Reasons to Be Happy, March 19, 2014

1. Eleven Days. This novel, by Lea Carpenter, is magnificent. It is a page-turner, almost a thriller, but it is also, unexpectedly, a novel of ideas. Ideas about war and parenting and love. I can quibble with some minor aspects of the book--Jason's motivation for entering the military was a little trite, some perspective shifts near the end did not work--but the core is solid.
   
   All I can really ask of a novel is that it sticks with me once it is finished. The best novels enable you to see the world from an entirely new perspective--to me, that is the purpose of fiction. This book did that. Read it.
2. Chloe Sevigny in Big Love. A bit late to the party, I know. I like to watch TV shows while I code during the day. I can't really watch anything I haven't already seen this way, but I am working my way through a lot of shows I've seen before. And now it's Big Love's turn, and I am absolutely blown away by Chloe Sevigny's performance Nicolette Grant. The premise of the show, in case you don't know, is that a polygamist is living in the Utah suburbs with his three wives. Nicolette is the prickliest, the most damaged, and the least overtly lovable of the three. But she is my favorite. I love Nikki so much, and it is entirely due to Sevigny's performance, which really allows you to see the hurt little girl that still lives inside Nikki.
3. Anthony Gatto, the world's greatest juggler, turns to construction. I enjoyed this story about a brilliant juggler who gives it all up for a construction business. I don't think I agree with the author's conclusion--he seems wistful that Gatto has left juggling, whereas I see it as smart. Not smart just because it's more profitable, although apparently it is, but because I have a long-standing belief in leaving the party while everyone is still having a good time. Gatto had a great juggling career, he left at its peak, and now he's doing something else he likes. That's not sad, that's the dream. The story is great, whatever you think about Gatto's decision to move on, and includes several juggling videos if you're into that sort of thing.
4. New Game of Thrones trailer. I feel like I should say something more articulate than "oh my god oh my god oh my god," but that's basically what I've got. Cannot wait for the new season.
5. A moment with Bert. So Adweek sat down with nine-year-old Albert Tsai--who plays Bert on Trophy Wife, which you are probably not watching but really should be--and the resulting interview is as charming and adorable as one might expect. Here is the best part:

   Marcia [Gay Harden] reads Harry Potter to me and I really enjoy that. We read it in between takes. Right now we’re reading the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. And Marcia does accents for every character, so that makes it even more fun!

   So even if this enormously funny and warm-hearted show isn't renewed, which will make me very sad, I can go through life knowing that that happened.