Recently I was tagged on one of those facebook memes. This was the “Name 15 authors who have influenced you but do it in 15 minutes” one…Something like that.
It was harder than I thought it would be. I really thought I’d rip it off like nothing. But I couldn’t come up with fifteen authors…I did eventually, but then I started second guessing myself. Did these people really form my sense of self. And then I decided I was over thinking it all and posted it. And then I realized that I had left some out. And then I also realized that it didn’t really matter.
This is what I said:
The Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen writers who've influenced you and that will always stick with you. List the first fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes.
1. William Shakespeare
2. Allen Ginsberg
3. Douglas Adams
4. Terry Pratchett
5. Jane Austen
6. China Mieville
7. John Donne
8. Edith Wharton
9. Nancy Mitford
10. M.F.K. Fisher
11. Geoffrey Chaucer
12. Roddy Doyle
13. Russell Hoban (specifically, the Francis stories0
14. F. Scott Fitzgerald
15. A.A. Milne
Special Mention: Neal Stephenson, Douglas Coupland, David Berman…
Also possibly Eoin Colfer.
But I wanted to say so much more about it. But I am a nerd that way.
Looking at the list now, I realize that the one thing that ties them all together in my mind is a sense of humor. They aren’t all humor writers, but they all….”get it.” I have long said that my favorite thing about Jane Austen is how damn funny she is. That hasn’t won me any points with the Janeites. But I am realizing that a sense of humor in writing, no matter how subtle, really makes it…click…for me.
But…wait…Edith Wharton…not so funny, but kind of big on the irony. We’ll let her stay.
And then there are those special mentions…all because of the way they twist the language to their needs. In fact, there are several Stephenson and Coupland books I don’t care for. But the ones I do like did make THAT BIG an impression. And lingering in the back is Eoin Colfer. Why? Because the last book I read by him really had people using technology in a natural way. Kids texting and IMing. Not necessarily to further the plot, but just because that’s what we do.
As for the famous fifteen…I can’t imagine my life without any of them. Some are newer finds, like Nancy Mitford. And some are authors who seem to become more important to me as I get older, like F. Scott…and oddly, Terry Pratchett. And do you remember how subversive A.A. Milne really is? How he’s really got that odd sense of humor that only some kids will appreciate? Go read it again.
I wish I could say that I unreserveredly recommnend these authors, but I don’t . You might not like them and that would make me sad. But if you like funny stuff that isn’t always funny…
So...time to comment. Name me one book that changed your life. Better or worse. I'm gonna say....Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy because it made me understand that I didn't have to be so serious about religion and science.
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Past.
What I’ve been reading: I have been reading! But I’ve been reading slowly. Currently it’s “The Girl who Played with Fire” by Steig Larsson and “Changeless” by Gail Carriger. I am enjoying both of them. The first is the second in a trilogy and at the moment, I like it better than the first. The second is also a second in a series, (but I don’t know how many will be in that series) and I don’t like it quite as much as the first. This is a problem with all book series, I guess. One will have one’s favorites.
Speaking of favorites, I see two of my favorite novelists have new (sorta) books out. Carl Hiaasen has a new one called “Star Island”, which, to be honest sounds like more of the same from him. The good thing is, I happen to like his same. And a Nancy Mitford novel that has been out of print for quite a while is recently back in print, ”Wigs on the Green.” Last year I read a Mitford novel…I think it was “Don’t Tell Alfred” that had me laughing out loud while waiting to serve my jury duty. So you know it had to be pretty good. Both are in the queue for next books to be read.
What I’ve been watching: We (the husband and I) just started watching “Rubicon” and I really, really like it. On several levels. I happen to really like mysteries and cryptography even though I am crap at figuring things out. The actors are, so far, very good and the art direction….sublime. Really. I mean, the art direction on “Mad Men” is very nice, but when you are given a period piece to elaborate on, you have a pretty good basis to start with, right? “Rubicon” is the current time period, but they have done that thing where it they attempt to make it feel rather timeless. Kind of like…well…look at that Harry Potter movies have…we all know that they are set in the now, but there is a quality to them that makes you feel like you are watching a fairy tale. No one randomly uses a cell phone or a remote control or computer…“Rubicon” has a similar feel. People drive older cars, and wear non-designer-y clothes. It all feels like it’s taking place in the now, but COULD be taking place 30 years ago if it weren’t for that computer on the desk. It also utilizes this amazing gray and tan color palette, which strikes a perfect balance (for me anyway) between cold and warm, glowing and chilly, dark and light. It all feels very purposeful and I rather like that.
And the movies? Recently watched “Kickass”, which I enjoyed but didn’t feel like I really need to see it again. It was fun and crazy and over the top. Mark Strong was amazing as per usual and, you know, I liked it just fine. But it didn’t blow my mind. However, I also recently watched “In the Loop” which kind of did blow my mind. Very funny, bitter, and painfully honest political comedy spun off from a British TV show, which I have only seen bits and pieces of. The much under utilized Tom Hollander was great and Peter Capaldi is, as ever, genius. But I think my favorite character is the one referred to as “the angriest Scotsman in the world.” What I found most impressive about this movie…well, I was watching it with my husband and just kind of chortling through the whole thing and whenever I wasn’t, I realized that he was doing the same. Highly recommend this one.
What I’ve been cooking: Eh, mostly just dinners. Nothing special lately. I did make that banana soft serve that is all over the healthy eating blogs and it was fine. But I am not sure it was worth the noise of the food processor. My food processor is very loud. Is yours? I don’t like to hear it.
NOW…here’s the thing. I wrote this a while ago, so…UPDATE AHOY!
Read those two books, also read “Star Island” which I need to say, disappointed me a bit. Ah well. Now reading a Val McDairmid novel and it’s intensely and disturbingly engrossing. I do need to stop reading serial killer novels over lunch though. Next I am thinking it’s “Wigs on the Green” or a China Mievlle. We’ll see.
Also in the meanwhile I saw “Whip It” which was fine but not really anything new. “I Could Never Be Your Woman” which was strange and not exactly not funny, but not exactly unfunny… but…well…research it and you’ll see why I am at a loss here. And…um…oh. Right. I saw Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.” And, Mr. Burton…I don’t know what to say about you anymore. You are an artist. You make pretty pictures, but I think maybe your pictures should remain static and speechless. I don’t want to be cruel but…you can’t tell a story for shit, dude. Nice casting though.
Oh and in the actual movie theatre I saw “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.” I was a little nervous. I am a big fan of the books and I saw it with two people who had no familiarity with the books at all (does that make sense? It does, right?). We all really liked it. Way more than I expected to. So…yay.
There have also been…let’s see…Hostess style cupcakes, Funfetti style cupcakes, Vanilla cupcakes, Root Beer cupcakes, vegan cookies and…oh, brownies…probably some other stuff. You should totally invite me to your party. I like having excuses to bake. Don’t really like parties though, so I’d be happy to drop ‘em off on my way by…
Speaking of favorites, I see two of my favorite novelists have new (sorta) books out. Carl Hiaasen has a new one called “Star Island”, which, to be honest sounds like more of the same from him. The good thing is, I happen to like his same. And a Nancy Mitford novel that has been out of print for quite a while is recently back in print, ”Wigs on the Green.” Last year I read a Mitford novel…I think it was “Don’t Tell Alfred” that had me laughing out loud while waiting to serve my jury duty. So you know it had to be pretty good. Both are in the queue for next books to be read.
What I’ve been watching: We (the husband and I) just started watching “Rubicon” and I really, really like it. On several levels. I happen to really like mysteries and cryptography even though I am crap at figuring things out. The actors are, so far, very good and the art direction….sublime. Really. I mean, the art direction on “Mad Men” is very nice, but when you are given a period piece to elaborate on, you have a pretty good basis to start with, right? “Rubicon” is the current time period, but they have done that thing where it they attempt to make it feel rather timeless. Kind of like…well…look at that Harry Potter movies have…we all know that they are set in the now, but there is a quality to them that makes you feel like you are watching a fairy tale. No one randomly uses a cell phone or a remote control or computer…“Rubicon” has a similar feel. People drive older cars, and wear non-designer-y clothes. It all feels like it’s taking place in the now, but COULD be taking place 30 years ago if it weren’t for that computer on the desk. It also utilizes this amazing gray and tan color palette, which strikes a perfect balance (for me anyway) between cold and warm, glowing and chilly, dark and light. It all feels very purposeful and I rather like that.
And the movies? Recently watched “Kickass”, which I enjoyed but didn’t feel like I really need to see it again. It was fun and crazy and over the top. Mark Strong was amazing as per usual and, you know, I liked it just fine. But it didn’t blow my mind. However, I also recently watched “In the Loop” which kind of did blow my mind. Very funny, bitter, and painfully honest political comedy spun off from a British TV show, which I have only seen bits and pieces of. The much under utilized Tom Hollander was great and Peter Capaldi is, as ever, genius. But I think my favorite character is the one referred to as “the angriest Scotsman in the world.” What I found most impressive about this movie…well, I was watching it with my husband and just kind of chortling through the whole thing and whenever I wasn’t, I realized that he was doing the same. Highly recommend this one.
What I’ve been cooking: Eh, mostly just dinners. Nothing special lately. I did make that banana soft serve that is all over the healthy eating blogs and it was fine. But I am not sure it was worth the noise of the food processor. My food processor is very loud. Is yours? I don’t like to hear it.
NOW…here’s the thing. I wrote this a while ago, so…UPDATE AHOY!
Read those two books, also read “Star Island” which I need to say, disappointed me a bit. Ah well. Now reading a Val McDairmid novel and it’s intensely and disturbingly engrossing. I do need to stop reading serial killer novels over lunch though. Next I am thinking it’s “Wigs on the Green” or a China Mievlle. We’ll see.
Also in the meanwhile I saw “Whip It” which was fine but not really anything new. “I Could Never Be Your Woman” which was strange and not exactly not funny, but not exactly unfunny… but…well…research it and you’ll see why I am at a loss here. And…um…oh. Right. I saw Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.” And, Mr. Burton…I don’t know what to say about you anymore. You are an artist. You make pretty pictures, but I think maybe your pictures should remain static and speechless. I don’t want to be cruel but…you can’t tell a story for shit, dude. Nice casting though.
Oh and in the actual movie theatre I saw “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.” I was a little nervous. I am a big fan of the books and I saw it with two people who had no familiarity with the books at all (does that make sense? It does, right?). We all really liked it. Way more than I expected to. So…yay.
There have also been…let’s see…Hostess style cupcakes, Funfetti style cupcakes, Vanilla cupcakes, Root Beer cupcakes, vegan cookies and…oh, brownies…probably some other stuff. You should totally invite me to your party. I like having excuses to bake. Don’t really like parties though, so I’d be happy to drop ‘em off on my way by…
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Fiddly.
So, around Christmas time, I was invited to a cookie swap. I had never been to one before and it was fun but…I didn’t really enjoy baking the cookies. I couldn’t tell you exactly why except…it’s kind of fiddly. I mean, with a cake or cupcakes, pretty much all the work happens at once, it’s baked and you are done (unless you want to frost them). But cookies, much like candy, seem to go on and on. I tried to bake several pans of cookies at a time, but with an entirely accurate oven and all, I got a little twitchy. If burned one batch, I’d burn all of them, so I stuck to two pans at a time. It was fine. I think I made three kinds of cookies and you know, they were all good, but I just didn’t enjoy the experience as much as I wanted to. I’ve baked cookies many times before and you know, it’s not my favorite thing to bake but…this time…I kind of felt guilty that I didn’t enjoy it more. Maybe it was the holiday aspect, maybe it was because I was taking them to a party. It just wasn’t…my thing.
So, I’ve decided I need to dedicate a little more time to cookie baking. And, since I enjoy the vegan cupcake-baking thing so much, AND there is a lovely vegan cookie book by the same authors, I’ve been baking cookies a little bit more.
So far I’ve tried three recipes from the cookbook and I’ve liked them all well enough on their own merits. I do have to say though that a vegan chocolate chip cookie, while perfectly pleasant, even good, is not a chocolate chip cookie to me. It’s like a veggie burger. I enjoy it for what it is, not what it isn’t. I don’t like beef much but I do enjoy a good veggie burger, be it bean, soy or…other. But they don’t taste the same to me at all. One is not a replacement for the other in my book, and so far, I feel the same way about the chocolate chip cookies. Non-vegan chocolate chip cookies get much of their flavor from the butter. The two versions we tried relied more on the chocolate. One was enhanced by a base of whole wheat pastry flour, which gave the cookie a nice nuttiness. The other was, to me rather bland, but with a nice traditional texture, that half-baked chewy thing. But it was this that made me realize that I actually prefer a cake-like cookie and I liked the texture of the whole-wheat version.
Surprisingly, well…to me…the brown sugar flavor of a chocolate chip cookie really kind of fades into the background without butter. Who knew? Nonetheless…we ate all of both kinds. And yesterday my husband asked me where I had hidden the cookies. Um…in my tum. Sorry.
The other recipe I tried was a peanut butter bar cookie and man was it good. It was ever so peanutty and the recipe described it as fudge like. I don’t like fudge. I liked this bar. There you go.
Next, I’d like to try the recipe for… I think they were Mexican flavor influenced snickerdoodles. And there is a recipe for Rocky Road cookies with and accompanying picture that drives me to distraction.
But, in the meantime, while I haven’t had time for the fiddlyness of cookies, I did whip out a batch of wicked good cornbread muffins and a whiskey cake that was very good but could be better.
(PeeEss…if you are interested in the cookie book it’s Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar but Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romeo. I am enjoying it very much.)
So, I’ve decided I need to dedicate a little more time to cookie baking. And, since I enjoy the vegan cupcake-baking thing so much, AND there is a lovely vegan cookie book by the same authors, I’ve been baking cookies a little bit more.
So far I’ve tried three recipes from the cookbook and I’ve liked them all well enough on their own merits. I do have to say though that a vegan chocolate chip cookie, while perfectly pleasant, even good, is not a chocolate chip cookie to me. It’s like a veggie burger. I enjoy it for what it is, not what it isn’t. I don’t like beef much but I do enjoy a good veggie burger, be it bean, soy or…other. But they don’t taste the same to me at all. One is not a replacement for the other in my book, and so far, I feel the same way about the chocolate chip cookies. Non-vegan chocolate chip cookies get much of their flavor from the butter. The two versions we tried relied more on the chocolate. One was enhanced by a base of whole wheat pastry flour, which gave the cookie a nice nuttiness. The other was, to me rather bland, but with a nice traditional texture, that half-baked chewy thing. But it was this that made me realize that I actually prefer a cake-like cookie and I liked the texture of the whole-wheat version.
Surprisingly, well…to me…the brown sugar flavor of a chocolate chip cookie really kind of fades into the background without butter. Who knew? Nonetheless…we ate all of both kinds. And yesterday my husband asked me where I had hidden the cookies. Um…in my tum. Sorry.
The other recipe I tried was a peanut butter bar cookie and man was it good. It was ever so peanutty and the recipe described it as fudge like. I don’t like fudge. I liked this bar. There you go.
Next, I’d like to try the recipe for… I think they were Mexican flavor influenced snickerdoodles. And there is a recipe for Rocky Road cookies with and accompanying picture that drives me to distraction.
But, in the meantime, while I haven’t had time for the fiddlyness of cookies, I did whip out a batch of wicked good cornbread muffins and a whiskey cake that was very good but could be better.
(PeeEss…if you are interested in the cookie book it’s Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar but Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romeo. I am enjoying it very much.)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Smug.
So tell the truth. Do you read certain blogs or websites because you hate them? Hate the recipes, hate the designs, hate the suggestions for improving your life, the sanctimonious tone or the trite ideas? Do you?
I subscribe to a newsletter that I detest. It’s written by a “person of note” and it’s ridiculious. It tells me all the wonderful things I can do in cities I can’t afford to visit and places to stay that will cost more than I make in a week. It gives me recipes that make me shudder and tells me that I should exercise more, eat more fish, and only use organic toilet paper. It tells me why my friends don’t like me, who my friends should be, what my friends should be wearing and where to meet my friends to tell them I no longer want to be friends with them. It’s amazing and spectacular and hateful and horrible. And every time I read it I think, “Man, this is awful, I should cancel it.”
But I don’t.
Because then how could I possible feel so smug about being better than all this? Being better than a newsletter? How could I make fun of it if I didn’t read it every damn time it appears in my inbox?
It’s petty and it’s childish and I am pretty sure we all do it. I am pretty sure that someone is doing it right here, right now. It’s all right. We don’t all have to like the same things. Heck, I rarely like the stuff other people like, but I’m just contrary like that. But yeah…’fess up. You do it too, don’t you?
Soooo…here’s what I am doing for and you can now dislike and make fun of in your spare time…
Soulless by Gail Carriger- my dad says that the Kindle, which he loves, is problematic in one way, he can’t browse the aisles of the book store the way he used to and he has a hard time finding new books. Um…I have the opposite problem. I browse online (he doesn’t really like being online) and I follow links and the next thing I know I’ve got a list of new books and not enough time. I think that’s how I came across this one. And I was given a few gift certificates and I thought, oh what the heck? And I am glad I did. Very entertaining, light but not fluffy. Good understanding of the Victorian age and clothing of, and sexy in a way that worked without being embarrassing. Oh and it has vampires and werewolves. Can’t really go wrong can you? But then I finished that. So right now it’s:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Yeah, I know, I know, you read it ages ago. Whatever. It’s taken me while to get into it but at about 23% in (hello kindle!) and I am starting to get into the groove and I’m enjoying it a bit more (NO! Wait! I finished I enjoyed it but…well…that’s for another day). After this…well, I have quite a lot of free books I have picked up for the kindle, a few cozy mysteries, a romance (of all things!) and what appears to be a parody of a Victorian mystery. So I have choices to make, but I also just ordered the first book of the Red Riding series by David Peace. After reading about the tv series based on these books which were themselves inspired by a series of murders and…well, I haven’t read it yet, but it looks good. I’ll let you know.
What I’ve been listening to:
I think I have a new desert island disc. I’ve been listening to Pablo Honey on repeat for a while now. I think I kind of dismissed the whole Radiohead thing early on. Well, not true, I liked Creep, from this album and of course Fake Plastic Trees, but then I kind of wandered away from them, as I tend to do, until much later. And then I started kind of obsessively listening to Thom Yorke’s solo album, which I really, really love and that brought me back to Pablo Honey. So, the current list of desert island discs kind of reads like this:
Pablo Honey- Radiohead
The Eraser-Thom Yorke
Fashion Nugget -Cake (I know, what?)
All Over the Place-The Bangles (DO NOT JUDGE ME! It's a very listenable album!)
Django Reinhardt Box Set (sorry, I’ve not yet decided which single disc, I’ll try not to get stranded until then)
Elvis Costello-Mix cod (spell check insists that I mean COD here, and who am I to argue?) that I will have to prepare before being deserted
And I am starting to think that Massive Attack may have to appear here, possibly with Blue Lines (or maybe Protection) and some Rolling Stones...and...and...
Hmm. I think I need think on this. I did spend some time over the weekend tracking down some cds. Don’t you hate when you grab a cod (*ahem, thank you spellcheck) case take it to your car and then go to pop it in and…what? Am I the only person who doesn’t have an mp3 player in their car? Anyway, lots of empty cod (knock it off!) cases later I tracked down my copy of Fashion Nugget and listened to it on the way to work. It remains awesome.
Also, I’Ve been baking cookies. It’s experimental as I don’t really care for the act of making cookies as much as I like the act of eating cookies, but…it’s been slightly enlightening. Which is mostly just a phrase I wanted to use because I like the way it sounds. I’ll get back to you on this cookie experiment later…
I subscribe to a newsletter that I detest. It’s written by a “person of note” and it’s ridiculious. It tells me all the wonderful things I can do in cities I can’t afford to visit and places to stay that will cost more than I make in a week. It gives me recipes that make me shudder and tells me that I should exercise more, eat more fish, and only use organic toilet paper. It tells me why my friends don’t like me, who my friends should be, what my friends should be wearing and where to meet my friends to tell them I no longer want to be friends with them. It’s amazing and spectacular and hateful and horrible. And every time I read it I think, “Man, this is awful, I should cancel it.”
But I don’t.
Because then how could I possible feel so smug about being better than all this? Being better than a newsletter? How could I make fun of it if I didn’t read it every damn time it appears in my inbox?
It’s petty and it’s childish and I am pretty sure we all do it. I am pretty sure that someone is doing it right here, right now. It’s all right. We don’t all have to like the same things. Heck, I rarely like the stuff other people like, but I’m just contrary like that. But yeah…’fess up. You do it too, don’t you?
Soooo…here’s what I am doing for and you can now dislike and make fun of in your spare time…
Soulless by Gail Carriger- my dad says that the Kindle, which he loves, is problematic in one way, he can’t browse the aisles of the book store the way he used to and he has a hard time finding new books. Um…I have the opposite problem. I browse online (he doesn’t really like being online) and I follow links and the next thing I know I’ve got a list of new books and not enough time. I think that’s how I came across this one. And I was given a few gift certificates and I thought, oh what the heck? And I am glad I did. Very entertaining, light but not fluffy. Good understanding of the Victorian age and clothing of, and sexy in a way that worked without being embarrassing. Oh and it has vampires and werewolves. Can’t really go wrong can you? But then I finished that. So right now it’s:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Yeah, I know, I know, you read it ages ago. Whatever. It’s taken me while to get into it but at about 23% in (hello kindle!) and I am starting to get into the groove and I’m enjoying it a bit more (NO! Wait! I finished I enjoyed it but…well…that’s for another day). After this…well, I have quite a lot of free books I have picked up for the kindle, a few cozy mysteries, a romance (of all things!) and what appears to be a parody of a Victorian mystery. So I have choices to make, but I also just ordered the first book of the Red Riding series by David Peace. After reading about the tv series based on these books which were themselves inspired by a series of murders and…well, I haven’t read it yet, but it looks good. I’ll let you know.
What I’ve been listening to:
I think I have a new desert island disc. I’ve been listening to Pablo Honey on repeat for a while now. I think I kind of dismissed the whole Radiohead thing early on. Well, not true, I liked Creep, from this album and of course Fake Plastic Trees, but then I kind of wandered away from them, as I tend to do, until much later. And then I started kind of obsessively listening to Thom Yorke’s solo album, which I really, really love and that brought me back to Pablo Honey. So, the current list of desert island discs kind of reads like this:
Pablo Honey- Radiohead
The Eraser-Thom Yorke
Fashion Nugget -Cake (I know, what?)
All Over the Place-The Bangles (DO NOT JUDGE ME! It's a very listenable album!)
Django Reinhardt Box Set (sorry, I’ve not yet decided which single disc, I’ll try not to get stranded until then)
Elvis Costello-Mix cod (spell check insists that I mean COD here, and who am I to argue?) that I will have to prepare before being deserted
And I am starting to think that Massive Attack may have to appear here, possibly with Blue Lines (or maybe Protection) and some Rolling Stones...and...and...
Hmm. I think I need think on this. I did spend some time over the weekend tracking down some cds. Don’t you hate when you grab a cod (*ahem, thank you spellcheck) case take it to your car and then go to pop it in and…what? Am I the only person who doesn’t have an mp3 player in their car? Anyway, lots of empty cod (knock it off!) cases later I tracked down my copy of Fashion Nugget and listened to it on the way to work. It remains awesome.
Also, I’Ve been baking cookies. It’s experimental as I don’t really care for the act of making cookies as much as I like the act of eating cookies, but…it’s been slightly enlightening. Which is mostly just a phrase I wanted to use because I like the way it sounds. I’ll get back to you on this cookie experiment later…
Friday, November 20, 2009
Prunes.
How often can I start a blog with…”So much has happened since last time!”?
Apparently, pretty often.
I don’t even know when last time was…hang on, let me look…hmmm….not quite a month. So I have almost avoided blogging for the entire national blogging…month…thing…what do you call that? NANBLOPOMO…eh. I am not participatory anyway.
So, we’ve had Halloween…nothing on there, I’ve made a few new Christmas card designs…the ‘rentals have come to visit and now we are well on our way to Thanksgiving. So, there…now we are caught up. Oh, right. And I got a year old and I received an awesome gift or two…one of them being a Kindle. Which is exciting…for me. I also became the proud owner of a 1917 cookbook entitled “A Thousand Ways to Please A Husband, “ oddly, there seemed to be no companion book on pleasing a wife…go figure.
Let’s see…Thanksgiving. Same ol’, same ol over here. Turkey…last year I felt like I was done with turkey. That maybe it was time to move on to some other holiday protein. Tofurky…nut loaf…something else. I still kind of feel this way but because I am cooking for others, I will stick with traditon. We’ll see how I feel about it this year and perhaps next year I will add the vegetarian option. I don’t know. I do have strong feelings on both sides, but last year the turkey just didn’t work for me.
Sorry, lost my train of thought there…turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole (topped with pecans and brown sugar or may be almonds or walnuts since I already have those …), roasted Brussels sprouts, cranberry jelly (from a can, dammit, none of your fancy compotes here!), crescent rolls (ya gotta!), and…what else? Pumpkin pie. Maybe some whoopee pies…and, if we have company, some sort of snacks for earlier in the day. Maybe the old standby of artichoke spinach dip or some jalapeño dip. I think that sounds pretty good. We’ve gotten rid of the mashed potatoes because…eh, we have enough. And I was going to make an acorn squash pie instead of a pumpkin pie but was advised against it. So there you go.
Actually, let me check my new 1917 cookbook and see if it has any good recipes…no…several “creamed” things…several “escalloped” things and…oh, this is kind of telling, three dessert recipes that involve prunes. Considering we no longer even call them prunes (they are now called “dried plums”), that seems pretty…dated. Prune blanc mange, prune soufflé and prune whip. Hey, I LIKE prunes, but…yeah. We’ll stick to pumpkin pie for this one.
One last thing for today…my big and lovely birthday present from my husband was a Kindle. I am swoony over it. Jodi said a while back that she didn’t think I would want one. She thought that I am the kind of reader that likes the tactile sensation of a book, and the smell of them. I’m gonna be honest with you here…I’m not. Despite loving books and owning many, many old and treasured volumes. I really don’t like touching old books. Too dirty (I know! Coming from me that’s pretty rich!) and I am really not fond of the smell of old books either. Guys I work with rhapsodize over that musty smell but ugh. Maybe it’s the memory of traveling during my childhood. I would bring my mother’s and grandmother’s books with me to read on long cartrips and spent too many sunny days trapped in the backseat of a car with and old book, and old dog and two older brothers coming back. I would get so queasy from the smell of the book on a hot day (not to mention the smell of dog and brothers!) and now, when I crack open an old book, that’s all I can think of. Yeesh, I’m feeling carsick right now. So, the Kindle seems ideal for me. No smell. No dust. And since I got it, I have put…let’s see, maybe 15 or 20 books on it and I’ve only paid for two! Naturally, like a good little geek my first addition was “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and being a lit geek, my second was the complete works of William Shakespeare. But since then I have been adding historical cook books, classics and the occasional free mystery novel. It’s been fun finding new stuff and so far, I am really enjoying it. And, again, no smell.
p.s. oh hey, look, a recipe for homemade crescent rolls....nah. i'm gonna get mine from a tuuuuuube!
Apparently, pretty often.
I don’t even know when last time was…hang on, let me look…hmmm….not quite a month. So I have almost avoided blogging for the entire national blogging…month…thing…what do you call that? NANBLOPOMO…eh. I am not participatory anyway.
So, we’ve had Halloween…nothing on there, I’ve made a few new Christmas card designs…the ‘rentals have come to visit and now we are well on our way to Thanksgiving. So, there…now we are caught up. Oh, right. And I got a year old and I received an awesome gift or two…one of them being a Kindle. Which is exciting…for me. I also became the proud owner of a 1917 cookbook entitled “A Thousand Ways to Please A Husband, “ oddly, there seemed to be no companion book on pleasing a wife…go figure.
Let’s see…Thanksgiving. Same ol’, same ol over here. Turkey…last year I felt like I was done with turkey. That maybe it was time to move on to some other holiday protein. Tofurky…nut loaf…something else. I still kind of feel this way but because I am cooking for others, I will stick with traditon. We’ll see how I feel about it this year and perhaps next year I will add the vegetarian option. I don’t know. I do have strong feelings on both sides, but last year the turkey just didn’t work for me.
Sorry, lost my train of thought there…turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole (topped with pecans and brown sugar or may be almonds or walnuts since I already have those …), roasted Brussels sprouts, cranberry jelly (from a can, dammit, none of your fancy compotes here!), crescent rolls (ya gotta!), and…what else? Pumpkin pie. Maybe some whoopee pies…and, if we have company, some sort of snacks for earlier in the day. Maybe the old standby of artichoke spinach dip or some jalapeño dip. I think that sounds pretty good. We’ve gotten rid of the mashed potatoes because…eh, we have enough. And I was going to make an acorn squash pie instead of a pumpkin pie but was advised against it. So there you go.
Actually, let me check my new 1917 cookbook and see if it has any good recipes…no…several “creamed” things…several “escalloped” things and…oh, this is kind of telling, three dessert recipes that involve prunes. Considering we no longer even call them prunes (they are now called “dried plums”), that seems pretty…dated. Prune blanc mange, prune soufflé and prune whip. Hey, I LIKE prunes, but…yeah. We’ll stick to pumpkin pie for this one.
One last thing for today…my big and lovely birthday present from my husband was a Kindle. I am swoony over it. Jodi said a while back that she didn’t think I would want one. She thought that I am the kind of reader that likes the tactile sensation of a book, and the smell of them. I’m gonna be honest with you here…I’m not. Despite loving books and owning many, many old and treasured volumes. I really don’t like touching old books. Too dirty (I know! Coming from me that’s pretty rich!) and I am really not fond of the smell of old books either. Guys I work with rhapsodize over that musty smell but ugh. Maybe it’s the memory of traveling during my childhood. I would bring my mother’s and grandmother’s books with me to read on long cartrips and spent too many sunny days trapped in the backseat of a car with and old book, and old dog and two older brothers coming back. I would get so queasy from the smell of the book on a hot day (not to mention the smell of dog and brothers!) and now, when I crack open an old book, that’s all I can think of. Yeesh, I’m feeling carsick right now. So, the Kindle seems ideal for me. No smell. No dust. And since I got it, I have put…let’s see, maybe 15 or 20 books on it and I’ve only paid for two! Naturally, like a good little geek my first addition was “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and being a lit geek, my second was the complete works of William Shakespeare. But since then I have been adding historical cook books, classics and the occasional free mystery novel. It’s been fun finding new stuff and so far, I am really enjoying it. And, again, no smell.
p.s. oh hey, look, a recipe for homemade crescent rolls....nah. i'm gonna get mine from a tuuuuuube!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Comparisons.
As a kind of experiment, I have been reading Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre side by side in small installments (via DailyLit). I don’t think I have ever finished either of these books before, or if I did, I don’t’ remember. I have seen, and enjoyed, several movies based on each book, so I do know the basic premise of the stories.
I think I started this project as…well, I am honestly not sure. I am trying to fill in the gaps on my “classics” reading lists. I like to read. I like to read in installments and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I also had a conversation with a friend about Wuthering Heights and a theory I had about it. So I guess I wanted to be able to defend that theory. I don’t honestly know if I can, so I won’t bother boring you with it yet. But what has really gotten my attention is how very different the two books are, and how one appeals to me as a novel, the other as a novelty.
I let you know how it plays out in the end. Until then, any bets on which one I am enjoying more?
I think I started this project as…well, I am honestly not sure. I am trying to fill in the gaps on my “classics” reading lists. I like to read. I like to read in installments and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I also had a conversation with a friend about Wuthering Heights and a theory I had about it. So I guess I wanted to be able to defend that theory. I don’t honestly know if I can, so I won’t bother boring you with it yet. But what has really gotten my attention is how very different the two books are, and how one appeals to me as a novel, the other as a novelty.
I let you know how it plays out in the end. Until then, any bets on which one I am enjoying more?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Meanwhile...
To be completely honest…I haven’t felt like it.
There, that’s out of the way. No excuses (but I have been busy), no explanations (seriously, I’ve been busy), no complaints (he’s been sick…and it’s annoying). Just…haven’t felt like it.
Oh, I have written a bit, here and there, but some of it got political and some of it got…wrong and eh, there you go. I’ve been a little burnt out since comic-con and now, here we are, in September, of all places, and it’s like one hundred and two degrees and everything is on fire again.*sigh* So, for the moment, there are a few things I need to type and then a few things to fill some space and then….well…we’ll see.
I had a dream a few nights ago. I don’t remember what the dream was about at all but I do remember that at some point in the dream I was reading the concert listings in the newspaper and the name of one band in particular stood out to me…”Norman Fell and the Tits, the Nymph’s Nipples and the Fleshy Undertones.” This strikes me as odd. Does it strike you as odd too? It’s a rather long and involved name for just one band. And how, exactly, does Norman Fell fit into all this? I wish I could remember, but I do remember that, in my dream, they were playing on a Saturday night.
Also, there have been brownies…and cupcakes. And soon there will be cookies that have bacon in then. So that’s something.
And also also, since we last spoke, I have watched a movie. It was called “Rocknrolla” and I enjoyed it. It was return to form for Guy Richie and it was fun enough, with one excruciating chase scene that had me in stitches. So…there’s that.
I’ve been reading quite a bit and have finally finished Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber and I declare it good. If you have any interest at all in French History, clothing or Marie Antoinette, then it’s brilliant, and if you don’t, you will after reading this. The best book I have read in the last ten years was called The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri, but this is the second best book I have read in the last ten years. I’d loan it to you but I already loaned it to someone else, and then I went and bought another copy to give to my mom. It’s good enough to do that, buy another copy.
And now…
What I am reading: Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis-It’s…eh. Its Warren Ellis, and don’t get me wrong, I love some of his comics, but this isn’t really doing it for me. It’s a fast read and it’s certainly Warren Ellis, so, you know, if that’s your thing…
Serendipity by Louise Schaffer, given to me by my mom. I should know better. Anytime my mom gives me a book about a troubled relationship between a mother and daughter…wait…is she trying to tell me something? I don’t know but this is not my type of book. I am finishing it because mom gave it to me, but I am going to give her hell about it later. Actually, I probably won’t. But eh, it’s good to read things that aren’t necessarily what you would choose, right?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (dammit, I can’t find the umlauts on my keyboard!). I don’t remember if I have ever read this all the way through, but I have seen many movies based on it. It’s a bit of a mess of a story for me, but I am trying to get something new out of it. I was talking to a friend about it a while ago and he was declaring his distaste for it, but I was trying to defend it as something other than what was expected and then I decided I’d better go back and read it before I got in over my head. So far, I’d have to say that my theory stands.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte…see above. It’s just one of those things. I am reading them in installments via Daily Lit and enjoying it. So there.
What’s next? I dunno, I got a new Neil Stephenson book the other day, but those are a real commitment for me…hmmm. I do have some more books from my mom to read…sigh.
What I am watching…hmmm…what AM I watching? A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I’ve seen several things that I thought I had no interest in and then ended up enjoying. The Good Wife, for example, was…not bad. I am not a fan of Juliana Margulies but you know, I watched the beginning and felt compelled to watch the rest so…it did its job. Cougartown didn’t seem like my kind of thing, but it was much better than I expected and hey, that Courtney Cox Arquette…she was kind of funny. Surprise. I’ve been watching a bit of British stuff and if you didn’t catch Being Human as it ran, I’d recommend tracking that one down. Very enjoyable. Russell Tovey is awesome in his dorkiness. And I’ve been enjoying a show called Economy Gastronomy that made me realize that I’d be a pretty darn economical cook if I paid attention. Also, the chefs on this show…cute.
What I’m listening to…um…not much really. I have an Andrew Bird cd sitting here next to me…some John Vanderslice, Bibio and the Mark Olson and Gary Louris cd…but I’m not listening to them. I wanted to listen to some Franco Corelli yesterday, but I couldn’t find my cd and I’ve been trying to learn to appreciate La Boheme but my cod player absolutely refused to play it and it forced me to listen to The Marriage Figaro instead…seriously.
What I’m working on…nothing. Well, stuff, but…yeah...nothing.
What’s next for the rest of that stuff? Well, I am going to get the TV to myself for a while, so I guess I will catch up on all those episodes of the Elvis Costello show and maybe finish watching Dirty Sexy Money, even though I am kind of over it now that my favorite character is gone (yes, well, they are all gone, I know but…), musicwise…I’ve been wanting some ambient kind of stuff to listen to while I read. Any suggestions?
And workwise, well, it’s gonna get busy round here soon…we’ll see what comes out of it, shall we?
Until then. There is a give away for some Paperlotus cards over at Cupcakes take the Cake and another giveaway planned for Rarebird Finds, so you know, you could pop over there and leave a comment and maybe win a thing…
And finally, because I know you don’t care…
Who I’m crushing on…
Paul Merrett, Allegra Mc Evedy, Gerard Butler
Merrett and Mc Evedy are the chefs that I mentioned, he’s got stunning blue eyes and she’s just so freaking cool, and you know, I never got the Gerard Butler thing until Rocknrolla…go figure.
There, that’s out of the way. No excuses (but I have been busy), no explanations (seriously, I’ve been busy), no complaints (he’s been sick…and it’s annoying). Just…haven’t felt like it.
Oh, I have written a bit, here and there, but some of it got political and some of it got…wrong and eh, there you go. I’ve been a little burnt out since comic-con and now, here we are, in September, of all places, and it’s like one hundred and two degrees and everything is on fire again.*sigh* So, for the moment, there are a few things I need to type and then a few things to fill some space and then….well…we’ll see.
I had a dream a few nights ago. I don’t remember what the dream was about at all but I do remember that at some point in the dream I was reading the concert listings in the newspaper and the name of one band in particular stood out to me…”Norman Fell and the Tits, the Nymph’s Nipples and the Fleshy Undertones.” This strikes me as odd. Does it strike you as odd too? It’s a rather long and involved name for just one band. And how, exactly, does Norman Fell fit into all this? I wish I could remember, but I do remember that, in my dream, they were playing on a Saturday night.
Also, there have been brownies…and cupcakes. And soon there will be cookies that have bacon in then. So that’s something.
And also also, since we last spoke, I have watched a movie. It was called “Rocknrolla” and I enjoyed it. It was return to form for Guy Richie and it was fun enough, with one excruciating chase scene that had me in stitches. So…there’s that.
I’ve been reading quite a bit and have finally finished Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Weber and I declare it good. If you have any interest at all in French History, clothing or Marie Antoinette, then it’s brilliant, and if you don’t, you will after reading this. The best book I have read in the last ten years was called The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri, but this is the second best book I have read in the last ten years. I’d loan it to you but I already loaned it to someone else, and then I went and bought another copy to give to my mom. It’s good enough to do that, buy another copy.
And now…
What I am reading: Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis-It’s…eh. Its Warren Ellis, and don’t get me wrong, I love some of his comics, but this isn’t really doing it for me. It’s a fast read and it’s certainly Warren Ellis, so, you know, if that’s your thing…
Serendipity by Louise Schaffer, given to me by my mom. I should know better. Anytime my mom gives me a book about a troubled relationship between a mother and daughter…wait…is she trying to tell me something? I don’t know but this is not my type of book. I am finishing it because mom gave it to me, but I am going to give her hell about it later. Actually, I probably won’t. But eh, it’s good to read things that aren’t necessarily what you would choose, right?
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (dammit, I can’t find the umlauts on my keyboard!). I don’t remember if I have ever read this all the way through, but I have seen many movies based on it. It’s a bit of a mess of a story for me, but I am trying to get something new out of it. I was talking to a friend about it a while ago and he was declaring his distaste for it, but I was trying to defend it as something other than what was expected and then I decided I’d better go back and read it before I got in over my head. So far, I’d have to say that my theory stands.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte…see above. It’s just one of those things. I am reading them in installments via Daily Lit and enjoying it. So there.
What’s next? I dunno, I got a new Neil Stephenson book the other day, but those are a real commitment for me…hmmm. I do have some more books from my mom to read…sigh.
What I am watching…hmmm…what AM I watching? A little bit of this, a little bit of that. I’ve seen several things that I thought I had no interest in and then ended up enjoying. The Good Wife, for example, was…not bad. I am not a fan of Juliana Margulies but you know, I watched the beginning and felt compelled to watch the rest so…it did its job. Cougartown didn’t seem like my kind of thing, but it was much better than I expected and hey, that Courtney Cox Arquette…she was kind of funny. Surprise. I’ve been watching a bit of British stuff and if you didn’t catch Being Human as it ran, I’d recommend tracking that one down. Very enjoyable. Russell Tovey is awesome in his dorkiness. And I’ve been enjoying a show called Economy Gastronomy that made me realize that I’d be a pretty darn economical cook if I paid attention. Also, the chefs on this show…cute.
What I’m listening to…um…not much really. I have an Andrew Bird cd sitting here next to me…some John Vanderslice, Bibio and the Mark Olson and Gary Louris cd…but I’m not listening to them. I wanted to listen to some Franco Corelli yesterday, but I couldn’t find my cd and I’ve been trying to learn to appreciate La Boheme but my cod player absolutely refused to play it and it forced me to listen to The Marriage Figaro instead…seriously.
What I’m working on…nothing. Well, stuff, but…yeah...nothing.
What’s next for the rest of that stuff? Well, I am going to get the TV to myself for a while, so I guess I will catch up on all those episodes of the Elvis Costello show and maybe finish watching Dirty Sexy Money, even though I am kind of over it now that my favorite character is gone (yes, well, they are all gone, I know but…), musicwise…I’ve been wanting some ambient kind of stuff to listen to while I read. Any suggestions?
And workwise, well, it’s gonna get busy round here soon…we’ll see what comes out of it, shall we?
Until then. There is a give away for some Paperlotus cards over at Cupcakes take the Cake and another giveaway planned for Rarebird Finds, so you know, you could pop over there and leave a comment and maybe win a thing…
And finally, because I know you don’t care…
Who I’m crushing on…
Paul Merrett, Allegra Mc Evedy, Gerard Butler
Merrett and Mc Evedy are the chefs that I mentioned, he’s got stunning blue eyes and she’s just so freaking cool, and you know, I never got the Gerard Butler thing until Rocknrolla…go figure.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Smoke.
First, I want you to see this:
I'm pretty sure that "smoke" is not weather, unless you are in California.
Secondly, today I have read bits of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, a Jim Butcher novel, a vegan cookbook and I am about to take a look at an Ian Rankin graphic novel. Tonight I will continue reading my werewolf book. I am trying to work on the books I so I can justify the Kindle I want. But then, I just read an article that says that the average Kindle user keeps their device for two years. TWO YEARS? I've have books that are older than my mother. I have books from the 1800s. And i realize that the point of a Kindle is basically to have those sorts of books that you read once and then let sit around until you remember to pass them on or take them to the used book store or donate, in a less physical form or something but...two years?
Anyway. Hot. Smoky. Books. That's pretty much the sum of things at the moment.
I'm pretty sure that "smoke" is not weather, unless you are in California.
Secondly, today I have read bits of Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, a Jim Butcher novel, a vegan cookbook and I am about to take a look at an Ian Rankin graphic novel. Tonight I will continue reading my werewolf book. I am trying to work on the books I so I can justify the Kindle I want. But then, I just read an article that says that the average Kindle user keeps their device for two years. TWO YEARS? I've have books that are older than my mother. I have books from the 1800s. And i realize that the point of a Kindle is basically to have those sorts of books that you read once and then let sit around until you remember to pass them on or take them to the used book store or donate, in a less physical form or something but...two years?
Anyway. Hot. Smoky. Books. That's pretty much the sum of things at the moment.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Justice.
Where have I been, you ask? I have been doing my civic obligation, my friends. And I hope to never have to do it again. Thirteen days of jury duty didn’t convince me that our legal system is the…well…look, it’s better than some, but it’s far from perfect. And while I can legally tell you all about the trial now, I don’t know that you care. Let’s say words like whistleblower, probation, psychiatrist, forensic accountant and pain in the lower back and leave it at that for now. It wasn’t fun. It wasn’t the kind of learning experience I like having and when your 20 minute commute is the highlight of the day, something bad is happening.
For the record, my usual commute is no less than 40 minutes. Today was an hour. Twenty minutes was pretty nice as far as that part goes.
So, that’s pretty much been it lately. I’ve been doing some art for a friend’s website, but not much else art wise…soon though…soon my pretty…
And other than that:
What I’ve been reading: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe, which was, as Scott Pilgrim comics are wont to be, entertaining. But it confused the hell out of me. Characters start to look alike and hey, I thought this was the last one! (Apparently, it's not.)
The Reckoning The Murder of Christopher Marlowe.- I am not so much a Marlovian (look it up, it’s for real) but, as a friend once told me, I clearly have a crush on Kit Marlowe. I’ve only just started this book as part of my “read more non-fiction” initiative and it’s interesting.
Pigeon Pie-Ah, Nancy Mitford. It’s dated (WW2) and snobby and funny as hell. Rarely do I actually find myself laughing aloud at a book, but this one got me several times. It made cheerful reading in the hallway of the courthouse while other jurors were, oh, you know, BEING INCREDIBLY LATE.
Midnight’s Children- Salman Rushdie-Yeah…still reading this…slowly. I don’t know, I get it, I get why he’s famous, I just don’t know if I like it. He’s awfully in love with his words.
What’s next: Well, I just got two books in the mail that are non-fictions about 18th century women. One I bought because it was also written by Nancy Mitford so I am looking forward to that. There’s also a book called Lonely Werewolf Girl hanging out in my living room and I am thinking that’s next for fiction.
Oh goodness…look at the time…you don’t need to know what I’ve been watching (Sheep themed horror movies), cooking (root beer cupcakes) or drawing (cute little girls), do you? No, I didn’t think so.
I’ll get back on some sort of schedule eventually.
Maybe.
In the meanwhile, if you really miss me, I did do a post over here...
For the record, my usual commute is no less than 40 minutes. Today was an hour. Twenty minutes was pretty nice as far as that part goes.
So, that’s pretty much been it lately. I’ve been doing some art for a friend’s website, but not much else art wise…soon though…soon my pretty…
And other than that:
What I’ve been reading: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe, which was, as Scott Pilgrim comics are wont to be, entertaining. But it confused the hell out of me. Characters start to look alike and hey, I thought this was the last one! (Apparently, it's not.)
The Reckoning The Murder of Christopher Marlowe.- I am not so much a Marlovian (look it up, it’s for real) but, as a friend once told me, I clearly have a crush on Kit Marlowe. I’ve only just started this book as part of my “read more non-fiction” initiative and it’s interesting.
Pigeon Pie-Ah, Nancy Mitford. It’s dated (WW2) and snobby and funny as hell. Rarely do I actually find myself laughing aloud at a book, but this one got me several times. It made cheerful reading in the hallway of the courthouse while other jurors were, oh, you know, BEING INCREDIBLY LATE.
Midnight’s Children- Salman Rushdie-Yeah…still reading this…slowly. I don’t know, I get it, I get why he’s famous, I just don’t know if I like it. He’s awfully in love with his words.
What’s next: Well, I just got two books in the mail that are non-fictions about 18th century women. One I bought because it was also written by Nancy Mitford so I am looking forward to that. There’s also a book called Lonely Werewolf Girl hanging out in my living room and I am thinking that’s next for fiction.
Oh goodness…look at the time…you don’t need to know what I’ve been watching (Sheep themed horror movies), cooking (root beer cupcakes) or drawing (cute little girls), do you? No, I didn’t think so.
I’ll get back on some sort of schedule eventually.
Maybe.
In the meanwhile, if you really miss me, I did do a post over here...
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Read.
And now…looking back…I kept a record of all the books I read in 2008 and my intention was to write little reviews of them. I did write reviews for a few of them but then I got lazy and I decided just to make notes on the rest. Then I got lazier and I decided to just make notes on a few. It was a very vampire filled year so…you know…just a little more than skin deep, I suppose. I didn’t read as much as I would have liked (and for the record, I only list novels, not novellas, short stories or comic books) so there was some more reading, but still less than I wanted. Maybe this year…
Books Read 2008
January:
Fool Moon-Jim Butcher
The Stupidest Angel-Christopher Moore
Twilight-Stephanie Meyer
The Half-Moon Detective Agency-Eion Coufler
Tall, Dark, and Dead- Tate Hallaway
Clearly January’s books had a supernatural theme running through them. Fool Moon is the second in the Harry Dresden series from Jim Butcher and it was a fun read. I love the character and Butcher adds such nice touches to the story (Dresden has amazing magical powers but they short circuit modern technology, so simple things like email and cell phone calls just don’t work for him. It’s a nice little bit that can certainly heighten the tension of story when you know the hero just can’t call for help or download a file that will contain the info he needs). If you like mysteries and supernatural series, check the Dresden Files books out. And if you happen to catch the series running on sci-fi, that was kind of fun too. Sorry it’s gone.
The Christopher Moore I have read has been hit or miss for me. I loved Lamb but was less enthralled by Bloodsucking Fiends. The Stupidest Angel falls somewhere in the middle. I didn’t dislike it, but it was maybe a little to slapstick for my tastes. Moore does seem to enjoy himself though and his characters are memorable and silly (in a fun way).
Twilight is the first in a series of young adult novels. This one was pretty standard girl loves vampire fare. I didn’t find anything that offended me in it, but nothing grabbed me enough to make me want to continue the story either. I guess I am not the target market on this one though. (Hmmm...well, this was written before all the big Twilight boom this year. It was popular at the time I wrote this but I didn't yet know about HOW big it was or would get. I still think it was pretty boring and I am quite the fan of crappy vampire stories, so...)
The Half-Moon Detective Agency is another Y.A. novel (I know, I have to start reading big kid books!). I am particularly fond of Eoin Colfer, For some reason I feel like he writes like a kid. Rather, he’s got the right mindset to write for a super intelligent kid. I am fond of his Artemis Fowl series but this book, which I suspect will spawn it’s own series was more…fun. It made me laugh out loud while I was reading it and that doesn’t happen all that often. I don’t really know how to put into word the giddiness I felt reading this book and I don’t even know how to tell you WHY I felt that way but it just worked for me, the language, the style, the character development. And finally I see a writer who understands how kids use technology. Books are only just starting to make use of text messages and instant messages and the like in a way that seems natural. Colfer gets that and uses it to great advantage. If you are 8-13 and a looking for a very entertaining mystery novel, this is it. If you are…much older…read this and see if you don’t feel like this guy just gets how a kid’s brain works.
Well, I guess that this would not be the time to deny my fondness for vampire stories. Don’t know what it is, although I do know it’s not that I find them sexy. In fact, I tend to really dislike any stories that make vampires overtly sexual. I get the whole penetration thing, I get the whole blood thing, let’s get to the interesting stuff, eh? But that said, I really do enjoy the Tate Hallaway books.
February
The Bleeding Dusk-Colleen Gleason
Cakes and Ale-W. Somerset Maughm
Grave Peril-Jim Butcher
Kiki Strike and the Shadow City-Kirsten Miller-Oh hey, wow. I got a real kick out of this YA novel and I will certainly pick up more from this author.
April
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan-Lisa See-I am sorry, I can not really describe how little I liked this book. My mother passed it on to me and I read it because she did but…I should really know better, she did, after all, ask me to read all ten billion pages of The Corrections before confessing that she didn’t like it either. Anyway, a number of years ago we saw a museum…thing…about Lisa See’s family and loved it. The book…not so much.
Thursday Next: First Among Sequels- I love Jasper Fford. If only for that extra eff.
Dead Sexy-Tate Hallaway
June
Anonymous Rex-Eric Garcia This book kind of took me by surprise. It really sounds ridiculous when you try to explain it (Dinosaurs exist alongside people, hide themselves in people suits and eat herbs) but it worked. It was far more entertaining that I could have expected.
July
Cross Bones- Kathy Reichs I’d been wanting to read one of the temperance Brennan novels for a while and I did enjoy this. Very different from the TV series “bones” though, so if you are reading it for that…don’t. Still, I enjoyed it and may pick up another eventually.
Wire in the Blood- Val McDermid-Another book I wanted to read due to having seen a tv show. But you know what? It works here. Good book, good tv show. And I guess I was also influenced by an article I read some time ago where Ian Rankin put his foot into it by saying women, especially lesbians, were more bloodthirsty writers than men. Val McDermud, a lesbian and a woman (heh), had a bit to say about that. And I’m gonna toss this quote in just because I think sums it up pretty well
“I’ll tell you what pisses me off more than almost anything: when people say, ‘As a woman, how do you feel about writing on violence?’ Have you ever heard a male crime writer being asked, ‘As a man, how do you feel about writing about violence?’
“There’s a profound disassociation, it seems to me; as if somehow it’s wrong for us to be writing about violence against women, as though somehow we need permission to write about violence against women.”
August
Romancing the Dead-Tate Hallaway
When Twilight Burns-Colleen Gleason
The Good Fairies of New York-Martin Millar
Summer Knight-Jim Butcher
October
My Name Is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare-Jess Winfield- Written by a former co-worker of my husband. I felt like I should support the cause.
Any Given Doomsday- Lori Handeland-Preview copy that I got by asking for it on some website. It was…not my cup of tea. Yeah…let’s just be polite and say that.
Northanger Abbey-Jane Austen-Oh hey, I read this with an on-line read along and I really, really enjoyed it, which was cool because I feel like this is the hardest Jane Austen book to like and that there is a lot going on under the surface that goes missing. In fact, I enjoyed this so much that I was inspired to purchase some of the gothic horror novels mentioned in the story. I am currently reading The Mysteries of Udolpho which is one of the books that is repeatedly mentioned.
December
Roo’d Joshua Klein-this was a Daily Lit read that…I think I read an intereview with Joshua Klein about it. It was entertaining.
Making Money-Terry Pratchett-I am sad about Terry Pratchett’s not so recent diagnosis of a rare and specific type of Alzheimers. It makes me wonder what’s in store for his series of novels and how far he writes ahead. But I feel some amount of relief in the memory that even if he were never to write another word, he will have left quite a legacy behind. But I hope he keeps writing.
Death Masks-Jim Butcher
The Thin Man-Dashiell Hammett I don’t know if I had ever read a Dashiell Hammet book before. I kind of think I read part of the Maltese Falcon, but I don’t remember. I love the Thin Man movies and while the book doesn’t quite match the fun of Willam Powell and Myrna Loy’s version, it clearly defined the concept and for that I am greatful.
Well, I'm almost done my first book of 2009 and it's another supernatural...I think I need to move on to something different. Back to Midnight's Children, I guess.
Books Read 2008
January:
Fool Moon-Jim Butcher
The Stupidest Angel-Christopher Moore
Twilight-Stephanie Meyer
The Half-Moon Detective Agency-Eion Coufler
Tall, Dark, and Dead- Tate Hallaway
Clearly January’s books had a supernatural theme running through them. Fool Moon is the second in the Harry Dresden series from Jim Butcher and it was a fun read. I love the character and Butcher adds such nice touches to the story (Dresden has amazing magical powers but they short circuit modern technology, so simple things like email and cell phone calls just don’t work for him. It’s a nice little bit that can certainly heighten the tension of story when you know the hero just can’t call for help or download a file that will contain the info he needs). If you like mysteries and supernatural series, check the Dresden Files books out. And if you happen to catch the series running on sci-fi, that was kind of fun too. Sorry it’s gone.
The Christopher Moore I have read has been hit or miss for me. I loved Lamb but was less enthralled by Bloodsucking Fiends. The Stupidest Angel falls somewhere in the middle. I didn’t dislike it, but it was maybe a little to slapstick for my tastes. Moore does seem to enjoy himself though and his characters are memorable and silly (in a fun way).
Twilight is the first in a series of young adult novels. This one was pretty standard girl loves vampire fare. I didn’t find anything that offended me in it, but nothing grabbed me enough to make me want to continue the story either. I guess I am not the target market on this one though. (Hmmm...well, this was written before all the big Twilight boom this year. It was popular at the time I wrote this but I didn't yet know about HOW big it was or would get. I still think it was pretty boring and I am quite the fan of crappy vampire stories, so...)
The Half-Moon Detective Agency is another Y.A. novel (I know, I have to start reading big kid books!). I am particularly fond of Eoin Colfer, For some reason I feel like he writes like a kid. Rather, he’s got the right mindset to write for a super intelligent kid. I am fond of his Artemis Fowl series but this book, which I suspect will spawn it’s own series was more…fun. It made me laugh out loud while I was reading it and that doesn’t happen all that often. I don’t really know how to put into word the giddiness I felt reading this book and I don’t even know how to tell you WHY I felt that way but it just worked for me, the language, the style, the character development. And finally I see a writer who understands how kids use technology. Books are only just starting to make use of text messages and instant messages and the like in a way that seems natural. Colfer gets that and uses it to great advantage. If you are 8-13 and a looking for a very entertaining mystery novel, this is it. If you are…much older…read this and see if you don’t feel like this guy just gets how a kid’s brain works.
Well, I guess that this would not be the time to deny my fondness for vampire stories. Don’t know what it is, although I do know it’s not that I find them sexy. In fact, I tend to really dislike any stories that make vampires overtly sexual. I get the whole penetration thing, I get the whole blood thing, let’s get to the interesting stuff, eh? But that said, I really do enjoy the Tate Hallaway books.
February
The Bleeding Dusk-Colleen Gleason
Cakes and Ale-W. Somerset Maughm
Grave Peril-Jim Butcher
Kiki Strike and the Shadow City-Kirsten Miller-Oh hey, wow. I got a real kick out of this YA novel and I will certainly pick up more from this author.
April
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan-Lisa See-I am sorry, I can not really describe how little I liked this book. My mother passed it on to me and I read it because she did but…I should really know better, she did, after all, ask me to read all ten billion pages of The Corrections before confessing that she didn’t like it either. Anyway, a number of years ago we saw a museum…thing…about Lisa See’s family and loved it. The book…not so much.
Thursday Next: First Among Sequels- I love Jasper Fford. If only for that extra eff.
Dead Sexy-Tate Hallaway
June
Anonymous Rex-Eric Garcia This book kind of took me by surprise. It really sounds ridiculous when you try to explain it (Dinosaurs exist alongside people, hide themselves in people suits and eat herbs) but it worked. It was far more entertaining that I could have expected.
July
Cross Bones- Kathy Reichs I’d been wanting to read one of the temperance Brennan novels for a while and I did enjoy this. Very different from the TV series “bones” though, so if you are reading it for that…don’t. Still, I enjoyed it and may pick up another eventually.
Wire in the Blood- Val McDermid-Another book I wanted to read due to having seen a tv show. But you know what? It works here. Good book, good tv show. And I guess I was also influenced by an article I read some time ago where Ian Rankin put his foot into it by saying women, especially lesbians, were more bloodthirsty writers than men. Val McDermud, a lesbian and a woman (heh), had a bit to say about that. And I’m gonna toss this quote in just because I think sums it up pretty well
“There’s a profound disassociation, it seems to me; as if somehow it’s wrong for us to be writing about violence against women, as though somehow we need permission to write about violence against women.”
August
Romancing the Dead-Tate Hallaway
When Twilight Burns-Colleen Gleason
The Good Fairies of New York-Martin Millar
Summer Knight-Jim Butcher
October
My Name Is Will: A Novel of Sex, Drugs, and Shakespeare-Jess Winfield- Written by a former co-worker of my husband. I felt like I should support the cause.
Any Given Doomsday- Lori Handeland-Preview copy that I got by asking for it on some website. It was…not my cup of tea. Yeah…let’s just be polite and say that.
Northanger Abbey-Jane Austen-Oh hey, I read this with an on-line read along and I really, really enjoyed it, which was cool because I feel like this is the hardest Jane Austen book to like and that there is a lot going on under the surface that goes missing. In fact, I enjoyed this so much that I was inspired to purchase some of the gothic horror novels mentioned in the story. I am currently reading The Mysteries of Udolpho which is one of the books that is repeatedly mentioned.
December
Roo’d Joshua Klein-this was a Daily Lit read that…I think I read an intereview with Joshua Klein about it. It was entertaining.
Making Money-Terry Pratchett-I am sad about Terry Pratchett’s not so recent diagnosis of a rare and specific type of Alzheimers. It makes me wonder what’s in store for his series of novels and how far he writes ahead. But I feel some amount of relief in the memory that even if he were never to write another word, he will have left quite a legacy behind. But I hope he keeps writing.
Death Masks-Jim Butcher
The Thin Man-Dashiell Hammett I don’t know if I had ever read a Dashiell Hammet book before. I kind of think I read part of the Maltese Falcon, but I don’t remember. I love the Thin Man movies and while the book doesn’t quite match the fun of Willam Powell and Myrna Loy’s version, it clearly defined the concept and for that I am greatful.
Well, I'm almost done my first book of 2009 and it's another supernatural...I think I need to move on to something different. Back to Midnight's Children, I guess.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Lists.
Movies watched recently:
30 Days of Night-Eh. I liked the first half hour. The rest was…eh.
Most of Sydney White-Surprisingly cute. Something that I could show my mom and not be embarrassed by.
Brick-V. v. good. My brother told me it was and he was right. Not that I doubted him. Minimal. Very minimal. Very clever. Very good.
The Dark Knight-Good. I liked it. It was quite nerve-wracking but good. Still, and this comes from someone who only likes movies where stuff gets blown up or ears get cut off…it was slightly over the top for me. Possibly only because when you have Batman, you have kids, and I don’t think this is appropriate for any one under…let’s say…12. So, you know, be careful.
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies-I don’t know if I had ever seem all of this before but I do love me some Doris Day and David Niven.
The Namesake-Oh Kal Penn. You are so cute. But…no. I like the book quite a lot but the movie? No. Not so much. Well, to be fair...good actors, bad retelling.
Books Purchased for self:
When Twilight Burns By Colleen Gleason
Colleen has a blog here. You should read it, she is very entertaining.
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer
I don’t know if Eoin Colfer has a blog. I imagine he does. I should go look….no, I don’t see one. He does have a website though. And he’s very entertaining as well. And I like the way he’s been writing lately. Well, I like the way he writes but I recently read “Half Moon Investigations” and it struck me as one of the first non Gossip Girl type books that was really using technology the way kids use technologly. Texting and video and the like. China Mieville did this too in that book he wrote…um…Un-lon-don. I like that idea. That the actual uses of video on cell phones and you tube are starting to filter into books.
All Wrapped Up! Groovy Gift Wrap of the 1960s by Kevin Akers
Kevin Akers has a website here. I don’t know Kevin Akers but I intend to email him and tell him how very much I do indeed enjoy this book. It’s lovely.
Getting it Right with Type: The Do’s and Don’ts of Typography by Victoria Squire
I haven’t read this yet. I skimmed it and I was slightly disappointed (not by you, Victoria Squire) because I think it may be more basic than I was hoping for. Typography is hard. Hard, I tell you!
Art of Modern Rock Mini #2: Poster Girls by Dennis King
I am hoping that this book will be inspiration for some more pin-up girl illos from me. We’ll see. I did discover an artist that I like but didn’t know his name. Unfortuantely, I don’t have the book with me and I still don’t know his name.
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace
Cute. Slight. Simple. It’s a nice book. Buy it for a kid.
I Completely Must Do Drawing Now and Painting and Coloring by Lauren Child
Do you know Charlie and Lola? I love Charlie and Lola. This is a Charlie and Lola book. It’s not here yet, but I am looking forward to seeing it.
Drop Dead Cute by Ivan Vartanian (postcard book)
It was cheaper than the book, so I thought I’d start small.
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher was at Comic-Con, promoting his new comic with the Dabel Brothers. I didn’t see him. Or the comic for that matter. I would have liked to see him. Not so sure about the comic.
Books Purchased for others:
Comic Book Tattoo by Tori Amos and a lot of artists (two copies)
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
Chester Cricket's Pigeon Ride by George Selden
Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse by George Selden
Dinosaur's Binkit by Sandra Boynton
Winnie-The-Pooh by A. A. Milne
A Treasury of Curious George by Margret Rey
Baby Signs by Joy Allen
Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt
I don’t think the people from whom some of these books are meant to surprise read this blog, but um…if you do…SURPRISE!
What I had for lunch:
2 slices portobello mushroom pizza
Regrets I have:
Eating portobello mushroom pizza
…and drinking soda.
Cookies within reach that I will not eat because I ate portobello mushroom pizza:
White chocolate chip and pecan
Oatmeal chocolate chip
Gluten and egg free chocolate chip button cookies
What I am making for dinner:
Gnocci with chicken, mushrooms and swiss chard with garlic, crushed red peppers and olive oil, NO CHEESE! In the name of all that is holy! NO CHEESE!
(EDIT: There will be no gnocci with chicken, mushrooms and swiss chard for dinner. There will be only soup.)
OH OH! Christmas presents purchased:
ONE! Yay!
Oh dear. I am listening to a random opera podcast of Robert Merrill and he just started singing “Ohhhhh sweet mystery of life at last I’ve found you….” that’s just made my day.
And next time I say the word “pizza” could you just punch me in the stomach? Same effect but much quicker.
30 Days of Night-Eh. I liked the first half hour. The rest was…eh.
Most of Sydney White-Surprisingly cute. Something that I could show my mom and not be embarrassed by.
Brick-V. v. good. My brother told me it was and he was right. Not that I doubted him. Minimal. Very minimal. Very clever. Very good.
The Dark Knight-Good. I liked it. It was quite nerve-wracking but good. Still, and this comes from someone who only likes movies where stuff gets blown up or ears get cut off…it was slightly over the top for me. Possibly only because when you have Batman, you have kids, and I don’t think this is appropriate for any one under…let’s say…12. So, you know, be careful.
Please Don’t Eat the Daisies-I don’t know if I had ever seem all of this before but I do love me some Doris Day and David Niven.
The Namesake-Oh Kal Penn. You are so cute. But…no. I like the book quite a lot but the movie? No. Not so much. Well, to be fair...good actors, bad retelling.
Books Purchased for self:
When Twilight Burns By Colleen Gleason
Colleen has a blog here. You should read it, she is very entertaining.
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer
I don’t know if Eoin Colfer has a blog. I imagine he does. I should go look….no, I don’t see one. He does have a website though. And he’s very entertaining as well. And I like the way he’s been writing lately. Well, I like the way he writes but I recently read “Half Moon Investigations” and it struck me as one of the first non Gossip Girl type books that was really using technology the way kids use technologly. Texting and video and the like. China Mieville did this too in that book he wrote…um…Un-lon-don. I like that idea. That the actual uses of video on cell phones and you tube are starting to filter into books.
All Wrapped Up! Groovy Gift Wrap of the 1960s by Kevin Akers
Kevin Akers has a website here. I don’t know Kevin Akers but I intend to email him and tell him how very much I do indeed enjoy this book. It’s lovely.
Getting it Right with Type: The Do’s and Don’ts of Typography by Victoria Squire
I haven’t read this yet. I skimmed it and I was slightly disappointed (not by you, Victoria Squire) because I think it may be more basic than I was hoping for. Typography is hard. Hard, I tell you!
Art of Modern Rock Mini #2: Poster Girls by Dennis King
I am hoping that this book will be inspiration for some more pin-up girl illos from me. We’ll see. I did discover an artist that I like but didn’t know his name. Unfortuantely, I don’t have the book with me and I still don’t know his name.
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace
Cute. Slight. Simple. It’s a nice book. Buy it for a kid.
I Completely Must Do Drawing Now and Painting and Coloring by Lauren Child
Do you know Charlie and Lola? I love Charlie and Lola. This is a Charlie and Lola book. It’s not here yet, but I am looking forward to seeing it.
Drop Dead Cute by Ivan Vartanian (postcard book)
It was cheaper than the book, so I thought I’d start small.
Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher was at Comic-Con, promoting his new comic with the Dabel Brothers. I didn’t see him. Or the comic for that matter. I would have liked to see him. Not so sure about the comic.
Books Purchased for others:
Comic Book Tattoo by Tori Amos and a lot of artists (two copies)
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
Chester Cricket's Pigeon Ride by George Selden
Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse by George Selden
Dinosaur's Binkit by Sandra Boynton
Winnie-The-Pooh by A. A. Milne
A Treasury of Curious George by Margret Rey
Baby Signs by Joy Allen
Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt
I don’t think the people from whom some of these books are meant to surprise read this blog, but um…if you do…SURPRISE!
What I had for lunch:
2 slices portobello mushroom pizza
Regrets I have:
Eating portobello mushroom pizza
…and drinking soda.
Cookies within reach that I will not eat because I ate portobello mushroom pizza:
White chocolate chip and pecan
Oatmeal chocolate chip
Gluten and egg free chocolate chip button cookies
What I am making for dinner:
Gnocci with chicken, mushrooms and swiss chard with garlic, crushed red peppers and olive oil, NO CHEESE! In the name of all that is holy! NO CHEESE!
(EDIT: There will be no gnocci with chicken, mushrooms and swiss chard for dinner. There will be only soup.)
OH OH! Christmas presents purchased:
ONE! Yay!
Oh dear. I am listening to a random opera podcast of Robert Merrill and he just started singing “Ohhhhh sweet mystery of life at last I’ve found you….” that’s just made my day.
And next time I say the word “pizza” could you just punch me in the stomach? Same effect but much quicker.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Answers.
OK, I admit it, I am a dork, but you already knew that. I got a comment on an older post that made me all squee because someone who created something cool stopped by to say hi!
Jeremiah Jones is the guy who does the recordings for Lisztonian. He stopped by here and that is most excellent. If you haven’t checked it out, Lisztonian is an excellent collection of free downloadable mp3s of classical piano music . I have my itunes set as a subscription and I listen to them when I need some soothing. Thanks Jeremiah, you done good!
And since I often forget to answer anything in comments, here are a few answers to recent questions: yes, no, maybe and OMG WTF?
Kidding!
Sassy Priscilla: Yes that his Col. Brandon from Sense and Sensibility that will be appearing on Doctor Who at chistmas time. And yes, DO watch Doctor Who because if you think David Morrissey is a cutie, I am betting you will love our darling doctor too (And I know that there are a few fans here who will chime in…)
And Ambitious Hamster: I do agree with you, the Voyage of the Damned episode was a bit “soulless” but I think you will get a kick out of the Doctor’s newest assistant. She’s not the shiny young things that Rose and Martha were, she’s a little bit older and a little bit wiser and a lot more sarcastic. I was surprised at how much I like Donna since I didn’t love her as the bride.
Anonymous (who I know is Donovan’s Mama): Yesh, you did make mushroom soup once, it was…earthy. Also, a “tag” is that little thing at the end of a post that will take you to other posts with the same themes, or mentions. Snarkydork has a tag because…well, she does.
Fond of Snape: "...chocolate filled with strawberry balsamic caramel"
Captain Blogger: I don’t know where you have gone, I hope all is well, but I wanted you to know, Midnight’s Children showed up today and I started reading it over lunch…interesting.
And finally, Cakespy: my impromptu icing consisted of whipped cream, a little sour cream, powdered sugar, cocoa, chocolate and vanilla extracts and a tiny dab of butter, which I had hoped would provide a little extra structure. It was actually very good and a nice, less sweet icing. And I think I will tinker with it and make it a staple!
Any other questions? Because now I am in an answer-y mood!
Jeremiah Jones is the guy who does the recordings for Lisztonian. He stopped by here and that is most excellent. If you haven’t checked it out, Lisztonian is an excellent collection of free downloadable mp3s of classical piano music . I have my itunes set as a subscription and I listen to them when I need some soothing. Thanks Jeremiah, you done good!
And since I often forget to answer anything in comments, here are a few answers to recent questions: yes, no, maybe and OMG WTF?
Kidding!
Sassy Priscilla: Yes that his Col. Brandon from Sense and Sensibility that will be appearing on Doctor Who at chistmas time. And yes, DO watch Doctor Who because if you think David Morrissey is a cutie, I am betting you will love our darling doctor too (And I know that there are a few fans here who will chime in…)
And Ambitious Hamster: I do agree with you, the Voyage of the Damned episode was a bit “soulless” but I think you will get a kick out of the Doctor’s newest assistant. She’s not the shiny young things that Rose and Martha were, she’s a little bit older and a little bit wiser and a lot more sarcastic. I was surprised at how much I like Donna since I didn’t love her as the bride.
Anonymous (who I know is Donovan’s Mama): Yesh, you did make mushroom soup once, it was…earthy. Also, a “tag” is that little thing at the end of a post that will take you to other posts with the same themes, or mentions. Snarkydork has a tag because…well, she does.
Fond of Snape: "...chocolate filled with strawberry balsamic caramel"
Captain Blogger: I don’t know where you have gone, I hope all is well, but I wanted you to know, Midnight’s Children showed up today and I started reading it over lunch…interesting.
And finally, Cakespy: my impromptu icing consisted of whipped cream, a little sour cream, powdered sugar, cocoa, chocolate and vanilla extracts and a tiny dab of butter, which I had hoped would provide a little extra structure. It was actually very good and a nice, less sweet icing. And I think I will tinker with it and make it a staple!
Any other questions? Because now I am in an answer-y mood!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Resolved.
I’ve not been blogging a lot due to my current lack of inspiration. Or rather…laziness. No, no, it’s a lack of inspiration but only during my typical blogging hours. I don’t often blog from home and I don’t moblog. It’s a certain time of the day or nothing and lately, it’s been nothing. But only on the blog front. OK, honestly, I just want to see how many times I can use a permutation of blog here…
Annnnnnyway…although I claim not to have made any resolutions, that is, my friends, a total LIE. I am a liar and I lie. I did make two. One was to read more books so as not to be ashamed at the end of the year when I look back and realize that I only read like…three books…all year. Eh, it wasn’t that bad, but I didn’t read much two years ago, I did better last year and this year, I am on my fourth book…and it’s nice. And it’s not that I am reading for numbers or volume, just that I sometimes, at the end of the day, I am tired and the idea of thinking is painful. But that’s just silly. I really enjoy reading and I always have so why was I not doing it? Dunno. But now I am again it’s been nice. Currently it’s Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham. I’ve had the book on hand for a little while but the other night I was watching a bit of Twelfth Night and heard the line “Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?” and it triggered something in my brain so that when I finished my previous book I began rooting around for this one. I’m not very far into yet but I am enjoying what I’ve read.
And there has been some new music as well. I finally jumped on to that Wilco bandwagon and I was only just now listening to Sky Blue Sky and thinking “Oh, so this it what it would sound like if the Beatles and Bob Dylan made a baby together.” Scary thought, good music. (The cd ended and I have moved on to a little Mazzy Star to type by.)
It’s been tough at times to want to read when I have Jane Austen on Masterpiece Theatre though. Actually, I didn’t really enjoy the newest incarnation of Persuasion, but so far (20 minutes in) I am FINALLY enjoying Northanger Abbey, which is a tough one to like for me. I find that as a novel it takes some understanding for it to work as it is primarily a parody of the popular Gothic fiction of the time of it’s writing. However, from what I have seen of this newest version, it “gets it” and I am looking forward to watching the rest.
The other resolution?
Eh, I’ll get to that later.
Annnnnnyway…although I claim not to have made any resolutions, that is, my friends, a total LIE. I am a liar and I lie. I did make two. One was to read more books so as not to be ashamed at the end of the year when I look back and realize that I only read like…three books…all year. Eh, it wasn’t that bad, but I didn’t read much two years ago, I did better last year and this year, I am on my fourth book…and it’s nice. And it’s not that I am reading for numbers or volume, just that I sometimes, at the end of the day, I am tired and the idea of thinking is painful. But that’s just silly. I really enjoy reading and I always have so why was I not doing it? Dunno. But now I am again it’s been nice. Currently it’s Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham. I’ve had the book on hand for a little while but the other night I was watching a bit of Twelfth Night and heard the line “Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?” and it triggered something in my brain so that when I finished my previous book I began rooting around for this one. I’m not very far into yet but I am enjoying what I’ve read.
And there has been some new music as well. I finally jumped on to that Wilco bandwagon and I was only just now listening to Sky Blue Sky and thinking “Oh, so this it what it would sound like if the Beatles and Bob Dylan made a baby together.” Scary thought, good music. (The cd ended and I have moved on to a little Mazzy Star to type by.)
It’s been tough at times to want to read when I have Jane Austen on Masterpiece Theatre though. Actually, I didn’t really enjoy the newest incarnation of Persuasion, but so far (20 minutes in) I am FINALLY enjoying Northanger Abbey, which is a tough one to like for me. I find that as a novel it takes some understanding for it to work as it is primarily a parody of the popular Gothic fiction of the time of it’s writing. However, from what I have seen of this newest version, it “gets it” and I am looking forward to watching the rest.
The other resolution?
Eh, I’ll get to that later.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Currently.
Ugh.
Just ugh.
I’ve been sick. I am still a little sick but a lot tired. It’s been one of those kinds of sick. It’s really only a cold. I don’t feel so awful. It’s not that bad, you’re just a big wimp. But then it goes on…and on. And I am now at the point where I almost don’t feel the need to lie down every ten minutes, which for some reason, I did feel, but never did. Which may explain why this particular bit of crud had decided to hang around so long.
Anyway, I’ve been sick. I am almost better. I will be better soon. Until then, I am taking a page from snarkydork:
What I am reading: I am trying to read more this year than I did last year and far more than I did the year before. And I am on my third book of the year, so that’s a step in the right direction. Right now it’s Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It’s ok. It’s a Y.A. novel and in a lot of ways it reads like a Y.A. novel but there’s nothing wrong with that. I am 191 pages into a 498 page book and I don’t feel like throwing it away, so…I guess it’s ok. But at the same time, I am not yet thrilled. We’ll see.
I am also reading the Herbivore travel issue. If you’ve never seen Herbivore magazine, I think it’s worth taking a look even if you aren’t vegan, which I am not either. Somewhere in my internet travels I came across mentions of it and I got intriguied and tracked some copies down. It is a really nicely produced magazine. It’s pretty heavy on words, not so much the slick and shiny mag, so it reads more like a book. This issue in particular as it is square bound and chunky and, in fact, their first print issue in… a year, I think. They had gone all-digital and it looks like now they will do both digital and print. In general, I think they are a pretty well written mag. Not being a vegan, or even a vegetarian, I feel a little strange sometimes but even when I don’t agree with some of their political stands, I have to remember that I rarely agree with anyone’s political stands, so…you know…grain of salt and all. In the past they have featured musicians, artist and writers that I am very fond of (Jonathan Richman? Hell yeah!) so I keep coming back.
Next? Well, I am looking for some inspiration and when one needs inspiration, where does one go? Well, to Stephen Fry, of course! The Ode Less Traveled was given to me for my birthday and I’ve been saving it for that extra boost when I need it…looks like I need it now.
What I am watching: It has occurred to me that the writer’s strike is not hitting me all that hard. I like television and I watch a lot of television, but…eh. If it’s not on, I probably won’t turn it on. And I don’t really feel like I am missing anything there hasn’t been any “must see tv” for me since Buffy. That said, I am finally catching up on the stuff on my DVR. Now that the new season of Medium has begun, I am finally watching the last season. And Rick Steve’s travel show has been featuring the UK so I’ve been recording those when I can’t watch them “live.” There’s also a new Jamie Oliver series on Food Network and Masterpiece Theatre is running Jane Austen shows so I really don’t feel at all unentertained. Oh yeah, and there is always a book.
I did watch a few movies recently, but since I can’t remember what they were I’m going to assume that they weren’t that good. I read the shooting script for Juno and enjoyed it well enough and I am currently reading The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and enjoying that too. I figure I am more likely to read movies then see them so I am taking advantage of Fox and Miramax offering scripts online. By the way, I haven't seen The Namesake but I did read the book and it was very good. I am hoping the script lives up.
What’s next? Well, Stephen Fry again, of course! The box set of Jeeves and Wooster appeared under my Christmas tree and I am looking forward to breaking that in.
What I am listening to: Right now? Iron and Wine which is reminding me of Simon and Garfunkel. Generally? Well, a lot of Ella Fitzgerald. You can’t go wrong there. And along with some Stephen Fry under the tree, I found an awful lot of Patsy Cline, so I am thinking there will be a country-fried good time around here soon. You did know that it’s wasn’t God who made Honky Tonk Angels, didn’t you?
Actually, as much as I need inspiration, I need music. I’ve recently ordered some new (to me) stuff, including the Waterboys and the Doves, bands I know and like but have never listened to at length. I need to get that new Radiohead…what else do I need? Any suggestions? You can see that my musical tastes are fairly eclectic. What have you heard lately that you think I might like?
What I’m working on: Did I mention I’ve been sick? Did I mention that I need some inspiration? Well, as soon as these valentines are done, it’s back to work on my personal project…I hope. BUT, I did just by myself a little tiny graphics tablet thingy. The kind with a stylus? I don’t know how it will work for me, but I am curious to see what comes of it.
What I had for lunch: leftover chicken and dumplings and a Minneola. The chicken dumplings were actually better as leftovers than they were for dinner. But I really can’t figure out why.
What new blogs I’ve been reading: SemiCircular Vegan makes me laugh out loud. Russell Davies is ever entertaining and Downbeat is…well…downbeat.
So, what have you been up to?
Hmmm…this Iron and Wine is starting to remind of Crosby, Still and Nash now…
Just ugh.
I’ve been sick. I am still a little sick but a lot tired. It’s been one of those kinds of sick. It’s really only a cold. I don’t feel so awful. It’s not that bad, you’re just a big wimp
Anyway, I’ve been sick. I am almost better. I will be better soon. Until then, I am taking a page from snarkydork:
What I am reading: I am trying to read more this year than I did last year and far more than I did the year before. And I am on my third book of the year, so that’s a step in the right direction. Right now it’s Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. It’s ok. It’s a Y.A. novel and in a lot of ways it reads like a Y.A. novel but there’s nothing wrong with that. I am 191 pages into a 498 page book and I don’t feel like throwing it away, so…I guess it’s ok. But at the same time, I am not yet thrilled. We’ll see.
I am also reading the Herbivore travel issue. If you’ve never seen Herbivore magazine, I think it’s worth taking a look even if you aren’t vegan, which I am not either. Somewhere in my internet travels I came across mentions of it and I got intriguied and tracked some copies down. It is a really nicely produced magazine. It’s pretty heavy on words, not so much the slick and shiny mag, so it reads more like a book. This issue in particular as it is square bound and chunky and, in fact, their first print issue in… a year, I think. They had gone all-digital and it looks like now they will do both digital and print. In general, I think they are a pretty well written mag. Not being a vegan, or even a vegetarian, I feel a little strange sometimes but even when I don’t agree with some of their political stands, I have to remember that I rarely agree with anyone’s political stands, so…you know…grain of salt and all. In the past they have featured musicians, artist and writers that I am very fond of (Jonathan Richman? Hell yeah!) so I keep coming back.
Next? Well, I am looking for some inspiration and when one needs inspiration, where does one go? Well, to Stephen Fry, of course! The Ode Less Traveled was given to me for my birthday and I’ve been saving it for that extra boost when I need it…looks like I need it now.
What I am watching: It has occurred to me that the writer’s strike is not hitting me all that hard. I like television and I watch a lot of television, but…eh. If it’s not on, I probably won’t turn it on. And I don’t really feel like I am missing anything there hasn’t been any “must see tv” for me since Buffy. That said, I am finally catching up on the stuff on my DVR. Now that the new season of Medium has begun, I am finally watching the last season. And Rick Steve’s travel show has been featuring the UK so I’ve been recording those when I can’t watch them “live.” There’s also a new Jamie Oliver series on Food Network and Masterpiece Theatre is running Jane Austen shows so I really don’t feel at all unentertained. Oh yeah, and there is always a book.
I did watch a few movies recently, but since I can’t remember what they were I’m going to assume that they weren’t that good. I read the shooting script for Juno and enjoyed it well enough and I am currently reading The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and enjoying that too. I figure I am more likely to read movies then see them so I am taking advantage of Fox and Miramax offering scripts online. By the way, I haven't seen The Namesake but I did read the book and it was very good. I am hoping the script lives up.
What’s next? Well, Stephen Fry again, of course! The box set of Jeeves and Wooster appeared under my Christmas tree and I am looking forward to breaking that in.
What I am listening to: Right now? Iron and Wine which is reminding me of Simon and Garfunkel. Generally? Well, a lot of Ella Fitzgerald. You can’t go wrong there. And along with some Stephen Fry under the tree, I found an awful lot of Patsy Cline, so I am thinking there will be a country-fried good time around here soon. You did know that it’s wasn’t God who made Honky Tonk Angels, didn’t you?
Actually, as much as I need inspiration, I need music. I’ve recently ordered some new (to me) stuff, including the Waterboys and the Doves, bands I know and like but have never listened to at length. I need to get that new Radiohead…what else do I need? Any suggestions? You can see that my musical tastes are fairly eclectic. What have you heard lately that you think I might like?
What I’m working on: Did I mention I’ve been sick? Did I mention that I need some inspiration? Well, as soon as these valentines are done, it’s back to work on my personal project…I hope. BUT, I did just by myself a little tiny graphics tablet thingy. The kind with a stylus? I don’t know how it will work for me, but I am curious to see what comes of it.
What I had for lunch: leftover chicken and dumplings and a Minneola. The chicken dumplings were actually better as leftovers than they were for dinner. But I really can’t figure out why.
What new blogs I’ve been reading: SemiCircular Vegan makes me laugh out loud. Russell Davies is ever entertaining and Downbeat is…well…downbeat.
So, what have you been up to?
Hmmm…this Iron and Wine is starting to remind of Crosby, Still and Nash now…
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Hotdamnandhellyeah.
What I am reading: My mother and I were talking the other day. She mentioned that she had asked my dad if he read more than one book at a time because she was currently reading two…I am currently reading…too many. But I am enjoying them. Just about done with The Devil in the White City and hotdamnandhellyeah what a good book. The writing is lively and kind of fun, even when the story is grim. The history is interesting and yes, I do have a weird fascination with certain serial killers, I didn’t know anything about either H.H. Holmes or the Columbia Exhibition before this book. It is a “fictionalized non-fiction” book of sorts but that’s how it stays entertaining.
At the same time I am also reading two Georgette Heyer novels, Behold Here's Poison (because that's one of the best darn titles ever!) and The Nonesuch. In another gaping hole in my education, I had never heard of Georgette Heyer, I don’t know why, I read mystery novels and she wrote quite a few of those, but I suppose her Regency romance novels are really what she is known for and I am not up on romances. I have read a few here and there and I have no issue with them, I just tend to read other things. Well, a few months ago, the BFF mentioned that she had been loaned these two books that the loaner had described as “as close to Jane Austen as you will probably get”. That intrigued and frightened me, I love Jane Austen and often times when someone says, “This is what Jane would write if she were writing today” they are usually about as far from Austen as you can get. But Heyer wrote a lot and here was a personal recommendation, so I found a few books on half.com and started reading. I am about halfway done with Behold here’s Poison and only starting The Nonesuch but…Georgette Heyer keeps popping up in my life. After I ordered the book, I happened to win another book (by a different author) online, and in researching THAT author, I came across many references to Heyer. Then I asked my mom if she had ever read any Georgette Heyer as mom is very well versed in Regency romances…and pretty much any other book out there. She told me that she not only knew who she was, she had read all of her books when I was a little girl! Finally last night I was watching a documentary sort of thing on Stephen Fry and he was talking about his guilty pleasures. Apparently, aside from darts and punching Hugh Laurie, he loves Georgette Heyer. Heck, she’s even widely credited with creating the Regency romance genre…well, the kind that wasn’t actually written during the early 19th century.
I guess the real question is, what rock have I been under all these years?
(Incidentally, Stephen Fry has the most beautiful stage punch ever. Straight out from his shoulder and right to the jaw. I could watch him coldcock Hugh Laurie all day and not got tired of it.)
I think I am also reading a few other books but I tend to leave them scattered around and pick them up ever now and then. I am kind of puttering around with a few books on fairies that I am using as inspiration for some new pictures. And I picked up a YA book in “Great Britain” in Epcot called I Am Morgan le Fey by Nancy Springer. I just found the title interesting. We’ll see if I like it.
I think I did startle two little girls in that store though. Oh and hey, why is there not a bookstore in Disneyworld? Or is there one and I just couldn’t find it? There were several Disney books that I was looking for (and eventually found in different places throughout the parks) but it just seems like a good idea…one store, all books. Most of Disney’s movies were inspired by books and heck, Disney has it’s own publishing branch, but it took me forever to find the Mary Blair book I was looking for (found it in Mexico in Epcot, didn’t buy it, too expensive). Anyway…these two young girls were perusing the meager selection of books in the toy store in Great Britain and one of them said to the other “Who is this MANDY”? referring, of course, to the book, Mandy, by Julie Andrews. AND here’s where the story gets a little Ren…I had just come from the pub and was a little…happy (just a little) so I swooped in and proceeded to school these kids on good books, Mandy being a story I had read at their age. I also heartily encouraged them to read the Mary Poppins series as well as the Narnia books. They took it all in stride but kind of backed away slowly. And then when one of them asked for a book her mother said, “I am not paying $20 for this! Come on!” and dragged her out of the store. Sigh.
And the same goes for you! No, no, I would totally buy you a $20 book...ok, i wouldn't, but I do think you should read the Mary Poppins series...and at least The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe of the Narnia series. It's good stuff.
At the same time I am also reading two Georgette Heyer novels, Behold Here's Poison (because that's one of the best darn titles ever!) and The Nonesuch. In another gaping hole in my education, I had never heard of Georgette Heyer, I don’t know why, I read mystery novels and she wrote quite a few of those, but I suppose her Regency romance novels are really what she is known for and I am not up on romances. I have read a few here and there and I have no issue with them, I just tend to read other things. Well, a few months ago, the BFF mentioned that she had been loaned these two books that the loaner had described as “as close to Jane Austen as you will probably get”. That intrigued and frightened me, I love Jane Austen and often times when someone says, “This is what Jane would write if she were writing today” they are usually about as far from Austen as you can get. But Heyer wrote a lot and here was a personal recommendation, so I found a few books on half.com and started reading. I am about halfway done with Behold here’s Poison and only starting The Nonesuch but…Georgette Heyer keeps popping up in my life. After I ordered the book, I happened to win another book (by a different author) online, and in researching THAT author, I came across many references to Heyer. Then I asked my mom if she had ever read any Georgette Heyer as mom is very well versed in Regency romances…and pretty much any other book out there. She told me that she not only knew who she was, she had read all of her books when I was a little girl! Finally last night I was watching a documentary sort of thing on Stephen Fry and he was talking about his guilty pleasures. Apparently, aside from darts and punching Hugh Laurie, he loves Georgette Heyer. Heck, she’s even widely credited with creating the Regency romance genre…well, the kind that wasn’t actually written during the early 19th century.
I guess the real question is, what rock have I been under all these years?
(Incidentally, Stephen Fry has the most beautiful stage punch ever. Straight out from his shoulder and right to the jaw. I could watch him coldcock Hugh Laurie all day and not got tired of it.)
I think I am also reading a few other books but I tend to leave them scattered around and pick them up ever now and then. I am kind of puttering around with a few books on fairies that I am using as inspiration for some new pictures. And I picked up a YA book in “Great Britain” in Epcot called I Am Morgan le Fey by Nancy Springer. I just found the title interesting. We’ll see if I like it.
I think I did startle two little girls in that store though. Oh and hey, why is there not a bookstore in Disneyworld? Or is there one and I just couldn’t find it? There were several Disney books that I was looking for (and eventually found in different places throughout the parks) but it just seems like a good idea…one store, all books. Most of Disney’s movies were inspired by books and heck, Disney has it’s own publishing branch, but it took me forever to find the Mary Blair book I was looking for (found it in Mexico in Epcot, didn’t buy it, too expensive). Anyway…these two young girls were perusing the meager selection of books in the toy store in Great Britain and one of them said to the other “Who is this MANDY”? referring, of course, to the book, Mandy, by Julie Andrews. AND here’s where the story gets a little Ren…I had just come from the pub and was a little…happy (just a little) so I swooped in and proceeded to school these kids on good books, Mandy being a story I had read at their age. I also heartily encouraged them to read the Mary Poppins series as well as the Narnia books. They took it all in stride but kind of backed away slowly. And then when one of them asked for a book her mother said, “I am not paying $20 for this! Come on!” and dragged her out of the store. Sigh.
And the same goes for you! No, no, I would totally buy you a $20 book...ok, i wouldn't, but I do think you should read the Mary Poppins series...and at least The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe of the Narnia series. It's good stuff.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Stuff.
The other day, as I was walking out of Trader Joe’s, a woman passed me, looked directly at me and said…”Oops.”
How am I supposed to take that?
Anyway, I haven’t a lot to say. That’s not true. I always have a lot to say. That’s not true either. I THINK I have a lot to say but I never really feel like saying it.
SO…
Let’s see…
What I’m reading: The Untouchable by John Banville. I just started and I am already fascinated. I kind of dropped The Omnivore’s Dilemma but I will go back to it shortly. I’m kind of on a fiction kick at the moment, except the Banville book is based on a real story of the Cambridge spies. So a semi-fiction kick.
What I’m watching: I am trying to clean out the dvr. I’ve been watching the Masterpiece Theatres (Carrie’s War was very good) that I recorded and I’m going to get to the Mediums next. And the Romes and the Extras…and the…
What I am listening to: Jarvis Cocker’s solo stuff. You know him, he’s the dude from Pulp. Or Harry Potter, if you prefer. Thom Yorke’s solo stuff too. Love, love, love it. And I am very excited about this whole Bryan Ferry sings Bob Dylan thing.
What I am listening to right now…right this very second: Mark Rushton Podcast #18
If you're into ambient, electronica, downtempo, idm, drifty, chill out, and post-rock kinds of music then subscribe to the MarkRushton.com podcast and you'll be listening along with thousands of others. About every month I'll release a podcast of original music, either new material or tracks from my massive archive. I also include live and improvisational recordings on occasion. Over the years I've been influenced by artists like Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, Fennesz, Harold Budd, Cabaret Voltaire, Bill Nelson, Pat Metheny, and others, although I like countless other artists from most genres of music. If you have an appreciation for anything from synth pop to experimental noise, you'll probably like what I have to offer. You can find out more about me and my music at markrushton.com
I like it.
What I am working on: arty things. I am having a devil of a time drawing a dachshund playing an accordion but mostly just because of the color of the dog. And I am working on some new cards for a little side venture. More to come on that as it progresses.
What I am cooking: nothing. Nada. Last week I had James throw some pork in the crockpot to make carnitas. They were…eh. And I’ve not felt inspired to cook since. Maybe next week. I would like to try another batch of vegan cupcakes. I have my eye on a vanilla recipe.
Finally, I have a bad habit of bookmarking things to read “when I have a minute”. This is What I have been bookmarking lately:
Visibone’s Webmasters Color Lab makes me very happy. It’s good just to see colors next to one another but it’s great to figure them out for webby stuff.
Tracy Thorn talks about her new solo album
W.H. Auden and the Cambridge Spies (I think this is what got me wanting to read the Banneville book)
The poetry of Sylvia Plath, inspired by a heartbreaking post at John Baker’s blog, which I highly recommend.
Whew. I need a drink.
Soon I will update my links and show you places I have been shopping online. Because I can. So there.
How am I supposed to take that?
Anyway, I haven’t a lot to say. That’s not true. I always have a lot to say. That’s not true either. I THINK I have a lot to say but I never really feel like saying it.
SO…
Let’s see…
What I’m reading: The Untouchable by John Banville. I just started and I am already fascinated. I kind of dropped The Omnivore’s Dilemma but I will go back to it shortly. I’m kind of on a fiction kick at the moment, except the Banville book is based on a real story of the Cambridge spies. So a semi-fiction kick.
What I’m watching: I am trying to clean out the dvr. I’ve been watching the Masterpiece Theatres (Carrie’s War was very good) that I recorded and I’m going to get to the Mediums next. And the Romes and the Extras…and the…
What I am listening to: Jarvis Cocker’s solo stuff. You know him, he’s the dude from Pulp. Or Harry Potter, if you prefer. Thom Yorke’s solo stuff too. Love, love, love it. And I am very excited about this whole Bryan Ferry sings Bob Dylan thing.
What I am listening to right now…right this very second: Mark Rushton Podcast #18
I like it.
What I am working on: arty things. I am having a devil of a time drawing a dachshund playing an accordion but mostly just because of the color of the dog. And I am working on some new cards for a little side venture. More to come on that as it progresses.
What I am cooking: nothing. Nada. Last week I had James throw some pork in the crockpot to make carnitas. They were…eh. And I’ve not felt inspired to cook since. Maybe next week. I would like to try another batch of vegan cupcakes. I have my eye on a vanilla recipe.
Finally, I have a bad habit of bookmarking things to read “when I have a minute”. This is What I have been bookmarking lately:
Visibone’s Webmasters Color Lab makes me very happy. It’s good just to see colors next to one another but it’s great to figure them out for webby stuff.
Tracy Thorn talks about her new solo album
W.H. Auden and the Cambridge Spies (I think this is what got me wanting to read the Banneville book)
The poetry of Sylvia Plath, inspired by a heartbreaking post at John Baker’s blog, which I highly recommend.
Whew. I need a drink.
Soon I will update my links and show you places I have been shopping online. Because I can. So there.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Books.
Jodi posted this and said she thought I would laugh at her for it. I didn’t laugh and I don’t know why I would but here. I’ve done it now too.
In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of:
OK, so:
Number read: 34
Number half read: about 7
Number my mom said I should read: 4
Number I have read more than once: 8
Some people think I have “snobbish” taste in books (their word, not mine). I don’t think this is true. I will attempt to read anything. And I will dissect it according to my training in literary criticism. I know that just because I don’t like a book, doesn’t mean that it is not significant, well-written or entertaining to others. I think that all books have merit if someone can read and enjoy them and that enlightenment can be found in the most unusual places. I don’t dismiss romance novels or mystery novels or any books that I haven’t read, but I do have an informed opinion on what I might not like. I think I have read an average sampling of different types of books and know where the type I will most appreciate. Do I have any great interest in, say…Dan Brown’s books? No. But if I had nothing else to read, I would read it.
I pick books by recommendation, by cover, by author and by having them fall in my lap. I make an effort to read outside of my literary comfort zone and I often find the best books by taking a chance. I do think it benefits almost anyone to read the Bible. Not for religious reasons but because so much other literature refers to the Bible and I think it helps one to understand the references.
I will never laugh at you for the number of books you have or have not read, the type of books you read, or the length of time it takes you to read them. I promise.
In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of:
- The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
- +Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
- +To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
- Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)-never seen all of the movie though.
- The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)-Read it, didn’t like it.
- The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)- Read it, didn’t like it.
- The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) Read it, didn’t like it.
- Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)-I honestly can’t remember if I have read this or not. I remember owning it and I remember parts of the story, so I am guessing I at least read part of it.
- Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
- *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)- I was wondering about this book because I didn’t remember ever hearing the title, so I looked it up. It is, apparently, an Oprah’s book club pick, which explains why I don’t know about it. I tend to like stories set in India but I also tend to dislike the books Oprah picks…so it is indeed a Fine Balance.
- +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
- Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
- +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
- A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)-I heard this was good but I kind of got over Irving a while ago. I am not OPPOSED to him, just kind of tired of him.
- Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
- +Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling)
- *Fall On Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)-Intersting. Another book I wasn’t familiar with and another Oprah pick. I guess I really do ignore what she picks.
- The Stand (Stephen King)- I am not a huge fan of King but for some reason I really love the epic-ness of this one. I like The Shining too, the end of that book is just creeeeepy.
- +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
- +Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)-I think this is one of those books that I have read about half of and never finished. I am not really big on gothics but I WANT to like this one. I did just watch it on Masterpiece Theatre though, does that count?
- +The Hobbit (Tolkien)-This is really the only one of the series that I like.
- The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)-I should really read this. Everyone has read this except me. Eh, I’ll get around to it.
- Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)-Um…Another one that I can’t remember if I finished or not. I did read a bunch of her other books when I was a kid. I was terribly fond of “A Rose in Bloom” and “Jo’s Boys.”
- The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)-My mom said I should read this. But I haven’t.
- Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
- +The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)-One of my all time favorites. )
- +Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)-Damn, I should really finish all those books I started and never completed. I like the movie of this one but found the book a little tedious. But still… I should finish it.
- +The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)-Read this whole series when I was a kid.
- East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
- Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
- Dune (Frank Herbert) Oh, I tried. I did. But…yeah.
- The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
- Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)-I read “Anthem.” Does that count?
- 1984 (Orwell)
- The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
- The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
- *The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
- I Know This Much Is True (Wally Lamb)
- The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)-My mom says I should read this one too.
- The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)- Had to look this one up…not really to my taste.
- The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)-Gee, I THINK I read this. I remember seeing the movie and knowing what it was about…so…I THINK I read it.
- The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
- Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
- The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
- +Bible-OOOH! Can I count this twice?
- +Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)-Ah, next on my list of things to read. Looking forward to it.
- The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
- Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)
- The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)-I can’t remember if I have read any Steinbeck or not. I am sure I must have but I swear I can’t remember what.
- She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
- The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)-My mom says I should read this.
- A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)_OK, full disclosure, I have never finished this book but I love, love, love the movie with Ronald Coleman.
- Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
- Great Expectations (Dickens)
- +The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)-One of my favorite books.
- *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
- +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
- The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)-Read it as a kid for the dirty parts.
- The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
- The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
- Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
- The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
- War and Peace (Tolstoy)
- Interview with the Vampire (Anne Rice)
- *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)- Had to look this one up and I am intrigued.
- +One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
- The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
- +Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
- +Les Miserables (Hugo)-Read Half. Will finish someday.
- The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
- +Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
- +Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
- Shogun (James Clavell)
- The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
- +The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)-Love this one.
- *The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)-OK, now I want to know where this list came from. I looked this one up and although it looks interesting, there are too many fantasy novels juxtaposed with Oprah picks. I don’t get this list at all.
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)_ Read the Readers Digest condensed version one summer at the bay. Never wanted to read the whole book after that.
- The World According To Garp (John Irving)
- *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
- Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
- *Not Wanted On the Voyage (Timothy Findley)_ok. Lots of Canadian authors too. Where is this list from???
- Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck) )
- Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
- *Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)_I know the author but not the title…
- +Emma (Jane Austen)
- Watership Down (Richard Adams)
- Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
- *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)-hmmm…another Canadian, not that there is anything wrong with that…but I see a trend.
- *Blindness (Jose Saramago)-Oh wow. Look this one up. This sounds fascinating.
- *Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)- I looked this up to see why the authors name was familiar and I still don’t know why. What did he write that I would have seen?
- *In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
- Lord of the Flies (Golding)
- The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
- The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)-My mom says I should read this.
- The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
- The Outsiders (S. E. Hinton) )
- White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
- A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
- The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
- +Ulysses (James Joyce)
OK, so:
Number read: 34
Number half read: about 7
Number my mom said I should read: 4
Number I have read more than once: 8
Some people think I have “snobbish” taste in books (their word, not mine). I don’t think this is true. I will attempt to read anything. And I will dissect it according to my training in literary criticism. I know that just because I don’t like a book, doesn’t mean that it is not significant, well-written or entertaining to others. I think that all books have merit if someone can read and enjoy them and that enlightenment can be found in the most unusual places. I don’t dismiss romance novels or mystery novels or any books that I haven’t read, but I do have an informed opinion on what I might not like. I think I have read an average sampling of different types of books and know where the type I will most appreciate. Do I have any great interest in, say…Dan Brown’s books? No. But if I had nothing else to read, I would read it.
I pick books by recommendation, by cover, by author and by having them fall in my lap. I make an effort to read outside of my literary comfort zone and I often find the best books by taking a chance. I do think it benefits almost anyone to read the Bible. Not for religious reasons but because so much other literature refers to the Bible and I think it helps one to understand the references.
I will never laugh at you for the number of books you have or have not read, the type of books you read, or the length of time it takes you to read them. I promise.
Monday, February 12, 2007
More.
Buying choice: Book Reviews, Recommendation or Browse?
All of the above. Sometimes I will read a review that makes me HAVE to have a book. Sadly, more often than not, I don’t agree with the reviewer. But I am still a sucker. I do the same with recommendations. Once, my mother was at a craft fair and she happened to mention to some vendor that her daughter (me) liked Shakespeare. So the vendor said “Oh, if she likes that she should read this book! She’ll love it!” My mom told me and dutifully, I sought out the book. I looked everywhere for it, found it had gone out of print, haunted used bookstores and after a year or so, found the series by this particular author, who I am not mentioning by name because when I finally got the book…it had nothing to do with Shakespeare, or the Elizabethans, or anything really. It was a historical romance and it was…not quite what I was looking for. I’m trying to be polite here because I don’t know if I was just so annoyed by the fact that I bothered to track down this book or if it just wasn’t a good book. Still, it was a quest and I completed it. Now I have this set of books that I have only read the first of and I didn’t like it…and that’s not the only time I have done that either. I guess I just like to have a goal and an excuse to go to the bookstore.
And as far as browsing. I am a browser, but I always start with the authors I know and like and then I move out from there. I am attracted to certain styles of book covers and certain fonts and man has that burned me in the past but if you never try something new…you never waste your time.
Lewis or Tolkien?
Argh. Probably neither. I’d like to say Lewis but that would be a…mistruth. I liked them when I was a kid and I still love The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe but I seem to remember getting bored along the way. And Tolkein…well I like The Hobbit a lot but my god! The rest of the books…stop with all the singing!!! I guess for me, both series start really strong but as they get further into the world building, I get a little tired of it all. I have never read any of Lewis’ non-Narnia books but I would like to. I think they both were interesting people and had amazing minds but perhaps, for me, their minds tend to wander a little too far from what originally made them interesting to me.
Does that make sense?
Hard SF or Space Opera?
Probably more space opera. But you knew I like opera anyway. Or how about some Space Oprah? I’d pay for that.
I don’t know if I have ever really read any really hard sf. I guess I would be interested but I don’t really have a background for it. I like steam punk a lot though and, in a sense, that’s hard sf gone old fashioned. Well, if it is done right, anyway. And I like the idea that something is real and possible, like in Snow Crash, which is kind of the precursor to Second Life. Or the kind of cyberpunk stuff that I have read, where it feels like we are only days away from plugging our brains into the internet. So maybe I really like hard sf. Hmmm…
Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Neither. I occasionally buy them but I almost never finish them. I get distracted by the one inevitable bad story and get disgusted with the whole thing. Oh this one time (not at bandcamp) I was reading this anthology of splatterpunk stories. OK, first, I can not defend my reading of such stuff. It was there I was curious, which I know is the kind of sentence that gets people in trouble, but somewhere in the middle of this book I became so grossed out by one of the stories that I had to do something that I had never done before. I threw the book away. I didn’t give it away, I didn’t leave it somewhere, I actually put it in the garbage and walked away. If you know me at all you know that this is something I don’t do. But I did. So that pretty much ended my experiments with both splatterpunk and anthologies.
Hugo or Nebula?
I strongly suspect I have read more Hugo than Nebula but I don’t actually know and I am too lazy to look it up. But I am quite sure that China has one a few Hugo’s so...I say Hugo. Besides, Hugo just sounds cooler.
(Hunh, I have just looked up both Hugo and Nebula award winners and I think I have read an equal amount of both, but China, although nominated many times, has not won either.)
Golden Age SF or New Wave SF?
I like my sci-fi like I like my music…NEW WAVE!
Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Oh, tidy-ish. Not too tidy but cliffhangers annoy me because what if I didn’t really like the book? You’re not going to lure me into a second purchase just because you can’t wrap up a story.
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Night time reading?
I wish it was anytime reading but it’s usually night time. When himself has gone to sleep and it’s quiet. I’ve been making a big effort to wear my glasses more and I think that is helping a lot. My eyes get pretty tired by the end of the day but my brain still wants to read.
Standalone or Series?
Eh, doesn’t really matter to me. (Obviously I am getting bored with these questions…It was so much fun at first!)
Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
Good lord how I dislike high fantasy! I SHOULD like it, but I just don’t. I like fairies and all that crap but man, it bores me. So there!
New or used?
Both. Depends on how freaky obsessive I get about a particular book.
So, if I am getting bored, then I guess you are too so here, do me a favor, and it doesn’t have to be about sci-fi…answer these last few questions. I am always looking for new things to read and I love to get recommendations, even if I end up hating the book. Let genre=whatever genre you like, sci-fi, romance, self-help…whatever, and give me some advice…all three of you…
(And just to be fair, the words in the parenthesis are some of my faves)
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
(The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri)
Favorite genre books read last year (in no particular order)?
(I really don’t want to go into how I didn’t read that many books last year again, but OH! I did read The Scar by China Mieville…damn he gets a lot of love around here!)
Favorite genre books of all time (in no particular order)?
(The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
Favorite genre series (in no particular order)?
(Well duh, gotta be Harry Potter…AND the Discworld series AND The Hitchhiker series…AND…)
All of the above. Sometimes I will read a review that makes me HAVE to have a book. Sadly, more often than not, I don’t agree with the reviewer. But I am still a sucker. I do the same with recommendations. Once, my mother was at a craft fair and she happened to mention to some vendor that her daughter (me) liked Shakespeare. So the vendor said “Oh, if she likes that she should read this book! She’ll love it!” My mom told me and dutifully, I sought out the book. I looked everywhere for it, found it had gone out of print, haunted used bookstores and after a year or so, found the series by this particular author, who I am not mentioning by name because when I finally got the book…it had nothing to do with Shakespeare, or the Elizabethans, or anything really. It was a historical romance and it was…not quite what I was looking for. I’m trying to be polite here because I don’t know if I was just so annoyed by the fact that I bothered to track down this book or if it just wasn’t a good book. Still, it was a quest and I completed it. Now I have this set of books that I have only read the first of and I didn’t like it…and that’s not the only time I have done that either. I guess I just like to have a goal and an excuse to go to the bookstore.
And as far as browsing. I am a browser, but I always start with the authors I know and like and then I move out from there. I am attracted to certain styles of book covers and certain fonts and man has that burned me in the past but if you never try something new…you never waste your time.
Lewis or Tolkien?
Argh. Probably neither. I’d like to say Lewis but that would be a…mistruth. I liked them when I was a kid and I still love The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe but I seem to remember getting bored along the way. And Tolkein…well I like The Hobbit a lot but my god! The rest of the books…stop with all the singing!!! I guess for me, both series start really strong but as they get further into the world building, I get a little tired of it all. I have never read any of Lewis’ non-Narnia books but I would like to. I think they both were interesting people and had amazing minds but perhaps, for me, their minds tend to wander a little too far from what originally made them interesting to me.
Does that make sense?
Hard SF or Space Opera?
Probably more space opera. But you knew I like opera anyway. Or how about some Space Oprah? I’d pay for that.
I don’t know if I have ever really read any really hard sf. I guess I would be interested but I don’t really have a background for it. I like steam punk a lot though and, in a sense, that’s hard sf gone old fashioned. Well, if it is done right, anyway. And I like the idea that something is real and possible, like in Snow Crash, which is kind of the precursor to Second Life. Or the kind of cyberpunk stuff that I have read, where it feels like we are only days away from plugging our brains into the internet. So maybe I really like hard sf. Hmmm…
Collection (short stories by the same author) or Anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Neither. I occasionally buy them but I almost never finish them. I get distracted by the one inevitable bad story and get disgusted with the whole thing. Oh this one time (not at bandcamp) I was reading this anthology of splatterpunk stories. OK, first, I can not defend my reading of such stuff. It was there I was curious, which I know is the kind of sentence that gets people in trouble, but somewhere in the middle of this book I became so grossed out by one of the stories that I had to do something that I had never done before. I threw the book away. I didn’t give it away, I didn’t leave it somewhere, I actually put it in the garbage and walked away. If you know me at all you know that this is something I don’t do. But I did. So that pretty much ended my experiments with both splatterpunk and anthologies.
Hugo or Nebula?
I strongly suspect I have read more Hugo than Nebula but I don’t actually know and I am too lazy to look it up. But I am quite sure that China has one a few Hugo’s so...I say Hugo. Besides, Hugo just sounds cooler.
(Hunh, I have just looked up both Hugo and Nebula award winners and I think I have read an equal amount of both, but China, although nominated many times, has not won either.)
Golden Age SF or New Wave SF?
I like my sci-fi like I like my music…NEW WAVE!
Tidy ending or Cliffhanger?
Oh, tidy-ish. Not too tidy but cliffhangers annoy me because what if I didn’t really like the book? You’re not going to lure me into a second purchase just because you can’t wrap up a story.
Morning reading, Afternoon reading or Night time reading?
I wish it was anytime reading but it’s usually night time. When himself has gone to sleep and it’s quiet. I’ve been making a big effort to wear my glasses more and I think that is helping a lot. My eyes get pretty tired by the end of the day but my brain still wants to read.
Standalone or Series?
Eh, doesn’t really matter to me. (Obviously I am getting bored with these questions…It was so much fun at first!)
Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
Good lord how I dislike high fantasy! I SHOULD like it, but I just don’t. I like fairies and all that crap but man, it bores me. So there!
New or used?
Both. Depends on how freaky obsessive I get about a particular book.
So, if I am getting bored, then I guess you are too so here, do me a favor, and it doesn’t have to be about sci-fi…answer these last few questions. I am always looking for new things to read and I love to get recommendations, even if I end up hating the book. Let genre=whatever genre you like, sci-fi, romance, self-help…whatever, and give me some advice…all three of you…
(And just to be fair, the words in the parenthesis are some of my faves)
Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
(The Death of Vishnu by Manil Suri)
Favorite genre books read last year (in no particular order)?
(I really don’t want to go into how I didn’t read that many books last year again, but OH! I did read The Scar by China Mieville…damn he gets a lot of love around here!)
Favorite genre books of all time (in no particular order)?
(The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
Favorite genre series (in no particular order)?
(Well duh, gotta be Harry Potter…AND the Discworld series AND The Hitchhiker series…AND…)
Monday, January 22, 2007
Obsessive.
It’s not just me, right? Tell me you do it to. Tell me that I am not weird.
Tell me you obsess over things, things that you probably saw once, in passing and thought “That’s cool.” and then walked away from. You didn’t buy it, you didn’t need it, you didn’t care about it…until the middle of the night. When you suddenly decided that you couldn’t live without it.
It’s not just me, is it?
It’s not as bad as it sounds really. I am obsessive mostly about books. I read about a book, a review, or a preview and I think, “That’s cool.” But I know that I currently own more books than I could realistically read in one lifetime…well, if you read as slow as I suddenly do, and that I do not need that one more book. It will sit there for weeks, possibly years, until I even remember that I had to have it and I still won’t read it. Or, worse yet, I will buy it and begin it immediately, pushing aside all other books in its favor. All those other books that are taking up so much space and that I really had to have at some earlier date, but I haven’t read yet.
I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas. (I read somewhere about someone whose mother insists on referring to the store as “Barnes and Nobles”, not the plural, just the…wrong name, and now, every time I think of Barnes and Noble, it comes out “Barnes and Nobles” and I am driving myself crazy.) It wasn’t a huge gift card, but it was enough of a chunk to buy a few books. I could feel it burning a hole in my pocket, nay, in my SOUL. I had to spend it as soon as possible. It was all I could do not to spend it while on the east coast thereby forcing myself to truck another several pounds of stuff across the U.S. (And let me just mention here that I visited Borders no less than three times while in New Jersey, ostensibly to buy presents for other people…and perhaps just a thing or two for myself.) I don’t sleep well and falling asleep is the hardest part of that for me. Sometimes I actually count sheep, sometimes I meditate, but when I have a book store gift card, I mentally run down all the books I could buy with it. I make lists, I debate the merits of cook, I fret over what I could buy vs .what I will buy. It’s sick. But it’s entertaining.
I spent the gift card. I bought two books with it, a book on crochet, something that I don’t know how to do and will probably never learn, even though I have a book on it, and a mystery novel. And despite everything else I have half-read or sitting on the top of the reading pile, I immediately dove into “The Falls” by Ian Rankin.
It’s a very good book.
Tell me you obsess over things, things that you probably saw once, in passing and thought “That’s cool.” and then walked away from. You didn’t buy it, you didn’t need it, you didn’t care about it…until the middle of the night. When you suddenly decided that you couldn’t live without it.
It’s not just me, is it?
It’s not as bad as it sounds really. I am obsessive mostly about books. I read about a book, a review, or a preview and I think, “That’s cool.” But I know that I currently own more books than I could realistically read in one lifetime…well, if you read as slow as I suddenly do, and that I do not need that one more book. It will sit there for weeks, possibly years, until I even remember that I had to have it and I still won’t read it. Or, worse yet, I will buy it and begin it immediately, pushing aside all other books in its favor. All those other books that are taking up so much space and that I really had to have at some earlier date, but I haven’t read yet.
I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas. (I read somewhere about someone whose mother insists on referring to the store as “Barnes and Nobles”, not the plural, just the…wrong name, and now, every time I think of Barnes and Noble, it comes out “Barnes and Nobles” and I am driving myself crazy.) It wasn’t a huge gift card, but it was enough of a chunk to buy a few books. I could feel it burning a hole in my pocket, nay, in my SOUL. I had to spend it as soon as possible. It was all I could do not to spend it while on the east coast thereby forcing myself to truck another several pounds of stuff across the U.S. (And let me just mention here that I visited Borders no less than three times while in New Jersey, ostensibly to buy presents for other people…and perhaps just a thing or two for myself.) I don’t sleep well and falling asleep is the hardest part of that for me. Sometimes I actually count sheep, sometimes I meditate, but when I have a book store gift card, I mentally run down all the books I could buy with it. I make lists, I debate the merits of cook, I fret over what I could buy vs .what I will buy. It’s sick. But it’s entertaining.
I spent the gift card. I bought two books with it, a book on crochet, something that I don’t know how to do and will probably never learn, even though I have a book on it, and a mystery novel. And despite everything else I have half-read or sitting on the top of the reading pile, I immediately dove into “The Falls” by Ian Rankin.
It’s a very good book.
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