Madly, Deeply; The Diaries of Alan Rickman

I think you know I love all things Harry Potter.  And that includes Snape of course, and Alan Rickman.  I think Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood is a far better performance than Kevin Costner's title role.  Rickman's breakout in American Hollywood was the bad guy in Die Hard (who will ever forget the face as Bruce Willis drops him off Nakatomi Tower--which was because Willis let him go on 2 rather than 3).  

Rickman kept a diary, which is more like a date book record of meetings and appointments with commentary thrown in. This was published after his death.  His longtime partner (he formally/officially married Rima in 2012 to protect her financially) provides an epilogue of his final days in the hospital in late 2015 to early 2016.

It was July 27, 2007 when Rickman read Snape's death in the book.  He wrote in his journal he was satisfied with his character's ending.  He briefly considered allowing Snape to be recast for the final three movies after his cancer diagnosis in 2005, but wrote he must see the storyline through.  He never let his castmates know he was ill, instead allowing his pallid complexion and pained demeanor to be seen as living in character.  His younger castmates called it "Snaping about".

His talent and, as former castmate Johnny Depp called it, "uniqueness" will be missed. 

Note, I didn't realize when this was purchased through our vendor it is the large print version.  It still does not list so on the book sale page.  Please do not let the length/size of the book deceive you, as the font is gigantic.               

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

This is review #2 for today.

Ms. Keefe is a retired school psychologist who spent much of her career here in West Haven.  She now splits her time between WH and FL.  This is her choice for the Teachers and Friends Book Club, and we will be meeting today to discuss. 

This is a modern interpretation of David Copperfield, which until recently was a standard in Literature courses (although not in West Haven for some time now).  

Demon is born to a single, addicted mother in Lee County, Virginia.  The novel tells his life story, through the lenses of the foster care system, American education, addiction, alcoholism, poverty, LGBTQ+ issues, all in the rural South.  

I have mixed feelings about it.  Heartbreaking to read about a child seemingly discarded from birth, a innocent victim of circumstances beyond his control, but also some anger that places I love were being portrayed as resistant to change and therefore it's their own fault.  Bristol is less than an hour away.

I am curious to hear what others have to say today.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Home Is Where The Eggs Are by Molly Yeh

I know I have been slacking on book reviews.  Things have been bonkers in these parts of late.  This will be review 1 of 2 today.

I LOVE Molly Yeh's cooking shows.  And Mr. Kent asked me to update some of our holdings to inspire our culinary students.  So this seemed like a no-brainer purchase I'll be donating today.  

Molly Yeh is Chinese American and Jewish.  She grew up in NYC.  Her husband is a Scandinavian farmer from the North Dakota-Minnesota border. That's quite a culture clash.  They have two toddlers and a flock of chickens all named Macaroni.  So meals must also be kid friendly.  

Each recipe begins with an introduction as to its inclusion.  Yeh states you can Google a recipe for just about anything now, so if she's going to include it in a book, there must be a reason.  I really enjoyed reading how she adjusted to life outside the city, to incorporating her and her husband's traditions in their daily lives, and to creating meaningful meals when ingredients widely available in NYC aren't in rural farmland.  I almost want to shelve this in memoir rather than cooking.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.