Marian Keyes - Sushi for Beginners

So i am resurrecting this blog more for me....

A lot of people derive pleasure from surrounding themselves with people, drinking, clubbing etc. But i am a loner and love nothing more than to curl up with a good book, or movie or some good music and i am good. When i hang out, i like to do quiet things - restaurants, lounges, plays et all. So here we are....

Marian Keyes is an author i enjoy immensely. I was introduced to her in my university days when i read "Lucy Sullivan is getting married". Hilarious.

In the mood for some light "chick lit", i picked up this book and it was worth every moment.

The book revolves around 3 women going through ish.....

There's Clodagh who is fulltime housewife with 2 hyper active kids, Lisa - a glamorous London magazine editor shipped off to Dublin to start a magazine instead of to New York which she expected and Ashling - a compulsive Ms Fix-it that lands a job as Lisa's assistant. Ashling is also Clodagh's best friend.

The lives of these 3 ladies intersect with hilarious and life altering results. There are men, juicy scandals, fashion tips, bitchiness and broken hearts. What i especially love about Marian Keyes is the fact that underneath all the humour, ease of reading and "lightheartedness", she touches on real issues. The most poignant for me is the fact family history play a huge part in who each of these women is...

A lovely book with all the things that make for fun reading but with a little food for thought as well..

I would rate this 7 out of 10

Happy Feet

Characters voiced by Elijah Wood, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams

I love this movie. Its definitely one to own and it has a killer sounndtrack as well. A whole bunch of penguins that sing and sing. This gorgeous couple (Kidman and Jackman) have a little one. Since mommy and daddy sing so beautifully, it is expected that son will follow suit. So wrong. Instead, son seems to have something wrong with his feet that makes him tap dance and he cant sing to save his life.

Being the outsider, he is sent away from the tribe and he bumps into a whole bunch of mexican penguins and of course Lovelace (Williams). Lovelace has an interesting necklace and claims to be in contact with the spirits. Oh and he has a voice like Barry White and all the ladies love him.

There is a fish shortage and off little Mambo (Wood) goes to save the day.

A great story, and the music is sooo beautiful. If animation is your thing, definitely see this.

I would give this 8/10

Night at the Museum

Starring: Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais.

I went to see this movie last night and it was exactly what i needed. This is such a funny, easy movie.

Ben Stiller plays Larry, a divorced dad with a 10 year old son that cant hold down a job. As a last resort, he accepts a museum gig only to find out that its a night guard job. The museum comes alive at night with hilarious consequences. Robin Williams is a hoot as Teddy Roosevelt - the 26th president of the United States (a fact that he reminds us about at every opportunity). Owen Wilson is a cowboy called Jedidiah and he is mega funny.

I love Ben Stiller and i think he can do no wrong and he doesnt disappoint me. There is a message within this movie but its not till the end that we get it. The special effects are amazing and i feel Larry's fear as the Lions from the Mammals of Africa room chase him down the hall. He is called dum-dum by some statue, receives no help from the retiring guards, his son prefers his mother's new boyfriend who is a stockbroker, some silly monkey tore his instruction book to shreds...it is not a good life for the man.

It all turns around hilariously. I definitely want to own this when it comes out on DVD.

I give this 8/10

Olivia Goldsmith - The Switch

A piece of fiction that was such an easy read. This book i absolutely loved. Its an old title but i found this book on sale with a few others so i couldnt help myself.

Where do i begin? This book is hilarious, heartbreaking and serious all at the same time. A suburban housewife who thinks she has it all is excited that her 2 kids are off to college leaving her and her husband alone for the first time in many years. They have everything - house in the suburbs, husband works at her father's BMW dealership so they have twin BMWs in the 2 car garage. She doesnt work but teaches classical piano since she went to Julliard. She is close to her mom and dad. Her brother is a nutcase and his ex wife is an even bigger nut.

Her plans include romantic dinners, fabulous getaways to Mexico, sexy lingerie and rekindling sparks. Until, she realizes her husband is not interested in any of those things. Not with her anyway. He has a mistress that lives in a Condo across the way. A confrontation leaves both stunned. The mistress is a carbon copy of wife. 20 years younger. Wife is what the mistress will look like in 20 years. Capisce?

After a lot of crying and smashing of dishes and even driving a BMW into the pool, wife realises that she wants to be the mistress. To get the roses and the hot sex. Mistress just wants to be a wife and plan the perfect thanksgiving dinner. Therein: The Switch. A nip and a tuck and a strict diet for wife. Mistress darkens her blonde hair and piles on a few pounds and voila.

Hilarious consequences. But underneath all this, as a woman i felt for both parties. When i wasnt smiling and giggling, i was saddened at the potential prospects of being an old married woman. I breezed through this book in 3 days. 9 out of 10