The books of March 2011

This month has completely flown by! I think my reading list is fairly decent. But in case anyone out there thinks I should be reading more, I did some other stuff (and watched a lot of TV). It had been a while, but I made it back to the movie theater...not once, but twice! Woohoo! I went to see Red Riding Hood. I understand that this has gotten horrible reviews and I do not care. It was some mindless fun and just what I needed to see. I was exhausted and couldn't focus on anything but the pretty faces. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon. Last weekend I went to see Sucker Punch. My friends' reactions were fairly universal. About a quarter of them liked it...that means 3/4 did not. Which I think is unfortunate. It was fun, explodey, violent, and completely void of critical thinking skills. The perfect remedy for a really long horrible week.

I also did another Iron Craft challenge, this time for the Easy Bein' Green week. I had PLENTY of green fabric...most of it fleece.

It's easy being green when you're so darn cute and huggable.

I volunteered to participate in our local design organization's annual event. With a typography theme, there was plenty to choose from, but I waffled a little too long before I finally asked the organizer some questions and signed up...I got the caret (^). Here's what I made:

Get it? Peas and carets? Get it? Oh well. At least I crack myself up!

For yet another month, I didn't buy many books. I gave up buying books for Lent (no, I'm not Catholic, I just feel like it's not a bad practice to give something up for a while once a year...and it proves something to yourself...and it also proves that I should never be in public if I ever think about giving up coffee again), so I squeezed in a few purchases the weekend before Lent: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (sequel to the one I bought last month...and started reading last night) and The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner.

As stated previously, this month I read a decent amount of books. I finished up Italy, A Love Story: Women Write about the Italian Experience edited by Camille Cusumano, Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano, The New York Mormon Singles Halloween Dance: A Memoir by Elna Baker, Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated by Alison Arngrim, Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway by Cherie Currie, and When I Grow Up by Juliana Hatfield. Like I said above, I started reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan last night, but as I truly enjoy sleeping, I did not get close to finishing it.

After going through the rest of the essays in Italy, A Love Story, my favorite is still the one about the girl who fell more in love with the guy's grandfather than the guy himself. The rest of it was enjoyable, but not overly memorable.

Gomorrah is a title I noted from Time Out Rome Shortlist 2011. It's about one man's experience growing up in Naples and around it and all the mob ties to fashion, drugs, and everything else in the surrounding area. I had no idea things were as bad as he wrote...I mean, I enjoy watching mob movies, but this was more personal and gruesome. But really well-written...and interesting.

The New York Mormon book...what can I say? I was so upset after reading the "biography" about Cleopatra, that I knew I had to get back on the reading horse or lose my favorite genre forever (totally not an option). This book was great! Elna Baker told her story so well that I feel like I know her...I could hang out with her and it would be like hanging out with an old friend I've not seen in a while, but never forgot about. She's witty, charming, and fun. I really hope she writes another book about her adventures.

Shiver is a different take on the werewolf teen angst drama (not to be confused with Teen Wolf...Michael J Fox might be a little old for this particular role, despite his boyish charm). It starts with a little girl being attacked by wolves...except for one...one wolf protects her and gets the others to stop biting her. Then she's a teen, being attacked by hormones in high school. She always watches the woods behind her house for that one wolf that protected her and she's sure she knows him from the others. A boy from her school gets attacked by wolves and killed. She tries to stop people from hunting the wolves, but she's too late. She hears the shot...and finds a handsome boy bleeding on her back doorstep. The story of the wolves and this girl and others at her high school is really engrossing. The chapters are the names of the characters and their current temperatures as that plays into this particular werewolf lore.I will buy the next book, Linger, as soon as it's out in paperback...or after Lent if it comes out before then.

I've wanted to read Confessions of a Prairie Bitch since I saw it on the table at Borders. I was very stoked when I saw it on the shelf at the library. Nellie was an awful little girl on the show, but it turns out that character was the best thing that could've happened to Alison Arngrim. I didn't know anything about her other than she played Nellie...and I was quite the Little House fan...books and TV show. I still love the books and occasionally reread them. Anyway, Alison's life was far from perfect...which really seems to be the way with most child actors. Her mom was the voice of several beloved cartoon characters and very well known. Her dad was an agent...and also a gay man (her mom was in on it from the beginning, so there was never really a huge problem there)...and her brother, also an actor, well, clearly he was a disturbed super-jerk who should never have been left alone with her. That aside, her real life and her TV life mesh together well in this book. I loved learning about all of it because she peppered everything with what was going on in her TV life too. Highly enjoyable.

Not too long ago, a couple of friends came over and we watched The Runaways - the movie with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning playing Joan Jett and Cherie Currie respectively. The movie was good and made me want to read the book. The book is different. It's less focused on their friendship and more focused on Cherie Currie...most likely because it's her biography and she wrote it. I like some of their music and I like a lot of Joan Jett songs, but really knew nothing beyond what I'd seen in that movie, so this was eye-opening. She went through so much, self-inflicted and otherwise, that I'm actually surprised that she's turned it around and was able to write anything. And apparently, now she does sculpture with chainsaws! She is still very rock'n'roll cool.

Lastly, Juliana Hatfield's When I Grow Up. I have to admit something. I'm not really a huge fan of Juliana Hatfield. Even though I really like that one song. Even though I thought I knew some stuff about her. Even though a friend of mine got her autograph for me. I know, right? She seems like someone I would really like, but her stuff just never stuck with me beyond Spin the Bottle on the Reality Bites soundtrack. What did I learn? I like that song because it's a different kind of melody and have a different timing (in addition to the fun lyrics); she didn't really date Evan Dando from the Lemonheads; she did not have a good time playing at the Bottleneck in Lawrence, Kansas (I've generally always had a good time there...I guess if fans invaded my space it would be a different story...); she fought anorexia and won; she found that taking a break from music made the music so much better when she came back to it; and that I would probably never make it on a bus tour...sounds horrible. So, I don't know that I like her music any better because I've not listened to anything else as I only just finished it. But, I have a respect for her and her work ethic and stellar perseverance.

This morning, I read Amanda Palmer's latest blog post. If you don't know her, she's pretty fabulous. But if, like me, you love Duran Duran...and have for years...and don't plan to quit anytime soon...and aren't offended by cursing, please read her post. Thanks to my friend for sending it to me! It makes you mad, and then, MAGIC! She gets an experience that most of us have dreamed of for over 20 years! Yes, everyone else was horrid, but true fans know what to do. She's a true fan. I also know that John Taylor retweeted her post which made both her...and me...super excited :) Duran Duran RULES!

And just so you know, as I've typed this, I watched the Queen Latifah movie Just Wright. It was very cute. Now Clueless is on...and I totally turned the channel...AS IF! Not only am I watching it, but I seem to be quoting it verbatim along with my roommate. I'm audi!

"Fall back" time has almost passed

This coming weekend is when we set the clocks forward ("spring forward"). Allow me a moment to express my disgust at this: GIMME MY HOUR! I WANNA KEEP MY HOUR! It's not like I already feel short of time everyday. Frown.

In the last post, I noted that one way I spent time not reading was knitting. Here's one of the scarves I made while logging many hours of the Real Housewives of Many Cities (many of whom aren't married and are as far removed from real as I can imagine):

I hope you wanted a green scarf cause that's what you're gettin'.

One thing I wanted to do this year was join in the fun on Iron Craft. You'll notice that it is March and I stated that like I've not participated. Well, yes, we're three months in and the thing I thought I would do every week? Nope. My BFF's mom has entered a lot of them, my BFF a couple of them I think, and me, none. Zip. Zilch. This week though, I got motivated and made something Sunday evening while watching the new season of the OC Housewives. This week's challenge was what they're calling a "materials challenge" and we had to make something from a fat quarter in honor of it being Fat Tuesday. I started with a fat quarter and cut out pieces I needed to make an octopus. Turns out that was too hard...so I used about a quarter of the fat quarter to make an owl instead...an owl that looks like a cat...because you could only use the fat quarter and no other fabrics.

Who did a bad job with her fat quarter and her picture-takin' skillz? This girl!

Tonight I was happy there was a new episode of Glee...some of it good, some of it so far over the shark they're about to be back to the jumping point again. I did like a lot of the music this time though. And, as much as it pains me to type it (seriously, I'm sitting weird and one of my arms is starting to fall asleep), Gwyneth is really good on this show! I want her on there more...I think...

Now I'm watching The Last Legion. I've seen it before, but I like it, so I'm watching it again. It's not the best film on the topic, but I enjoy how they weave ancient Britain's mythology into a tale of Roman legions. And they do it way better than The Eagle. Or maybe I'd just prefer Colin Firth and John Hannah any day over Channing Tatum and Donald Sutherland...probably isn't a big mystery.

I'm going to finish this movie, do a little reading, and go to bed for the night. Later!

The books of February 2011

Since the Oscars are tomorrow and I know that I'll be more concerned with them than posting, I thought I should do this now. I still have one more movie to watch (The Kids Are Alright) to have seen 8/10 of the best pic noms...I'm going to try and see it tonight. I did finally watch The Social Network and was pretty mad that I liked it so much. Darn you, Sorkin! <shakes fist ineffectually at sky>

This month I didn't buy too many books. However, a theme will emerge as you read, that will eventually take this blog into a different spin later this year. Most are still on my to-be-read list: The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker, At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream: Misadventures in Search of the Simple Life by Wade Rouse, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen, Time Out Rome Shortlist 2011 by Time Out Guides,  Frommer's Naples & the Amalfi Coast: Day by Day by Nicky Swallow, and Hide This Italian Phrase Book by Nadja Rizutti.

The books I read this month constitutes a small list. As I stated last month, I had started reading Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff. It took me all month as I read other items to break it up into more bite sized pieces: Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot, Time Out Rome Shortlist 2011, Venice Is A Fish: A Sensual Tale by Tiziano Scurpa, and I'm wrapping up the month reading Italy, A Love Story: Women Write about the Italian Experience edited by Camille Cusumano.

Venice Is A Fish is an interesting little book I picked up at the library. The author uses different things to describe Venice and how Venice matches the meaning of those items...like when Venice is a face (or is it mask?), it represents how people mask themselves with their different faces (happy, sad, busy, etc.) even though the place is so small that everyone knows everyone else's business so the masks don't matter. It doesn't stand out to me as something I would normally read, but it wasn't a bad filler item.

The Rome Shortlist 2011 was VERY informative...and kind of overwhelming. I will have to go back through it and take some notes for planning, but mostly, the brief descriptions did help narrow some things down for me, but left me with the feeling that I just want to see it all (impossible in a few days). As far as travel guides go, I did like how this was broken into known sections of the city and included tips on whether or not places took cash or credit and things like that. The pictures, though small, were very pretty.

I own most of the Meg Cabot older-than-teen books. When my friends and I started talking more seriously about travel in Italy, I went and grabbed Every Boy's Got One off my shelf and re-read it...and then gave it to my friends to read as well. The main character in the book is the maid of honor for her best friend who is eloping to Italy to marry the love of her life. If you haven't read any of Cabot's books like this, you should. Her style for a series of slightly related books is to use current technologies as the recording devices of the characters' stories. In this particular book, they are using Blackberries for email and texts, journals and PDAs, and occasionally, just hand-written notes. Given the way most of us live today, it gives the story a feeling of truth...of something you would do yourself. Anyway, bride, groom, maid of honor, best man, and some local Italians comes together for a hilarious, fluffy tale about a wedding that almost wasn't. At the end of the book, there's an author section where Cabot talks about the inspiration for the story: her own elopement to Italy! It is a very fun and entertaining read.

Cleopatra, however, was not a fun and entertaining read. I know that history is spotty at best when it comes to Cleopatra. We tend to take what we've seen in movies, or the HBO series Rome, to be truth rather than fiction. So I was really excited to read a biography about a very strong woman at a time when in most parts of the world, women were pretty much there to breed and take care of the men. And the beginning of the book pointed that out. Cleopatra and the women in her family were indeed, very strong willed, highly educated, politically savvy, and prone to violence and revenge in order to stay alive long enough to make a difference in Egyptian history. I was hooked for a couple of chapters and then I found that I could care less about it...even when I tried to imagine the people who played these historic figures as the actors who portrayed them in HBO's Rome. I figured I would never be bored with those people in my head. I was wrong. I know there's not a lot of actual historical information available about her rule beyond the Latin writings of the era and later, but seriously, if I buy a biography about someone who was real, I would expect more fact than conjecture. I felt like the whole book simply revisited all possible rumors about her and her relationships. Only the fighting was real and documented. Although, thinking about it, maybe that's the point (or should be) of having political leaders...showing a capability to rule and strength in intelligence and battle are good things...knowing about their affairs isn't the point. I don't know...something to think about. It's not like hooking up with Caesar or Marc Antony were bad ideas from a political standpoint...it was actually kind of genius. Overall, I guess I'm glad I read it, but it took me longer than expected and I didn't really care for it.

Hopefully by Monday night, I'll be finished with the book of short essays about Italy written by women I got from the library. I'm on the 5th or 6th one now. All of the stories are different, but so far, my favorite is the girl who went to Milan to meet her summer fling for a week. They stayed with his grandmother. She ended up falling in love with the grandmother and her lifestyle and not really liking the boy at all! Her descriptions of his lame attempts to be like a boyfriend and her comparisons of what she'd rather be doing when they were out (going with him to a fancy restaurant vs eating grandmother's fabulous cooking and watching the Simpsons dubbed in Italian) are hysterical.

Another reason I didn't read that many books this month? I finished a couple of scarves to give away later this year as gifts. Clearly it was a lot easier to knit when the TV was on than it was to read.

Tomorrow night is the Oscars. There should be quite a few friends here to watch it with me. I will probably write some more then...maybe...or I might just sit back and enjoy :)

How did the weekend go so fast?

Friday night, I went home after work and basically did nothing. I re-watched Roman Holiday...it's not my favorite Audrey Hepburn film, but I like it a lot. I fell asleep before it was over--I think it was sometime around 9pm. A very exciting Friday night to be sure.

Saturday I got up early and ran some errands, including buying some books. Then I went to get an eye exam. It was getting close to two years since the last one, so I thought it might be time. My prescription hadn't changed very much, so all that squinting must be psychological? Anyway, I gotta get some new glasses soon. Afterward I met a friend to see The Eagle. This was not the most exciting movie I've seen. Which is irritating because I enjoy most things that involve ancient Britain. This was just tedious, without all the action the preview promised. I lasted all the way to 9:30pm this time before going to sleep.

Sunday morning, my BFF and I went to Chicago and ate with some of her family at Old Town Social. We went for brunch and this was the first time they were trying out a dixieland theme for the brunch. They had a full band playing dixieland music. I started with the jalapeño-cheddar cornbread and traded one for one of BFF's beignets. The cornbread was amazing and had a big kick of heat at the finish. The beignet was nice, but I'm not a huge fan of doughnut-type items in general, so while I recognize that it was tasty, it wasn't really my thing. Next up I had an egg, cheddar, and homemade bacon biscuit sandwich (there is nothing wrong with any of the ingredients I just listed, so let's just agree that it was very good...putting fast food items that are named the same to complete shame). As a side, I got fried pickles. This was the only thing that I wasn't over the moon about...which is sad, given my love of pickles. It was the dough for me. There was so much dough around the bread'n'butter slices that I couldn't truly enjoy the tangy pickle taste. The rémoulade dipping sauce made it completely worthwhile to try and eat them all though. Perusing the menu, there were a lot of things I wanted to try, but time and the size of my stomach conspired against me. I will go back though. Not only did all the food look amazing, but I couldn't even get through the book of drinks! There were at least 180 beers listed...and wine and mixed drinks and so on. I bet it's a blast on a weekend night.

After leaving the restaurant, we shopped/did errands for a while. We tried to go to a craft event we'd heard about, but the venue seemed, well, seedy. And we couldn't easily park there, so we didn't stop. We got home around 6pm, so I had time to do some laundry, eat dinner, and then watch part one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta reunion. I was really sleepy (since it kept me up until 10pm), but managed to make it through all the yelling and snide remarks.

I'm feeling pretty bad about my reading habits this month. I'm still trying to get through the Cleopatra book I bought last month, and one of the little ones I got on Saturday. I also re-read a book I've had for a long time before loaning it to BFF. I need to read more or the post at the end of the month (or just before the end of the month since the Oscars at almost the last day of the month) will be really, really short...and boring. I'm working on it people...I'm working on it!

More Oscar nominated movies have been viewed

I am currently not watching Oscar noms...I am watching the Super Bowl. I wish there were teams in it that I like though. Oh well. Since I ended up doing work during the first couple of hours, it's probably for the best. I have managed to look up and see some good looking movie previews and some ads that made me laugh out loud. Now I'm pretty much just waiting for Glee!

Friday night, instead of going out and being social, I decided to stay in because (a) I didn't feel so great and (b) the frozen tundra had gotten to me.I ended up working later than I'd planned, and then I ran into a friend while I made a stop before getting home. I did some cleaning and then decided to work on my craft project for my friend while I watched Toy Story 3. I should admit that I'm not a total fan of the Toy Story movies. I thought the first one was ok and didn't really care for the second one at all. But, I knew the premise of this last one and I thought it would be sweet. So I watched. And OMG, I cried buckets! I loved it...and generally feel it's the best of the trilogy. However, does this belong on the best picture AND best animated feature lists? No...it should only be on one of them...and frankly, maybe it goes on best picture and then Despicable Me could be on the animated one...or maybe the animated one should have four films and include Despicable Me and the best picture list should just have something else on it. Oh well. Whatever.

Saturday, another friend came by and rescued me as my windshield wipers were encased in an icy tomb and I couldn't break them free (they are now, as of 5pm today), therefore making driving an even bigger hazard than it already was. We shopped for a bit and then came back to my place and were joined by one more as we settled in to mock Eclipse. We've gotten together for each of the Twilight films...I see them in the theater, then I watch them a couple of times on my own, then I'm ready for my friends who don't like the movies or books to gather with me and bring on the witticisms. It's a very good time :) After they left, I decided to go ahead and watch Winter's Bone. This movie was a downer, but man, it was REALLY well done. I'm still rooting for The King's Speech, but if the girl who plays "Ree" wins an award, I would not be surprised. This was a harsh tale and while I wouldn't say I enjoyed it, I watched it and was surprised that it was pretty riveting.

Well, not much left in the 4th quarter, so I guess I'll go pay attention to the game now. Or maybe read while the game finishes to pass the time until Glee is on. I've really missed having new episodes every week!

Still alive on the frozen tundra

Update on the movie watching situation: it was so bad out yesterday, that no mail was in the mailbox. I have a feeling the postal service couldn't navigate the non-main roads...and I don't blame them. But, that means that Winter's Bone arrived today. So I haven't watched it...and the fact that I'm typing right now, trying to stay awake for the latest episode of Jersey Shore? Probably not going to watch it tonight. (And yes, I understand that watching Winter's Bone would be a better thing to watch, but sometimes I just need to watch some skanky trash to and feel better about myself.)

I'm not doing so great with the reading so far this month. No teen novels on the table is leading to a massive non-fiction bender. The Cleopatra book is good, but it's slow going...wow that girl is having a freaking meltdown on "I Used to Be Fat"...why did MTV think this was a good idea? I don't think that every teen is capable of doing this and it lasting. And this poor girl, could her mom be any more unsupportive? Telling her she's selfish for wanting to take care of herself? Just wow. What was I typing about? Oh yeah, the Cleopatra book. As I'm reading it, I feel like all I really knew about her was cobbled together from kid books I read about ancient Egypt when I was in the fifth grade and the HBO series Rome. These are radically different pools of information. This is a little more explanatory...which is cool. So far, despite the crazy, murderous families, Egypt was kind of the bomb for BC women's rights in the upper class.

This weekend is the Eclipse mocking...a couple of friends come over and we watch the latest in the Twilight saga (this time, it's Eclipse) and they make fun of the whole thing. Then Sunday is the Super Bowl. I'm not really happy with the match up, but it should at least be a decent game. I'm more excited for the new commercials, the movie trailers, and the new episode of Glee afterward.

Sidebar: Is it weird that every time I see the ad for the new Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston movie where the little girl asks if she can do an accent and says "'Ello" that I giggle?

I think that's it for now. Just trying to get into the habit of typing. Tell me some of your favorite teen books...I need something light to mix with the Cleopatra!

Oscar nominations...thoughts so far

The "raining" ice situation is out of control. And now, it is also snowing. The winds around my place have created a swirly, vortex of doom, so I'm pretty sure I'm not going outside again...possibly ever. That means I will have some extra time on my hands since I won't have to drive anywhere or scrape my car out of a triple-layer ice bubble. WIN!

I've been hosting an Oscar party for a while now...this year will be the 10th annual one...I can't decide if that means it should be super fancy or if I should class it up with Cheetos and gummi bears. I'm thinking possibly some compromise in between.

I'm hoping that I have enough time to see at least the 10 best pic noms...and maybe some more. Here's my rundown so far:

• Black Swan: Interesting film. Squicked me out in one place, but I liked it a lot...some of the visuals were just amazing...and I can't get over how hard the actresses had to work for these roles. Except Winona. Guess she just turned the crazy knob up to 11 and showed up for work. Don't think it will win.
• The Fighter: Haven't seen it yet, but I want to and hopefully will before Oscar night.
• Inception: Really great film. Has held up under repeated viewings too. Don't think it'll win though.
• The Kids Are Alright: Haven't seen it yet, but should show up in my mailbox from Netflix soon.
• The King's Speech: Right now, this is my winner. I freaking loved this movie. Colin Firth was amazing and compelling. Helena Bonham-Carter was NORMAL! I didn't think she could play that anymore. Definite hearkening back to the Merchant-Ivory days for her.
• 127 Hours: Haven't seen it yet...am thinking parts will gross me out too much.
• The Social Network: Haven't seen it yet. I am very torn about it. I really am not a fan of Facebook...and I'm more than a little annoyed that an entire film that's not a documentary was made about a website. Seems like too much. But it involved Sorkin...and people I trust really liked it. I know I'll cave eventually...just not sure if it'll happen before the Oscars.
• Toy Story 3: Haven't seen it yet, but will this weekend. I got it for Christmas but haven't had time to watch it. Knowing that it will make me cry leads me to believe that I need to be in the mood to watch. Almost there (see first paragraph and add a touch of the snow madness).
• True Grit: This was so good! It was funnier than I thought. The Coens, even when they have a weak effort for whatever reason (I'm looking at you Intolerable Cruelty), rarely fail to make something worth watching again and again. Don't think it'll win...too much comedy.
• Winter's Bone: This should be in my mailbox tomorrow...although I certainly wouldn't hold it against the postal service if they just couldn't deliver it. I think it'll be good from what I've read. Even without seeing it, I'm voting this one down too. Because of Colin Firth. Mmm...Mr. Darcy...

I've usually seen all the cartoon noms by now, but this year I'm a little slow to catch up. I own and love How to Train Your Dragon. I also own Toy Story 3 (see above). The one I've wanted to see is The Illusionist but this city is never one of the limited showing cities. Sad, but true. I loved The Triplets of Belleville so I expect great things from The Illusionist. Also, complete sadness that Despicable Me didn't get a nom...IT'S SO FLUFFY!!!!

I'm cold and going to get a blanket now. Stay warm!