1) BECOMING JANE. So good. I will never say anything bad about Anne Hathaway again. I may say bad things about her previous career choices, her previous directors, her previous makeup artists, but either the woman has the soul of an actress in her or they replaced her with a body-snatcher who does. She kicks ass. It’s an amazing movie. I knew it wasn’t going to be happy for her, knowing her biography already, but the damn thing convinced me into hoping past hope, ot once, but twice. Going to have to see it again, and cry some more.

I walked out of it and told Meredith that we women, that is, we twenty-five-year-old folks, have a responsibility to enjoy ourselves in proportion to the degree in which women of the past were unable to. In other words, have another drink for the Victorians, girls.

2) THE NAKED AND THE DEAD. Mother of God. Finished it, and…
yeah. I have nothing to say except that it manages to be a completely inspiring fusion of formal innovation and devastating content. If I was still in school I’d tear it to shreds just to watch how pretty it was on the dissecting table. The man is bristling with talent. And it is so young, and so self-assured, and so good despite its occasional awkwardnesses. Here’s another quote:

“Afterward, he feels as if his education is completed. He has known for a long time that there is no man you can trust, but women have not concerned him. Now he is positive that women too are as unreliable as the altering sands of mutual advantage.”

That’s right, sucker! In all seriousness, I think this is the new book that I’m going to be pawning off on everyone. Did I already use the “Mailer? I hardly even…” joke? It bears repeating.