Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Link up below! 

1. Why did we wait so long to see Pitch Perfect? It was a hundred times better than I thought it was going to be. No, I will not be downloading "Cups," though.

2. Last year I did a really great Year in Review through Mixbook, but am sadly opting out this year. Most of our year was baby related/stressful/busy, so I'm just going to focus on his baby book. This year I'm already starting to file stuff away, though.

3. I'm back to reading I Am Radar by Reif Larsen after a hiatus for the holidays (and to finish up some reviews). I really, really hate leaving a book and coming back to it. I feel a total sense of disconnect and am angry at myself for putting it on hold to begin with, since it's a good book. Oh well. We shall overcome.

4. I want to start a dessert club- like a book club, but instead one person bakes something each week (or every other week or whatever) and shares with everyone else. Basically, it's an excuse to bake. And to eat sweets. This, of course, won't happen since I lack the motivation to make it so.

5. This cracks me up:

[source]

So what do you do? Stare at each other in silence?

6. For the love of all that is good and sacred in this world, please stop copying and pasting useless Facebook "you may not use my stuff" so-called "legal" notices in your status. Remember that itty-bitty terms of service box you checked? You agreed to everything. Your stupid status update (the same place where you passive aggressively complain about your husband and post idiotic memes about gun ownership) is not going to supercede jack crap.

7. So my cousin invited me to join a FitBit challenge that took place yesterday- it was between maybe six or eight people and it was simply to see who could get the most amount of steps in a day. Fun fact: I'm a closet competitor. I was ahead of everyone all day and then my cousin pulled a head by a few thousand steps at like 8:30. What did I do? I turned off my bluetooth so she couldn't see my update and got on the treadmill for forty minutes so I could win. And I did. Over 17,000 steps. Wham-bam thank you ma'am.

8. My classroom counter is covered in Gregors, once again. I'm sure Franz Kafka would be super proud to see his character turned into a neon-colored insect made from clay.

9. I want to write a children's book that explains to kids why their parents won't take them to zoos (my husband and I have ethical concerns about places that keep animals in captivity with the purpose of entertaining humans for profit; our only grey area is the Wild Animal Park in San Diego, since they have more room, but I digress). All I need is an illustrator...

[effing nosy-ass humans; source]

10. I'm working on a really labor-intensive book-recommendation bulletin board for work. If I continue at the pace I'm working at it might be done before the end of the school year. 

More

For birthdays and Christmas I ask for books. They don't care if my hips are still wide from having a baby (despite losing the weight) like a pair of pants do. They don't require some lovely family member to wander the congested aisles of a chaotic department store. They won't go out of style or rip or need to be returned. They make me happy. So, I ask for books. Lucky for me, some people also like to give me gift cards for Amazon (judge me. I dare you). So, between my birthday in November and Christmas, I made out quite nicely. 

What does this stack say about me? I like to cook. I enjoy reading about the human biology. I have feminist roots. I'm willing to try new authors. I like to return to old favorites. Contemporary literary fiction is my jam. I'm a sucker for end-of-the-year best-of lists. 

The only problem with all of this, is:

a) I need to reorganize my shelves like a mo-fo

b) my TBR pile now tops out at 69, the highest it has ever been

Get anything new this holiday season? 

December Reviews

Stopping in for a few quick seconds with December's sad, sad reads. Considering I was off for ten days of the month you'd think there would be more, but that's the holiday season with a crazy baby for you! 

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

317 pages

I read this for book club and was really pleased with the discussion it inspired. It's about a thirteen year-old boy' whose mother is brutally attacked on their reservation. He is determined to help find the assailant and dives into dark secrets that force him to mature. Erdrich still includes humor and antics that thirteen-year-olds possess, but this nonetheless still an intense novel.

Verdict: I think this is a super solid book that would interest readers of both mystery and contemporary literature. The writing is good, but it is still accessible. 

 

Funny Girl by Nick Hornby

373 pages

I was a little nervous going into this book, since I'm a huge Hornby fan. His last few books haven't been as good as his early work (High Fidelity, About a Boy, etc...), so I wasn't sure what to expect. Funny Girl is the story about Barbara, or Sophie (stage name), who becomes a small-town British girl turned London comedy actress during the sixties. We read about the success of the show she's on, her relationships, and also about the writers and producers on the show. Hornby's subtle wit is present and the time period was fun to read about (especially since I was concurrently listening to a Paul McCartney podcast).

Verdict: I thought 80% of this book was great- the ending, though, brought down my overall impression, though. Hornby skips decades into the future when everyone is older and has them reunite, a turn that I thought was very unnecessary. Why the need to tie up everything (don't worry, this isn't a spoiler)? I could see this possibly being a movie, and given Hornby's recent work in screenwriting I wouldn't be surprised if he had that in mind while writing. Not his best, but not his worst. 

Life According to Literature

Thanks to Rory reminding me about Catherine's end-of-year Life According to Literature fun. Basically, you answer the questions using the titles of the books you read during the year. Here's a glimpse into my totally fascinating, mysterious, inner-psyche:

Describe yourself: Funny Girl by Nick Hornby (too easy)

How do you feel: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Describe where you currently live: The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag

If you could could go anywhere, where would you go: The Secret Place by Tana French (so that no one could find me and I could sleep)

Your favorite form of transportation: Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunas

Your best friend is: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

You and your friends are: The Smartest Kids in the World.... by Amanda Ripley

What's the weather like: The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (hopefully, we need to end the drought!)

You fear: Diary of Bad Year by J.M. Coetzee

What's the best advice you have to give: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid

Thought for the day: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

How I would like to die: The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp

My soul's present condition: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe 

 

Happy New Year

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts will return next week. Promise!

2014 was a very tough year for a variety of reasons (#vagueblogging), so I'm not exactly sad to see it go. It did give me my little guy, though, so for that I am thankful every single day (he's figured out how to clap, guys- can it get any cuter?). I also got to see one of my all-time favorite groups of students graduate and go off to college, which was mostly awesome. I watched some really great things happen to friends (new jobs! marriages! babies!), which has made me genuinely happy for them all. 

And that's about as much positivity as I can muster.

One thing I think we can all agree on? Our hopes that 2015 will be better. Whether your year was horrible, mediocre, disappointing, or, on the flip side, totally awesome, we should hold at least a tiny bit of hope that we can see an improvement for the new year. Maybe your shitty luck will turn around or your awesomeness will continue to grow. 

So, for a few days at least, be happy, be optimistic, be hopeful. 

Happy New Year!