Via bookshelves of doom.
Monday, December 27, 2010
A Very Zombie Holiday
Tips--some of them mildly disturbing--for surviving a zombie apocalypse during the holiday season.
Via bookshelves of doom.
Via bookshelves of doom.
Musical Monday (59): "My Legionnaire"
Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be 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 "My Legionnaire" by Brooke Waggoner. Picking a song for this week was difficult; I flip-flopped between a lot of songs but chose this one for its lyrical and musical drama. It's an epic song--a sort of late Christmas present, if you will. It starts slow, but do not let that fool you.
Enjoy!
My Legionnaire from Brooke Waggoner on Vimeo.
This week's song is "My Legionnaire" by Brooke Waggoner. Picking a song for this week was difficult; I flip-flopped between a lot of songs but chose this one for its lyrical and musical drama. It's an epic song--a sort of late Christmas present, if you will. It starts slow, but do not let that fool you.
Enjoy!
My Legionnaire from Brooke Waggoner on Vimeo.
On Bookduck this week: the music-picking post is finally coming, along with another book review, some bloggy stuff like awards, and--either this week or next week--my first ever giveaway! There's an exclamation point there because that last item on the list is very exciting.
Wishing you a Merry Monday,
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: December 2, 2010
Publisher: Dutton
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 384
Source: Bought.
Anna was looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. So she's less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all . . . including a serious girlfriend.
But in the City of Light, wishes have a way of coming true. Will a year of romantic near-misses end with their long-awaited French kiss? Stephanie Perkins keeps the romantic tension crackling and the attraction high in a debut guaranteed to make toes tingle and hearts melt. (From stephanieperkins.com)
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Anna Oliphant is sent to Paris for her senior year of high school by her father, a Nicholas Sparks-ish author who writes "novels set in Small Town Georgia about folks with Good American Values who Fall in Love and then contract Life-Threatening Diseases and Die." Luckily, she makes friends quickly, and even luckier for both Anna and the reader, one of them--Étienne St. Clair--is a Very Hot Boy.*
I can't say enough about this book. A tangle of relationships--friendship, love-gone-wrong, misleading flirtation, friends crushing on friends--compose the plot, and author Stephanie Perkins adroitly juggles her characters' many different dreams, agendas, and feelings. And despite the boarding-school-in-Paris setting (which I loved), the interactions between the characters stem from realistic situations. A person doesn't have to be in Paris to break and repair friendships or fall in love with someone who's already taken.
Anna tells her roller coaster of a tale in funny, clever first-person narration. I would've read this book in one sitting if I'd had the time. The ending is unique, mature, and gorgeous. Anna and the French Kiss left me light and wide-eyed, stuck in warm knits in Paris with the scent of baguettes and a sense of boundless possibility. Anna is a dream of a book--so, so satisfying, yet realistic. And as much as I like him, Étienne St. Clair isn't perfect. He makes mistakes, and there's no idealism here. There are also some faintly stereotypical high school moments and some over-the-top emotions, but over all Anna and the French Kiss left me in post-good book depression because I couldn't find anything to immediately replace the experience of Anna. I wanted to keep wandering Paris with Anna, Étienne, and their friends. I recommend Anna and the French Kiss to anyone who likes contemporary fiction and/or romance, armchair travel, humor, and good writing. I've already started reading Anna a second time.
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*This diminutive text is accidental; Blogger is doing some odd things with font size and will not let me fix it.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Musical Monday (58): "Love Came Down at Christmas" + "Sleigh Ride"
Every Monday I post whatever song I can't get out of my head or just can't get enough of because Mondays can often be 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 "Love Came Down at Christmas" by Jars of Clay and "Sleigh Ride" by Relient K. I was too busy to pick a song last week, and since this is the last Monday before Christmas, I am posting two songs to make up for lost Christmas music listening time.
I posted both of these songs last year, and I am posting them again because I like them. "Love Came Down at Christmas" is based on a poem by Christina Rossetti, a Victorian poet. Rossetti is perhaps most well-known for her poem "Goblin Market," but she also wrote many devotional poems. I did some research on her this semester, and I believe her brother William Michael Rossetti calls her a "Puritan" among Victorian Anglo-Catholics (meaning a branch of the nineteenth century Anglican church that emphasized tradition and rituals) in his "Memoir" attached to The Poetical Works of Christina Georgina Rossetti. But I don't have the book in front of me. Rossetti's biography aside, the lyrics of this song articulate the meaning of Christmas beautifully, and Jars of Clay sets them to a catchy tune.
As for the second song, "Sleigh Ride" is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Also, I believe I've mentioned that Relient K is one of my favorite bands. Thus, I really like this song.
Merry (early) Christmas! What are your favorite Christmas songs?
This week's songs are "Love Came Down at Christmas" by Jars of Clay and "Sleigh Ride" by Relient K. I was too busy to pick a song last week, and since this is the last Monday before Christmas, I am posting two songs to make up for lost Christmas music listening time.
I posted both of these songs last year, and I am posting them again because I like them. "Love Came Down at Christmas" is based on a poem by Christina Rossetti, a Victorian poet. Rossetti is perhaps most well-known for her poem "Goblin Market," but she also wrote many devotional poems. I did some research on her this semester, and I believe her brother William Michael Rossetti calls her a "Puritan" among Victorian Anglo-Catholics (meaning a branch of the nineteenth century Anglican church that emphasized tradition and rituals) in his "Memoir" attached to The Poetical Works of Christina Georgina Rossetti. But I don't have the book in front of me. Rossetti's biography aside, the lyrics of this song articulate the meaning of Christmas beautifully, and Jars of Clay sets them to a catchy tune.
As for the second song, "Sleigh Ride" is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Also, I believe I've mentioned that Relient K is one of my favorite bands. Thus, I really like this song.
Merry (early) Christmas! What are your favorite Christmas songs?
Wishing you a Merry Monday,
Saturday, December 18, 2010
More exciting news of pie + picture book controversy + last-minute Christmas present DIY
First, two things about PIE, both via Cakespy:
1. Candy cane cream pie recipe at The Inky Kitchen. It looks beautiful and sounds delicious, but if I made it I'd probably take a shortcut and buy a premade oreo crust. I'd also probably use more cream cheese, and less heavy cream. But I guess it wouldn't be a cream pie anymore if I did that...
2. Lo and behold, a small pie shop chain called High 5 Pie exists, and is opening another location in Seattle. This is rather far away from my neck of the woods, but I remain optimistic about the spread of pie shops.
Second, have you heard about this book yet?
I heard about it at work this week. The basic plot includes a monkey and a donkey. The monkey has a book, and the donkey asks what it is. He wants to know if you can scroll up and down, access Wi-Fi or tweet with it. The monkey says, "No" each time, and at the end of the book the monkey says, "it's a book, jackass." Take a look at the book trailer:
I think it's a cute and clever concept, but I can understand why some adults in Massachusetts are against allowing a literacy group to donate copies of It's a Book to first graders. Charity is a thornier issue than library access to the book--in the case of a library, it is a parent's right to bar their child from checking out It's a Book and/or make sure their child does not hear it during storytime. But not allowing a group of well-meaning people to donate it in schools? Hmm. That's a tougher one.
What do you think?
(Further info on It's a Book can be found here and here at NPR, where it is recommended and discussed in relation to the e-reader explosion, respectively.)
My mom used to have a cherry-pit pillow that she heated in the microwave, and this is a similar thing. It also looks super easy and nicely cheap--since I have a bin of suitable fabric scraps, I only need to run to the grocery store to buy rice to make this.
I started wrapping Christmas presents tonight. I love making them look all pretty and seeing how cleverly I can disguise gifts with boxes, tissue paper, and wrapping paper. Enthusiasm doesn't make me good with wrapping paper, though. I still wrap presents as clumsily as I did when I was in elementary school. I like to think it makes my gifts look more endearing. (Endearing sounds better than sloppy.)
Here's a video from Jackson Pearce on how to wrap a gift correctly. I might pay closer attention to it next year.
Merry (Early) Christmas,
1. Candy cane cream pie recipe at The Inky Kitchen. It looks beautiful and sounds delicious, but if I made it I'd probably take a shortcut and buy a premade oreo crust. I'd also probably use more cream cheese, and less heavy cream. But I guess it wouldn't be a cream pie anymore if I did that...
2. Lo and behold, a small pie shop chain called High 5 Pie exists, and is opening another location in Seattle. This is rather far away from my neck of the woods, but I remain optimistic about the spread of pie shops.
Second, have you heard about this book yet?
 |
| Image from The Gloucester Times |
I think it's a cute and clever concept, but I can understand why some adults in Massachusetts are against allowing a literacy group to donate copies of It's a Book to first graders. Charity is a thornier issue than library access to the book--in the case of a library, it is a parent's right to bar their child from checking out It's a Book and/or make sure their child does not hear it during storytime. But not allowing a group of well-meaning people to donate it in schools? Hmm. That's a tougher one.
What do you think?
(Further info on It's a Book can be found here and here at NPR, where it is recommended and discussed in relation to the e-reader explosion, respectively.)
Third, I was having difficulties completing my mother's Christmas present until I saw this rice pillow project at Wise Craft. I wanted to surprise her with something small, because I asked her point-blank what she wanted for Christmas, and . . . well, she won't be too surprised, since that's what I got for her. (And I wasn't very secretive about it.)
 |
| Image from Wise Craft |
I started wrapping Christmas presents tonight. I love making them look all pretty and seeing how cleverly I can disguise gifts with boxes, tissue paper, and wrapping paper. Enthusiasm doesn't make me good with wrapping paper, though. I still wrap presents as clumsily as I did when I was in elementary school. I like to think it makes my gifts look more endearing. (Endearing sounds better than sloppy.)
Here's a video from Jackson Pearce on how to wrap a gift correctly. I might pay closer attention to it next year.
Merry (Early) Christmas,
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Breaking news about baked goods
I read a newspaper this morning just because I had the time to. And I learned something very, very important. You may be thinking that I'm referring to an article about the kerfuffle in Congress over tax cut legislation, but I am not.
The newspaper I read featured an article by Sylvia Rector--"Experts predict surprising trends for foodies"-- reprinted from the Detroit Free Press, and it contains important information about two important foods: cupcakes and pie.
According to Rector, pies are poised to overtake cupcakes in popularity in 2011:
Cupcakes will take a backseat as pies -- glorious pies! -- begin showing up in every size, form and format, from savory to sweet and from deep-dish to individual deep-fried ones.
While I love cupcakes with their sweet tastes and cute decorations, I am equally enamored of pie, and just as I can go to a cupcakery and find nothing but cupcakes, I would love to see a pie shop open in my hometown.
Thinking about pie instead of studying French,
The newspaper I read featured an article by Sylvia Rector--"Experts predict surprising trends for foodies"-- reprinted from the Detroit Free Press, and it contains important information about two important foods: cupcakes and pie.
According to Rector, pies are poised to overtake cupcakes in popularity in 2011:
Cupcakes will take a backseat as pies -- glorious pies! -- begin showing up in every size, form and format, from savory to sweet and from deep-dish to individual deep-fried ones.
While I love cupcakes with their sweet tastes and cute decorations, I am equally enamored of pie, and just as I can go to a cupcakery and find nothing but cupcakes, I would love to see a pie shop open in my hometown.
 |
| Especially if it looks like the Pie Hole from Pushing Daisies. |
But I am flexible and will overlook architecture and interior design as long as there are pies.
 |
| ...but I do miss that TV show. |
Thinking about pie instead of studying French,
Monday, December 6, 2010
Musical Monday (57): "Peppermint Winter"
There wasn't going to be any music today because:
1. I need to paint 5 paintings by next Tuesday.
2. I have a literary research paper due in my Brit Lit seminar on social protest in Victorian literature on Friday.
3. I need to edit and get my portfolio together for Advanced Composition (due next Tuesday).
4. I have two presentation to give this week, one on my research for Brit Lit and one (as part of a group, thank goodness) on Japanese art since 1300 for Art History.
5. Picking songs takes precious, precious time. (This, friends, is why I'm rather absent from Bookduck and blog-reading in the fall...)
But I can't help sharing this one because:
1. It's Christmas music time!
2. The song sort of picked itself.
3. This week's song, "Peppermint Winter" by Owl City, is cute and fun, and homework is not. My next-door neighbor is a big Owl City fan, and when I walked by her door last Monday, she asked if I'd heard "Peppermint Winter" yet. I hadn't, so she invited me in. We listened to the song by the glow of her blue Christmas lights and ended up having a mini Christmas music dance party in the hallway.
Enjoy! (And maybe even dance?)
[Click HERE to listen to the song on Owl City's webiste. It should show in the player near the top. The youtube versions were iffy, so there's no video this week.]
1. I need to paint 5 paintings by next Tuesday.
2. I have a literary research paper due in my Brit Lit seminar on social protest in Victorian literature on Friday.
3. I need to edit and get my portfolio together for Advanced Composition (due next Tuesday).
4. I have two presentation to give this week, one on my research for Brit Lit and one (as part of a group, thank goodness) on Japanese art since 1300 for Art History.
5. Picking songs takes precious, precious time. (This, friends, is why I'm rather absent from Bookduck and blog-reading in the fall...)
But I can't help sharing this one because:
1. It's Christmas music time!
2. The song sort of picked itself.
3. This week's song, "Peppermint Winter" by Owl City, is cute and fun, and homework is not. My next-door neighbor is a big Owl City fan, and when I walked by her door last Monday, she asked if I'd heard "Peppermint Winter" yet. I hadn't, so she invited me in. We listened to the song by the glow of her blue Christmas lights and ended up having a mini Christmas music dance party in the hallway.
Enjoy! (And maybe even dance?)
[Click HERE to listen to the song on Owl City's webiste. It should show in the player near the top. The youtube versions were iffy, so there's no video this week.]
Happy Monday,
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