Ivy League Novels

Just finished the fourth book of a sort of cute series called the Secret Society Girl series by Diana Peterfeund. The series revolves around a secret society at a “fictional” Ivy League school called Eli College (please) which elects to include women among its taps after decades of men-only pledge classes. We have a protagonist, Amy, a feisty lit major who gets involved in all kinds of mayhem, some romance, etc., throughout the four YA novels. They’re pretty fun. Maybe I was entertained (I did read all four of the books) because I’m drawn to easy-going reads these days, or maybe because I enjoyed my sorority experience in college. I don’t know. The plots are fun and goofy at times, but some serious issues arise (albeit briefly), as well (kidnappings, domestic violence) which made them a little more gripping than pure fluff.

While reading the author’s acknowledgments in the back of the fourth book, I noticed that she thanks the Romance Writers’ Association, which rather surprised me. It never crossed my mind that these books might be considered “romance” literature. But what do I know? Tap and Gown was the final book in the series, and evidently with her next book, which will be released in August, the author is taking on the ubiquitous fantasy genre with a story about girls and scary unicorns. I guess the unicorn is the one mythical creature that hasn’t been done to death in the YA genre yet, so… good for her?

Sears Tower Sky Ledge Opens Today

Opening today is a new observation deck on the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower. It's a glass-bottomed deck that juts out over Chicago, affording visitors a view 1,353 feet straight down - and it's my personal idea of hell!

These are some reporters checking out the new ledge. It makes me queasy just to look at this photo.

audio books

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but in the past few months I’ve taken to listening to audio books in the car, even when I’m not going on a road trip. We have two radio stations – total – in my area, and I get tired of listening to the constant stream of Bob Marley and whatever other stoner music they play CONSTANTLY so I listen to books now and then. It has been fun getting into it, actually. The voice of the reader makes a huge difference to me. If the reader is annoying, it distracts me so much that I can’t even listen to the story. Lately I have been getting the audio books from the library, so if I hate the reader, I can immediately return the book and not feel the sting of a bad (expensive) purchase.

An author who I LOVE listening to is Sarah Vowell. I actually prefer listening to her read her books on CD, instead of reading them myself. Recently, as I drove around town, I listened to her read her latest book, The Wordy Shipmates, about the Puritans and colonial Massachusetts. I learned about John Winthrop, Roger Williams, and Anne Hutchinson. You'll have to go look those people up yourself.

Another book I listened to recently was Trading Up, by Candace Bushnell. Chick lit is a good choice for me on CD, especially those stories that rely on humor and scenes rather than complicated plots – the story lines are typically easy to pick up and put down in short doses, which is good for times when I’m driving around running errands. Anyway, Trading Up was kind of good, now that I think about it. While I was listening to it, it seemed a little trashy at times, but it wasn’t that bad, in retrospect – the trashiness seemed honest to the characters. The book was read by Mira Sorvino, who I like, so that was a bonus. If you knew who I was talking about when I said “Candace Bushnell,” then I’m sure you already have a general sense of the book: New York/L.A., sexy women, social status, fashion, glitterati. It was fun. I admit I did have to quickly turn off the CD a couple of times when stopped at traffic lights with my windows rolled down. Didn’t need the neighbors idling alongside me to hear, at full volume, Mira reading about our heroine doing sexual favors for movie stars in restaurant bathrooms.

RIP Michael Jackson

It's so sad to keep posting RIPs! Two in one day. Man.

RIP

Save My Liberry!

A friend in New Jersey just alerted me to this article in the New York Times about how Ray Bradbury made an appearance last weekend in my home town of Ventura, California, doing a benefit talk for the local library. This is significant to me for two reasons. One, I did not know the library was even in danger (though I suppose they all are at this point, aren't they?) and the H.P. Wright Library played a huge part in my childhood. It was not far from our house and I would ride my bike down there after school or on weekends, and hang out and read all the Anne of Green Gables books and all of the Oz books. I loved hiding out in that place. Sometimes my friend Meg would come, and after we were done looking at books we would go to Taco Bell and share a tostada before riding our bikes back home. I just have distinct, fond memories of the library. I really hope it doesn't get shut down, even though I don't live there any more.

The second thing that's amazing about this whole thing is just the fact that Ray Bradbury - Ray Bradbury! I didn't even know the man was still alive - thinks the Ventura library is important. That's pretty cool. Something Wicked This Way Comes is one of my all-time favorites. I remember when we read that book in high school. My teacher assigned us pages to read for the next day, as teachers do - "Read through Chapter X for tomorrow." - and he had us stop at the end of a chapter right in the middle of some amazing cliffhanger, like, there was no way we weren't going to keep reading to see what happened! So we got to class the next day, and John (the teacher) says, rather smugly, "Okay, so who was able to stop reading at that point?" and we all sort of chuckled, and this one kid raised his hand, and we all rolled our eyes at him, because, wanker.

Anyway, I'm sending a check to the library today. If anyone else is interested, here's the info!

Save Wright Library

P.O. Box 403
Ventura, CA 93002
(make checks out to Save Wright Library)

Ventura County Star article about the fundraising efforts

Follow up on my last post about Tori Spelling’s new book. I have been watching the new season of Tori & Dean on Oxygen, and I was right about Tori being distracted during the writing of Mommywood: The last couple of episodes show her sending book notes to her editor from her Blackberry – literally phoning it in -- while at the same time she’s feeding the children, learning lines for Smallville and being filmed for the reality show. Like, at that very same moment. While she’s writing. Girl is BUSY. She seems kind of overwhelmed, but I can understand that you’ve gotta make hay while the sun shines – especially if you’re an actor, I would think.

This weekend I finished Tori Spelling’s new book, Mommywood. You already know I liked her first book, sTori Telling, so I actually was looking forward to this follow-up.

Eh. I like Tori, I do. But to me this one seemed like a mish-mash of miscellaneous stories that seemed sort of phoned in, combined with a heaping extra helping of vitriol toward her mother. Maybe it’s because I’m not a mom – much less a Hollywood mom – so I couldn’t relate? Maybe I am just more interested in her 90210 stories and Lifetime network gossip, as featured in sTori Telling? As I read, I couldn’t escape the thought that Tori had a book deal to do two (maybe more?) books, and she used up all the good stuff in the first one.

No offense or whatever to her babies, who are the source of all these stories. I’m sure they’re lovely children. I'm still a fan, Tori! Call me!

bird bird bird, bird is the word

There is this robin in a tree outside my office window, and he is driving me absolutely crazy. He has been throwing himself against this window for almost a week now. He sits there staring, then dips his head, and hurls himself against the window, thudding his wings and clicking his little feet against the glass. Then he falls to the ledge under the window, hops back into the tree, and 2-3 minutes later, throws himself at the window again.

This is incredibly distracting. Not only am I concerned for this bird’s safety, but it is nerve-rattling to be sitting here at my desk, typing away, and to see him out of the corner of my eye and then hear the thud. Every few minutes! It’s like Chinese water torture!

After the first day, I figured he would tire himself out (or maybe die, hopefully while I was away from the office). But I came in to work the second morning and he was still there, sitting on the branch. So I got some tin foil and taped it up on the window, hoping the glare would scare him off. Unfortunately, our windows are tinted so I don’t even think he could see the tin foil from out there. He continued his onslaught.

So after three days of biting my nails and sitting at my desk on the verge of tears, I got a couple of blank CDs and tied long loops of dental floss through them. I climbed out the window of my office, shimmied along the window ledge, and then hung the CDs from the bird’s tree like Christmas ornaments. (I’m on the third floor, so if I went out the door of my building, I would not have been able to reach the branches that were favored by the bird and key to my plan). It worked! For a while, the bird seemed bewildered by the shiny CDs twirling in his branches. I thought I had solved the problem (and ripped my pants in the process, but it would be worth it if he would fly away). But the next day, he was at it again, apparently having figured out that blank CDs were no threat to him.

And so it continues. My co-worker thinks that he sees his reflection in the window and thinks it’s another bird, so he’s attacking this bird over and over. That’s likely, I suppose. Another co-worker thinks he might have salmonella and that I should call Fish and Game about the situation. I think that it is also possible that he’s staring in at ME. Maybe he wants to peck my head! I am afraid to go out to my car!

Honestly. He is going to damage himself if he doesn’t cut it out. If he didn’t have something wrong with him before, he probably does by now. Dumb bird.

Susan Boyle kills it!

I know everyone has seen this already, but I can't not post a link to the video of Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent. Oh, I cry and cry.

somebody stop meh

This weekend I read two more Michael Connelly books (Echo Park, Chasing the Dime). I need someone to slap me.

Also: This should have been the year I was trying to read 50 books! I am on a roll.

RIP Shane McConkey

My heart goes out to Shane's family. Hoping they find peace.

Update 3/31: Memorial Site.