You guys, basically Julia Child was a spy. Okay, not exactly, but that doesn't detract from the book. I love Julia Child, but to be honest, I mostly picture her as Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia and I didn't know a lot about her before I read A Covert Affair.
This book has a TON of really interesting tidbits about Julia (and Paul) and so many interesting characters, it's hard to believe it's nonfiction. I like to imagine Julia learned to debone a chicken from deboning communists during her spy days, but I suspect that's not the case
The Likeness is the second in the Dublin Murder Squad "series". I say "series" because, while it would be helpful to read them in order, it's not totally necessary. Some of the characters overlap, but I read the first book, In the Woods, several years ago and didn't really remember much about it and didn't have a hard time keeping up with the second. In general, it's a great whodunit mystery, full of murder and suspicions and fake identities and Irish grad students.
Plucky is one of my favorite adjectives and I don't get to use it enough. Nothing Daunted is the account of two very plucky society girls from New York who decided to become schoolteachers in northwest Colorado in 1916. (Little did they know, they were really accepted as teachers because they needed brides for the locals.) The author is the granddaughter of Dorothy Woodruff, one of those plucky society ladies, she began writing the book after finding her grandmother's letters. I bet there were a few things her grandmother wouldn't have wanted her reading...
I'm pretty sure I finished Ant Farm in about 8 minutes. It's only 160 pages and reads like a transcript of a stand-up show. Simon Rich is a twentysomething writer with just a few writing credits to his name. You know, just Harvard Lampoon, SNL, Mad Magazine, etc. Nothing big...And, if I may be so bold, he's a little reminiscent of David Sedaris. I think my favorite Ant Farm essay is "A conversation at the grown-ups' table as imagined at the kids' table." As one of the few unmarried people in my family, it's entirely likely that I'll end up at the kids' table at some family function. So what I'm saying is, I'm still wondering about what goes on at the grown-ups' table.
So I finally got around to tallying up my book list for 2011. I've been keeping a list of books I've finished for the past couple years and it turns out I must have had A LOT of time on my hands in 2011. I read a lot of books. I mean a lot. 64 of them. (6 were young adult so those don't really count, but 58 is still a lot.)
These are my favorites from 2011 in chronological order (there were actually a few more favorites, but no one wants to read that many book reviews, nor do I want to write them.):
This was my Christmas book last year. My mom was recommended it, and got it for me because it's long and she hates when I finish my book by 2:00 on Christmas day. The Forgotten Garden weaves together two stories taking place hundreds of years apart but in the same place. There's mystery and intrigue and self discovery. Not to mention, it's incredibly well written.
Mark Twain is the cleverist (yes, I realize that's not a word) guy around. The Diaries of Adam and Eve are clever and witty and an excellent love story. Several times while reading it, I thought to myself, "Hmmm, I bet that would have been weird..." I mean, can you imagine suddenly being not only alive, but a grown-up, and having complex mental processes. That would have been very confusing. He humanized the first humans (if those are you religious leanings) and did so beautifully.
The Third Coast - Ted McClelland
I don't know what to say when people ask me where I'm from. I have a few "homes" and the Midwest has always felt like one of them. The Third Coast is a memoir-y nonfiction book that tells the story of the author's trip around all of the Great Lakes. He started in Chicago (actually near the Calumet River, so he was so far east he was practically in Indiana) and drove all the way around, exploring cities and meeting some very interesting characters. I've been to a good chunk of the places he went so reading it was a little like going home.
In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick
I picked up In the Heart of the Sea because it was on a list of books about cannibalism on NPR, and I was intrigued. There was actually far less cannibalism than I thought there was going to be, but it was good nonetheless, so that's saying something. In the Heart of the Sea is the true story that Herman Melville based Moby Dick on, and the since I know the real story now, I don't feel like I have to read Moby Dick, so it's a win-win. It's non-fiction, but reads like a novel and makes you wonder what you would do if you were lost at sea.
Of Time, Space, and Other Things - Isaac Asimov
My friend Jonathan recommended Of Time, Space, and Other Things to me because it would make me feel smart. Not in a "Man, that Asimov is an idiot. I'm WAY smarter than him" kind of way, more of a "Holy cow, this book is blowing my mind" kind of way. Generally, one would expect a book like this to be dry and confusing. Of Time, Space, and Other Things may be a little confusing, but it's anything but dry. You can tell by Asimov's writing how passionate he was about history and science (and other things). It reads almost frantically, like he couldn't write fast enough for his ideas. Asimov is funny and clever and makes some deep concepts seem almost understandable.
The hot jam of the week is She's Always a Woman by Billy Joel. There a lot of things to love about this video, regardless of how you feel about the song. Just look at his hair. It would only be more amazing if he had a rat tail. I also really like the cheesy psuedo-surprised look after he checks, what I assume to be, the set list. But I happen to love both the video and the song. It's a great ballad about loving a lady for being tough as nails and not takin' nothin' from nobody, if you will. According to Wikipedia (which is always right, right?) he wrote it for his then-wife Elizabeth who took over managing his career and was known for being a tough and savvy business lady. (But the ended up divorced, so maybe a woman who will "carelessly cut you, and laugh while you're bleeding" isn't the marrying type.)
Bonus! A few people/bands have covered this song, but I really like this version by Copeland.
A teacher once told me that only boring people are ever bored. I can't even remember the last time I was bored, so I must be an incredibly exciting person, right?
It's more likely that I'm never bored because I like really boring things. I can sit for a million hours doing nothing and not get bored. One of the dull things I really love is porch sitting. It's exactly what it sounds like, hanging out on a porch, preferably sitting in a rocking chair or porch swing. I know, I'm 90 years old.
Porch sitting often combines some of my favorite things: people watching, reading, drinking lemonade, watching thunderstorms, etc. When I was living in Wyoming, all of the buildings had fabulous giant porches, great for eating breakfast on a Saturday morning or relaxing after work. I could have sat out there all day.
According to people who know about this sort of thing, rocking is a sign of schizophrenia. Is loving rocking chairs a precursor to rocking without a chair, and thus a precursor to schizophrenia?
Speaking of rocking, this week's hot jam is If You C Jordan by Something Corporate. The late 90's to early-mid 00's produced a lot of what I like to call "punk for the masses." Boy bands were on their way out and rock was on its way in. Power pop and pop punk bridged that gap and made punk music accessible for even the most devout boy band lovers. Don't pretend like you didn't rock out to Good Charlotte (or any number of other similar bands) a time or two. Pop punk is fast, catchy, and unlike more traditional punk songs, most of the time you can understand the words and sing along, which is why it was such a hit. The lyrics spoke to a whole generation of teenagers, with songs about stickin' it to the man, fighting with friends and parents, unrequited love, and even tougher issues like death. Pop punk provided a little something for everyone. At least for awhile.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I still listen to a lot of the same music I did in high school. Okay, I listened to some pretty bad music then, but I listened to some pretty good stuff too, which is probably why I still bust out the old scratched CDs occasionally. One of the CDs that never disappoints me is Something Corporate's Leaving Through the Window. I love every song on the album, but If You C Jordan is one of my favorites. It's everything you ever wanted to say to that jerk who went to your high school. Best part: Jordan was the name of the actual jerk that went to Andrew McMahon's high school. (Click here if you want to read about it)
Andrew McMahon is an amazing piano player. I've seen him perform a few times and it's always awesome. Even standing on the piano keys (literally) and jumping up and down he can still make it sound like the song. If that's not hot jam worthy I don't know what is.
