Book title of the week

What would Machiavelli do?

Lovingkindness only gets you so far...

Christmas in May

A colleague of mine went to paradise this past weekend. And by paradise, I mean BEA - Book Expo America.
At BEA all the publishers gather to woo booksellers and librarians with new offerings. Hundreds of authors, thousands of books, and so much free stuff you need a U-Haul to get it home.
My wonderful colleague came back with boxes and boxes of free books, including tons of pre-pubs that won't even be published for months. And she shares!
I have stacks of books on my desk, with the promise of more coming when she finishes reading them.

My favourite title so far:

Goy Crazy by Melissa Schorr

Storytelling

Last weekend I was asked to tell a story. I'm not a children's librarian, so I don't have a repertoire of ready stories to pull out and tell, but I do have one or two favourites that I can pretty much recite word for word. So I went rummaging through my brain and came up with Robert Munsch's Paperbag Princess. My mum bought me this book when I was little because it had a strong heroine and it was one of my regular read-aloud bedtime books when I was a kid. If you have little girls (or if you're just a little girl at heart) and haven't already bought a copy of this book - run out and get it! It's fabulous and funny and has a great message and is written by Robert Munsch - one of the best kid's writers alive.



Oh, and evidently when I tell the story I get a California accent. I didn't even know I knew how to do a California accent. I learn new things about me all the time.

Spoiled!

Someone (and you know who you are!) posted on her blog the results of last night's Amazing Race finale, even though she knows that the rest of us are getting together and watching it tonight and we don't (didn't) know the winners. And she knows that I regularly read her blog.

Grrrr.

Bad, bad friend!

UPDATE: She says she emailed us this morning warning us not to read it. I never received that email. But I'll give her the benefit of the doubt (plus, she'll beat me up if I say nasty things about her)

UPDATE 2: She's planning on posting a screenshot to prove she sent the email. I BELIEVE YOU! It's not your fault the email didn't reach me and I read your blog every day. I'm just bummed that I'm spoiled. I'm going to hope that some time/space warp will occur tonight and the results will be different.

UPDATE 3: Her last email: "...I tried to warn you. Who would have thought [work] have intercepted the mail! I am sorry. But you do not know what happen anyway. How and what! So watch the show. Don't be bumm. Sorry, I can hynotize you if you like"

Harry and the Potters

I was supposed to go to a Harry and the Potters concert tonight at the World Cafe Live. Instead, I am going home and crawling into bed to try and stave off getting even sicker than I already am. That sucks.

On the bright side, they'll be back in Philly on August 17, so I'll have another chance to see them, and by then I might actually have read the last two Harry Potter books.

If you've never heard of the band before take a look at the description from the band's website:

"The idea is that the Harry Potter from Year 7 and the Harry Potter from Year 4 started a rock band. And now, no one can stop the wizard rock."

How much geeky fun is that!?

And on the rain topic...

I apologize for the fact that it will probably rain in Philadelphia today. I forgot my umbrella at home. It is a proven fact that whenever I forget my umbrella on days with even the slightest chance of showers I will inevitably be rained upon. It's just the universe's way of letting me know that it notices me, I guess. Anyways, sorry.

On a lighter note I present to you my book of the week:


Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys

I'm a huge Neil Gaiman fan from way back. I discovered Good Omens because of Terry Pratchett then the Sandman graphic novels hooked me in deeper. And "The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish" is one of the best picture books I've read.

I read Anansi Boys this weekend and really enjoyed it. It takes a bit to get into it, but becomes addictive very fast. The book builds from the base of the Anansi stories from West Africa. Fat Charlie Nancy's dad has died and his heretofore unknown brother Spider has shown up and stolen his job, his fiancee, and his life. Now Fat Charlie has to figure out a way to get Spider to leave him alone and go away.

If you want a funny book with depth and scope, this is a great read. You really can't go wrong with Neil Gaiman.

The mystery of rain

It rained all night last night and I walked in to work this morning in the damp and post-rain wetness. About midway through the walk, I began to wonder why, in one of the largest cities in the United States, does it still smell like earthworms after it rains? I expect that back home, where everyone has a front yard and there are poor waterlogged earthworms everywhere on the sidewalk so that you have to constantly look down to avoid them. But here? With no real dirt bordering the sidewalks? It confuses me.

Oh, and hello all of Jeremy's LiveJournal friends!

How books make (or don't make) money

I recently read this description of the economic life of a mass market book. Very interesting reading, especially if you have a vested interest in seeing how books are published (or like me, you're a librarian who just like to know things in general).

C is for Cookie

A few weeks ago I went to V for Vendetta. Liz and I thought it was really good, Dot and Marianne thought it was kind of silly. We think there might be a generational difference in how we saw it.

But whether it's silly or prophetic, it's definitely funnier with Muppets!

Best comic of the week

Luxury

What's better than a brand new mattress?

A brand new mattress covered with a 3 inch memory foam mattress topper!

Oh, was it hard to roll out of bed this morning...

After a long absence...

It's been weeks. WEEKS, I say. I just realized how long it's been since I posted.

I hosted my first ever Passover seder this year. I cooked for 10 hours straight and fed 10 people (with lots of lovely brisket for leftovers). I even got everyone to sing! Of course I have now been told that I must do this every year, so this is the beginning of a new tradition. Maybe next year some of my Jewish friends will be able to make it as well, and I won't be the only one who knows Daiyenu.

Spenderiffic weekend

A few weeks ago I decided to buy a new bed. Why? I have a twin bed that has been with me since I was a little kid. It's a good bed, but it's really really old and I think it's time for a big girl bed.

This weekend Jen and I went bed shopping. We started with the old standby - Ikea - and ended up at Sleepy's (with a stop at Famous Dave's along the way). After spending about two hours trying the beds at Sleepy's and becoming instant buddies with Julia, our salesgirl, I ended up dropping more than my monthly rent on a Kingsdown Emerald Crown mattress and boxspring.

Not only did I buy the mattress Saturday, it was delivered on Sunday. Not only that, I was given a 4-8 delivery window, and it was delivered at 4:15.

The first challenge, deciding where to put it. My room is a fairly decent size, but it is an awkward shape. And a full sized bed is a whole lot bigger than a twin. So now the bed kind of looms in the middle of the room with a bit of space around each side to move.

But how does it feel? I slept last night on it and I wasn't sure at first because it was so much softer on top than my old bed. But it was so comfy! I ended up sleeping through my alarm, so that might be a problem. Good thing I don't have to go to work until 12:45 today!

This morning on my way to work I'm going shopping for linens and a duvet cover and such, as I have to get everything new for a new sized bed. More shopping! My credit card is going to be hurting next statement.

Making choices

I make decisions every day. Sometimes they're good, sometimes they're bad, but ultimately they're mine. But if you've been following the news at all you'll know that in South Dakota I am evidently unfit to make one of the most important choices there is.

Recipe of the week

This weekend I felt the need to use up some of the bananas that are in my freezer, but I didn't want to make banana bread. I ended up stumbling onto a wonderful recipe for mocha chocolate chip banana muffins at allrecipes.com. I modified the recipe slightly and made the best banana muffins I've ever had. If you want to see the original recipe, click here

Here is the recipe with my few modifications:

INGREDIENTS:

* 1/2 cup margarine or butter
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 3 ripe bananas
* 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules, dissolved in
* 1 tablespoon water
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Blend butter or margarine, sugar, egg, banana, dissolved coffee, and vanilla for 2 minutes. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and soda, and blend just until flour disappears. Add chocolate chips and mix in with wooden spoon. Spoon mixture into 15 to 18 paper-lined muffin cups.
3. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool on wire racks

Yummy! Enjoy!

Book of the week

Today at lunch I read Every Person on the Planet by Bruce Eric Kaplan.



This is a delightful little book that takes only minutes to read - it's a picture book for adults about Edmund and Rosemary, a couple who decide to have a holiday party and end up inviting every person on the planet. And then everyone actually shows up (except for the ones who got bad directions and couldn't find the place).

This is a great book if you've ever had anxiety about throwing (or attending) a party. And really, who hasn't?

A complete waste of 140 minutes

Last night I decided to watch Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. I'm amazed and appalled that so many reviewers gave it a good rating. This was, beyond a doubt, the worst movie I've seen this year. Possibly the worst movie I've seen since the last Star Wars movie. It's the usual suspects for me: badly written dialogue, wooden line readings, to many explosions and not enough character, and this time even the special effects felt fake and flat to me. It wasn't even fun in the "wow, let's watch things blow up" sense. I really like Ewan MacGregor, and I think, possibly, he was trying to do some real acting here, but it failed. I like Natalie Portman, but she wasn't even trying. A waste, I say, a total waste of time.

In order to cleanse my mental palate, I felt the need to rewatch one of the funniest Star Wars spoofs ever. It's an old one, but Troops always makes me giggle.

Tonight I watched the previous night's Amazing Race (Damn you, CBS, for running it an hour later this year and making me unable to watch it the night it airs. I refuse to abandon my precious lying in bed with a book time just because my favourite reality show is now on at 10 instead of 9) to wipe this execrable excuse for entertainment from my memory.

Treats from the street

I usually go to work every morning by meeting up with my walking buddy Rachel on Broad Street and heading up from there. This week, however, I've been meeting up with my backup walking buddy Micaela and then walking across Market St. Let me tell you one of the Market Street advantages (besides being about 3 minutes faster): Free food!

For the past two days there have been people giving out Quaker Oats Breakfast cookies to pedestrians.


Over the past little while, while walking along Market Street, I've gotten yoghurt shakes, coffee, granola bars, gum, and Quizno's coupons. And a group of us did get $5 Starbucks cards while strolling in Rittenhouse Square last year. Walking up Broad Street - nothing.




Nothing else really exciting, I just wanted to share my love of getting free stuff.

7 Stages of Falling in Love with an Author

This weekend I got hooked on Kelley Armstrong's "Women of the Otherworld" series. I've read the first four books in the last three days. If you like Laurell K. Hamilton and/or Kim Harrison you'll like Kelley Armstrong.

All things considered, it's quite brilliant that I received the following cartoon in my inbox yesterday morning:
























And now I must go read the last book (so far) in the series. Very slowly.

I think I gained 6 pounds...

It's Restaurant Week again in Philly, and last night a group of us went to The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant. Oh my goodness, that was a lot of food! Delicious, delicious food. I felt like a big marshmallow trying to get my jeans done up this morning, but it was so worth it. If you ever go I recommend the Flaming Turtle chocolate fondue - pretty much a pot of melted Turtle chocolates flambeed tableside. We all got spoons when we ran out of things to dip so we wouldn't waste a drop of the chocolate (Oh yeah, we had pure dark chocolate fondue as well, but I'm more of a milk chocolate fan).

In honour of my eating my body weight in cheese and chocolate and meat and such over three hours last night, I give you this video. I remember seeing it last year some time, but it makes me laugh especially hard right now. Enjoy!