Books read in May

My reading style tends to be many books at once. I’ll start something, and if it isn’t a totally compelling narrative, I’ll read a little of that, and then maybe start something else and on and on. Then there tends to be the books I “must” read for one reason or other. This system, informal as it is, hasn’t been working for me lately. In the middle of the month, I decided I would read one book at a time. The thinking was that it would force me to decide earlier that I wasn’t going to finish the book and move onto something I did want to read.

In some ways, it has been a good thing, though I chafe against the restriction when I am working through a “must read” book I’m not enjoying much. I tend to skim then, which for those books, is probably what I should have been doing all along.

Read
Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Jamie Ford
The title is how the whole book went. On first glance, it’s a great one. But on second glance it becomes a bit schlocky. So was the plot. However, the relocation of the Japanese was heartbreaking and the book is probably worth reading just for that part.

Living Oprah
Robyn Okrant
A woman does what Oprah tells her to for an entire year. Sometimes this is repetitive, but other times very funny. It’s a quick read, you might enjoy.

Envoy: Your Personal guide to classroom management
Michael Grinder
This here is the discipline plan at George Middle School. Now that I read it, I understand why the teacher doesn’t move for 30 seconds after giving directions.

Every Last One
Anna Quindlan
Nice descriptions of life with teenagers. This is a hard book to read, subject matter-wise.

Empress of the World
Sara Ryan
Good YA first love fiction, but with two girls. These kind of YA books didn’t exist when I was a YA reader, so I was happy to see this.

Radical Homemakers
Shannon Hayes
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Examines women and men who are taking a different path to modern life. Very well written and interesting. Recommended.

Sing them Home
Stephanie Kallos
Nice, thick novel centered on a Nebraska family whose mother was borne away by a tornado. Great characters. Also, a fun take on “the dead.” This is my favorite type of novel.

Started but did not finish
A Celibate Season
Carol Sheilds & Blanch Howard
It turned out I had read this already.

Perennial Vegetables: From Artichoke to Zuki Taro, a gardeners guide to over 100 delicious, easy-to-grow edibles
Eric Tonesmeir
Good guide to vegetables you don’t have to keep planting every year.

Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution
Richard Bernstein
I can tell you, after reading this, that I don’t want to get diabetes so I don’t have to go on his diet. Interesting story of how the author became a doctor.

The Secrets of Making Wine from Fruits and Berries
Leslie G. Slater
Old fashioned book. Tiny, but packed with information.

The complete Diabetes Prevention Plan
Sandra Woodruff and Christopher Saudek
More commercial discussion of the diabetes topic.

Three sentence movie reviews: The Runaways


Gripping drama about rock-n-roll and being perhaps a little too young for things that come your way. Both Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart are so good you forget that they are Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart. Great costumes too.

Bechdel score: Has two women? Yes. Who talk to each other? Yes. About something besides a man? Yes!

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2010/runaways_xlg.html

Three sentence movie reviews: Raw Faith


A small amount of bias goes into this review, because the subject of this documentary is our former Senior Minister*. Still, I was surprised at how touching this movie was, and very funny in places. This is a good documentary for people in transition.

*you can see me for about three seconds in one scene, standing in the balcony in church. My goal during filming was to NOT be on camera and I almost succeeded. However, if you ask Matt, he will tell you he’s dating a movie star.

poster from: http://www.rawfaith.com/press

A strange coming together of topics

From Powell’s “funny books” display:
At first I thought it was tax tips for chefs or restaurant owners and that made sense to me. But then I read on and found that either the Tax Department has a division of Retarded and Developmentally Disabled workers who created this guide, OR the Tax Department’s Employees (not retarded) made this guide for the Retarded and Developmentally Disabled. But then I’m not sure where the culinary part comes in. Maybe the RDD people work in kitchens? Maybe the Tax Department’s employees are spicing up the title with a fun word like culinary? Like many, many things in life, I will never know the answer.

I can’t tell if they are joking or not.

I made a vat of hummus for our Spindrift trip. The hummus also came with celery and carrots for dipping and, of course, pita bread. After we got home, I happened to look at the label and laughed long and hard when I read the diagrams for the suggested ways to cut the pita bread.

There’s something familiar about the hot dog slice and the diagonal taco cut. I feel like I’ve seen it before somewhere…
Oh yes! Those two cuts are THE EXACT SAME CUT AS the sandwich cut. They are just rotated.

Hmmm, I really want to make the “cold cuts” cut, because I’ve got this delicious roast beef. But what should I do if I’m making tiny roast beef sandwiches for snacks? Which cut should I use?

Oh wait! It turns out that the Hors d’oeuvres/Snack Cut and the Cold Cuts cuts are THE EXACT SAME CUT!

I’m really hoping the graphic designer who created this packaging realizes this and is just having a laugh.

Three sentence movie reviews: Iron Man 2


Continuing the tradition of seeing a superhero movie in celebration of our anniversary, we caught up with Tony Stark. I found this movie to be great fun, especially with the always excellent Don Cheadle replacing the mediocre Terrance Howard. Also, I finally find a movie when I can stand to watch Mickey Rourke and, (plus!) Sam Rockwell was awesome, as usual.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2010/iron_man_two.html

Edwin Markham

There was a feature in the Oregonian today about Oregon’s Poet Laureates. Edwin Markham was one from 1923-1940. He was born in Oregon, but lived in California after age five. I was delighted to reacquaint myself with his poem “Outwitted” which I’m sure was in some textbook I read in junior high or high school.

Outwitted
He drew a circle that shut me out–
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!

You can read a bit more about him in the Oregonian’s article “Oregon’s Poet Laureates: A sample of their work, a bit about their lives.” published May 10, 2010 and (for right now) available here.