A good read...you'll laugh, you'll enjoy, you'll remember!

Have you heard of this new author? I picked this book up off of Barnes & Noble.com thinking it might be something interesting to look at. I was pleasantly surprised. I’m always on the lookout for new and up and coming authors, and I think this one makes a home run! The author, Dushyant Rajan, has had an interesting life…to say the least. I enjoyed his journeys through India, Europe, and the United States. He obviously has a strong command of the English language, as I had to have a dictionary with me to understand some of the ecletic words he used, but that was no big deal. I would encourage all who are from different countries, have parents/ancestors/relatives from different countries, and those who just would like a taste of someone who has traveled extensively and to see their life story, to pick up this book. The title is one that caught my attention: “Knots, Gnarls and Rough Bark.” With a picture of a long pathway of trees, it seemed interesting. On Barnes & Noble’s site, they have a summary of the book, and that too intrigued me as well. Here it is:

“How well do immigrants from other countries adjust in the United States after emigration? What talents and gifts do they bring to their adopted country? Is their life in their adopted country much different from what it would have been had they remained in their native country? In this collection of essays, author Dushyant Rajan examines his life growing up in India in a military household with all the benefits of an upper-middle-class upbringing in post-colonial India. The essays describe Rajan’s quest for heroic solutions to life’s everyday problems, the compelling forces which obstruct him in his mission, his conclusions and resignations, and the beginning of a fondness for the life he left in India. Knots, Gnarls and Rough Bark includes stories about the influence of important figures in his life: his maternal grandfather, Nana, an avowed Anglophile; his father, an officer in the Royal Air Force and the Indian Army from which he retired as an artillery Brigadier; and his mother, the Brigadier’s wife. Colorful and insightful, these essays provide a broad world view from the eyes of this intrepid author who concludes that whether in the United States or in India, life presents the same blessings and curses.”

I think this would make a great Father’s Day gift, as the author speaks a lot about his father and grandfather, both who had a tremendous effect on his life. The stories in themselves are very interesting. The author is really able to convey a gripping tale, whether about his journey through Europe, or his times out and about in Los Angeles. Talk about making it from one side of the world to the other: from India to Los Angeles? Wow. I believe this book is a compelling tale and I would hope that the author would come out with a sequel. I would read it! And I recommend this tale to whomever is interested in reading something different for a change. Get out of your box of nothing but sex, drugs, action, and whatever else and sit down to something that will enrich your life, not to mention educate you a little. Like I said, this would be a GREAT gift for a father to give his son, or a son to give his father/grandfather, etc.

Happy reading!

P.S. Hardcover is $26.95, paperback is $16.95 on BarnesandNoble.com, but if you are a member, you get a discount! Also available on Amazon.com, Target.com, and iUniverse.com

Not an "oh my God!" type of a movie, but worth a see or wait until it hits DVD

“He’s Just Not That Into You,” is a simple phrase.  Nothing fancy—simple and to the point.  No beating around the bush, no wondering about its meaning.  There it is—just laying out the obvious.  Now that being the case, it seems to me there is not much else that you can do with it in terms of creating a story around this phrase.  What can you really show?  Obviously the movie is going to have to do with relationships—what women expect, what guys expect and then all the other stuff in between.

Honestly, this was a chick flick if I ever did see one.  I am not really one for these type of movies, but there are exceptions to every rule.  Some chick flicks can actually carry a story line and sometimes you find yourself saying “aww”…this one however, I was not finding myself doing that.  The other women in the audience with me, however, were totally falling for the cheap tricks that make up the romantic comedies that are chick flicks. It was actually kind of funny and I don’t know if it is still available, but on iTunes they were offering a free video download from the three main male stars, Bradley Cooper, Justin Long and Kevin Connolly.  In the video they explain how this particular chick flick is not like all the others.  And as evidence of this claim, they created 10 short sketches to show 10 chick flick clichés there were not in “He’s Just Not That Into You.”  It is clever publicity and the fact that they have made look as though it is just three regular guys making a home movie, makes it all the better.   Have a look at the bottom of this post; watch it and then see the movie…it will give you a better idea of what to expect.  If anything, you will get a good laugh.

The movie is not bad, but it’s not “oh my God, that was an amazing movie!,” either.  The editing style of the movie made it feel, at times, that the story was disjointed and you sometimes forget how each of the characters are connected.  While watching the movie, you may find yourself trying to keep up with how each of the stories are related.  It was almost like that short-lived show on ABC, “Six Degrees of Separation,” where you are seeing how each of the characters somehow know one another. 

The acting was fine; Justin Long was probably one of my favorite characters.  He was funny, but not too quirky.  Jennifer Connolly and Ginnifer Goodwin’s characters were a bit annoying throughout most of the movie; though I do have to say that Goodwin’s character (Gigi) was cute.  They do both, however redeem themselves somewhat at the end of the movie.  Drew Barrymore had a small part.  The only thing I don’t get is why her character seems to be the one that is the “older” one, having a hard time with technology and such, when in reality, she is not that old.  But her character does bring up some good points.  Why can’t people actually pick up a phone and have a real conversation?  She had an interesting line; something to the effect that people no longer meet organically and its true.  Everything is digital now.  No one really goes out for coffee anymore.  People just communicate via myspace or facebook or through text messaging…what has happened to tangible human contact?!?  Anyway, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston’s relationship in the movie, I will say, was probably the most “believable,” if you will.  Bradely Cooper’s character (Ben), you kind of feel sorry for him, but in the end he was kind of a jerk.  He should have said what he felt; he was actually quite a coward.  As said before, overall the acting was fine and it was an good cast.  

After the movie, you just start questioning whether there are people out there that are really like that.  The question becomes, “is life imitating art, or is art imitating life?”  Obviously there is some truth, otherwise where would the stories come from?  And then of course, the writer(s) has embellished some too.  And this just leads to another question: what are relationships these days?  What exactly is the definition of a relationship?  Society has constantly bombarded us with these so called “rules” and stereotypes that follow, and one is just left feeling confused; or at least I am.  I always thought that to have a solid relationship, you must have trust and mutual respect.  If you have that, everything else will fall into place.  Not just in this movie, but other ones as well, the characters (usually the women) are always trying to change the other person; there is suspicion of whether the other person is cheating or not, or there is constant jealousy and the list goes on and on.  How is that people are able to get married or have lasting relationships?  Just some thoughts…

So what is the final verdict you may ask?  It is a decent movie.  Really, it’s what you would expect from such a movie with a title like that.  There was a good cast.  But if you are kind of iffy on whether you want to or not, wait until it comes to pay per view or DVD.