Recommendations...??

On Sunday, a woman at work told me she saw the movie Up in the Air and she really did not like it. It was depressing, she said, and she came away feeling empty and low. Her suggestion was that I not go see it.

My co-worker's comments gave me pause...I had been wanting to see this movie, it's been getting Oscar buzz, and while I didn't know much about the story, I was intrigued by what I heard. From her comments, I realized that it could be depressing and I don't generally like heavy, depressing movies (or books), so maybe I should reconsider rushing out and seeing this movie.

Later that very same day I got a voicemail saying that our out-of-town guest really wanted to see Up in the Air, and maybe I should go see it with him Monday. Up in the Air. The same movie my co-worker had just told me she hated.

What the hell, I thought. I'll go see it and if it's depressing, I'll just chalk it up to experience.

We went to see the movie and I really enjoyed it. I thought it was clever and funny and insightful and touching...

Does this mean you should go right out and see Up in the Air? Or should you read any of the books mentioned in these pages?

Not necessarily.

I think it's about having a trusted voice to recommend, knowing about where your tastes are in relation to the other. Not even necessarily that you like exactly the same things, but it's about knowing what the other likes and how you compare.

This co-worker is not a trusted voice for me. At least not yet. We clearly don't share similar taste in movies, at least not this one. And about books? She highly recommended The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which has been a book I have wanted to read. Will it be a good book for me? I don't know yet. That remains to be seen.

Hopefully you have trusted voices you can depend on to recommend things you will like. Perhaps this blog can be one of those voices. It's probably too soon to tell.