Use and Abuse of the Deus ex Machina Device in Romance

Wikipedia says: A deus ex machina (pronounced /ˈdeɪ.əs ɛks ˈmɑːkinə/ or /ˈdiː.əs ɛks ˈmækɨnə/,^[1] literally "god from the machine") is a plot device in which a person or thing appears "out of the blue" to help a character to overcome a seemingly insolvable difficulty.

I had never really thought about deus ex machina in romance until I read JR Ward. She has a character in the Black Dagger Brotherhood, the Scribe Virgin, who is virtually omnipotent, and has, throughout the series ,waved her magic wand and fixed some insurmountable issues. In the case of Rhage and Mary, it worked for me as a reader (probably because Rhage is among my favorite of the brothers, and at the time I read the book, I was still very deeply invested in the series), in the case of V and Jane, the device didn't work for me at all. In fact, I was really incensed by Ward's decision to use the device again, and most especially with how she elected to repair what she'd broken in Lover Unbound.

I've just finished reading an upcoming release by one of my very favorite romance authors, one who literally has a perfect track record with me. In this book, the author also utilized a form of deux ex machina. And frankly, I'm kind of on the fence about it. Within the construct of the world, the device actually sort of works. But I'm not a fan of the magic wand repair of an insurmountable issue. But in this case, the "fix", for lack of a better word, came through someone who had never manifested the talent before, so it was unexpected, and mostly believable, assuming that the author never, ever goes to the well again.

For the most part though, I find deus ex machina to be lazy storytelling. I think if you write yourself into a corner, you need to find a way out. I'm definitely not a fan. I've decided I'm going to go back and re-read the book, to see if the scenario works better me as I read the book again.

What's your opinion of deus ex machina in romance? Does it ever work? And if so, what are some examples of romances where the device works?

JDM

EW has been polling their readers about the 25 Hottest Hotties. I still can't believe that my boychild boyfriend, Taylor Kitsch wasn't listed. But Evs, Yo.

Lookee who was.

Yes, it's Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Delicious. And mine, mine, all mine.

Don't even think about stealing him.

It's Heroine's Week at RNTV!

Come visit to see which heroines we love.
I'm up today, and am talking about Julie James' heroines.
Heroine's Week lasts today through Saturday!

Hey Kati...

What have you been reading?

I'm SO glad you asked!

Hot Under Pressure by Kathleen O'Reilly. I've been hearing a ton about O'Reilly's work, ever since the Smart Bitches started pimping her work, and Doc Turtle read one. This was a book about two people who met on an airplane and had one very hot night together, that morphs into a long distance relationship. The book is an HQN Blaze, and I thought it worked extremely well. The story itself is well written and emotional. The sex is hot and the connection between the characters was completely credible. I'd love to see what O'Reilly would do within a longer construct, she certainly has a deft hand with the shorter format. Final Grade: A-

Practice Makes Perfect by Julie James. This was a re-read for me, since I'm writing about Payton Kendall for Heroine's Week at RNTV (it begins tomorrow, join us!). I have to say that Julie's writing just works for me. She's got a terrifically light hand with humor but more than that, her writing is a rare thing for me. She writes heroines who I genuinely like. In many romances I'm much more about the hero than the heroine. But Julie's books feature heroines who I'd want to be friends with. Re-read grade: A

Hey Kati...

How'd the reorganizing of your shelves go?

I'm so glad you asked.

I organized well over 200 books that were in my book cases. I separated them into stack of give aways (about 100 of them) which will go either to the library, or the local chemo center. Then another stack of loaners, which I'll bag up and give to my friend Annie to read (that was another 30 books). Then I took books I thought I'd re-read (another 15 or so). What was left constitutes my TBR stack, which sits at about 40. This is actually pretty surprising. It used to be that I never ever had a To Be Read stack. I read as fast as I bought. But now that I'm reviewing, I read much more slowly. But as I got the shelves organized, I was reminded how many books out there I still really want to read, and how lucky I am that I own so many of the books I'd love to read. The TBR is now organized by historical, contemporary, paranormal and erotic. I'm pretty pleased with what amounted to about two hours worth of work.

Hey Kati...

How's your football team?

I don't want to talk about it.

Hope you are all having a good week. I start the new gig on Monday, August 31. Today I have a telephone orientation.

What's going on with you?

Sunday Morning Forthy Goodness

EARWORM ALERT!

Why, oh why am I such a teeny bopper? It's a mystery.

But, how fun is this song??

Whole Lot of Nothin'

Wow. Slow blogging week for Miss Kati. I've got a whole lot of nothing going on because I'm in my last full week of work, so things are moderately crazed here. So here's what I'm thinking about:

1-READING. I've scored a much, much coveted book, which I keep meaning to read, but well, I'm just not into it right now. I think because I'm distracted by the amount of crap that I've got to get done before I leave this job. This weekend I'm planning to get my book shelves organized. I think that my To Be Read stack and my To Be Reviewed stacks are intersecting, and I really feel like I have no control of what I've read and haven't and what still needs to be reviewed. The problem is, my bookshelves have doors on them, so I can kind of keep shoving things in there, even after the shelves are full because the doors hide the mess. It's time to take the bull by the horns and get organized. I think I'm going to move my TBR shelves into my bedroom where, first, the books are on display, perhaps discouraging the buying of even more books, and second, if I'm tempted to read in bed, I'll pick up something I'm actually SUPPOSED to be reading, rather than an old flame.

2- WATCHING. Oh for the love of sweet baby Jesus, I'm ready for TV to come back. I shuttled through over 900 channels last night and couldn't find a damn thing to watch. I ended up settling on an On Demand version of Say Anything. Also, I discovered we have a new movie channel that's in previews right now. It's called EPIX, anyone heard of it? Their line up is most excellent right now, which I'm sure will change. I'm just wondering if we'll have to pay more for it, considering that H. and I get every channel known to man because of our movie/sports addiction. Seriously, I think we currently get everything but the porn channels. If you call FIOS and they read off what channels we have, they have to take at least two breaths throughout the recitation. The sad thing is, we both totally watch TV constantly. So we really do get our money's worth.

3- GOOD NEWS!! Long time readers of Katidom will remember my very good friend, Rachael, who lost her daughter, Hannah two years ago in a drowning accident. Rach's blog chronicles a mother's daily struggle to survive the anguish of losing a child -- not just in one piece, but with a grace and dignity that is generally unsurpassed by anyone I know. Anyway, the exciting news is that Rach is pregnant. I couldn't be more tickled for her. She's in the feeling yucky phase of it, and is getting ready to go back to teaching full time, but she's thrilled, as are those of us who know and love her. So, yay! Rach's family is due for some really wonderful news.

4-CONGRATS. Congrats to many, many of my blogging friends who have received BBAW awards! Especially the fab Katiebabs and The Book Smugglers. The nominations are well, well deserved!

What are you thinking about this week? Reading anything good? Seen anything, anything at all, good on TV or at the movies??

Going too Far by Jennifer Echols - A Review (-ish)

You know, I used to think that I was a pretty good book pimp. But I have to be totally honest...

I've got nothing whatsoever on Ana from Book Smugglers. Seriously. Nothing.

To date, here is a list of books that I've read (and loved) that Ana has pimped to me:

Like No Other Lover by Julie Ann Long
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
Going to Far by Jennifer Echols

I've got Queen of Attolia and King of Attolia on their way to me now. I've got four other "Ana-Recommended" books on my list too. She's an evil, evil book pimp, I tell you.

And why is that? It's the reviews. Ana has a knack for cutting right to the heart of why a book is working for her. And more than that, is able to convey the emotion of the book, the skilled storytelling, the nuance of the book. I've said it before, but it's true, I want to write reviews like Ana when I grow up.

*********************************************

In the meantime, I want to talk about Going to Far by Jennifer Echols, Ana's latest successful book pimp.

Going to Far is the story of Meg MacPhearson, a seventeen year old girl, who is clocking the time until she graduates and can get the hell out of her tiny Alabama town. Meg is a wild child: taking crazy risks, drinking too much, sleeping with the wrong boys, and generally making many bad choices. She's the town bad girl.

One night, Meg and the guy she's been sleeping with, Eric, and two other friends, head out to a bridge in town where it's rumored some kids died. The group is drunk, and are planning to get up to no good at the bridge. While there, the kids are caught by the cops and arrested. One of the cops who shows up to issue the arrest is John After, a nineteen year old graduate of Meg's high school. John is what we'd call a straight arrow. He's disgusted by the chances Meg and her friends were taking, and he's determined to get get to the bottom of why she takes such awful risks with her life. John convinces the DA that Meg and two of her friends should ride along with the cops, firefighters and paramedics whose time was wasted showing up to deal with their bad choice on the bridge. Meg is stuck riding with John for the week of her senior spring break, when she was supposed to be in Miami with a group of friends.

During the week, Meg and John spend John's entire shift together, cruising around town, dealing with a variety of "cop calls": drunk drivers, car accidents, breaking and entering. The time they spend together forces them to get to know each other. Meg struggles to understand John's decision to stay in this podunk little town after graduating near the top of his class. He seems to have so much promise, why would he do that? He keeps telling her he wants to get ahead of the bad choices people make. He doesn't want to deal with the after-effects, he wants to head the problem off at the pass. For his part, John tries to understand why Meg is so wild. Why she's making the choices she is. Why she isn't more grateful for the gifts in her life.

I'll confess it now, I was a teenage wild child. I made a ton of very bad decisions, I chose to act like a grown up and do grown up things long before it was appropriate. So, in Meg, I found a kindred spirit. I understood her motivations, I understood the need to be in control of some aspects of your life. I understood her teenage resentment toward her parents' control of her. Echols has beautifully captured the way I think many teen girls think. The language she uses, the reactions she gives Meg, they're a gift, really. Meg is very real, and eminently likeable, even when she's behaving like a bitch. Meg is the force propelling the story forward.

But it is the juxtaposition between John and Meg that makes the book so powerful. John is Meg's polar opposite. He's settled, determined, and really smart. He's decided on a career. He's determined to make a difference. His life is ordered and controlled. He is a man already, even with only two years separating he and Meg. But as John experiences Meg, he begins to question that ordered life. He begins to wonder about what could be. And it is in trying to change Meg, that he is changed.

Going Too Far is a truly beautifully crafted book that features some of the most nuanced teen characters I've read yet.

Final Grade: A

Can There Ever Be Enough Julie Andrews?

Thanks to the wonderful Holly, who tweeted this video. Which yes, gets me teary-eyed for reasons I don't understand.

But it begs the question, can the world ever really get enough of Julie Andrews?

I say no.

ETA: You may want to expand the screen to get the full effect of the video.

Ruminations on The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

I picked up The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner after reading glowing reviews by Ana at The Book Smugglers and Angie of Angieville (gotta love a girl who names her blog after herself - heh).

I knew very little about the book except that it was about a thief. When the book opens, Gen, the narrator is in prison. He's been captured after making a foolhardy boast in a public location about his ability to steal anything. Gen spends days and days in the prison waiting for something to happen. Soon enough, he's brought before the King's magus, his advisor, and is told that he's going to be required to steal something that the King wants. He'll be escorted on his mission by the magus, two of his apprentices and a soldier. If he accomplishes his mission, he'll be set free. If he doesn't, he'll die.

As we come to know Gen, we find that he's arrogant, self sufficient, wily, smart, and has a sly sense of humor. The story unfolds slowly (VEEEERY slowly), but the slow pace is necessary to allow the story to build upon itself. It's important to note that this is a four book series, so Book 1, The Thief, involves a tremendous amount of culture development and world building. It's worth noting that Turner builds that world intelligently, allowing the story to advance as we get tidbits about the culture of the world. I think it works so well because this story is geared toward kids (Amazon put the target audience for this book at 6th grade). So while the world is not *that* advanced, the way that she makes the culture unfold is by telling legends, each legend enhances the personality of the character telling the story. It's a fascinating and deft way to elucidate finer points in a way that kids understand, but also creates building blocks upon which the story is built.

I don't think its a spoiler to say that this book features a twist. One that in no way is telegraphed, but once you know the twist, you have many "Ah-ha!" moments. Where the building blocks and breadcrumbs that Turner laid throughout the book become meaningful. This is a book written with deliberation and intent. What I mean by that is that I get the feeling that Megan Whalen Turner had a detailed outline for the story. It's crafted in such a way that I don't think she could have just let the story "unfold." It's too precise a story for that.

So, what I'm still torn about is how well the story worked for me. As an adult, I look at the book and appreciate the intent behind the story, the breadcrumbs that were left, the details, and the strong and simple prose. I appreciate the layers of Gen's character. That he's more, and less, than he seems. If I were looking at this book though as a young adult reader, I'm not sure the book would have held my interest up to the twist. I found the story to be quite draggy in the middle, and thought that aspects of the story took too long to come to light.

But once the twist comes out, the story barrels towards the ending, and certainly, the book ends in a way that it would be impossible for me not to continue. I will read the next two books that are available (Queen of Attolia and King of Attolia) and book 4, A Conspiracy of Kings comes out in 2010.

Final grade: B

The Anti Vs. The Asshat

LeeAnn had a thought provoking post yesterday about a book she's reading where she identified the hero as an "anti-hero" mostly because of his rough treatment of both his wife and his mistress. (FYI, it was the hero of Erin McCarthy's My Immortal). I chimed in and said that I thought that this hero wasn't in fact an anti-hero, but an asshat hero.

It got me to thinking, what's the difference?

Anti-hero is defined by the allknowing Wikipedia as "in fiction, an antihero^[1] is a protagonist whose character or goals are antithetical to traditional heroism. The term dates to 1714^[2], although literary criticism identifies the trope in earlier literature."

So that says to me, in romance, an antihero would be someone who defies romance hero qualities. So, not necessarily a leader of men, perhaps someone who is not honorable, someone who does what he must, even if it's an action without honor. Going with that definition, I can think of only a couple of anti-heroes I've read in romance. First is Bastien Touissant from Anne Stuart's Black Ice. Bastien is a man more or less without a moral compass. He's ruthless in the extreme and dangerous as hell. And he saves Chloe, the heroine not so much because he feels something for her, but because it suits his needs to do so. As he goes along, he begins to feel something for her, but in general, he doesn't care about much of anything.

So following the idea that Bastien is an antihero, it gets to me think about Raphael, the hero of Nalini Singh's Angels' Blood. Raphael is an archangel. People amount to being ants in his world. He protects them, not because of a driving interest in their well being, but because they are part of what he considers to be his domain. He is virtually omnipotent. When he meets the heroine, he toys with her, literally like a plaything. Until he begins to respect her willingness to persevere, even when she knows he could flick her off and kill her without raising a hair on his head.

But then, we get to the asshat hero. The one that springs to mind immediately is Clayton Westmoreland from Judith McNaught's Whitney, My Love. Now, I'm not one of those who hated the book because of the forced seduction/rape scene. Clayton is an asshat because he jumps to all kinds of wicked and ridiculous conclusions about Whitney, acting as judge and jury over and over again without giving her the slightest opportunity to defend herself against the perceived "wrongs" she's done him. In fact, one of those conclusions leads to the forced seduction/rape scene. Even after he tells her he loves her, he manages to jump to yet another conclusion that separates them. Clayton is an asshat.

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, except that I really enjoy reading about both hero types, especially in the hands of an author adept enough to redeem the hero. It's a very, very fine line to walk as an author, I think. It's incumbent on them to accomplish three things:

1- Make the reader understand, if not identify, with the hero's actions.
2- Make the reader *want* the hero's redemption (for me, it almost always involves a protracted grovelling scene w/the heroine where she kicks his ass all over town).
3- Make the reader *believe* the hero is deserving of the HEA.

Not an easy thing, I think. But overwhelmingly for me, the books where the author pulls off the redemption of the hero are ones that end up being keepers for me.

Your Turn: Is my definition of romance anti-hero correct? Which books do you think pull off an antihero redemption? What are examples of ass-hat heroes?

Checking In...

Hey everyone - So sorry for the long delay between blog posts. I got smacked around by what can only be described as a vicious 12 hour stomach bug. It flew in and out in 12 hours, but it felt like a year to me. After spending yesterday morning on the floor of my bathroom, I've resolved to do a much better job cleaning that floor (ick!).

Anyway, I have no brilliant ideas about what to blog about today, so as usual, I'm going to just share my thoughts about whatever.

First: I'm looking forward to reading Pat Conroy's new book South of Broad. You may or may not be familiar with his work. Conroy is a wonderful southern writer, who puts a book out about every six or seven years, need it or not. His books almost always feature incredibly witty main characters who have both mommy issues (or sometimes daddy issues) and a dead brother. There's almost always rampant mental illness in the family. Why, oh why would I read Conroy's books then? Because they are so incredibly lush (bordering on purple) and he capture the south like nobody's business. He's written some of my favorite books: The Lords of Discipline (about the Citadel), The Great Santini (daddy issues), and my all time favorite The Prince of Tides (mommy issues). His prose borders on overwrought, and yet, I can't get enough of it. I've discovered in the last few years that I really enjoy lush purple prose. It doesn't seem to phase me at all. But more than that, Conroy weaves a compelling tale, one full of family dynamics and mild hysteria. And yet, I just eat them up. This book will be no exception for me.

Second: Reading. I've been reading in fits and starts. I rushed out and picked up Written on Your Skin by Meredith Duran. And then, when I sat down to read it, it wasn't working for me. Mostly because it's a cat and mouse relationship book and I just wasn't in the mood. I'll get back to it for sure, just not right away. So I put it aside. Now I'm reading The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, which Ana quite simply adored, and Angie also highly recommended. I'm on about chapter 8, and I'm still waiting for something to happen. I'm persevering because Ana has literally never steered me wrong, but I'm so tempted to put the book aside. SIGH.

Third: I'm two movies behind so far this month. I meant to go and see Funny People. But the weekend it came out, I was busy and then this past weekend Julie and Julia came out, and I need to see that one too. This weekend The Time Traveler's Wife comes out. But honestly, I'm not that tempted. I'm one of those people who really disliked the book (I've found that everyone seems to either Love, Love, Love the book or hate it -- there's no in between). I found the plot device to be completely distracting, to the point where I just didn't care enough about the characters. I finished the book with a "blech".

Fourth: Yes, I'm going to do it...talk about football. The Redskins play their first preseason game this Thursday. I've decided to take Coach Zorn's advice and be very "medium" about the Skins this year. I think that our defense has the very real possibility of being extremely nasty this year. But our offensive line is a real problem, and I'm starting to think that the fact that its a problem is going to get our QB run out of DC on a rail at the end of this season. He's playing for a new contract, and I think the Skins will let him go, unless he manages to get us to the playoffs. Which I'm not sure he can do with the kind of mediocre protection he's going to get. I have a feeling it's going to be another awful football season.

Fifth: I got a new job! Yes, to those who were at RWA, the NASA gig worked out. I'll be working at NASA HQ planning all of the events that will surround each Space Shuttle launch. It should be an incredibly challenging, exciting job. One that I'm really looking forward to. But first I need to get through the next three weeks here at Defenders, and do everything I can to get them ready for my departure.

That's it, I think. Like I said, not too much going on with me. So, catch me up, what's new with you???

Haynesworth photo from the brilliant Brian Murphy of HomerMcFanboy

Initiation

I was on Dear Author today reading about Quartet Press's new Quench line. Which led me over to their website, which led me to the "Romance" blog, which only has one entry, by Kat, their marketing person, who is desperately trying to get up to speed on romance. K2, or Kassia Krozier, who I've seen around the internet for ages is also on the Quartet staff, and she's been suggesting books for Kat to read to get a flavor for romance. She offered suggestions in the three major subgenres: Contemporary, Historical and Paranormal.

My opinion is that you need to tailor book suggestions to the person asking, but for the purposes of this blog, I'm going to talk about what those "cornerstone" books would be.

I am going to suggest ONE and only ONE book from each major subgenre to a new-to-romance reader, I'm trying to think of what they would be. Here's my first pass, which of course, will be subject to change.

HISTORICAL: Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase.
WHY? Well, it's Chase, and she's generally considered to be among the absolute greatest in romance. LoS ranks in my Top 10 romances of all time, but honestly, it's not my favorite historical. That would be either by Tom and Sharon Curtis or The Windflower or Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh, or maybe even A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught. But, I think if you were to poll 10 romance readers about the best historical romance out there, the majority of them would hold up Lord of Scoundrels as the best. The interesting part for me, is I've yet to find another Chase book that works for me. But I agree that Lord of Scoundrels is among my favorites and I think is one of the most intelligent romances out there.

CONTEMPORARY: Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard
WHY? Not my favorite Linda Howard. In fact, not even in my top 3 favorite Howard books. But, the book is funny, it's got a shit-ton of sexual tension, and it features a quintessential Howard hero. Which is why I read Howard (the heroes, that is). Plus, again, I think if you were to poll romance readers, it would be a toss up between this book by Linda Howard, or something by Jennie Crusie (probably Bet Me). The truth is, if it were just me choosing, we all know it would be something by Nora Roberts. But if we're going for the author who "typifies" contemporary romance and a book that seems to be mostly universally loved, it's probably Mr. Perfect.


PARANORMAL: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
WHY? Oh man, this one is tough! I go back and forth between a vampire book (but really, which one? Not Ward, not Adrian, then who?), and a were book. I think that Singh's Psy/Changeling world exemplifies the best of paranormal romance. It's a fully imagined world, ultra-alpha hero, solid character construction and the advancement of multiple secondary characters for the series. But really, there are a ton of other books that could qualify. But for me, if I had to go with my all time favorite paranormal romance series, it would be this one.

So, that's my list. Now it's your turn. Here are the rules:

THREE books only. It can be part of a series but not the WHOLE SERIES!
Tell me why you're choosing them.
Or, just agree or vehemently disagree with me. Up to you.

GO!

On Body Image

So, everyone knows that I love, love, love celebrity gossip sites. One of my favorites is The Superficial, which is run by a straight guy, who very often features hot celebrity vixens in various states of undress. Anyway, I happened to be on the site today, and found these pictures of Christina Hendricks, who is on the AMC smash hit Mad Men. Now, I've only seen one episode of Mad Men (any time Hulu would like to catch up would be fine with me), but she stood out to me in the pilot episode as this incredibly gorgeous, curvy redhead. And it struck me that she's got a body type that just totally works for me as a woman.

I've posted in the past that my "plus one" would be Angelina Jolie, who I think is breathtakingly beautiful. But Christina Hendricks has what I would classify as a bangin' body. I mean seriously. And here's the thing, I don't think most men would disagree with me. She absolutely oozes sex appeal out of her pores.

So it got me to thinking, mostly when I think of the female celebrities who I think are most beautiful, I think of women who are in the size 0-4 range. Not because I think that's healthy, but because, that's mostly what's out there. But when I think of the real-life women I know who I think are really beautiful, none of them are teeny-tiny women.

Personally, I'm not a tiny woman. I'm not skinny, I'm carrying some extra weight, but overall, I have a pretty good body image. Part of it is that I successfully lost a bunch of weight a couple of years ago, and I am the size I said I wanted to be. But even when I weighed over 200 pounds, I didn't think about my weight that much. Did I want to be thinner? You bet. But it wasn't something I obsessed about. It just made me occasionally unhappy. My mom especially worried alot about my weight. Which I know came from a place of love, but it had to be on me to lose the weight, to force the issue. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Mostly because I'm about the least disciplined person on the planet.

Anyway, the photos of Christina Hendricks got me to thinking about what an incredibly gorgeous woman she is, and how people use words like "zaftig" and "curvaceous" and the dreaded "plus sized" to describe a woman that I really believe almost any man would be thrilled to find in his bed. And it makes me wonder why it is that we, as women, are constantly comparing ourselves to others, worrying about who is the skinniest, dieting compulsively.

So here are my questions: Why do you think women end up having such negative body images of themselves? Don't you think Christina Hendricks is gorgeous? And most importantly, anyone know where I can find episodes of Mad Men online??

Looking for Inspiration

So, I did my best impression of a teenager on Saturday night, and stayed up until after 4am. Was it fun? Oh you bet. Am I hating myself now? Oh, even bigger you bet.

Which means that I've got nothin' today. I'm tired, and cranky and frankly, in need of this:


But, since I can't have that, I'm looking for other inspiration. Hmmm, perhaps Jason Statham can help me out.

He just has the intensity thing going on, you know?
I'm feeling more inspired already.

What did you do this weekend? Anything good? What are you reading? Did you see any movies?