It's been a bit of a downer day. One of the most awesome bosses I've ever had passed away yesterday. Almost everyone in Sedalia knew Seth Wagenknecht, the manager of Galaxy Cinema. I worked at the theater when I was seventeen, right after graduating high school. Seth was a lot of fun to work for. He was laid back and always had a good story to tell. Some of my fondest memories are of the midnight showings for employees on Thursday nights. We would watch the new releases to make sure that the reels were put together in the right order and played smoothly, before being officially releases on Friday. In the last few years, Seth was diagnosed with cancer, after doctors found several tumors on his brain. He went through radiation treatment, and the last time I spoke to him, he was in good spirits and it sounded like the treatment was working well for him. He was only fifty-seven. I had really hoped to introduce him to my son, once he was old enough to sit still through a movie at the theater. The funeral is this weekend, and while it's a very sad time, I am looking forward to seeing some of the old friends I worked with years ago. There are so many generations of theater employees who I'm sure will be present to pay homage to a great mentor and boss.
On a more up note, my friend Teresa has recently launched a new book review blog, and the first books she reviewed were the first three novels of my Lana Harvey series! I helped with the logo design, and I think it turned out really nice. She's new to the blogosphere, so if you could help her out by liking her Facebook page, following her on Twitter and Goodreads, or following her blog, it would be greatly appreciated! : )
The Prombie Apocalypse planning is coming along nicely. The venue is reserved, the deposits have been paid on the DJ and photo booth rental. I've also found some really cool decorations that I can't wait to set up! Hopefully "Crazy Ex-Ghoulfriend" will be complete by the end of August, and then the ARCs can go out for reviews and the real marketing work will begin! If you're planning on coming to the Prombie Apocalypse, be sure to check out the Facebook page and list the music you'd like to hear and check out some of the fun links posted, like the zombie makeup and walk tutorials. It's going to be a good time. : )
Now a major motion picture from Lion's Gate Films starring Christian Bale (Metroland), Chloe Sevigny (The Last Days of Disco), Jared Leto (My So Called Life), and Reese Witherspoon (Cruel Intentions), and directed by Mary Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol).
In American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis imaginatively explores the incomprehensible depths of madness and captures the insanity of violence in our time or any other. Patrick Bateman moves among the young and trendy in 1980s Manhattan. Young, handsome, and well educated, Bateman earns his fortune on Wall Street by day while spending his nights in ways we cannot begin to fathom. Expressing his true self through torture and murder, Bateman prefigures an apocalyptic horror that no society could bear to confront.
Review: This book was chosen as my book club's monthly pick. I was actually looking forward to reading it, and then maybe seeing the movie. It was highly reviewed by critics, so I was optimistic when I started reading it.
I believe my Kindle showed that I was 21% of the way into the book when I couldn't take it anymore. It read like a catalog for Wall Street Schmucks. The author listed brand name after brand name after brand name. I understand what he was trying to do. I get that he wanted to showcase the overindulgent and materialist lifestyle of his characters. I just think he overdid it. Really, really, REALLY overdid it.
I skimmed the rest of the book, trying to find out what all the hype was about. There were a few mildly interesting scenes, like a run in with Tom Cruise in an elevator. The few psychopath scenes were adequately vulgar, though disturbing as the book was written in first person present tense. It was like reading a psychopaths journal about his conquests torturing and murdering prostitutes, stabbing a child at the zoo, taunting the homeless, and pampering himself like a vain little priss. And as far as I could tell, there was zero plot.
Call me narrow-minded if you will, but I prefer books written from the perspective of a character that I can grow to like or at least relate to on some level. This was probably the most disappointing book I've ever tried to read. I don't even want to see the movie now.
