HSW Book Club's November Pick - The Eleganec of the Hedgehog by: Muriel Barbery

So my book club's pick for November was The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, translated from French. From the get go, I knew this book was not going to be a light & quick read. There is much talk of philosophy and large words that my public school educated mind could not wrap around. Not to say that it wasn't a good book, it just took me awhile to get through the extremely intellectual writing style...and having to reread the French names over and over didn't help.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog is the story of a high class apartment complex in France, housing many families of the wealthy set and overseen by a more-than-middle-aged, plain & widowed landlord of sorts. The reader is also introduced to the musings of a suicidal preteen genius who is a resident of the building and has a very specific agenda. Through the minds of these two very different women, we learn that genius is not always seen for what it is or appreciated. Both hiding who they truly are, the girl and the widow stroll through life not really observing what is right in front of them.
The tale takes an interesting turn when a very wealthy Japanese man moves into one of the recently vacated apartments and turns both of the ladies lives upside down.

I did enjoy reading this book even though the ending left me somewhat disappointed (a side from the fact that I pretty much saw it coming). The author does have another book coming out which I will probably add to my ever growing list of books I want to read. I would recommend The Elegance of the Hedgehog for some serious reading...just be sure to keep a dictionary handy.

*Up Next for December:  How It Ended: New & Collected Stories by: Jay McInerney*

Totally worth it...now, where's my coffee

Seeing any big movie at the midnight showing it always totally worth it in my opinion...and New Moon is no exception. You are guaranteed to be around true fans and people who are just as excited, if not more so, to see the movie as you are. The energy in the theatre is always so great and makes the movie-going experience that much more enjoyable. Luckily, we were at a theatre that was well prepared and enforced a "no cell phone" rule. And as much as I was expecting to have complaints about the screaming tweens, the audience we were a part of was respectful and kept the girlish giggles and coos to a minimum.

Of course, as with Twilight, this will not be the only time I see the movie in the theatre, but the first time is always the best! The movie was excellent and totally worth the complete lack of sleep I am dealing with at work today. Coffee will be my best friend.

*Patiently awaiting Eclipse in June*

TwiHards Rejoice!

So the excruciatingly long wait is finally over...The Twilight Saga: New Moon premieres tonight at midnight...and I will be there with all of the screaming, prepubescent girls trying not to look too out of place, since I haven't seen my teens in quite some time (and it feels even longer).

I love the books and, so far, have not been disappointed by the movie versions. New Moon promises to be even better than the first with a bigger budget and CGI wolves! It also doesn't hurt that Jacob appears to be sans shirt throughout most of the film ;-)

So, wish me luck as my friends and I try to wade through the sea of tweens to view the latest installment of what will probably be one of the biggest film franchises in cinema history.

*Team Edward* ;-)

Welcome!

I just want to welcome any future readers to my new book blog! Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my thoughts on what I am reading. I hope you will feel free to add your thoughts to any of my posts so that everyone can see the wide variety of tastes and opinions that our wonderful world has to offer!

I hope to be able to keep this blog updated as much as possible, but forgive me if I do not post every week. Life can get in the way sometimes!

I will be adding my thoughts and reviews on books I have read as I finish them, as well as the books my book club discusses once a month.

Thank you again and Happy Reading!