january book club

hey all you bookworms!  if you're looking for some reading material, please join me in my current study of amor towles' debut novel "rules of civility."  i have been looking for my next read for quite sometime, and this book made it onto several "best of year" lists.  i have only read the preface and chapter one, but thus far, i am loving the rich character description and great gatsby feel.  on that note, if you ever have any good books to recommend, please pass them along to me!!!
i am always looking for a good book...

texas book festival

this past saturday, i had the privilege of volunteering at the texas book festival at our state capitol.  if you're unfamiliar with the festival, it was started up 16 years ago by my FAAAAAAVORITE first lady in the world, mrs. laura bush.  ah, i just adore her.  anyway, it turned out to be a beautiful day, as evidenced by my iphone photo of the texas capitol:

i found out about the festival through texas monthly and i thought, "hmmm...i don't have any weekend plans and this sounds like it's right up my alley!"  i was assigned to the google technology tent, which i soon discovered was not my forte.  i had to spend the entire afternoon convincing people of the magical, liberating, and dynamic powers of the e-reader (irivers, kindle fires, nooks oh my!) when i positively detest the idea of having one.  i realize this is the direction the world is going, and like many associates at google assured me, "you'd love having one on an airplane!", i still can't shake my old soul ways.  i need to smell a book, i need to feel it in my hands, i need to write my name and the dates i read it in the front cover, i need to dog ear the pages, i need to write my notes in the margin, and i need to place it in its alloted space on my book shelf.  (sounds more like a love scene in a telenovela i realize, but i do have a passionate affair with my books.)  as you can see, the tech tent was not a good match for me.  next year, i shall do author escorts.

the increcible part about the festival was that all of these remarkable authors were in attendance and from what i am told, it is a huge honor to be invited to the texas book festival.  i was giddy at seeing all of the people's names from texas monthly - mimi swartz, jake silverstein, and paul burka and i couldn't believe my eyes when i saw that sarah bird, molly shannon, and paula deen would be there!  surely by now you do know that paula is one my icons?  side note: before i married my husband, my grand plan in life was to move to savannah so that i could marry bobby deen and have paula as my mother-in-law...i'm not even being facetious.  i didn't get to meet her, but i did buy her new book which promises to be tasty and phenomenal.

one of my favorite parts of the day was going to tall of the cooking demonstrations and i sat in a fabulous one by virginia willis, author of bon appetit y'all.  she was gracious, kind, and a firecracker and she used to head up culinary arts for martha stewart!  she's from georgia, but she's french trained so she mixes the two to create her cuisine.  i am DYING to try out some of her recipes.

VERDICT: this festival is a must do!  who wants to join me next year? 

you must see "the help!"

i'm fairly certain that most of you, especially those of you belonging to the book-loving, southern variety, have already heard about this little phenomenon called "the help," but for those of you who haven't...get out from under your rock! i just saw this film tonight and it inspired me so much i just had to blog about it! it is truly the best movie i have seen in quite some time. and that is coming from an extremely harsh critic! like millions, i read this new york times best seller months ago and have had quite the inner-debate going on as to whether it could possibly match the literary sensation's standards - and it did! my only two other films in that category: gone with the wind and to kill a mockingbird. i couldn't believe how well the screenplay had been adapted. interesting little credit tidbit, i noticed that nate berkus - as in design guru discovered by oprah - was an executive producer. interesting.



anyway, the reason i found this movie so compelling was that it seamlessly brought to life the rich characters of kathryn stockett's novel in a way that was profound and moving. the attention to detail was immaculate, from the character's jackie kennedy/doris day wardrobes to the descriptive attention paid to southern cuisine, everything was dead-on accurate. although i'd like to identify most with the protagonist heroine "skeeter phelan" - we do have a few things in common: journalism degree, wistful hope of writing a book someday, beau who works offshore in the oil business, and although we routinely find ourselves in the company of sorority loyal, thank you note writing, junior leaguing, pearl adorning women; somehow we always feel like a complete impostor - my friends think otherwise!


the archetypical jackson woman at bridge club...let me tell you, that bryce dallas howard can play a real witch!

feeling all skeeter-like and ready to submit a feature story to the san antonio express news, my girlfriend who saw the movie with me exclaims, "ya know, you reminded me so much of celia foote!" celia foote? the white trash, nouveau riche blondie from sugar ditch, mississippi who is barred from all social events and can't keep house or cook to save her life?!? can't be...but then my mind flashed back to the scene a few night before when my in-laws came over for dinner and i had tried so hard to entertain. i stuffed all of my messes into the nearest closet, put out all of my finest wares from williams-sonoma and even picked out some flowers for a centerpiece. i set the table the best way i knew how (junior cotillion and robert spence were good for something!) and prayed that my mother-in-law (a true cosmopolitan woman from new york city) wouldn't grimace at the sight of all of it. ambitiously, i decided to make chicken fried steak, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits, and cobbler all from scratch! dear lord, you should have seen me double dipping my steaks and spreading flour all over the dang place, i probably used 20 bowls! meanwhile, standing in my "i kiss better than i cook" apron, my husband remarked, "can't we clean up while we cook and not create such a mess sweetheart?" with steam coming out of my nostrils and eyes turning red, i berated, "I WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE AND SPENT MY HARD EARNED MONEY ON THIS MEAL, I HAVE BEEN SLAVING AWAY IN THIS KITCHEN SINCE TWO, I AM SWEATING AND COVERED IN FLOUR...AND YOU EXPECT THE HOUSE TO BE PERFECT!/!?@#$!" so yes, i can see why the comparison came so effortlessly. i am utterly a mess at becoming a domestic diva. the way everybody has to make such a big deal about it when i cook, nodding, smiling, offering up encouraging words like "we're so proud of you" and "you shouldn't have gone to so much trouble" really does put me in the category of mrs. foote. but i will say that girl always has perfectly coifed hair and she's got spunk!


ecstatic upon hiring the only maid who will actually agree to work for mrs. celia

without giving too much away, the heart of this story is the relationship between the maids and the white children they look after their entire lives. it is a relationship that is far stronger than that of even the child and his own parents. i assure you that this uplifting movie will stir your heart and call into question the courage of your own life. enjoy!

heaven is for real

not sure if any of you have heard about the recent new york times bestseller "heaven is for real" by todd burpo, but it is WONDERFUL! it is a very quick read (quick read meaning, i actually just sat down and read it cover to cover) and i am so inspired. it is the tale of a four-year-old's journey to heaven and back after he suffered from a burst appendix, which required emergency surgery. his depiction of heaven is almost identical to that of the bible. great read for anyone doubting the after life or awesome confirmation for anyone who adamantly believes in eternity. any books you recommend? the second school lets out, i'm going to read to my heart's content!!!!!!

lonesome dove

in honor of the 25th anniversary of this incredible piece of literature written by the brilliant larry mcmurtry, i had to pay tribute. word on the street is that an upcoming texas monthly issue will feature the story of woodrow and the boys and there are also several commemorative events happening all around texas...hopefully i'll make it to a few of those.

as is standard procedure, when i read a book, i mark it up in the margins completely and then i always write my thoughts inside the back cover when i finish reading it. i read lonesome dove back in the summer of 2007 and here's what i had to say about it at the time:

July 12, 2007

I stole this one from my daddy's personal library. I've been wanting to read it for what seems like forever and during my downtime this summer in Argentina, I finally got the chance. I feel like living among the ranches and arid pampas of this country was the perfect setting to read this book (you wouldn't believe how much Argentina and Texas have in common)...I believe this even more so, now that I know that Robert Duvall fell in love with a beautiful girl from Buenos Aires and takes up residence here.

I obviously know that this is a novel about the classic idea of the journey, but this book is all about longing, desire, and solitary loneliness. There is a quest for these two old men to become dangerous, tenacious pioneers once more and you can feel their restless yearning for adventure. Although my favorite characters were Deets, Newt, Po Campo and Clara; I am hopelessly in love with Augustus McCrae. I want to marry a man like him, do you suppose they really exist? I am enamored by that trademark smirk, that swagger and spontaneity, that love for exploring the unknown.

When I finished this book, I felt accomplished at having read 943 pages, but once again, I wasn't ready to leave Lonesome Dove behind. Larry McMurty, you devil, I still feel a need for closure.

This is probably my favorite book I have ever read thus far in my life, which is a bold statement to make, but I loved absolutely every minute of reading it. Like all of the greatest things in life, Lonesome Dove was tragically beautiful and I shall never forget it.

SDS


oh child, such a flair for the dramatic! getting all hot and bothered over a fictional literary character and then being on the verge of tears when you've finished reading a book? hahaha what a funny girl. but yes, if you couldn't tell, this book means a great deal to me. find some time to read it some day, watch the miniseries, or even pick up the fabulous coffee table book by bill witliff (it is quite the staple of any rustic/old west home.)

"lorie darlin', life in san francisco, you see, is still just life. if you want any one thing too badly, it's likely to turn out to be a disappointment. the only healthy way to live life is to learn to like all the little everyday things, like a sip of good whiskey in the evening, a soft bed, a glass of buttermilk, or a feisty gentleman like myself." - augustus mccrae

w & fam

did anyone watch oprah today? i dvr'd it and it was a lovely special on the royal family of texas. they were specifically there to promote laura's new memoir "spoken from the heart." can't wait to get my hands on a copy of that!!! i think laura is the classiest woman EVER...a true first lady...one of the best, if not THE best, we've ever had. and i'll have you know that laura, jenna, and barbara were all kappa alpha thetas!!!! so that like totally means we're like sorority sisters!! anyyyyyyyyyyyyway...what can i say, love the bushes. always will.

found this pic of W. what a roguishly handsome devil. good job laura!!!!

going rogue

yep, i'm waiting on my pre-ordered copy to arrive in the mailbox tomorrow! can't wait to read this one. love her or hate her, you can't deny that she's interesting.



on another note, have you heard josh turner's newest single? i'm in love.



THAT VOICE. lord have mercy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

why i love johnny cash...

i apologize for letting "southern comfort" get a little dusty; i haven't been myself lately and therefore, i haven't felt like writing much. however, i finished a good book tonight and it spoke to me so much so that i had to tell you about it. the book i'm referring to is "cash," the autobiography by johnny.

i'd started reading it months ago, but always put it aside for other literary material, never making a real effort to polish it off. when i moved to the new apartment, i found it in the bottom of a box of books and picked it back up tonight. i just turned the last page only moments ago and already i feel melancholy that this particular journey with johnny has ended.

you see, i'm no ordinary cash fan. i'm like a student. i study everything about this man. in fact, this is now my fourth book to read about/by him. i think he's truly the most fascinating person - sinner. saint. poet. writer. rebel. abuser. christian. legend. he was such a tortured, battered soul, yet there was a real transcendent peace about him. despite his own personal demons and the toll they took on the people he loved, i believe he was such a good man.



actually, you know what, i think i'll probably name a son after him someday. when people say, "boy, why is your name cash? that's a funny name." he'll just shrug his shoulders and say, "i don't know? my mamma was always talkin' about this man named johnny cash and she figured it was as honorable a name as any to have."

i suppose i love johnny for several reasons. a) he was a country boy to the bone:

"inside me, my boyhood feels so close, but when i look around, it sometimes seems to belong to a vanished world. are there still places where a young boy can leave his house after breakfast with just a fishing pole and spend the whole day rambling and adventuring alone, unsupervised and unafraid, trusted and un-feared for? Perhaps there are, but I suspect otherwise. i think country life as i knew it may be a thing of the past and when people talk about being "country," they don't mean they know or even care about the land and the life it sustains and regulates. i wonder how many of those people ever filled a cotton sack."

"i love to dig in the dirt. i like to work in the fields. i come up here and i wear an old straw hat, no shirt, no shoes. i live the life of a country boy. i love to and i need to."



b) the man is utterly unapologetic about his faith:

"abc didn't like it. they told me i really oughtn't be talking about God and Jesus on network television. i told them that they were producing the wrong man here, because gospel music - music about the good news of Jesus Christ - is part of what i am and part of what i do. i don't cram anything down people's throats, but neither do i make any apologies about it. so don't worry about me mentioning Jesus, God, or moses or whoever else i decide to mention in the spiritual realm. if you don't like it, deal with it."

"when i spoke out about my faith, i didn't set out to prove myself. i didn't have to, because i'd been acting according to my belief before i spoke up, getting my spiritual high by singing gospel songs and trying, despite my many faults and my continuing attraction to all seven deadly sins, to treat my fellow man as Christ would. there never was any dividing line between the johnny cash of yesterday, today, or tomorrow."

c) he got to do some incredible things with some incredible people in his lifetime:

"i'd started up an informal tradition of "guitar pulls" in the big round room overlooking the lake, evenings when my favorite songwriters were encouraged to show up and we'd all sit around in a big circle and show each other what we had. kris kristofferson sang "me and bobby mcgee" for the first time on one of those nights, and joni mitchell "both sides now." graham nash sang "marrakesh express" and shel silverstein "a boy named sue." bob dylan let us hear "lay lady lay." guy clark came, and rodney crowell and billy joe shaver and harlan howard and everybody, just everybody."



"i'd met all the presidents over the last six decades and each had their own personal charm. bill clinton had the ability to make you feel like you were the only person in the room when he was talking to you. gerald ford and nixon had that same gift of focus too - and being with george bush was like spending time with an old friend from home, talking about hunting in the texas hill country."

d) when times arise that i don't believe in love - the everlasting kind - i listen to him talk about june, and i believe in it again.

"theologically, june and i are on even ground, but she's a prayer warrior and i'm not. she's so good at it, in fact, that sometimes i catch myself thinking that, well, maybe i don't have to pray, because she's praying for me. which of course is not a healthy idea and demonstrates one of the reasons she needs to pray so hard for me."

"i wish the whole world could know how great she is. she's smart and she's brilliant. she's got a great personality. she's easy to live with, because she makes it a point to be so. she's loving. she's sharing. the main thing, though, is that she loves me and i know it. i used to take advantage of that - because i knew she loved me, i could get away with more - but again, that's not a healthy idea, and it demonstrates one of the reasons why she needs to love me so much. june is formidable, she's my solid rock. she's my spark plug. she's got charm, she's got brains, she's got style, and she's got class."



"june is my life's companion. she's very loving, especially with me, and very kind - there are people who can be loving, but not kind, but she's loving and kind. she's a good woman. she's got standards. she's got tradition. she's got dignity. she and i have become so very close, so intimate. i think it might be because of all her prayer. i never see her praying, though, or at least when it's not obvious....but i know that's what she's doing all the time."

"june really found an appreciation among the young people too. one night after she came off stage in england, a nineteen-year-old covered in tattoos and piercings, tapped her on the shoulder and said, "mrs. cash, you really kick ass." when she's feeling down or discouraged i like to remind her of that and so i'll say, "mrs. cash, don't worry about it. you kick ass."

"so yes, we're close. whenever i face a professional decision i always put it to her and get her opinion, because i know she'll be both honest and objective with me - she's always the first to know about everything in my life. she's never judgmental. she's become everything that a wife should be, in my mind. we sleep together, we play together, we travel together, we work together, and we've found our particular place where we totally belong, in every avenue of endeavor."

TELL ME, JOHNNY CASH, DO THEY MAKE 'EM LIKE YOU ANYMORE?!?????

GWTW = one happy girl!

since i have been sick as a dog (yes, i've been diagnosed with chronic sinusitis and a deviated septum), my doctor has ordered me to slow down. he says i'm much more fragile than i care to admit and that 12 consecutive weekends on the road has worn me down. so i'm staying in every night this week and trying to heal. (if anyone knows some good immunity boosting tricks, let me know! i'm really into homeopathic medicine...)

so i settled myself on the couch and started flipping through the channels and imagine my surprise when i landed on turner classic movies and the screen started scrolling with:

"there was a land of cavaliers and cotton fields called the old south. here in this pretty world, gallantry took its last bow. here was the last ever to be seen of knights and their ladies fair, of master and of slave. look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a civilization gone with the wind..."

ah sweet fate...

so here i will lie, for the next uninterrupted four hours of pure bliss. if only i could explain how much this film means to me, but my words cannot do it justice. i've seen it so many, many times, but i never grow tired of it - although i'm sure the boyfriends that i have forced to watch it sure have! while the movie is probably my favorite of all time, i think my real fascination rests with the book...let's face it, that's the way it always goes. i remember reading it the first time in 6th grade and being absolutely captivated by the world margaret mitchell had painted in front of my eyes. i become obsessed with this author and researched everything i could about her. when i discovered that we shared the same birthday, somehow, i knew that i could be like her someday...silly i know.

i've been chastised by serious intellectuals for claiming this work as one of my favorite pieces of literature, they've told me it's bad writing or it's trash, but i don't buy into that. no it's not war & peace or atlas shrugged, but i have yet to find a book that has such dynamic, rich, colorful characters. i think that's what truly make the story; for anyone could have written a historical novel about the old south and the civil war - and many have, but this one's the best because of the detail and imagination that goes into the role players.

for example, first you have katie scarlett o'hara. she can be as mean as a junkyard dog and she really does have some bite, but i love that tenacious spirit about her. she's shrewd, spoiled, and heartless at times, but she's a survivor. and i like that about her. i do think she was a damn fool for being so pent up on that dim-witted ashley wilkes when she could have had the dashing rhett butler, but then again, women are crazy. i think that vivienne leigh is fantastic as scarlett and i can't picture anyone else playing her - and can you believe that southern accent despite being a brit?



and of course it goes without mentioning that i have been ardently in love with rhett butler most of my life. they say that rhett butler was based on a man from charleston named george trenholm and if that's true, he must have been quite a man. like scarlet (for they were always of the same kind), he's a roguish devil and quite the schemer, but unlike her, i believe he always possessed a heart of gold. it's too bad that clark gable wasn't nominated for an academy award, but they say it's because he wasn't acting - it's because he really was rhett butler. oh my!



i do LOOOOVE that banter between rhett and scarlett. don't you just love these scenes? they're some of my favorites:





and now we come to the tragic, heartbreaking, painstaking ending....



it's a faultless ending, yet i'm always left wondering whatever happened to rhett & scarlett? i'll always believe that they ended up together...of course only after captain butler was through carousing and tearing up charleston, but still i think they worked it out. i think margaret mitchell might have written a sequel had it not been for her untimely, sudden death of getting struck by a taxi cab. some idiot wrote "scarlett" and tried to pawn it off as a second installment, but it was always completely unauthorized by the mitchell estate. so yes, we're still left with an open ending and a longing for the way society used to be...how wistful. and perfect.

(ok, i apologize. i'm a total nerd. i could write a doctoral dissertation about this stuff.)

what i'm reading at the moment...

THE MAN COMES AROUND: THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF JOHNNY CASH by DAVE URBANSKI

still have yet to finish this one, but it's not for lack of interest, because i have learned so much from reading this book. like countless others, i am intrigued and influenced in a big way by the life of johnny cash. it's been really interesting to delve into the personal, spiritual composition of such a complex man. this guy lived it all, went to hell and back, and had a rock-solid faith because of it. i highly recommend this book for all johnny cash fans and anyone interested in learning more about a raw, tested relationship with jesus christ.



CHANGES THAT HEAL by DR. HENRY CLOUD

this is the book that i'm reading for a bible study that i'm currently taking @ cbc. i know it might sound hyperbolic and a little like i'm trying to sell you ocean-front property in arizona, but you MUST read this book - it really does have the power to change your life. besides creating a general awareness of all the self-inflicted roadblocks we put up to stall leading a healthy, holistic life; this book offers practical, logical, relevant steps for breaking through those chains that bind. read this book and you will gain so much personal insight and learn why the relationships in your life function the way they do. i'd buy you all a copy of it if i could, that's how much i believe in it!



THE RELATIONSHIP PRINCIPLES OF JESUS by TOM HOLLADAY

this book was recommended to me by my friend dean and i went out and bought it the night that he told me about it; his conviction and case for having me read it was so strong that i had no choice. essentially, this book is the manifestation of rick warren's "purpose driven life." whereas that book was all about building a strong sense of the individual self, "relationship principles of jesus" continues on with the outpouring productivity and fruits of the foundation built upon in "purpose driven life." this one's challenging me because you're only supposed to read a small section daily and commit to consciously building upon what you have learned, but i really am truly getting a lot out of it. if you feel inclined to join me on the "40 days of love" challenge, join right in! i'm only on day 6!

thank you george jones!

so i know that no one else would ever get excited about this, but i'm a big huge dork and a maniacal country music fan until the day i die.

if you know me, you know that i'm constantly reading all the time, but here lately, i haven't been able to do any reading for pleasure purposes whatsoever. over the last month, i've been consumed with pouring over legal documents, crime stats, impact studies, and research journals - all very scholarly and intellectual of course, but i was due for some mind-numbing, salacious entertainment.

enter one of my new $1.50 amazon purchases -> nashville wives: country music's celebrity wives reveal the truth about their husbands and marriages. almost as profound as voltaire & neitzsche right???



ha, afraid not. the writing's pretty horrible and it's slightly depressing to read about garth & sandy brooks' picture-perfect nashville marriage. the book was published in 1998, before trisha busted up that union.

HOWEVER...

when i opened the book up to the front cover, look what i found:



that's right. i have an autographed copy signed by "the possum"! yeah! (had to include a photo of george & tammy back in their heyday...)

doesn't get much better than this.

here it is, friday night, and i'm absolutely, positively thrilled about the possibility of staying in tonight!! this week at work was pretty grueling, by far the toughest week i've had on the job; therefore i am treating myself to a night of indulgences. hey, i'm a simple girl, that doesn't require too terribly much!

for starters, i'm going to crack open the new cookbook that i just received in the mail from my dear friend, miss callie montgomery - all the way from charleston, south carolina! callie sent me paula deen's new cookbook the deen family cookbook. i'm already head-over-heels for this brand new release from the paula franchise and i think i'm going to have a lot of fun doing some serious cooking. tonight i'm going to attempt "michael's crab cakes" and "aunt peggy's bourbon-bathed brown sugar pound cake." wish me luck and come on over if you want a bite to eat!



along with dinner, i'm going to have a glass of chianti and then i'm going to settle on the couch with my brand new book, american wife by curtis sittenfeld. i really like curtis' writing style (sharp, witty, culturally observant) and i've heard so much about this best-selling book. been dying to read it for a long time now, but just now got around to buying it this afternoon. read it along with me and we can converse...



last, but definitely not least, i shall slip into a steaming hot bubble bath and let the problems of the world melt away.



happy friday! hope you're able to enjoy the weekend and relax...

shannan's book club

yes i am a bookworm, unapologetically so, might i add. i am proud to be a nerd and i am proud to rendevouz at b&n until they kick me out each night.

i can't explain it, but i just love books - everything about them (the way they smell, the carefully contrived cover art, the anticpation and expectation, etc.). however, i think what i love most is that feeling of getting lost in the words, that entanglement that happens when you become so engrossed in the plot that you feel like you're scout finch, josephine march, or daisy buchannan. although it takes an excellent writer to achieve this for his or her reader, when there is a true writer-reader connection, it's the best kind of magic.

whether it is just plain sad or pathetic, the way that i can always guage whether a book has truly been inspiring/memorable/impacting is that moment when i'm about 10 pages from finishing it and i feel almost heartsick. it's like i've had this beautiful, wonderful, passionate, intimiate relationship and it's all ending. this is most evident when i embark upon reading a thick book (case in point: last summer reading all 1,083 pages of lonesome dove...oh larry mcmurtry, you knew exactly what you were doing.) but i will say this, the great thing about books, as apposed to irrovecable, final breakups w/ that tragically beautiful bad boy who made you believe that you were going to be the woman who unearthed his heart of gold (definitely not speaking from experience here ;) is that the book always invites you to come back for another go-around without the sting of abandonment.

so now that everyone thinks that i will inevitably become the old public librarian w/ a million felines, i'll divulge the real reason for this post. i have started my very own book club! though i read a lot in college, there really wasn't time for pleasure reading so i have had an overwhelming stack waiting for the moment when i finally graduated. since i am taking the summer "off" for sorts, i have accounted for reading a book every single week this summer, which means that by the end of the summer, i should have read 14 books.

so far, i have read hemingway's the sun also rises, a book called stolen innocence by elissa wall which chronicles her escape from warren jeffs and the flds, and today i finished john berendt's midnight in the garden of good and evil.

i just want to take some time to rave about that book, because it's seriouly the best thing i've read in quite a long time. of course it being southern gothic and appearing on the new york times bestsellers' list for 216 weeks was great, but berendt's eccentric characters that make the city of savannah, georgia come alive are just fantastic. i cannot believe this book is based on actual events! i would kill to have the opportunity that berendt had in writing his novel. i don't want to give anything away, but this is a must-read!



*also, i was so enthralled w/ this book, that i went out and rented the 1997 flick based on the book. being produced and directed by clint eastwood, i had very high expectations and the movie was really great. fascinating really. and kevin spacey, wow! he had that deep southern accent down to a tee.

starting the shack by william young tomorrow, but i'm open for any suggestions!