A GOOD Movie and a GREAT Book

I didn't have high hopes for the movie Soul Surfer. I was more looking forward to the DVD of Last Night, which had Sam Worthington and Keira Knightly. Well, Sam was cute and all, but didn't like that one.

LOVED Soul Surfer. It was a little slow to start, setting up our heroine's ordinary life, her surfer family, her mom who homeschooled so the kids could spend prime surfing time on the waves instead of on the bus, her friends, her competition.

And then the attack. It was a split second but the emotion that followed had me in tears. The doubts the young girl had, the determination, the support of her family…it was just a really great movie. Very very clean, too. I could show it to my class.

I'm also reading The Iron Duke, and honestly, I can't read too much at once because I will never be this good. It has such intricate world-building, and the characters are such a part of this world, created by the past conflicts, put in opposition by them. The heroine is a steampunk Eve Dallas, only with higher walls and a family. The hero is–don't kill me for saying this–hotter than Roarke, a former pirate who becomes England's hero. The mystery is underlaid with the heroine's concern for her brother. I'm really hoping to finish reading this book this weekend, and you can bet I'll buy the next one.

I wrote 22 pages yesterday, so I'm caught up. Today–8 pages, a newsletter, sewing, cleaning and exercise. May even get to go in the pool!