Top 5 Movies from 1987 (Thirty, Flirty, & Thriving, Part 1)

Yours truly turns 30 this year *cue gasps of disbelief* and in preparation for my sweet birthday gala, here is Part One of my 'Thirty, Flirty, & Thriving' blog series in honor of the year of my birth--1987. Shoulder pads, big hair, and sensual jazz solos will have their day, but today is for MOVIES!

*Disclaimer, there are tons of movies released in this glorious year, but these are the best of the ones I have seen.  Ergo, Wall Street and Harry and the Hendersons are noticeably absent*

5. 3 Men and a Baby

Gutenberg, Ted Danson, and Tom Selleck's majestic 'stache...and a baby, of course.

Fave quote (because I always think of this when reading something to a baby)

Peter: [reading a review of a boxing match in a hushed, storytelling way] The champ caught Smith with a savage left hook...
Michael: What are you reading her?
Peter: [responding to Michael in same tone] It doesn't matter what I read, it's the tone you use.  She doesn't understand the words anyway, now where were we?

Check out that radical 80s font!

4. Moonstruck

Cher is a national treasure and Nic Cage is, arguably, the best worst actor to ever walk to earth.

Fave quote
Old Man: [uncomfortable silence at kitchen table] Someone, tell a joke...

*bonus Cage fun here*

3. The Princess Bride

This movie has everything: romance, adventure, rodents of unusual size, and Billy Crystal but the best thing about it is that, thought it's 30 years old, it doesn't show it's age a bit.

Fave quote

Miracle Max: Get back, witch!

Valerie: I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!

2. Planes, Trains, & Automobiles

Is this movie dated?  Sure.  But COME ON!  It has Steve Martin AND John Candy!  You honestly can't get much better (except, arguably, for the movie at #1).

Fave quote

Motel Clerk: Do you have seventeen dollars and a good watch?

Del Griffith: No, I don't.  I have uh...two dollars...and a Casio.

*Bonus gif because I love you*

1. Spaceballs

I don't care that The Last Emperor won the Best Movie Oscar this year, Spaceballs is the real winner in my book.

Fave Quote #1

Dark Helmet: Before you die there is something you should know about us, Lone Star.

Lone Starr: What?

Dark Helmet: I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.

Lone Starr: What's that make us?

Dark Helmet: Absolutely nothing!  Which is what you are about to become.

Fave Quote #2 (because this movie rules)

Colonel Sandurz: Are we being to literal?

Dark Helmet: No you fool, we're following orders.  We were told to comb the desert so we're combing it. (shouts to Troopers) Found anything yet?

Trooper with Comb: Nothing yet, sir.

Dark Helmet: How about you?

Trooper with Second Comb: Not a thing, sir.

Dark Helmet: What about you guys?

Trooper with Afro Comb: We ain't found shit!

For a list of other movies released in 1987, click here

Ten Years in the Bookstore, Part 2

Ten Years in the Bookstore, Part 2

In the tradition of Nick Hornby's Ten Years in the Tub, here are the books I bought in January 2017.  These are books bought at a bookstore (new or used) but excludes library bag sales, books gifted to me, or books I borrowed from the library.

1. Tudor: Passion. Manipulation. Murder. The Story of England's Most Notorious Royal Family by Leanda de Lisle

Not to brag, but there isn't much more that I could learn about Tudor England that I don't already know, but that won't stop me from buying a good book on it if I can!  Plus, I got to buy this book and the three below at The Strand Bookstore in NYC, so Tudor History plus a huge bookstore equals literary love.

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2. Dust: The Archive and Cultural History by Carolyn Steedman

A much more abstract analysis about archives than I was expecting--haven't decided if that's a good thing or not.

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3. Jane Austen: An Illustrated Biography by Zena Alkayat and Nina Cosford

Look at it!  It's so cute!  And at only six inches it's adorably compact, too!

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4. Helen Keller: From Darkness to Light by Megumi Sugihara, illustrated by Naoko Takase

Just what I needed--another biography of Helen Keller.  But this one is manga!

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5. Light in My Darkness by Helen Keller

My personal Helen Keller reference shelf continues to grow...

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6. Teacher: Anne Sullivan Macy by Helen Keller

And grow...

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7. My Religion by Helen Keller

And grow...

Top 5 Spooky Parodies of Classic Children's Books

It's Halloween and that means candy, punny costumes, and hearing 'Monster Mash' every 10 minutes on the radio.  If you're looking to inject some literature into your Halloween, look no further than these five positively terrifying parodies of classic children's books.

5. The Runaway Mummy

by Michael Rex, Puffin Books, $6.99, ISBN: 9780142421215, Paperback

Once there was a little mummy who wanted to run away,

"If you run away," said Mother Mummy, "I will get you! For you are my

rotten little mummy!"

"If you try and get me," said the little mummy, "I will turn into a

sea monster that lurks at the bottom of the sea."

4. The Very Hungry Zombie

by Michael Teitelbaum, Skyhorse Publishing, $14.95, ISBN: 9781620871829, Hardcover

A blood-red moon shown

down on a corpse that lay

rotting beneath the ground.

At the crack of dawn, on a Sunday morning, 

out of a grave crawled a

horrifically hungry zombie.

He started to hunt for fresh, juicy 

humans to snack on.

On Monday, he devoured one astronaut.

But he found himself in a gaseous atmosphere.

3. Goodnight Goon

by Michael Rex, G. P. Putnam's Books for Young Readers, $15.99, ISBN: 9780399245345, Hardcover

Good night skull

And good night shoe

Goodnight creature

Goodnight goo

And goodnight to the old werewolf hollering "Boo."

2. Frankenstein

by Rick Walton, Feitwel & Friends, $14.99, ISBN: 9780312553661, Hardcover

In a creepy old castle

all covered with spines,

lived twelve ugly monsters in two crooked lines.

1. Pat the Zombie

by Aaron Ximm, Ten Speed Press, $11.99, ISBN: 9781607740360, Paperback

Judy can gut the zombie.

Now YOU gut the zombie.

Paul can search the remains,

Now YOU search the remains.