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Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy
$12.99
This book had some good ideas, some things I already knew, but would buy this again for a friend.

Power of Less, The: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in Life
$16.95
With all of the technological advances that have come out lately---usually something to do with phones or some messaging system---I feel like I'm the only person in the world who doesn't care about this stuff at all. Well, maybe Leo Babauta feels the same way.

I really enjoyed his book; his revelations are based on good old fashioned common sense, and that's a rare commodity these days. I've long since given up trying to multi-task, and think using your phone to Twitter is ridiculous; texting's bad enough. If you can't wait to get to your p.c. to post a tweet, you've got issues; by all means read this book.

If you've already managed to ground yourself in a simple philosophy of sticking only to what really matters in your life, this book may not provide anything earth shattering. However, knowing that you're doing the right thing with your time is nice; positive affirmation is good.

Less Than Zero
$9.98
What can I say about this uninspired "retelling" of Bret's first novel?

The film adaptation doesn't contain the scenes and the tone I thought made the book so haunting and memorable.(The dead boy in the alley scene, the snuff film with the underage girl...) This film really can't be claimed that it is based on the book - it's more that it's inspired by the novel. Despite this downfall, the film is worth watching for any Bret Easton Ellis fan - if only to satisfy one's curiosity.

The film contains neither the perfectly depressing one-liners or the delightfully disturbing minor characters that make the book so interesting and engaging (Clay's sisters, Spin) The film made it seem as though Julian was the protagonist, while I always felt the novel was all about seeing the events unfold through Clay's eyes. One of the more endearing parts of the novel are Clay's 'flashbacks' of a better time, before he left for school. The film only touches on this in the beginning, and the flashback is about Blair, not about his parents, who which were the subjects of the flashbacks I found the most interesting. The lunch scene between Clay and his father is pure genius. The detachment between the father and son made me physically cringe. This scene is not included in the film at all.

The unfortunate thing about adapting films from books is that something is almost always lost in the 'translation'. 'American Psycho' is really the only one of the films adapted from his books that I feel captures the tone of the book while simultaneously compacting it into a watchable narrative without losing Bret's style, and this is due to the fact that Bateman himself is the narrator.

All and all, 'Less Than Zero' isn't a bad film, really. Just a bad adaptation. It captures what was both awesome and forgettable about 80s popular film, and fits the bill of any entertaining teen drama from that era (Including extravagant cocaine use by minors, too much New Wave, the once-hot but potential future star of Where Are They Now? James Spader). There are some touching moments, but it seems as though the film tried to hard find a conclusion the book didn't (and had a reason for not doing). After all, Julian doesn't die in the novel, and Blair certainly doesn't go back to Camden with Clay (Morrissey wouldn't be proud).

What's so melancholy about the novel is what the film failed to allude too: how upset, apathetic, nd lost Clay is now that he has changed and gained a new perspective, while his friends, sadly, have not.

And one serious complaint: Where is the Disappear Here billboard? It's integral to the imagery of the novel, and is absent in the film (unless I missed it.)

All and all: If you're a fan of Bret's books, give this film a shot. It's worth watching once, but don't be upset if it hardly even attempts to capture the mood or purpose of the novel.

Char-Broil 08101480 The Big Easy Oil-Less Infrared Turkey Fryer
$169.99
Quite possibly the best turkey breast I've made. The skin was perfectly crispy, and the meat was tender and moist. I love not having to recycle peanut oil, and clean up on "The Big Easy" is simple. I can't wait to throw a 14 pounder in there for Thanksgiving!