hello, fall

still mostly off the foot; watching more TV.

The cobbler with Adam Sandler.  Netflix suggested this to me.  This was not what I anticipated from the description, and I wish I had taken the rating seriously.  It was ok, although I can't think of anyone I would suggest it for.  My family enjoyed it more than me.

Innerspace with Martin Short.  Another family movie.  It was funny to see the ancient technology that was a Big Deal.

Sheet pan suppers: 120 Recipes for simple, surprising, hands-off meals straight from the oven by Molly Gilbert.  True to the subtitle, these seem very easy to make.  I didn't write down any of the recipes, though: most recipes feature an ingredient combination that's outside my family's normal repertoire.  We can each be a little adventurous; unfortunately, we're each adventurous in our own way.  Other recipes seemed like real possibilities, but the oven time was too long for a regular weeknight meal.

The book is well-organized, the photos are lovely, and the instructions seem clear.

Promise not to tell by Jayne Anne Krentz.  I very nearly put this down within the first few chapters: the writing was super monotonous. The author was trying to create suspense by writing short, punchy sentences, but she did so with no variation.  Once she got into less fight-or-flight scenes and was able to include more dialogue, it wasn't as much of a problem.  The whodunit kind of got out of hand-- the more people who know about a plan, the more someone's likely to talk.  The number of people who ended up being involved made it seem less plausible.

I always assume a prolific writer will also be a good writer-- they've have plenty of practice.  But at the rate these types churn titles out, they don't have time to be super careful.  Primarily good for readers of suspense who don't care much about character development.

City of lies by Victoria Thompson.  I think I read some good reviews so I was excited to see this on NetGalley.  I didn't finish this, though: half-way through, there's still no clear indication of where this is going.  A character was portrayed one way, then was reintroduced in a different light.  Supporting characters are not unique from each other.  The main character hasn't been given enough background to be sympathetic.

West wing, seasons 1 and 2, with a whole bunch of people, including Rob Lowe, who I always think is the same person as Eric McCormack, but it turns out they are different people.  This was suggested by a few friends when I was soliciting suggestions for what to watch.  The first episode wasn't handled very well; I couldn't track the ridiculous number of people and I wasn't particularly interested in continuing, but I figured I should give it at least a few episodes.  I am surprised by how much I'm enjoying it.

It wasn't really on my radar at the time, but I keep thinking that it was probably pretty edgy for the time.  But I notice the ancient, gigantic computers and baggy power clothes an equal number of times.

Night at the museum: Battle of the Smithsonian with Ben Stiller.  Ugh, my kid likes the monkey.  This didn't seem as focused as the first movie.

The island stallion by Walter Farley.  I didn't have access to very many books when I was younger, so checking off the to-do to "Reread your favorite book from your childhood" was a bit of a stumper.  I don't know how old I was when I first read this, but I clearly recalled some parts.  It turns out, I recalled them wrong.  I found bits in this book that fascinated me and I retold them through imagination until I didn't remember the original anymore.  Coincidentally, I was reading about Readers' Advisory and the article spoke to me: in describing the "reader as poacher," readers "seize upon whatever speaks directly to their immediate lives, they forget or simply skip over the parts they don't find meaningful, and they sometimes rewrite unsatisfying endings."*  That's pretty much me.

I can see why I liked this; the writing, particularly the dialogue, is clunky, but the emotion comes through strongly.

*Ross, C. S. (2009). Reader on top: Public libraries, pleasure reading, and models of reading. Library Trends, 57(4), 632-656. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/220470343?accountid=2257