Entertainment update!

Ok, it is time for another post concerning "What is Emily reading and watching". I've really been enjoying my recent reading, so I wanted to share...

This past weekend, when I was in Bangkok for Thanksgiving dinner (which was not as good as last year, but a nice gathering all the same) some girlfriends and I went to see the New James Bond movie, Casino Royale. Though I didn't find Daniel Craig all that attractive, I thought he was a GREAT James Bond. I have never enjoyed James Bond movies because I found them far too chauvinistic for me. I agree with the reviewers that call Craig the coldest, but also most emotional James Bond yet. I think it is worth a watch. (Disclaimer - I really had issues with the torture scene - it was a little much for me, especially in light of the Guantanimo torture issues of the past couple of years.)

As far as reading, I am currently making my way though the book Krakatoa by Simon Winchester. Krakatoa, as you may know, was a island/volcano in Indonesia. Just over 100 years ago, the volcano exploded - the greatest natural disaster in modern history (though having a death count less than the 2004 tsunami). The eruption occurred gradually, but when it finally happened, the sound could be heard thousands of miles away. It erupted with such force that the island was totally destroyed and the dust and ash in the air prevented sunlight from reaching the nearby islands for a couple of days. Furthermore, the air waves it created traveled around the world, not once, but seven times. Winchester is obsessed with detail. He researched not only the explosion itself, but all the history surrounding it as well as many many topics linked to the geographical location and historical times. It is taking me a while to get through, but I am really enjoying all the information it offers.

Yesterday, during my travel home from Bangkok, I was consumes (and read in its entirety) the fiction book Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. Liesbeth found it for me in the Peace Corps library. I began it when I got on the bus leaving Bangkok and finished the last 50 pages in bed last night. Though I often read during travel here, it is unusual that I will read non-stop for the six hours it takes to get from Bangkok to my house. Yesterday I did. This is an intense novel which tells a fictional story of a midwife (told by her daughter) who made an error. There is a neat feeling painted about midwives as well as some of the resistance to midwifery and home birth present in the medical community. The story is wonderful and gripping. I'm sure I'd feel the same even if I wasn't planning to become a midwife, though that is why Liesbeth brought me the book.

A couple of weeks ago, I read, Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. This book was passed to me (and recommended) by Kristina, a volunteer who lives near me. It is a very interesting book that explores everyday questions using theories of economics. Kristina (and Christina - who are both more analytical than I) felt that there was not enough data to support some of the books points. However, the absence of these charts and graphs makes the book more readable. None of us doubted that Levitt has the data - as he is a well known and respected economist in the United States. At the very least, this book makes you ask some very interesting questions and possibly look at the world just a little bit differently.

Lastly, this post would not be complete without sharing with you my new favorite movie: Bride and Prejudice. This is a Bollywood style take-off of Jane Austin's "Pride and Prejudice". As a lover of musicals, I am prone to enjoy movies with fun, often silly, song and dance. But, this really takes the cake. It is so much fun with the sights, sounds and movements of India that I've already watched it six times.... And we're just getting started! (And they couldn't have found a more beautiful leading lady or gorgeous guy - Martin Henderson, I'm in love!)