bubblegumgoods: Super Moon

The accountant and I took this from Kohimarama Beach, isn't she gorgeous?

bubblegumgoods: Masterpiece Theater

There was a time in my life when my dad would turn on Masterpiece Theater and I would be bored before the trumpets finished playing the opening chorale.  Thankfully, I have matured enough to appreciate how amazingly awesome Masterpiece Theater is.

I recently watched the MT adaptation of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations, and I LOVED it! I mean, how handsome is grown up Pip?

What I have found most fascinating about this film is that it exposes everyone to Dickens.  For example, my parents watched it (my mom watched it twice) and suddenly we are all talking about how tricky Dickens's plot was and how Ms Havisham was such a disturbed lady.  I think it's amazing that a film can unlock so many timeless characters to those who might not otherwise know of them.

Oh what a day

It's getting cold in New Zealand...sigh.

I am having one of those days where all I want to do is come home sit in an amazing bathtub full of bubbles until  my feet turn into prunes and read about the great Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy.

Unfortunately, I don't have a bathtub.  But, I do have a  Mr Darcy.

bubblegumbooks: The Kite Runner

This book review is brought to you by two days Facebook free. Hopefully this will be my most productive month ever.

I have heard rumors of The Kite Runner long before I have actually mustered up the courage to read the book.  I always knew that this was a heavy read although I have completely underestimated how this book stays with you and encompasses all of your thoughts. 

The Kite Runner follows the lives of two boys in Kabul Afghanistan, the boys are Amir and Hassan.  Hassan is Amir's servant, but the boys are inseparable and are more like brothers than a servant to a master.  When Hassan is brutally bullied by some of the boys in the neighborhood, he spends the rest of his adult life on a heatbreaking journey to redeem himself from betrayal. 

Although all of this book is haunting, I feel the passage below is the most profound and yet obvious passages in the book:

"There is only one sin, only one.  And that is theft.  Every other sin is a variation of theft.  When you kill a man, you steal a life...you steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father.  When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth.  When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness.  If there's a God out there, then I would hope he has more important things to attend to than my drinking scotch or eating pork."

I think about this passage regularly since I have read this book.  Maybe it's because I think we are so obsessed with what appears right or wrong in terms of "drinking scotch or eating pork" that we are willing to rob each other of the things that are more important in an effort to keep up appearances.

I give this book 5 Facebook free days out of 5.  Khaled Hosseini is an amazing storyteller, I could not put this book down once I started reading it.

The Great Books reading list

As you will know by now, I am obsessed with being obsessed with things.  So, the latest obsession is a book list I found on www.goodreads.com of the top 100 books that everyone should read in their lifetime. 

First book: To Kill a Mockingbird.

You can find the complete list here.

And my work in progress list here.

bubblegumbooks: The Hobbit

This book review is brought to you by a traumatising afternoon at the Auckland City Library.

I have not read many fantasy novels.  Wizards, witches, dragons, they are not really my thing.  However, after reading this book I find myself coming to realisation that writing off an entire genre of literature is a bit extreme, all things considered. 

The hobbit follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and a clan of dwarves.  Despite his small stature, hairy feet, and constant longing for his beloved shire, Bilbo Baggins is quite possibly one of the greatest heroes in literature, not because of his stunning good looks, killer sword skills, or cunning agility.  In fact, Bilbo is none of these things and yet all who meet him come to admire and adore him.  All who underestimate him end up apologising for their short-sightedness.  After all, a hobbit that is courageous enough to sneak up on a dragon is pretty impressive by any measure.

Reading this book made me appreciate not only the fantasy genre, but also Tolkien for being an amazing story teller.  I started reading this book, and to my surprise, I could not stop.

I give this 4.5 attempts at finding a book in the Auckland Library out of 5.

Happy hippo

It's funny how something very simple can make your day wonderful.  I've had a rough week, not because anything traumatic has happened. I'm just tired. It happens to me sometimes. Today I went to the staff kitchen in search of my usual mug for my usual morning tea, and became somewhat irritated when I couldn't find it.  So I opted to use someone else's mug and keep the mug-thief-ring going instead of breaking the chain and using a communal mug.

Said mug is shown below:

I feel like I've had an awesome day today simply because my mug has a hippo in the clouds of awesomeness on it. 

I hope you find something simple to bring you happiness too.