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Book Club: End of Year Report

Hasel — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:00:27 +0000

Book Club is hands down the most active group in my Air Force spouses’ group I am in and I am so grateful! Knowing that I will meet with these ladies once a month to discuss a book – good or bad – is great. I highly recommend starting one or joining one if you enjoy reading. I don’t read as much now as I did in college, but book club has gotten me back into reading actively. Because of that – I’m back with some more reviews and books on my to-read list.

Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
One of the women in my book club had already read this young adult trilogy, comprised of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay and highly recommended it. We decided to read The Hunger Games for one of our meetings. If you haven’t already read it or heard the buzz about it, here is a short synopsis. In the future, North America has been destroyed by natural disasters and has risen out of the ashes as Panem. Panem is divided up in 12 districts and the very wealthy Capital. Every year, one boy and one girl (ages 12–18) are selected by lottery to compete in the Hunger Games – a reality-show-style competition where the 24 contestants are forced to eliminate each other until one is still standing while the rest of the nation watches. The first book follows Katniss, who volunteered for District 12 after her younger sister Prim was selected from the lottery. Katniss heads to the Capital with her male counterpart Peeta and we read as they are matched against those who have prepared their whole lives for the Games.

This series – thus far – has been awesome. Although there have been comparisons to the other young adult series – Twilight – that has taken the world by storm, that doesn’t even come close to the fantastic writing and storytelling in the The Hunger Games trilogy. Tons of suspense and a little romance makes for a very entertaining read. I could not put The Hunger Games down. I read a couple of chapters two nights in a row and then stayed up way too late reading the rest in one night. I wanted to immediately move onto Catching Fire, but didn’t want to have them confused for book club, so the night after our meeting I stayed up and read the second book right away. I am currently rereading the first and second books before I move onto the third and final one, which I hear is pretty heartbreaking. I highly recommend. Grade: A+++, a must-read

Saving Ceecee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
After her mother former Southern beauty queen Camille dies, Cecelia Rose Honeycutt moves from Ohio to Savannah, Georgia to live with her great-aunt Tootie. Cecelia’s life in Ohio had been marred by her mother’s mental illness and her father’s cold personality. While in Savannah, Cecelia becomes friends with the eccentric group of women in her aunt’s life. Ever since The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, friendships between Southern woman has been a hot topic for women’s literature. This book has some stereotypes and is pretty fluffy, but I did enjoy it as did most of the ladies in the book club. We read this following The Hunger Games, so the more lighthearted story was very welcome. Grade: B

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacey Schiff
A much lauded biography of Cleopatra, one of the most famous female leaders of all time. Everyone was talking about this book, so when one of the members of book club suggested we read a biography we all thought Cleopatra: A Life was a great idea. It was chosen as one of Martha’s Picks and it seemed everyone loved it. I am not normally much into biographies of historical figures – those are my husband’s first choice – but I figured we’d give it a go! That’s the best thing about book club, the opportunity to read things you wouldn’t normally and step out of your reading zone. Well, ha! That horribly backfired. I couldn’t get through 50 pages of it, and most of the ladies in my book club stopped right around there. The thing about Cleopatra that no one mentions is that – there isn’t a lot of recorded history about her life. This book was not told chronologically, jumped around from one historical figure to the next and just made for an incredibly confusing read. Only one member read the whole thing – she was a history major and is a huge history buff, and even she didn’t care for it. I’m guessing some might disagree, but this one just wasn’t for me! Grade: D

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana DeRosnay
Another historical fiction choice (which seems to be popular with my group of ladies), this book is a look at the 1942 round-up of Jewish families in Paris. The book is interlaced with a present day story of an American journalist living in Paris who is investigating the details of the round-up for her magazine. She discovers a secret her French husband’s family has kept for years in the process. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, but I have always loved fiction surrounding World War II. If you are into historical fiction, I definitely recommend this book!

I still have quite a bit of reading to do from the list I mentioned in my last book club post, but I still have some books to add to it.

The Summer We Read Gatsby by Danielle Ganak
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

I finally bought the first Harry Potter book and as soon as I am finished with the Hunger Games I will be getting started on it. I am hoping to get a lot of reading done this summer! I also recently joined Goodreads to keep track of books and see what my friends are reading. If you’d like to, you can follow me there.

What books are you reading while you’re on the beach this summer? What are your favorite summer books?

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Book Club: A Report Card

Hasel — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:00:23 +0000

My book club, previously blogged about here and here, is well under way. Our book club “season” typically runs from September–May with a long break for the holidays. Unfortunately due to lack of interest and members moving, the second book club stopped meeting shortly after reading Eat Pray Love. Fortunately that didn’t keep me from reading some of the books we had planned to get through. Either way, I read some great (and not-so-great) books in late 2010/early 2011 and have some others planned for this year. Here is my updated report card, this time complete with actual grades!

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
At a peace meeting in the 1850s, a Cheyenne Chief requested 1000 white women as a trade for 1000 horses and means to help the Native Americans assimilate. Their request was vehemently denied. In One Thousand White Women, the past is rewritten and that request is fulfilled by President Grant behind closed doors. The book told from May’s perspective shares the journey and life they lived while out West. I found this book very intriguing! I couldn’t put it down. The characters could be somewhat stereotypical, but were still interesting. It was a sad, touching novel with romance and family drama. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially those set in the Wild West, this book is great! Grade: A

Beach Trip by Cathy Holton
When it comes to books, I am a sucker for two things: beach setting and stories of female friendships. This book featured both of these themes, but neither could save it for me (or most of my book club). I just couldn’t get into the story and I didn’t find the characters engaging. I found them very frustrating. I won’t give anything away, but I was VERY annoyed by the ending. With a title like Beach Trip, we expected a light, beachy novel, but this was a deep, depressing novel. We spent the majority of our meeting picking it apart, which we rarely do! However, it did bring up lots of interesting “friendship” type questions to discuss at a book club. However, there are lots of other books that could bring up similar questions. Grade: D

Everyone in the book club felt that these novels were dark so we set out to find something funny and different for the next month.

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin
Steve Martin’s second novellea and follow-up to Shopgirl was not as engaging as I hoped. The protagonist is a savant who has lots of neuroses and obsessions and few friends. He is currently unemployed and his life is highlighted by walks around the block to the drugstore, encounters with a realtor across the street, and visits from a therapist in training – a graduate student from a local university. Although it had an interesting premise and was fairly easy to read, I didn’t finish the book. (This pains me! I hate to leave a book unfinished.) I wasn’t going to be able to attend the meeting for that month, so I ended up scrapping it in favor of reading the next month’s book after I couldn’t get into it. Everyone in book club seemed to agree that it was much more enjoyable after 75 or so pages, so I am adding this to my list of books to finish. Grade: I (Incomplete)

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
This fictional story begins in 1986 as an older Chinese widower hears news that the belongings of Japanese families who were interned during World War II have been discovered in a Seattle hotel. The discovery stirs up old memories and soon the story alternates between the present and past (1946). I had never heard of this book and wasn’t at the meeting when it was selected, so I had no idea what to expect. As a child I read Farewell to Manzanar, a story from the perspective of a child of one of the internment camps, and remembered enjoying it. I have always been a fan of historical fiction taking place during World War II and this was no exception. It made for a very interesting book club discussion. My only complaint was that it was slow moving at first. Grade: B+

Since my second book club disbanded, I took on some of the books on my own.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
This tale of a working woman returning home to her Mennonite parents’, just didn’t measure up to the reviews. While there were some funny and heart-warming scenes, the book overall was very choppy and didn’t flow well. I finished it somewhat dissatisfied. Grade: C

The Romantics by Galt Niederhoffer
Another book turned into a movie – it came out last summer. I had to read it before it came out, but unfortunately I was never able to see it in the theater. The story follows a group of college friends dubbed “The Romantics” because of their musical chair-like dating habits and takes place at one of the couples’ wedding. It was a quick read. Not necessarily a great book club book since there aren’t a lot of issues to discuss, but I still enjoyed it. Grade: B

One Day by David Nicholls
One Day chronicles the story of a man and woman over the course of their 20-year friendship – observing them on the same day every year. This was yet another novel, I could not put down. The characters are flawed, and watching them grow and adapt throughout their lives makes for a page turner. Life isn’t easy and this books tells that story in a beautiful way. I highly recommend this book! Grade: A+

Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan
Another novel featuring friendship from college to careers with an unexpected twist. This was much better than Beach Trip, but still not quite what I wanted. The characters are navigating the strange waters of life post-college – which I could relate to. Grade: B-

Now for my to-read list:

The Hunger Games Triology by Suzanne Collins: We’ve chosen the first book of the trilogy for next month’s book club.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden: I know this is an old one, but a friend keeps telling me I need to read this, so it is going on my list.
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon: A fictional book of eight connected stories of military spouses, because I am not involved in it enough! Ha! I read an excerpt from this book in Oprah’s magazine and it was very intriguing.

I also have the very lofty goal of reading all of the Harry Potter books before the final movie comes out this summer. I am very behind here! I was late to the Twilight craze also. Do you have any reading goals for this year? What books are on your to-read list? Have you read any of these books? If so, what grade would you give them?

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Reading With Your Ears

Amy I — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:11:13 +0000

My commute to work is obscenely long. It takes anywhere from an hour on a good day to two when traffic’s really bad, and that’s just one way. Until we can move to a more convenient location, I’ve been finding ways to keep myself entertained on the road. I spend a lot of time on the phone and had a satellite radio installed in my car, but by far my favorite way to pass the time recently has been listening to audiobooks.

I’ve always thought of myself as a visual person and shunned the idea of audiobooks at first. But now I can’t stop listening to them. The one I’m listening to now is so good that I’ve been listening to it at home as well. In case you have a similarly long commute, or you’re gearing up for a road trip, or are just a fan of books looking to experience them a different way, I thought I’d share some of my recent favorites with you, along with publishers’ summaries since I’m a horrible summarizer.

Of course, these recommendations apply to real books as well if you’re not into the audio thing. I download my books from Audible (Amazon’s audiobook company). They have a preferred listener program where you buy credits instead of individual books that has made listening to audiobooks really affordable for me so far.

My #1 must read/listen (seriously, if you read/hear one book this year, make this it): The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

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Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells, taken without her knowledge, became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first immortal human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than 60 years.

If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons – as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings.

HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bombs effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now, Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the colored ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henriettas small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia, a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo, to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her immortality until more than 20 years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family, past and present, is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Freedom: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen

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From the National Book Award-winning author of The Corrections, a darkly comedic novel about family.

Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul – the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbor, who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter’s dreams. Together with Walter – environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, total family man – she was doing her small part to build a better world. But now, in the new millennium, the Berglunds have become a mystery. Why has their teenage son moved in with the aggressively Republican family next door? Why has Walter taken a job working with Big Coal? What exactly is Richard Katz – outré rocker and Walter’s college best friend and rival – still doing in the picture? Most of all, what has happened to Patty? Why has the bright star of Barrier Street become “a very different kind of neighbor,” an implacable Fury coming unhinged before the street’s attentive eyes?

In his first novel since The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen has given us an epic of contemporary love and marriage. Freedom comically and tragically captures the temptations and burdens of liberty: the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the heavy weight of empire. In charting the mistakes and joys of Freedom‘s intensely realized characters as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world, Franzen has produced an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Ever Seen by Christopher McDougall

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Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt?In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence.

With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a 50-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons.

Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.

Cutting for Stone: A Novel by Abraham Verghese (this is the one I currently can’t stop listening to)

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A sweeping, emotionally riveting first novel – an enthralling family saga of Africa and America, doctors and patients, exile and home.Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics – their passion for the same woman – that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. He makes his way to America, finding refuge in his work as an intern at an underfunded, overcrowded New York City hospital. When the past catches up to him – nearly destroying him – Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.

An unforgettable journey into one man’s remarkable life, and an epic story about the power, intimacy, and curious beauty of the work of healing others.

Next on my list are Anthony Bourdain’s books, Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw.

Are you an audiobook listener? What are your favorites?

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Lazy Fall Perfection

Kate — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:31:10 +0000

{Food, Beverage, & Entertainment Edition}

While I’m a major Christmas Freak, Fall is by far my favorite season. Unfortunately, we get so little of it down here in Texas that I tend to get all wrapped up in tinsel and holly and eggnog before I’ve truly taken the opportunity to stop and smell the cinnamon sticks and crunchy fallen leaves.

Happily, I think I might have just created the optimal “Get the Most Out of Fall” itinerary! Here’s the skinny on how I’d fill a totally-unencumbered, totally-lazy, totally-Fall day…

Voluntarily extricating myself from underneath our cuddly pick-stitch quilts is somewhat easier when there’s pumpkin cream cheese in my future! It’s a slightly odd combination, but lately I’ve been cheering for a toasted mini-”everything” bagel (yep, the kind with the onion and the garlic) topped with the pumpkin-y sweet stuff. Einstein Brothers makes my mornings simple with their take-away Pumpkin Shmear, but you can always go all fancy-pants with the homemade variety! Add a few slices of a Honeycrisp apple and I’m one happy gal!

After a jog (note: “jog” is a relative term when it comes to my athletic capabilities) around White Rock Lake (insert favorite neighborhood route here!), I’m ready to kick off my tennies and curl up with my new go-to, get-ready-for-the-holidays read, Wishin’ and Hopin’. I’ve always loved Wally Lamb for his brutally honest, sometimes uncomfortable, yet unbelievably relateable novels (think: She’s Come Undone; I Know This Much Is True), but this little gem is something different entirely… a light-hearted and poignant tale that I’ll surely be sneaking into my dad’s stocking (a kindred feisty ex-parochial schoolboy spirit if there ever was one!). My Main Man Van plays softly in the background… Bonus Points if you know all the words to some of my personal (lesser known) favorites: Coney Island, Queen of the Slipstream, Tore Down a la Rimbaud, the Comfortably Numb collaboration, and Whenever God Shines His Light.

We’ll pretend I was so engrossed in my reading that I somehow forgot about lunch (in reality, this would never happen… I’d be quickly boiling whole wheat pasta shells, steaming broccoli, tossing both together with white truffle oil, and shredding Tillamook extra sharp cheddar over the whole shebang for a comforting, quick “broc-mac-and-cheese”). I’ll rest my eyes a bit with a cuddle on the couch and Good Will Hunting on my television. I was recently reminded of how much I love this film after Evs admitted he’d never seen it! I tracked it down on one of our many movie channels and it’s now permanently saved on the DVR for posterity (I actually own it on VHS… sigh… technology marches onward without me). While not a “seasonal” movie by any stretch of the imagination, there’s something about this flick that just feels like Fall to me.

After Will heads to Palo Alto to “see about a girl,” it’s supper time! Cooking Light’s Cider Glazed Chicken makes my mouth water on command! You are welcome to give the companion Brown Butter-Pecan Rice recipe a whirl, but I much prefer pairing the slightly sweet, rustic chicken with Roasted Asparagus Risotto… Preheat your oven to 450. Spread a bunch of asparagus over an olive-oil-spritzed cookie sheet. Give the asparaus another good spritz with the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 8-12 minutes. Chop into small pieces. Then, stir into a basic risotto (if you don’t know risotto by heart, here’s a great place to start!), toss with Parmesan, and devour!

I’m always game for a companion beverage, so I’m just going to shake a bit of vodka together with a glug from that spiced apple cider jug I had to purchase in order to make that magical chicken dish come to fruition. Most likely, I’ll sip this concoction from a juice glass, but a cinnamon-sugar rimmed martini glass can transform any old evening into a festive affair (even if you’re sporting your dingiest sweat pants!). Is wine-ing more your style? Give your favorite dry white wine a dash of apple cider plus an apple slice floater, and you’re sipping a “Languid Winter Sangria” in no time flat!

Now that my tummy is full and there’s a drink in my hand, my lazy fall day is primed for the perfect ending, double feature style! Out with the Matt Damon and in with the Diane Keaton… it’s all about The Family Stone! I’m not sure why this wasn’t a bigger hit back in 2005, but this ensemble cast makes me belly-laugh and ugly-cry every damn time. While it’s probably impossible for me to nudge White Christmas and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation too far down on the ladder, The Family Stone is definitely my favorite holiday movie of the past 20 years.

Ending the day with the cuddliest of flannel pajama pants (mine feature pink coffee cups!), I snuggle back under the covers, novel in hand, eyelids heavy from the relative inactivity enjoyment of the day.

One delicious Fall day… it’s enough to make you consider logging a “mental health day,” yes?

What does your perfect November day off include?

Photo Credits: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bagel; Apple Harvest; Van Morrison; Wishin’ and Hopin’; Cider Glazed Chicken; Asparagus Risotto; Good Will Hunting; Apple Cider Martini; The Family Stone.

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Book Club: A Progress Report

Hasel — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:16:15 +0000

First things first, I want to explain my long absence! I was under the impression that I would have plenty of time to blog while my husband was deployed, but that was not the case at all! A lot of travel for work, fun and at least two visitors a month, I was so busy I couldn’t keep my head straight. I did however have some time during my travels for reading. Which was perfect because earlier this year I found myself a member of a second book club on top of the Officers’ Spouses’ Club (OSC) book club I blogged about in November.

We didn’t end up reading many of the books featured in my post, but we read some other really great ones. The OSC ladies and I have had a lot of fun getting together. Sometimes we talk about the book a lot. Other times we barely speak about the book at all. Either way I’ve had a great time and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year!

Since my last post on book clubs elicited so many comments, I thought I would share our selections for the past year and some books I’m looking forward to reading in the coming months either with the book club or on my own. Once again, for full descriptions click on the book title.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
This book was hands down the book club favorite. It is no surprise to me that it is being made into a movie (starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson). Check out this movie website here. Water for Elephants is an absolute page-turner. The writing, the story, the way it played out. I don’t want to give too much away, but I can’t recommend it enough. I have been telling everyone I know who enjoys reading to get it now. A must-read before the movie comes out next fall.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Set during the Civil Rights movement and told from the perspective of two African-American maids and an affluent white woman. Everyone in the OSC book club had heard that it was great, but none of us really knew what it was about. We all really enjoyed it. The topic is heavy, but there are moments of humor to balance out the seriousness. My second favorite book from the year.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
I enjoyed this memoir about Walls’ tumultuous childhood with nomadic, sometimes crazy parents. It was definitely a heartbreaker, but very well-written and poignant. A lot of us wanted to reach through the book and shake some sense into her parents.

Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
A historical novel uncovering the truth behind the real Alice in Wonderland, Alice Liddell Hargreaves. I first read about it in Entertainment Weekly. This book paints a portrait of what might have happened between Lewis Carroll and Alice and how she dealt with being Alice as an adult. To be honest, some of the women in the book club felt that this book ruined the innocence of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I didn’t mind it as much, but found it slow-moving. I prefer a book I can’t put down and the action is constantly moving.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris
I recently watched this movie for the first time last year. I know, what was I waiting on?! Chocolat is now easily one of my favorite movies. A friend mentioned it was a book first, so we decided to tackle it for my second book club. We thought it might be fun to choose books that have been made into movies. For the first time ever, I can honestly say the movie was better. The details in the book were quite a bit different than the movie. Either way, it was an interesting read.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik
I can’t resist a book about a group of friends and this one is no different. Set in 1968 in a sleepy cul-de-sac, Angry Housewives is funny, sad and sweet. We all enjoyed this book.

We didn’t finish a ton of books in the first half of 2010, but this year should be a good year. A small group has already formed and we are all ready to start reading once OSC kicks off in September. We choose these two books for our summer reading:

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

Beach Trip by Cathy Holton

My second book club has decided to go with the books to movies theme, beginning with the book and movie that no one can stop talking about:

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
I’m 100 pages in and can’t believe it took me this long to read it. I love it thus far, though I know a lot of people don’t care for it. I’m hoping to be finished by next week, and then my friends and I will be hitting up the theater to see the magnificent Julie Roberts.

Some other books that I’d like to see on the book club circuit this year:

The Life and Death of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
I know Zac Efron makes some people groan. Since 17 Again keeps playing on HBO, I can’t resist him. I have to read this before watching the movie. The book sounds wonderful.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

One Day by David Nicholls

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen

Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan

What books has your club read lately and liked? What books are on your list to read? Book clubs are a great way to get to know people, especially in a larger organization like OSC. Are you in a book club? Or interested in starting one? If you want to join a book club, but don’t have a lot of friends interested, Erin from EAD Living and Blue-Eyed Bride and Rachel from In No Simple Language have started a blogger’s book club: Book Beginnings and Bookends. If I weren’t already in two book clubs, I would totally participate!

All book images from Books•A•Million. Eat Pray Love movie poster from SpoilerTV.

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Early to Bed, Early to Rise

Emily — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:00:25 +0000

I’ve never been a morning person. In high school, I rolled out of bed, jumped in the shower, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and grabbed a Pop-Tart on my way out the door and into homeroom. In college, I scheduled my classes after 10am — with the exception of an 8am Psych class during freshmen year, which I only made it to with help from my hallmates.

And for the past five years I’ve worked in an office within three miles of my apartment. I had it down to a science. Alarm rings at 7:40. Hit snooze until 7:49. Hit snooze again until 7:58. Finally get out of bed at 8:00. Shower, dress, dry hair, apply makeup, eat cereal, take coffee to go. I was at my desk by 9:00.

But those glory days have come to an end. I now live roughly 50 miles from my office and spend just under two hours on the road every weekday — at least it’s a pretty, peaceful drive.

As a result of my new daily commute, I’m more appreciative of my time at home. I’m encouraged to wake up earlier so I can get home earlier.

Nick and I sit down to bowls of cereal by 7:10, and I’m on the road with a travel mug of coffee by 7:20. Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne keep me company in the morning, and the good folks of All Things Considered are with me in the evening.

Because I’m out of bed early, I need to be in bed early. We try to wind down our days by 10pm, which is much easier now that our favorite shows like LOST and Parenthood have ended. (In fact, we’re considering cutting our cable — fodder for another post.)

So what do you do to get going in the morning? Do you have a long commute? If so, how do you pass the time?

{photo credit author’s personal collection}

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 5 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Entertainment, Life

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Sports Heaven

Ami — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:59:28 +0000

Those of you who have gotten to know me know that I am absolutely a sports freak. So this time of year is absolutely my favorite, because especially in an Olympic year, I am in sports heaven.

We start off the year with the US Figure Skating Championships. The men’s championship blew me away. Although I am an Evan Lysacek fan, Jeremy Abbott has been growing on me. I adored his short program choreography and his long program simply blew me away (and blew the field away too!). If you are an Olympics fan, don’t you dare miss the men’s final, because it will simply rock and the US has three legitimate medal contenders!

{photo credit to NBC}

Then, we move on to the Australian Open. Huge tennis fan here. Lots of late nights were spent watching the Aussie Open, and I was thrilled to see Serena gut it out and win, although I would have loved Murray to pull through. Shame Roddick didn’t make it further as well.

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Next up, we have the pièce de résistance, the Winter Olympics. From Feb 12-28, I will be glued to the television. The Olympics are, to me, one of the last pure things in the world – seeing athletes come together under a common spirit to strive to perform their best when it counts… it just doesn’t get better than that. During the Winter Olympics, my husband and I literally watch every single minute we can. Obviously, as a former figure skater, that is near and dear to my heart, but we love it all, right down to the curling.

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The sports craze doesn’t end there – oh no, it’s far from over and we don’t even get a break. March is chock-full of Spring Training goodness. It’s every year during March that I wish I lived in Orlando, so that I could see this each day:

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And of course we are big college basketball fans, so the March madness also descends upon us. Juggling the two gets tiring, let me tell you!

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Then, finally – FINALLY – baseball season is here and after an excruciatingly long off-season, I can root for my Braves once again.

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So I’m already tired just thinking about the next few months! But it’s always so so worth the sleep deprivation.

Are you as much of a sports nut as I am?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2010 · Permalink · 3 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Entertainment

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Monthly Book Club

Hasel — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:38 +0000

A month or so ago, I volunteered to lead the book club for the Officer’s Spouse Club (OSC) at our base. I thought, “Hey, I’m an English minor, I can do this!” Only two bases into my husband’s Air Force career and I’m volunteering for something I had no idea would be so painful. Brilliant!

So here I am, leader of the book club, perplexed: How do you organize a book club? How do I get people interested in the book club? How do you chose the book? Etc. Etc.

Literally days after I got the list of the first people initially interested, Brooke Reynolds of the fabulous blog inchmark posted this great guide: Books and Pie. So I drafted an email borrowing some of Brooke’s guidelines and asking the women for feedback and book choices:

One book each month. You have to have read or know someone who has read the book before you recommend it. Also, try to pick a book that is easy to find (via Amazon, library, local bookstore, etc.). I suggested that the host chose the book.
Meet the same day each month. Our location will probably be each other’s houses, however, this is all TBD and is based on how many spouses are interested, where people live, etc.
Discuss the book. The book club leader will come prepared with a few questions on cards. Everyone will take one or two and when they think it is appropriate interject with their question.
Keep refreshments low-key. Dessert and beverages.

And I haven’t heard back from a single person. Granted, one of the interested parties is one of my closest girlfriends here, but the other five women haven’t made a peep! I’ve decided I’m going to chose a book, time, location, etc. and send out an Evite with the details. However, now I have to decide on a book. I want something that isn’t a difficult read, but is still interesting and thought-provoking. I personally love novels and/or about family sagas, friendships, and women on the verge.

Here are some of my favorites and possible options (for full descriptions from Books•A•Millions’ website click on the book title). The first four I have read; the last four are ones I’d like to read. I’m hopeful some of the spouses are interested in one of these titles. If all goes well, I want to post a review of the book read every month after the we meet.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Love this book, which is actually a short story about a woman and her awakening in the 1800s. This version is dirt cheap ($1.50) and it is short, so maybe book club members will be more likely to read it even though they are busy.

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
Summer Sisters is my absolute favorite book of all time. I read it in high school and have loved it ever since. I try to read it every summer. I really enjoy stories about friendship, especially those told over a number of years. This is an easy, fun read.

Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett
This is a heartbreaking story of the author’s real-life friendship with a fellow writer. A tearjerker for sure. I read this while enroute to visit my best friends’ and I sobbed. Once I arrived, I hugged my friends a little tighter.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
This memoir is about Wall’s tumultuous childhood with nomadic parents.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
This novel was written by a Parisian writer about the German occupation. Eventually, she was arrested and sent to a concentration camp; this novel was found 64 years later. I love fiction that takes place during World War II. I’ve read the first few pages of this book and think it sounds great.

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
A story about a family with a 1000 acre farm that is about to be left to the daughters’. Some of them want it, some don’t and their father does something terrible, causing a family drama to unravel.

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
I’ve heard lots of great things about this book – another one about women and friendship.

The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller
Sue Miller’s works are well-known, her novel While I Was Gone was one of Oprah’s Book Club selections. This sounds interesting and focuses on a young wife who befriends a cheating senator’s wife.

So I am curious – are any of you in a book club? How do you organize your book club and/or decide on a book? Which of these books would you want to read with a book club? What would initially spark your interest in a book club?

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · 10 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Books and Reading

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Book: Corner Shop by Roopa Farooki

Feisty Tourist — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:00:18 +0000

I just finished Corner Shop by Roopa Farooki – what a good book! And well timed considering where I am in life at the moment. Oscar Wilde once wrote, “In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” The story is about a family – a mother, father, son, and grandfather – and how that Wilde quote applied to their lives.

In the first half of the book, we meet the son, Lucky. He dreams of playing soccer for England in the World Cup and scoring an important goal. He works towards that goal with great intensity, practicing all the time. He’s also slightly obsessed with Portia, a slightly older, gorgeous girl who works in his grandfather’s shop. It seems as though his dreams with regard to soccer will be dashed when his teammate drops out of the team, forcing Lucky to take up the position of goalie rather than midfield.

We also meet his mom, Delphine. She’s a sad character – to all the world, it seems as though she has a picture perfect life. She has a successful husband who adores her, a well-mannered son with great potential, and a beautiful home. She herself even had a successful career before she gave it all up for motherhood. Though her husband’s always been perfect for her on paper, he has irritating habits, and she’s never really felt as though she cared for him as much as he cares for her. She longs for something more.

Zaki, Lucky’s grandfather, appears to be fairly content to start. He has a successful son, a grandkid he really enjoys, a corner shop he can close up whenever he feels like it to go gamble, and plenty of younger women with whom he can run around. Both he and Delphine begin to think about their past – when they were together long before Delphine became involved with her husband. Zaki and Delphine enjoyed a brief, passionate romance, and they both long for that sort of passion in their lives again.

It’s a story about dreams – both those fulfilled and unfulfilled. It’s a bit sad, and, I have to admit, I did not get as involved with the characters as I do in some other books. It is the overarching theme that makes it worth the time – if you don’t get your heart’s desire, do something about it; change something so that you’ll have another chance, and you may yet find it. If you do get your heart’s desire, don’t allow that to make you too content. It’s so very important to have goals in life and to work towards achieving those goals. You have to make sure that your life is always about beginnings, not endings.

I’d give it 3.5/5 stars.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · Comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Books and Reading

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Molly Wizenberg: A Homemade Life

Amy I — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:00:38 +0000

I just finished reading A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg, and I have to share it with you. Molly is the lovely blogger behind one of my favorite food blogs, Orangette. (Side note: I have a lot of favorite food blogs and also have a penchant for hyperbole, so you’ll likely be hearing more from me about the millions of BEST food blogs ever)

In this nonfiction book, Molly recounts the story of her life, interwoven with tales of food. Each short chapter ends with a recipe that somehow relates to the story she just shared. She brings the reader on a journey through her childhood with her beloved father, who was her foodie inspiration, through growing up, the death of her father, her time living in Paris, and falling in love.

Molly is so endearing and approachable, I just want to give her a hug and be her friend (not necessarily in that order). Of course, I’m a foodie, so I loved that her life has been so infused with food, and I found myself inspired by the way cooking comes so naturally to her. I also love that she gives a context for each recipe she shares. It makes me much more inclined to try something I otherwise might not have, knowing that there is a touching personal story behind it. This was a lighthearted, easy read, and I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you’re not a culinary type.

In case I haven’t convinced you, I’m taking a hint from PJ and including the official blurb via Amazon:

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Wizenberg’s debut shares the same basic format as her Orangette blog—favorite recipes interspersed with personal reflection—but constructed around a much tighter family narrative. Memories of her father, for example, begin with his cherished formula for potato salad and an attempt to recreate his French toast, but also include a variation on scrambled eggs that spurred a comforting moment as he was dying of cancer. The second half of the memoir focuses on her blossoming relationship with Brandon, who started out as a fan of the blog, became a long-distance boyfriend and eventually moved to Seattle and married her—of course, she shares the recipes for the pickled carrots they served at the wedding as well as the chocolate cake she baked for dessert. Though there is an emphasis on desserts, the recipes cover a variety of meals, none beyond the range of an ordinary cook, and Wizenberg’s directions are laced with a charming voice that strikes a neat balance with the reflective passages. Her strong personality stands out among her generation’s culinary voices.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

© Elizabeth Anne Designs, 2009 · Permalink · 6 comments · StumbleUpon It!
Posted in: Books and Reading, Cooking and Food

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