I'm Down: A Memoir
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance
Saving Monticello
Before I Go To Sleep: A Novel
Inside Scientology
An Anatomy of Addiction
The Submission: A Novel
Year of Wonders: A Novel
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
People of the Book: A Novel
Mennonite In a Little Black Dress
The Happiness Project (*I didn't finish this book, but read enough to not recommend it)
The Language of Secrets
For the Thrill Of It
Bossypants
Unfamiliar Fishes
True Grit
The Magicians: A Novel
Born to Run (I read this book again hoping it would inspire me to run; it didn't)
Happy Accidents
Gone With a Handsomer Man
Misquoting Jesus
Stiff
Elegance of the Hedgehog
The Lonely Polygamist
Cutting for Stone
The Paris Wife
I had no idea I read so many novels subtitled "A Novel" this year. My favorites (and those I highly recommend): Bossypants, Year of Wonders, and Inside Scientology. I'm 30% through Devil's Gate (love the books about Mormons), so that might end up on 2011's list of favorites as well. Best wishes for a happy 2012!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Fast talking, ambulation
As much as I love books, I also really love television. And eating. And buying things. So the blog is branching out a bit. I'm not one to occasionally catch an episode of a series here and there. I either watch a show or I don't. I especially love watching shows in quick succession after they've been off the air for several years or catching up on the first (few) seasons of shows I didn't watch when they first aired (Gilmore Girls, Mad Men, Glee).
In the spring to fall of 2006, I read the same story, many times: there is no way two shows about comedy sketch shows (with numbers in the name) can be successful on the air at the same time. And it was true; 30 Rock is still rocking. As much as I love Liz Lemon (I really do), I also really loved the casualty of that needless battle, Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. After recently watching the 22-episode series again (thanks, Amazon Prime), I'm sad all over again that TV audiences couldn't sustain both.
Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Nathan Corddry, Steven Webber, this list of great performances goes on ... If you missed this one the first time, or petered out in the middle, give it another shot. The last few episodes are some of the strongest. I wish we had more than just one season.
To fill the void of Aaron Sorkin (and fast talkers walking down hallways) in my life, I started watching The West Wing (thanks, Roku). How have I never watched this show? I know, I know, I didn't read Harry Potter until 2009 - life is busy! I've only watched the first few episodes and my nerdy observations so far are: the couches in the Oval Office are spot on to the Clinton couches, but the POTUS's chair in the Cabinet Room is not taller than the rest. I'm sure anyone who has actually worked in the White House is distracted by countless inaccuracies. Those are the only two (replica) rooms I've worked with. If, like me, you missed out on this show but have always thought you should check it out, go do it. There's a reason it is so well loved.
In the spring to fall of 2006, I read the same story, many times: there is no way two shows about comedy sketch shows (with numbers in the name) can be successful on the air at the same time. And it was true; 30 Rock is still rocking. As much as I love Liz Lemon (I really do), I also really loved the casualty of that needless battle, Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. After recently watching the 22-episode series again (thanks, Amazon Prime), I'm sad all over again that TV audiences couldn't sustain both.
Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Nathan Corddry, Steven Webber, this list of great performances goes on ... If you missed this one the first time, or petered out in the middle, give it another shot. The last few episodes are some of the strongest. I wish we had more than just one season.
To fill the void of Aaron Sorkin (and fast talkers walking down hallways) in my life, I started watching The West Wing (thanks, Roku). How have I never watched this show? I know, I know, I didn't read Harry Potter until 2009 - life is busy! I've only watched the first few episodes and my nerdy observations so far are: the couches in the Oval Office are spot on to the Clinton couches, but the POTUS's chair in the Cabinet Room is not taller than the rest. I'm sure anyone who has actually worked in the White House is distracted by countless inaccuracies. Those are the only two (replica) rooms I've worked with. If, like me, you missed out on this show but have always thought you should check it out, go do it. There's a reason it is so well loved.
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik
I fully recognize that the title of this novel makes it sound quite ridiculous so I implore you, fair reader, to not judge this one on the title. Much of this novel sounds familiar: five neighborhood housewives start a book club in the 1960s and the book follows them through the subsequent decades of motherhood, bad marriages (seriously, terrible husbands), and finding work after the SAHM (stay at home mom) years, and yet, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. A LOT happens. This one comes highly recommended from my book club (though we may have been partial to a group of women who could keep a book club together for over 30 years). If you are looking for a fun, light read, I really enjoyed this one.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Bossypants
Bossypants by Tina Fey
I saw Tina Fey walking down 6th Avenue while listening to the Bossypants audiobook. Surreal. Like a good New Yorker, I did not scare the crap out of her by proclaiming "Tina Fey! I'm listening to your audiobook! And it's hilarious!" I just kept walking and am instead hoping that she compulsively Googles herself and will come across this blog post, thereby knowing that I exist. Wait, no one does that?
That's not really what happened. No, I don't mean that I saw Tina Fey and, because I have only lived in New York for three years and am still mastering my "I'm so bored and in a hurry so get out of my way because I have somewhere important to be" look (it is getting pretty good), then accosted her because I was listening to her audiobook. I mean that I've never seen Tina Fey walking down 6th Avenue, or ever. I did see Jason Sudeikis one time (and smiled at him like a moron before I realized who he was), who plays Joe Biden to Fey's Sarah Palin, and therefore is related to this post.
I did also listen to the Bossypants audiobook and highly recommend it. Sure, you could read the dialogue spoken by the cruise director on Fey's honeymoon, OR you could listen to her impression of the cruise director on her honeymoon. Both are hilarious, but only one will have the guy walking past you in the hallway between the 4/5/6 and Times Square shuttle in Grand Central think you are crazy because you are laughing so hard. And maybe because you snorted. Whatever.
I saw Tina Fey walking down 6th Avenue while listening to the Bossypants audiobook. Surreal. Like a good New Yorker, I did not scare the crap out of her by proclaiming "Tina Fey! I'm listening to your audiobook! And it's hilarious!" I just kept walking and am instead hoping that she compulsively Googles herself and will come across this blog post, thereby knowing that I exist. Wait, no one does that?
That's not really what happened. No, I don't mean that I saw Tina Fey and, because I have only lived in New York for three years and am still mastering my "I'm so bored and in a hurry so get out of my way because I have somewhere important to be" look (it is getting pretty good), then accosted her because I was listening to her audiobook. I mean that I've never seen Tina Fey walking down 6th Avenue, or ever. I did see Jason Sudeikis one time (and smiled at him like a moron before I realized who he was), who plays Joe Biden to Fey's Sarah Palin, and therefore is related to this post.
I did also listen to the Bossypants audiobook and highly recommend it. Sure, you could read the dialogue spoken by the cruise director on Fey's honeymoon, OR you could listen to her impression of the cruise director on her honeymoon. Both are hilarious, but only one will have the guy walking past you in the hallway between the 4/5/6 and Times Square shuttle in Grand Central think you are crazy because you are laughing so hard. And maybe because you snorted. Whatever.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
True Grit
True Grit by Charles Portis
I saw the original “True Grit” in graduate school, one in a series of several Westerns reviewed for an American West history course. I did not care for it, and I haven’t seen the Cohen’s 2010 version yet. So, why would I read the book? I read a great profile of Charles Portis in the Arkansas Times several months ago, had the book at the back of my mind, and it was on sale on Audible. Donna Tartt’s narration is excellent, and I must say, the first film version does not do the novel justice.
Yes, I am slightly biased because the main character and narrator, fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross, hails from Arkansas, is a staunch Presbyterian, and looks down upon Texas for being an inferior land and Texans as an inferior people. I was surprised at how much I liked Mattie, particularly after finding Kim Darby’s portrayal a bit grating, but Mattie's singled-minded focus is charming. I am now a Charles Portis fan and look forward to reading more of his books.
I am currently reading The China Study and Anna Karenina and today started Bossypants and You Remind Me of Me (must read for book club next week!). Other books I’ve read this year and promise to post reviews for soon:
The Paris Wife (good)
Cutting For Stone (good)
The Lonely Polygamist (you know how much I love books about Mormons!)
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons (surprisingly good)
The Magicians (excellent first half, could have lived without the latter half)
Unfamiliar Fishes (not my favorite Sarah Vowell, but still good)
Crazy Sexy Diet (I gave up meat for Lent and am flirting with going vegan. Chick-fil-A and an upcoming trip to Atlanta stand in my way. And turkey bacon)
Friday, December 31, 2010
2010: The year in books
I started keeping track of books that I read in 2009 and kept the practice going this year. So, here's the completed list. 52 new (to me) books, 8 old friends.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Darkly Dreaming Dexter
Love the One Your With
The Johnstown Flood
Born to Run
Devil’s Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three
Widow’s Web
Love the One You’re With
Don’t Sleep There Are Snakes
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of the Island
Anne’s House of Dreams
Rainbow Valley
Under the Banner of Heaven
In Cold Blood
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Jacob Have I Loved
The 19th Wife
Outlander
Dragonfly in Amber
Voyager
Let the Great World Spin
Drums of Autumn
Solitude of Prime Numbers
The Opposite of Love
The Fiery Cross
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Echo in the Bone
The Best of Everything
Both Ways Is The Only Way I Want It
Never Let Me Go
Oprah
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
The Book Thief
One Day
Passing Strange: A Guilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
Game Change
Room: A Novel
Water for Elephants
Fundraising the Dead
Mini Shopaholic: A Novel
John Adams
A. Lincoln
Sarah’s Key
The American Way of Death, Revisisted
The Kids Are All Right
Re-read:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of A
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Help
Friday, December 24, 2010
The American Way of Death Revisited by Jessica Mitford
The American Way of Death Revisited by Jessica Mitford
Nothing to get you in the Christmas spirit like thinking about your ultimate demise, right?
This book is not available for Kindle or audiobook (gasp). So, I went to the library and checked out a hardcover (something I've only been doing as of late for cookbooks and archival/history-related texts). Hardcovers seem so much heavier to carry around after toting my Kindle for the last (almost) year. I digress.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who plans on dying or knows someone who will die. So, everyone. Americans have a unique funeral culture, one that I've never been entirely comfortable with, and this book helped me know why (and be even more uncomfortable with it -- hooray!). I've never needed the viewing after a family member has died and have always hated hearing "oh, they look so natural." They don't look natural; they are dead! I would much prefer to remember the living, vibrant person I knew in life, not their remains. The funeral industry is a business and wants to sell you the most expensive funeral possible. And they get you right when you are most vulnerable and make you think that the way to really show how much you loved your "loved one" is to spend a ridiculous amount of money for their funeral. They take advantage of the guilt and remorse of your mourning.
Things that this book made me realize or reinforced previous feelings:
1) I do NOT want an open casket funeral or any viewing of my remains. If my immediate family members would like a peak, fine, but please do not put me on display for everyone to have to comment on how "natural" I look.
2) I do not want to be embalmed. (Side note: Listen to the author when she forewarns that things are a little difficult to read. I thought that after reading all about death rituals in college, I'd be fine with this chapter right before bed. I wasn't. Just read with caution).
3) I'm pretty sure I want to be cremated. I like the idea of being buried in a cemetery (particularly because great-great-grandparents, great-grandparents, grandparents, and cousin are all buried at a cemetery that I nominated for the National Register. I'd like to end up there), but that doesn't mean I can't have my cremated remains buried there.
4) Don't get an expensive casket (or a casket at all, if possible). Seriously. I get that I'm awesome and you love me, but please don't spend thousands of dollars on a box. And don't get a vault. Spend the money on some musicians for the memorial service or go buy yourself a new purse. Seriously.
This book is a bit dense, but even if you don't get through the whole thing, or pick and choose the chapters, absolutely check it out. I will probably have to pick out a casket, etc. at some point in life and feel much more prepared.
Nothing to get you in the Christmas spirit like thinking about your ultimate demise, right?
This book is not available for Kindle or audiobook (gasp). So, I went to the library and checked out a hardcover (something I've only been doing as of late for cookbooks and archival/history-related texts). Hardcovers seem so much heavier to carry around after toting my Kindle for the last (almost) year. I digress.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who plans on dying or knows someone who will die. So, everyone. Americans have a unique funeral culture, one that I've never been entirely comfortable with, and this book helped me know why (and be even more uncomfortable with it -- hooray!). I've never needed the viewing after a family member has died and have always hated hearing "oh, they look so natural." They don't look natural; they are dead! I would much prefer to remember the living, vibrant person I knew in life, not their remains. The funeral industry is a business and wants to sell you the most expensive funeral possible. And they get you right when you are most vulnerable and make you think that the way to really show how much you loved your "loved one" is to spend a ridiculous amount of money for their funeral. They take advantage of the guilt and remorse of your mourning.
Things that this book made me realize or reinforced previous feelings:
1) I do NOT want an open casket funeral or any viewing of my remains. If my immediate family members would like a peak, fine, but please do not put me on display for everyone to have to comment on how "natural" I look.
2) I do not want to be embalmed. (Side note: Listen to the author when she forewarns that things are a little difficult to read. I thought that after reading all about death rituals in college, I'd be fine with this chapter right before bed. I wasn't. Just read with caution).
3) I'm pretty sure I want to be cremated. I like the idea of being buried in a cemetery (particularly because great-great-grandparents, great-grandparents, grandparents, and cousin are all buried at a cemetery that I nominated for the National Register. I'd like to end up there), but that doesn't mean I can't have my cremated remains buried there.
4) Don't get an expensive casket (or a casket at all, if possible). Seriously. I get that I'm awesome and you love me, but please don't spend thousands of dollars on a box. And don't get a vault. Spend the money on some musicians for the memorial service or go buy yourself a new purse. Seriously.
This book is a bit dense, but even if you don't get through the whole thing, or pick and choose the chapters, absolutely check it out. I will probably have to pick out a casket, etc. at some point in life and feel much more prepared.
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