Gene Wilder is Willy Wonka

I started Catcher in the Rye, but was unable to get into it again. I brought it to my parents house with me, but my mom has so many books that I was distracted by them. the first night I stayed there, I had trouble sleeping, so i picked up Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and read it all the way through. I can't help but think of Gene Wilder when I read it. I don't anticipate having that problem with Johnny Depp. I love Johnny Depp, and even the movies I've seen him in that I didn't like ("Pirates of the Carribean," "Sleepy Hollow," "From Hell"), I still thought he was good. But his casting as Willy Wonka is just ridiculous. I'll see the movie, but I don't have very high hopes.

I've been wanting to read more Stephen King lately, but I've also been enjoying realistic fiction. Fortunately, I bought my brother the book Different Seasons, which has the short story that "The Shawshank Redemption" is based on. I read that story the second night, and on the third, I started "Apt Pupil." I love Stephen King. Even his so called non-horror stories powerfully illustrate the battle between good and evil, or as King expresses it, order and chaos.

I'm still reading through NT Wright's lectures on the New Problem of Evil. I'd encourage you to check them out over at the NT Wright Page.

Catch this!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower got me thinking about The Catcher in the Rye, so that's what I'm reading next. Interesting how plans change, isn't it? I had planned to read a lot of science-fiction and fantasy, and now I'm reading stuff that is the exact opposite. I may get around to the other stuff, and I'll definitely read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when it comes out, but I may just stick with realistic fiction for a while. Any recommendations?

I can't believe I read the whole thing!

I just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It's been a long time since I read an entire book in one day. I think the last time was Goodbye Mr. Chips. Anyway, it was good. If Evan ever recommends a book, I second it.

The perks of being unemployed

After posting earlier today, I decided that rather than continuing to talk about how restless and unproductive I feel, I would just stop. Today I finally followed my schedule for the first time. I read for three hours today. First, I read NT Wright's second lecture on the problem of evil. then, because I felt like fiction, I looked at the bookshelf we just set up in our room. On the top shelf was a book my brother recommended. It's called The Perks of Being a Wallflower. My brother doesn't recommend a lot of fiction, so I knew that there had to be something special about it. I'm about halfway through it now, but only because I'm such a slow reader. In style and theme, it's very similar to The Catcher in the Rye, another great book that is referenced often in this one. But the plot is different. I'm really enjoying it, and it has made me want to read more.

I also wrote my thousand words for the day. My friend Andrew, who is the only one to comment on any of my book discussions, and I are writing a story, and we worked out a schedule where we e-mail a scene idea, then we write the scene and return it with another scene idea. I wrote my first scene today. It's not great, but a lot of stuff came out in it that I wasn't expecting. I love when that happens.

In addition to the reading and writing, I exercised, made breakfast, and dusted the basement. I think Christine feels neglected because I've been in the basement all day, but she's doing math anyway.

Wednesday I leave for Grand Rapids while Christine takes a road trip with a friend to one of the Dakotas for another friend's wedding. We both get home on Monday, which is her birthday. I got her some great gifts, and I'm dying to tell someone what they are, but every time I tell someone about a surprise that I'm planning for her, she overhears. She says it's not on purpose, but I also know that she hates surprises, so I am less than convinced.

Happy reading!

My summer reading

Summer has unofficially begun, and I am sad to say that I have not read as much as I had hoped. I did finish The Dark Knight Returns, though. It was excellent: great story, great artwork, great cast. This is the graphic novel that redefined Batman as we know him today. It had a direct influence on Tim Burton's "Batman" (odd that Burton would later claim to never have read a comic book), which in turn inspired Batman: The Animated Series, probably the best Batman stories outside of the comics to date. Anyone interested in Batman or comics in general should check out this book.

I'm about halfway through The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but it is not holding my attention. It's not bad, but not great. I just picked up Stephen King's On Writing, and I am hopeful that it will inspire me to write on a more regular basis than I have been. I also started HG Wells's War of the Worlds, but only because I want to read it before seeing the movie, and the movie already looks so lame that I'm having trouble sticking with it.

I am reading a lot of NT Wright's essays from the NT Wright Page. For a discussion of his series of lectures on evil, visit Screwing for Virginity.

I'm interested to know what you're reading and what you'd recommend to an avid reader currently in a literary wasteland.