Bookduck

Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd, and illustrated by Jim Kay

2012-01-30T12:15:00.000-06:00

Release Date: September 15, 2011
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 224

Source: My local library.

Image from the author's website.

Summary:

The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

The monster in his back garden, though, this monster is something different. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

Costa Award winner Patrick Ness spins a tale from the final idea of much-loved Carnegie Medal winner Siobhan Dowd, whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself. Darkly mischievous and painfully funny, A Monster Calls is an extraordinarily moving novel of coming to terms with loss from two of our finest writers for young adults. (From the author's website.)
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In Patrick Ness's novel A Monster Calls, the yew tree in the churchyard behind thirteen-year-old Conor's house comes walking. The yew tree monster begins showing up while Conor's mother is in the midst of taxing chemotherapy treatments. So yes, A Monster Calls is a Cancer Book. But it is also a story about stories; the monster approaches Conor because he wants to tell the boy stories. And the stories the monster tells have teeth. The first one begins like a fairy tale, but ends unconventionally. The monster is not interested in falsehoods and happy endings.

In between Conor's encounters with the monster, Conor lives the painful, awkward life of a child with a sick parent. Conor's teachers and classmates treat him differently because his mother has cancer. Regular social and school rules no longer apply to Conor, and the unreality and unfairness of it all frustrates him. To top it off, the monster wants Conor to tell a story, too. He wants Conor to tell the truth. And it isn't the truth I thought he would tell.

A Monster Calls is a lyrical, well-written novel that contains moments of dark humor, uncomfortable realism, and, of course, pain. The novel also contains illustrations by Jim Kay that add to the foreboding, sometimes gothic atmosphere of the novel without taking the visuals completely away from the reader's imagination. However, enjoyed is not a verb I would use to describe my experience as I read this novel. Nevertheless, I highly recommend A Monster Calls to anyone of any age who wishes to read a powerful book. A Monster Calls is marketed and shelved as a young adult novel, but I think I would have a hard time recommending the book to teens and especially children looking to read for fun. This novel requires readers to acknowledge their own mortality and--perhaps most terrifying--the mortality of the people they love and all the uncertainties inherent in life. And there is the fact that Ness built this novel out of characters and a premise developed by Siobhan Dowd, an author who died of cancer before she could write this book. Different readers will react differently to this information, which Ness presents in a note before beginning his tale. I can't hand this book to someone and promise that they will enjoy it. But I can promise that they will walk away with a new appreciation for life, truth, and the struggles we may all face.

Funny Library Montage

2012-01-28T20:42:00.000-06:00

(From a link sent by the library director of the library system I work for.)

Cookie Monster's obsession with obtaining cookies from the librarian made me crack up, because library patrons have asked me for food. And money. And money for food. If only I could make this kind of stuff up.

A Week in Pictures

2012-01-27T12:02:00.001-06:00

The Sunset last Friday at Pacific Beach in San Diego, CA

Madame Hessel in the Boudoir, Rue de Naples, ca. 1935 by Edouard Vuillard--one of my favorite artists--at the San Diego Museum of Art

The view from the Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego

Where the Keebler elves live. (A tree in Balboa Park)

Mirrors on the wall of my aunt and uncle's living room in San Diego

Young Girl in Front of a Window, 1930. By Suzanne Valadon. At the San Diego Museum of Art.

Flowers at Disney Land

This man rollerblades while dancing to music up and down the sidewalk at Pacific Beach.

Nom nom nom--a panda at the San Diego Zoo

Wenches for sale in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney Land

A pillow at the Disney Land Hotel. Really.

San Diego Zoo

My uncle's lamp collection in the spare bedroom

I returned yesterday from a weeklong visit to San Diego, CA to see my aunt and uncle. We also went to Disney Land and California Adventure, and January must be the time to go. There weren't many crowds, and most of the lines were only five minutes long. My dad and I rode 18 rides, and my mom and my aunt rode 17. (They wouldn't ride California Screamin', the roller coaster that goes upside down.) That's a new personal best for us :) The weather was--for the most part--sunny and perfect, and now I am back to chilly weather and piles of snow. Bookish posts coming soon.

Happy Friday,

The Joy of [Real] Books

2012-01-11T15:41:00.000-06:00

(Via bookshelves of doom)

Another thing ebooks can't do.

I love books as objects as well as stories, but they do take up a lot of space. I recently had to weed out my personal library to make it fit into my bookshelves. The books I gave up went to a lovely used book shop--another thing ebooks can't do.

But. But but but. I did receive an e-reader for Christmas. I'm still deciding what I think about ebooks. I'm visiting family on the opposite side of the country next week, and I plan to leave all my hard copy books at home and only take the e-reader. (My carry-on bag will be the lightest it's ever been.)

We're also getting more questions about ebooks and e-readers than ever at the library. So many questions, in fact, that the city bought e-readers for library employees to experiment with at work, so that we can better explain and demonstrate how to access online library services to patrons. I've heard many patrons remark that they read more on their e-readers than they did without the devices. That's encouraging to hear: no matter how people read them, people are reading books.

A Paris Moment

2012-01-10T15:40:00.001-06:00

No, not this Paris (although this is where I was last January):

I'm talking about the Paris in Gilmore Girls:

Image from Tumblr.

She's pushy, socially clueless, scary. And I have something in common with her. I was watching Gilmore Girls on DVD, as I do from time to time, when I saw The Paris Moment. I remember seeing this scene on reruns of the show when I was in high school, but it didn't mean much to me at the time because I was not applying to grad schools.

I dropped out of the blogosphere this fall because my life was way too busy to even think about Musical Mondays, never mind read for pleasure. In the last few months I did the following:

Submitted and presented my senior English portfolio. (The eighty-three page monstrosity received rave reviews from the English faculty, which was nice, but ate all my free time and a large chunk of my ZZzz time, which was not so nice.)
Applied to graduate programs for library science.
Saw one of my paintings in a professional museum gallery--I got into the invitational exhibit I wanted into so badly!
Applied to MFA programs for painting.
Paused for three days to celebrate Christmas.
Kept applying to MFA programs.

I turned in my last grad school application yesterday, and the Waiting Game is now in full swing. I'm done requesting recommendation letters, following up with my recommenders, nervously triple-checking deadlines, writing essays and statements, painting painting painting, painting some more, editing portfolio photos, uploading resumes, filling out applications. As the director of Career Services at my university pointed out, this application business had become my full-time job. And in about a month and a half, I will receive letters and e-mails with acceptance decisions.

Image from Hey girl. I like the library too. on Tumblr.

Gilmore Girls's Paris receives her pile of acceptance letters in Season 7, Episode 19: "It's Just Like Riding a Bike." When Rory gets back to the apartment she shares with Paris and Paris's boyfriend, Doyle, after class, she finds the two of them standing nervously near the door.

Doyle: Paris has some news.

Paris: Not some news. The news. Responses from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Penn Medical, Yale Law School, Stanford Law School, and Columbia Medical.

Rory begins opening the letters for Paris, and each one begins, "We are pleased to inform you . . ." The three of them jump up and down and shout with glee, but after a few acceptance letters, Rory and Doyle stop screaming so loudly. Paris notices.

Paris: What's that about?

Doyle and Rory: Hmm?

Paris: Your noticeable drop-off in enthusiasm? Is that a reflection of the fact you're less impressed by my admission to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine than you were by my other acceptances?

Doyle and Rory assure Paris that they're just as impressed with this acceptance as they are with the others, and Paris rattles off the school's merits. Doyle and Rory agree that the school is top-notch. But Paris doesn't really listen to them.

Paris: Fine. You've made your point. Perception should play a role in my decision-making process . . . . So. How do I decide? How? This is a huge decision. The biggest decision I've had to make in my life. Law school or med school? I have two passions and obviously I'm vastly talented in both fields. What muse do I follow? Not to mention location-wise. Where do I wanna live for the next three or up to eight years? [To Rory:] Open the others.

Rory: Yeah? Okay. Columbia. That's also a good school . . . [opens letter] . . . "We are pleased to--"

Paris: Oh, God!

Rory tells her she's being silly, that it's good to have options. Rory opens up another letter.

Rory: Hey, hey, you got into Stanford!

Doyle: Woo-hoo! Someone's on a roll!

Paris: Enough with the hysterics. I have a big decision to make, and all this hooting and hollering isn't exactly helping matters.

Paris ends up sulking on the couch with a pillow over her head.

Like Paris, I have two passions: Literature and library science, and art. And--unless I can come up with a creative way of integrating the two--I will have to choose between schooling and careers in these two fields in a matter of months. As Paris said, it's a big decision. But I hope I have a decision to make. I want a Paris Moment, with acceptance letters from both fields. I don't want to end up in one field just because the doors to the other one all slammed shut in my face. Applying to grad school requires one to really evaluate why one wants to go into a specific field; I had to dig in and articulate my passions, hopes, dreams. I'm grateful for this part of the application process, because it helps to know what I love about libraries and information services, teaching, and art making.

And now the rest is up to admissions committees. If I get my Paris Moment, I hope I accept it more gracefully instead of huddling into a corner of my couch. Until then, however, I am on break until the beginning of spring semester, which means books! And blogging! And one more picture of library-loving Ryan Gosling for the road:

Image from Tumblr.

Readers Advisory: "Me is not you"

2011-11-21T16:19:00.001-06:00

From Liz B at Tea Cozy:

One of my pet peeves (I have so many I should run a zoo) is when that role isn’t recognized or is downplayed. Sometimes it’s “anyone who reads can do readers advisory,” so who needs librarians? That’s a bit like saying anyone who eats can cook. Reading is about “me,” what I want and enjoy in a story; readers advisory is about “you,” what you want and enjoy in a story. Me is not you.

Click on through for more thoughts on reader's advisory.

Also, from "The Role of Reading" at Venn Librarian:

Look, Reader’s Advisory is one of the few school librarian skills that cannot be outsourced to others. Many (most?) English/Language Arts teachers aren’t really up on what’s New! Wonderful! in the world of ya or children’s literature. Not only that, those teachers rarely allow students to just read the book, they want analysis and thoughtfulness.

And sometimes readers just wanna have fun.

What 83 pages look like:

2011-11-21T15:59:00.001-06:00

This grainy web-cam photo is of me and my senior English portfolio, which is a tree-killing total of 83 pages long. And I needed five copies. Also, I've done a lot of hole-punching.

I hope this photo explains the lack of Musical Monday posts and book reviews on Bookduck, and why I've been reading, but not taking the time to comment on, other blogs.

Happy Monday,

Oh, P.S. Here is a song. Just because.

Author Interview: Shelley Moore Thomas, the StoryQueen

2011-11-03T09:55:00.000-05:00

Image from Shelley's website. Used with permission.

I noticed Shelley Moore Thomas's books before I learned that she had a blog. I work part-time in a library, and one slow evening, I came across one of her Good Knight easy readers in the bookdrop. A few sentences caught my eye while I was inspecting the returned book, and I ended up reading the whole thing. With a cast of characters including the Good Knight and three dragons, Shelley creates hilarious stories, all told through read-aloud-ready prose.

But the best thing about Shelley's books is that--at my library, anyway--children love them. Her tales of the Good Knight are in and out all the time; once, I checked a Good Knight book out to a child only to see him ask his mom if he could go get one more Good Knight book.

Shelley, AKA the StoryQueen, is known for reading books aloud in royal regalia. (See tiara above.) She also writes books that do not feature the Good Knight. Recently, I asked Shelley a few questions about her middle grade novel that is set to be released in 2012, and what it's like to write for children:

Do you approach easy readers and picture books differently? What comes first: the format, or the story?

For me, I think the story always comes first. While I am writing a book, sometimes the book decides to be something different than I originally thought. I think format and story should be an integral part of each other, if that makes any sense. With the Good Knight series, it was my editor, Lucia Monfried, who suggested the easy reader format for the story that I had sent her. I had unintentionally included so many of the bits that make up a good easy reader, I just needed to adjust the lengths of some sentences and change out a few words. One of the coolest things is that Lucia really liked the rich and unusual word choices in some cases and they got to stay. I love that they let me keep "methinks" in an easy reader!

How closely do you work with the illustrators of your books?

Actually, not very closely at all! I do my part with the words and the artist does her (or his) part with the art. It is awesome to see it all come together. I have been pleased with all of my illustrators.

Would you let the dragons from your books spend a weekend vacationing in your home?

Um...pretty much I live with them. All. The. Time.

I notice in your videos section that you mention that Take Care, Good Knight was inspired by a real life experience. Would you mind telling a quick version of the story?

Well, my daughter (Issy) had to care for the neighbors' garden while they were away and completely misunderstood the directions. When I went to check on things (the day before the neighbors returned) almost everything was DEAD! We spent the next 12 hours running to the nursery and replanting things. Good times.

Image from Shelley's website.

Imagine that you’re stranded on a desert island that happens to have a castle. (Queens should’t be stranded without one of those.) You can have one type of food (Italian, Chinese, etc.) delivered to your castle door daily. Which type of food would you pick?

Mexican food.

You have a middle grade novel, The Seven Tales of Trinket, coming out in 2012. How has working on this project differed from composing your works for younger readers?

I knew I wanted to write something that was a little longer than a picture book. I attempted a few things that didn't work out as well as I had hoped. The truth was, I didn't quite have faith that I could write a chapterbook or novel. I started writing The Seven Tales of Trinket several years ago (under a different, quite hideous title), but the computer crashed and I lost everything. But it was okay, because I wasn't ready to write it. Also, I had tried my hand at some longer picture books, folktale retellings, but they are a very hard sell in picture book form (which is a shame because I LOVE to read them to kids!). Finally, one Spring morning in 2009, I started writing Trinket's tale, which is kind of a story within seven stories. I wrote a couple of pages a day, sometimes only getting to the top of the next page before my time ran out, but I was committed. I was ready. The big difference between writing a picture book and a novel (for me anyway) is the revision stage. Revising a picture book is a little more "obvious". I mean, I can tell if something is working or not pretty easily and make the change. With a novel, every little thing I adjust affects everything else.

Why a knight and three dragons?

It started with the character of the Good Knight. I wrote it as a mistake, meaning to write Good Night....but then it cracked me up. So I had the Good Knight. The dragons showed up most likely because I have three children--however, I did not notice at the time I wrote the first one how much it reflected my own life! Really!

The newest Good Knight picture book.
Image from Shelley's website.

Name three books you’ve recently read and enjoyed or been inspired by.

Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell, Chime by Frannie Billingsly and I am in the middle of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier and loving it.

Do you find that writing children’s books can be challenging because it can be difficult to keep children’s attention? Or is such an idea false?

Hmm..I think children are very honest. If they don't like something, or if they find it boring, they aren't going to fake it. However, I find that kids really love a good story. I think what is challenging about writing for children is using the right voice for the story. When I started writing, I wasn't even sure if i was a "children's writer" but that was the most real, honest voice that came out in my writing. I don't sit down to write for children necessarily, but I sit down to tell my tales. I think the fact that my favorite books, still, are children's stories, really influences what I write.
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Thanks, Shelly! (I really enjoyed Chime, too.) To learn more about the Good Knight books, as well as Shelley's other projects, visit Shelley's website. And while you're at it, check out her blog, too. Or why not watch a video of Shelley reading Take Care, Good Knight, based on the dead plant story?

PS: Sorry about the spacing issues between questions--Blogger is being a diva today.

From one kind of art to another

2011-11-01T17:03:00.000-05:00

Last week, I erased Judy Moody from the whiteboard at the library to make way for the announcement of the next after school movie, Spooky Buddies:

My doggy doodles could use some work . . .

My whiteboard doodles don't usually last long at the library, because lots of kids think dragging their fingers through dry erase marker drawings is fun. Once again, though, the kids left the whiteboard (mostly) alone. (I don't count one finger smear through some of the lettering as a significant disturbance. And the little spider didn't make it, but I know anything that I draw that low on the board won't be there for long.) I was very, very surprised.

Post-Spooky Buddies, it was time for a harvest/Halloween doodle that can be easily converted from a Halloween display to generic autumn decor:

I'm keeping the bat for as long as the rest of the library staff and the eraser-kids let me.

As for the more permanent art I create, I spent a couple hours photographing paintings with some friends last week. I'm not a great photographer, and I barely know how to use Photoshop, so one of my graphic design/photography friends was gracious enough to help me and another painter take some pictures. We took the pictures outside, because sunlight yields the most true-to-life results. A passerby asked us if we were taking pictures of a board. After we explained that it was a painting, he said, "There's a whole sky out here. Why aren't you taking pictures of that?"

We weren't taking pictures of the sky because entries are due soon for a big state invitational. Right after I finish this post, I am going to finish revising my Artist's Statement for the application, and then I will send it off. And I really, really want to get in.

Here are some of my pretties; I may have posted a picture of the first one another time, but if I did, I know the photo didn't look this good:

Frost-fruit; 3x3, acrylic on hardboard

Here's the painting I talked about revising earlier. Less turned out to be more in this piece. Also, when I showed it to my painting prof and another painter, they pointed out that there are not one, but two fives in the piece. And I did not purposely make either of them. (One is in the top right corner; the other is smaller and more difficult to see on a photo than in person . . .)

The Fifth Reproach; 3x3, acrylic on hardboard

Speaking of art projects, good luck to everyone participating in NaNoWriMo this year! (I'm not . . .) May you generate many fun ideas!

Musical Monday (85): "Monster Mask" by Pomplamoose

2011-10-31T09:16:00.003-05:00

This week's song is a cover of Ron Weiner's "Monster Mask" by Pomplamoose, because it's Halloween. Today is also my Grandma Viola's 80th birthday, and every year, at least one trick-or-treater (most of the kids know it's her birthday, because the town she lives in is very, very small) asks if her birthday is always on Halloween. Cute.

Happy Halloween!

"Science is constantly discovering lots of lovely things out in the universe that have the potential to kill us."

2011-10-30T20:09:00.001-05:00

Happy (Early) Halloween from Charlie McDonnell, whose videos are among my favorite internet procrastination aids:

Now back to writing.

Eight Things on a Tuesday

2011-10-18T17:42:00.001-05:00

1. The National Book Awards. I was super excited to hear that Franny Billingsley's Chime is included in the nominations. But I was less than thrilled to hear about the colossal faux pas that followed the botched nomination announcement. If you haven't already heard, Lauren Myracle's Shine was accidentally named a nominee. Libba Bray wrote a wonderful (and very swear-y) post on the rest of the story:

However, the NBA stated afterward that, based on its merits as a work of excellent literature for young adults, SHINE would remain on the finalists list. Crisis averted. Or so it seemed.

What happened after that is worthy of a soap opera called “As the Incompetence Turns.” Over the next few days, a back-and-forth of “we’re keeping it,” “no, we’re not keeping it,” “it’s worthy,” “no, it’s not worthy” was played out in the media and over the Internet in a very public, very hurtful way that did not seem to take into account that at the center of all this was a real live human being, an excellent writer, whose work and reputation were being dragged through the mud as if it were no big thang while the ruffled feathers of injured egos were patted down in a backroom somewhere.

Lauren Myracle was asked to withdraw from the award proceedings.

I haven't read Shine yet, but I interviewed a high school librarian last week for a grad school application essay who said that one can feel light shining through this book. "It's one of those books where the sun just rises," she said.

There's a good round-up of more reactions at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy.

2. RainyMood.com. The website that does nothing but make it sound like it's raining outside. I visited the website last week, and for a few minutes, I forgot that it wasn't really raining. (via Stephanie Perkins)

3. Books. I'm in the middle of Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and I have Stephanie Perkins's Lola and the Boy Next Door waiting on my bookshelf . . . but I cannot pick them up again until I finish my English colloquium revisions and the books I'm supposed to be reading right now. Sigh.

4. Cat pictures. They make life better. My kitty turned eighteen last week. Here are some pictures my mom took of her last fall:

Kitty yawn! There has to be a hilarious caption for this photo, but my brain is too fried to come up with one right now. Suggestions?

5. Pumpkins. We have a happy one in our living room:

6. Veggie pizza. Last Friday, my friend Kirstie and I went to the grocery store and picked out some random ingredients. We give you yellow squash, yellow pepper, and potato pizza with basil:

And FYI, putting potatoes on a pizza turned out to be a surprisingly good idea. (And if you try it, you should know that we fried the veggies in some olive oil on the stove before putting them on the pizza, because otherwise they would have spent only 10 minutes in the oven, and they would have been very, very crunchy...)

7. My Judy Moody doodle was still alive on Sunday. The kids at the library left the whiteboard alone for TWO WHOLE WEEKS. Unbelievable.

8. Pan Am. I got mostly caught up on the TV show this weekend, and am enamored with the clothes and all the spoken French. Also, I can't get over how the ladies carry their purses. I'm not sure I could do this all day:

Happy Tuesday,

Judy Moody lives!

2011-10-06T21:29:00.000-05:00

I went to work at the library last night and was shocked to see that my white board doodle was still there. I drew a little Judy Moody on our moveable white board on Sunday to help announce that Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer is our next children's after-school movie. Usually, kids run their fingers through my drawings, erasing them bit by bit. But they left Judy Moody alone.

(Dear Megan McDonald and Peter H. Reynolds, I mean no copyright infringement. Mr. Reynolds, you draw Judy much better than I can. Also, I never noticed how odd the shape of her head is until now.)

Read for the Record

2011-10-05T10:46:00.001-05:00

I'm surfacing from my piles of homework and portfolio edits for my senior English colloquium (due at the end of the month . . . gulp . . .) to talk about Read for the Record. This Thursday, October 6th, people across the nation will come together to set a new reading record and support literacy. The book that all these people will be reading is Anna Dewdney's Llama Llama Red Pajama. The book is available for free online reading, and Pearson will donate a copy of this book to a child for every time someone reads Llama Llama Red Pajama online. (Click on through to read the book or learn more about Read for the Record.)

Happy Wednesday, and Happy Reading,

Embrace messy hair.

2011-09-24T20:57:00.000-05:00

I love this print by Rachel Roellke, which I spotted at funnel cloud, her etsy shop. I've been trying to do as the print says, leaving my curls alone in the morning instead of always reaching for my straightener.

But I shouldn't be talking about hair when I'm supposed to be drafting a paper on who my artistic parents are (think influences from art history or literature, not actual parents) for Senior Thesis for my art major.

Happy Saturday, what's left of it! Also, happy Second Day of Fall! I baked Nutella-swirled sugar cookies and drank pumpkin-spice lattes with a friend yesterday to celebrate the start of my favorite season. What are you most looking forward to this fall?

Fall Wreath

2011-09-19T15:48:00.000-05:00

The instructions for this project can be found at The Spotted Fox. I saw it last year, bought a wreath form in January, and finally had time to make it this August, just before moving into my on-campus apartment for this school year.

I sure wouldn't have time to make one right now, which is unfortunate, because our living room is still undecorated and rather sad. This wreath hangs in the tiny entrance hallway.

Happy (non-Musical, because--once again--I do not have time to track down a video) Monday,

Mozart's Sister

2011-09-12T15:47:00.001-05:00

I don't have time to pick out a song today, but I still wanted to drop in and say hi. So, "Hi!" This past week has been a whirlwind of new classes and new roommates. (They're wonderful, by the way, although I am alarmed at how quickly one of them pounces on dirty dishes; she washed two of mine today before I even had time to go grab a rag. But I am not complaining.)

Last Saturday, I took a break from work and homework to attend a screening of Mozart's Sister, which is a film about Nannerl, who was--as the title says--Mozart's sister. It's funny at times--the actor playing the Dauphin has such an intense gaze that my friend and I had a hard time not giggling at tense moments--but mostly it's sad, because, like her brother, Nannerl possessed incredible musical talent. Unlike her brother, however, she didn't get to use it, because she was a girl. The movie (which is speculative, so the following might not be true) focuses on a time when Nannerl was acquainted with members of the French royal family, and in which she composed some music for the Dauphin. Later, she devoted her life to her brother's music. As far as I know, none of her work survives.

Here's the trailer, which is subtitled, because the movie is in French. (I just came from French class. Hmm.)

Happy Monday,

Musical Monday (84): "Mouth Music" by the Carolina Chocolate Drops

2011-09-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

This week's song is "Mouth Music" by the Carolina Chocolate Drops, featuring Adam Matta. I heard about them on Laini Taylor's blog. (She has a fabulous new novel coming out soon, or haven't you heard.) I haven't listened to any of their other songs yet, but it's only a matter of time--I love the cheerfulness of this song. It's fun, which makes it the perfect song to have stuck in my head today, my last Move-In Day at college.

I may hum it while moving furniture.

Happy Monday,

Book Review: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

2011-08-31T14:06:00.002-05:00

Release Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 352

Source: My local library.

Summary:
A lot has changed in the six months since Evie escaped from the International Paranormal Containment Agency with her shape-shifter boyfriend, Lend. She finally has the blissfully normal life she’s always dreamed of, including
1) A real live high school
2) A perfectly ordinary after-school job
3) Her very own locker (and by the way, rusted metal is every bit as awesome as she imagined)

But Evie’s not-so-normal past keeps creeping up on her...and things get pretty complicated when you factor in:
1) A centuries-old, seriously decaying vampire stalker
2) A crazy faerie ex-boyfriend who is the perpetual bearer of really bad news
3) A major battle brewing between the faerie courts where e prize in question happens to be...Evie herself.

So much for normal. (From Kiersten White's website.)
__________________________________________________
Paranormalcy--the first book in this series--was pink, sparkly fun, and I am pleased to announce that the laughs--and the pink--are still present in the second book of the trilogy, Supernaturally. Evie, the main character, has come a long way from page one of Paranormalcy, in which she takes down paranormals such as vampires with Buffy-esque wit and Tasey, her pink taser, while longing for a normal high school life.

The beginning of Supernaturally finds our spunky heroine living a fairly normal life. Her roommate is a vampire, and her boyfriend is an immortal shapeshifter, but her high school is normal. (Read: boring.) And, since she no longer works for IPCA, the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she is free to focus on the terrors of real life, like girls' gym, a boyfriend who's in college and can only visit on the weekends, and the fact that her favorite teen drama is in reruns.

Normalcy is overrated.

So when Raquel shows up with an offer for side jobs with IPCA, and an impish, annoying new assistant named Jack, Evie says yes, even though Lend--her boyfriend--and her other new friends disapprove. Author Kiersten White combines this disagreement with mysterious faerie attacks, the reappearance of Evie's ex-faerie-boyfriend Reth, and some startling revelations about Evie's origins to create an intricate, interesting tale.*

While I recommend reading this series in order (readers who do not will likely be confused), Supernaturally stands enough apart from Paranormalcy to be a good story in itself. White avoids a potential snoozer or simple bridge to the last book in the novel by adding characters like Jack and building more complexity into the characters readers already know.

Supernaturally is a breezy read, but, as with Paranormalcy, I didn't find it impossible to put down. I like Evie and Lend and the other characters, but I wasn't emotionally attached to them. White's writing, on the other hand, is fantastic. She turns on a dime from funny to profound, and in the end her plot threads all come together beautifully. I recommend Supernaturally to readers of paranormal romance, contemporary and realistic fiction (despite the paranormal twists, Supernaturally deals with surprisingly common teen drama, like the horrors of college applications), and readers who like sweet, clean romance. And laughing. Because anyone who reads one of Kiersten White's books will be doing a lot of that.
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*Evie isn't completely normal; she has some special abilities. But you can read all about those in Paranormalcy.

Musical Monday (83): "Called Out In The Dark" by Snow Patrol

2011-08-29T08:30:00.002-05:00

This week's song is "Called Out In The Dark" by Snow Patrol.

Enjoy!

Happy Monday,

Revising a painting

2011-08-24T15:14:00.004-05:00

I'm trying to start and finish a couple paintings before the school year begins, but I feel like I can't move on until I fix this one that I did for a class in June:

It was my last painting for the class, and I finished it just an hour before final critique. Consequently, I didn't get a lot of time to look at it and let it talk to me. I knew it didn't want the top of the figure the way it was, but I didn't have time to figure out what it wanted instead. This painting stumped me all through July and into August, until I remembered a painting I'd seen and photographed at the Art Institute of Chicago in July:

Portrait of Constance Pipelet by Jean-Baptiste-Francois Desoria, 1797, oil on canvas.

I like the figure's pose and attitude, so I decided to appropriate bits of it. I don't know if my figure will hold a book, and I know she won't have the same hair, clothing, etc. (The high heels stay!) But seeing this painting again got me out of my rut. Artists borrow from art history all the time.

In any case, here's a picture (it's a little awkward-looking because I took it with the camera on my laptop, which was not easy) of my progress so far. I accidentally made this great pink color that I added in a few places, started some apples on the right, and sketched some of the figure in with charcoal. (The lines you see now will probably all be rubbed off; they're just placeholders.)

So now I'll keep looking at it, adding lines and pushing and pulling them back. It's like editing a paper. Almost.

Musical Monday (82): "Sixteen" by Deas Vail.

2011-08-22T08:53:00.005-05:00

This week's song is "Sixteen" by Deas Vail. I posted one of their songs just two weeks ago, but I'm on a bit of a Deas Vail kick right now while I wait for their new album. It doesn't come out until sometime in September or October, but that's just one more reason I'm looking forward to fall :)

Happy Monday,

Book Review: The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

2011-08-16T14:42:00.001-05:00

Release Date: January 7, 2010
Publisher: Viking (Penguin)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 208

Source: My local library.

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend. When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal Julia left behind. But Colt is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept. (From the author's website.)
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I read most of The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard* in one sitting, and--I don't care how cliched this next clause sounds--I enjoyed every page of it.

The Secret Year in a nut shell: take Romeo and Juliet, subtract the double-suicide, add class conflict and a heaping cup of secrecy, and add an extra dash of suspense. Mix thoroughly.

Colt Morrissey is a boy from the flats--think wrong side of the tracks--and Julia Vernon is a privileged girl from Black Mountain Road, a fancy neighborhood not too far from the flats. They attend the same school, but hang out with different people: Colt with his friends from the flats, and Julia with the Black Mountain elite. Julia already has a Black Mountain boyfriend, but after she and Colt meet by chance at the Willis River bridge and share an illicit kiss, she begins leaving Colt secret notes and asking him to meet her at the bridge. Julia tells Colt that she wants to have a secret, no-strings-attached relationship with him; she tells him that he wouldn't enjoy the social obligations of being her public boyfriend. And Colt agrees. The two meet at the bridge in secret for a year, until Julia dies in a car accident. Colt is left to grieve for his secret sort-of girlfriend in private.

No one can know about the Secret Year because Julia wouldn't like it if their relationship became public, and besides--who would believe him? Julia already has one grieving, real, Vernon-family-approved-Black Mountain-boyfriend.

Julia was beautiful, cunning, and spirited. She was also a poet who kept a lot of journals. And, not long after the funeral, Julia's younger brother approaches Colt with one of Julia's journals. It's full of letters written to a C.M.: Colt Morrissey. Colt reads the journals over the school year following Julia's death, and Julia becomes a forceful, if deceased, character through her journal. Julia is constantly in Colt's head, and his secret relationship with her begins to affect his relationships with his friends, potential girlfriends, and family.

The Secret Year is a beautifully written novel about love, friendship, and the power people can have over others even after they are dead. I recommend The Secret Year to readers of contemporary and realistic fiction as well as readers who appreciate stories filled with social intrigue, class conflict, and stories dealing with family dynamics.
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*Not to be confused with Jenny Hubbard, author of Paper Covers Rock. Although, funny story, the only reason I picked up The Secret Year was because I did get them confused. I liked Paper Covers Rock so much that, if Jenny Hubbard wrote any other books, I wanted to read them, pronto. Did I think the different first names and the middle initial were odd? Yes. But the two novels contain so many similarities that it's spooky: both feature first-person narration from male protagonists, guilt, unrequited and/or secret love, poetry, settings centering around rivers, untimely deaths, and tell either all or part of the story through journal entries. These elements could easily be the favorite motifs of one writer.

Except that they are not. The J. Hubbards are talented--and distinct--authors. And I'm so glad I mistook one for the other and ended up reading The Secret Year.

Musical Monday (81): "King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles

2011-08-15T09:07:00.003-05:00

This week's song is "King of Anything" by Sara Bareilles. I heard it on the radio in the grocery store on Sunday evening, and now it's stuck in my head--but I'm not complaining. I really like the oh-ohs, and I espeically appreciate the men trying to hit the high notes in the live performance below.

Happy Monday,

"I go here now."

2011-08-09T14:24:00.002-05:00

Playing hide-and-go-seek with my oldest cousin's daughter while camping last weekend. She just turned four, and in her version of hide-and-seek it's impolite not to say where one is hiding. She makes me smile :)

Happy Tuesday,

Book Review: Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace, illustrated by Lois Lenski

2011-08-08T11:57:00.004-05:00

Release Date: 1940; paperback reissued in 2000
Publisher: HarperCollins
Age Group: Children
Pages: 144

Source: My local library.

Summary:
Best Friends Forever
There are lots of children on Hill Street, but no little girls Betsy's age. So when a new family moves into the house across the street, Betsy hopes they will have a little girl she can play with. Sure enough, they do—a little girl named Tacy. And from the moment they meet at Betsy's fifth birthday party, Betsy and Tacy becomes such good friends that everyone starts to think of them as one person—Betsy-Tacy.
Betsy and Tacy have lots of fun together. They make a playhouse from a piano box, have a sand store, and dress up and go calling. And one day, they come home to a wonderful surprise—a new friend named Tib.
Ever since their first publication in the 1940's, the Betsy-Tacy stories have been loved by each generation of young readers. (From HarperCollins.com)
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I was in a reading slump in the last week of July; I started book after book, but none of them held my interest. A couple weekends ago, the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace came up in a conversation with one of my co-workers at the library, and I decided to try the first book in the series, Betsy-Tacy. This series has been on my reading list for nearly a year since I received review copies of reprints of Lovelace's Deep Valley books and fell in love with Lovelace's prose and the Betsy-Tacy universe.*

As soon as I picked up Betsy-Tacy, my reading slump un-slumped.

For children, it's an easy-to-read, yet artfully told story about two best friends who go on adventures and make up games in their own backyards.

For parents or people working with children, it's a great read-aloud option.

And for childless adults and young adults, it's a mini time travelling vacation to all the good things of childhood. Lovelace has a knack for switching from realistic description to make-believe and back again. Betsy and Tacy's friendship begins around Betsy's fifth birthday, and I had fun watching that friendship grow and reading about their cute--and sometimes hilarious--made-up games.

I also enjoyed the illustrations by Lois Lenski, who won a Newbery for Strawberry Girl in 1946. They go well with Lovelace's poetic imagery.** Here's one of my favorites from Betsy-Tacy:

Image source: a clock without hands

Beautiful.

I recommend Betsy-Tacy to beginning chapter book readers who like stories about unlikely friendships, as well as readers of all ages--especially historical fiction enthusiasts--who are looking for a quick, amusing, and heart-warming read. Lovelace's prose felt worn-in, classic, and infinitely re-readable. I'm already looking forward to reading the next Betsy-Tacy book, Betsy-Tacy and Tib.***
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*Emily of Deep Valley and Carney's House Party and Winona's Pony Cart
**If it were a contest, Maud Hart Lovelace would be in the running for Queen of Description.
***Which I will have to ILL, since--sadly--I can't find a public or university library in town that owns it.

Musical Monday (80): "Summer Forgets Me" by Deas Vail

2011-08-08T09:21:00.003-05:00

This week's song is "Summer Forgets Me" by Deas Vail. Enjoy!

Summer Forgets Me - Deas Vail (Official Video) from Mono Vs Stereo on Vimeo.

Happy Monday,

I wish my desk lit up, too.

2011-08-01T10:20:00.004-05:00

Behold the marvelous children's circulation desk at the public library in Champaign, Illinois. It lights up and changes colors:

Taking pictures in libraries is awkward, what with all the people studying and browsing. But this awkwardness didn't stop me.

Too pretty to leave un-photographed, no?

I took these pictures on a road trip with my friend Amber last week. Our mission? To check out some graduate programs in library science. Naturally, we also spied on the public library systems near the grad programs.

And Champaign's public library is a win.

Signs don't get much more awesome than this.

Other things that make Champaign fun, besides the Jane Addams Book Shop*:

The artwork taking shape on this fence downtown.

Pekara Bakery and Bistro, which makes great sandwiches, cookies, and crepes. We know this because we went there twice in one day. Amber took this picture after we finished a delicious, berry-filled crepe.

Colorful tabletop at one of the gajillion Espresso Royale coffeeshops in Champaign.

The Sousa Archives at the state university in Illinois. I'm a trumpet player, and I've never enjoyed playing his marches, so yes, I took pictures of period shoes instead of his sheet music.

The Art Theater, a lovely 98-year-old theater.

It was very hot inside, though. One of the owners of the Art Theater came in before the film we saw to explain that the old building isn't set up for air conditioning, and the unit they do have is too noisy to run during a movie. So they shut it off, and we roasted. But it was worth it. If you get a chance, I recommend seeing Beginners.** It made me laugh, cry, and wish my pet came with subtitles, too. Here's the trailer:

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*The Jane Addams Book Shop might be America's coolest used bookstore. Remember?
**Beginners is rated R for a reason, though, and is probably not suitable for an all-ages family movie night--which is too bad, because that subtitled dog is so cute.

Musical Monday (79): "We" by Joy Williams

2011-08-01T09:32:00.003-05:00

This week's song is "We" by Joy Williams. A little bit of the beginning is cut off in this recording, but it's not so much that the song no longer makes sense. Also, you may recognize Joy Williams as one half of The Civil Wars :)

Happy Monday/First-Day-of-August,

That's my girl

2011-07-29T15:26:00.000-05:00

A little girl brought Max and Ruby's Perfect Pumpkin to the checkout counter at the library this morning:

Image from bn.com

Me: Are you excited for fall already?

The girl's mother: I think she is. Yesterday she told me she wanted it to be colder outside.

Me: I want it to be colder, too.

The mom gave me a look.

Me: But not too cold! Just a little colder.

The mom: Yes, not like winter.

Me: No. No, not like winter.

The mom nodded as if to say, "Good. For a second there I thought I'd have to take our DVDs to the next checkout desk, because you are insane."

But, honestly? I like winter better than the recent heat wave that's been sizzling over the Midwest. And I'm so very excited for fall and pumpkins and hot chocolate and apple orchards and . . . Oh well. I will enjoy summer while it's here, but that doesn't mean I can't look forward to my favorite season.

Waiting for September,

America's coolest used bookstore might be in Champaign, Illinois.

2011-07-28T15:24:00.003-05:00

I went on a roadtrip with my friend Amber last week to check out a couple grad school programs for library science, and we spent last Friday afternoon in Champaign, where we discovered the Jane Addams Book Shop. Here are some of the pictures we took:

Shag carpeting . . .

. . . to go with the retro furniture.

Matching book-and-chair.

The Jane Addams Book Shop is three stories tall, and reminds me of Shakespeare and Company in Paris, France.

So, what do you think? Have you encountered a similar used bookstore? An even cooler one, perhaps?

"Did you see that cake? You're gonna need sunglasses."

2011-07-26T14:12:00.005-05:00

--another guest at my friend Chelsea's wedding two weeks ago. Behold the amazing rainbow cake, which was as delicious as it was colorful:

Happy Tuesday,

Book Review: Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

2011-07-19T10:14:00.000-05:00

Release Date: June 14, 2011
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 192

Source: My local library.

Summary:

At the beginning of his junior year at a boys' boarding school, 16-year-old Alex is devastated when he fails to save a drowning friend. When questioned, Alex and his friend Glenn, who was also at the river, begin weaving their web of lies. Plagued by guilt, Alex takes refuge in the library, telling his tale in a journal he hides behind Moby-Dick. Caught in the web with Alex and Glenn is their English teacher, Miss Dovecott, fresh out of Princeton, who suspects there's more to what happened at the river when she perceives guilt in Alex's writing for class. She also sees poetic talent in Alex, which she encourages. As Alex responds to her attention, he discovers his true voice, one that goes against the boarding school bravado that Glenn embraces. When Glenn becomes convinced that Miss Dovecott is out to get them, Alex must choose between them. (From the publisher.)
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Alex Stromm, a student at a North Carolina boarding school in the early 1980s, begins keeping a journal after his friend Thomas drowns in a river near the school. He hides his "journal/Not-So-Great American Novel" behind an ancient copy of Moby Dick in the library. He greets the reader on the first page:

My apologies to Herman Melville, from whom I may have to steal a few words to tell the story that is about to be told, that is in the middle of being told, that will never stop being told. Such is the nature of guilt; such is the nature of truth. But it is also the nature of guilt to sideline the truth.

Welcome to the sidelines, Dear Reader.*

The sidelines of Alex's thoughts are an intriguing place to be: the story of what happened at the lake the day Thomas died unwinds slowly, and details come to light that surprise even Alex, who was there. What Alex knows for sure, however, is that if anyone finds out what happened before Thomas drowned, he and the other two boys who were at the river--Glenn and Clay--will be expelled. And Glenn, the ringleader of the group, is not about to let that happen to himself.

Miss Dovecott, a new English teacher and recent Princeton graduate, was out for a run when she stumbled on the scene of Thomas's death. Glenn is certain that she knows more about what happened at the river than she lets on, and he suspects that she's waiting to use her knowledge against them. Glenn's plan to find out what Miss Dovecott knows (and get rid of her if necessary) coincides with Alex's growing relationship with Miss Dovecott. (It's not a romantic one, although Alex spends a lot of time writing about his awkward crush on her.) Miss Dovecott notices Alex's talent for writing, and she begins meeting with him one-on-one to encourage him to develop his skills.

Glenn is the one to suggest that Miss Dovecott may be using Alex to see if he reveals anything about Thomas's death in his writing. Glenn--who grows increasingly paranoid that Miss Dovecott plans to expose them--pushes Alex to choose between him and Miss Dovecott.

Alex's choice is guaranteed to spark conversation between readers.

Paper Covers Rock is a short novel, but I read it slowly. Author Jenny Hubbard's prose is beautiful and full of thoughtful observations about life and literature, yet still believable as the journal of a precocious high school poet-boy. Literary allusions springing from Alex's studies fill the novel's pages, too; Paper Covers Rock is as much about poetry as it is about the aftermath of Thomas's death.

(And in spite of the plot's intensity, Paper Covers Rock finds time to be funny: the school installs a fountain in memory of Thomas, who--let's not forget--drowned.)

Paper Covers Rock isn't a fantasy, but it is set in another time and-- unless the reader happens to be at a boarding school for boys in rural North Carolina--another place, and the setting feels real. For this reason, and also for the novel's prose, tight plotting, and wide appeal, Paper Covers Rock is one of the best books I've read in the past few years.

Paper Covers Rock possesses crossover appeal; Alex's struggle between self-preservation and doing the right thing is universal, and Miss Dovecott--although seen through the eyes of a teenage boy--is a strong adult character who provides someone for older readers to identify with. I recommend Paper Covers Rock to readers who appreciate psychological drama, mysteries, and realistic fiction.
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*This book may shame me into reading Moby Dick . . .**
**Bad English major, I know.

Musical Monday (78): "Things You Think" by Ben Folds & Nick Hornby, featuring Pomplamoose

2011-07-18T09:50:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday,

A Decade of Ron Weasley Looking . . .

2011-07-17T19:58:00.003-05:00

Dumbfounded.

Except that he doesn't look dumbfounded in all of these pictures.

(Via bookshelvesofdoom.)

Easy flower pins

2011-07-11T15:21:00.004-05:00

Last Friday, I decided I wanted to wear a flower button to work the next day.* I have one that I won from the lovely ladies at The Spotted Fox, but it's plaid and reminds me of autumn, and I wanted a summer-y flower.** So I made one:

After making The Spotted Fox's Sophisticated Bachelorette Brooch for a friend's Bridal Shower, I realized that the flower brooch I'd won was made similarly: it consists of two fabric yoyos--the top one about a half inch smaller than the bottom one; I used a 7 1/2" circle and a 7" circle for the size above--joined by buttons with a pin back and felt leaf sewed to the back. (I left off the leaf on this one.)

The bachelorette brooch, which is a single yoyo with felt attached to the top.

I'm a big fan of fabric yoyos (excellent tutorial recommend by The Spotted Fox HERE), because they are very difficult to screw up--unless you use weak thread, which will break when you pull it to finish the yoyo, forcing you to start over.

(I've done that. Don't do that.)

The autumn-ish pin I imitated. Image from The Spotted Fox.

Also, make sure you have big buttons on hand if you use small stitches, which make a larger yoyo center. Longer stitches make a smaller center, but little buttons still might not cover it. And just FYI, you don't need to cut out exact circles for the yoyos, although I'm sure doing so helps. I just eye-ball mine. Pin backs can be attached with hot glue or sewed on. For the pin in the picture, I sewed the pin back on and sewed a square of felt over it.

This pin was so much fun to make--no difficult techniques, no need to fire up the sewing machine, and no need to go buy a bunch of supplies. This project is a great way to use up fabric scraps. I'm probably going to make more flower pins, because I like wearing them. They make existing clothes more fun. Also, I think I walk taller because I feel all fancy with one on.
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*Brooch? I guess it could be called a brooch.
**Which is wonderful; I LOVE autumn. I'm already making my apple-orchard-visiting-plans. But it is summer . . .

Musical Monday (77): "Beaut" by Brooke Waggoner

2011-07-11T07:40:00.004-05:00

This week's song is "Beaut" by Brooke Waggoner. If there's any musician who makes me wish I had the gumption to take up the piano again, it's her.

Happy Monday,

Speaking of little cups

2011-06-30T12:43:00.005-05:00

I took a little tea cup I found in my mother's dish collection to the studio yesterday because I was thinking I might want a tea cup shape around for inspiration. I didn't do much with it, but it did amuse me. The cup was in the dish cabinet with the back facing front, and I think I know why. It's got one weird picture on the front:

Cat creature blowing out birthday candles?

For what it's worth, the bottom of the cup says "Made in Japan."

And I didn't really use it in the painting. Here's a detail; I might change parts of the whole yet.

And while I'm at it, here's another yet-to-be-titled piece:

I had so much fun in summer painting class in the nicely-lit upstairs studio, but I think I can move back into my basement cave sometime in July. I'm looking forward to it.

Also, Happy (Early) 4th of July! I will be out of town, and there will be no Musical Monday because I will be oohing and ahing at fireworks.

Musical Monday (76): "Little Cup" by Thao & Mirah

2011-06-27T10:13:00.002-05:00

This week's song is "Little Cup" by Thao and Mirah, because:

1. I don't have time to pick a song tomorrow (Monday), so I am putting this together on a stormy Sunday night, and this song makes me feel cozy.

2. I have two paintings to finish by 6 PM on Wednesday. (They're already in progress; I just need to figure out what I'm going to put on them next, which I probably won't know until I do it. Oh, the suspense . . .)

3. Due to my semi-pressing deadline, I will be in the studio a lot until Wednesday, and Thao and Mirah's self-titled album = Good Painting Music. I've already gone on about how much I like their music.

How are your summer projects going?

Happy Monday,

Book Review: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

2011-06-22T10:43:00.011-05:00

Release Date: May 24, 2011

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 400

Source: My local library.

Summary:
From bestselling, Print Award-winning author Libba Bray comes the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.

Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count. (From libbabray.com)
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Reading Beauty Queens is like watching a classic screwball comedy such as Bringing Up Baby*, but smarter: author Libba Bray keeps the satiric laughs and plot twists coming so quickly that reading this novel is almost exhausting.**

After the contestants for the Miss Teen Dream pageant crash on an island en route to the pageant venue, the survivors form two teams--the Sparkle Ponies and the Lost Girls--to salvage materials from the wreckage of the plane, and search for more survivors in the jungle. Unfortunately, the list of survivors is few, and food and water are in dangerously short supply. One beauty queen reflects on the girls' predicament:

"Ohmigosh. No food at all . . . . I am going to be so superskinny by pageant time!"

The beauty queens soon have more to worry about than food. In the universe of Bray's novel, a giant company called The Corporation seems to hold a monopoly on TV shows and all sorts of products. The Corporation also has political ambition and takes part in shady deals with leaders from other countries, like the one that's scheduled to take place between The Corporation and MoMo B. ChaCha, the dictator of the Republic of ChaCha (whose most trusted advisor is a stuffed lemur named General Good Times), on the same island as the one the beauty queens crashed on.

The resulting hijinks, violence, and explosions are wacky fun. Also, there are sequins.

Bray executes her outlandish plot with plenty of satire and wit, and the laughs don't stop when the Deep Thoughts begin. In Beauty Queens, Bray goes after materialism, gender roles, racism, society's attitude toward the handicapped, environmentalism, the fashion and beauty industries, and more. Bray invites readers to question the world around them: just because certain social ideas exist doesn't mean they're right.

Bray's main aim, however, seems to be to subvert the social expectations placed on girls and women. Bray clearly states within the novel that Beauty Queens is a sort-of retelling of Lord of the Flies, but with girls and a more positive view of humanity. While thinking about life on the island, Miss Nebraska muses:

"Maybe girls need an island to find themselves. Maybe they need a place where no one's watching them so they can be who they really are."***

Much of the novel focuses on identity. Each beauty queen has a specific struggle, although some characters bleed into the background while others are forceful and memorable.

I had mixed feelings about Beauty Queens until I finished it. The serious and funny parts don't always mesh very well, and much of the novel feels all-over-the-place. But now that I'm done reading it, I'm still thinking about it. And laughing. (General Good Times, anyone?) Beauty Queens is an enjoyable, intellectual novel, and I highly recommend it.

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*Bringing Up Baby trailer

**I'm not sure how Bray lives in her own head without laughing 24/7. Or maybe it's more of a cackle.

***This quote instantly reminded me of Barbara Kruger's 1981 work Untitled (Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face), which uses the format of a magazine cover to suggest how aggressive the way society scrutinizes women can be.

Image from SGA Art History

Musical Monday (75): "Raincoat Song" by The Decemberists

2011-06-20T09:34:00.002-05:00

Today's song is "Raincoat Song" by The Decemberists. It's quiet, cozy, and catchy. Also, I just checked the weather forecast, and I will need my raincoat this week.

Happy Monday,

My art is in a LIBRARY

2011-06-15T15:29:00.003-05:00

For the summer, anyway. Two of my paintings are in the City Employee Art Show. I ventured to the main library of the system I work for (I work at a branch location) to spy on them last weekend. They are all cozy behind the audio books in a little reading nook:

Snug (with apples) is on the right, and Mutability is on the left. You can see more pics of Mutability here.

The colors are--as always--so much yummier in real life, but these photos aren't bad as photos go. Here's a bit of a close-up on Snug:

Here's my newest painting for my Painting IV class this summer. It's currently untitled, because I'm not yet sure what I mean by it:

I had to drag it outside to get the colors to photograph at least sort-of accurately. I'm so glad my painting prof is accepting 3x3s from me instead of 4x4s like Mutability. (She's always pushing us to paint BIG, because paintings sometimes look smaller once they're on a wall.) I'm 5 feet 3 inches, and carrying a painting that is nearly the same size as me is difficult. I paint on hardboard framed on the side with pine, which is a little heavier than canvas. Also, I can actually get a 3x3 in my car.

I'm hoping to finish a second painting tonight. How are your summer projects going?

Musical Monday (74): "Locked Up" by Ingrid Michaelson

2011-06-13T10:31:00.002-05:00

This week's song is "Locked Up" by Ingrid Michaelson, because I like the bah-du-bum part at the end.

Happy Monday,

Book Review: Chime by Franny Billingsley

2011-06-10T11:21:00.012-05:00

Release Date: March 17, 2011
Publisher: Dial Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 368

Source: My local library.

Summary:
Before Briony's stepmother died, she made sure Briony blamed herself for all the family's hardships. Now Briony has worn her guilt for so long it's become a second skin. She often escapes to the swamp, where she tells stories to the Old Ones, the spirits who haunt the marshes. But only witches can see the Old Ones, and in her village, witches are sentenced to death. Briony lives in fear her secret will be found out, even as she believes she deserves the worst kind of punishment.

Then Eldric comes along with his golden lion eyes and mane of tawny hair. He's as natural as the sun, and treats her as if she's extraordinary. And everything starts to change. As many secrets as Briony has been holding, there are secrets even she doesn't know. (From frannybillingsley.com)
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Franny Billingsley's Chime is dark, yet uplifting. One of my favorite books in elementary school (and to this day) was Billingsley's The Folk Keeper.* Much like The Folk Keeper, Chime is about a girl who discovers startling truths about herself while learning how to give and receive love.** Briony isolates herself, and part of the fun of Chime is separating truth from the lies that surround Briony: lies that were told to Briony, and lies that Briony tells.

The novel begins:

I've confessed to everything and I'd like to be hanged.
Now, if you please.

As she recounts her story, Briony continues in this sharp, funny-yet-serious manner. Chime is set in turn of the century England, and new swamp-draining technology is coming to the Swampsea, where Briony lives with her mostly absent father and her identical twin, Rose. With the new technology come new residents, like Eldric, a funny, handsome "boy-man" who shows Briony a new side of herself as well as of people. Briony and Eldric bond over fighting lessons and Latin jokes. Briony says of Eldric:

If Eldric were to tell the story, he’d likely begin with himself, on the day he arrived in the Swampsea. That’s where proper stories begin, don’t they, when the handsome stranger arrives and everything goes wrong? But this isn’t a proper story, and I’m telling you, I ought to be hanged.

As indicated by her repeated insistence that she ought to be hanged, Briony struggles with guilt throughout the novel: guilt over her sister's peculiarities, guilt over the flood that damaged her family's home, guilt over her stepmother's recent death. Briony is convinced that she hurt Rose's head when they were children, which is why Rose speaks too loudly and needs looking after. Briony also tells the reader that she spoke to the Old Ones and called the flood that injured her Stepmother. She reminds herself of her misdeeds over and over, like scratching at a cut and never letting it heal.

Although the experience of reading Briony's guilt-ridden narration isn't as painful as it sounds, Chime is an intense read full of believable grief, regret, and all the painful and confusing bits that can accompany love. Chime is also funny, and fun. The atmosphere is fairytale-like, and the tales of the Old Ones in the swamp are both spine-tingling and entertaining. With words like "scareful," the dialect of the Swampsea is convincing. There is also unrequited love and silly crushes, as well as requited love and one of the most touching romances I've ever seen in literature. It's the best kind, in which the boy and girl act as equals. And all that guilt and darkness? Billingsley's characters find a way around it.

I recommend Chime to anyone who enjoys romance, folklore, family drama (Rose is a fantastic character), mysteries, and--of course--beautiful prose.
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*Add it to your reading list if you enjoy historical fantasy mixed with folklore and beautiful prose, and if you like reading, period. Seriously. I own a copy of The Folk Keeper, and it sits on the second shelf of my bookcase***, which I reserve for my Favorite Books of All Time.

**This aspect of Billingsley's novels is not as cheesy as it sounds. Pinky swear.

***Because that shelf is easiest to reach, of course.

Bridal Shower Pretties

2011-06-07T10:20:00.001-05:00

Two Saturdays ago I went to the first of what will (very likely) be many bridal showers for college friends. Many of my friends have become engaged within the last month, and I'm sure more will be engaged before graduation. (Ring by spring, anyone?*)

I took advantage of my new summer freetime by deciding to give my friend Chelsea some cute handmade goodies. While searching for gift ideas, I came across this Sophisticated Bachelorette Brooch at The Spotted Fox:

Image from The Spotted Fox

I just had to make one, and it was so much fun that--since I will not be lacking in friend-of-the-bride opportunities over the next couple years--I will probably make more. The brooch consists of felt, feathers, and a fabric yo-yo, which is surprisingly quick and easy to make. Not to mention addicting; I'm already planning to make little ones and stick magnets inside or try making different types of pins.

For the actual gift, I meant to go out and buy some fabric to sew kitchen towels and then decorate them with fabric paint, but I ended up choosing pre-made flour sack towels instead, because they allowed me to be lazy on top of being almost exactly like the kitchen towels my grandma and great-grandma embroidered long, long ago, and which my mother still uses. These things actually make me like drying dishes. I used a paint brush as well as a couple potato stamps (take a raw potato, cut it in half, carve some designs on it, enjoy) with non-toxic soft fabric paint I found at a big chain fabric store.

The theme of the bridal shower was the seasons, and we were to bring a gift for one of the seasons according to our last names. I got spring, so I made vaguely spring-y towels. I think I got a little overenthusiastic with background-y things, but the towels turned out okay. I only decorated the bottom right corners. The circle-type shape and the heart are from potato stamps:

I also used a potato stamp on the envelope for the card. I love having time to make gifts look pretty. If this shower were during the school year, I guarantee you that I would have shoved Chelsea's gifts into the first used gift bag I found in my closet. And it might have had a birthday or Christmas greeting on the front of it. The bachelorette brooch also makes a pretty present decoration:

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*A saying that refers to the tradition of couples meeting at college in the fall and getting engaged by the spring, or in spring. (In case you hadn't heard it. It's frequently said at my small Christian university . . .)

Musical Monday (73): "Movie Loves a Screen" by April Smith and the Great Picture Show

2011-06-06T07:00:00.002-05:00

This week's song is "Movie Loves a Screen" by April Smith and the Great Picture Show.

"One means somebody's lonely, company means there are two. Three means a crowd and it's about to get loud, four means more than a few. Five means to take a quick little break, and get back to work when you're through . . ."*

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*These are the words I think she's singing at the beginning (they're the ones I belt along with in the car, anyway), but I did not double-check myself. Just FYI.

Wishing you a Marvelous Monday,

Book Review: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

2011-06-02T10:19:00.001-05:00

Release Date: February 8, 2011
Publisher: Viking
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 592

Source: My local library.

Summary:

When historian Diana Bishop opens a bewitched alchemical manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library it represents an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordinary life. Though descended from a long line of witches, she is determined to remain untouched by her family’s legacy. She banishes the manuscript to the stacks, but Diana finds it impossible to hold the world of magic at bay any longer.

For witches are not the only otherworldly creatures living alongside humans. There are also creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires who become interested in the witch’s discovery. They believe that the manuscript contains important clues about the past and the future, and want to know how Diana Bishop has been able to get her hands on the elusive volume.

Chief among the creatures who gather around Diana is vampire Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist with a passion for Darwin. Together, Diana and Matthew embark on a journey to understand the manuscript’s secrets. But the relationship that develops between the ages-old vampire and the spellbound witch threatens to unravel the fragile peace that has long existed between creatures and humans—and will certainly transform Diana’s world as well. (From deborahharkness.com)
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A Discovery of Witches had me from the first chapter. The story begins in Oxford, where Diana Bishop, a historian specializing in alchemy, is doing research in the Bodleian Library. Much geeky fun is to be had in author Deborah Harkness's descriptions of the library and the old manuscripts Diana methodically explores. Harkness, like her protagonist--Diana--is a historian; thus, her descriptions of Diana's scholarly practices are probably accurate, and I enjoyed reading about Diana's research.

Diana is the last of the Bishops, a family of powerful witches. For the most part, she neglects her magic. So when one of the manuscripts she requests appears to be enchanted, she examines it as she would examine any normal manuscript, and she sends it back to the stacks. Later, when she wants to glance in a periodical at the top of a tall shelf, however, she decides to use her magic instead of wasting time getting help. A vampire sees her grab the book, and she is forced into meeting him. The vampire's name is Matthew Clairmont, a geneticist, and he is interested in the enchanted manuscript she examined earlier.

In Harkness's world, there are two types of beings: creatures and humans, and there are three types of creatures: witches, vampires, and daemons (freakishly creative and/or intelligent types). All three groups of creatures are interested in this mysterious book, but no one--until Diana--has been able to call it from the stacks of the Bodleian since the 1800s. Before the reader knows it, creatures are stalking Diana, and Matthew steps in as her protector. Also--of course--they begin to fall in love.

From here, Harkness crafts a tale full of mystery, magic, and plenty of historical tidbits. Unfortunately, the plot runs out of steam in the middle of the novel. Also, A Discovery of Witches begins to read like Twilight, but with an adult witch as the leading lady instead of a teenager. Matthew Clairmont is a typically manly and overprotective vampire. While Matthew is getting to know Diana, one of his friends points out that it sounds like he is hunting Diana, and Matthew replies, "'I know. I climbed into her window when she was sleeping. I follow her when she's running. She resists my attempts to help her, and the more she does, the hungrier I feel.'" Sound familiar? Not to mention creepy?

Diana is a strong, intelligent woman with the potential to be a very powerful witch, and I still can't figure out why she goes along with Matthew's overbearing behavior without complaining in any truly forceful terms until page 284, where she says, "'Stop telling me what to do, Matthew. My ideas about vampires may be romantic, but your attitudes toward women need a major overhaul.'"*

Amen, sister.

I may not be able to stand Matthew and Diana's romance, but I appreciate them both as characters. My favorite characters, though, are the secondary ones. Harkness creates a large-ish cast of endearing characters, including Matthew's mysterious family and Diana's two aunts in upstate New York. The settings of the novel--Oxford, France, and New York--are also fun and make for enjoyable armchair travel.

And while I found it difficult to push through the middle of A Discovery of Witches, the end (while not nearly as enthralling as the beginning) is satisfying enough. Discovery of Witches is the first in the All Souls trilogy, and next novel is due out in 2012. I recommend A Discovery of Witches to readers of paranormal romance, historical fiction, travel stories, and mysteries with a supernatural twist. This is a novel that may also have some crossover appeal with teens. A Discovery of Witches contains the kind of characters that take up residence in a person's head and play with one's imagination all day, and I am eager to see where Harkness takes them next.
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*More importantly, I don't understand why the author, an academic and therefore an intelligent woman herself, would create such a fictional relationship. I am interested to see how the tension between Diana's own power and Matthew's overprotective instincts plays out.

Pumpkin on a stick!

2011-05-26T21:20:00.000-05:00

I went to the store with my mom tonight to help her pick out seeds for her garden, and my eyes went immediately to the packages of seeds for pumpkins, gourds, and fall grasses. (Fall is my favorite season. I'm already getting excited for September.) When I saw a package of something called Pumpkin-on-a-stick, I made a noise that was something between a giggle and a gasp.

They're so cute, and odd, and--before this evening--I had no idea they existed. Take a look at the cuteness:

Image from Garden Life

The seeds suggested putting them in a high traffic area so one could be entertained by visitors' comments about the plant. I can imagine the questions:

"Is this thing real?"

"Why did you glue plastic pumpkins to your bush?"

"Are you planning on carving tiny jack o' lanterns?"

Yes, yes I am. (Image from Listsoplenty.)

They're just so odd and adorable. I want to plant some and stick them all over the apartment-ette (I call it that because it is very, very small and I'm wondering whether or not the university originally built them for two people) I will be sharing with three other girls across town next school year.

Not exactly pumpkins-on-a-stick, but still pretty cute. (Image from GoodHousekeeping.)

I waved the package excitedly at my mom, who she said we could buy them if I would take are of them. They would need to be staked, and I've never done much gardening. (I might manage to kill the cute little things.) But I may go back to the store and pick some up . . .

Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

2011-05-25T11:47:00.002-05:00

Release Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: Dutton
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 208

Source: My local library.

Summary:

It’s been three years since the devastating accident … three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard’s rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia’s home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future—and each other.

Told from Adam’s point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance. (From gayleforman.com)

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I made time for Where She Went back in the craziness of April when school was still in session, and I've been waiting to pull out my notes and rave about it ever since.* Whenever I opened it, I always read for longer than I meant to. That said, there seemed to be many natural stopping points. I rotated between being glued to the pages and wanting to put the book down for awhile, but Gayle Forman's characters and the delightful atmosphere of Where She Went were always on my mind.

The same economical, beautiful prose in If I Stay is present in Where She Went, only Adam plays the narrator, instead of Mia.

*Spoiler alert: People who haven't read If I Stay may want to quit reading now, although the biggest spoiler--the fact that Mia stays--is already evident from the existence of Where She Went. This warning is only a little unnecessary. . .*

I have much respect for Forman's unconventional handling of Mia's and Adam's romance. Where She Went is a funny (at times bitterly so), ultimately feel-good novel populated with realistic, imperfect people who don't always deal with each other and their situations in the best possible ways. Adam's voice comes across as realistically upset and depressed as he makes sense of the downside of rock 'n roll fame and Mia's inexplicable rejection of him. (Translation: He swears. A lot. But never for no reason.)

Where She Went is intense, yet cozy. Even when it's strained, Mia's and Adam's relationship feels like a well-worn pair of shoes. I imagine the coziness is amplified for readers who are already acquainted with these characters, but enough background information is provided for readers to read the two books out of order.

Where She Went is a graceful novel that explores changes and ups and downs in relationships while allowing the reader to vicariously experience the exciting lives of two remarkably successful twenty-one-year-olds: a rockstar and a classical cellist. Forman highlights beautiful details, like how the sounds of the crowds at concerts for Adam's band changed as the band grew in popularity. I recommend Where She Went to readers who like contemporary fiction with a dash of inspiration, as well as readers interested in romance and family dramas. Where She Went is a book that affirms that people can get back together and grow and change. And the writing is GORGEOUS.
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*Any book I made time for in that whirlwind of a month had to be very, very good, and Where She Went was evidently good enough to come between me and my textbooks.

Previously by Gayle Forman: If I Stay

Oh, the Irony: On Procrastination

2011-05-24T15:12:00.001-05:00

I watched this video last week when I was procrastinating studying for my Art History final.

I find this video entertaining and brilliant, and I plan on inflicting it on the freshmen in my academic mentoring discussion group in the fall. (Insert evil laugh here?) Officially, I'm supposed to discourage procrastination. (And this video has some great tips for reducing it.) But in real life, I think procrastination can be useful. Taking a break can lead to more creative thinking. I get some of my best ideas for my assignments when I'm avoiding them. (Which I sometimes do by doing research for other assignments. . .)

For me, the trick was acknowledging my procrastination habits and figuring out how to work with them. (In other words, I actually make time to chase rabbits and get off task.) I also know that, when I plan to cut assignments close, I'm playing with fire. A bazillion things could go wrong that I don't have time to fix: the printer might malfunction, I might misplace all my pencils, etc. But, because I work best by taking up all the time I have to work on something instead of finishing it super early, I regularly accept these risks.

How do you feel about procrastination? Is it worthless or potentially useful?

Magenta/Burgundy/Purplish Color!

2011-05-24T14:34:00.004-05:00

...in my hair!

I was getting my hair cut today when my neighbor lady (who is the hairstylist I go to) suggested putting a temporary colored thingy in my hair. I like it--all the fun of hair dye without actually changing my hair color. Also, I can easily cover it because its presence is only obvious when I pull my hair back with a bobby pin.

Fun fun fun :)

(And why yes, that is a foam wreath form hanging on the lamp behind me. I intend to do something crafty and fun with it sometime this summer . . .)

Musical Monday (72): "How Dare You" by Thao & Mirah

2011-05-23T20:52:00.003-05:00

Better late in the day than never, right?

I first heard of Thao and Mirah on NPR.org's First Listen, where I listened to their collaborative album that was released this spring. (You can't listen to it there anymore, though . . .) I recognized Thao from her song "Violet," which was stuck in my head for about a month after I featured it on a Musical Monday. (This song also inspired part of a workshop on incorporating text in artwork in my drawing class. I may turn parts of the workshop into a painting.)

A workshop in charcoal and white acrylic paint on a large piece of crappy paper. The bits of text are from Thao's "Violet" and the poem, "Winter: My Secret" by Christina Rossetti.

Anyway. "How Dare You" is on Thao and Mirah's self-titled album, which I have enjoyed listening to both in the studio and at my laptop.

Thao & Mirah "How Dare You" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Last but not least, I am officially done with my junior year of college! Which means more posts here :)

Wishing you a Marvelous Monday,

"Interjections!"

2011-05-15T17:27:00.001-05:00

I will probably be asked some questions about them at the final for my Communication, Language, and Grammar class.

I am so ready to be done with this semester.

"It seems kind of gangster cute."

2011-05-03T15:29:00.002-05:00

I just had to surface from end-of-semester-craziness to share this:

You can read the story instead of listening to it here. And you can see outakes and visuals below:

Crochet On A Bear Statue from Jennifer Sharpe on Vimeo.

Doing artsy things outside and being mystified by the lack of response from joggers, etc? I know nothing about it.

NPR's Best Photo from the Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T14:21:00.001-05:00

While millions of onlookers enjoyed the newlyweds' kiss at Buckingham Palace, a certain someone (left) seemed to be not pleased. (Caption via NPR.)

Path to Somewhere

2011-04-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

One of the assignments for my Intro to Sculpture class was to go outside and make a sculpture. We had Good Friday off last week, so my friend/classmate, Carrie, and I went to a park and went scouting along the bike trails until we found the perfect spot.

A tiny ravine + curving vines? Check yes!

We envisioned a little arched pathway into . . . well, where it might lead is for the viewer to explore or imagine. We began by untwisting loose vines from tree branches and adding them to our portion of bushes to make the faint arch that was already there stronger.

There's not much to see yet, but the vines we moved are there...

Next came adding dead long grass, which was abundant along the trails.

Grass.

More grass.

Red seeds for a little color on gray day.

Really. This was the view directly behind us. It was supposed to rain all afternoon, but we were lucky; no rain fell while we worked.

The sun even came out when we were about done.

But of course the clouds came back. Here's the finished product; you can kind see a glimpse of the river through the arch.

We called it quits at this point because we liked how our project looked, and the wind was also picking up and turning our arch into a furry wild thing. Curling pieces of grass began to fall gently to the ground, and I wish I'd been able to get a picture, because the piece only looked more beautiful as it began to fall apart. (And part of the project was letting our creation go back to nature.)

A few joggers and people out walking their dogs passed us as we worked, but only one person stopped to ask what we were doing. I was curious what joggers saw when they went past the arch, so I took a tiny run and then filmed it with my camera. I forgot that I can't rotate a movie halfway through, though, so you'll have to turn your head about halfway through:

I enjoy how the arch directs one's gaze straight through to the river. And that's another project done!

Carrie and Me: happy faces!

Much mud was stuck to the bottom of our boots. I recommend going outside and getting some stuck to yours, too. I felt like a kid playing outside again.

Happy Spring,

Something to like on a Monday

2011-04-25T11:39:00.001-05:00

I don't really like Piet Mondrian or the de Stijl movement--the Centre Pompidou was featuring a Mondrian exhibit when I was in Paris in January, and I was quite glad that it was closed when we walked by because that meant I didn't have to go in--but for some reason, I do like this message board I spotted on ModCloth:

Image from ModCloth.

Musical Monday (71): "I'm Reading a Book" by Julian Smith

2011-04-25T10:30:00.004-05:00

I'm still alive and fine and all; I've just been horribly busy.

But not too busy to enjoy this week's song, "I'm Reading a Book" by Julian Smith.

"I'm at the library where they call me a crook. I never even pay for my library books . . ." Too much fun. (Found via the hilarious Kiersten White.)

Hoping you had a happy Easter (or a lovely Sunday if you don't celebrate Easter),

and wishing you a Marvelous Monday,

A zombie-free campus & a French film

2011-04-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday! (If I fake enthusiasm, maybe I'll begin to feel it?) There is no song today because I wanted to post about other things.

First, in the war between humans and zombies on my college campus, the humans won! Hooray! One of my friends who played the game and managed to stay human until the end informed me that the humans won by detonating a cookie bomb that made all the zombies human again. A campus-wide e-mail announced their victory and explained what a cookie bomb is:

The eight-day saga finally ended Wednesday afternoon when a brave group of Human Resistance fighters were able to construct a Zombie Virus Cure Bomb using ingredients that they had to gather from around campus. (When combined, the cure’s ingredients doubled as a recipe for chocolate chip cookies… Who knew, right?)

Despite suffering key personnel losses at the hands of a fierce zombie contingent, sixteen Resistance members were still able to hold off long enough to detonate the Cure Bomb, sending the Zombie Virus Cure into the air . . . and turning everyone immediately (and hopefully permanently) back into a human. Breathe a sigh of relief, campus – no Zombie Apocalypse this year!

I miss the spontaneous Nerf gun fights in between classes, but I'm glad the paranoia is over. Some people got really, really into it. Zombie patrols outside dorms made it difficult for humans to sneak out to the cafeteria for supper. One of my friends who was playing explained that it was hardest on the underclassmen, who had to go to the caf (because they're required to have meal plans), but that they should have stocked up before the game...just like in a real zombie apocalpyse. She said this with a straight face.

I also miss seeing this on the bulletin board by Student Development near the coffee shop:

Risk of Zombie Attack: High

But I'll get over it. There was a Zombie-Human Peace Fire on Friday night that was advertised as:
S’mores. Campfire songs. Conflict resolution. I didn't make it, but it sounds like it was a good opportunity for both sides to make up and move on.

Aaaand second, I spent part of my Saturday afternoon at a mandatory film event for French class. We watched Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis, which is translated as Welcome to the Sticks. I'm not sure why; there's nothing about sticks in this movie. But it is funny. Here's the UK trailer:

My French prof is from Belgium, and she explained that Shtis is a dialect in the north of France. She's from southern Belgium--not too far from the part of France that speaks Shtis--so she understands it. Apparently they turn a lot of "s" sounds into "sh." This film reminds me of New in Town (trailer below), but...funnier.

Wishing you a Marvelous Monday,

My first art reception...

2011-04-09T20:27:00.003-05:00

...was last week. The show was a group exhibition of works from collaboration projects between visual artists and writers in the fall.

Me and my painting, Mutability. (The color is slightly off in this photo, but that's life...and cameras.)

If you think the patch of blue on the lower right looks like water, you're not wrong. The writer I was paired with decided to write about self-image, and water seemed to correspond with his concept. One can see one's reflection in water--contemplate oneself--but water, and the images reflected on it, move constantly. And the way we think about ourselves shifts constantly, too. This painting turned out more nonobjective than I thought it would, but it works for the project. And I like it.

I know you want to see it from another angle.

I also really like being in a show with a reception and nibbly-dibblies and everything. (There was really good banana bread with chocolate chips.) As a double major, I had writing in the show, too. It was in a booklet hanging at a reading station with all the other essays, including the one by the writer I collaborated with--but most people, including me, were more absorbed by the visual art. Probably because you can't eat reception goodies and hold a booklet open at the same time.

Musical Monday (70): "Race You" by Elizabeth and the Catapult

2011-04-04T07:00:00.004-05:00

From The Ice Cream Changes to Pachelbel Rant

2011-04-01T11:08:00.002-05:00

I showed The Ice Cream Changes to my roommate last night. She's a music major, so she shared it with a music prof, who then told her about Pachelbel Rant.

The guy in Pachelbel Rant does with the chords of Pachelbel's "Canon in D" what Hank Green does with The Ice Cream Chords. One small warning: There are a few swear words toward the end of the video. If you for some reason do not want to hear them, stop watching at about 4:50.

"Punk music is a joke, it's really just baroque."

"Quick, are there zombies by the door?"

2011-03-31T21:22:00.002-05:00

It's not every day I get asked this question.

A game of Zombies vs. Humans began on campus yesterday. I didn't sign up because I don't have time to participate this week, but I love watching the mayhem. I came upon a human-zombie confrontation on my way to Art History this morning, and I'm pleased to say that the humans appeared to be holding their own.

The rules are as follows: Humans wear red bandanas on their arms, and zombies wear red bandanas on their heads. Humans can fight zombies off with nerf guns or balled-up socks. All human-zombie battles, attacks, etc. take place outside only. I saw a pack of zombies patrolling the front doors of my dorm around suppertime, and I think a lot of the humans chose to stay in.

They did tonight, anyway. I'm in my university's Jazz Ensemble, and we played some music in the coffee shop tonight for Swing Night. Usually, people show up and swing dance, but hardly anyone came tonight. Our director joked into the microphone, "What's going on? Are there zombies on campus or something?" *Ba dum chh*

And the few people who did show up to dance? Most of them were zombies. I'm not sure if the three humans who came made it out alive.

Happy Almost-Friday,

The Ice Cream Changes

2011-03-31T21:13:00.001-05:00

The "Friday, Friday" bit is where I really cracked up.

Musical Monday (69): "Leave The City, Leave Your Room!" by Lohio

2011-03-28T07:00:00.003-05:00

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of, because Mondays are often less than marvelous and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

This week's song is "Leave the City, Leave Your Room!" by Lohio. It's the first song on the embedded player below. I heard it on the ModCloth Blog, of all places. (I love looking at the clothes, accessories, apartment goods, etc. that ModCloth sells--the colors and patterns on the site make for inspiring eye candy.) I bought the song shortly after hearing it, put it on my iPod, and went to go chisel away at my stone carving project for sculpture. It's a great song to carve to. (And to do other things to, I'm sure. I just haven't gotten that far in life yet.) Also, it sounds like spring.

Enjoy!

Wishing you a Marvelous Monday,

Book Cat

2011-03-24T10:58:00.002-05:00

I'm on Spring Break this week, so I decided to indulge in some fun, non-homework reading on a sunny spot of my parents' living room floor. I got up to answer the phone or something, and I came back to see my sixteen-year-old cat, Emily, doing this:

Mmm...book

She used to nap beside me when I read books in elementary school--it seems she hasn't forgotten. (If you're curious, the book being used as a cat pillow is The Vespertine.)

What? Book + sun= perfect nap spot. You can finish this page later.

Book Review: The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

2011-03-24T10:21:00.000-05:00

Release Date: March 7, 2011

Publisher: Harcourt

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 304

Source: Bought.

Summary:

The summer of 1889 is the one between childhood and womanhood for Amelia van den Broek-and thankfully, she’s not spending it at home in rural Maine. She’s been sent to Baltimore to stay with her stylish cousin, Zora, who will show her all the pleasures of city life and help her find a suitable man to marry.

Archery in the park, dazzling balls and hints of forbidden romance-Victorian Baltimore is more exciting than Amelia imagined. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset-visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. Newly dubbed “Maine’s Own Mystic”, Amelia is suddenly quite in demand.

However, her attraction to Nathaniel, an artist who is decidedly outside of Zora’s circle, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own- still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him. And while she has no trouble seeing the futures of others, she cannot predict whether Nathaniel will remain in hers.

When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause. (From the author's website.)

_________________________________________________

The Vespertine in three words = mischievous, creepy, and gorgeous.

The mischief starts with the first sentence: "I woke in Oakhaven, entirely ruined." This sentence could lead to a cautionary and/or steamy tale of a young, imprudent Victorian woman, but--thankfully--it introduces the reader to Amelia van den Broek, an only slightly imprudent young Victorian woman, who is locked in the attic of her brother's house in Maine. Author Saundra Mitchell goes on to allow Amelia to tell the reader how she came to be there, transitioning back to her brother's house--from the events to their aftermath, and back again--a couple times throughout the story.

Amelia recounts her arrival in Baltimore, and how she makes friends with Zora, who she is staying with, and Zora's friends, Sarah and Mattie. (I have to mention their names because I feel I know them so well; there are no small parts in The Vespertine.) Zora's family hosts a dinner party shortly after Amelia arrives. Unfortunately, one of the guests cancels at the last moment, leaving thirteen people at the table. Thirteen is an unlucky number, so Zora's parents hire a young man to round out the party. His name is Nathaniel, and he is a starving artist. Of course, he's attractive, and Amelia is instantly captivated and self-conscious. Starving artists are not, of course, marriage material, but Mitchell avoids a cookie cutter forbidden romance by adding a supernatural twist. Nathaniel seems to be everywhere and anywhere, and he seems to appear out of nowhere; he has a secret.

Amelia has a secret, too. On the night of the dinner party, she sees figures in the sunset outside the window. Her vision comes to pass, and soon she and her new friends are testing the limits of her gift. Word travels, and soon Amelia and her friends are entertaining legions of callers and telling their fortunes over tea. It's all good fun until Amelia stops seeing wedding dresses and spies disasters instead. A tangled web of different people's emotions and agendas makes for an intense resolution.

The Vespertine isn't completely dramatic, though; it's fun and funny, too. Amelia and Zora peek at Zora's crush through fence posts, giggle over late night conversations, hold boys' hands without wearing gloves (oh, the scandal!), practice archery, and get up to all sorts of hijinks. And they do it all in tight-fitting, movement-constricting corsets in Mitchell's gorgeous and atmospheric prose. Seriously, nearly every sentence of The Vespertine is a treat to read. I wasn't always glued to the plot, but I was always in love with the language.

I recommend The Vespertine to readers who enjoyed Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, etc.) as well as those who enjoy a dash of the supernatural with their historical fiction. As far as I can tell, Mitchell allows her characters to enjoy unusual adventures without ignoring the realistic consequences of their behavior within late nineteenth-century social rules. I am eagerly looking forward to The Springsweet, a companion novel to The Vespertine, which is due to be released next spring.

Night Writer's Choose Your Own Pre-Order Giveaway

2011-03-23T10:53:00.000-05:00

Myrna at Night Writer is putting on a fabulous Choose Your Own Pre-Order giveaway. The prize is a pre-order of one of the following books: Forest Born (with its delicious Allison Jay cover) by Shannon Hale, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, or Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.

Personally, I want all three. (Although I chose Daughter of Smoke and Bone.)

If you like these authors, you should probably enter. And you should probably do it like, right now, because the contest ends on March 23rd, and it's March 23rd. (I may not be early, but I am on time.) All you have to do is leave a comment telling Myrna which book you'd like to win. Links to the contest--like this one--count as extra entries.

A Great and Terrible Library

2011-03-22T16:35:00.001-05:00

"Sorry, I get very upset when people screw around with libraries."

I am very interested to hear what the Nerdfighters discover about this library. And while I can empathize with John Green's frustration that Ivan the Terrible died before he could think to tell someone where the fancy library is, I'm not helping them research because I'm frustrated with a research project of my own. More on that later.

Happy Tuesday,

Musical Monday (68): "Novel" by Tim Williams

2011-03-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

And the winner of the Spring Fever Contest is. . .

2011-03-20T16:17:00.004-05:00

. . . Hillary, whose favorite thing about spring is May flowers. (That was most people's choice; April showers, Easter candy, and spring cleaning each received the same amount of votes. Strange.)

Thank you to all who entered!

Contest Reminder

2011-03-16T13:46:00.001-05:00

The Prize: a $30 gift certificate to CSN Office Furniture's online store.

The Deadline: this Friday

Number of entries so far: Seven

Your chances of winning because there are only seven entries: Very, very good.

Where to enter: this link

Wishing you luck if you decide to enter,

Musical Monday (67): "Lady in Spain" by Ingrid Michaelson

2011-03-14T07:00:00.009-05:00

Ladies in Spain. (The beach in Barcelona, to be specific.) I'm the one on the right.

I haven't gotten to finishing my January travel posts yet, but I think I'll put up some photos and stories over Spring Break, which is in one week. (It can't come soon enough.)

Also, if you like office furniture (like bookshelves, hem hem) you should check out the Spring Fever Contest. I can count the entries on one hand right now, so your chances of winning a $30 gift code to put toward some new furniture at one of CSN's online stores are really, really good.

Wishing you a Marvelous Monday,

Spring Fever Contest: CSN Stores Gift Code Giveaway

2011-03-07T10:33:00.001-06:00

I watch the Weather Channel every morning, but lately it upsets me. The weather forecast keeps saying, "Snow snow snow," and, "More snow," and, "Oh, did you really think last Friday's unseasonably warm weather was going to last? Here's some more snow."

I am ready for spring.

Whatever climate you live in, it's always nice to break up the winter ho-hums with free things. I was recently asked by CSN, a group of online retail sites that you may have seen around the blogosphere, if I wanted to give away a gift code. And, thinking of you, dear readers--as well as the many fabulous bookshelves available at CSN Office--I said yes.

My personal favorite among CSN's selection of bookcases:

Wildon Home Spine Book Tower

Finally, my stacks of books would appear more organized. (And it looks great for small spaces, too.)

For the exciting chance to win a $30 gift code to put toward a bookcase or table or whatnot among CSN's office furniture, please fill out the form at the bottom of this post.

Official Contest Information:

You must be at least 13 years old to enter.
Contest is open to US and Canadian residents only. (Sorry--the gift code won't work anywhere else.)
Contest deadline is Friday, March 18th
To enter, please fill out the form below. All answers are confidential and will be deleted at the close of this contest.
Telling others about this gift-code-winning opportunity--a link to this contest on your blog/twitter/etc.--is required in the contest form.
One entry per person.
The winner will be picked at random.

Good luck,

*I was not financially compensated for this post, and all opinions are my own.

My favorite stage of drawing

2011-03-07T07:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday morning! There is no song this week because:

1. I'm still listening to Eisley.

2. Uploading a couple of pictures from my phone is quicker than choosing a song, and I am rather busy this week. One of the things that is keeping me busy is the copy of an Old Master painting due in Drawing this week. I chose Diego Velazaquez's The Spinners, and while I love the composition, I'm beginning to think it was too ambitious a choice. Here's the lower left corner of my copy on last Wednesday:

I love this part-finished/part sketched out stage of drawing.

Aaaaaaannd an hour later...

...only this much more is done.

I've never been the fastest person in the studio.

Wishing you a Marvelous Monday,

Musical Monday (66): "Ten Cent Blues" and "The Valley" by Eisley

2011-02-28T08:20:00.003-06:00

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of, because Mondays are often less than marvelous and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

This week's songs are "Ten Cent Blues" and an acoustic version of "The Valley" by Eisley because 1. "Ten Cent Blues" is one of my favorite songs ever, and 2. Eisley has a new album coming out tomorrow. "The Valley" is a song from a previous EP that is on the new album.

Enjoy!

Wishing you a Marvelous Monday that is less busy than mine (I mean to return the favor of comments. Honest, I do...),

Book Review: The Radleys by Matt Haig

2011-02-21T10:43:00.003-06:00

Release Date: December 2010

Publisher: Free Press

Age Group: Adult/YA crossover appeal

Pages: 384

Source: My local library.

Summary:

Just about everyone knows a family like the Radleys. Many of us grew up next door to one. They are a modern family, averagely content, averagely dysfunctional, living in a staid and quiet suburban English town. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have—for seventeen years—been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could live normal lives.

One night, Clara finds herself driven to commit a shocking—and disturbingly satisfying—act of violence, and her parents are forced to explain their history of shadows and lies. A police investigation is launched that uncovers a richness of vampire history heretofore unknown to the general public. And when the malevolent and alluring Uncle Will, a practicing vampire, arrives to throw the police off Clara's trail, he winds up throwing the whole house into temptation and turmoil and unleashing a host of dark secrets that threaten the Radleys' marriage.

The Radleys is a moving, thrilling, and radiant domestic novel that explores with daring the lengths a parent will go to protect a child, what it costs you to deny your identity, the undeniable appeal of sin, and the everlasting, iridescent bonds of family love. Read it and ask what we grow into when we grow up, and what we gain—and lose—when we deny our appetites. (From Simon & Schuster)
________________________________________________
The Radleys is addictive, funny, and beautifully written. And if you can't already tell, I really really liked it.

While the title characters of the novel, the Radleys, are a family of vampires, their story is less about blood lust than truth, temptation, and family. Author Matt Haig uses vampirism to explore secrets, lies that adults tell children to protect them, and temptations like adultery. Peter and Helen Radley are Abstainers who haven't given into temptation in years. And until an unfortunate incident involving an accidental death in a field, their children, Clara and Rowan, aren't even aware of their peculiar family secret.

Clara and Rowan are understandably upset to find that their parents lied to them. Complete abstinence from both human and vampire blood--Haig's version of the myth allows vamps to drink either one--comes with a price: the Radleys all have to wear SPF 60 sunscreen and they get rashes from the sun. They have difficulties sleeping instead of roaming at night and they always have headaches and feel slightly sick. The one thing that would make them feel better is something that they cannot, in good conscience, take. Instead, Peter and Helen told their kids they had photodermatitis and watched as Clara and Rown went through life as the awkward, sickly kids at school. Now, as teenagers, Clara loves animals but is unable to get close to them because they're scared of her and Rowan is in love with the new girl in school but can't find the confidence to tell her.

Add in a violent and unpredictable uncle, a monumental family secret, and a very tangled web of past actions and you get a thrilling tale packed with dramatic irony. For all the thrills, though, much of The Radleys feels normal. It's a story about a family. Given that the novel is shelved in the adult section, there are swear words, suggestive scenes, and violence, but there isn't anything that outpaces what can be found in young adult novels. The Radleys crosses age boundaries well.

I loved this book and when I brought it back to the library I wanted to wave it in the air and tell everyone I saw to put it on hold right away. I recommend it to anyone who likes solid writing, family dramas, vampire or paranormal novels, and love stories.

Musical Monday (65): "Violet" by Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

2011-02-21T07:00:00.003-06:00

Versailles + the Wonders of Google Art Project: Paris Part Cinq

2011-02-14T21:40:00.001-06:00

One of the last things I did near Paris was visit Versailles, which I recommend doing at least once if you happen to be in France because it is PRETTY:

The Hall of Mirrors

One could say it's almost too pretty, though. There was so much silk and gilding and decoration of all sorts that I felt like I was attempting to appreciate a too-sugary dessert. I may have said that about the Opera, too.

But you don't have to take my word or my pictures for it. Art Project, powered by Google, is a fantastic new website that allows people to explore museums around the world. One of the available museums is the Palace of Versailles. Go visit Google Art Project and make your own virtual way through its decadent rooms. Visit the Hall of Mirrors and stop in Marie Antoinette's bedroom. Stop in Louis XVI's, too. They both have feathers on top of their beds. I found them humorous in person.

I also found some of the greenery in the garden funny:

Humorous Topiaries.

A nude statue holding her hand out and pleading for some clothes.

Versailles is beautiful, ridiculous, and interesting. I had a couple Art History geek moments; there's a bust of Louis XIV by Bernini and a portrait of Marie Antoinette by Vigee-Lebrun, a female painter. You'll see them if you take the Google tour. I also wondered how the people who lived and worked in the palace in the eighteenth century thought of all the decorations as I explored the palace. I wondered what it was like to be in the palace when the French Revolution was beginning, specifically when a bunch of peasant women marched on Versailles and made the royal family move to Paris. If you're unfamiliar with that story, John Green made a very informative series of videos on the French Revolution, starting with this one:

And if Google Art Project doesn't satisfy your desire to explore Versailles from afar I recommend watching the movie Marie Antoinette. Much of it was filmed in Versailles. I watched it a couple years ago and I watched it again when I came back so I could have fun recognizing all the rooms.

Staci, Becca, Me, and Jaimie in front of Versailles. Check out how shiny the palace is--the gates and roof are gilded with real gold.

And since you asked, Myrna, my camera is a Samsung SL620. It's small, red, and does most things that I want it to except take non-blurry indoor pictures sans flash. But I suppose that's asking for the moon anyway. I bought it in the summer of 2009 in preparation for my January 2010 trip to Italy because I broke my old Canon Powershot doing this project for Intro to Design during my first semester of college:

(You have to pretend those bits of carpet around the piece aren't there...)

I was attempting to take a picture of the circular opening of a traffic cone when I dropped my camera onto a sidewalk. It still takes pictures but the lens protector won't close and I have to be super careful with it to keep the lens safe. I didn't want to be super careful when taking pictures in Italy so I bought a new camera.

Up next in this travel series is the Musee D'Orsay and a night to train to Barcelona!

Heart-Shaped Cakes in Stop Motion: a Youtube Valentine

2011-02-14T10:00:00.002-06:00

Via Cakespy.

Musical Monday (64): "You're My Favorite" by Joy Williams

2011-02-14T07:00:00.002-06:00

You know that contest I just posted about with the fabulous, fabulous print?

2011-02-12T22:17:00.001-06:00

I won it.

I'm so excited to find a place for the print in my dorm room and a spot for the brooch on my coat :)

Kelly and Sara, the ladies who put the contest on at The Spotted Fox, also recently posted this delicious video about Mast Brothers Chocolate and I feel duty-bound to share the chocolatey footage:

Happy Saturday,

The Spotted Fox's February Contest

2011-02-09T14:40:00.002-06:00

I discovered The Spotted Fox, a blog full of beautiful pictures and artistic inspiration, in December. I've been meaning to add a link to it on the sidebar. I also really enjoy their DIY projects. There are about five I would do right now if the spring semester weren't in full swing.

Kelly and Sara, the women behind The Spotted Fox, also put on a monthly contest. This month they are giving away a fabulous print by Sara from their Etsy shop and an adorable plaid brooch by Kelly:

Image from The Spotted Fox

They posted a picture of the print a few weeks ago (three? four?) and I immediately fell in love with it. So I'm entering their contest. But if I don't win I may have to try to buy one. To enter the contest simply go here and comment with the names of your favorite couple, past or present. Mine is Victoria and Albert. True love + politics. The contest ends today (Feburary 9th), so I suggest entering soon...

Musical Monday (63): "Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars

2011-02-07T07:00:00.004-06:00

Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of, because Mondays are often less than marvelous and music is happy--even when it's sad. If you'd like to join the party make your own Musical Monday post and leave a comment!

This week's song is "Barton Hollow" by The Civil Wars. Their first album, Barton Hollow, was released last Tuesday and I like it. A lot. The Civil Wars is a duo composed of Joy Williams and John Paul White. I've been listening to Joy Williams since I was in middle school and I started listening to The Civil Wars a couple years ago. (They were featured on Musical Monday (3) . . . which is sixty Musical Mondays ago. Whoa.) As much as I like The Civil Wars, though, "Barton Hollow" was an acquired taste for me. I didn't like this song the first time I heard it but it grew on me.

What do you think?

Wishing you a Magazine-worthy Monday,

PS: If you go the Civil Wars's website you can download "Barton Hollow" as well as a live album (which is very good, btw) for free. Just so you know.

Cimetière du Père-Lachaise: Paris Part Quatre

2011-02-02T12:34:00.000-06:00

I spent a cloudy afternoon at Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, a cemetery readers may recognize from Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss or Vanina Marsot's Foreign Tongue. (If you sense a theme of me visiting places from these books. . . well, you're not wrong.)

The first thing you should know about Père-Lachaise is that it is HUGE:

This is a picture of me peering around a mausoleum near a path that goes on for a very long time.

Père-Lachaise features a circle with benches . . . and a speed limit sign. Graves rise up on a hill.

I felt like I was in a tiny town.

Here is a sad statue. (Although when my mother saw the picture she suggested that statue-woman simply had a headache.)

And while I'm on the subject of sadness, it's difficult to imagine coming to this place to mourn. As I wandered the cemetery with my friend, Becca, a chill breeze played with our hair and we heard ravens cawing. (If not ravens, then crows. All I know is that large black birds were making loud noises.)

We felt like we were exploring an elaborate horror movie set.

Crunchy fall leaves still littered the ground. It could've been October.

And I did not find this reassuring.

But at least this necropolis has division signs that look like street signs.

The signs didn't stop us from getting lost, though. Père-Lachaise is an astounding, wonderful (and free) place to visit but I recommend bringing a map of the cemetery or paying closer attention to the map at the front. I glanced at where Oscar Wilde's grave was and thought I could just angle in that direction. False. The graves are jumbled together in irregular lines and--as previously noted--it's a huge, huge cemetery. Becca and I didn't find a famous person's grave; we were happy enough just to find our way out.

I Found Creepy Uncle: Paris Part Trois

2011-02-01T15:54:00.005-06:00

If you didn't know, there's a bookstore near Notre Dame called Shakespeare And Company. Readers may recognize it from Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss or Vanina Marsot's Foreign Tongue.

Graphic Design Prof and Painting Prof enjoying the little table in front of the store.

If you like books (and if you're reading a blog called Bookduck I think it's safe to assume you do), you should go there because the inside is a bibliophile's dream:

BOOK HEAVEN.

Ahem.

Signs asking visitors not to take new books to the upstairs library.

Me pretending to read (thoughtfully) in the upstairs library.

I could have spent all day in Shakespeare and Co. I didn't buy any books there (which I regret) but I did buy some French-language children's books at another store. One of them, Il Etait Une Fois. . . (or Once Upon a Time) by Benjamin Lacombe is a gorgeous pop-up book that needs no translation:

Beautiful, n'est pas?

*****

The Louvre is pretty, too. It's the world's biggest art-history-geek playground. See the painting below? We turned a corner and stopped dead in our tracks because we knew it was a painting from the earlier part of the Italian Renaissance by Cimabue, a Florentine painter.

Staci, Me, and Becca in front of Cimabue's The Madonna and Child in Majesty Surrounded by Angels.

Our faces when we found it. (Jaimie, our media major friend, is not sharing in the Cimabue excitement.)

Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People. We couldn't get closer because of the crowd surrounding the artist copying the painting.

La Jeune Martyr or The Young Martyr by Paul Delaroche (Image from the Louvre's official website.) This painting was new to me. It's hauntingly beautiful in person.

This appears to be an installation piece around the medieval walls of the Louvre that are now enclosed in the museum's lower level.

And (last but certainly not least) I found Creepy Uncle!!!

Readers of Stephanie Perkins's blog will remember him from last January's Hot Boys of the Louvre contest. He's not too shabby in person--just a little, um, menacing. And pale, very pale. I was probably near the Mr. Darcy painting but I didn't see it and didn't have time to go looking. I guess this means I just have to go back to Paris?

Book Review: Foreign Tongue by Vanina Marsot

2011-02-01T11:44:00.002-06:00

Release Date: April 2009
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 384

Source: My local library.

Summary:

Paris, the storybook capital of romance—of strolls down cobblestone streets and kisses by the Seine—may not be the ideal location to mend a wounded heart. But pragmatic professional writer Anna, who has been unlucky in love in L.A., has come here with keys to her aunt's empty apartment. Bilingual and blessed with dual citizenship, she seeks solace in the delectable pastries, in the company of old friends, and in her exciting new job: translating a mysterious, erotic French novel by an anonymous author.

Intrigued by the story, and drawn in by the mystery behind the book, Anna soon finds herself among the city's literati—and in the arms of an alluring Parisian—as she resolves to explore who she is . . . in both cultures. (From Harper Collins)
__________________________________________________
Vanina Marsot’s novel Foreign Tongue: a Novel of Life and Love in Paris tells the story of Anna, a half-French and half-American freelance writer. Anna believes she’s found The One when she meets Timothy, but in less than six months she discovers that Timothy is involved with other women. Anna walks away from the relationship. Unfortunately, Timothy is difficult to get over because, in Anna’s words, “Timothy became famous. Magazine-cover famous. Pop-culture famous." So Anna flees L.A. for Paris. Luckily—miraculously, really—Anna speaks French and has an aunt willing to lend her an apartment in Paris, rent-free.

Anna explores Paris for awhile and reconnects with her European friends but eventually needs something to do. She is also fired from her freelance job at an American PR firm after a change in management, and she needs money. Anna is browsing through the used books at Shakespeare & Company when she notices a job posting for a translator for an exotic novel at Editions Laveau. Anna hurries to Editions Laveau. Monsieur Laveau is a crotchety old man, and he is quietly amused that Anna misread the job posting: Laveau is looking for someone to translate an erotic novel, not an exotic one. Anna takes the job anyway. Later, while waiting for another chapter to translate at Laveau’s office, Anna meets Olivier. Olivier is a handsome Frenchman. He’s also an actor, just like Timothy. Anna starts a relationship with Olivier but cultural differences complicate their relationship.

I enjoyed this book. The plot moves quickly; Anna is in Paris by page seven. The novel Anna translates also acts as a story within a story. The novel, by an anonymous author, tells the story of one Frenchman’s “great love." Jean-Marc, the first-person narrator, is initially repelling. He keeps two girlfriends, one boring and public and one fiery and secret. The secret one, Eve, is his "great love." Their relationship begins as a sexual one and the love scenes are (uncomfortably) anatomically accurate and odd.

(A little warning, reader-to-reader: this novel is labeled adult fiction for a reason.)

Anna’s world is a little steamy, too: a friend takes her to a Parisian sex club and Anna and Olivier share several intimate scenes. Jean-Marc’s story becomes more readable, however, as he falls in love with Eve and becomes heartbroken when she leaves him, while Anna’s relationship with Olivier mirrors one of the cultural differences remarked on by Anna when she sees a couple kiss in a café. Anna explains that the French “kiss in public, and I mean big, wet, sexy kisses. People of all ages do it, and no one yells ‘Get a room!’ If you don’t like it, you can lump it, or look the other way."

I read Foreign Tongue before visiting France this January, and I noticed this profusion of PDA in Paris.

Beyond the plot and cultural dimensions of Foreign Tongue, the novel is largely about language. Marsot discusses the craft of storytelling through Anna from page one, beginning, “I could start like this, third-person omniscient: ‘She chucked it all and moved to Paris.’ . . . . Or no dodge-and-weave, no embroidery, no third-person, no all-knowing voice: I left.” Marsot also peppers her prose with French conversations, and she does not always provide a translation. One does not need much French to follow the story but knowing none would have frustrated me. I would have been on Google Translate at every other page.

Foreign Tongue is steeped in French language, culture, and Parisian scenery. I recommend it to readers looking for a fun yet realistic romance as well as anyone who is interested in linguistics, writing, travel, and--of course--Paris.

Library News from Egypt + a Sigh of Relief

2011-01-31T17:45:00.001-06:00

Excerpt from a brief note from Ismail Serageldin, director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (found via bookshelvesofdoom):

"Events deteriorated as lawless bands of thugs, and maybe agents provocateurs, appeared and looting began. The young people organized themselves into groups that directed traffic, protected neighborhoods and guarded public buildings of value such as the Egyptian Museum and the Library of Alexandria. They are collaborating with the army. This makeshift arrangement is in place until full public order returns.

The library is safe thanks to Egypt’s youth, whether they be the staff of the Library or the representatives of the demonstrators, who are joining us in guarding the building from potential vandals and looters. I am there daily within the bounds of the curfew hours. However, the Library will be closed to the public for the next few days until the curfew is lifted and events unfold towards an end to the lawlessness and a move towards the resolution of the political issues that triggered the demonstrations."

I can't even imagine people thinking of looting a library.

And I don't know about you, but I've been watching the events in Egypt pretty closely because a dear friend of mine along with many other people I know were recently in Egypt on a band tour with the college down the street from mine. Their hotel was one block away from the main protest in Cairo. They changed hotels last week and were scheduled to leave on Saturday but their flight was canceled. After many delays and some involvement from one of our state's senators all the students are finally--thank God--on their way home.

Whew. Glad my J-term trip wasn't as eventful as theirs,