Oh crap...I miss read it! LOL IMHO, those award shows are nothing more than an opportunity for the stars to once again pat themselves on the back and say aren't we wonderful. It's no longer about the quality of a movie or the artistic beauty of it, it's all about how well known and popular the actor in it is. Most movies these days are just awful with no depth or thought to them. I got so tired of buying into the hype of the trailers and walking away disappointed, I stopped looking to the theaters for entertainment quite a while ago and watch whatever I can find in Hulu plus or Netflix. The only reason I saw the Descendents is because DH wanted to rent from Redbox and asked if I'd choose a movie too. Next time I'll just save the money.

My SIL and I saw it yesterday. 2 people with no previous experience-neither of us had seen a theatrical performance, or a previous movie. I vaguely knew what the plot was, she vaguely knew it had been released as a film sometime awhile ago. So. Neither of us liked it much. Sorrysorrysorry, but this is a very honest reaction from a non-Les Mis fan. We didn't quite realize it was literally a filming of a musical theatrical production. So the fact that there was almost no spoken dialogue, that the sets were clearly CGI generated, and that there was an utter lack of any film-style narrative, character development, or explanation of backstory meant that for us, it was mostly a very long couple of hours listening to a lot of singing of songs we didn't know interspersed with trying to figure out what the heck was going on with the plot. We both thought Anne Hathaway was fantastic, but again had no idea that her role was, in film terms, little more than an extended cameo. She was brought in, sacked, humiliated, mutilated (although how come she had her front teeth back in when she sang the Dream song?!?!?), belted out a showstopper, and died. It was nice to see her later as a ghost, especially with her hair combed. The other performers: Hugh Jackman is adorable and sang well. Russell Crowe was in the opinion of my SIL pretty sexy. Amanda Seyfrid's singing voice is SOOOO high pitched; I kept waiting for her to veer off into Minnie Riperton territory. Neither of us really understood what the heck was wrong with Javert; at one point my SIL whispered to me 'that dude needs to get a hobby or some therapy'. Why did he suddenly appear out of uniform toward the end? What was that group of young guys fighting about? How did Jean Valjean become a mayor, and then where the heck did he hide out all that time? How could Cosette and Marius fall in love just by looking at each other? Why was Eponine suddenly in drag? When will it be over? Oops, last question was rhetorical. However, unfortunately the report from this Les Miz virgin is a pretty frank thumbs down. I truly don't mean to offend the fans, but neither of us were impressed. Oh wait, we did enjoy the Helena Bonham Carter/Sacha Baron Cohen characters; now that was some funny stuff. It did accomplish one of my goals, which is to see as many of the presumptive award nominee films as possible. So there is that to report :). Ann

Annpan, I've been wondering where you've been. I think you're right -- that there can be a blending of literary and genre writing; e.g., literary mystery, literary sci-fi, literary fantasy, literary historical fiction, etc. (There's even literary nonfiction.) Sheri, above, made an astute observation: Many book club selections often are of the 'semi-literary' type. They are popular but they are taken to be 'serious' and perhaps make readers feel virtuous and more cultured for having read them. The writers of such books are bridging the gap between stories that entertain and 'studies' that enlighten. I don't know if those writers consciously set out with that purpose (I suspect that some have that intent because, as Sheri said, they are wannabes and the style can be lucrative). The semi-literary type of book can be a boon for writers if they can attract the notice of enough book clubs, reviewers, and readers who are susceptible to suggestion. Oprah parlayed her influence to great effect in this way. And why not? Many readers enjoy belonging to groups and reading the same books everyone else is.

Now that my brain has emerged from lockdown dullness, I have been reading Hugo nominees as fast as I can. I have just started on the final novel*, and am about halfway through the short stories. I have not yet read the other short form fiction - novellas and novelettes. I'll vote on them if I get to them. Here is my opinion so far of the novels, always the most important category for me. The City in the Middle of the Night, by Charlie Jane Anders (Tor; Titan) It turns out that I read this book months ago, and had completely forgotten it. Guess I'm not going to vote for it. The Light Brigade, by Kameron Hurley (Saga; Angry Robot UK) Military SF in a future ruled by some very nasty tyrant corporations. I found it to be very well done, a complex net skillfully woven, and resolved to sense by the end. So far I am considering it and one other. A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine (Tor; Tor UK) This is the other one I liked a lot, complicated political infighting and plotting in a future empire. I love this stuff. Again, very well done. Middlegame, by Seanan McGuire (Tor.com Publishing) I began this book and very quickly disliked it enough that I did not finish it. If I were a professional critic I would have to push myself to read on to the end, but I am not. Definitely not voting for it. The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow (Redhook; Orbit UK) I enjoyed, but did not love, this novel. An interesting but not compelling story. Both The Light Brigade and A Memory Called Empire engaged me to the point I could not put them down. This one did not. But the author was also nominated for the short story award and so far I like her short story the best. I do like her writing. Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir (Tor.com Publishing) Hated it. Think Gormenghast with necromancers. If we were required to rank them (we can if we want to), I would place this one dead last. * Since I first posted this, I read as much of Gideon as I could stand, and knowing I would never vote for it, quit.