Category General Book Talk

40 Things (35)

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Title page of first edition of Anna Karenina

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Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 35 –

35) The longest book I have ever read

Once again, I am so thankful for Goodreads.  It was easy to look up the number of pages in several books that I have read.  If I had to guess without looking, I would guess that even the abridged version of “War and Peace” that I read in1994 was probably one of the longest books I’ve ever read.  The full version of the translated book clocks in at almost 1400 pages.  Yikes.  Looking at some of the big books that I’ve read, I noticed that I have listened to some of my lengthier books on audio – “Fountainhead,” “Jane Eyre,” and the Harry Potter books rank up there (The Half Blood Prince is 652 pages).  I guess the number of discs included and hours required doesn’t intimidate!  A few summers ago I read “East of Eden,” (600 pages) and loved it.

And today’s the perfect day to announce that I am participating in an “Anna Karenina” readalong with Wallace at Unputdownables, which starts this weekend, I believe!  Wallace is mailing me the Penguin classic version, which clocks in at 817 pages, and I’ll keep you posted on my progress – or sign up yourself, if you’re up to the challenge!  I’m excited to read this, especially with others, because a movie will be released in 2012 starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law.  There are many versions of the movie out there, so it will be fun to watch some of them after I’ve finished the readalong.  Love me some books and movies!

#35 on my list of things to do: Sing a solo in a concert.  In the fall of 2006 (after my daughter went to college!) a small group of us organized an adult choir to sing showtunes and other fun music.  We are still together, meeting weekly and doing little “gigs” in lots of different places in SE Minnesota.  I used to sing solos a lot as a child/teen and I was the mother in “Cheaper By the Dozen” musical, so it isn’t too far of a reach to sing a solo at a concert, but it had been years since I had, and the nerves were still there.  🙂 At our spring concert in 2007 I sang a song called “Crossword Puzzle” from a little known musical and it was great fun.  In 2009 I sang another solo called “The Hostess with the Mostes’,” also a lot of fun.  I love to sing and may even look for another choir to join in addition to “my” current choir!

Off to read!

40 Things (34)

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Writing

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 34:

34) A book I wish I had written

Hmmm.  Good question.  I wish I could write any book that is fun, intelligent, and succinctly written.  I love words, especially well-chosen and clever words.  And I love books that leave you with a smile on your face and a lingering good feeling.  I haven’t ever written a story before, but I have written some poems, song lyrics (adapted to familiar tunes), and some good haikus.  I’ve written long, rambling letters and cute, pithy slogans. But what do I wish I could write?  I guess this is worth more consideration, as I’d love to write something, and at this point I’m happy with blogging.

#34 of my list was: Eat more ethnic foods.  And so I have!  I’ve always loved going out for Mexican or Chinese food, as well as preparing both.  Since I wrote this on my list, I’ve eaten Spanish tapas, Vietnamese quite a few times, and found that I LOVE Indian.  Since I wrote this list I also made it a personal goal to avoid chain restaurants as much as possible, especially when traveling, seeking out new places to try.

Off to read!

40 Things (33)

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The Card Players, a 1895 painting by Paul Céza...

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Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 33:

33) A book that I would love to read but never do

This is tough, because it’s sort of similar to yesterday’s post (a book on my shelf for five years), but I guess maybe it could be about a book not even on the shelf?  And I don’t know what that would be.  I love love love Goodreads and the Goodreads app on my phone, because now I can keep a running list of books I want to read and eventually it will happen. I’ve found that audiobooks are a great way for me to “read” a book that I maybe won’t take the time to read but that I want to have read.  I’m very purposeful in my trips to the library and my wishlist creation, which isn’t to say that I don’t leave with an armful of books that aren’t on my TBR list when I go to the library.

That said, I’m a little curious about “Gone with the Wind,” which I’ve never read, and more Charles Dickens, but I’d like to read the Bible someday.  I’ve read parts of the Bible and gone to Bible studies, but I’ve never read the whole Bible purposefully.  I gave my parents a chronological Bible, which is interesting, and my current Bible has different reading plans so you can read it in a month or in three months or whatever plan you choose.

#33 on my list of things to do was: Learn and REMEMBER a card game.  I’m terrible at remembering how to play card games and always have to have it explained to me the first time.  I don’t remember jokes very well, either.  So I set out to find a game that I could play with friends without having to play a fake round to remember the rules.  I noted in my journal that I conquered the card game “Garbage,” but now if I had to explain it to you, I don’t think I’d be able to!  I am a whiz at Uno, so I’m going to take that as my go-to card game.

Last weekend when I was out at Oktoberfest with a friend, a group of young men approached us and asked us if we liked to play card games with our kids at home.  It was a random segue of a conversation, and it turns out that they developed a card game that was going on sale this week and they wanted to tell us about it in the hopes that we would buy.  Well, I got in touch with them through Facebook and this week met one of them in a bar and bought a game from him and learned how to play.  When I was telling my daughter about it, she said that she’d played a game very much like this in college, and the developer admitted that it was a standardized combination of two college drinking games, but that they were marketing it to families.  It’s pretty complicated and I’ll need help remembering the rules for a while, but it appears to be a fun game!

We attempted a few rounds last night at my birthday party, but the group was too large (yay!) to all play so we didn’t get too absorbed in the game but did a lot of socializing instead.

Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting. WOW.

For my birthday party, I made cupcakes from a recipe found on a blog that I just started reading – and they were sooooooooooo yummy!  Megan at ‘write Meg‘, posted about these cupcakes just as I was trying to figure out what kind of cake to make myself, and I’m so glad I read about and made these!  They were delicious!  And my niece and daughter decorated them so beautifully!  Yummy!  Quite a hit – and will become a fall staple!

Off to read!

40 Things (32) – and my BiRtHdAy

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Cover of "What Is the What: The Autobiogr...

Cover via Amazon

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 32 (MY BIRTHDAY!)

32) A book that has been on my shelf unread for more than 5 years

Five years ago I lived in a different house and had different book shelves.  I lost a lot of books, although I did have some book shelves that were safe from the water and I still have those books.  I now have bookshelves from IKEA – the 25 squares kind – and only one square is devoted to unread books (although I do have a big pile by my bed, too).

One book that I know I’ve had a LONG time (maybe not five years, but it was written in 2006) and haven’t read yet is Dave Egger’s “What is the What.”  I loved Dave’s first book, “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” and I know that I will love this too, but it seems a little heavy, and those are the books that it’s easy to put off reading.  I know I will read this because Sarah has it and we’re going to discuss it in the Walkie Talkie style.

Have you read it?  Why do you think people put off reading certain books?

#32 on my list of 40 things was: Go to the Museum of Russian Art in Minneapollis with Inna.  Inna was our foreign exchange student from the Ukraine in 2002/2003 and she came back as an adult in the summer of 2007 to work for a few weeks and she lived with us again.  We had intended to spend a few days in Minneapolis before she flew home at the end of August, but that durn flood changed a lot of plans, so I never got to go with her.  We did get the chance to spend one night in the Cities before she left and ate a fun dinner at Moscow on the Hill – a Russian restaurant – with good good friends.  So we partook in shots of vodka with dill pickles.  Crazy, fun.  And needed after that crazy week.  🙂

I did make it to the museum the following summer (6/27/08) with my cousin Emily, who lives very close to it.  It’s a great museum and I especially loved the photography exhibit.

Off to read!  And party!  Because, it’s my birthday, after all!

40 Things (31)

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Cover of "The Secret Life of Bees"

Cover of The Secret Life of Bees

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 31:

31) A book that everyone else seems to love except me

Once again, I turned to Goodreads to review my lower-starred books to see what I didn’t love that others did.  I don’t have many one-star books, although “The Corrections” by Jonathan Franzen is one.  I tried to listen to it on audio and was very turned off and disturbed by it immediately so I couldn’t even attempt a finish.  That was a long time ago.  And I don’t know anyone who loves that book, although I’m sure that people do.

Other books that I gave three-stars to that I think others loved more than me (my three-stars means I liked it – not a great book in my eyes) would include “Lovely Bones” and “The Secret Life of Bees.”  I am probably going to re-read “The Secret Life of Bees,” because it is on my nephew’s 9th grade English syllabus and I’d like to read it with him, and maybe I’ll have a different reaction this time.  I listened to this on audio, and sometimes that is a very different experience than reading the book.  I may have been distracted during my commute by things going on at home or at work and so I didn’t give the book my full attention.  I’ll try it again.

#31 on my list was: Buy a good bra.  Yes, up until this time, I did my lingerie shopping at Target.  Nothing wrong with that, I’m sure, but I hadn’t had a proper fitting in ages, so I took myself to Victoria’s Secret and bought a few bras that actually fit good.  Last fall I hosted a bra party with a friend from Preston, and so there were bra fittings going on upstairs in my house!  It was a blast and that bra is amazing (and should be for the price!).

Weird, good stuff.  🙂

Off to read!

40 Things (30!)

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The Passage of Time

Image by ToniVC via Flickr

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 30!  Her topic is:

30) A favourite sensational novel

I wasn’t quite sure what Boof meant when she chose this topic – a book that makes a sensation when published? a book that has a storyline so sensational that you can’t believe it? a book everyone is talking about?

So I googled it.

And got a lot of hits for “sensation novels,” British novels written in 1860-1880.  (See Wikipedia definition summary: The sensation novel was a literary genre of fiction popular in Great Britain in the 1860s and 1870s, following on from earlier melodramatic novels and the Newgate novels, which focused on tales woven around criminal biographies, also descend from the gothic and romantic genres of fiction. Typically the sensation novel focused on shocking subject matter including adultery, theft, kidnapping, insanity, bigamy, forgery, seduction and murder.)

Well I’m pretty sure this is what Boof meant, as I’ve seen her talk about some of these books and she is British, and I’m also pretty sure that I haven’t read any books of this type.  There was a list of books in this genre and the closest to anything I’ve ever read was “Great Expectations,” except I haven’t read it.  I’ve read Charles Dickens.  🙂  Crime fiction is not my favorite type of fiction and I don’t read too many books written pre-1900.  One book that I loved (that doesn’t fit this in the true sense of the term or at all, really) was “Time and Again” by Jack Finney – a story about time travel to New York City – 1880.

Goodreads summary:  First published in 1970, this highly original cult classic tells the story of Simon Morley, a young Manhattan illustrator who is selected by a secret government agency–presumably to test Einstein’s theory that the past actually co-exists with the present–and finds himself suddenly transported back to the New York of the 1880s. Written with style and elegance, this bold, visionary novel provides “Mind-boggling, imagination-stretching, exciting, romantic entertainment.”– San Francisco Examiner.

I loved this book and was excited when the sequel was written in 1995.  I believe I have that one on my bookshelves.

Harry Connick, Jr. - Oh, My NOLA

#30 on my list of 40 things was: Go to see Harry Connick Jr. in concert, which I did on April 5, 2007!  Deadra and I both have loved Harry Connick, Jr. since his early days – his music and his goofy acting career.  Will and Grace – loved it!  Hope Floats – how fun!  When Harry Met Sally music – superb!  I have a LOT of his albums so was glad that he toured during the time that I was working on this list and we were able to see him at the Orpheum in Mpls.  Good times with good friends and good music.

Off to read!

40 Things (29)

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Garrison Keillor and cast members of A Prairie...

Keillor and cast in Lanesboro, MN Image via Wikipedia

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 29 –

29) A favourite book with animals in

When I was young (5th grade? 6th grade?) I loved “Where the Red Fern Grows,” but I haven’t read it since then, so  it’s hard to say it’s a favorite, because when I think of books with animals in it, my mind goes immediately to “Life of Pi.”  I listened to that book on audio first and simply fell in love with the story.  I loved the cadence of the reader, the description of the animals in the life boat, the floating island, and the horror of the story.  A few years later I read the book for book club (at my insistence) and I enjoyed the story just as much and loved talking about it with everyone (although most didn’t share my love for the book).

#29 on my list of 40 things was: Go to Michael Feldman or Garrison Keillor.  Michael Feldman and Garrison Keillor have weekly entertainment radio shows on public radio.  I have listened to Garrison Keillor since I was introduced to the show when I was about 12 by my aunt and uncle.  I don’t listen religiously, but whenever I am in the car or at home and remember, I will turn on The Prairie Home Companion,which is taped in St. Paul, MN or NYC.  Michael Feldman’s show, “Whad’ya Know?” was introduced to me much later – in the late 90s – and it is less musical and more interview/comedy based with local color.  It is taped in Madison, Wisconsin.

On May 31, 2007 Garrison Keillor came to a small artsy town about 20 miles from where I lived, so I got tickets and went with a bunch of friends.  He recorded the show on a baseball field outside and the weather was perfect, the guests were colorful and fun, and his show was fantastic.  It would be fun to see him at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul sometime and I hear he’s going to retire soon, so I’ll have to get on that.

Off to read!

40 Things (28) – I am so unoriginal in these titles!

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Cover of "Persepolis: The Story of a Chil...

Cover of Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday

28) A book I loved but nobody else did

I often try to get my book club out of their comfort zone a bit, and one of those stretches was a graphic novel, “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi.  I loved this book, but others just kind of squinched their eyes at me.  I don’t know if it was the story or the graphic novel aspect, but I loved it.  (Summary from Goodreads below…)

#28 on my list was:  Get a new passport.

FAIL!  Yikes.  I really need to do this.  I’m not sure what the hold-up is, and I even picked up all the paperwork once, but I just need to do it.  I got my first passport in college and used it twice (England and South Korea) and unfortunately it has been more than 10 years since that first passport was issued.  *Sigh*

Goodreads Summary of Persepolis:  Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country. 

Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love. 

Off to read!

40 Things (27)

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In western painting, Helen's journey to Troy i...

Image via Wikipedia "Helen of Pasadena" is about archeologists, not Helen of Troy, but lots of references! Good stuff...

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 27!

27) A book I love that deserves to be better known

I have been following The Satellite Sisters for more than ten years now – through their weekly radio show turned daily radio show, turned daily podcast, turned weekly podcast; through their articles in O Magazine and through their blogs, and most recently through one of them publishing a novel.  Ten years ago for Christmas I got their book ‘The Satellite Sisters: Uncommon Senses’ which was (and still is) such a great book.  It’s the lessons they learned growing up in a large family (8 kids) on the east coast.  The lessons were many and still hold true today.  I believe they are possibly re-releasing the book or some incarnation of it and if they do, it will be a gift I will give to friends.  One of the sisters, Lian, published her novel “Helen of Pasadena,” last December and it is a really great book, too!  I drove to Edina on a cold cold evening in December to hear her speak and get some books signed for gifts.  What fun to meet a “sister” in person.  I feel like they are all friends of mine!

#27 on my list was:  Finish a NYT crossword without looking at the answers!  I have been able to successfully complete this several times – at the Monday level.  The New York Time’s Crossword Puzzles get harder as the week goes on, leading up to the nearly impossible (to me) Sunday puzzle.  I have a book filled with Monday puzzles and can rip through one pretty easily.  I should go get a Tuesday book and keep moving forward. Maybe in my 43rd year.  🙂

Off to read!

40 Things (26)

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Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 26:

26) A favourite science-fiction book

Goodness.  Once again, I had to look to Goodreads to find a list of science fiction books to see if I’ve read any!  It’s not my thing, I guess, but a few came up that I have read.  I loved “A Wrinkle in Time” as a youngster and tried to re-read it as an adult but found it weird.  I read “The Giver,” and didn’t care for it – too spooky.  I enjoyed “Her Fearful Symmetry” lots more than “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” and are they considered science fiction?  “Her Fearful Symmetry” is a ghost story – certainly not realistic fiction – and would be my pick as favorite.

# 26 on my list was to Play the accordion.  I’ve watched some great foreign films with memorable accordion music (“Amelie,”  “Bread & Tulips”) and would love to learn how to play French or Italian accordion.  So this was on my list, but it was the night of my 40th birthday that I finally had a chance!  I went to Whistle Binkies and it was Oktoberfest and a small German polka band was playing, so after some begging and pleading, the accordionist allowed me to hold and play and be photographed playing his accordion!  Mission accomplished.  Since that time I have purchased an accordion and have worked at it a little!  I certainly am not up to the beautiful French melodies I’m after, but there are two songs I can play pretty well!  It’s so HARD!! But fun. 🙂

Getting some lessons from Barb (Oct 2010)

Off to read!