queen

 

I could swear I was just unwrapping little chocolate eggs wrapped in various colours of foil a day or two ago. Where the heck did this week disappear to?

Wanna know how else I know time is flying by? I am absolutely ploughing through pages with the amount of books I’m reading this year. After three years in a row of failing to meet my goal on the Goodreads challenge (60, 45, and 40 respectively) I decided to lower the bar this year to a very manageable 30 books in 2015. Well, by the looks of it, I’ll get to 30 by June.

Note – Goodreads counts comic books and graphic novels, but I do not. Right now I consider myself having finished 20 of my intended 30.

Oddly enough, the trick has been allotting particular parses of ‘down time’ to my books instead of fiddling around with my phone. I never woulda guessed I was wasting that much time playing Threes or Ticket to Ride.

So suddenly I’m on-pace for sixty. Got any suggestions?

 

For your reading and listening fulfillment, I give you…

 

I usually begin with a podcast, but this week I want to call attention to a new soapbox that is near and dear to my heart. You see, talented writer and dear friend Simon Columb has been working long and hard to rebrand his presence on the web… putting his efforts into a space that is more befitting of his work. So it was that the new and improved Screen Insight was born. I’m a big fan of clean templates that don’t look like five hundred other sites, and in that respect, Simon’s space is certainly bringing the goods. So go take a look around the place and wish him well.

Looking over at the grown-ups’ table, Joanna and Da7e did an bang-up job digging into “Daredevil” over on The Thought Bubble. I’ll have a few thoughts of my own tomorrow, but it’ll be hard to top this in-depth summary.

One of the very best films I’ve seen so far in 2015 (with almost a third of it gone already!) is GIRLHOOD. This week, the French gem made its way to Minnesota as part of MSPIFF. This allowed Ruth to catch up with it…and suffice it to say, it rocked her socks.

I’ll be typing like the wind this weekend trying to crank out the Hot Docs content in advance of the festival next week. But if you are in town and want a primer on what to see, stop by Cinema Axis, where Courtney already has ten selections circled for you.

Ever have trouble finishing a challenging film? So has Robinson.

Jandy continues to log her adventures at TCMFF. This week, she fills us in on her experience at Orson Welles’ CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT.

Rich wonders aloud whether we might be better off is more cinemas weren’t in it for the money.

 

As for the Tweet of The Week, Jesse Carp expresses something I’ve long held true:

 

 

Enjoy!

19 Replies to “Everybody’s Talkin’ 4 – 17 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)”

    4. I’m not, but I’m willing to recommend stuff to you either here or on Twitter. (Of what I’ve read recently, The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson is really good. And yes, I’ve seen the film. Also Tommy’s Tale by Alan Cumming.)

    5. Wait, back to this – how come you aren’t on Goodreads, that seems like your sorta thing.

      Also, since this post I’ve finished one more book plus two graphic novels (though I don’t count the graphic novels in my overall tally).

    6. I prefer keeping track of things without the help of an internet connection. (That said, I keep a list saved on my computer.)

  2. Thanks for the kind words Ryan!

    A long time since those early days of 2009. A lot has changed. But writing passionately hasn’t – and I’m always thankful to have found a likeminded soul.

    Speak soon!

    Simon

    1. Anytime, mate. It’s never easy to renovate the home, so I’m glad to see it come together so nicely for you in a way that you’re happy with.

      Now make it bring in good things, yes?

  3. Yup, the time we spend fiddling with our phones quietly sneaks away from us while we’re staring at the screen. It sucks. The irony being that I typed this comment on my phone. Sigh.

    1. Hey – I’m no saint…I still stare down at that little gizmo with a high degree of frequency. It just occurred to me that dabbling with it for five minutes or so is one thing, but tinkering for twenty or more is time that could be given over to more rewarding interests.

  4. I should really get back on Goodreads, this challenge sounds like fun. So audiobooks count? I’ve surprised myself this year and have got through about 13 books already 🙂

    1. You most definitely should…especially since it will point me towards more worthy selections and spur me to keep up with what I can only assume is a vast amount of words you consume in a year.

    1. Right? Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but you should listen to the Matineecast episode dedicated to it…it was one of my favorite on-mic conversations in a while.

  6. Thanks for the link love, sir! Hot Docs has pulled together a really strong selection of titles this. So much I want to see, but not enough time to see them all. Which always seems to be the case.

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