A Book and a Movie Worth a Shot

OK. So things have been a bit heavy on the blog, what with all the scandal in Roanoke City. So I thought I would lighten things up and share a book and a movie that are worth taking a look at.

First the book. "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer is one of, if not the best book I have read in years. This is a book you cannot put down. I read a lot and I don't find to many like that. Into Thin Air is a personal account of the Mt Everest disaster that occurred in 1996. But this isn't just a retelling of the story by a gifted writer. This is a first hand account. Krakauer was on the mission and nearly died himself. When you combine an incredibly gifted writer with a story so amazing and unreal, it feels like it was created in Hollywood, you get one heck of a good book.

http://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-Disaster/dp/0385494785/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204140090&sr=8-1

Now the movie. I don't watch nearly as many movies as I used to, so when I do watch something, I want it to be good. "Once" did not let me down. This is a low budget movie, shot in Ireland. "Once" is an amazingly simple and profoundly moving film. The story revolves around the relationship of two young musicians and is set to a great original soundtrack. In fact, I think one of the songs just won an Oscar. This is a movie that actually makes you feel good when you are watching it. The only drawbacks are the heavy accents (turn that volume up!) and some curse words (maybe not the best for children to watch). Otherwise, it's perfect.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907657/