BookGirl's Archive - April 2006

I was working with a crummy soldering iron (blame all mistakes on the tools, right?) but it was still fun and not as difficult as I thought it would be. My husband is afraid I have found yet another hobby.

We did go to Borders on Friday and we even lucked out and got to hear poetry from several high school students who were doing a reading. There were poems about death, angst, forever love and the like, but I give the kids tons of credit for just having the nerve to get up and read. That's hard work.

I also made it to the library and picked up the latest from Alexander McCall Smith, Blue Shoes and Happiness. I can't wait to see what Precious Ramotswe is up to in this latest installment.

04.27.06 – To Do List

Is it Friday afternoon yet? I'm ready for the weekend to start but first I have to put up with an all day meeting tomorrow. I'm still trying to figure out how to sneak in a book and read it. If anyone has a good idea let me know.

04.26.06 – An Evening with Anne

I went to Anne Lamott's book signing at Barnes & Noble tonight and had so much fun. The bookstore was packed and people were even leaning over the second floor balcony just to listen to her. I found standing room only among the travel section. Seeing such a crowd gave me hope that literature isn't dead in Dallas.

"I don't know what to make of the concept of Dallas," Anne started off saying and immediately got the evening off to a lot of laughter as she read from her latest novel, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, and answered questions from the crowd.

She said that through reading she found a refuge for her fears and how for her the act of reading, turning the book pages and hearing the slide of pages turning becomes a meditative experience. Words of a true bibliophile.

Someone ask her what some of her favorite books were and she named: Intuition by Allegra Goodman, The Wife by Meg Wolitzer, Happy All the Time by Laurie Colwin and the poetry of Sharon Olds and Mary Oliver. I'm adding these to my list of course.

Now I just want to grab all of her books and read them one after the other. To read more by Anne Lamott you can find a current article in Oprah's magazine.

04.25.06 – Books On Hold

Today was a great mail day at Casa BookGirl. All book reading is on hold because tonight I'm going to be indulging in a reading stash that Patricia sent me.

First there was an envelope with an illustration of BookGirl (very cute), a lovely card and some zines by none other than Patricia herself. I'm so impressed and grateful. Muchas gracias, vielen dank, merci, grazie ... You get the idea.

If all that excitement wasn't enough I got my latest issue of Bookmarks Magazine. A quick perusal and I know I'll be reading the reviews of new books by some authors I'm interested in discovering, such as, Allegra Goodman, Louise Dean, and Robb Forman Dew among others.

04.24.06 – New Addiction

I have found a new source for literary addiction - the Literature Map. Thank you Leila for mentioning that. Now I can add more and more authors to my to be read list. I will never get through my list.

I'm going to let you get back to playing with that while I'm off to catch up on my reading. I'm half way through A Year in the World and let's just say I feel like packing my suitcase now.

04.23.06 – On Tour

I was reading the Dallas Morning News today and surprise, surprise two authors are in town this week. David Sedaris is making a special appearance on Tuesday at the Majestic Theater and Anne Lamott will be doing a book signing at a local Barnes & Noble on Wednesday.

I've had the opportunity to see David Sedaris before and he is really one not to be missed. The tickets for his event are a bit pricey so I probably won't be able to make it this time. If you haven't read a Sedaris book please get one quick. My favorite is Naked. So funny.

Anne Lamott's event is free so I am hoping to make it to see her. I've only read one of her books, Traveling Mercies, but have always wanted to read more.

Also don't forget you can still celebrate National Poetry Month. I recommend checking out Lisa's poems. Congratulations to her as she's recently published those. And, if you are feeling lucky sign up for the HarperCollins Poetry Newsletter and you'll be entered to win a collection of new poetry books.

04.20.06 – New Stuff

I learned something new at Starbucks today. While waiting for a friend I saw a flash card display on one of their tables. I picked up the yellow card and learned a new word: Pococurante which means indifferent or apathetic.

I know Starbucks is promoting the movie Akeelah and the Bee and have seen stickers on the doors and at the registers but this is the first I've seen of the flash cards. I like them. I took one and it's now become a bookmark.

Another new thing I found out today is this store. It's a bookstore for zines! Remember how I was lamenting that I wasn't near the Barnard Library to check out their zine catalog? Well, now I can shop for zines via Parcell Press which carries more than 2,000 zines. This is going to be fun.

I hope everyone has a fun weekend. I haven't made any plans yet but I'm sure reading will be involved.

04.19.06 – Vacation on My Mind

With the temperatures in Dallas going up to 100 this week can you blame me if I'm confused and think it's vacation time? Ours isn't for a few of more months but all I can think of is vacation.

In the meantime the next best thing I can do is read about foreign lands. So, last night I started reading Frances Mayes' A Year in the World. The first part details her travels through Spain, land of Flamenco, Gaudi and Lorca. It's just beautiful. I may be biased as my first European vacation was to Spain but for now this book is at least letting me forget about the daily grind and taking me back to a place I can't forget.

For now here's an excerpt of a poem by Federico García Lorca which I hope takes you to Spain.

The girl with the pretty face
is out picking olives.
The wind, playboy of towers,
grabs her around the waist.
Four riders passed by
on Andalusian ponies,
with blue and green jackets
and big, dark capes.
"Come to Cordoba, muchacha."
The girl won't listen to them.
Three young bullfighters passed,
slender in the waist,
with jackets the color of oranges
and swords of ancient silver.

04.18.06 – A Coupon

I am not a big fan of coupons mainly because this means grocery shopping with my mom and that's always an ordeal. I love my mom but the woman drives me insane at the grocery store. Granted I hate going to the grocery store.

Anyway, why am I mentioning this? Because today I used the kind of coupon I like. A 40% off coupon to Half Price Books.

The best thing is that I have a 50% off coupon to use later this week. Yeah for Half Price Books and book coupons.

04.17.06 – Weekend Indulgences

Where have I been? Oh just reading a lot. I stayed away from the computer as much as possible for the last several days and caught up on some reading and sleep. I took naps, went to see Thank You for Smoking and even sat down to watch Bailando Por un Sueño with my mom and grandma.

I read The Summer House by Christobel Kent. This is the third book by Christobel Kent that I've read and I realize I've come to rely on her books when I am looking for a good read. Even though hers are always set in Italy they remind me a lot of Carol Goodman's books. Ms. Goodman also uses the same setting in every book, for her it's the Northeast, and relies on similar situations in every book - heroines at a crossroads.

Perhaps it may sound a bit boring to some as to why read a book that always has the same setting or situations. I mean, didn't I complain about this being my big problem with Chick Lit? Well, the big difference is that these authors know how to tell a story. Sure they may rely on some of the same formulas they employ in their other books but they know how to keep this reader reading.

04.13.06 – Zines

Are there any zinesters out there? Or readers of zines? Zines are self-published writings on topics ranging from politics to personal accounts to social issues and anything in between.

I've only read a couple of zines but if I lived near Barnard College I would be in zine-land! They have 500+ zines which are catalogued in the Barnard library. I think this is a fantastic idea don't you?

Recently I gave zines a try (with a lot of help from my husband) for a zine swap with an art & craft group I belong to. I sent mine in a couple of weeks ago and now I'm anxiously awaiting my trades.

The theme for my zine was Loteria. I wrote a bit about it's history and how it's played. Mainly, I wrote about my memories of playing loteria when I was a little girl and would spend every summer at my aunt's house in Monterrey. Here's a peek at what I sent it.

I'm really interested in zines at the moment. So if you have any suggestions on zines I need to check out let me know.

04.12.06 – ABCs

Recently Jordan had a nifty meme on her blog. I was tired today after another crazy day at work so I thought I'd borrow her meme. Granted it wasn't as easy as I thought. Still it was great fun to complete as it reminded me of some of my favorite books.

Name books you liked, one for as many letters of the alphabet as you can come up with.

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
Embers by Sandor Marai
Folly by Susan Minot
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Hotel Paradise by Martha Grimes
Islands of Silence by Martin Booth
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Kilbrack by Jaime O’Neill
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Morality Play by Barry Unsworth
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
Perfume by Patrick Suskind
Q (?)
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami
Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach
Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
Waiting by Ha Jin
X (?)
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Z (?)

04.11.06 – D.E.A.R.

Remember Ramona Quimby? Of course you do, and it's going to be a big day for her on Wednesday, April 12. Her creator, Beverly Cleary is celebrating her 90th birthday and she's also demanding you Drop Everything and Read.

I say let's all find time to do just that on Wednesday. Not sure how I can get away with this at work though. For my part, I will try to finish The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier, which was given to me by the wonderful Claire.

04.10.06 – Addicted to Journals

I love journals. I love buying them, making them, writing in them, etc. I've been keeping a journal since I was a little girl. My first one was the kind that had the little lock and the first entry read something along the lines of Dear Diary, Today was the best day ever. I bet you had one of those too right?

All my journals are different and they also serve different purposes. I have books filled with quotes, books filled with images, books with poetry. I had a little notebook with titles of books I wanted to read but as that kept getting too long it became a spreadsheet.

So why am I mentioning journals? Because I found two new sites for journal lovers, Paperitif and The Novel Novel. Aren't these great?

04.09.06 – Women vs. Men?

A new survey asks men which books have been the most influential in their life. Of the top 20 novels chosen only one is written by a woman, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Want to know which books were chosen? You can read the article here.

I thought it was an interesting article. I know that a list of my favorite books would have more women authors then men but I swear I don't set out to read more women authors. Somehow it just happens.

04.06.06 – Late at Night

Late in the night when I should be asleep
under the city stars in a small room
I read a poet. A poet: not
a versifier. Not a hot-shot
ethic-monger, laying about
him; not a diary of a lying
about in cruel cruel beds, crying.
A poet, dangerous and steep.

I have been reading very late at night all week. I haven't been reading dangerous poetry, but I have been reading about treacherous people. The Other Boleyn Girl has been a compelling read. I stayed up until 1:00 to finish the book last night. So again, thank you to all of you who recommended this book to me.

Lack of sleep and an unpleasant work situation have definitely made me ready for the weekend. How about you, are you ready?

I plan to dine with friends, have breakfast at Borders, catch a movie or a concert or both, and start some new books.

04.05.06 – Which Poet Are You?

Thanks to Andi I know which Modern American Poet I am, and just in time for National Poetry Month. Take the quiz and find out who you are.

Which Famous Modern American Poet Are You?

You are John Ashbery. People love your work but have no idea why, really. You are respected by all kinds of scholars and poets. Even artists like you.
Take this quiz!

Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

04.04.06 – cARTalog

What happens to the cards from old library catalogs? The University of Iowa Libraries' main card catalog was retired in 2004 but they have set up a way to salvage and honor the beloved cards. Take a peek at their project.

Okay who's going to request some cards? I know I am. This is just too good to pass up.

In other book news tonight was my foreign authors book group. I was very happy to hear that everyone enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind, which was my suggestion. It's not that I want people to love what I love but I can't help but feel some sense of responsibility after I recommend a book.

Anyway next month we'll be reading A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth. I'm already looking forward to that book.

04.02.06 – Poetry Month

It's been crazy at Casa BookGirl lately. I've had family in town, have been busy with some craft swaps and the weekend has just flown by. I am in need of another one.

Anyway I wanted to pop in and say Happy National Poetry Month everyone! To see what this is all about visit the Academy of American Poets web site.

Anyone have any plans to celebrate poetry month? It's easy, go to a poetry reading, memorize a poem, write one, etc.

Ink runs from the corners of my mouth
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
~Mark Strand, "Eating Poetry," Reasons for Moving, 1968

Archive

April 2006

04.30.06 – Bookish Jewelry