Julie & Julia: 365 days, 524 recipes, 1 tiny apartment kitchen
Oh wow. What in the world took me so long to read this? As I picked it up the other day, I tweeted: I love food, I love blogs. Obvious match. Indeed it was.
Julie Powell, is a nearly-thirty year-old (temp) secretary living in a small apartment with her husband, Eric and their cats and pet snake. Her unsatisfactory life drives her to literally cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. Additionally, she starts a blog to chronicle the process.
Her food sometimes turns out great, sometimes awful, but it continues to be the one thing that motivates her every day. It even garners her some press; first CBS, then a slew of others, including The New York Times food columnist, which thrills her. During that year, she cooks for her not only her husband, but her friends and family, as they share in the project with her.
(After cooking for a slew of friends one night, they sat around drinking wine afterward): "...none of us knew for sure what kind we were, exactly, but as long as we were the kind that could sit around eating together and having a lovely time, that was enough." (p.115)
As if it weren't enough to be cramming 524 recipes (French food, no less) into 365 days, Julie and Eric also move to a different (smaller) apartment during the whole project. (Whew!)
This is a great book. I laughed out loud, I cringed at times, I smiled a lot (Julie is a proud Democrat and many of her colleagues are Republicans and she makes many remarks in regards to that fact) and genuinely rooted for her throughout her journey. Ultimately, it was probably the greatest thing she ever did as she landed a book deal, and was able to quit her secretarial job at the "government agency."
Just one final thought: if I were going to embark on a project such as this, and cook my way through any cookbook, it certainly would NOT be French food.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Well, Thanksgiving is technically over and it's now the monstrous national holiday of Black Friday (it is pretty much a holiday, right?) but since I slept in today I'm still awake. We had a day full of food, football, too much pie and a lot of laughter with friends. Friends I consider family. I laughed so hard my abs still hurt, hours later. I left our friends' home with a back full of books (we swap - I had brought a bag with me too) and we curled up on the couch with the dog to watch Angels & Demons. Such a great ThanksGIVING day it was.
So, of course I want to get reading all my "new" books...here they are:
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving, and be careful if you're planning to shop - it's crazy out there!
So, of course I want to get reading all my "new" books...here they are:
- Marshmallows for Breakfast - Dorothy Koomson
- Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Mary Roach (oh my gosh I'm so excited to read this! I am hooked on medical dramas and except for the rare horrifying scene, I love this stuff!)
- Another Mother's Life - Rowan Coleman
- The Girl She Used to Be - David Cristofano
Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving, and be careful if you're planning to shop - it's crazy out there!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Sunday Salon
10:09 AM
I haven't finished an entire book this week. I suppose you have to start a book to finish it. Last night I finally picked up Julie & Julia and I'm laughing out loud already. What took me so long to read this book?! I'm hoping to finish it by Thanksgiving so I can finish another book before heading back to work on November 30th. I do not know if there is any shopping in my future (meaning Black Friday), but I did a little this week and it felt great!
I read Tom Rath's Strengths Finder and completed the assessment; look for that post this week. My top 5 themes are Harmony, Input, Responsibility, Discipline and Consistency, all of which are very true to me.
Also this week, I purchased Portrait of a First Lady, a book about Michelle Obama. I couldn't help myself; the pictures were great and there are inside tips about her life that I don't yet know and can't wait to read. Last week, I purchased The Trump Card, Ivanka Trump's business book. I still have quite a pile to read, and am hoping to knock off 5 books before Christmas (just in case Santa brings more books :))
This week I will be working less, hoping to get rid of my darn allergy issues, enjoying a GREAT turkey day feast with friends, reading, and finalizing the gift for my Secret Santa at the Holiday Book Bloggers Swap. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Still Alice - Lisa Genova
WOW. What a powerful, heartbreaking book.
Simply put, this book chronicles Alice, a 50-year-old Harvard professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. She has had a good life with her husband John and their 3 children, she's had a successful career, and she's enjoying life. Then BAM, hit with the diagnoses. The most horrible part was finding out that when diagnosed with early onset, it's a genetic thing, so Alice's 3 kids all had a 50% chance of carrying the gene and being diagnosed themselves. How horrible. A bit about her kids:
(Do you know who that sounds like? Anna sounds much like me, Lydia, a little like my sister.)
Lisa Genova did a great job of showing alternate perspectives, although not nearly as much as Alice's perspective. Her kids each had different feelings about their mother's progressive illness. Perhaps the most touching thing was the growth of Alice's relationship with her youngest child, daughter Lydia. Alice always felt at odds with Lydia because she didn't go to school, she was a troublesome teen, and she moved away to Los Angeles to try to make a career out of acting.
Overall, Still Alice was an excellent read. It's pretty haunting, and I can't imagine that happening to one of my parents. I hope I never have to see that day. Highly recommend this book to all.
Simply put, this book chronicles Alice, a 50-year-old Harvard professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease. She has had a good life with her husband John and their 3 children, she's had a successful career, and she's enjoying life. Then BAM, hit with the diagnoses. The most horrible part was finding out that when diagnosed with early onset, it's a genetic thing, so Alice's 3 kids all had a 50% chance of carrying the gene and being diagnosed themselves. How horrible. A bit about her kids:
Anna took transparent pleasure in the fact that Lydia didn't go to college; Lydia's abbreviated education somehow secured Anna's position as the smartest, most successful Howland daughter. The oldest, Anna had been the first to demonstrate her intelligence to her delighted parents, the first to hold the status of being their brillant daughter. Althought Tom was also very bright, Anna had never paid much attention to him, maybe because he was a boy. Then, Lydia came along. Both girls were smart, but Anna suffered to get straight A's, whereas Lydia's unblemished report cards came with little noticeable effort. Anna paid attention to that. They were both competitive and fiercely independent, but Anna wasn't a risk taker. She tended to pursue goals that were safe and conventional, and that were sure to be accompanied by tangible accolades. (p.33)
(Do you know who that sounds like? Anna sounds much like me, Lydia, a little like my sister.)
Lisa Genova did a great job of showing alternate perspectives, although not nearly as much as Alice's perspective. Her kids each had different feelings about their mother's progressive illness. Perhaps the most touching thing was the growth of Alice's relationship with her youngest child, daughter Lydia. Alice always felt at odds with Lydia because she didn't go to school, she was a troublesome teen, and she moved away to Los Angeles to try to make a career out of acting.
Overall, Still Alice was an excellent read. It's pretty haunting, and I can't imagine that happening to one of my parents. I hope I never have to see that day. Highly recommend this book to all.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Go buy a book!
It's National Bookstore Day!
Click here for more info from Publisher's Weekly.
I'm heading to Orlando today in search of a new power suit. And I believe a detour to Barnes + Noble will be completely justified :) Hope you all have a great Saturday!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Holiday Swap
So I did something random yesterday and signed up for the Book Bloggers Holiday Swap!I love the thought of a Secret Santa (haven't done it in years) and I am excited to find a cool gift for a bookish buddy. You can sign up here (hurry - deadline is November 12!).
I was just thinking the other day how absolutely fast this year is flying by, and while I'm barely over Halloween, I am really anticipating the holiday season. It's my favorite time of the year.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
A Death in Belmont - Sebastian Junger
From the back:
This is such a powerful story from the beginning - Junger researched the Boston Strangler extensively, and compiled all of his research of interviews and recordings and newspaper clippings into this book that I couldn't put down. It is absolutely amazing to me that he and his family walked away physically unscathed while an alleged murderer worked in their house. I saw physically unscathed because there was obviously emotional problems that they faced after the fact.
Junger was just a kid when the Boston Strangler was at work, and since his book is based on research, it's still not completely proven that Al DeSalvo, the contractor and alleged Boston Strangler, actually did commit the brutal rapes and murders. He confessed to it hoping for immunity and a book deal (crazy, right? He obviously had issues.)
Most striking about the book is the amount of research that went into it. Since it was Boston in 1963, and several other issues were facing the country (President Kennedy's assassination, race riots and civil rights issues), Junger provided an in-depth look at some of these issues to give us more context into society's problems at that time. Some of the stories about lynchings were incredible to read - I'm going to have to ask my grandparents what they remember about the early 60s.
Due to the racial issues throughout the country, it was no surprise reading about the arrest and trial, and eventual conviction of Roy Smith, who was a black ex-con. Even I could see the mistakes that were made on the cops' parts and just some of the facts presented at the trial. Toward the end of the book, when it became more clear that Smith was not in fact guilty of the murder for which he was convicted, doubts about DeSalvo started becoming more obvious. I can't imagine the feelings that went through the minds of the Jungers the day they were told he confessed to being the Boston Strangler. Creepy. For whatever reason, someone was really looking out for them.
Roy Smith ended up serving many years in prison. His attorney still worked on appeals and to prove his innocence, but evidence wasn't kept in the 60s like it is today. He ended up being diagnosed with cancer and succumbing to it before he could make it out of prison (due to all the paperwork it took to free him.) To think that someone went to prison for crimes they did not commit is too horrible for words. I am interested in learning more about organizations working for justice on behalf of the innocent.
I know my thoughts about this book are all over the place, but I wanted to give a brief overview of the story and my thoughts without giving everything away. I really recommend this book, and I'm curious what conclusions other readers came to regarding Smith and DeSalvo. I truly believe Smith was innocent, but I'm not fully convinced DeSalvo committed every rape and murder traced to the Boston Strangler.
In the spring of 1963, the quiet suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts, is rocked by a shocking murder that fits the pattern of the infamous Boston Strangler, still at large. Hoping for a break in the case, the police arrest Roy Smith, a black ex-con whom the victim hired to clean her house. Smith is hastily convicted of the murder, but the Strangler's terror continues. And through it all, one man escapes the scrutiny of the police: a carpenter working at the time at the Belmont home of young Sebastian Junger and his parents - a man named Albert DeSalvo, who would eventually confess to the Strangler's horrific crimes.
From the acclaimed author of A Perfect Storm comes a powerful chronicle of three lives that collide in the vortext of one of America's most controversial serial murder cases.
This is such a powerful story from the beginning - Junger researched the Boston Strangler extensively, and compiled all of his research of interviews and recordings and newspaper clippings into this book that I couldn't put down. It is absolutely amazing to me that he and his family walked away physically unscathed while an alleged murderer worked in their house. I saw physically unscathed because there was obviously emotional problems that they faced after the fact.
Junger was just a kid when the Boston Strangler was at work, and since his book is based on research, it's still not completely proven that Al DeSalvo, the contractor and alleged Boston Strangler, actually did commit the brutal rapes and murders. He confessed to it hoping for immunity and a book deal (crazy, right? He obviously had issues.)
Most striking about the book is the amount of research that went into it. Since it was Boston in 1963, and several other issues were facing the country (President Kennedy's assassination, race riots and civil rights issues), Junger provided an in-depth look at some of these issues to give us more context into society's problems at that time. Some of the stories about lynchings were incredible to read - I'm going to have to ask my grandparents what they remember about the early 60s.
Due to the racial issues throughout the country, it was no surprise reading about the arrest and trial, and eventual conviction of Roy Smith, who was a black ex-con. Even I could see the mistakes that were made on the cops' parts and just some of the facts presented at the trial. Toward the end of the book, when it became more clear that Smith was not in fact guilty of the murder for which he was convicted, doubts about DeSalvo started becoming more obvious. I can't imagine the feelings that went through the minds of the Jungers the day they were told he confessed to being the Boston Strangler. Creepy. For whatever reason, someone was really looking out for them.
Roy Smith ended up serving many years in prison. His attorney still worked on appeals and to prove his innocence, but evidence wasn't kept in the 60s like it is today. He ended up being diagnosed with cancer and succumbing to it before he could make it out of prison (due to all the paperwork it took to free him.) To think that someone went to prison for crimes they did not commit is too horrible for words. I am interested in learning more about organizations working for justice on behalf of the innocent.
I know my thoughts about this book are all over the place, but I wanted to give a brief overview of the story and my thoughts without giving everything away. I really recommend this book, and I'm curious what conclusions other readers came to regarding Smith and DeSalvo. I truly believe Smith was innocent, but I'm not fully convinced DeSalvo committed every rape and murder traced to the Boston Strangler.
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