So Mark Reads has gotten to Boromir's death in Two Towers. And he has redeemed himself of some of my dismay at his, well, inexperience, because he *gets* Boromir and understands the tragedy of it all.

I wonder what Mark will make of Eowyn. He better like her or I may have to hunt him down. I have vacation next month. No one would ever know. Sorry if he suddenly stops posting.

I am only on the fourth book of A Series of Unfortunate Events but would like to nominate Sunny Baudelaire for Greatest Baby in All of Literature, Possibly Fiction. Please discuss.

Please discuss.

She's a biter.

Also, the translation of her gibberish is a gimmick that has not gotten old for me (while the definition-of-words thing is more scattershot and got old in the first book). I think it's because it continues to depict her character as absurdly mature for a baby. Also, baby characters are totally adorable in audiobook form (see also: A Dirty Job).

So far, The Reptile Room is my favorite. I'm glad to see this fourth book is at least attempting to break the standard formula, although I don't like the setting as much.

Have you seen the movie, P-C? The scenes that were based on The Reptile Room just broke me -- not only do I shallowly just want to live in that house, but Billy Connolly gave such an amazingly warm, affectionate, heartfelt performance as Uncle Monty.

Whaaaat, I thought the movie only covered the first book!

Is the movie good? I was thinking of watching it after I finish.

Is the movie good? I was thinking of watching it after I finish.

Everything about the movie is great. Except Jim Carrey. Who, unfortunately, is in all of it. But the design is great, the actors are great (including Meryl Streep in a great comic role), the end credits are great, the kid actors are great.

All except Jim Carrey. Being very Jim Carrey-ish.

Everything about the movie is great. Except Jim Carrey.

This is why I haven't rewatched it since I saw it in the theatre. Jim Carrey made me SO MAD.

The movie covers at least the first three books, possibly with bits and pieces of later ones. Carrey is a huge black hole of suck, and he's everywhere, but virtually everything else about it is pretty damn stunning. Connolly and Streep are especially great--excruciatingly comical, then turn on a dime and, without changing anything about the characters or the way they play them, gently and tenderly crush your heart.

Oh, Uncle Monty . . .

I get very tired of "And they lived happily ever after--until we crushed their hopes and dreams again and they're miserable."