Missyisms

Free Audio Book Download

I've known for some time, as you probably have, that iTunes has a free song available for downloading each Tuesday. I never used to remember to check out the song, so I think in the time I've remembered to check I've only downloaded three songs. They select too much garbage! (Is Amazon's new music service going to offer free songs too?)

Yesterday I discovered a free audio book was available for downloading on iTunes. How long has this been going on? Is this new? Is this just an occasional thing? Or has it been going on for a long time and I just missed it?

The free audio book was highlighted on the iTunes's Store's front page, so I didn't have to go hunting. If you're interested it's a suspense novel by Brad Meltzer. One book is free and audio versions of Meltzer's other books are on sale. I've never read a Meltzer book, but I met him once and he talked about all the research he does to make sure his books are accurate. Then came the terrorist attacks of 9-11-01 and security changes in the international banking industry changed and greatly impacted at least one of his books; I don't remember which one. He plots always sound so interesting that I've had him on my to-be-read list...now I have a free copy.

Since I don't know the answers to the questions in the second paragraph above, I'll just admit I don't know how long the Meltzer book will be available for free or if another title from another author will be free in the future. Anyone else know?

Re-Visiting the Re-Reading List

The other day I posted about the books Brits are re-reading. At the time I could only find the top ten books in the list, but Anne has found the top twenty. Here, according to a recent survey, are the top twenty re-reads in the United Kingdom.

1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
2. Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkien
3. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
4. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
6. 1984 by George Orwell
7. Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
8. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
10. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
11. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
12. To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
13. Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews
14. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
15. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
16. The Bible
17. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
18. Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding
19. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
20. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

I know this is rather sad, but there are many on this list that I haven't read. There are two on the list I've never heard of and a few I'll likely never read. A lot of the list is fantasy/sci fi and that just isn't my reading area...perhaps time to change that.

P&P Re-Release and Re-Read

It seems to me that when this DVD of the 2005 movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was released, I pointed out that the British release had more extras and that probably meant another DVD version would be re-released in the U.S. I was right...I just didn't expect it this soon. Odd that it would have a widescreen and fullscreen version on the 2-disc set; it just doesn't seem like a movie to do that with. Other extras on this new release are listed here. Now I do wish I had Netflix just to see these extras without buying the DVD. You'll remember what I think of re-releases!

While there are multiple adaptations and re-released DVDs of Pride and Prejudice, there is only one book! And it can't be topped, but it can be re-read and that's just what the British are doing. Excellent news. A recent survey in the U.K. revealed that P&P came in third on the re-reading list. The survey also found that: "...that 43% admitted to deciding whether they will finish a book after only the first chapter." Most new writers are taught to really write a great first chapter, first page, first paragraph, first sentence and this stat shows why. Click here to see the top-10 list of Brit re-reads and for other interesting tid-bits from the survey. (The article linked here says the list includes Jane Eyre and the Bible, which I re-read, in the top 20, but doesn't say where to see the complete list.)

I re-read P&P and the some of the Potter series, which is also on the list. I have other books I like to re-read, honestly I do!, I'm just too tired to think of them right now. What do you re-read?

Writer's Strike, Reader's Opportunity

The much awaited writer's strike started today. I bet Netflix and Blockbuster are thrilled. Some TV shows will start airing reruns tonight, other shows have a handful of unaired episodes, but all scripted TV shows will be hitting the reruns sooner than later if the strike lasts any amount of time. Here's a chart listing the status of some shows. Unlike TV shows, movie scripts are written long before production begins. Plus, this strike has been looming for a long time and many producers were buying extra scripts a year ago. This means movies will continue in production for a while. That isn't necessarily good news, because movies lately have been rotten, and once the Oscar-contenders are released in November and December, that trend looks to continue. So, as I said, Netflix and Blockbuster must be happy...in the not too distant future, this strike will probably mean an increase in rentals.

But I challenge all us to shock Netflix and Blockbuster, and even Hollywood. Instead of picking up a rental, support a writer and pick up a book! Read, read, read! Of course many book authors are not TV or movie writers, but authors are writers and that typically means they are underpaid. Most authors have to work other jobs to support their writing careers. And in Hollywood, the writers often make a mere fraction of what actors, directors, and producers make.

Show your support to writers and read. In fact, share with us here just what you're currently reading. I'm in the middle of several books. Two books I'm just paging through to remind myself how to use a Mac. I'm also reading The Jane Austen Book Club and The First Wave, a WWII sequel to a book I read last year. I'm not far enough into either novel to offer a recommendation, but I'll let you know.

What about your latest reads? Any recommendations? Let us know.

E-books

Today in the Chicago Tribune one of their columnist wrote about reading his first e-book on his Blackberry. If I remember correctly the columnist, Steve Johnson, covers television and the Internet, so I think we're safe to call him a techie. And what did this techie choose as his first e-book? A recent bestseller, such as "The DaVinci Code" or a Grisham novel? Something TV focused such as a re-printing of Minow's "The Vast Wasteland." He could have chosen something related to current affairs...is there a presidential candidate that isn't hawking a book too? Nope, to easy.

Instead, he chose a classic as his first e-book. He chose the classic -- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. He writes about discovering the joy of e-books and the joy of Austen (he doesn't say if this is the first Austen he's read). In fact he writes: "I liked it all so much, I've moved on to Austen's "Persuasion" and am, frankly, halfway annoyed at having to take time away from that to write this. What comeuppance will the vain spendthrift Sir Walter receive, and will his deserving daughter Anne find satisfaction?" I so agree that work can seriously get in the way of good reading!

I've tried a few e-books on my old Palm device and enjoyed it for the most part, but got tired of the constant page turning, i.e., clicking a button. (That might be a reflection more of the Palm and the reader I was using than e-books in general.) Now that Apple has agreed to let other vendors develop applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, I'm hoping there will be some excellent e-readers for these devices. Scrolling through the pages would be an improvement. The idea of taking notes or highlighting favorite passages, as discussed by Johnson, is also appealing. Not that I'll ever give up my beloved paper-filled books, but anything that will create more reading opportunities and doesn't have to be dusted is welcome.

You can read all of Johnson's column here. And since he probably didn't write his column as late at night as I'm writing this blog (and for numerous other reasons)...trust me, it's a better read than this.

Jane MacBook Pro Austen

Saturday, when I was screen testing at the Apple store, I discovered a Jane Austen reader...they're everywhere...just as they should be. ;-)

There I was, popping DVDs into the laptops at the Apple store, when Saleswoman Terri came over. "Oh, you brought your own DVDs. Women shoppers always come prepared!"

When I popped Pride and Prejudice (2005) in the MacBook Pro, Terri said, "I've seen that movie. It wasn't as good as the book." Excellent perception there! She'd also seen the the 1940 version of the movie, but felt it also wasn't as good as the book...again, no argument there. Terri hadn't seen the 1995 mini-series, but I encouraged her to do so.

Hopefully Terri will be there when I go back to purchase my new laptop...definitely want to give the sale to an Austen-lover.

Now if only my graphic skills were as good as Austen's writings skills the image above might be more enjoyable. ;-)

Did You Know? (I Didn't!)

I had no idea that today in 1930 Laura Ingalls Wilder became the first woman to fly across the United States! How wild is that? It was a nine-stop journey from Roosevelt Field in New York to Glendale, CA.*

From Little House on the Prairie to Big Scribe in the Sky! That's just too cool!

*According to a blurb in the Chicago Tribune.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Last weekend I went with a friend to see HP and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth movie in the series. It was very odd watching a movie of the fifth book after reading the seventh book. Several times I thought, "Oh no...that character dies!" A bit of an odd reaction to a movie if I say so myself.

Thankfully, this was a better movie than the fourth movie, HP and the Goblet of Fire. Of course the fifth book is better than the fourth book, so the fifth movie should be better. But movie five had something else going for it that movie four didn't...the producers got smart. They abolished the Malibu-Ken frou-frou hair styles sported by Harry, Ron, Fred, and George...they should have named that movie HP and the Bottle of Mousse. Thankful in HP and the Order of the Phoenix, the boys (for the most part) had male haircuts and we viewers weren't constantly distracted wanting to offer them a barrette to get the hideous waves off their faces.

This was a better movie, more storyline than special effects, more plot than broomsticks, and more purpose than selling video games. ;-) That's not to say there weren't special effects, broomsticks, and an attempt to lure teenagers and youngsters to buy the video games, after all, this is a Hollywood movie, but it was better balanced. It also seems that with each movies, the kids playing Harry, Hermione, and Ron get a smidge better in the acting column. Emma Watson, a.k.a. Hermione, still out performs the other two, but Dan Radcliffe doesn't induce as many stomach curdling reactions as he used. (Maybe, just maybe, he'll be able to pull off the final circling battle with Voldemort in movie seven if he continues to improve.) The additions of the characters Umbridge and Luna also help the movie.

This is not an easy movie to follow if you don't read the books or have skipped the other movies. That's too bad, since it's better than several of the HP movies. (Movie 3 was also good.) Another disappointment was the under usage of Ginny...poor Ginny, we never see enough of you. They made several little changes from the book that seemed unnecessary...why have Cho rat out the DA? Why have Fred and George's sparkling departure take place during OWLS? And most egregious, why have Hermione promote Cho to Harry in front of Ginny...Hermione in the books would never have hurt Ginny in that way. But, overall, an improvement and well worth seeing.

After the movie, my friend and I went out for dinner and she showed me the British version of book 7 that she purchased while in Ireland. This was fun to see. The British books have smaller print, smaller margins, no chapter art, and are shorter. They were also lighter, not as heavily bound, making them easier to hold for reading.

Well, I've between watching an old Jimmy Stewart/Hedy Lamarr movie and having Reggie pester me all evening, this is probably one of the poorest movie reviews I've ever blogged. It needs a little magic that I just don't have in me tonight. Maybe I should splatter it with a little mousse?

More Harry News

Possible SPOILERS in the links below. Continue at your own risk.

J.K. Rowling had an Internet discussion on Monday. It was at 8:00 A.M. my time, not the best of times for me, but her British publisher, the host of the event, has posted a transcript on the Internet. Some interesting reveals, and possible conflicts with things she said last week on the Today show...hmmm. Here's the link to the site, then select the option for the July 30, 2007 webchat. (Or go to the extended link below where I'll copy the transcript. Hopefully Bloomsbury won't mind that...it's not for commercial gain or use...just sharing the information that's on theirs and other sites already.)

The Today show has posted more information and videos from their interview, which aired on the Today show and Dateline.

• Interesting information here about mastering the Elder's Wand, the sword's ownership, and the 19-year gap.
• Transcript of the Dateline interview is here with links to the show's videos in the right margin.

I've posted previous links here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. LOL! What am I going to do when the Harry Potter news runs out?

More Potter, You Guessed It

I must say that having a ready-made topic with new links popping up every day has made blogging much easier this week! No brain power required...I'm digging it. The funny thing is, I've been so busy, I haven't had time to read or look at but a few of the links I've been posting. This weekend is busy also, but maybe someday my turn will come. ;-) And I still haven't even posted my own opinion of the book...one of these days.

MORE SPOILERS below if you haven't read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Part 2 of the Today show interview with J.K. Rowling is here. In this bit she reveals that the original last sentence of the book was something like, "Only those whom he loved could see the lightening scar." (For years Rowling has said the last word, of the last page, of the last book was "scar." A few weeks before publication, she admitted "scar" was near the end, but no longer the last word.) In this interview Rowling also admits that she told the kids playing the leads in the movies a little more than the rest of us about what would happen in upcoming books. How silly is that? The characters aren't supposed to know their futures...so why tell the actors? They shouldn't use knowledge of the future to interpret their roles now. Obviously it's just a movie, but please! And, honestly, the kid playing Harry is not a good actor...if he doesn't improve by movie 7...kill him off! Wouldn't that be a surprise ending!

Entertainment Weekly has released a special edition of their magazine on Harry Potter. Supposedly, but I haven't looked, it's already on the newsstands. They've put some of the content online here. This is one of things I haven't looked at, so I can't comment on what is included.

A few days ago, I mentioned an article in USA Today, audio excerpts from that interview are now available here. These are just a few short snippets and there is some static in the recording.