Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Hunger Games - The Movie


Apparently, The Hunger Games official trailers have been disabled on YouTube. Why, they would do this when it is a FREE form of advertisement is beyond me. So, since I was hungering, (pun sort of intended) for a bit of video to enliven up my blog, I found this fake video made by junior highers for a book report. From the looks of the video, this generation of young people are going to kick our current crop of Hollywood movers and shakers out of The Four Seasons.

So to get back from my little rant and digression, I was wondering if anyone knows if "The Hunger Games" movie that is coming out next month is based on just the first book of the trilogy or on all three books. I will actually be in a country where I can actually go to a theater and see it, so I need to know if I need to jump on reading the 2nd and 3rd books. I would guess from reading the first book, which pretty much reads like a movie treatment, that the movie will just be based on the first book. (Also think of the financial bonus of making a movie of each book!) I would like to read the books before seeing the movie so there will be no spoilers.

Thanks for any info on the movie!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Little Women



Last night I finished Little Women by Lousia May Alcott. This is a comfort book for winter reading. Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy have been my friends since I first read abut them as a child and they will always be my friends. They are always there for me when I need to read a book that makes me feel "safe."

What really hits me about reading Little Women as an adult, is that while it is about girls growing up into women, it is not really written in a childish style. It reads like an adult book. I think that's why I liked it so much when I was a child. I was always reading books way above my reading level and this book was not written down to a child's level, yet was about girls growing up. This made the book more enjoyable for me.

Some books deserved to be re read as an adult and this is one of those books.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Friday Update

Reading, reading, reading. Almost through Little Women. I am reading the unabridged version which I prefer when reading books.

I grew up as a little girl reading the abridged version so sometimes I get a little lost.

Overwhelmed by some of the things going on in my life.

I read when I'm stressed.

I read when I'm happy.

I read when I'm sad.

I just read......a lot.

I'm going back to Amy and Laurie falling in love.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Thursday, Not Hump Day

So if Wednesday is "hump day", what is Thursday called?

Today truly feels like a "hump" day to me. Like a mountain I am crawling over to get to Friday.

However while I am exhausted, it's because I'm getting things done and that's a good thing.

It's also good to know that spring is coming.

It's also wonderful to know I have a chicken to roast tonight and will be diving back into Little Women to help me de stress from the week's craziness.

How are you doing this Thursday?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Late Great Planet Earth




I always feel that a re read of Hal Lindsey's book, The Late Great Planet Earth is a very retro prophetic kind of thing to do. Published in 1970, it's kind of eerie to see that so much of what he talks about IS happening today. Not in some of the specific details but in the generalities of his explanation of prophetic scripture.

I think biblical prophecy books should be read with an open mind and I simply like to read one every now and then.

One needs to know what may happen tomorrow!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Kindle Singles



I finished my first Kindle single last night called, My Seinfeld Year by Fred Stoller. Fred is a somewhat known face on TV sitcoms and a few movies. He spent a year working as a writer on Seinfeld and that year was documented in this "kindle single"

I was interested in Fred's story but it actually isn't very interesting. I don't mean that disrespectfully to him as anyone who can make a living in Hollywood on bit parts and as a stand up comedian is a total success in my book. The industry is brutal and I have high respect for someone who made it through even a year writing for such an amazing show as Seinfeld. But I honestly didn't find the book very funny, witty or interesting. Fred himself admits he is a depressive. His writing approach confirms his statement of himself and I would agree that being depressed would make writing comedy and working in a highly competitive writing atmosphere difficult.

That said about the topic, the whole concept of kindle singles fascinate me and I'm still not sure if I really like the idea or not. They are longer than a magazine article and shorter than a short book. This may work for some stories and could be useful for memoirs or how to books. I'm not super sold on them yet but I'm also not against the idea either. It will be interesting to see if I buy more in the future or not.

Monday, February 20, 2012

The Big News!

The big news of the weekend is that I finally finished Bleak House. I turned off the DVD player and made a reading commitment and plunged in to the end. I can read pretty quickly if I get focused.

I think what was kind of hard for me in reading the book was it went on and on and new characters were constantly introduced, the writing style changed from first to third person and it was kind of like a Desperate Housewives style of story line with comedy, drama and mystery change ups. (More proof to me that Charles Dickens would have been writing for TV or films had he been a live today!) I wondered while I read it what it would have been like reading it as a newspaper serial which was how it was originally published. I think Charles Dickens could have easily gone on for another 3,000 pages and probably not taken a breath or let up in any way. Reading it in book form made it a bit tedious although the story kept me going to the end.

I didn't like this book as much as Great Expectations, But I am glad I read it as my goal is to eventually have read all of his books.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Julia Child Quote

http://blog.foodservicewarehouse.com/files/2010/07/julia_child_2.jpg

"No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing." - Julia Child
"My Life In France" by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme

Friday, February 17, 2012

The Mushrooms Made Me Mad

It has not been a happy week.

Can I just say that I really mean it when I say, "Thank God it's Friday!" All I have to say about that is that I was so undone and upset with everything going on in my world (read serious man problems) that I was angry with everyone today. I suddenly realized I needed to take a moment to relax when I realized that even the poor, left over mushrooms that I found in my refrigerator at noon today were making me angry.

Being a cook who likes to use everything up and not waste food, I realized that I was angry at them because they needed to be cooked. I realized I needed a bit of a reality check, or more likely a fantasy check into a winter weekend of major media infusions. Mushrooms aren't my favorite food and I only eat them when the recipes I'm making require them. There weren't enough of them to make my usual leftover mushrooms dish, a hot or cold salad of mushrooms cooked in vinegar and spices, drizzled with olive oil and garlic. But I realized, as I counted the number silently in my head, that there were enough of them staring at me so I could not just throw them out either. I handled the anger by cooking them soundly this evening in oil and butter with garlic and sprinkled some salt, pepper and parsley flakes on them. I don't read Mastering the Art of French Cooking for nothing!

Of course now it's the weekend and I still am dealing with the difficulties going on in my life but there is brie cheese to eat and Sex and the City 2 to finish so I'm going to work through things. I'm enjoying the mind numbing movie entertainment so much I am considering on watching the entire six seasons of Sex and the City which I have on DVD in it's entirety except for the last three episodes. I don't have the last three episodes because some bright, Hollywood executive decided to split the last season in half. So each DVD of season six only has three episodes! Hello?! And the bright, European version only has the first half of the last six episodes on it's sixth season episode DVD. So, Carrie starts the affair with Mikhail Baryshnikov and I really don't know what happens after he puts the jam in her tea.

But I digress......

In between the TV and cheese, I will be working on Bleak House and I am happy to announce that I just finished, My Life in France. That's the big news. I am now starting Oprah by Kitty Kelly. More on that re read when I get farther into it.

Have a great weekend!

Friday Reads

Today is the first Friday that I've ever posted on this blog, so I want to pay a tribute to FridayReads.

FridayReads is an internet literary community in which everyone posts what they are reading each Friday. It's really fun and a great way to find books to read or meet people online who love reading. You can post your book of choice on their Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr sites. To check out their main blog and website, click HERE.

What are you reading this Friday?

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Interview With Deborah Feldman

I have added Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots to my "To Read" list. The book is a memoir about a young woman's life growing up in a Jewish Hasidic community.

It looks like it will be very interesting.

To read an interview with the author Deborah Feldman by The Book Lady's Blog, click HERE!

Bleak House Update #2

It's been a hard week.

Tuesday night I was up until 3am trying to straighten out a work related problem. It was hard to fall asleep because my mind was racing. The alarm went off at 8:00am. No mercy.

So last night I was too brain dead to work on finishing the final 40% of Bleak House.

I slipped my Sex and the City 2 DVD into my player.

Mind numbing entertainment.

I wonder what Charles Dickens would have thought of Candace Bushnell?

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Which Jane Austen Character Are You?

I am Marianne Dashwood!


Take the Jane Austen Character Quiz here!

I just took this quiz and found out that I am Marianne Dashwood. You can click through and find out which Jane Austen character you are too!

I'm not totally surprised by this result and it's the character I would have chosen for myself. Of all of Jane Austen's characters I relate to her the most. I have DEFINITELY had my Marianne/Willoughby relationship. I'm not sure where the General is now or if he's even coming. But I am waiting and will keep my hopes up and show a brave front as any good Jane Austen heroine would do in my situation.

My favorite Jane Austen books are Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion

What are your favorite Jane Austen books and which Jane Austen character are you?

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

GoodReads.com

Okay to add some punch to my book life. I just joined GoodReads. I'm totally overwhelmed but I loved rating the books and I like how they automatically found other books that I might be interested in reading. I found it a great way to find new books to read in my favorite genres. However, the whole media site overwhelmed me a bit.

Is anyone using GoodReads that could give me some advice on the best way to connect with others? I could not find a button or link I could put on my blog. Is there one? I do not automatically link social media sites with Facebook as I feel Facebook is becoming too intrusive and I want to use it to connect with people but do not want to share my whole entire life on the site. I am dreading the timeline. I think Mark Zuckerburg has lost his mind if he thinks everyone needs to post every move they make on the internet. Ahem, but I digress.

If any of my readers use GoodBooks, please let me know in the comments how I can link to you. It does seem like a great way to keep track of books you've read and share with others. Thanks!

2/15/12 Update To This Post:

I found the GoodReads widget! Check out my sidebar and click it to follow me on GoodReads!

A Re-Read of "My Life In France" By Julia Child With Alex Prud'homme




I am currently doing a re read of the wonderful My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme and since it is Valentine's Day, I would like to honor this day of love by doing a post on someone who lived her life by constantly whipping up love in everything she touched. I am an avid cook as well as a reader and am currently working my way through the recipes in the cook book Julia Child made famous, Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck. I will write a blog post about this amazing cook book when I finish it.

Today I want to focus on her memoir, My Life in France and if you are at all interested in Julia Child's cookbooks, french cooking or life in France, or just loved the movie, Julie & Julia, you must pick up this book and read it. It documents her falling in love with France, the culture, french food, cooking and shares stories of the biggest love in her life, her husband Paul.

This is one of the best memoirs ever. Period. You will want to move to Europe, learn to cook, fall in love and live an amazing life that is incomparable to anyone else. That's what Julia did!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Monday, February 13, 2012

Bleak House Update

As I noted in an earlier post, I am currently reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens and am almost 60% through it.

I am enjoying it as I do like Dickens very much, but it is very long and sometimes I find myself pushing my way through a bit.

If the truth be told, I never read a Dickens book until a few years ago. I started with Oliver Twist
and it was so amazing that I quickly moved onto Great Expectations: and then read A Christmas Carol. My goal is to eventually read all his books, so when The Guardian's Reading group announced this month that Bleak House was their book of choice, I decided to join them.

The reason I never read a Dickens book was quite frankly, I used to have very base tastes in books, (ie, mostly romance, chick lit. Not that there's anything wrong with romance and chick lit. I occasionally dip my toes back in those waters, but what can I say? I was young. I can't base a whole life of reading on them.) The other reason I was hesitant to read Dickens was that they were old and the subjects did not seem interesting to me, and to be honest there had been so many movies, cartoons, musicals made about various books that I already knew the plot lines.

When I finally picked up Oliver Twist and started to read it, I was totally sucked in and I realized WHY there were still movies and all kinds of media projects being made on Charles Dicken's stories. They feature characterization, dialogue and story lines about human nature that are still relevant today. I simply could not believe how amazing his writing is and could not believe I had deprived myself of this author for most of my life. Anyone studying scriptwriting or dialogue should read all his books. Period.

So, I am enjoying Bleak House and I am quite curious as to what will happen to Esther and Ada. I am still reeling with the cast of characters and scope of the story. My favorite part so far was Caddy's relationship with her Africa consumed mother. Having experience working with NGO's today, I nearly cried with laughter over some of the points Dickens makes. Some people are still consumed with causes to the point of ignoring everything around them today!

Yes, Dickens makes many subtle and not so subtle points about the human character. It is totally amazing and a tribute to his genius how they are still able to move us so many years later. He was simply brilliant!

Happy 200th birthday Charles!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Notes From The LA Times 2/12/12

Charles Dicken's Takes Pride Of Place In Book Fair - (I'm not the only one with Dickens on my mind!)

Book Review: "Treasure Island!!!" by Sara Levine

Book Review: "Simplifying The Soul" by Paula Huston

Notes From The Guardian 2/12/12

Wow! I just noticed today is 2/12/12.

I read The Los Angeles Times book section and The Guardian's book section each week. I will be posting links to articles I think are interesting here.

Enjoy!

The Way We Live Now? - A look at the popularity of Anthony Trollope's classic.

Charles Dicken's London With Simon Callows - A video about Dicken's London

Books Are Calling My Name

Being a life time book worm and book addict, I have come to conclusion that I have read more books than I can remember and need yet another outlet to calm that nagging compulsion of constant reading, book handling and bookshop shopping. If I'm not reading books, then I read about books, or I'm buying books, or looking at photos of books on tumblr. (I will eventually start a blog linked to this one there too.) I have noticed that there are many co-addicts who will understand me and I hope to share my book angst here with those who understand it.

I am currently stuck in freezing Europe. House worn and feeling overly active due to copious amounts of coffee. I am currently working my way through Bleak House (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens. At over 1000 pages, I have decided that I need company and support to get me through this giant tome of book. I am simultaneously loving it and wondering when it will end and how I will get through it. Because.....well.....there are many other books I need to read. They are sitting on my shelf staring at me and hiding from me in my E reader. But they are there and they are calling my name.

This is not going to be a review blog, but more like a journal for me to document the books I read and post links to articles or blogs about books. I am hoping others will enjoy. Feel free to comment and we can share thoughts about books and recommend good books to read.

The E Readers are here to stay so smell as many books as you can!