It's the End of August...

So....on July 6 I vowed to do a better job with blogging this summer....welp....this is the first one since and it's the end of August....I'm such a slacker!

Since I said that I'd write about the movies I've seen and books I've read this summer, I'll start with that...

Books:
1. I started out the summer with a bang by reading all of the books in C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. This is an amazing series...I totally recommend reading them without delay. If you don't think you can read all seven, I'd say you can skip The Horse and His Boy because it doesn't necessarily pertain to anything else in the series. Some of the characters are referred to later on, but it's really no big deal and the beginning is a little boring...

2. After reading C.S. Lewis, I thought I’d give his pal J.R.R. Tolkein a shot. I chose to read The Hobbit. It is a nice read, but I had moments that were somewhat torturous because I had trouble focusing from time to time. Overall, it’s a nice fantasy/adventure book that has a great deal of action and really explains the beginnings of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (I didn’t read the books, just saw the movies).

3. I read a few totally random books that had been on my bookshelf at school that I’d never read. Among them were Kingdom Keepers, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Giver, Number the Stars, and The Secret School. These were all really good…I still have two more that I’d like to read, but I’m not sure if time will permit.

4. A Whole New Mind is a book that I was required to read for school. It was totally interesting and thought provoking. If you’re into business or current world-wide trends, you’d really like this book.

5. Some friends recommended the book The Shack. I wasn’t really all that into reading it, but I totally trust the opinions of those who recommended it so I thought I’d give it a shot…Oh my goodness…I laughed, I cried, I got mad, I questioned, I prayed…it was pretty awesome…definitely a thought provoking read that will make you think deeply about life and your relationships…

6. So, I got this random movie from Blockbuster Online called The Jane Austen Book Club…the movie was ok, but it really inspired me to read a little Jane Austen. I had never read any of her books before, so I decided to give Pride and Prejudice a whirl. I really enjoyed it. I think I’m partial to that time period and I really liked that it wasn’t mushy gushy like I thought it would be.

7. I also read and started a few other non-fiction titles besides A Whole New Mind. I read The Five Love Languages, which I thought was pretty good. I don’t really know that I’ve worked at trying to speak Nick’s love language all that much, but at least I know which one it is and he knows mine…I started Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller, The Cure for the Common Life, by Max Lucado and a Rob Bell book, but haven’t finished them yet. I got mad at the Lucado book and quit reading it because it challenged you to find out what you were really good at as a kid and try to do that for a living…I couldn’t think of anything so I got frustrated…I have yet to finish Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge…I worked on it a little at the beginning of the summer, but it quickly got pushed to the end of my list. I have a book about assessment that I need to finish before next week and I’d like to try to at least finish Miller and Bell as soon as I can.

Now for the movies…I’ve been to the movies a few times this summer and am more than willing to give you my opinions…I think I’ll give them grades just like some other reviewers do…I must say upfront, however, that I pretty much like everything I see…

1. Ironman – This movie was the first movie I saw this summer and it was awesome! I give it an A+.

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – Well, I think it did I nice job of keeping the integrity of the initial trilogy…Shia LeBeouf (sp?) was pretty great in it…I’ll give it an A-/B+.

3. Kung Fu Panda – Jack Black is one of my favorites and I think he hit the nail on the head with this one…I laughed out loud and absolutely loved it…A+.

4. The Incredible Hulk – Surprisingly, this was pretty great…I really enjoyed it and liked the Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. from Ironman) cameo…A.

5. You Don’t Mess with the Zohan – Pretty disappointing…B-.

6. The Dark Knight – One word…AMAZING!!!...A+.

7. The Mummy III – This was another sequel that I think was true to form…I liked it and will give it an A.

8. Tropic Thunder – Really funny…totally random…A.

I feel like there may be a movie or two that I’m missing here, but for some reason I can’t think of them right now…I’ve seen tons of random dvd’s but nothing to write about…As of now, I still haven’t seen StepBrothers which is seriously disappointing, but I’m hoping to remedy that very soon…

Now I feel a little bit better about my lack of posts this summer…I think I’ve done enough for two or three posts just in this one entry…I’ll try to do some more catching up this week by writing about our vacations and maybe I’ll try to get a Weekend Word up since I’m like eight weeks behind…

Peace, love, and chicken wings…
~Blevins - out!