0 Potpourri

Welcome to Potpourri Day of the A to Z Challenge, otherwise known as "The Day I Don't Know What To Talk About Because I'm Never Smart Enough To Plan These Things Ahead Of Time."

So here's a list of P Things I Enjoy...

Television shows:

—Parks And Recreation: This sitcom airs Thursdays on NBC. It's about a group of public officials striving to make their city a better place. Hijinks and hilarity ensue. I didn't love the show very much at the beginning, but they found their groove later on, and the show's since become one of my must-see favorites.

—Psych (USA, Wednesdays): I recently blogged about how much I enjoy this show. I love Shawn and Gus, and last night's episode (no worries...this is a spoiler-free zone) was brilliant. Easily the best of the season.

Movies:

—Primal Fear: Released in 1996 and starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney and Edward Norton. This film is about an altar boy (Norton) accused of murder and the lawyer (Gere) who defends him. Amazing story and awesome acting. Love. It.

—Point Break: Released in 1991 and stars Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, Gary Busey and Lori Petty. Directed by Katheryn Bigelow (she of Zero Dark Thirty fame). It's about an FBI agent (Keanu) who goes undercover to stop a group of wave riding surfers (led by Swayze). It's totally tubular.

—The Princess Bride: I blog about this movie frequently, but I couldn't resist giving it another shout-out today. Released in 1987 and stars a ton of awesome actors. The whole damn thing is sheer awesomeness.

Authors:

—Jodi Picoult (she's from New Hampshire!) writes commercial fiction that generally revolves around a family and a life-altering event. Her titles include Nineteen Minutes, The Pact, My Sister's Keeper, and her newest The Storyteller.

—Sharon Kay Penman writes historical fiction. I've enjoyed all her novels, but I am particularly enthralled with the novel Here Be Dragons as well as her Justin de Quincy series (love, love, love the MC).

—Robert B. Parker was probably most known for his Spenser mysteries, a series revolving around a Boston PI (which I adore), but also wrote other novels such as westerns and even a handful of young adult novels.

Books:

—Paper Towns by John Green- (synopsis via John Green's site): Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life–dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge–he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues–and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

—Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (synopsis courtesy of Goodreads): Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it.

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But he can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

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That's going to do it for me today. Have a great Thursday, all.