Two brief and basic reviews for today. 

One.
This afternoon I dragged loml to see the latest HP movie: Deathly Hallows the first.  I was going to see it with a fellow HP lover but movie times failed us.  Apparently if you wait a month to see a movie you don't have all that many options.  Anyway, I think it was fantastically done.  The last movie was OK, enjoyable, but I thought there were too many liberties taken (like the burning down of the Weasley's house which apparently had magically reappeared in the same form in this film).  It was also kind of fun to see what questions loml had about what happened in the film: what are snatchers?  what year is it now?  etc etc.  Also, no, the "naked silver twilight makeout" scene was not like that in the book.  It is fun to imagine how JK Rowling would have written that though...

Two.
I recently finished Tess of the D'urbervilles.  It was a smooth read; I read it and was interested in what was going to happen almost the whole way through.  But this book made me confront something about myself:  I do not enjoy unhappy books.  And I especially don't like an unhappy end.  I've thought of a few exceptions to this rule, but overall I'd rather read a happy ending.  And while Tess was clearly engaging due to how well written it was, my goodness what a depressing book.  What am I supposed to take out of it?  That pride prevents people from being happy or that blind devotion does?  That having no true faith will lead you to toil and gloom?  And really, who would ever say this is their favorite book?  That is the part that baffles me the most.  Who reads this and thinks, well, it was engaging and depressing but MAN did I enjoy all that time that I felt depressed while reading it?