Things I'm watching and reading

Just a little catch up on what I'm doing in my spare time:

Books

"A Death in Vienna" by Daniel Silva. Was just looking for something sort of Dan Brown-ish while I wait for a copy of his new book to pop up at the library. Silva has a recurring character who is part art restorer and part Israeli spy. The story revolves around the Holocaust denial movement. It was a fast, fun read (much like Brown) and pretty good history (unlike Brown, lol). I enjoyed it a lot and will probably read some more in the series.

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. I'd never read it before, what can I say. I've seen parts of movie versions and at least one stage version but never read the original. Talk about a fast read, the book is only just over 100 pages! The story of dreams and hard reality still plays well. Perhaps especially pertinent in these modern hard times too.

Movie -

Wordplay - This documentary about the National Crossword Puzzle Tournament was even more fun than I expected. I started messing around doing crosswords to help get me through Finals week at college and they continue to amuse me. The movie takes a look at some very serious crossword fans (like Jon Stewart, Ken Burns and Bill Clinton) and this amazing tournament. These are people who can dash off an ordinary crossword puzzle in less than five minutes and do the Sunday NY Times in ink. There's also a fascinating look at how crossword puzzles are constructed that just stopped me dead. Yes I'm a word nerd and maybe not everyone else will be as enthralled but the people are fun and funny and comfortable with who they are. I really enjoyed it.

Working on a new Tom Clancy book but I'm not getting grabbed by the throat as much by this one. We'll see where it goes.

Peace