I finished this book recently and really enjoyed it. The book is “Woody Allen on Woody Allen” and is subtitled “In Conversation with Stig Bjorkman”. It’s a thoughtful series of discussions between two very intelligent filmmakers about each of Woody’s movies (up through “Husbands and Wives”) in chronological order. There are no jokes, nothing personal, just a thorough, technical, insightful, and fascinating discussion of his films, and how and why they were made.

For a devoted fan, this book is a must. You will learn a lot about his creative process and the way he works with the other people in his films.

From Amazon.com:

Fans of Woody Allen have long waited to hear him tell us in his own words about his life, his tastes, and his films, but until recently he has been reluctant to give lengthy interviews. This book is the conversation we’ve been waiting for, a dialogue with Stig Bjorkman in which Allen speaks openly about himself and his art. Bjorkman invites the writer/director to talk at length about his lesser-known movies as well as his famous ones. We also learn about Allen’s filmmaking technique, his feelings about his stock company of actors, his influences, and why Stardust Memories and The Purple Rose of Cairo are his two personal favorites.

I love Stardust Memories too! If you are a big Woody fan like I am, you will probably enjoy this book.

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Over the years I’ve read a dozen or so Stephen King books, maybe even a couple more than that. Most of them did a pretty good job of keeping my interest and creating suspense. And if there was any gore or unpleasantness, well it was only a book so I didn’t actually see it (like, say, in a movie). A few bordered on the hokey, but most were good, interesting, and sometimes even a little scary works of fiction.

This one starts right off. No, really. A few pages into it the whole premise happens. And the rest of the book is just what happens after. But King develops the characters reasonably well and there is enough subsequent action and suspense to keep the reader reading. It might have drug a little a couple times but not much and it made for a few late nights reading when I didn’t want to stop.  If you like Stephen King then I would recommend it. My favorite of his is still Salem’s Lot, although I read it many, many years ago. Hope I am remembering it right!  😉

I recently finished reading ‘Mercy” by Jodi Picoult. It’s the third book I’ve read by her, after Nineteen Minutes and My Sister’s Keeper. Click those links to read my thoughts about those books.

This one covers ground that is a bit close (or could have been), a woman dying from cancer and in terrible pain, so she asks her husband to help end her life. And in this case, he does it for her. So, how far is too far if the act is out of love? And then there’s the police chief, in a comfortable marriage. That is, until a newcomer threatens to change everything. It’s a good story and a compelling read. As with the other two of her books, I enjoyed it.

The latest book I finished was “Velocity” by Dean Koontz. It’s a fast-paced suspense thriller and it was hard to put down. Good thing I’m so busy or I might have read it in one sitting! The tag line is “fear never slows down….”

It was the first book I had read by this author, though he is quite prolific. Velocity isn’t especially deep or philospohical, it’s just a good read that will keep you wanting to read more. The characters were described well, particularly the main character (Billy). Now, I’m no book reviewer, so here’s what Publisher’s Weekly had to say:

[after the jump]

The book is My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult and I recently finished it. It was a very enjoyable read. Thanks to my friend Robin who loaned it to me. A while back I read a different book by this same author, which I blogged about here. I liked that one so I was anxious to try another. And I liked this one too, how about that?! Once again the author tackles a deep subject and creates characters that are very interesting and really drew me in. I got to know the whole family and the side characters as well and could see both sides of the moral uncertainty that the author likes to write about.

Ms. Picoult likes to tackle ethical questions and make you wonder who is really right and wrong, but at the same time she tells a story and gives insight into each character, whether likable or not. I would certainly recommend this book. I have already bought another one by her and will get to it one of these days. You know how that goes, though!

The book is Clown Girl by Monica Drake. I saw Monica do a reading of a chapter a few years back at the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle and was immediately taken by her clever and quirky prose. And after finally reading the whole book, I will say it was a very pleasant experience. This is a fast-paced, wild ride through the world of Baloneytown, with a suprising insightful clown as the main character.

Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club, says “Clown Girl is more than a great book, Clown Girl is its own reality”. Would I go that far? Maybe so. I know this much: I liked the book. And it was indeed an outrageous world with unique characters in unique situations. But through it all you wanted to know what was going to happen next the Sniffles, the female protagonist.

It’s Nineteen Minutes by best-selling author Jodi Picoult. Apparently this is her 14th novel, but it’s the first one I have read by her. It won’t be the last. This was a really interesting look at a tragic event (a school mass-shooting), but more importantly about how it affected the lives of the people involved, from the shooter, his friends (if any), his parents, the parents of the deceased, and all the other peripheral players.

We see these events on the news all too often nowadays, but this novel explores the human side and also delves into the horrifying effects of bullying. Every character is a person with feelings, the shooter and the rest of the town. I would highly recommend this book.

Here’s a blurb from amazon.com (after the jump):