Archive for January, 2010

The bright spot in all of the sad news today about the passing of J. D. Salinger is all of the wonderful quotes from his work that people have shared today on Twitter and Facebook. It’s been a lovely tribute to a man whose writing continues to speak to readers of all ages.

In Salinger’s honor, here are a few of my favorite passages from one of my favorite authors:

Lane spotted her immediately, and despite whatever it was he was trying to do with his face, his arm that shot up into the air was the whole truth.
-Franny and Zooey, page 7 (this is one of my favorite lines in all of literature)

“You’d better get busy, though, buddy. The goddam sands run out on you every time you turn around. I know what I’m talking about. You’re lucky if you get time to sneeze in this goddam phenomenal world.”
-Franny and Zooey, page 198

A box of Louis Sherry candies – half empty, and with the unconsumed candies all more or less experimentally squeezed – was open on the coffee table, in front of the couch.
-Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction, page 55

Anybody over the age of sixteen without an ulcer’s a goddam spy.
-Franny and Zooey, page 141

The best thing, though, about being in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. You could go there a hundred thousand times, and that Eskimo would still be just finished catching those two fish, the birds would still be on their way south, the deers would still be drinking out of that water hole, with their pretty antlers and their pretty, skinny legs, and that squaw with the naked bosom would still be weaving that same blanket. Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you.
-The Catcher in the Rye, page 121

I don’t suppose a writing man ever really gets rid of his old crocus-yellow neckties. Sooner or later, I think, they show up in prose, and there isn’t a hell of a lot he can do about it.
-Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour an Introduction, page 187

I spend a lot of time (and money!) on Etsy, so I thought it’d be fun to start putting together a few posts that group some of my favorite items and sellers into themed guides. And what more timely place to start than Valentine’s day?

Part 1 focuses on cards for bookworms. Most of the cards on Etsy are comparable in price to the generic cards at chain stores, and much cheaper than buying cards at specialty card stores. Shipping is pretty inexpensive on most of these, especially if you buy more than one card from the same seller.

I hope you enjoy them! Part 2 of Valentine’s Day Etsy Finds will feature gift ideas for bookworms.

Let’s start with my favorite card. Like the best love stories, it has it all. Extremely romantic? check. Castle? check. Horse? check. Knight in shining armor? check. (Steed Love, $4)

This card is spectacular and perfect for anyone who loves Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The inside has a foil wrapper that the receiver can pull away to view a custom message. (Custom Valentine Golden Ticket Scratch Card, $7)

For many book lovers, it doesn’t get any more romantic that Jane Austen. Here’s a good Jane quote for a fellow Janeite. (Jane Austen card – Crossed in Love, $4)

And how about this Mr. Darcy quote? (Valentines Day Card – Pride and Prejudice Quote, $3)

A date due slip card, the inside reads “I’m checking you out!” (flirty library card, $4)

For a long distance Valentine… the inside reads “like the dickens” (Miss You Like the Dickens card, $2)

Louisa May knows what’s up. (It takes two flints to make a fire – Louisa May Alcott quote – letterpress card, $4)

Another date due card Valentine – adorable! (letterpress library card – happy valentines day, $5)

Perfect for all word lovers- a set of the definition of love Valentines. (Set of Four Letterpress Valentines and Envelopes – Definition of Love, $12.50)

Well, it’s the 24th day of January, which seems a bit late to be posting New Year’s Resolutions, but that’s ok. It’s still January. :)

My biggest goal for 2010 is a fun one: I’d like to try making a new recipe every week, for a total of 52 new recipes this year. I love to cook and bake, and despite all the wonderful cookbooks I’ve collected and food magazines I subscribe to, I tend to make old favorites and standbys over and over. I’d like to get more adventurous and try recipes I’ve never made before.

So far I’ve made:
1. Buttermilk Biscuits
2. My Dad’s Pot Roast
3. Chocolate Mousse

On deck for today: Shortbread Cookies.

I will probably blog about many of these recipes, but not all of them. It would be fun to start a blog devoted to chronicling my adventures with trying out a new recipe every week, similar to Julie & Julia. However, with all my other goals (see below), I decided I didn’t need the extra pressure.

Other goals for the year:
1. Keep the apartment very tidy and organized.
2. Learn embroidery.
3. Teach myself Calligraphy.
4. Post more book reviews.
5. Pay off my credit card.
6. Watch more movies.

As you can see, most of my 2010 goals are pretty fun. That’s going to be the theme of the year. I want to waste less time and have more fun, while being more creative. Numbers 1 and 5 will help lower stress so I can focus on having more fun. :) I’ll keep you posted on the results throughout the year.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages readers to share the goodies that they picked up at their libraries each week!

It’s an appropriate time for me to post my first Library Loot entry, since I’ve been to the library 3 times this week and taken out way more than I can possibly read before the due dates.

I adore going to the library. It’s like shopping, but without spending any money. Granted, you don’t get to own the items you “shop” for forever, but it does Hit the Shopping Spot. You leave your apartment, you go to a place with lots of choices, and you take some of it home. Triggers the shopping high with absolutely no buyer’s remorse. Even if I don’t get around to reading every book I check out, I often read the first few pages to get an idea on whether I’d like to read the book someday. Often times I’ll buy it later, or check it out again in the future.

Here’s some of the loot I collected this week:

44 Scotland Street, Espresso Tales, and Love Over Scotland by Alexander McCall Smith
I’ve been wanting to try out an Alexander McCall Smith series, and I decided to start with the 44 Scotland Street series. My best friend and I are starting to plan a vacation later this year to Ireland and many other areas around it, and right now I’m sort of obsessed with all things United Kingdom. I picked up the first three books of this series, and I just finished 44 Scotland Street.

My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath
I’ve heard great things about this children’s novel by Newbery Honor author Polly Horvath, and its name alone is enough to perk my interest.

House of Cards by David Ellis Dickerson
I’ve wanted to give this book a try since hearing David Dickerson read at the David Sedaris signing at Strand last year. He was a hoot and his memoir about working at Hallmark writing greeting cards sounds like a fun read.

Nation by Terry Pratchett
This won the 2009 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for fiction, and I read an essay by Terry Pratchett in the Jan/Feb 2010 Horn Book Magazine. It sounds great and it feels like it’s about time that I read a book by Terry Pratchett, he’s well loved by many of my family members.

McCarthy’s Bar: A Journey of Discovery in the West of Ireland by Pete McCarthy
A travel memoir about Ireland: resistance was futile.

I Never Knew That About Ireland by Christopher Winn
This book is packed full of interesting trivia about Ireland. A reserve that came in for me this week.

The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket
My Mom spotted this book at a Barnes and Noble over Christmas, and I put a reserve on it at the library. It’s a gorgeous book with a lot of great photographs, recipes, and tips. “Brocket celebrates everything that is, and can be, wonderful about home life.” I think I’m going to need to buy this one.

Ireland by Frank Delaney
Spotting a theme here?

Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon
Couldn’t resist taking home Michael Chabon’s latest when I saw it in the new books section.

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
Pleased that the library had this waiting for me after seeing her stage show. I’ve already finished it, review is here.

American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson
I’ve heard good things about this memoir, and I do like Craig Ferguson.

Title: Wishful Drinking
Author: Carrie Fisher
Published: 2008
My edition: Simon & Schuster Hardcover 2008
Borrowed From: Hoboken Public Library
Pages: 163

Synopsis (from Strand): If ever there were living proof of just how intense coming of age in Hollywood can be, Carrie Fisher’s story could very well be considered the ultimate. Born the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, Carrie was in a unique position of being involved with icons growing up, and becoming an icon herself by the age of nineteen. In “Wishful Drinking” Fisher speaks candidly on just how her extraordinary life and unpreccedented success led to her eventual mental collapse and struggles with addiction. Filled with all of the candor and intelligence that have come to mark Fisher’s career of late, this stunningly original and insightfully poignant memoir pulls back the curtain on a life unlike others.

I read this because: My friends and I saw her Broadway show last week and loved it. This book was adapted from her stage show, and is fairly similar with a little bit of extra detail.

My thoughts: While I don’t think anything can compare directly with her show and the warmth and humor she brings to the stage, her memoir is definitely fun on its own. It’s lighthearted, despite most of the subject matter being a bit heavy (death, drugs, infidelity, etc). She never feels sorry for herself though, nor asks the reader to. She simply tells you fascinating details about her life in an extremely funny way.

Book club worthy? Not particularly. (I don’t consider many memoirs good for book groups, though there are exceptions, of course.)

Follow up required: I’d like to read her autobiographical novel, Postcards from the Edge.

You might like this book if you liked: Any humorous memoir writers, like David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs

Links to purchase: Indie Bound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, Strand

My favorite lines & passages:

Resentment is like drinking a poison and waiting for the other person to die. (page 153)

Cry all you want, you’ll pee less! (page 154)

Extras: Carrie Fisher’s website, Carrie Fisher on Twitter

Books Purchased:

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
The Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (present)
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (present)
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (present)
The Pursuit of Love & Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford (present)

Books Read:

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
A Room With a View by E. M. Forster
The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
Saffy’s Angel by Hilary McKay (library)

December was my worst reading month of 2009, due to too much holiday fun. :) On the plus side though, I was able to post full reviews for every book read – each title above is linked to its review.

Title: Great Expectations
Author: Charles Dickens
Published: 1861
My edition: Penguin Popular Classics 1994
Purchased From: BookDepository.com
Pages: 443

Synopsis (from BN.com): Young Phillip Pirrip’s life is shaped by an act of kindness which raises him from poverty to wealth. One of the greatest works of classic literature, this novel is a timeless tale of love, hope and humanity.

I read this because:
1. After reading & loving David Copperfield, I wanted to read more Dickens. 
2. Miss Haversham has been a character in several other books I’ve read (the Thursday Next series), and I figured it was about time to read her as she was originally written.
3. My book club picked this for our December book.

My thoughts: My Charles Dickens crush that begin with David Copperfield has been cemented into true love with Great Expectations. I apparently couldn’t appreciate his style in high school (when I read A Tale of Two Cities) but I now love his storytelling mastery, his way with descriptions, and his unforgettable and endearing characters.

To me, the message behind Great Expectations is one of coming to terms with the mistakes you’ve made in the past, and moving past them. That’s a theme that everyone can relate to, which is probably why this novel is so beloved.

I’ve been thinking about David Copperfield and Great Expectations a lot, and I’ve decided that while I recognize that Great Expectations is the superior and more complex novel, I love David Copperfield even more. David, Traddles, Agnes, and the rest won my heart over the tough competition found in Pip, Joe, Herbert, and Miss Haversham. But I do love both, and look forward to reading more Dickens.

Book club worthy? Definitely, my book club had a great discussion of this novel, although it turned out to be a more somber discussion than we had expected.

Follow up required: I’m trying to decide which Dickens novel to read next. I think I’ve narrowed it down to Nicholas Nickleby or Oliver Twist, although I’m tempted to re-read A Tale of Two Cities next to see if I like it better than I did in high school, now that I’m a Dickens fan.

You might like this book if you liked: It’s hard to compare Dickens to any other author, but if you’ve never read Great Expectations you definitely should.

Links to purchase: IndieBound, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository (The Book Depository is the only US site that sells the cute, affordable Penguin UK edition I read, so the other links provided are to the gorgeous new Penguin Classics Hardcover series.)

My favorite lines & passages:

…a large hard-breathing middle-aged slow man, with a mouth like a fish, dull staring eyes, and sandy hair standing upright on his head, so that he looked as if he had just been all but choked, and had that moment come to… (chapter 4)

So, throughout life, our worst weaknesses and meannesses are usually committed for the sake of the people whom we most despise. (chapter 27)

For there was something very comfortable in having plenty of stationery. (chapter 34)

Title: Saffy’s Angel
Author: Hilary McKay
Published: 2002
My edition: Margaret K. McElderry Hardcover 2002
Borrowed From: Hoboken Public Library
Pages: 152

Synopsis (from Publisher’s Weekly): McKay’s sparkling novel once again introduces an eccentric, entirely engaging British family whose members readers will immediately embrace. The Casson parents, both artists delightfully distracted Eve paints in her backyard shed and comically distant Bill spends weekdays painting in his London studio named their children from a paint color chart: Caddy (for Cadmium), Indigo and Rose. All but Saffron, “so fierce and alone,” who learns at the start of the story that she is actually the Italian-born daughter of Eve’s twin sister, who died in a car crash when Saffy was three. Eve explains that Grandfather had been visiting Saffy and Saffy’s mother in Siena at the time of the accident, and delivered the girl to the Cassons, who adopted her. Now elderly and catatonic after two heart attacks, beloved Grandfather sits in silence when he visits the family, as the children hover around him, endearingly sharing news of their lives. When Grandfather dies, “They felt as if they had lost a battle they might have won if only they had tried a bit harder.”The man leaves something to each of the children: Caddy receives his crumbling cottage on a cliff in Wales; Indigo his aged Bentley (which Bill dismisses as an “absolute wreck”); Rose his remaining cash (L144). Attached to the will by a rusty pin is a note scrawled in a shaky hand, “For Saffron. Her angel in the garden. The stone angel.” As McKay shapes an intriguing plot around Saffy’s angel, the Cassons’ capricious capers and understated, droll dialogue will keep readers chuckling. Especially entertaining subplots include: reckless Caddy’s driving lessons with her patient instructor (who fabricates a girlfriend to keep his flirtatious student in check), aspiring polar explorer Indigo’s sessions sitting on his bedroom windowsill, hoping to cure his vertigo, and Rose’s efforts to create works of art using such unlikely materials as “the entire contents of the refrigerator” and the pound coins that constitute her inheritance. An unlikely friendship with Sarah (”the wheelchair girl”), a neighbor, brings out another side of Saffy as the two attempt to find her angel in Siena, and Saffy makes all kinds of discoveries, including her love for the Cassons. The author blends a generous heaping of humor and joy with a dose of pain in a memorable portrait of a vastly human family.The only disappointment for readers may be that McKay’s affecting conclusion arrives too soon. They’ll close this book hoping for the Casson clan’s swift return.

I read this because: I first heard of Hilary McKay while reading her interview in Funny Business. The interview included an excerpt from Saffy’s Angel, and it was so good I had to get the book right away so I could read it myself.

My thoughts: I adore children’s books with quirky families. I think they help kids realize that no family is really “normal” and that being unique is not only okay, but more fun. And the Casson family is tons of fun. Even though this book features Saffy, you get to know the three other children and their parent’s through the subplots. As an adult, I appreciated the excellent writing and style, and loved the story. This book would be a great gift to give young readers.

Other books I’ve read by Hilary McKay: None, Saffy’s Angel is the first.

Book club worthy? Not so much, just a light children’s book to read and enjoy.

Follow up required: I love the Casson family, and am reading the second book about them, Indigo’s Star.

You might like this book if you liked: The Penderwicks

Links to purchase: IndieBound, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, BookDepository.com

My favorite lines & passages:

“Why have you got all this stuff?”
“Everyone’s got stuff,” said Sarah.
“Two computers!”
“I only use one of them.”
“Two guitars, and a keyboard!”
“Well, you can’t play drums all the time!”
“TV, music center – what’s that thing for?”
“Lighting system!”
“Why’ve you got kites hanging all over the ceiling?”
“I just have. I like them.”
“Ten thousand teddy bears!”
“I used to collect them.”
“Is that a refrigerator?”
“Only a little one!”
“Why do you need two beds?”
“I get bored easily.”
“And a hammock!”
“I use that for shoving things in!”
“Have you read all those books? What do you look at with that telescope? I’ve never seen so many CDs!”
“Okay! Shut up now, Saffron!”
(page 54)

Extras: Hilary McKay’s Website