It was the best New Year’s Eve in a long time. We spent most of the long weekend reading: I was reading a book about the 1914 murders at the Frank Lloyd Wright house in Wisconsin and even before it got to the grisly part I was digging all the backstory about what a tool Wright was, what with his free-love ways and “knee-panties and long hair” (actual primary source quotation!) and whatnot, and Chris was finishing up The Golden Compass so we could see the movie. Monday afternoon we went out to a very late breakfast and then braved the holiday clusterfuck of a moderately Bad-Times Jewel to stock up on beer and food. And then, for New Year’s Eve, we had a dozen or so friends over for drinks and assorted video junk and peppermint pig bludgeoning (many thanks to Brenda for bringing the victim) and glimpses of fireworks off in the snow-hazy sky beyond our back porch. When everyone had gone home we turned out the lights and looked out at the street and the trees bright with snow.
Then we slept good and late on New Year’s day, and took the train over to see the movie (and since then we’ve been considering daemon logistics, like what if your daemon was a Clydesdale or a planarian flatworm, and how inconvenient that would be), and then home again to make some Hoppin’ John with kale and cornbread, hoping all the while that the rewards of Southern culinary superstitions are valid for us pasty Midwestern crackers, too; and then one last drink before bedtime to consider whatever’s ahead.
Hope it was—and is—good for you, too.
Glad you had a happy new year! Wouldn’t it be better to read the book after seeing the movie considering most movies aren’t as good as the books they’re based on? That way you won’t be let down.
Happy New Year!
I recently finished “Loving Frank” which was based on the story of his extramarital affair. It was pretty good.
I like the new look and hope you have a great 2008!
The official website lets you take a quiz, or what have you, to determine your daemon. Mine was a crow, so I was happy – that one would be really easy to deal with and/or hide. Heard the movie was disappointing, so I’ve yet to see it.
The problem with that, as a friend pointed out, is that then, when you’re reading the book, it’s harder to create a mental image of the character in your mind without thinking of him/her as looking like Nicole Kidman, Sam Elliott, etc. Having read the first 1.5 books in the series, I can still see “my” Lyra, Serafina, John Faa, etc. in my head without Hollywood’s versions of these characters. Reversing the process (i.e. movie first, book later) would make that 1000 times harder.
It’s not really an issue of being “let down” either – in all but the rarest of circumstances, the movie is inferior to the book, and you know that coming in. Just a different set of criteria for judgment. The movie was fine – pretty, deft, accomplished. Just a bit rushed…a lot of the more subtle and interesting tangents were eliminated altogether in favor of a streamlined central narrative. One choice among many.
I think you could definitely see the movie first and then read the book. The movie gives away some stuff but there are a couple things that are so significantly different in the book that there’s no way the book is redundant. Plus the book will suck you into the entire trilogy… and I kind of doubt that the next two books are going to get made into movies.
Edited to add: OMG I’m totally gonna go see what my daemon is!
Edited to add: Okay, it’s a HUGE FUCKING LION. I hope he can fit in my car!
Also, they say his name is Laefe! But how do I say that?! Lafe? Laugh? Lay-fee? Lay-fuh? AND HOW WOULD I KNOW THE SPELLING ANYWAY IF IT WEREN’T FOR THE WEBSITE? When you are born, does your daemon come with a HELLO MY NAME IS name tag? And a pronunciation guide? HOW DOES THIS WORK, PHILLIP PULLMAN?!?!!
Just don’t pronounce it wrong. You don’t want to piss off a big lion in your car.
Yeah I got lucky with that – my daemon’s name was Andreas. And yeah, how DO you know what your daemon’s name is? I mean, your parents name you, so do their daemons name yours? Way to slack, Pullman.
I didn’t know there was another book about the Taliesan fire, I really enjoyed Loving Frank. So thanks for the recommendation!!!
I’ve heard that book is awesome! And who doesn’t love a grisly murder in the dead of winter? Yee-haw!
Your New Year’s Eve sound like the perfect one…well, except for the snow. I live down south now, and have become a wimp in that area.
I have also learned to eat black-eyed peas on New Years, even though I don’t know why.