The Dark Knight

Wow! I was a little worried as I had heard comments on how dark and violent it was, but it is a great movie. Yes, it was dark and violent but not gruesome, just disturbing. Heath Ledger is very convincing and Christian Bale is a fantastic batman... and he is quite handsome too!

The struggle between good and evil continues in this film and brings into play the need for a hero through society's organized means. Batman partners with Harvey Dent, Gotham's District Attorney, and Lieutenant James Gordon to stop the organized crime running rampant in Gotham. The people feel Batman is causing the deaths of people as the Joker will not stop until he meets "the bat" face to face. Let's be honest, this movie doesn't need a description as it is Batman and plenty of people will see it.

This movie brings all sorts of themes out: the obvious good vs. evil, choices, the good in people, etc. My brother-in-law even pointed out a tie to the Atonement as Batman essentially takes the deaths (sins) caused by Harvey Dent upon himself so Gotham can have a hero.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Good but not as good as the back of the book professed: "A remarkable novel about divine female power, a story that women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come."

Set in South Carolina in 1964 tells the story of one Lily Owens. Her life is a struggle between herself and finding peace with her parents. Memories of her mother are blurred from an accidental death and three items she has left from her mother. Lily tries to find happy memories of her father, T-Ray, but he is not the "father" type.

She escapes with her "stand-in-mother," Rosaleen, after Rosaleen insults three racists in town. Lily has a plan to find her mother in Tiburon, South Carolina. She believes her mother was there from one of the three items, a picture with this city and state written on the back. Lily and Rosaleen find August, June and May; three black sisters who own a Pepto Bismol colored house and make a living as bee keepers.

Lily is now free from T-Ray but is still haunted by the blurred vision of her mother's death. From living with August, June, May and Rosaleen she learns about the hard facts of life and love and she finds herself as she is connected to her mother.

There is also a movie out, featuring a great cast: Dakota Fanning (Lily), Queen Latifah (August), Jennifer Hudson (Rosaleen), Alicia Keys (June)and Sophie Okonedo (May). I will probably see this... but it will only be dollar theater or NetFlix worthy.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Davdi Oliver Relin

I just finished an amazing book on my trip to and from Denver. Three Cups of Tea is about "one man's mission to promote peace... one school at a time."This book was so inspiring. Greg Mortenson started his life as a nurse and a mountaineer. After failing to climb a mountain in Pakistan his perspective changed as he saw a group of children gathered to attend "school." Their school was gathering outside in the cold and they used sticks to write their lessons in the ground. This image altered his course and he became the head of the Central Asia Institute building schools for children in Pakistan and nearby regions. He truly believes in his mission that by building schools and educating the children we can bridge the gap of ignorance and hate.

Sometimes I don't feel we are even in a war. The scenes on TV have died down, the deaths have decreased and our focus has switched to the new President elect Obama. As the husband said, we aren't so much in a war but we are now building a nation. Thoughts rise as I think about what I could possibly do to help. Lucky for me, they gave ideas on how to help at the end of the book. One of the ways is to spread the word about the book... http://www.threecupsoftea.com/

I just ordered two calendars from here: https://www.ikat.org/limited-edition-calendar/