I feel like I should rig some sort of finish line and run through it with my hands in the air. I have just finished a 536 page book. This is not unheard of for me, after all I’ve read all the Harry Potter books (Lucy, you slacker!), the Twilight series, and several other weighty tomes, but all those books had reasons, good solid reasons for being as wordy as they were (in my opinion). This book categorically did not. In fact, I think 200 pages could have been cut–easily–and no one would have been the wiser. I cannot for the life of me understand why some editor didn’t wield her mighty pen and cut, cut, cut!

Now you may be wondering why, if the book was growing tedious, I continued. Two reasons: 1) I was intrigued by the storyline and I actually wanted to know what was going to happen (just 200 pages earlier, maybe even 250), and 2) Once I’d invested heaven knows how many hours in this book, I couldn’t just toss them away. What can I say, I’m just like that.

It was my understanding that books were getting shorter, not longer. I’ve read (in several places) that publishers are looking for shorter books, that brevity is selling better. But so far this year I’ve read three really quite long books already. Admittedly they are from popular authors (even this last one), so maybe publishers are pushing their go-to authors to add a little more bang for the buck in each book. Who knows? All I can say is that I’ve been seething to finish this book, and now I have, and I’m ready to start on a much more compact YA I got from the library this week: Red Necklace. Both the cover and the review make it very tempting indeed:

From Booklist: “Scores are waiting to be settled on every page; this is a heart-stopper.”

After the last book, I could use a little heart-stopping excitement.

Stay-tuned! On Wednesday I promise to review a must-read for Barrie Summy’s Book Review Club!

Generally at some point in January I post about the year’s upcoming kid’s movies, but this year it just slipped my mind, so when I discover that one is coming out, it’s a nice little surprise. We are very excited by new movies at my house. Admittedly my mother-in-law generally takes the kids by herself, but I make a point of talking them up (the movies, that is), and my older son memorizes their release dates, and we check the computer for ‘Official Movie Sites’ and the associated games and activities.

So, I was very excited to learn that movies are being made this year from two most excellent books: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (which I got at a school bookfair and read and re-read over and over), to be released 9/18 and (drum roll…) Where the Wild Things Are, which I remember from childhood, but really connected with while reading it to my boys, to be released 10/16. This one looks truly awesome. Should you be interested, here are the trailers: CwaCoM and WtWTA. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to embed a video.

Other movies on our list of must-sees: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Land of the Lost (another childhood favorite of mine)

I have to admit to being a little befuddled. As you may or may not have noticed, an intrepid blogger commented on my last post that my blog posts were being re-used elsewhere in the blogosphere…right here in fact.

Now there are several interesting things about this situation.

1. The privacy policy of the blog in question states, “This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact Ivan Melgrati (imelgrat at gmail dot com).” So unless Ivan and I are really on the same page in our respective lives, methinks someting funky is up. Kinda makes me wonder whether this is just a practical joke by one of Stacy’s minions…

Other interesting policy points:

* “The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers’ own.” Ha!
* “This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.” Interesting.

2. Why pick this particular post? I wouldn’t say it was some of my best blogging–or even my most interesting. I’m curious, Ivan, (if you’re reading this searching for new material) what did you like about it. May I consider you a fan?

3. How did Ivan find me? Do I have a cult following?

4. And really? Smarticle? Makes me think of testicle and that’s not something I want my blog posts associated with. Sorry, Ivan.

I think I’m more baffled than outraged by this whole thing, but maybe the outrage will come in time–when my celebrity status really sinks in and the paparazzi start messing up my life…

Until then, dear readers. And Ivan.