McKenna meets Miyazaki

If you ever wondered what it would be like for Miyazaki to make a movie of a Terence McKenna screenplay, then you should see Paprika.

If you like anime, or especially if you think that the genre is running out of new ideas, you should see Paprika.

If you are interested in lucid dreaming, you should definitely see Paprika.

If you are interested in psychology, you should see Paprika.

However, if you (already) have a phobia about dolls or parades, you should NOT see Paprika. Also, Paprika does not treat weight issues with sensitivity.

Favorite quotes out of context:
"How's that for traumatic?"
"The inside is what matters, but there's a limit, too."

I can hardly wait for there to be more screenshots from this movie. There is a scene I definitely want an icon from.

I Thee Wed

In my mind, Jayne Anne Krentz, who also writes under other names, stands out from the herd when it comes to romance writers. Her heroines are smart and plucky. Her heroes are not forceful in wooing their ladies. She also combines romance with mystery, suspense, and sometimes the occult.

I picked up I Thee Wed on paperbackswap.com. I liked this book. I thought it was well-written, although the ending was perhaps a bit too neat (and this is coming from the woman who loves package endings). It was funny in places. What I didn't like about it was the circumstances in which the hero and heroine fall in love - when she's working for him, and is hoping the salary he gives her will be enough to save her from penury. That felt a little like duress, to me, but it was mitigated by the way that she takes charge of her circumstances, repeatedly and firmly. I enjoyed the magic in the book, but wish it had been explained further. Three stars - a good read.

I'll happily pass this book along to anyone who would like it for a beach read. The Athena Factor is likewise up for grabs.

Cradle to Cradle

I was lent this book by ceelove after hearing wonderful things about it from her and others. Wow. This book could really change the world. Although aspects of it are depressing, it proposes a way out of our current ecological crisis that is not dependent on all of us consuming less. It suggests we model ourselves on nature - create lots of things that are GOOD for the environment rather than just trying to use things that are less bad. Nature's model is that waste equals food. The book suggests this could be our model as well if we're willing to change the way we think about making things. I hope that this book starts a movement, and the movement can sustain itself.

Either way, though, this book will make you think differently about everything from the kind of house you live in to objects that you touch every day, where they came from, and where they are going. Five stars. Everyone should read it, and read it slowly.

Now that I'm done with this one, I can more deeply sink my teeth into some other nonfiction. Just started: Benjamin Franklin: A Life and Sacred Women, Sacred Dance.