Book 48 (of 52) – The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold

When Susie Salmon was 14, she was murdered by a neighbor.  As she adjusts to the afterlife, her family tries to find a way forward while her killer tries to cover his tracks.  Nearly ten years later, her family finally gets to the point where they are ready to come to terms with what happened, allowing Susie to move on.

Originally published in 2002, I first came across The Lovely Bones in 2010 when the movie adaptation, starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, and Saoirse Ronan, was released.  Alice Sebold’s novel is able to expand the story, showing the effects on the Salmon family and Susie’s friends over time without worrying about the ages of the actors.

And The Oscar Goes To

side_oscarAs they finish polishing up the statues for tonight’s awards ceremony, it’s time to finish up our predictions with the major categories.  In a strange change of pace, I’ve actually seen one or two of these.  So, without further ado, we begin with:

Best Picture

Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice

I’ve seen a grand total of one of these, so I’ll go with Green Book, which won the Golden Globe.

Best Actor

Christian Bale, Vice
Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen, Green Book

Having not seen any of these, I guess I’ll pick Christian Bale.

Best Actress

Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
Glenn Close, The Wife
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Lady Gaga might be the safe bet, but I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews for Olivia Colman’s work in The Favourite, so I’m going to go with her.

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