i really am going to get back to the series on co-pastoring that i started a few weeks ago. the last post on friendship was related but today’s has absolutely nothing to do with it because it’s part the august synchroblog. this month’s topic is light & fun, no theology or politics or deep intention, yay! just “what’s your best summer movie or book?” honestly, sometimes i get tired of my own intensity on this blog (i swear i’m fun in real life), so it’s nice to have a break. plus, i’m hoping to get a few good movie & book recommendations out of the other bloggers (links at the bottom & i’ll add more as they come in through tonight).
some of you who know me well or have read this blog for a long time know i love the movies. three summers ago i wrote about watching a lot of them. i haven’t watched TV regularly for over many years now and am always so busy with people & kids & work & life that there’s something really awesome for me about escaping to the movies. it’s my therapy. and way cheaper by the hour. with the kids home & a bunch of movie tickets from my birthday (plus my mom spoiling us) we saw a bunch together.
here are a few summer movie highlights:
loved kung fu panda 2, just no way not to adore the sweetness of it all, especially that beautiful adoption story.
we are all super-hero fans & with 4 boys, that’s always the top choice. i loved x-men: first class & captain america the best. the kids mocked me for liking the green lantern as much as i did but i am corny & liked the whole fear metaphor.
best laughs were in horrible bosses, which is naughty and definitely not for everybody but i was in the mood for it. if you haven’t seen it yet, don’t go see it on account of this review because you will lose respect for me.
i loved midnight in paris for all kinds of reasons–for pulling off a wild concept and making it work & for the challenge to enjoy the now instead of always looking back or forward.
super 8 made me the happiest because i went with the kids & we all loved it together.
at home i watched a few way-too-intense ones with my oldest son–restrepo, a documentary about an army unit in afghanistan that just about did me in, and then the departed. i had seen it before but couldn’t remember it all until the end. yikes! we watched whale rider for refuge outdoor movie night, too, and that is just a beautiful film.
i also made a pledge this summer to not read any non-fiction & just get lost in a few summer novels. my husband got me a kindle for my birthday in may & i’m totally digging the large print (true sign of getting older, when you get giddy over large print!).
good summer books:
the book thief – intense story set during the holocaust. i think hans huberman will be etched into my mind forever as one of my favorite characters of all time.
a visit from the goon squad – amazing character development & the wild ways she pulled it all together. so fun.
the hunger games – yes, i got sucked in..to all 3. then i sucked my kids in & bought them a copy of the trilogy that they all shared. i felt like i definitely got my money’s worth because it kept them busy.
same kind of different as me – i am reading it right now, about a third of the way done & enjoying it so far it is extra interesting on the heels of finishing down we go.
so there you go, more than you probably wanted to know about what i saw & read this summer! if you have any awesome recommendations, send them my way.
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check out these posts by other synchrobloggers so far:
- K.W. Leslie at The Evening of Kent – My Summer Reading List, Thus Far
- Liz Dyer at Grace Rules – 12 Movies and a Novel
- Maria Kettleson Anderson at The Real Journey – Fiction, Movies and TV
- Steve Knight at Knightopia – Down We Go
- Jeremy Myers at Till He Comes – A Book That Invades Your Dreams
- Andrea at Andrea’s Balancing Act – What Do My Favorite Books Say About Me?
- Tammy Carter at Blessing the Beloved – Loyalty and Valor
- Steve Hayes at Khanya – Summer Reading
- Peter Walker at Emerging Christian – This is for All the Lonely People
- Carie at Carie’s Garden – Thar Be Dragons
- Sonnie at A Piece of My Mind – How to Train Your Dragon
- Amber at Growing Pains – Summer Readings
- Ant Writes – Books I Read and Movies I Don’t