reading (Winterdance)

I read Gary Paulsen's "Winterdance" over the weekend. At 250 pages it's not a very long book and fairly large print makes it go fast. The other thing that makes it go fast is that it's funny. Not slight smile funny, but roaring funny. The kind of funny that you end up spoiling it for anyone else because you have to tell them so much of it. For a long time I was wondering why his wife would ever put up with him. Then I figured out that when she couldn't sleep at night she probably recalled one of his antics and peed herself laughing.

While reading the story I had to wonder how Mr. Paulsen managed to survive to even age twenty, let alone the forty-three he hits in the book. His lack of common sense is only matched by his incredible good fortune. The reader gets to witness his Wiley E. Coyote antics time and again. Somehow, like the coyote, he picks himself up and lives.

This book doesn't try to force you into appreciating the lives of the wild animals or the wilderness, a fault of many books set in the wilderness. This book takes you along for the ride. What you get out of the scenery is your own concern.

23. Gary Paulsen "Winterdance"

Hogfather

derien and I watched "Hogfather" last night. Man, I didn't know it was that long a movie! I'm glad it was, because it was fun, but I wished we'd started a little earlier in the day. It did nothing to extinguish the flames of my passion for Susan. The governess outfit and the coat that you see at the end were so perfect! The monster in the basement bit was my favorite in the book and it was well played in the movie.

I didn't like the movie version of Nobby. Sorry, if you're going to make crooked teeth the mainstay of the character make them dirty! Nobby shined way too much and had too few dents. Ponder seemed too thin and Potterlike. I like my ponders plump and white like a marshmallow. Too much exercise ruins a Ponder. I liked how the rest of the wizards acted in ensemble scenes (around the bath for instance). The simultaneous movements and expression changes created that feeling of confusion, indecision, difference, and similarity. It didn't come across as well in the scene with the Ohgod of Hangovers.

Oh, I adore the hogs that pull the sleigh. They just rock their chubby little bad attitude world.

This was definitely an British movie. It never would have flown in Hollywood. It started out slow and ponderous, didn't have near enough flash, didn't drop into slow mo. It was very refreshing.