Y

Hard to believe that this A to Z project is just about over. I have no idea what we'll do next weekend when we don't have to go to the library.

Books:
While I don't normally read mysteries (not sure why, they just don't seem to 'speak' to me when I'm looking for things to read), last week when I went to the libe, there were very few Y authors to choose from, so I grabbed The Highly Effective Detective [294/good] by Richard Yancey. I was happily impressed. Teddy Ruzak, the main character, is not only highly effective, but highly amusing. He shares quite a bit in common with Columbo, at least in regard to how he seems to think. Columbo gives the appearance of being disorganized and scatter-brained. Teddy...actually is.
But somehow he manages to solve his case (and a much larger one that he stumbles upon) in the process.
Supposedly this is going to be a series, and when I went to Amazon, I saw that one other novel featuring Teddy (and presumably his brains-behind-the-scenes-secretary, Felicia) has been written. Once it arrives at the library, I have a feeling I'll check it out.

CDs:
There were a slightly wider array of Y artists in the music, so I was able to get two CDs this go around. Both appealing, amazingly.
Show Your Bones by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Really really good. I'd heard "Gold Lion" on the radio before, and found it supremely infectious. The rest of the disc is just as good. Hilarious comment from Steph while listening to it in the van today:
Steph: "Whoever this is, is too repeaty."
Me: [laughs] "The name of the band is the Yeah Yeah Yeahs."
Steph: "Well, there ya go."
And then, later, track 9 began skipping, which caused Saren to comment, "Wow. They really *do* repeat a lot."

Steph does have a point that a lot of the lyrics are repeated during the songs, but that's the job of pop music. If a song repeats the lyrics multiple times, it's more likely that it'll stick in your head later.

The other disc I got was Thom Yorke's solo work, "The Eraser".
Now, I like Radiohead, but I don't find them the be-all/end-all that most critics seem to. I can take them or leave them. Thom Yorke sans Radiohead is ...actually better. But I think the best way to sum him up is: He straddles the line between genius and annoying. And mostly stays on the genius side.

DVDs:
Slim pickings in the movie department, but I was able to find a film I liked: Year of the Dog.
I was surprised to like it, because it starred Molly Shannon, who I typically find irritating. But the writing seems to play to her strengths, or maybe it's because she wasn't trying to be ha ha funny in this movie. Either way, Year of the Dog was an interesting film about people, animals, relationships, and obsessions, and how they can interact. Molly Shannon's character, Peggy, loves her dog, Pencil. But after Pencil unexpectedly dies, Peggy realizes that she's filled her life's emptiness with her dog. The film chronicles her attempt to fill the void left from Pencil's death.
One thing to note is that the trailer and the poster for the film market it as a light hearted romantic comedy. No. Not nearly at all, really. But if you ignore that aspect and just watch the movie as it really is - a tragic character study - you'll probably enjoy it a lot more.