. I feel like I am on an emotional high. I thought that Brashares was able to connect the reader to the girls in the story in one book, the connection that was made by the end of the second book was mind blowing. I am in a state of emotional overload. These girls have been through so much in the course of just 2 summers - I can not imagine what the next 2 books will bring. I am definitely in it now for the long hall. The last 2 books of the series are most definitely going to be read before the end of the summer. I finished this one in less than 48 hours, too. I think the speed at which I am reading them can be contributed to a few factors. A) The story jumps between girls and the change in narrative and characters makes it easier to stick with through a long sit-down with the book, and B) The way the book is written does not give you a chance to even think about putting the book down. Finding a place to stop is difficult because of the fast pace and the way life just keeps happening to these girls. I'm due at the library again sometime this week and I will definitely be picking up the next book, if not both of them. I am anticipating a lot more tears of sorrow and tears of joy. Hopefully more of the latter than the former. :-)
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood
I just finished off the second book of the 4 book series by Ann Brashares - The Second Summer of the Sisterhood. I feel like I am on an emotional high. I thought that Brashares was able to connect the reader to the girls in the story in one book, the connection that was made by the end of the second book was mind blowing. I am in a state of emotional overload. These girls have been through so much in the course of just 2 summers - I can not imagine what the next 2 books will bring. I am definitely in it now for the long hall. The last 2 books of the series are most definitely going to be read before the end of the summer. I finished this one in less than 48 hours, too. I think the speed at which I am reading them can be contributed to a few factors. A) The story jumps between girls and the change in narrative and characters makes it easier to stick with through a long sit-down with the book, and B) The way the book is written does not give you a chance to even think about putting the book down. Finding a place to stop is difficult because of the fast pace and the way life just keeps happening to these girls. I'm due at the library again sometime this week and I will definitely be picking up the next book, if not both of them. I am anticipating a lot more tears of sorrow and tears of joy. Hopefully more of the latter than the former. :-)
. I feel like I am on an emotional high. I thought that Brashares was able to connect the reader to the girls in the story in one book, the connection that was made by the end of the second book was mind blowing. I am in a state of emotional overload. These girls have been through so much in the course of just 2 summers - I can not imagine what the next 2 books will bring. I am definitely in it now for the long hall. The last 2 books of the series are most definitely going to be read before the end of the summer. I finished this one in less than 48 hours, too. I think the speed at which I am reading them can be contributed to a few factors. A) The story jumps between girls and the change in narrative and characters makes it easier to stick with through a long sit-down with the book, and B) The way the book is written does not give you a chance to even think about putting the book down. Finding a place to stop is difficult because of the fast pace and the way life just keeps happening to these girls. I'm due at the library again sometime this week and I will definitely be picking up the next book, if not both of them. I am anticipating a lot more tears of sorrow and tears of joy. Hopefully more of the latter than the former. :-)
Saturday, July 26, 2008
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
I picked up The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares (a name that I had to look up to find the book in the stacks!)
at the library on Thursday. I have this big stack of serious books (Angela's Ashes, Johnny Tremain and others) that I am supposed to read next, but I can't bring myself to do it. Summer is a time for reading fun books! And this is definitely one of those fun books. I kind of wish I hadn't seen the movie first because it did spoil some things. There was less questioning what would happen next or how would things turn out, but instead wondering what had been cut from the movie and how would they reach their final destinations.
Of the four girls' story lines, Lena's was the most bastardized in the movie. Her story line in the book is very drawn out and involves a lot of introspection (which very much suits her character), however, I see why they changed it to make the story come alive better on screen.
The story lines of Carmen, Bridgette, and Tibby were not changed for the movie, however, a lot of details were left out. I think I will appreciate the movie more the next time I watch it now that I have read the book.
I read the whole thing in about a day because the girls just sucked me into their stories and I could not put it down!
, by Ann Brashares (a name that I had to look up to find the book in the stacks!)at the library on Thursday. I have this big stack of serious books (Angela's Ashes, Johnny Tremain and others) that I am supposed to read next, but I can't bring myself to do it. Summer is a time for reading fun books! And this is definitely one of those fun books. I kind of wish I hadn't seen the movie first because it did spoil some things. There was less questioning what would happen next or how would things turn out, but instead wondering what had been cut from the movie and how would they reach their final destinations.
Of the four girls' story lines, Lena's was the most bastardized in the movie. Her story line in the book is very drawn out and involves a lot of introspection (which very much suits her character), however, I see why they changed it to make the story come alive better on screen.
The story lines of Carmen, Bridgette, and Tibby were not changed for the movie, however, a lot of details were left out. I think I will appreciate the movie more the next time I watch it now that I have read the book.
I read the whole thing in about a day because the girls just sucked me into their stories and I could not put it down!
Pure Drivel
I was excited to read Pure Drivel, by Steve Martin. I've read at least one other of his books and really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to a similar experience.
Unfortunately, I was met by a small collection of short stories that just barely could be referred to as drivel. I read through many of the stories without smiling or laughing or even a little chortle. Nothing. Usually the thought on my mind was "is this going to be funny soon?" Then I had a feeling it was some how my fault. Was it bad to read this right after reading a Dave Barry masterpiece? Should I not have had such high expectations? The short stories were 2-5 pages long. At the end of each of them, I thought, "Well, maybe the next one will be good." Sadly, no.
I can not recommend this book. But if you want to get a taste of Steve Martin's humor without the suffering and wondering when it will be funny, you might try reading The Pleasure of My Company, which I can say is very amusing and at times laugh-out-loud funny.
, by Steve Martin. I've read at least one other of his books and really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to a similar experience.Unfortunately, I was met by a small collection of short stories that just barely could be referred to as drivel. I read through many of the stories without smiling or laughing or even a little chortle. Nothing. Usually the thought on my mind was "is this going to be funny soon?" Then I had a feeling it was some how my fault. Was it bad to read this right after reading a Dave Barry masterpiece? Should I not have had such high expectations? The short stories were 2-5 pages long. At the end of each of them, I thought, "Well, maybe the next one will be good." Sadly, no.
I can not recommend this book. But if you want to get a taste of Steve Martin's humor without the suffering and wondering when it will be funny, you might try reading The Pleasure of My Company
, which I can say is very amusing and at times laugh-out-loud funny.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
#52 - Complete a 1000+ piece puzzle
Okay, so I don't have a 1000+ piece puzzle. However, I do have a few 500 piece puzzles. Being stuck in my apartment with a sprained ankle this week has given me some extra time that needed to be spent sitting down with my ankle elevated. Puzzles were right in order. First, I worked on this baked goods quizzle.
Quizzles are pretty cool. The picture above is the finished puzzle, but I hadn't done the quiz part yet. There are pieces that are all the same shape and have the names of the different kinds of desserts on them. Then you have to match up all the desserts with their names. Here's a picture of it completed:
Then, I worked on a circular puzzle that is 500+ pieces. I got this puzzle from my grandmother.
It's all different decorative plates layered together to make one image. Unfortunately, I started to expect that there were pieces missing about 1/4 of the way into the puzzle. And, I was right. There's at least 6 pieces missing, maybe more. The crazy thing about this puzzle was the shapes and the way the pieces fit together. Some pieces in the middle of the puzzle would have 2 sides that were completely flat! Some pieces were tiny, and some pieces were closer to the "normal" size of puzzle pieces. It was fun to do and it is very pretty - I just wish there weren't so many pieces missing. If it were only one or 2, I would make new pieces and put it away. But I think I'm going to give it to my sister to use for crafts. There are a lot of pretty colors.
Quizzles are pretty cool. The picture above is the finished puzzle, but I hadn't done the quiz part yet. There are pieces that are all the same shape and have the names of the different kinds of desserts on them. Then you have to match up all the desserts with their names. Here's a picture of it completed:
Then, I worked on a circular puzzle that is 500+ pieces. I got this puzzle from my grandmother.
It's all different decorative plates layered together to make one image. Unfortunately, I started to expect that there were pieces missing about 1/4 of the way into the puzzle. And, I was right. There's at least 6 pieces missing, maybe more. The crazy thing about this puzzle was the shapes and the way the pieces fit together. Some pieces in the middle of the puzzle would have 2 sides that were completely flat! Some pieces were tiny, and some pieces were closer to the "normal" size of puzzle pieces. It was fun to do and it is very pretty - I just wish there weren't so many pieces missing. If it were only one or 2, I would make new pieces and put it away. But I think I'm going to give it to my sister to use for crafts. There are a lot of pretty colors.
#50 - Go to the drive-in theatre.
On June 29th, Mike and I went to Haar's Drive-in. We are really lucky to have a drive-in theater within driving distance of us. Going there transports you back in time to the 1950s when drive-ins were at the height of their popularity. The intermission animations are from the 50-60s and the prices at the concession haven't gone up very much since then either.
We caught the double feature of Wall-E and Get Smart. Both of the movies were LAUGH OUT LOUD HILARIOUS and we really enjoyed both of them. I was a little anxious about Get Smart because I had heard mixed reviews and Mel Brooks was not involved in the production, but it was great. Wall-E was spectacular. I am just amazed at how well they pulled off a movie where the 2 main characters don't have dialogue (other than noises, for the most part). Amazing.
Unfortunately, there was also a rain storm and a thunderstorm. My window had to be open to have the wire for the speaker not get severed, so I jammed the crack with T-Shirt Bags that I happened to have in the car. That did the trick for the most part (until the water that was on the outside of the window started leaching in and dripping, but it stopped raining before it got uncontrollable). The only annoying thing was having to use the windshield wipers. You can't run your car, so we were running off the battery to see the end of Wall-E. (seriously, it was POURING, bordering on torrential for about 15 minutes). Some people left in the middle of Wall-E, and some people left between the movies, but I was surprised at how many people stuck it out. We decided to watch Get Smart without the windshield wipers which was pretty good and then it stopped raining so we cleared the windshield and were fine. It also wasn't cool when the car started fogging up. :-P
But all in all, we were in good spirits and enjoyed seeing 2 movies for a total of $14 for both of us. And we brought granola bars, soda, and water (which is "frowned upon" and their concessions ARE really cheap, but I was glad we did because leaving the car just wasn't happening at all). Hopefully we will get to go again this summer!
We caught the double feature of Wall-E and Get Smart. Both of the movies were LAUGH OUT LOUD HILARIOUS and we really enjoyed both of them. I was a little anxious about Get Smart because I had heard mixed reviews and Mel Brooks was not involved in the production, but it was great. Wall-E was spectacular. I am just amazed at how well they pulled off a movie where the 2 main characters don't have dialogue (other than noises, for the most part). Amazing.
Unfortunately, there was also a rain storm and a thunderstorm. My window had to be open to have the wire for the speaker not get severed, so I jammed the crack with T-Shirt Bags that I happened to have in the car. That did the trick for the most part (until the water that was on the outside of the window started leaching in and dripping, but it stopped raining before it got uncontrollable). The only annoying thing was having to use the windshield wipers. You can't run your car, so we were running off the battery to see the end of Wall-E. (seriously, it was POURING, bordering on torrential for about 15 minutes). Some people left in the middle of Wall-E, and some people left between the movies, but I was surprised at how many people stuck it out. We decided to watch Get Smart without the windshield wipers which was pretty good and then it stopped raining so we cleared the windshield and were fine. It also wasn't cool when the car started fogging up. :-P
But all in all, we were in good spirits and enjoyed seeing 2 movies for a total of $14 for both of us. And we brought granola bars, soda, and water (which is "frowned upon" and their concessions ARE really cheap, but I was glad we did because leaving the car just wasn't happening at all). Hopefully we will get to go again this summer!
Dave Barry in Cyberspace
I picked up a copy of Dave Barry in Cyberspace, by Dave Barry (surprise, surprise) at a yard sale about a month ago. The book was published in 1997 so I was unsure if some of the humor would be out of date or not quite as funny. I was completely wrong. The book remains fresh in this world of changing technology. This is a laugh-out-loud HILARIOUS book. Anyone who has used a computer or surfed the internet will appreciate the humor.
, by Dave Barry (surprise, surprise) at a yard sale about a month ago. The book was published in 1997 so I was unsure if some of the humor would be out of date or not quite as funny. I was completely wrong. The book remains fresh in this world of changing technology. This is a laugh-out-loud HILARIOUS book. Anyone who has used a computer or surfed the internet will appreciate the humor.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
A Long Way From Chicago & A Year Down Yonder
A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck.
These books were recommended to me by my brother. Since A Year Down Yonder is the sequel to A Long Way From Chicago I felt that they should be reviewed together. In a way, the sequel is just the next chapter in the lives of Joey and Mary Alice (although, more so Mary Alice). The characters, especially Grandma Dowdel, jump off the page. Set in the time around and about The Great Depression, there are plenty of historical references scattered throughout in the best way possible - you hardly even realize they are there. They are just part of the story. And Grandma Dowdel is such a complex character. At the beginning of the story, she is almost scary in that she is completely unknown to Joey and Mary Alice. By the end of A Year Down Yonder, she had her grandchildren have formed a very strong bond that none of them had ever imagined.
This is a laugh-out-loud comedy as well as a story of family. You just never know what the heck Gramdma Dowdel is going to do next. Sometimes it seems that she doesn't even know what she is going to do next, but it turns out that she is much more cunning than she ever let on.
Both of these books are fantastic reads and definitely worthy of a second read someday.
These books were recommended to me by my brother. Since A Year Down Yonder is the sequel to A Long Way From Chicago I felt that they should be reviewed together. In a way, the sequel is just the next chapter in the lives of Joey and Mary Alice (although, more so Mary Alice). The characters, especially Grandma Dowdel, jump off the page. Set in the time around and about The Great Depression, there are plenty of historical references scattered throughout in the best way possible - you hardly even realize they are there. They are just part of the story. And Grandma Dowdel is such a complex character. At the beginning of the story, she is almost scary in that she is completely unknown to Joey and Mary Alice. By the end of A Year Down Yonder, she had her grandchildren have formed a very strong bond that none of them had ever imagined.
This is a laugh-out-loud comedy as well as a story of family. You just never know what the heck Gramdma Dowdel is going to do next. Sometimes it seems that she doesn't even know what she is going to do next, but it turns out that she is much more cunning than she ever let on.
Both of these books are fantastic reads and definitely worthy of a second read someday.
#73 - Try 5 new non-chain restaurants. (5/5)
I took my mom to Tuscano for lunch yesterday for her birthday. We both had paninis (which, we pointed out were not technically paninis because they were on rolls instead of bread, but they were fantastic anyway) and we split an order of french fries and then had a slice of Crazy Carrot Cheesecake and a slice of some sort of awesome berry cake. Both were awesome. Both were shared. Much other awesomeness was had.
Would I go there again? Possibly. The prices were good and I only ate half of my sandwich (I just finished the second half now for lunch today). For drinks, sandwiches, fries, and desserts for 2 it was about $35 with tax and tip. Not bad considering we were splurging a lot.
Would I go there again? Possibly. The prices were good and I only ate half of my sandwich (I just finished the second half now for lunch today). For drinks, sandwiches, fries, and desserts for 2 it was about $35 with tax and tip. Not bad considering we were splurging a lot.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Things my Girlfriend and I Have Argued About
Things my Girlfriend and I Have Argued About, by Mil Millington is absolutely hilarious. My friend Melissa recommended it to me, so I picked it up at the library when I was there. It was a quick read, despite being almost 400 pages long. It had me laughing out loud at every turn. I was surprised at how much the novel flowed even though it was cleverly disguised as a collection of short stories. Some of the language used is very colourful, but I would definitely recommend this to anyone. The author (and the main character) are from the UK so it has a wonderful English humor mixed with a bit of crudeness and many surprising twists and turns of plot.
Many, many thanks to Melissa to recommending this wonderfully entertaining book!
, by Mil Millington is absolutely hilarious. My friend Melissa recommended it to me, so I picked it up at the library when I was there. It was a quick read, despite being almost 400 pages long. It had me laughing out loud at every turn. I was surprised at how much the novel flowed even though it was cleverly disguised as a collection of short stories. Some of the language used is very colourful, but I would definitely recommend this to anyone. The author (and the main character) are from the UK so it has a wonderful English humor mixed with a bit of crudeness and many surprising twists and turns of plot. Many, many thanks to Melissa to recommending this wonderfully entertaining book!
Monday, June 23, 2008
#73 - Try 5 new non-chain restaurants. (4/5)
After my tap recital in May, Dad took us out to eat at Rock Bass Grill. It is really nice and has a country club feel to it. The seafood was awesome as were their various renderings of potatoes (all the fries, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes were awesome). Dad ordered a bottle of Riesling to go along with our food which was awesome because Rieslings are one of my favourite kinds of wine. Everyone else in the family had been there before except for me, so I had lots of advice on what to get. I had swordfish, but I also tried everyone else's food, so it was like a seafood buffet!
#72 - Try 12 new recipes (and actually use the recipe). (9/12)
I made Strawberry Freezer Jam using the recipe from inside the box of Certo (which is a liquid pectin). I followed it really closely because I was afraid of messing something up with the set. I haven't eaten any yet, but it is sitting in my freezer ready to try after I finish up the last jam I made. Making spreads is fun.
The Midwife's Apprentice
The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman won the Newbery Medal in 1996 Newbery Medal. I picked it up when I was at the library a few days ago. It was a quick read (after all, it is at about a 6 grade reading level and short), but as Cushman tends to do, she transports you to medieval England with great characters and quaint dialogue.
At one point, I was trying to read all of the Newbery Medal winners, and I think I'll resurrect that goal.
by Karen Cushman won the Newbery Medal in 1996 Newbery Medal. I picked it up when I was at the library a few days ago. It was a quick read (after all, it is at about a 6 grade reading level and short), but as Cushman tends to do, she transports you to medieval England with great characters and quaint dialogue.At one point, I was trying to read all of the Newbery Medal winners, and I think I'll resurrect that goal.
Wicked
I finished reading Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire this weekend. As much as I was originally annoyed by the writing style and overuse of bizarre and strange words (aside from the made-up words of the Land of Oz), it grew on me and by the end I was not noticing it so much. I think this might also have been because most of the big words were used during the chapters were the characters were attending school. Perhaps the author thought he was giving those chapters a more collegiate feel by using all those big words that caused me to go scrambling for a dictionary (or more likely, Google).
I really liked the way the book was written around the story and characters created by L. Frank Baum. Reading Wicked was almost like reading fanfiction in this way. My only knowledge of this world was from the movie and the stage show, so I plan on adding the novel to my to-read list. I have also seen some of the more bizarre movies based on his later novels, but I am not sure how much they really influenced my reading of this book.
by Gregory Maguire this weekend. As much as I was originally annoyed by the writing style and overuse of bizarre and strange words (aside from the made-up words of the Land of Oz), it grew on me and by the end I was not noticing it so much. I think this might also have been because most of the big words were used during the chapters were the characters were attending school. Perhaps the author thought he was giving those chapters a more collegiate feel by using all those big words that caused me to go scrambling for a dictionary (or more likely, Google).I really liked the way the book was written around the story and characters created by L. Frank Baum. Reading Wicked was almost like reading fanfiction in this way. My only knowledge of this world was from the movie and the stage show, so I plan on adding the novel to my to-read list. I have also seen some of the more bizarre movies based on his later novels, but I am not sure how much they really influenced my reading of this book.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
SeinLanguage
SeinLanguage, by Jerry Seinfeld was an extremely quick read. It only took me 3 nights to finish it off. It is basically a collection of sketches, some of which were used in episodes of Seinfeld. I really enjoyed it and laughter before bedtime was definitely a nice change after All the President's Men! I'm going to be passing on my copy to my grandma who loves Seinfeld and likes reading. I think she'll get a kick out of it.
All the President's Men
I FINALLY FINISHED All the President's Men by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward. I think the thing that most kept me from getting really sucked into this book was all the names and people that there were to keep straight. I don't know if I really followed exactly because of that (although, it was helpful when I recognized a name or two), but I definitely got the gist of it. There were definitely parts where things got very intense, and other's where it dragged. I think this is due to the nature of it being a true story and all. Not every part of life can be exciting! I did find that it ended rather abruptly. I'm looking forward to watching the movie again now that I've finished the book.
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