Blog Tour: Cafe Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli

BOOK #: 62
REASONS READ: Blog Tour; New Authors Challenge
PUBLISHER: Tell Me Press
GENRE: Fiction; Women's Fiction; "Fictionalized Memoir" (as stated on cover)
RATING: 3.5 Stars

Today I am happy to not only review this book for Barbara Bonfigli through Virtual Blog Tours, but also share with you straight from the author why this book makes a great book club selection!

SYNOPSIS

When Sarah, a thirty-something American theatrical producer, is asked to direct the locals in their summer show, she picks Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. What follows is a hilarious adventure in casting, rehearsing, and consuming. Her neighbors are excited about acting but delirious about eating. Their rehearsals in a deconsecrated church become a feast in four acts.

Armed with a sizzling wit, a dangerously limited Greek vocabulary, and a pitch-perfect ear for drama, Sarah navigates the major egos and minor storms of a cab driver Caliban, a postmaster Prospero, and a host of fishermen dukes and knaves.

When she falls in love, there are even trickier seas to navigate. Her own offstage romance provides an exhilarating, unpredictable counterpoint to Shakespeare’s story of magic, intrigue, and the power of love.

REVIEW

I think Cafe Tempest, Bonfigli's first novel, is basically a Greek Island version of A Year in Provence or Eat, Pray, Love. There were funny lines and there were curious and unexpected parts and there was a wonderful amount of Greek culture and language included throughout the book.

I did struggle a little bit with the fact that Sarah had been on the island before and I did not feel that everything was explained as well as it could have been. I am not sure how to phrase what I mean exactly. I only know that there were several times during the book where I felt that sharing more background information from Sarah's previous visit to Pharos could have helped me understand the present situations better.

QUOTES
"Harika na se dho,' I tell him, a phrase I learned over the winter. Until then what I'd thought meant 'Happy to see you' was actually 'I'm so thrilled to see you I could jump into bed with you right now.' Which may explain my popularity on Pharos." (pg. 9)

"It's a very small space we're standing in. I have no trouble feeling the heat. She has no trouble kissing me. Whatever was left of Julian dissolves in her arms. Neither of us speaks for a while. We're going to be gone too long-- this much time I can tell. Then there's Alex, who's always the first to know what's happening. A violin starts to play. Really. 'Let's go,' I say. Now I know what tearing yourself away means." (pg. 127)

Barbara Bonfigli Shares Why Cafe Tempest Makes a Good Book Club Selection:

Book Clubs are, by nature, discussion groups. And there is much to discuss in "Cafe Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island." Love, friendship, sexuality, taking risks, letting go are all themes of the novel.

So is "You Love Who You Love," Sarah's enlightened approach to following her heart & one of the Top 10 Book Club Discussion Questions of all time. Also, Book Clubs thrive on smart, funny novels. Cafe Tempest is all of that and more, a provocative story of one woman's daring exploration of love, Shakespeare and authenticity, all set on an idyllic Greek Island.

Book Clubs that attract Travelers will really appreciate "Cafe Tempest." There are many good Travel Literature books for Italy, France, England, but very very few for Greece. This is why the Greek Embassy is helping us get the word out about "Cafe Tempest." It's such a loving, lively, authentic look Greek Island life...and the fact that the author is NOT Greek seems to make it all the more appealing.

Book Clubs that enjoyed dining out on "Eat, Pray,Love" and are looking for another book in that love/travel/spirituality category will want to read "Cafe Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island." The writing is sharp, and so is the humor, and it dives deeply into exotic lands with insight and enthusiasm.

Cafe Tempest is a natural choice for many women readers but by all account men like it too. There must be some Book Clubs looking for a novel that is so original and fun to read it reaches out to both men and women.

The author has written a Reader's Guide for the trade paperback which is wide-ranging, witty and provocative.

To learn about Barbara Bonfigli and Café Tempest, feel free to visit any of these sites.

Barbara Bonfigli’s website – www.cafetempest.com

Order Café Tempest directly from the publisher - http://www.tellmepress.com/pub_ct.php or from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Café-Tempest-Adventures-Small-Island/dp/0981645313

To see the complete tour schedule visit http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-summer.html

Friday Finds - The Ten

Book: A World I Never Made by James LePore
Found @ Whimpulsive

Book: Water Ghosts by Shawna Yang Ryan
Found @ Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin?

Book: Picking Cotton by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton
Found @ Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin'?

Book: The Love Knot by Vanessa Alexander
Found @ Historical Tapestry

Book: Rooms by James L. Rubart
Found @ Missy's Book Nook

Book: The Friends We Keep by Sarah Zacharias Davis
Found @ Books and Needlepoint

Book: Clara's War: One Girl's Story of Survival by Clara Kramer and Stephen Glantz
Found @ Luxury Reading

Book: Things Left Unspoken by Eva Marie Everson
Found @ myfriendamy

Book: Ghostwriter by Travis Thrasher
Found @ Bambi Reads

Book: Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon
Found @ Whimpulsive

Did you find anything interesting this week that you think I'd like to read? Do any of these books make you want to add to Mt. TBR? Share in the comments!

BTT: Funny Books

What's the funniest book you've read lately?


I guess I don't read too many books that have a comedic angle to them. The most recent book that made me laugh and laugh was Ellen DeGeneres' The Funny Thing Is... You can read my review of it here.


I think I need some recommendations on funny books to read. What do you suggest?

The Wednesday Short Report

IN THE LAST WEEK (Since 7/22):

BOOKS FINISHED READING: 1
Fire of Love by James McCaffrey

PAGES READ: 289 (Not counting audiobooks)

REVIEWS WRITTEN: 4
Cafe Tempest: Adventures on a Greek Island by Barbara Bonfigli (will be posted on Friday for the blog tour)
The Attraction Distraction by Sonia Miller
The Fibromyalgia Relief Book by Miryam E. Williamson
Fire of Love by James McCaffrey


BOOKS CURRENTLY READING: 5
The Tale of Genji by Lady Murasaki (pg. 498 of 1216)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (car audiobook- on disc 5)
Native Son by Richard Wright (audiobook- on disc 4)
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (pg. 70 of 304)
What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt (pg. 83 of 384)


REVIEWS NEEDING TO BE WRITTEN: 1
Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD: Beyond Piles, Palms, and Post-Its by Terry Matlen

POSTS POSTED: 17

POSTS WITH MOST COMMENTS:
#1 What's Your Reading Personality? -12 comments
#2 BTT Short and Sweet -11 comments
#3 TSS Book Covers I Love - 11 comments

BEST COMMENTERS FOR THE WEEK:
#1 heidenkind & rhapsodyinbooks- 7 comments
#2 Scrap girl & bermudaonion- 6 comments
#3 Nicole & Amanda- 5 comments
#4 Nymeth, Tracie, Staci, & Jenners- 4 comments
#5 Mardel & Kristen M.- 3 comments

Thank You So Much!!
I have had a lot of new commenters lately and I would like to feature them hopefully next week in this post because I love meeting new readers, too!

CHALLENGES UPDATE:
These numbers do not include Cafe Tempest, which has not been posted yet.

• 100 "Shots of Short" Challenge (29/100 completed)
  
• 100 + in 2009 (61/100 completed) [UPDATE: +3]
  
• 21 Cultures Challenge (5/21)
• 50 Challenged or Banned Books (31/50)
• 9 Books in 2009 (6/9) [UPDATE: +1]
  
• Centuries Challenge (2/4)
• Classics Challenge (0/7)
• Colorful Reading Challenge (2/9)
• Essay Challenge (4/10 completed)
• Genre Challenge (8/12)
  
• My A to Z Challenge (14/26)
  
• New Authors Challenge (20/30) [UPDATE: +1]
  
• Reading Your Name (4/7)
• Take a Chance Challenge (3/10)[UPDATE: +1]
  
• Triple 999 in 2009 (29/72) [UPDATE: +1]
  
• What's in a Name? (3/6)

Mailbox Monday

Here is a mailbox you don't see everyday. How would you like to be the mail carrier delivering mail to this box?
I found this mailbox on Google.com. Check back next week for another interesting mailbox.


My mailbox is not as full as it used to be because I am trying not to receive ARCs (unless it is a book already on my list, then I consider) and I am not entering in as many giveaways (unless the book is already on my list). I have a lot of catching up to do with my reading. I will be back in the swing of things in a couple of months.

Here is what I received in my own mailbox this week.

Book: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Thanks to a giveaway from the lovely Kay of Infinite Shelf

Book: Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
Thanks to ???
I am forgetful and so I save the e-mails when I receive giveaways or books from authors or PR people, but I can't find anything for this book. If you sent it to me, please send me an e-mail or leave a comment so I can give you credit! And forgive me for being so forgetful.

Snow by Orhan Pamuk
Thanks to BookMooch

Random, I hear you calling my name and it feels like home...

Random Reading Challenge

Wendy (Caribousmom) is hosting this challenge, which is from August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010. What is it about? Here is what Wendy says:

Are you stuck in a rut? Do you always find yourself reading from set lists or feeling committed to reading one book while another book screams at you from your TBR mountain? Has your reading become completely scheduled? If so, the Random Reading Challenge may be just the thing to put the spontaneity back into your reading.

For this challenge, readers will be choosing books randomly from their TBR stacks. You may select one of three levels of participation:

Level I:

You are just a tad compulsive about your reading – you love your lists and schedules. Being spontaneous is not something that comes naturally to you. To complete the challenge, force yourself out of your rut and read just six books.

Level II:

You really want to break away from all those lists, but you do still have a responsibility to your reading groups, other challenges and all those review books. Six books is too little, but twelve is too much. Stretch a little and read nine books for the challenge.

Level III:

Throw away the lists, don’t look at your schedule, bring on the joy that comes with the freedom to chose books randomly. Read twelve books for the challenge.

Rules (come on, you didn’t think I would be THAT random did you?!?!?):

1. NO lists allowed. Books for the challenge are chosen one at a time when the mood strikes.
2. Sign up at any time during the challenge period using Mr. Linky below. Please give me a direct link to your blog post about the challenge. If you do not have a blog, no worries. Simply enter your name and leave the URL box on Mr. Linky blank.
3. Book reviews are not required, but if you want to write a review I will be providing a review Mr. Linky after August 1st.
4. Books are selected one at a time using the following procedure:

• Randomly select any number of books from either your physical OR your virtual TBR pile (I don’t care how you do this, but it must be random…no “cherry picking” allowed)
• Assign a number to each book based on how many books you selected (ie: if you selected 14 books, assign each book a number from 1 through 14; if you selected 28 books, assign each book a number from 1 through 28…you get the idea)
• Go to THIS SITE and use the TRUE RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR located in the upper right hand corner of the page to randomly select the book you will read. NO CHEATING – whatever the random number generator generates is the book you must read!
• Each time you select a book for the challenge, you will use this procedure. You may select different books each time, choose a different amount of books each time, etc…have fun, mix it up, keep it random.

I LOVE RANDOM!! That is one reason I adore Jenner's Take a Chance Challenge because it is so random. This is great! I am going to be daring and select Level III- 12 random books! Oh yeah!

Sound like fun? Join in by clicking here.

Book List:
1. Random #77- The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner (September 2009)

2. Random #119- The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (Oct/Nov 2009)

3. Random #144- Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (Oct/Nov 2009)

4. Random #15- Along Came a Spider by James Patterson (Oct/Nov 2009)

5. Random #88 My Point...and I Do Have One by Ellen DeGeneres (Jan 2010)

6. Random #151 The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran (Jan 2010)

7. Random #121 Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell (Jan 2010)

8. Random #18 Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson (Feb 2010)

9. Random #208 The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran (March 2010)

10. Random #27 The Washingtonienne by Jessica Cutler (May 2010) Really so awesome that I got this number because I just bought this book and was wanting to read it!

11. Random #255 Bright Lights, Big Ass by Jen Lancaster (May 2010)

12. Random # 62 Persuasion by Jane Austen (May 2010)

CHALLENGE COMPLETE! :)

Fibromyalgia Relief Book by Miryam Ehrlich Williamson

BOOK #: 61
REASONS READ: I have FMS; Triple 999 Reading Challenge; New Authors Challenge
PUBLISHER: Walker and Company
GENRE: Health; Self-Help
RATING: 5 Stars

As most of you probably know, I have fibromyalgia syndrome. I was diagnosed in December of 2005 when I was 26 years old. As a very active college student only months before, I was shocked to learn that I had to now modify all of my activities and go on medication to ease the absolute horrible fatigue I was suffering as a new teacher (fatigue was my onset symptom.)

For those of you who do not know what fibromyalgia is it is "a condition of musculoskeletal pain and severe fatigue accompanied by nonrestorative sleep and an assortment of other symptoms that can change from one patient to the next." A whole mixed-bag o' fun. I am always reading up on new ideas for symptom relief, tips for interacting with others when I have brain fog, new remedies, new science. When you suffer from a chronic and disabling illness, it pretty much consumes your daily life.

That is why when I saw Miryam Ehrlich Williamson's The Fibromyalgia Relief Book: 213 Ideas for Improving Your Quality of Life, I picked it up and began reading it immediately. Over the course of 2 years I have read from and used almost all of the 213 techniques in this book. From tips on home modifications to how to deal with holiday stress (stress exasporates fibromyalgia symtpoms) this book has tips and techniques.

Now, as any fibromyalgia patient knows, not every technique, medicine, strategy is going to work for every patient. What works for someone is as varied as what symptoms they have and to what degree of severity they experience them. Also, fibromyalgia patients experience what is known as "flare-ups", where the person's symptoms spike sharply for a brief or an extended period of time before returning to the person's typical experience level. So, with that said, not all of the techniques and ideas in this book will work for all of us, but I am betting that everyone will find something to take away from this book.

My copy has been referred to so much the spine is broken. Here are a few of the helpful ideas and tips that I have used and that have worked for me:

• Maintaining a sense of humor about my cognitive problems. I am forgetful, I get confused easily at times (particularly when very fatigued), and I am easily distracted (plus I have ADD). Reminding myself that everyone has memory problems and explaining myself and not taking it so seriously has really helped me to not feel depressed about it. (pg. 123)
• Letting those around me know about my limits and my boundaries. For a long time I tried to act like nothing was wrong until I had a flare-up and then the world seemed to come spinning off of its axis because I had not let others in on what I needed ahead of time. Now I talk to my family, my friends, my boyfriend, and (as necessary) my boss and the co-workers I rely on and who rely on me each day. I let them know what my pain level is that day, what I can and cannot handle so there is no guesswork. I try hard not to dwell on my problems, but I also do not pretend they aren't there. This has improved my personal relationships tremendously. (pg. 98)
  
• One problem I have is I go back and forth between insomnia and needing to sleep a lot. One of the reasons is that I don't often enter REM sleep, which is the restorative stage of sleep. One trick Williamson gave was to try white noise or relaxation music when falling asleep. I do this whenever I am having trouble falling asleep and it relaxes me and I sleep much better. Another trick she gave was to ensure my room was cool. I make sure the fan is on and I lay an extra blanket on the bed so I can regulate my temperature during the night as needed. My cat is a furnace and loves to snuggle up to me, so having the fan on low or medium helps a lot. When you get hot, you do not sleep well either. (pg. 73)
• Another good tip was getting a physical therapist to help me design an exercise program. Exercise is beneficial to people with fibromyalgia, but it is often difficult to exercise when you are exhausted and in pain. It is also very easy to overdo exercise when you are having a good day. Overdoing it one day can lead to several days laid up in the bed, so it is good to have a plan of moderation. I designed an exercise plan with my physical therapists and doctor that includes walking, swimming, dancing, yoga, stretching, and very light hand weights and, most importantly, time limits. This program is helping me to lose weight and feel better symptom-wise without overdoing it. (pg. 145)

Williamson also discusses tips on traveling, household chores, nutrition, and battling depression that can often accompany having a chronic illness. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is suffering from fibromyalgia or who knows someone who does.

Also by Miryam Ehrlich Williamson:
Fibromyalgia: A Comprehensive Approach

Have you read or reviewed this book? What did you think? Do you have questions or comments? Please feel free to ask them below and I will answer them!

Musing Mondays- Online Book Databases

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about online book sites…

Do you have an account with an online book database site (LibraryThing, Shelfari, GoodReads etc)? If so, do you have a preference? Do you use it for - your own record keeping? finding new books to read? social networking?

I started out with Library Thing and Shelfari and loved both. I still have my Library Thing account and Shelfari account, but my favorite is Goodreads, which I found after the first 2. I find it easier to keep updated and to share with others, and find more friends on it than Shelfari. I do like the way Shelfari has the classy bookshelf widgets, which is better than the LT or Goodreads widgets. I also like that in Goodreads and Shelfari I can add as many books as I want and books that I want to read and want to own, not just what I do own. All have their pros and cons, but Goodreads is my favorite and the one I keep the most updated.

Visit my Goodreads Profile

Visit my Library Thing Profile

Visit my Shelfari Profile

Diversity Role Call- Gender Diversity

Diversity Role Call is hosted by the wonderful Ali of the blog Worducopia. This is my first time participating in it, although I cannot believe I have not before. I love reading all of the entries and find them fascinating and I am a huge believer in diversity in books.
This week there were two topics and I chose to write about the topic on Gender Diversity. Here is what was said on Ali's post:

Some of us live in fairly homogenous communities, and some kids aren't exposed to a lot of diversity in their day-to-day lives. (All the more reason to include it in the books they read! But I digress). The one kind of diversity that nearly everyone is exposed to on a daily basis, and often within their own families, is gender diversity.

Librarian Diantha McBride wrote an open letter to publishers in School Library Journal, detailing several things she'd like to see changed in children's books. The most controversial statement she made was this:

I need more books for boys—as do most librarians who work with young people. I've noticed that lots of books with female characters aren't really about being female. In fact, in many cases, the main characters could just as easily have been males—and that would make my job a lot easier.

Of the many reactions to this throughout the blogosphere, Renay's sarcastic rant stood out for me:

"Why yes! Girls should have to read about boys because you know, they’re used to it, but boys shouldn’t have to pick up a book with a female narrator, because they might get cooties. . . . Boys need books with male narrators because they can’t see themselves in a female perspective, because they’ve been trained not to by a society that is hostile to women and girls. The answer is not to cater to this hostility, it is to come up with creative ways to make the books appealing."

Meanwhile, Mr. Chompchomp of Guys Lit Wire issued an apology of his own, for the fact that his recommendations for books for boys tend to bypass books with female leads, regardless of whether the premise/writing/style might have boy appeal. He remedies this with a list of books with female protagonists and boy appeal which I'll certainly be making use of for my boys.

There were three choices for this topic and I chose number 1, which is:
Talk about a book (or offer a list of books) that you think has appeal to both genders. Or, books with a female lead that would appeal to guys, or vice versa. It doesn't have to be a kids' book--choose whatever genre you'd like.


I am making 2 lists for this.

First, the age range I am most familiar with and have the most experience with is pre-k so I am going to base this first list off of books for the 3-5 year-old set. (Instead of copying each book's description into my post, I am linking the title to its page on Amazon.)





1. We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen







2. Where the Wild Things Are by Marcus Sendak








3. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn







4. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney






5. Curious George Goes to the Beach by H.A. Rey






6. The Hat by Jan Brett

Second, this list is for the slightly older crowd, perhaps 8-11 range that I think any boy of this age range can enjoy.






1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Abridged) by Mark Twain







2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas







3. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls







4. Magic Tree House #42: A Good Night for Ghosts by Mary Pope Osbourne







5. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner







6. Loser by Jerry Spinelli

Questions, comments on these selections or your own ideas for books? Please leave a comment!

TSS: Book Covers I Love

It is just after midnight on Sunday morning here and I have had a long day. Six months ago yesterday we lost my father. So today I wanted to keep my posts light and fun and beautiful. And these covers do just that. Book covers to me are so important. When I am browsing in a store, good cover art that catches my eye will make me pick up and look at a book I may have never noticed before. So while it's what is on the inside that counts, the outside is what gets noticed. :)










In the Sanctuary of Outcasts: A Memoir by Neil White
Why I Like It: I love paths. Paths lead somewhere new, somewhere exciting, somewhere different, to different people and different experiences. Paths rock.









Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz
Why I Like It: Simple, beautiful, I like the contrast and I like the curly "f".









The Concubine's Daughter: A Novel by Pai Kit Fai
Why I Like It: Eye-catching colors, mysterious feel.









Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie
Why I Like It: Simple, seductive, mysterious feel.







Valeria's Last Stand by Marc Fitten
Why I Like It: It's simple, yet the font is beautiful.









A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Why I Like It: I have noticed I have an affinity for people turned around. Mysterious feel.








The Belly Dancer by DeAnna Cameron
Why I Like It: Beautiful movement, colors.








Ghostly Ruins: America's Forgotten Architecture by Harry Skrdla
Why I Like It: Love the angle of the photograph.









Rooftops of Tehran: A Novel by Mahbod Seraji
Why I Like It: I love the color and mood of the cover.








A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
Why I Like It: Mysterious feel, simple.









A Disobedient Girl: A Novel by Ru Freeman
Why I Like It: I think backs turned to you are mysterious. I want to find out what they are hiding.








Teasing Secrets from the Dead: My Investigation at America's Most Infamous Crime Scenes by Emily Craig
Why I Like It: Just great placement of the skull and bones. Great balance between the picture and the title.









Song of the Cuckoo Bird: A Novel by Amulya Malladi
Why I Like It: A path, a mysterious feel.

So did you notice a theme? Ahem.

My Month in Movies- June/July

My Month in Movies is a monthly feature I do to share one of my other loves. This month I watched a couple of DVDs, some movies on television, and one in the theater, Public Enemies. Descriptions of the movies came from Netflix (I heart Netflix) and my star ratings follow.






ZERO EFFECT (1998)
Steve Arlo (Ben Stiller) and Daryl Zero (Bill Pullman) have private investigation covered from A to Z, even with their newest case -- finding a shady tycoon's missing keys. For this duo, crime-solving is easy ... but when love zeroes in on Zero, the world's best detective suddenly hasn't got a clue! With sly humor and a sleuth's eye for detail, writer-director Jake Kasdan makes his feature-film debut. Ryan O'Neal and Kim Dickens co-star. ****

MUSIC WITHIN (2007)
After losing his hearing as a soldier during the Vietnam War, Richard Pimentel (Ron Livingston) returns to America, where he falls in with an unlikely circle of friends and finds a new calling as a spokesman for the disabled. His activist efforts eventually lead to the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This inspiring and entertaining true story won the Audience Award at the 2007 AFI Dallas International Film Festival. ****

ANACONDA (1997) (re-watch)
When deranged snake hunter Paul Sarone (Jon Voight) tricks a filmmaking crew (Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube and Eric Stoltz) into taking him on their boat so he can hunt a giant anaconda, the group soon finds itself up the Amazon River without a paddle as they become prey for the reptile. With their captain incapacitated, the crew must battle not only the fearsome snake but the equally slimy, ruthless Sarone. Great cinematography marks this thriller. ***


BENNY AND JOON (1993)
Benny (Aidan Quinn) is the overprotective caretaker of his mentally ill -- but artistically talented -- sister, Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson). When the eccentric Sam (Johnny Depp), who looks and acts like a silent-movie comedian, falls for Joon, the siblings' frail bond is put to the test. Depp's performance in this offbeat, beautifully acted love story scored a Golden Globe nomination. Julianne Moore and Oliver Platt co-star. ****

THE NOTEBOOK (2004) (re-watch)
Based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, this drama chronicles an enduring love that withstands both war and disease. It begins in a nursing home, where a man (James Garner) arrives every day armed with a notebook from which he reads stories about a couple, Noah and Allie (played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams), to an unresponsive woman (Gena Rowlands). Who are the characters in the book, and why does the stranger insist on reading about them aloud? ****1/2

PRIDE & PREJUDICE (2005) (re-watch)
In this retelling of Jane Austen's novel set in 19th-century England, Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) is all atwitter in hopes of marrying her daughters to prosperous gentlemen callers, especially when a wealthy bachelor moves nearby. Headstrong daughter Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) meets her match in Mr. Darcy, but misinterprets Darcy's honorable intentions and jeopardizes her chance at love. Donald Sutherland, Judi Dench and Jena Malone co-star. *****

OLD SCHOOL (2003) (re-watch)
Three guys in their early thirties -- Mitch (Luke Wilson), Frank (Will Ferrell) and Beanie (Vince Vaughn) -- try to relive their old college glory days by moving into a large house near their old campus. There, they form an "unofficial fraternity" where current students can party hardy -- without the responsibility that comes with having to abide by the university's fraternity rules! ****1/2

SIX DAYS, SEVEN NIGHTS (1998)
When Quinn (Harrison Ford), a grouchy pilot living the good life in the South Pacific, agrees to transfer a savvy fashion editor, Robin (Anne Heche), to Tahiti, he ends up on a deserted island with her after their plane crashes. At first, the pair avoid each other, until they are forced to team up to escape from the island -- and some pirates who want their heads. ***1/2

DOGMA (1999) (re-watch)
Who would have guessed that the latest battle in the eternal war between good and evil would take place in suburban New Jersey? In director Kevin Smith's 1999 comic fantasia Dogma, angels (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck), gnarly demons, a half-baked apostle (Chris Rock) and clueless prophets walk among America's cynics and innocents, duking it out for humankind's fate. ****

CLEOPATRA (1963)
This epic saga of love, greed and betrayal -- which won four Oscars -- stars Elizabeth Taylor as the passionate and ambitious Egyptian queen. Determined to hold on to the throne, she seduces the Roman emperor Julius Caesar (Rex Harrison). When Caesar is murdered, however, she redirects her attentions to his general, Marc Antony (Richard Burton), who vows to take power. But Caesar's successor (Roddy McDowall) has other plans.***

BIG LOVE: SEASON 1 (2006)
Meet Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), a Salt Lake City business owner struggling to balance the usual demands of work and family life. But with three wives (Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny and Ginnifer Goodwin), seven kids and three new houses, Bill's burdened with a juggling act that requires more finesse than most. Can our polygamous hero survive his addiction to love? Find out in Season 1 of this decidedly offbeat HBO series. **

PUBLIC ENEMIES (2009)
In the shadow of the Great Depression, criminal minds are thriving -- notorious men like John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), "Baby Face" Nelson (Stephen Graham) and "Pretty Boy" Floyd (Channing Tatum) -- and it's up to J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) and the FBI to bring them down. Michael Mann directs this gritty crime drama based on the book by Bryan Burrough. Christian Bale, Giovanni Ribisi and Leelee Sobieski co-star. ****