Category General Book Talk

40 Things (25)!

Walkie Talkie Book Club 1 Comment
chick lit books $2

Do Chick Lit books have to be pink?

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, today’s topic is:

25) A favourite chicklit book

I do love me some chicklit!  To answer this question I first looked up a definition of chicklit.

  • Novels written for and by young women
  • Literature appealing to women, usually with a romantic or sentimental theme
  • A genre of fiction concentrating on young working women and their emotional lives
And then I looked at my Goodreads books, especially those rated five stars, and the following authors had more than one rated five stars for me:
I have followed Jennifer Weiner’s blog and twitter for ages and know that she is pretty sensitive about the title “chicklit,” because it diminishes the importance of the book and its content in some people’s eyes.  “Chicklit” isn’t given column space in prominent book review publications.  Interesting to think about…
I can’t pick one book, so I’ll leave it at that. 🙂

#25 on my list of things to do was to Go to the Trempeleau Hotel for an outdoor concert.  The Trempeleau Hotel is in the small town of Trempeleau along the Mississippi River.  There is a lawn where they hold outdoor concerts in the summer and Beth and I were able to take in a concert there.  I think it was the summer of 2008, but for the life of me I can’t remember who we saw!  It’ll come to me (or Beth will remember).  We brought our own lawn chairs and had yummy food and drink in the late summer evening.  It was a great time.

Off to read!

Related articles

40 Things (24)

Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment
Cover of "The Firm"

Cover of The Firm

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, the next topic is –

24) An “unputdownable” book

I am a pretty slow reader, as a rule.  I think a big reason why it takes time for me to get through a book is that I am a) distracted by other things to read, and b) enjoying every word in a book.  I can’t skim or speed read.  I immerse myself in words.

I remember reading “The Firm” by Grisham in my early 20s.  I had just started my first job out of college and still loved to stay up late and dreaded early mornings.  I read that book in one weekend day, staying up until 4:30 am to finish it, because I knew that if I didn’t devour it it would leak into my week and cause sleeplessness.

I always look forward to reading but it isn’t every book that I read that causes that feeling of happy anticipation at the thought of crawling into bed and reading THAT BOOK.  If you look at my Goodreads list, I believe that every book I rated five stars gave me that feeling.  It stuck with me all day, making chores easier to bear, bringing a smile.  Recently, “Attachments” made me feel that way.  Last summer I devoured “The Girl Who…” books.

It’s such a great feeling…

#24 on my list of 40 things was: Have a memorable New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve is one of those “coupley” holidays that I sometimes dread.  There’s also that great expectation that it’s going to be a spectacular and memorable evening!  I’ve hosted some NYE parties that were a blast and some that were ok.  I’ve gone to movies alone, returning home just in time for the Rockin’ New Year’s Eve shows.  I’ve rented movies and stayed home.  I’ve gone to parties and had a good time.  I’ve gone to see “Dueling Pianos” and drank Jaegermeister from the bottle.

So I’ve had memorable New Year’s Eves before and I will again.  This challenge was to create the intention to make every NYE intentionally memorable.  On the last NYE before my 40th birthday, I realized I’d better do something, so I invited my friends Beth and Doug over (to my mom and dad’s, since that is where I was living at the time) and we ate good food and played Guitar Hero and singing games all night long.  We created a funny band name and had big laughs.  Again, the intention was there so the evening will be remembered.  It would be fun to have some kind of traditional NYE celebration in our family, but every year is different and usually planned at the last minute.  A good thing to look forward to. 🙂

Off to read!

Books: Lunch in Paris – A Love Story, with Recipes

Walkie Talkie Book Club 2 Comments
Cover of "Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, w...

Cover via Amazon

by Elizabeth Bard

I LOVED this book!  And how perfect that I finished it late last night (an UNPUTDOWNABLE?) and today I can post a few words for Words and Peace’s “I Love France” meme!

Elizabeth Bard was an American living/working/studying in England when she saw a man at an academic conference and on the last day exchanged emails with him, which led to a flurry of flirty emails and eventually a weekend trip to Paris for a lunch date.  This book chronicles their life together – from this first date – and tells the story through food.

This book is quite like another book I love – Molly Wizenberg’s “A Homemade Life” – which owns space on my cookbook shelf.  Early on in “Lunch in Paris,” (after I started dog-earing recipes that I wanted to try in chapter one, chapter two, etc.) I realized that I would be purchasing this book for the same reason.  Individual Molten Chocolate Cakes, Mamy Simone’s Tabouleh, Eggplant Stuffed with Quinoa, Lemon Sorbet and Vodka (inspired!)… the list goes on and on.  Some of the recipes look a little complicated but most simply enhance the flavors of whatever is being served (wild boar or haricot verts – I love haricot verts!).

Elizabeth Bard is able to simply and beautifully write about what it means to be an American living in France.  I don’t even know what else to say about that!  She writes eloquently about what it’s like to have parents in US who wonder what she’s getting herself into, cultural expectations of Americans and French, how cultural differences impact relationships and attitudes towards work and happiness.

It is an excellent little book filled with intelligent insights.  Adriana Trigiani (one of my favorite authors) has a blurb on the back that says “It’s Eat, Stay, Love with a side of spiced apricots.”  I thought about that as I read the book.  One of my pet peeves is when people set out to do something amazing with the sole intention of writing a book at the completion of the amazing feat.  It feels contrived and unnatural.  I felt that way about “Eat, Pray, Love” and “The Happiness Project.”  I didn’t feel that way about this book at all.  And in the last chapter she writes about how the “cookbook” idea came to be – during a New Year’s Eve feast that lasted for eight hours.  Yes, they stopped eating at around 4AM.  Can you imagine?  Each hour a new course was brought out to be savored and enjoyed.

This book is a joy.  Savor it.

Off to read!

40 Things (23)

Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment
Pippi Longstocking (book)

Image via Wikipedia

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, next topic is:

23) A book that is a most treasured possession

Because of the flood, many of my childhood books were destroyed so anything that I have from my childhood is treasured by me.  It’s kind of funny, because I’ll be at my brother’s house and find a book that somehow ended up at his house but was inscribed to me and I’ll just steal it back to my house, thankful that it survived.  So I now own my Pippi Longstocking book as well as a Child’s Book of Prayers.  Yay!

Some of my favorite books were in high bookshelves upstairs, so I am still thankful that I have them – like “Now We Are Six” and the poetry books I compiled in high school.  When cleaning out my flooded house, the gravity of it all hit me when I picked up my book journal and threw it away.  I kinda lost it then.  Books that were surrounding my bed were all a loss – imagine that TBR pile disappearing!

How depressing that is!  I also treasure books that I’ve had autographed recently.  It was fun to read the books, discuss them with the author, and get them autographed by those fantastic women.  Good stuff.

# 23 on my list was to: Go to local art galleries.  I make it a conscious choice to visit art galleries and museums whenever I can.  I also do my best to support them in my small way by making purchases there for gifts or for myself.  I can’t afford big art but I can buy hand painted cards or earrings.  As I have said before, the first art museum I went to was eye-opening and made me wonder why I hadn’t been going to them all my life!

Off to read!

40 Things (22)

Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment
A gift wrapped in yellow and green paper.

Image via Wikipedia

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 22’s topic is:

22) A book I hope I get for my birthday

Well, I know that Boof is doing this leading up to her 40th birthday, and one of the reasons I decided to participate was because I am going to have a birthday soon, too!  Mine is a few days before hers, and I was just putting items on my Amazon wish list for an out-of-the-country friend who wants to purchase me a gift.  I actually didn’t put many books on the list (the beauty of Amazon – they have earrings!), but when I was looking for books, I was looking for comedic books rather than novels.  I was looking at books by Amy Sedaris or thinking about Jon Stewart‘s book.  I own a lot of books already so I couldn’t think of one that I wanted.  I am planning to buy the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest if it ever comes out in paperback… I have the first two in paperback and want to complete the trilogy.  🙂

So any of those will work for me.  🙂

#22 on my list of 40 things was: Enter another contest.  Yesterday I wrote about entering a photo contest, which was a lot of fun, so I decided to enter other contests.  I have entered a few since that time – no-talent-needed contests, as well as writing contests and other photo contests.  I’ve won some books from Goodreads and even a book club set of books from Random House.  I never expect to win anything so getting a freebie is always a blessing!

Off to read!

Books: Catching up with myself!

Walkie Talkie Book Club 1 Comment
Cover of "Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, w...

Cover via Amazon

I’ve been busy blogging about Boof’s list and my list and meanwhile books are being finished!  That’s a good thing.  I’m definitely going to make my Goodreads goal (and surpass it!) of 55 books by year end.  Good times.  Love Goodreads.

So far in September I have finished the following:

“A Lover’s Dictionary” by David Levithan – My Goodreads review:  A quick, satisfying read. David Levithan tells a love story through word definitions (and you know I love the dictionary!). Sometimes silly words, often powerful words. It tells a story fully in short, packed definitions. Good stuff.

“Attachments” by Rainbow Rowell – My Goodreads review: What a fun and unique book! Told through emails that get caught in a filter and the IT guy who reads them. It was amazing how much you learn about people from reading their emails and all characters were very likeable. I was cheering for them to be happy and really unsure how it was going to turn out until the very end. How satisfying! * I already posted this info but it’s worth posting twice!  It is going to be a favorite of 2011 I think!

“The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake” by Aimee Bender (audiobook) – My Goodreads review: I tried to read this once and it didn’t grab me. It remained on my TBR list so I got it on audio from the library, and I’m sorry to say it didn’t grab me again! It got better as it went on, but I wouldn’t have finished listening to it if I hadn’t had some miles to put on the car this week. The author read the book and it sounded like it would sound if I read the book – nothing special. Just being read to.   That said, there were a few moments I will remember for a while – the story (parable) that Rose tells about her classmate that couldn’t read and then found out that he couldn’t see was quite powerful.

Sorry for being unoriginal and simply posting my Goodreads reviews about these books.  Don’t have many more thoughts than I’ve already written!  🙂

I’m currently reading (and loving!) “Lunch in Paris – a Love Story with Recipes” by Elizabeth Bard.  How fun!  I think it’s going to have to go on my wishlist to own and go on my cookbook shelf right next to “A Homemade Life”!  They are similar in that there are recipes relating to each chapter but Bard’s book is filled with yummy sounding French recipes.  Ooh la la!

And on the books into movies front, I purchased the new “Jane Eyre”  movie and I am patiently waiting for friend Cindy to find time to watch it with me!  In the meantime I found a 1983 British miniseries of Jane Eyre on instant Netflix so I’m refreshing my memory on the story – in 11 episodes it is probably not too abridged!

A few Italian movies I reserved during Ferragosto have come to me from the library so I have another to watch tonight.  There are a few in the theatres I’d like to go see but we’ll see how it goes!

Off to read!

Related articles

40 Things (21)

Walkie Talkie Book Club 2 Comments
Cover of "The Sleeping Beauty Proposal"

Cover of The Sleeping Beauty Proposal

Following along with Boof‘s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, her next topic is:

21) A book I am embarrassed to say I like

I read a lot of pretty embarrassing books.  I mean “The Cinderella Deal”?  “The Sleeping Beauty Proposal”? Both given four stars by me on Goodreads.  They’re good for the time – summer at the cabin.  So I am not embarrassed by liking the books I like.  I know that I am missing out on a great book by reading a fluffy good one, but sometimes a fluffy good one is what is called for.  Often, lately, a fluffy good one is what is called for.  I may grow out of it?  I may not.

#21 on my list of 40 things was: Enter a photo contest.  How silly and random, eh?  But I did enter a contest of travel pictures and was made a finalist!  I didn’t win, but it was a lot of fun to get credit for a photo I took.  The photo was of human grape vines at the San Diego Zoo.  They were amazing to look at and the photo turned out pretty good.

Off to read!

 

40 Things (20)

Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment
Following along with Boof‘s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, day 20!  Wow!  Her topic is:

20) A book with a character most like me

This is hard!  Maybe someone more impartial has great ideas for me, but I looked through my list of books and cannot think of one that makes sense.  I liked Katie Fforde‘s “Love Letters,” because it was about a woman who loves books and is hired to organize a huge book event (and to try to get the handsome, reclusive Irish writer to show up).  Is Laura like me?  In some ways. Did I think of this book because it’s something I would love to be doing (organizing book events and meeting reclusive Irish writers)?  Probably.

#20 on my list of things to do before I turned 40 was: Clean the basement – give away, declutter!

Well, I crossed this one off the list when the flood came!  My basement was filled with books, photos, decorations, old toys, and souvenirs.  When the flood came two tubs were salvaged from the basement (as well as the laundry basket of towels I went downstairs to retrieve before we evacuated that night) – one filled with old t-shirts and one filled with my old Barbies.  Everything else was scooped out by a skid loader and put into a dumpster.  I try not to think about the individual things that were lost, but there have been times that I have given in to the emotions.  My first Christmas in my new home, I really missed my old Christmas decorations and all the glitzy, glittery, gaudy things I chose the year before from the donated baubles seemed absolutely awful, especially on the small, free Christmas tree that was donated to me.  I had a pity party for a few days and then I decided to shop after Christmas for a new tree befitting my new abode and embraced the beauty in the glitter that was given to me.

December 2009 - new tree, glittery baubles

I still have all those baubles on my new tall and skinny tree.  I also am a lot more picky about what I keep.  It is easier to get rid of clutter.  The flood brought perspective on what is truly important, and it can’t be kept in a box in the basement.

Off to read!

Related articles

40 Things (19)

Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment
Cover of "Lord of the Flies, Educational ...

Cover of Lord of the Flies, Educational Edition

Following along with Boof‘s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, her 19th topic is:

19) A book that scared me

Almost halfway there!  🙂

Not sure of the difference between being scared and being creeped out.  I don’t like either one and tend to avoid books (and movies and TV shows and amusement park attractions.. etc.) that make me feel either way.  I talked in a post about “Amityville Horror” (creepy and scary), which I read as an adolescent.  I recently (within the last five years?) listened to “Lord of the Flies” on audio.  It was very disturbing.  I remember I had to stop listening on my way to work and listen to some upbeat music to get some images out of my hear before facing my day.  I guess that’s pretty scary.

#19 on my list of things to do was to “Save money for trips.”  Ah, the constant battle to save money.  I did go on some trips – the wonderful trip to NYC with Deadra to celebrate our 40ths in August of 2008, and Las Vegas with my daughter to see the Spice Girls in December of 2007.  Maybe more, but that’s all I can think of right now.  That flood kind of was a set-back in the realm of money saving, so trips that I take tend to be economical.  No lavish spending on a European tour for me (yet!).  I love to travel, I just have a hard time saving my money!

Off to read!

40 Things (18)

Walkie Talkie Book Club Leave a comment
War and Peace

Image by felibrilu via Flickr

Following along with Boof’s 40 Day Challenge leading up to her 40th birthday, next topic is:

18) A book that I tell people I have read but haven’t

I read an abridged version of “War and Peace,” so although I mark it as “read” in those which of these have you read? lists, it doesn’t count in my eyes.  But I mark it anyway!  I can’t think of any other book that I’d lie about… aside from text books. 🙂

18 on my list was to Learn how to play MahJong.  And I did!  On the computer, anyway, and I have played it once live as well.  Mostly I play it on the computer, and I love the sound of the tiles and the music that plays in the background.  Good stuff.

Off to read!