Weekend of Television

After that goddawful premiere of the goddawful US version of Skins, E4 returns with its original series now in its fifth year. What a refreshing cool drink of water, I might say. Worried that I have to reacquaint myself with the show as it ushered in the third generation - not to mention that horrible mistake to (spoiler alert) kill Freddie off in the last series - I was surprised to see a delightful cast of colorful people, whose relationship with each other is still unknown. 

Hank Moody also returned to us earlier this month, joined by the new Showtime series, Episodes - which seems to satire the sudden boom of UK to US remakes. Starring Matt LaBlanc of Friends fame, the show follows two British writers who are offered a deal of a lifetime by creating a remake of their television show in the States. Things go terribly wrong when the lust-for-life, LA style bastardizes their vision. The show is both comical and smart, though with the ratings lagging and only seven episodes, I don't think the show will stand the test of time. 

As for Hank Moody, Californication returned for its fourth season. Picking up right after the events of season three, Hank Moody finds himself split from his family. The season, so far, is the funniest of them and filled with raw emotion. I cannot wait for the twist/cliffhanger presented at the end. 

Along with all these, I also started to rewatch Skins, starting with series one and will work my way through two, three and four later on. I also watched Saw and Saw 3D, which I'll write about later. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Fictional books - as in, the ones that don't exist in the real world - always intrigue me. When I read Wonder Boys by Chabon, I wanted to read the collective works of Grady Tripp and those of "the first real writer" Tripp ever knew - August Van Zorn. So it goes without saying, when Californication came into my life, I wanted to read Hank Moody's novels. My prayers were answered when his novel, God Hates Us All, was released last year. Note: It wasn't the fact that I couldn't afford his book last year, it's just that it takes me a year to grow the balls to read a novel based on a novel in a TV show. Finally having finished the novel, I have to say that I understand why Hank Moody was pissed off when his novel - which takes its title from a Slayer album - was turned into the TomKat flick, A Crazy Little Thing Called Love (which, god forbid, no one decides to actually make). But then again, let's not forget how disappointed I was with the novel. 

It's not that it's a bad book. And I really didn't know what to expect when a fictional novel is released into the real world, but whatever I did expect, I can assure you this wasn't it. I can't even fathom how something like this could ever be adapted into a romantic comedy starring TomKat. And I know, I shouldn't even think like that because neither Hank Moody, TomKat (in the sense of the show, anyway) or the real (though, actually, fictional) God Hates Us All don't really exist. 

In actuality, Jonathan Grotenstein - who, possibly, wrote this book -  probably had Hank Moody in the head. I'm not sure how much instruction he got or how much creative freedom he was allotted, but after a few chapters into the book, I thought less and less about Hank Moody's persona on the show and more about how this book seems completely color-by-numbers. The book starts reading more like something out of the mind of Hank Moody toward the last half, but the voice is still lacking. Push in a few music references - like the show does - and you got yourself something that isn't bad, but isn't something you'd expect. And the nearly perfect wrap up, well, that's something I'd rather not talk about. 

All in all, I'll give the book a three-star review. I think it's fair, don't you? Until next time, happy huntin'.

More books arrived

I tell you, nothing makes a book hunter happier than receiving books in the mail. And last week, I received my package from Better World Books - purchased off Amazon - which contained Sex Diaries edited by Maxium Jakubowski and Dying For It: Tales of Sex and Death edited by Mitzi Szereto. 

In the mail today, I received my (hopefully) final order from Amazon for the year. The order was made up of Etgar Keret's The Bus Driver Who Wanted to be God, a book I've been lusting after since I saw the trailer for Wristcutters: A Love Story. Stapled to that book was Chelsea Handler's My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands and God Hates Us All by fictional fiction writer Hank Moody from Showtime's Californication. 

I started on Keret's collection of short stories and plan to move on Hank Moody's novel. At the moment, however, my only concern is getting over this cold. Because being sick puts a damper on my reading groove. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Today Was a Good Day

Hunt: Hastings buy 2 get 3rd for $1 deal
Partner: Jyg, Izzy, Esmer & Esteban
Location: Hastings McAllen, TX
Success: 3/3
Cost: $17.30
Condition: Used
Saved: $26.97

The hunt was rather impromptu. We had headed out to Hastings merely to hang out with Esmer and Esteban. We strolled around for a while and that's where I saw a copy of The Golden Ass on the newly arrived used shelf. Because I had read about the book back in college - possibly through my extensive research on the subject of sexual nature - I decided to thumb through it. I nearly set it down until I saw the deal. So I quickly looked for two more books, finding both The Delta of Venus and Little Birds by Anaïs Nin. I have the former, an ratty old hardback, sitting on my sex shelf - yes, I have a sex shelf - I decided that owning Little Birds might be a good thing for me. I took that along. I searched the shelf until tiring after not finding anything remotely interesting. I headed down the aisles, not sure what I was looking for when Cities of the Red Night by William S. Burroughs jumped out at me. I'm a Burroughs fan so it was only obvious that it was coming with me regardless.

So in the end, I had the three books I needed to complete the sale. Awesome, though I should really stop spending money when the cash flow isn't coming in anymore. I'm so bad at this.

1. Cities of the Red Night - William S. Burroughs
2. Little Birds: Erotica - Anaïs Nin
3. The Golden Ass - Apuleius translated by Jack Lindsay

After ringing up the purchase, The Golden Ass turned out to be my dollar book. I also saw a copy of God Hates Us All, leaving me to wonder if a fictional book from a TV series is actually worth the read. Who am I kidding? Sooner or later Hank Moody's opus will be sitting on my shelf because I'm in love with Californication.

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