Three threes

In honour of Tunbridge Wells's own beautiful thing and our enjoyable drink together last night, here are three threes for today ...

THREE FILMS I'VE ENJOYED RECENTLY (and I won't apologise for every category but I AM the only woman you will probably ever meet who has sat through and loved every single of the original Planet of the Apes series...)

1) Stardust. Go and see it tomorrow when the clocks change and we all get depresssed. It doesn't make any large promises but is just, just lovely. And it has so much made me want to write an adult fairy tale. We all need more fairy tales in our lives and the opportunities offered in structure etc are amazing. I want it on DVD NOW - I want it this Christmas to watch and watch again.
2) Me and You and Everyone We Know. We watched this on DVD last night and I'm even more bowled over by Miranda July than I was before. The generosity of her as an artist - to put so much in without fear she might run out of stuff to talk about. Does that make sense? I'm thinking particularly of the way her character just presses her fingers lightly on those round stickers in the car. It's just a second in the film, but in a less talented artist it would be a central motif, a moment too good to waste, or to trust that the audience wouldn't get it.
3) Superbad. It made me laugh. Nothing else need matter.

THREE SHORT BOOKS I'VE LOVED

1) Gents by Warwick Collins. I want to write more about this later, but in the meantime just trust Scott - it really is a classic.
2) Everyday Life by Lydie Salvayre. OK, I admit I found this author when I was browsing to see if my own books were on the shelf, but why isn't she better known? A fantastic voice, weird story and disturbingly compulsive read.
3) U and I by Nicholson Baker. MOre about Nicholson Baker than John Updike as all good criticism tends to be, but this is funny and Nicholson Baker is one of the few men who could rival Gary Lightbody for my ultimate fantasy date so I'm happy to read as many books about and by Nicholson Baker as he writes. Bring them on.

THREE WEBSITES I VISIT THAT SEND ME OFF INTO DAYDREAMS (AND AREN'T ABOUT WRITING)

1. A Socialite's Life. Recently I amazed a whole table of people by knowing absolutely everything there was to know about Lindsay Lohan. People were kind and didn't ask why? but this is the how?
2. Gluten Free Girl - confession time - I cried when Shauna put up the amazingly romantic photographs of marrying her chef and I actually get angry when she doesn't post for a couple of days. How can she live without me knowing? Good recipes too.
3. Cornflower and I share a birthday, and we used to live in Edinburgh together. Now I can still have a couple of minutes a day living in Edinburgh thanks to her blog - plus I also get to knit socks, cook, make intelligent comments and do all the things I might possibly do in another life (ie hers)