Guest Blogger - Alice Duncan

Yesterday I watched “The King’s Speech” (I know. I’m slow). Good movie! Not one I’m going to re-watch a gazillion times, but very good, and I loved the speech therapist guy, whose name I can’t remember.

This movie-watching thing got me to thinking about personal-favorite movies, books, and music. Often the movies, books and music I personally enjoy over and over again aren’t universally lauded in any “best of” lists, but I figured what the heck. Here, in no particular order, are a few of the movies I can watch endless times and never get bored:

Death on the Nile

The Magnificent Seven

Little Big Man

Jaws

Casablanca

The Big Sleep (Humphrey Bogart/Lauren Bacall version. Come to think of it, I’m not sure there is another version)

Chicago (even though, as my daughter Robin pointed out to me once, there’s not a likable character in it, which would kill a book for me. Go figure)

Topsy Turvy

The Pirates of Penzance (with Linda Ronstadt and Kevin Kline)

Books, again in no particular order, are:

The Amelia Peabody Emerson books, by Elizabeth Peters

The Roots of Heaven, by Romain Gary (this is probably my favorite book of all time, actually)

Half Magic, by Edward Eager

Little Witch, by Elizabeth Bennett

The Circular Staircase, by Mary Roberts Rinehart

The Window at the White Cat, by Mary Roberts Rinehart

Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry (which reminds me of a writing workshop I took once, in which the group leader posed the question, “When is a western not a western.” Answer: “When it’s written by Larry McMurtry”)

Music is iffier, but here are songs I love, in absolutely no order whatsoever:

“Is That All There Is,” sung by Peggy Lee

“It’s a Wonderful World,” sung by Louis Armstrong

“Look What They’ve Done to My Song, Ma,” the New Seekers

“Blinded by the Light,” sung by Manfred Mann (hey, it’s my list, and I like his version better than the Boss’s)

“Time After Time,” Cindy Lauper

“I Guess that’s Why They Call It the Blues,” Elton John

“Love Stinks,” the J. Geils Band

Hmm. I’m sure there are others, but those will do. What about you guys? What are your favorites? They don’t have to be on anybody else’s list. These are personal favorites, and nobody gets to pick on you for them.

In other news, GENTEEL SPIRITS, the fifth Daisy Gumm Majesty book, is now for sale. Since it probably won’t show up in any brick-and-mortar store unless you request it, you can ask your local library to get a copy, and that would make me Very Happy. Or you can buy a copy for your very own self on-line or wherever! Whatta concept. The trouble with hardbacks is that they’re so blasted expensive. However, in a year I’ll put it up on Smashwords & Kindle, and then you can download it cheap. This is kind of the way it used to be with hardbacks and paperbacks. The hardback came out, and a year later, the book would be published in paperback. However, the times, they are a-changin’. Which is the title of another song I like.

Oh, and I picked up another couple of wiener dogs yesterday (this is why I watched “The King’s Speech,” in truth. These poor guys, Bella and Bam Bam, have been so grievously neglected in their short lives, they needed lap time and lots of it). It’s going to take quite a while before they’re comfortable in their new surroundings. Their owner surrendered them because he didn’t want to be bothered by them any longer. It appears to me he hadn’t wanted to be bothered by them for several years, but I won’t go into rant mode here.

And you can also enter my monthly contest! All you need to do to enter is send me your name and home address at alice@aliceduncan.net . I can’t remember which books I’m giving away this month, but you can see them (and even read excerpts) on my web site: www.aliceduncan.net

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s “favorites” lists!