The Ten Best Books I read in 2010

So, as I look back at 2010, it appears that I did better at some things than others. Blogging did not end up being something I was able to do with much regularity, obviously, but I was delighted to find, as I made a list of books I'd read this year, that I actually read 23. Apparently, my resolution for 2010 must have been to read more! I hope that I can continue this pace for the first 4 1/2 months of 2011, but I know my reading will come to a screeching halt right around May 15th, when baby Harrison will arrive. (Oh, yes, I should mention that we've picked a baby name: Harrison James Wilson!) Last time I gave birth, I sat with a book of David Sedaris essays beside my bed for about 6 months before I was able to get through them (for shame!). This time, I will have 2 kids to deal with, so I'm sure all I'll read for quite some time after Harrison arrives will be In Style and Entertainment Weekly. Oh well.

In the spirit of making end of the year lists and all, I've decided to name my top 10 books of 2011. Here they are:

1. Room by Emma Donoghue. I didn't plan on reading this book when I bought it. I actually bought it for a white elephant book exchange party that I ended up not being able to attend. I had heard good things, so decided I would just keep it and read it, and boy am I glad I did because I LOVED this book. The narrator, Jack, was born in an 11x11 room and lives there with his mother, who, similar to the father in Life is Beautiful, tries to make their captivity as positive as possible for the sake of her child. Their relationship is touching, and Jack's voice is as real and poignant as any I've heard in a long time.

2. One Day by David Nicholls. This book is almost every bit as fun as you've heard. I loved reading about Dexter and Emma and their long friendship-almost-romance. Emma is witty and entirely lovable, while Dexter is charming despite his many flaws. This book kept me laughing each night as I lay in bed telling myself "just 10 minutes more -- then I'll turn out the light."

3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Okay, so you've probably read this book by now or know at least 5 people you have. Yes, it is probably now a bit overhyped, but I truly enjoyed this book when I read it over the summer. While the character of Skeeter didn't do too much for me, Stockett's real achievements were the black maids Aibileen and Minny, whose stories were both hilarious and achingly sad. I want to teach this book as a companion piece to To Kill a Mockingbird SO BADLY.

4. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. You'll notice in my list below that I read quite a few young adult novels this year, two of which were the first 2 Twilight novels. Well, out of the 23 books I read, Twilight sits at #22 and New Moon sits at #23. However, rest assured that I was delighted by the rest of the young adult books I read, and by none more than the first book in the Hunger Games series. I CAN'T WAIT for this to be made into a movie and hope that they pick a worthy actress to play the part of Katniss Everdeen (maybe True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld or The Social Network's Rooney Mara?)

5. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. I read She's Come Undone a few years back after my friend Leslie lent it to me, and I absolutely LOVED it, so I was excited to finally buy and sink my teeth into Lamb's 900+ page story of twin brothers, one who suffers from schizophrenia. Yes, it was a long read, but a very rewarding one, and, while I think I prefer She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb is such a gifted writer that any book by him is just great.

6. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall. This story of a Mormon polygamist family is easily the quirkiest book I read this year. It was lots of fun too, for the most part. Udall's gift is to endow each of his characters with a great deal of humanity even when one could easily cast off the whole lot as a bunch of insane weirdos. Golden Richards is humorous enough as the bumbling husband trying to keep his four wives and 28 children together while being tempted by infidelity, but the character who really broke my heart in this book was his son Rusty. I imagine anyone who gets into Big Love would like this book as well.

7. Little Bee by Chris Cleave. The first 2/3 of this book would probably make my top 5 for the year, but I was a bit disappointed in the way this book ended. However, the narration by the Nigerian refugee "Little Bee" was exquisite. This book reminded me a lot of the great essay "On Seeing England for the First Time" by Jamaica Kincaid. Both are great commentaries on British colonialism and include a terrific combination of humor and bitterness.

8. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. I was pleased to see this nonfiction book on a bunch of top 10 lists for the year and definitely believe it deserves a spot on mine. While it drags in places, this true account of the life of the woman whose tissue sample spawned the first line of productive cells (the He-la line of cells) was fascinating. I learned a lot about medical care during the time of segregation and medical consent laws, just for starters, and was very impressed by Skloot's diligence in getting to know the Lacks family and getting to the bottom of the story of Henrietta.

9. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I read this book quite late, I'll admit. I've been meaning to read it for a few years, but was finally motivated to pick it up when I took a new job in Wilson County and found it on the 9th grade protected reading list and realized that I would actually be teaching it my honors freshmen. (This was also my motivation for reading Blood Red Horse, The Secret Life of Bees, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and I, Robot and for re-reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, which would have surely made my top 10 list had I not read it before, which disqualified it.) I loved it! Yes, this is the kind of book you can read in a couple of hours and isn't especially challenging, but it is very well written nonetheless and is PERFECT for ninth grade students. I got to teach it in November, and my students ate it up. We had some really good conversations about sexual violence, cliques, peer pressure, and depression, and I know it was the one book that almost all my kids actually READ and UNDERSTOOD.

10. The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra. This story of sexual oppression in Afghanistan is just heartbreaking. I would recommend it to any who got into Khaled Hosseini's books and also enjoy a poetic touch in novels. Khadra is a beautiful writer, and, while Swallows may not have had the happy ending of, say, The Kite Runner, it feels a bit more true to life when one considers what it living under Taliban rule is really like.

Here's the complete list of what I read this year:

The Help by Kathryn Stockett -- 2009

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot -- 2010

Room by Emma Donoghue -- 2010

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -- 2008

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins -- 2009

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins -- 2010

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson -- 2009

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov -- 1950

I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb -- 1998

Little Bee by Chris Cleave -- 2009

The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman -- 2010

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall -- 2010

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Steven King -- 1999

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer -- 2005

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer -- 2006

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd -- 2002

The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra -- 2005

Blood Red Horse by K.M. Grant -- 2006

Re-read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon -- 2003

One Day by David Nicholls -- 2009

Rabbit, Run by John Updike -- 1960

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson -- 1999

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns -- 1984

Grannie

My Grannie, Margaret Mapey (née Stansfield) passed away on Monday, August 23rd, at the age of 84. She was my last living grandparent, my mother's mother, and she lived in Suffolk, England. Since I grew up in America, I didn't get to visit her very often; however, the few times I spent with her were wonderful adventures -- now precious memories.

My mom and I took a brief trip to England after my freshman year of college. We spent two weeks there, visiting family in Suffolk, where my mom lived for some of her childhood and young adulthood, and then spent time in London, Cambridge, Oxford, Norwich, and Stratford-on-Avon. For an eighteen year old girl who hadn't traveled to Europe since she was six, it was a dream come true!

Me in Cambridge, summer of 1998

During the spring semester of my sophomore year at Trevecca, I applied for a study-abroad scholarship through Delta airlines. The scholarship granted its winner $2,500 and free airfare anywhere in the world for "study abroad" purposes. Delta was surprisingly inclusive about what it considering "studying abroad," so, after winning the scholarship (My best friend Courtney and I were the only applicants, and we both won!), I decided to sign up through Trevecca's English department to complete an Independent Study of the Lake Poets (Wordsworth, Coleridge, etc.) and travel to the Lake District with my Grannie. I spent a few days with my Aunt Jill and Aunt Nina in London, and the rest of my month-long stay was spent with Grannie. We spent about 2 weeks at her home in Wickham Market, with day trips to Ipswitch, Southwold, Cambridge, and Aldeburgh, and frequent trips to nearby Woodbridge, where I visited with my Aunt Lesley, Uncle Mervyn, and my cousins, Chris, Ben, and Neil. The other time was spent on a marvelous trip around Northern England, Scotland, and Wales. We drove north to Yorkshire, west to the Lake District, north again for a whirlwind day in Edinburgh and Glasgow, then south and west again to Wales. We stayed at delightful Bed & Breakfasts, which are a luxury here in the U.S., but are the more affordable (and quaint!) choice for accommodations in the U.K. As you can imagine, the whole adventure was just amazing.

Grannie and I at Cromer Beach, Norfolk

I remember thinking all summer: "I will treasure this experience forever." I tried to make the most of every day, recognizing even then that Grannie was showing some signs of her age. We had a blast. I loved Grannie's sense of humor. She gave me all the gossip on her neighbors, shared drinks and pub meals with me, showed me all her old pictures, and taught me how to drive on the left. She also told me stories by the dozen -- about her years as a P.E. teacher, her childhood up north, about the time her family took in a Jewish refugee during WWII, her experience raising twin girls, and of her difficulty in nursing an ailing husband for many years.

Grannie and I, 2004

By the time I visited again in 2004, she had changed dramatically. She was much more frail and weak, and her mind had lost its sharpness and clarity. Within a year, my mom and her sister made the decision to move her into an assisted living facility. Her beautiful cottage, pictured below, was sold, and her few personal possessions were packed up and taken along with her to her new home. Her mind quickly deteriorated after that, and over the last couple of years, she had lost the ability to recognize anyone. She had a few physical problems whilst at the nursing home, but for the most part she soldiered on...until last week, when she succumbed to pneumonia. She died peacefully and without pain, which is a great blessing.

Grannie's Cottage in Wickham Market

As I was looking through old pictures the other day, I found a thank you note I had written (but apparently not mailed) when I was probably 5 or 6. I thought it would be kind of neat to post it here. I loved my Grannie very much, and, though I didn't get to see her often, I will miss her.

Letter to Grannie and Grandpa Victor

Grannie at Waldringham Sailing Club, 1998

Summerless

Ah, Summer. The time to work on your tan, read mindless novels, eat ripe fruit, sip on lemonade, and relax in the sun for 10 long weeks, right? Not if you have a small child at home and are transitioning from a school on a traditional calendar to one that uses a balanced one (which means starting school 2 weeks earlier than most).

Summer has never been my favorite season because, well, I am not a fan of 90 degree heat and sunburns, which I am very prone to. However, as a teacher (or a student, which was my experience for the 16 years before I became a teacher), you cannot help but learn to love those 10 weeks of freedom that comprise the summer holiday. You start looking forward to summer vacation as soon as spring break ends, and it is about the only thing that gets you through those atrocious final exam essays and graduation ceremonies.

Well, I have learned that the lazy days end as soon as your firstborn arrives. Last summer, my son was a 9-11 month old, and we moved, so when I wasn't packing or unpacking boxes, I was chasing after a crawler and childproofing the new house. I kept telling myself, "Don't worry. Next summer Sammy and you will have such fun. You will go to the zoo, the library, the pool, the park. It will be wonderful! It will be relaxing!" Well, every single part of my wish came true...except the last part. Sammy and I have had such fun this summer. We have gone to the zoo, the library, the pool, the park...and to Pump It Up and the Adventure Science Center and many more places. But the relaxing parts of my day only arrive when my adorable toddler is safely in his crib for nap or bed.

Summer is drawing to a close, and I am proud of myself for keeping my little man busy and entertained. We have been on the go almost every day. But I realized last week that I am tired. I just want one week of Sammy in daycare and me at home. One week to veg. out half the time and work on lesson plans the rest of the time. This is impossible, of course, because his daycare doesn't open back up until teachers report for work. So I have 5 days left of my summer "vacation," and I will keep myself energized with this one thought: Friday afternoon I have hired a sitter for four hours. I will get to have one last extremely miniature vacation before I face school once again.

Books I've Been Reading

I've been on a reading kick lately. Wait. Let me explain what that means for a mother of a toddler. It means I have been reading some books here and there...as opposed to reading nothing but snippets of child-rearing books and Entertainment Weekly, which was pretty much the state of things for the first year of my son's life. Well, thankfully, there have been fewer strains on my time since about Christmas, and I have had the chance to read some really good books.

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I read this right after finishing Rabbit, Run, which was a hell of a lot less fun than I had hoped it would be. I was ready for a break, something less bleak and cerebral than Updike. This book did the trick. It is already on the fast-track to moviedom; I expect the result to be next year's The Blind Side. You know, the story that appeals to a broad audience and has a positive message about the ever-uncomfortable subject of race but still doesn't make white people feel too bad and all that. I have already decided that I want Anne Hathaway to play the role of Skeeter Phelan, the novel's protagonist and sometimes narrator. I know she's not blonde, but she is young and talented and, while she is beautiful, she is quite tall and is often a little awkward on screen. And we know from Brokeback Mountain that she can pull off a Southern accent. (Um, of course she can. It's the world's easiest accent.)

But all of that is beside the point. In fact, Skeeter Phelan is kind of beside the point of this novel, a fact that is either this book's greatest asset or one of its few weaknesses. I choose to believe it's the former, that Kathryn Stockett intentionally made the most gripping portions of this tale the chapters narrated by Aibileen and Minny, the African-American maids with whom Skeeter is collaborating on a book about "the help" of Jackson, Mississippi. While Skeeter is a likable enough heroine, her voice just cannot hold a candle to the gentle Aibileen's or the gutsy and hilarious Minny's. I can't imagine many people not enjoying The Help. Which explains why it has spent forever on the New York Times bestseller list. And why pretty much everyone I know has read it or has it on their "to read" list. If you are not one of those people, I recommend giving The Help a try.

2. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. Oh man, I loved this book. I want to teach it SO BADLY. It is the perfect high school classroom novel. I hope I someday get the chance to. This novel was published in 1979, and I can't believe I had never heard of it until a few years ago at an AP conference. I forgot about it until just recently, but I am so glad I remembered it. Kindred is about an African-American woman named Dana who, on her 26th birthday, is called back in time by her ancestor, a red-headed son of a slave owner named Rufus. Her job: protecting this boy from harm. Dana is called to Rufus periodically throughout his life. Some of her trips back into the antebellum South are long, and all are, for obvious reasons, dangerous, especially when her white husband accompanies her. This book is a perfect blend of science and historical fiction. It deals with slavery in an accessible way. I think that high school kids would really dig it.

I also recommend it to Governors Bob McDonnell and Haley Barbour. It seems they need to brush up on their nineteenth century American history.

3. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I picked this book up without knowing much of anything about it other than that it was on the bestseller list a few years ago. I learned that Ann Patchett is a Nashvillian and that this novel was about opera. I was only mildly intrigued, but I needed another book so that I could "Pick 2 and Get the 3rd Free" at Barnes & Noble. And so I got it. Free. What a bargain. This novel was exquisite. Part love story. Part ode to opera and classical music. Part multicultural hostage/Stockholm Syndrome tale. I loved every minute of it.

4. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. Holy Cow, Wally Lamb is talented. I read She's Come Undone several years ago after a friend lent it to me. When I was done, she asked me, "Can you believe a man wrote that?" And no, I couldn't. He wrote the character of Dolores Price like he was a depressed, overweight, abused, suicidal woman. I felt the same sense of awe I did when I read Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex a few years later. How did that guy get that character? If I ever get to write a novel, I want the characters to be at least one eighth as real as the ones in these novels. And that includes the Birdsey twins of I Know This Much is True. I am only on page 354 of this 897 novel, but I am already dreading finishing it. It's the kind of book you just want to live in, you know? Those are absolutely the best kind too.

Oscar Fashion

Okay, so I have to admit that this year's Oscar's ceremony was a big let down for me. I was hoping that Alec and Steve would be hilarious; they were not. I was hoping for entertainment; all I got was interpretive street dancing. The only upsets were in the foreign language and, I think, like, sound mixing categories. Every acting award was pretty much a sure thing. That means that we had to look to fashion and entertainment to get us through the show, and I must admit that both were a little sad. I am not saying the fashion was bad. No, in fact there was more interest this year than many other years. What really disappointed me was that almost no one showed up for this year's Awards show.

Let me make a list of actors I missed seeing on the Red Carpet:

Jack Nicholson (2 years MIA. What gives?)

Hugh Jackman (Wish you would have hosted, my friend)

Anne Hathaway (Your singing last year rocked. I also wanted to see what you would wear.)

Julia Roberts (It was fun to see you all cocky and drunk at the Globes. Where were you?)

Reese Witherspoon

Nicole Kidman

Emily Blunt

Halle Berry

Drew Barrymore

Jennifer Garner

Marion Cotillard

Natalie Portman (Your skit last year was sooooo fun.)

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie (I guess you two decided to skip ALL the Awards shows. Uh oh.)

Hilary Swank (Girl, you rocked it at the after party. If you would have showed your tush on the Red Carpet, you would have made Miley Cyrus run away in shame.)

Don't you wish you would have seen those folks at the show instead of Miley Cyrus, Taylor Lautner, and Amanda Seyfried? I sure do.

That having been said, let me tell you my pics for best dressed.

1. Cameron Diaz. Did I ever in a million years, think that I would be praising the fashion of unkempt surfer girl Cameron Diaz? No, I did not. However, look at her:

Home run, girl.

2. Sigourney Weaver. Guys, this woman is 60. I am pretty depressed right now. I am exactly half her age, and she is about 20 times sexier than I'll ever be:

Hot, right?

3. Meryl Streep. Speaking of older ladies who looked amazing, check out Meryl:

4. And Damn Helen Mirren. Whoops, I mean Dame Helen Mirren:

Doesn't that make you just want to cry? No, me either. I am pretty delighted that some of the hottest ladies at the Oscar's could be Miley's grandmas.

5. Sandra Bullock. See, I am not a Sandy hater! I think she looked amazing, though perhaps a wee bit too shiny at times. And I would kill to know how she gets her hair to look like that.

6. Sarah Jessica Parker. I know I will take heat for this one. This Chanel get up was a risk, but I love it. Just close your eyes for a minute and imagine this on Audrey Hepburn at the 1960 Oscar's. Wouldn't she have looked divine in this? I think SJ did too.

7 & 8. Here, I am going to have to go with a tie between the fun print twins: Maggie Gyllenhaal and Rachel McAdams. These girls looked pretty, no?

I do wish Rachel's dress had some different colors in it, but I am not going to hold it against her.

9. Gabourey Sidibe. I have already professed my love for Gabby. She has just handled herself beautifully throughout this whole Awards season, and I thought she looked just radiant on Sunday:

10. Tina Fey. Honey, let's admit it. You looked weird at the Globes. No one will ever hold that against you because you are a comedienne, and funny ladies can wear what they like. But you are more than a funny lady. You are the woman all men fantasized about every Saturday night when you came on and did Weekend Update on SNL. Thank you for dressing like it last week:

11 & 12. Anna Kendrick and Elizabeth Banks. These two tie for first place in the "Would Have Been Better in a Different Color" category. But they still look just lovely:

13. Queen Latifah. While I am not nuts about all aspects of this gown, I must say that this looks amazing on Queen La. This may just be a personal best for her.

14. Kate Winslet. I originally thought I would rank her higher, but this dress is just a bit too plain to get an "A." Still, Kate looks regal and gorgeous.

15. Kristen Stewart. Look how pretty she looks! I think she knows it too. She's almost smiling:

And now, I guess I'll have to get around to The Not So Good list. This year, it was pretty obvious, I think.

1. Miley Cyrus. Her dress did not fit her. End of story. Also, she is, what, 16? This outfit, hair, and makeup would have looked amazing on someone a bit older:

2. Charlize Theron. Imagine Charlize in the frock above. Stunning, right? She should fire her stylist now for letting her wear this instead:

Oh my goodness, I am shuddering. That dress will go down in fashion history as the "boob flower" dress. But it is also WRINKLED, and her makeup DOES NOT GO with it.

3. Zoe Saldana. So I guess some people will feel about SJP's Chanel as I do about Zoe's Givenchy. Clearly it was a big risk. I just think this one did not pay off.

4. Diane Kruger. So, you know how I praised her SAG dress as being one of the best ever? Well, it was. Here it is, in case you've forgotten:

I still gasp when I see that gorgeous dress.

Why, oh why, did she settle for this mess as her Oscar gown, then?

I will never understand that one.

So, there you have it. There were definitely some good looks at the Oscar's, but I have to say I was a wee bit disappointed not to see more A listers.

The Best Films of 2009

Okay, so I have been a horrible blogger thus far. My husband started his blog after I gave him the idea and has FAR exceeded me in blogging. I think he has created 45 entries or so in the last 2 months. Kudos, MJ! In my defense, let me say that January and February were horrible months from hell. From the miserable weather to the sicknesses that have plagued my household to the mounds of grading I inflicted upon myself, let's just say that I did not have a whole lot of free time.

I meant to do my Best Films of 2009 blog at the start of January. Then I decided there were still some films I needed to see before doing this, and I decided I would try to post this right before the Oscar's. Foiled again. Oh well. It is March 10th, and here is my post.

Let me start by saying that I think this was a good year for movies, AND a good year for me and the movies, especially considering I have an 18 month old. I actually got to see 8 of the 10 best picture nominees along with some other gems. There were only a few "must see" films I never got the chance to see. The Blind Side, An Education, The Messenger, Invictus, Star Trek (I never EVER thought I would say "I want to see" and "Star Trek" in the same sentence, but I have heard too many good things), and A Single Man come to mind.

Here are the films, good and bad, that I did get to see this year:

Adventureland

A Serious Man

Julie & Julia

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Crazy Heart

District 9

500 Days of Summer

Sugar

Inglourious Basterds

Where the Wild Things Are

Up

Up in the Air

The Informant!

The Proposal

The Hangover

Sin Nombre

Food, Inc.

Public Enemies

I enjoyed each one of these films except one. Want to guess which was the only film on this list that made me want to hit Eject after about 15 minutes? Anyone? Okay, I'll tell you: The Proposal. That, coupled with the fact that All About Steve won Sandra Bullock a Razzie, has made me a bit leery about The Blind Side, I must admit. The story itself will undoubtedly be inspiring, but I am just having a bit of trouble jumping on the Sandra Bullock as best actress bandwagon. Since she has already nabbed her Oscar, this is a moot point, BUT, I still have my doubts. It seems as if the Academy is basically rewarding her for finally choosing a movie that does not suck. That was not the case with The Proposal. If you want to see a funny movie that begins with "The," please go for The Hangover or, better yet, The Informant! (I mean, the latter even has an exclamation point thrown in at no extra charge!)

So, I saw 21 films and have decided to list my top ten. I am proud to say that, as this was such a good year for movies, these 10 are all actually really good. I would like to purchase most of them and will plan on showing the 2 children's films to my son as soon as he is developmentally ready for them. So, without further ado...

10. 500 Days of Summer

Any other year, this film would rank much higher on my list. It would have probably been in my top 5 for 2008. It is a truly excellent romantic comedy -- one of 2 good romantic comedies I saw this year (The other was the delightful Julie & Julia). Even though this is a film about a romance that does not go quite right, it is still a breath of fresh air. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were cast perfectly in this film. They had terrific on-screen chemistry. The clothes and music were almost as important as the actors in this film and were both gorgeous. If you have not seen, 500 Days, especially if you are in your 20s or 30s and love things like The Smiths, Ikea, Anthropologie, and cheesy Hall & Oats dance numbers, add it to your Netflix queue now.

9. Where the Wild Things Are

There was a lot of hullabaloo about whether this movie was too moody or dark for children. I say phooey to that. This movie reflects the true complexities of childhood and does not sugarcoat the anguish all children feel at some points in their lives. This film is definitely suitable for children about eight and up, I would say, and is exquisitely acted by the young Max Records, who plays the lead role of Max. Beyond that, Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers deserve high praise for turning Maurice Sendak's brilliant but very short children's book into a full-length feature film that fully embodies the spirit of the beloved classic.

8. District 9

This film had gritty imagery, a subtle political subtext, terrific acting, and most of all a gripping story; in short, this film had everything that Avatar lacked. That both were nominated in the same best picture category is evidence that science fiction films have come a long way lately. However, the juggernaut that is Avatar does not hold a candle to District 9 in the story department. The aliens in this film are not shiny and blue, nor do they have many human sympathizers. However, they prove they have more intelligence and compassion than their human hosts as they attempt to escape from post-Apartheid (but not really) Johannesburg. I am not a huge sci-fi person, but I really loved District 9.

7. A Serious Man

I love the Coen brothers. Love them. I have seen 10 of their 17 films and can't wait to see the rest. This year's release did not get the attention of last year's Burn After Reading, for the obvious reason of its casting. Whereas last year's Coen film boasted Pitt, Clooney, Malkovitch, McDormand, and Swinton, A Serious Man featured no recognizable stars. However, I believe that Michael Stuhlbarg, who plays the lead character, mathematics professor Larry Gopnik, might very well become one. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for this performance, and I honestly believe that it was pretty tragic that he was not nominated for an Oscar as well. The more I think about this film, the more I like it. Gopnik, a modern-day Job, suffers countless blows: a rapidly dissolving marriage, academic bribery, a delinquent son, a depressed brother with a nasty sebaceous cyst, and temptation in the form of one Mrs. Samsky, the desperate housewife next door. It is enough to test anyone's faith, but this film will only make you laugh. Also, you might consider naming your firstborn son Sy Ableman. (Hey I just noticed his name is "able man." Boy, those Coen brothers sure are clever.)

6. The Informant!

This! film! title! makes! me! want! to! use! lots! of! exclamation! points! Okay, I'll stop that now, but it was sort of fun for a minute. One of the great crimes committed by this year's Academy was nominating Matt Damon for entirely the wrong part. Sure, I am sure he is swell as the Dutch rugby boy with the fun accent in Invictus. However, I will bet you a bag of jelly beans that he is nowhere near as much fun in that movie as he is in this one. Damon packed on 20 pounds and an awesome mustache to play Mark Whitacre, the wacky and ever so slightly unreliable informant who helped to take down Archer Daniels Midland in the 1990s. This film was much better than I even expected it to be and, like so many of this year's best films, has really stayed with me since I saw it last summer. I can't wait to buy this film and watch it many more times.

5. Up

I bet you have seen this movie, and so I really am not going to tell you anything you don't already know: that Dug is one of the best animated characters you will ever encounter, that the opening montage with Carl and Ellie will make you cry more in 4 minutes than Love Story times The Notebook times Titanic, that Ed Asner was the PERFECT casting choice, that the score is just delightful, and that this is a movie that you will want to watch over and over and over. I want to buy a time machine, go back to 1985 and show this film to my 6-year old self RIGHT NOW.

4. Inglourious Basterds

Who doesn't adore Quentin Tarantino? I mean, I know that Grindhouse was a disappointment, but I forgave him. I am glad I did because otherwise I might have been reluctant to watch one of his greatest films ever, Inglourious Basterds. The preview for this film is very misleading as Brad Pitt is nowhere near the star of this film. One man steals every single scene he is in -- the same man who won every single "Best Supporting Actor" award of the season: the amazing Christoph Waltz. You should watch this film for no other reason than to see this hilarious Nazi in action. However, I must also take a moment to praise another actor who has not received the attention she deserves for this movie: Melanie Laurent. I have no idea why Diane Kruger, who was just fine, was the female representative of this film at all the awards ceremonies. I assume that Laurent, a French actress, must either have been too busy or just indifferent towards it all. Anyway, she is amazing as Shoshanna Dreyfus, the Jewish girl hell-bent on revenge. Thank you, Quentin, for continuing to show women who talk tough and act tougher on the screen. It makes up for the pitiful females we see in 97% of all romantic comedies.

3. Precious (You already know what this is based on.)

First of all: Spoiler Alert!

Guys, I could write a whole post about this movie. At some point I just might. Let me first say that my favorite parts of this amazing film were those that occurred in the classroom. Almost every one of my friends is a teacher, and there is a strong chance that anyone reading this blog entry is an educator, so let me just say that this movie says powerful things about education. Let me also be quick to say that the thing it says is not "One great teacher ( a la Freedom Writers, Dead Poet's Society, Dangerous Minds, etc.) can change students' lives." Yes, this film does include a wonderful, caring teacher and, yes, she does help to change her students' lives. However, that is not the focus. In the film, it is Precious who has to make the steps -- painful, dangerous, gut-wrenching steps -- to get her from the hell that is her home to the school filled with misfits and delinquents that cracks open the door of life and some semblance of opportunity. If I told you that the end of a film featured a teenager who had 2 children who were the products of incest, who was H.I.V. positive, who lived in a half-way house, who read on a 7th grade level, and who had decided never to see her mother again, you would think that film a terrible tragedy. What Precious is, however, is the amazing triumph of love, determination and hope over hatred, poverty, and misery.

While I am talking about Precious, I need to mention my love and admiration for Gabourey Sidibe. If you haven't followed her story, take a few minutes to Google her. You will find that she had very little prior acting experience and that she is one of the most bubbly, fun women you could ever imagine. Which shows you just how extraordinary her portrayal of Precious is. Please don't think that I am just a bitter Sandra Bullock hater. I have so enjoyed hearing SB on stage at these awards ceremonies. She has been very funny and endearing. I also think it was seriously awesome that she showed up in person to get her Razzie. However, I think that when I finally get to see her as the tough-talking Leigh Ann Tuohy in The Blind Side, I will probably say, "Huh. She did a good job portraying this Southern lady. She dyed her hair blonde and teased it. Good for her." When I walked out of the theater after seeing Precious, all I could do was sit in stunned silence. And that is because of Gabourey.

2. Up in the Air

I am beginning to wonder if it was a wise choice to write this list from #10 to #1 because I am getting tired, and I still have my 2 favorite films to discuss. I am just going to shake that feeling off and tell you that you need to see this movie, and the main reason is not the ever-sexy George Clooney. It is because this film is, in a way, a love letter to all of the poor Americans who have lost their jobs in the recession. As you probably know, every fired person in this film is someone who was recently laid off. Jason Reitman told them to treat the camera like the person who laid them off. It is actually quite amazing that what comes across is not, in most places rage, but unbelievable sadness. For me it really helped to put a human face to the news stories that report all of the many job losses across the country. In addition to that, it is a story of two loners who grapple with the difficulties that come with actually engaging in one another's lives. Vera Farmiga has never been sexier, and Clooney has never been more introspective. I know my husband and I will buy this film and will enjoy it for years and years to come.

1. The Hurt Locker

My #1 probably seems awfully safe, especially as we all watched with glee as Kathryn Bigelow took home 6 Oscars (most notably, Best Picture and Best Director) on Sunday night. The reason why I have it as #1, however, has nothing to do with that. Honestly, this was not my favorite film of the year. 500 Days of Summer sure was more enjoyable. Up was a lot more fun. Precious was, in many ways, more moving. However, this truly was the best film. This is a film about an Army bomb squad, led by the daring Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner), who diffuses IEDs in Baghdad. If this sounds like something you do not want to watch, you are not alone. This is the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner in Oscar history. However, many people will soon check out this movie, and so should you. We have been at war for almost a decade. I actually just got a little teary writing that last sentence. Is it not sad? For all the war has cost America: for all the attention it has demanded from us, for all the political fights it has sparked, for all the resources it has demanded, many Americans seem to know little about what goes on in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Even I, who have two brave brothers who have been deployed numerous times to both countries, know little about what it is really like to be in such a place. Hollywood has had a very difficult time translating this unpopular war to the screen. Until now. Which is why I am so very thankful to Kathryn Bigelow, who has created a movie that is not just important, but is also as exciting as hell.

Giving Up Facebook

So I gave up Facebook for Lent, which started one week ago.

I was hoping this would help me to spend more valuable moments with my family and myself, and this actually has been the case. I certainly haven't missed spending hours scrolling through mindless news feeds, especially updates about Farmville or Mafia Wars or what not. And I absolutely haven't missed some of my "friends" who are so obsessed with their own political views that they can no longer hold their tongue when someone offers up a kind word about our president (Seriously. Get a life.).

However, I do miss the good stuff. I miss updates from friends and family who live far away. I miss being able to drop inane comments about my uneventful life into the Internet. I miss the sense of community - whether real or not - that Facebook allows one to feel.

I stick to my guns, though, so I will still be "fasting" for 5 more weeks. Let me just say, though, I miss you, friends!