D.V.

Thoughts   D.V. by Diana Vreeland (Edited by George Plimpton and Christopher Hemphill), First Da Capo Press 1997 139780306812637 (orig 1984), 196 pages

“Refreshing, mesmerizing, and delightful…  a splendid read.”                -Variety

WHY:     Review on blog Grace Magazine Sept2007.  Yes, I have had this on my tbr since the day I found out what t.b.r stands for (to be read, but y’all know that, right?)

WHO:    Diana Vreeland was an editor of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue.   This is an odd little book.   It is entirely conversational; thus it is quite confusing, meandering and much beyond me in the name-dropping arena.     It has been said (so SHE says, sort of) that she launched the career of Twiggy   and also gave Cher a start in the modeling biz.    If I had to pick one word to describe this, I would say ‘scattered’.

“The only problem is you think too late. Everything is new the first time around.”   -p.43

I was quite pleased (as punch!) when she mentioned her good friend Millicent Rogers.  I KNOW WHO THAT IS!   She has a library named for her!  Millicent was the daughter of H.H. Rogers, wealthy dude and patron of Fairhaven Massachusetts.   He provided the cash to build the amazingly beautiful Millicent Library   and many other buildings in the area.  But if I hadn’t been so enamored of this little gem of a town on the southcoast of Mass, I would not have recognized the name.

Really, this book, this woman, this collection of bits about her life, felt a bit flat and just…  meh.

“D.V. is a champagne party.” -Ms.

Ms. Vreeland could inspire anyone to be a free soul, I suppose.

I do respect her love for bold colors.

I respect that she lived her life by her own rules.

“The idea must be that you learn from the exaggeration.”   -p.27

If you have any interest in eccentric characters and a bit of fashion history, I would recommend this book. I can’t say anything was really WOW-factor which is why I am having such a hard time writing this so-called review. I know I expected more. If anyone wants to read it, I’ll choose at random one of you who might leave a comment by March 1 saying you want the book.
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The Sugar Queen

Thoughts     Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen, A Bantam Book / 2008 9780553805499, 276 pages Hardback

MOTIVATION for READING: I bought this because it was on the Bargain Table for $4, I adored SAA’s novel Garden Spells, this author reminds me of a blogger friend who is responsible for bringing SAA to my attention and I needed something exactly like this when I was looking for a lighter book to read alongside Ulysses. And I liked the orange color and gold leaf on the cover. Not for any challenge.

WHAT’s it ABOUT:   A girl, excuse me – a woman well in her early 30s, feels responsible for taking care of her mother to atone for how horrible she was as a very very young child.    The mother is not the nicest person, shall we say.  Yes, we will say this.   She discovers another townie in her closet one day who needs to hide and escape an abusive relationship.  This person pushes Josey (Josey is the name of the first girl woman I mentioned) to move beyond her safe contained life of servitude and do some things quite out of character and against her mother’s wishes.    Wonderful madcap adventures ensue.    Well, sort of.  Misadventures?    Josey makes friends of the girlfriend AND the boyfriend kind.    The reader is swept away and roots for everyone!     The ending caught me off guard, which is always fun.    I should have seen it coming, but I didn’t.    Smiles

I LOVED THIS STORY!!!!        Makes me feel all happy gooey inside.

I want to read everything Sarah Addison Allen writes, past and future.

Ha! Easy as pie. Strawberry pie. Strawberry rhubarb pie with fresh vanilla ice cream.   -p.135

RATING:   Five Slices

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Copyright © 2007-2011. Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care from Care’s Online Book Club.  It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

The Imperfectionists

Thoughts   The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman, ebook (Kindle App on iPad) The Dial Press, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group 2010, Hardcover – 269 pages

Randomusings…

As Fizzythoughts mentioned, one of the stories mentions Ulysses!    One reference was about carrying around the hefty book in a pocket and the other to Leopold and Molly Bloom.    I smiled at these – the only books I took with me on vacation last week were The Imperfectionists and Ulysses!   Actually, not true – I also took the Ulysses/Joyce Guide to Dublin book…

Another reference dropped into The Imperfectionists was the name Diana Vreeland. She was a famous editor of Vogue magazine and I have her autobiography D.V. and am just starting it. I considered the mention my hint to read as my next book.

I loved the setting and the food mentions throughout The Imperfectionists. I wanted to look up recipes – especially in the story about the editor who is gruff at work but actually quite lovable. And ROME! Italy!! Books like this make me sad I didn’t read more like it in high school.   I would never have dreamed – ok, let’s face it, I never would have DARED believe I could just go to a foreign country and work.    Wish I could have…     NoooOOoo, I had to think about what degree would find me the best job:  BOOOORRRRRrrIiiinnnngggggGGG.   oh well.    I have a good life; shall not complain.    Makes one wonder sometimes, how things would have turned out IF…    one different choice = whole ‘nother path –>  where would I be?

I gave The Imperfectionists 4 slices of pie though I hesitated it was only a 3 slicer.   Perhaps it was that the characters where a bit hard to like.    They make some dumb choices; do things I wouldn’t call admirable.    Talk about showing the warts!

The style of the book is interesting, too.    It’s like a woven tapestry of various stories and characters, weaving here and there to make up a whole.    Time shifts back and forth;  minor characters show up and then disappear to re-emerge later.    The flow was nice.   Questions are asked and never answered but always interesting.

I think we will have many interesting topics discussed at book club next week!    Character slamming is likely.

My favorite story (and probably character) is the Arthur story – he is an obituary writer lacking ambition who through a few sudden turns of events and reflection after, develops some ambition after all.   POIGNANT.

As to the writing, I think it was in that category of so good that you scarcely realize you are reading – you are not distracted by it nor aware of it while in the middle of the story.   Once complete, you think, ‘very fine’.

Have you ever thought you can read the author when you read a book?   How some novels, fiction novels, somehow expose the author while you are reading?    I only ask to show the contrast of our last book club book and this one.    In Shadow Tag, I really got the impression that Louise Erdrich was sharing herself.   (It has been mentioned that elements of Shadow Tag could be autobiographical…)   But in the Imperfectionist, I did NOT get any sense of the author.    This really strikes me as significant somehow and thus I bring it up.     Which is also why I very much enjoyed the author interview at the end of the book.

If you want to read a true review of this collection of connected stories pertaining to an English-language newspaper printed in Rome, check out Softdrink’s link in the first paragraph or click on any or all of the links here, here, here, here for terrific analysis, insights and plot descriptions.   Or click HERE for the grand google search results.

Word has it that Brad Pitt’s film company has picked up the rights.    This would explain why Brad Pitt’s photograph showed up in the image collection when I searched for the cover.

Who would Brad Pitt play if he was a character?    I would put him in for the original publisher/founder Mr. Ott.

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Copyright © 2007-2011. Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care from Care’s Online Book Club.  It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Keys, Joyce and Guinness

First, Happy ♥alentines Day to all no matter what kind of love you share with friends, family, pets and sweethearts.

♥

I didn’t read as much on my vacation as I had hoped.    We spent more time sightseeing than lounging by the pool.     So for today’s Jousting with Joyce update, I can only report that I’m now further behind:  I’m still wandering with Dedalus in Chapter 3 so that puts me 3.5 chapters behind.

But!   and this is good news, I have some help.   I checked out a few books from the library AND received the most grand gift EVEH!  from my friend Jeanne who sent me this:

James Joyce’s Odyssey:  A Guide to the Dublin of Ulysses

I’m learning all sorts of interesting facts about lots of stuff.   And it is really sparking my interest in visiting Dublin, of course.

So where did I go for vacation?    the Florida Keys!    Where we found an Irish bar (of course).

This is me, toasting Joyce with a pint of Guinness.     If only I could have had a hefty copy of Ulysses with me; the photo would be perfect.

Back to reading…

♡

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Notice of Care

Hello!   Just a few oddball tidbits to share on my book journey through life…

NOTICE notice |ˈnōtis|noun
1 attention; observation : their silence did not escape my notice | it has come to our notice that you have been missing school blog.
2 notification or warning of something, esp. to allow preparations to be made: interest rates are subject to fluctuation without notice. •  a formal declaration of one’s intention to end an agreement, typically one concerning employment or tenancy, at a specified time : she handed in her notice.
3 a displayed sheet or placard giving news or information : the jobs were advertised in a notice posted in the common room. •  a small advertisement or announcement in a newspaper or magazine : anobituary notice. • (usu. notices) a short published review or comment about a new film, play, or book : she had good notices in her first film.

Jousting with Joyce and I have never had a jousting lesson.   Honestly, I’m getting this feeling that I’ve been thrown into a pool and only then realized I don’t know how to swim.   That I’ve signed up to run a marathon and have yet to first see if I can run one mile, let alone 26.    That I haven’t read the Odyssey and it might be a wee bit helpful.   That I am not ready for Ulysses at this time.

Here’s the latest sentence I read which is page 61 out of 2548 of my iBook version:

Buck Mulligan at once put on a blithe broadly smiling face.

blithe |blīð; blīθ|adjective  -  showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper : a blithe disregard for the rules of the road.• happy or joyous : a blithe seaside comedy.

Although these next words are some of my least favorite to ever have been strung together:  I-AM-TOO-BUSY!   I’m about to go on a trip, I have annoying accounting to do before I can submit my tax crap to the Tax Lady, my husband has challenged me to pull a few hundred (*cough*) dollars out of the budget OR GET A REAL JOB (*sigh*), my house needs to be cleaned, I’m behind on my goal to read 100 books (I know, I know), and of course, we had a Super Bowl party.  That’s over but it still distracted me all weekend and again, did I not say that my house needs to be cleaned?  Yes, yes I did.

So, instead…   I read Sarah Allen Addison’s DELIGHTFUL   Sugar Queen and I don’t know if the refreshing charming sweetness of this lovely little lovely book was just that much more palatable than Ulysses, but they didn’t compare in enjoyment level.

I also watched The Social Network and thought the movie made Zuckerberg look much more like an asshole than the book did. Just sayin’.   I know I mentioned that The Accidental Billionaires book might have a skewed representation of the whole startup-of-Facebook thing, but I didn’t know I would have to defend the author in his writing it anyway without having interviewed the keyest of the key guys.  But I do. I think he did a fair job of it; especially now that I’ve seen the movie (which has more of the lawsuit deposition/trial stuff).

I don’t know if I will write a review of Sugar Queen anytime soon.   Perhaps I will go UNPLUGGED instead.   But do know (Softdrink, I’m looking at you!  :)  ) that I am ONLY taking Ulysses and Tom Rachman’s The Imperfectionists in eReader format with me on my vacation.

OK, thank you.   Carry on.

Oh, and tomorrow is Book Journey Sheila‘s birthday, FYI.  

.

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Copyright © 2007-2011. Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care from Care’s Online Book Club.  It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

The Accidental Billionaires

Thoughts The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich, Doubleday 2009, 260 pages, NONFICTION

CHALLENGE:   Page to Screen (1/5), TwentyinEleven/tbr

MOTIVATION for WHY THIS/NOW:     I don’t quite recall when I bought this but I do remember realizing the author was the guy who wrote Bringing Down the House which was made into the movie 21 starring Kevin Spacey and Jim Sturgess.  I had been wanting to read that book but found this one – but I can’t recall if it was at Borders or where.  Oh well.    But, wait!  There’s some more just as non-interesting things I want to share.  I brought this book with me when I attended the Boston Book Fest where Holly and I listened to Mr. Mezrich talk about social networking and technology.   (he’s on the right.) I did NOT go up to him and have him sign it, though. Just a tiny regret in my life which is ok with me.   If these are the kind of regrets I get to live with, life is darn good.    Once the Oscar buzz started to build for The Social Network and Sorkin began to win all the screen-writing awards, I decided it was time I pulled this book off the shelf and finally read it. The movie will be available on Netflix Tuesday, 2/8!

FIRST SENTENCE:    ”It was probably the third cocktail that did the trick.”

WHAT’s it ABOUT:   I think the subtitle tells everything.     The key is that Mezrich never did interview Mark Zuckerberg so we never get his side of anything, all speculation on what he may have done when alone, what he thought, why, etc.   But I enjoyed the narrative we do get from the Winklevoss twins – who tried to hire Mark for their own website, Eduardo Severin – who fronted the initial cash investment, and Sean Parker – who introduces Mark to the investment and technology worlds in California.     ALL VERY FASCINATING.

WHAT’s GOOD/NOT so:   This book has been criticized for weak writing but I found it just fine, with only some wordy overdescripting here and there.    Nothing too distracting which is what I was fearing.    It’s a fast-paced look at basically that first year and then some months that Facebook was born from an idea into the growing phenomena it is now.    I am eager to see the flick and am glad that I have a bit more background as to who the players are.

RATING:   Four pie slices.   

“And beyond that, he realized, he had been very wrong about something. A computer program could actually get you laid.”

.

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Copyright © 2007-2011. Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care from Care’s Online Book Club.  It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Page to Screen Challenge

I’m in.   And I’ve already started!   My next review will be The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, the source for the Aaron Sorkin’s award-winning screenplay for The Social Network.

I will read 5 books for Level One.  Click on the button above to read all about it and/or sign up at Reading Extensively.

I have a LOT of books in-house that would qualify:    Up in the Air, Blindness, Possession, Mary Reilly, Dead Man Walking, A River Runs Through It, Three Muskateers, just to name a few…

I love reading books and watching flicks!   I actually should write a follow-up to A Single Man.  I liked the movie almost as much as the book.

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Test… This is only a test… But you can stay anyway

Hello!   The last Bloggiesta, I found myself a Blogging-Buddy!

Amused, of Amused By Books Book Blog and I will be experimenting with our Google Alerts.

Mine doesn’t seem to capture but ONE blog who doesn’t even reference me in her posts – I think I’m listed on a blog roll, as far as I can tell.

SO I am going to link to Amused, she is going to link to me and we will see what gets caught.

That’s it!  oh, but please feel free to click over and say hello to her and let her know what an awesome blog-buddy she has hooked up with. (Can I even say ‘hooked up with’?!)

1)   She is attempting the 50 States Challenge but so far has only visited Texas.   Whoops!  She HAS read more than just Texas!  I only wrote this post last week…

 

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