Everything Here Is The Best Thing Ever

When I picked up this collection of short stories by Justin Taylor at my local library, the title intrigued me plus it was on the table of "good picks" so I thought it would be worth checking out. However, I didn't follow Nancy Pearl's guideline and stop reading at the appropriate number of pages for my age. Perhaps it was because it was a collection of short stories and I kept hoping I would find a redeemable one in the lot. Maybe it's the fact that Taylor is younger than my youngest child but I just didn't "get" the characters in his stories or even what passed for a plot but perhaps these stories appeal to a younger audience. When I went to his web site this morning (www.justintaylor.net) to see if I could learn more about what else he has written, it said "Nothing Here to See."

According to the bio on the back of this paperback book, Taylor has written a variety of fiction and nonfiction stories and been published in some well-known journals and magazines as well as being featured on web sites. He's currently working on his first novel but I doubt that it will be one that catches my interest!

pazt

Nancy Pearl and Sarah Strohmeyer

Several years ago I heard Nancy Pearl (Seattle librarian, author, public speaker,and much more!)speak at a Friends of the Library meeting at the Mukilteo, WA, library. I will never forget her recommendation: Subtract your age from 100 and that is how many pages of a book to read before giving yourself permission to stop reading that particular book. Since I'm one of those individuals who has a hard time putting a book aside because I think I "ought" to finish it, this has become a useful tool for me. I find myself even ignoring the "rule" on occasion and quitting before the recommended number of pages!

Nancy is a voracious reader and most of her books are recommendations of books she's read. The first one I was aware of was titled, "Book Lust." which I thought was extremely clever. If you want more information about Nancy Pearl and her career as well as her books, visit: http://www.nancypearl.com/biography.html

So....I am a fan of Sarah Strohmeyer's Bubbles Yablonsky character and there is a series of "Bubbles" books. As I've mentioned before, I like to read a series in order but, when I was at the library, I couldn't remember how far I'd actually gotten into the "Bubbles" series so I picked up Strohmeyer's "The Penny Pinchers Club" as it seemed to be a "stand-alone" book. I made it 95 pages into the large print edition before invoking Nancy's rule because the book just couldn't hold my interest. I'm surprised at how hard it was to let it go, though -- maybe because I do like the "Bubbles" series so well?

Although I found "The Penny Pinchers Club" kind of boring, I enjoy the Bubbles series because I like mysteries plus they're funny -- always a good combination for me!

pazt

"It's Complicated"

When I saw this movie (written and directed by Nancy Meyers) in the theater, I thoroughly enjoyed it so I picked up a copy of the DVD at the library for date night to share it with my spouse. Meryl Streep, as usual, puts in a superb performance portraying the ex-wife of Alec Baldwin's character.

John Krasinski, who plays the fiance of their oldest daughter, made a real impression on me. Although all of the actors/actresses in this film could say a lot with facial expressions, I thought he really did an outstanding job. I looked up his bio and was surprised to see how many films he has to his credit. He plays Ben in "The Holiday" and I have seen this movie (in our home DVD library) many times and have no clue who "Ben" is so I'll be looking for him when I watch it again.

Steve Martin rounds out this cast in a story about family relationships, divorce, regrets, dating and more. Although it is full of comedy, it still takes on some serious questions. Is it really that easy to throw away fifteen years of marriage, leave your wife and three children, and start a new family, without wondering if you maybe made the wrong choice? Wouldn't we all sometimes like to have a "do-over" and what would we learn if we had that opportunity? Would we make the same choice again or would we do it differently next time?

pazt

"Death of a Cad"

This second Hamish Macbeth mystery by M. C. Beaton brings Priscilla Halburton-Smythe home from London with her playwright fiance to a weekend engagement party hosted by her parents. When a guest is murdered, Constable Hamish Macbeth (himself smitten with Priscilla) must investigate and has a number of titled guests as suspects. I found it a quick and fun read.

pazt

Leap Year

I missed seeing this movie when it was in the theater earlier this year so I checked it out from our local library and thoroughly enjoyed it. It has humor, romance, and beautiful scenery as well as some great lines.

Before we get to those lines, though, let's talk about another idea from the movie -- not new to me because I remember it being part of a study group I was once part of many years ago.....If your house were on fire and you had only 60 seconds to grab what was most important to you, what would you take with you? There is a scene in the movie that brings home how important this can be to evaluating current relationships plus (in my opinion) it's also a great thought to ponder.

Now for some of those favorite lines of mine from the movie: Although I may not have gotten the quotes written down exactly, they're close enough to give you an idea.....

"Always kiss like it's the first time and the last time."
Isn't this a great way to keep love alive in a relationship?!

Wedding toast from bride to groom:

"May you never Cheat, Lie, or Steal but,
If you must Steal, then Steal away my sorrows;
If you must Lie then, Lie with me all the nights of my life; and
If you must Cheat, then Cheat death because I could never live without you."
(Beautiful sentiments to begin and to live a marriage.)

Advice from father to daughter:

"...the only thing that is really important....Live without regrets. Life is too short to do any differently."

A perfect ending: Go LIVE WITHOUT REGRETS!!!!

pazt

Jane Austen Every Day and Every Way

Last night was our monthly book club meeting--always a highlight of the month for me! When I suggested we read Jane Austen (also meaning I would lead the discussion), I didn't specify a particular Jane Austen book but recommended members pick one they'd like to read. As I was preparing for the monthly meeting, I began to regret that decision because I thought I then should read each and every one myself! However, time did not permit me to do that.

My spouse and I have been Jane Austen fans for years but mostly through BBC and other DVD versions of her books and "date night" frequently finds us watching a Jane Austen DVD. In preparation for book club, I purchased paperback Dover editions of "Emma," "Mansfield Park," "Northanger Abbey," and "Sense and Sensibility" then checked out a hard copy of "Pride and Prejudice" and a paperback copy of "Persuasion" from our library. I love Dover Thrift Editions because they have beautifully illustrated covers and are reasonably priced -- in this case from $3.00 to $4.50.

I was now ready to begin reading but I found the demands of daily life were interfering with my reading time. What to do? I checked out audio copies of all the books from the library but there still wasn't enough time to listen to all of the books so I ended up listening to most of "Persuasion" one day then finished the last few chapters by reading the book. I started listening to "Sense and Sensibility" but wasn't able to finish all of it. I loved discovering little things that were different from the DVD's we've watched.

My spouse suggested we start watching one version of each movie on the 4-5 nights before book club then I read parts of each book to see how different the book was from the movie. Surprisingly, the movies seem to include most of the actual quotations from the books but often have to be shortened, of course, to make for a good viewing length.

My spouse read "Northanger Abbey" as did one of the other males in our book club. My husband likens the heroine in that book to "Little Red Riding Hood" because of her naivete about the world in general. Everyone else chose to read either "Sense and Sensibility" or "Pride and Prejudice" and it was an evening of lively discussion.

I have to admit that "Pride and Prejudice" is probably my personal favorite. My hardback library copy had a chronology of Austen's life along with some of her contemporaries and world events of each year and I found that very interesting. It was so interesting, in fact, that I did further on-line research about her cousin, Eliza de Feuillide, whose French Army Captain husband was guillotined in 1794 after only thirteen years of marriage. She took her sickly son and returned to England where she eventually married one of Jane's brothers. I also researched "The Reign of Terror" in France and the Spithead and Nore mutinies lead by sailors of the English Royal Navy in 1797. Jane Austen writes about the world she knows and lives in and the distinct class consciousness as well as illustrating how little rights women of that time had and how dependent they were on marrying well. I'm sure her stories were also impacted by what was happening in the greater world which was what lead me to research some of those events mentioned in this chronology.

Reading guides are also available on line which list the characters in each book and a summary of each story. One of our book club members found a diagram on wikipedia of the characters in "Pride and Prejudice" and how they are related throughout the story which is fascinating. There are so many ways to experience and learn about Austen's books!

In addition to Jane Austen, I'd recommend watching "The Jane Austen Book Club" as I found it an excellent way to introduce and interest me in Jane's books. (It's also available in book form.)

For his birthday my spouse ordered himself a complete set of the BBC Jane Austen DVD's that we have yet to start watching so it will continue to be a Jane Austen festival in our house for days, months, and years to come!

pazt