was not as drawn into the narrative as I had been by his other books. The quirky family and their strange situation, running a hotel in New Hampshire and then in Vienna, was filled with highly improbable details taking away the realism that makes Irving books so strong and touching. I feel in part that Irving's purpose in this book was to show how no family is normal, that every member plays a role to a whole unit, and that no one's story makes complete sense, but I was not entirely buying it.

"A Widow for One Year" by John Irving

This was actually the second book I read in this country and I could not put it down. Many of Irving's books feature a writer and this book is no exception. It follows the story of a children's book illustrator and his wife who leave him after the wife has an affair with the husband's intern. The husband, who spends his time seducing and drawing women, is reluctantly forgiven by his daughter, who becomes the focus of the book for the latter two thirds. She ends up crossing paths with the boy intern years later who is now a book reviewer and writer. This story was John Irving as I love him, weaving a web that was seemingly disconnected and then bringing it back together in a touching way. A good choice.

"Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt

A short story, but engaging nevertheless. I think I would have liked it a lot more as a child since it presents the idea of living forever, something that all kids think about in their youth. As it were, the book was fairly predictable and did not really suit my fancy.

"To Teach: A Journey in Comics" by Bill Ayers

This is probably the best book that I have read while here. I was searching for it before I left for the RMI and my mother just happened to find it months later and send it to me without knowing I had been searching for it. A retelling of his earlier book, "To Teach," "To Teach: A Journey in Comics" pouts beautiful pundits about teaching--the joys, the struggles, and the goals. I found it very inspirational while i first read it and would suggest it to anyone who is planning on teaching.

"Little Bee" by Chris Cleave

This book grabbed me because of its description on the back, which reads something along the lines of "We can't tell you what this book is about because if we do we will ruin the magical journey you are going to go on. The power in the book is how it unfolds..." Of course, with a description like that I had to read it to see if it was, in fact, life-changing. I won't tell you what the book is about either (as the back of the book suggests) but the book has some of the better prose writing that I have encountered in a while. The ending, however, was disappointing. I would suggest picking it up if you are looking for a good read on a topic that you probably know little about.

"The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran

A gift to me from a good friend, Melissa Smith '11, for my graduation, "The Prophet" is a collection of prophetic revelations on subjects like work, children, and love by a prophet figure before he is going to leave the country that he is in. The book has some good and beautifully written advice on these topics. It is supposedly a huge classic, so if you are looking for some good proverbial reading, I would suggest picking it up.

~ "Life in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Marquez

I have been STRUGGLING to read this book for months now and have yet to finish it. I love magic and enjoy realism but the combination of the two with Marquez's verbose writing makes for an extremely boring novel. I have tired to read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" also but could not get through it. I am still trying since this book was recommended to me by Alex Huestis, but it has been an uphill battle.

~ "Surviving Paradise" by Peter Rudiak-Gould

"Surviving Paradise" is a novel that centers around the authors World Teach experience in the RMI on the outer island of Ujae (where there are now no WT or Dartmouth volunteers). I have been taking my time reading the book and have not yet finished it. I am doing my best to not give it too much credence as I create my own experience here, but I have enjoyed reading it as a means to get another perspective on the experience here. While I appreciate reading about outer island living (since, as a result of different locations, his experience is very different from mine) I wish the book had been written by a woman so that I could see what that experience is like. I am under the impression that become of cultural norms here, it is much more touch to be a western woman on an outer island that a man, since women are limited in what they are allowed to do.

FILMS

"Coraline"

EXTREMELY creep movie, however very well done. I am a sucker for animation and this movie was beautifully executed. I did have a dream about people with buttons on their eyes. You have been warned.

"Catch Me If You Can"

I am always reluctant to like a Leo film but after "Inception" and this one, I might be sold. "Catch Me If You Can" tells the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr, the original check conman, and how he managed to get away with millions of dollars through phony careers as a pilot, lawyer, and doctor before finally being caught. And all before the tender age of 19. Really well done and impressive. The guy now works as one of the foremost check fraud examiners in the world.

"Reefer Madness: The Musical"

I was every skeptical of this movie before watching it. I had never seen the original but I knew that it was supposed to be an outlandish disposition of marijuana from the late 1930s. I did not really understand how it would function as a musical, let alone a musical movie. However, I LOVED it. The music was varied and so much fun. I really hope to be in this show one day. The ending was strange and bloody (you just have to see it, my explanation would not do it justice) and was the only low point, but otherwise the movie was funny and fun.

"Monsters vs Aliens"

Another animated film I had never seen before coming here. I thought it was pretty funny. The voice acting, featuring the talents of Seth Rogan, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Stephen Colbert, was great and the plot was awesome. The development of Suzan, the main character, voiced by Reese Witherspoon, was a bit forced, but the movie as a whole was pretty funny and the action was good.

"9" (Animated)

This dark film that takes place in a post-apocolopitc world was great. I won't tell you the secret of the movie, the audience follows these doll-esque characters as they try to survive in this world and find a solution to whatever went wrong. The animation and the action are enthralling.

"9" (The Musical)

I am a big fan of musicals. I was not a big fan of this one. It reminded me of 21, which I thought was confusing and disjointed. When the two best songs in a musical are by Penelope Cruz (who is beautiful) and Fergie (I mean, REALLY?!) you know you have not done your best work. Don't waste your time!

"Notorious"

I was very surprised that I liked this movie as much as I did. It was interesting to follow the life of such a famous rapper as B.I.G. and it is always interesting to see how artists are inspired to make their craft. The actor who played B.I.G., Jamal Woolard, did a phenomenal job. Definitely a must see for those who like rap/hip-hop/music.

"Meet the Robinsons"

An animated film that I really did not like (this is rare). It was extremely predictable, in that I knew who the bad guy was from the very beginning of the movie and I could see the "big twist" of the movie from a mile away. It was nonsensical and not funny. I would suggest avoiding this one as well.

We are a week away from the play (that + bad internet = no post last week) so get ready for a BIG blog about it!

3 more months to go!!!!

Bar lo kom,

Andrew