A Book Signing with GIADA DE LAURENTIIS
where:
Williams-Sonoma
Mall at Short Hills
1200 Morris Turnpike
Short Hills, NJ 07078
973-467-3641
when:
Thursday
April 5, 2007
12:00pm
Thursday, March 29, 2007
The God of Animals
Here is a Debut novel by a very promising author. I saw a review for this book in a magazine and online and couldn't resist posting the details. I feel like I have to check out this book now! I know nothing about horses and funny enough I am hosting a "Wild West" dance at my school tomorrow night. I have been running around all week wrangling up some straw and hay for decorating and still do not know the real difference between the two. This should be a fun Friday night.
Giddyup!
About the Author:Aryn Kyle graduated from the University of Montana writing program. In 2004 her short story Foaling Season, now the first chapter of this novel, won a National Magazine Award for Fiction for The Atlantic Monthly. Kyle spent most of her childhood in Grand Junction, Colorado, and now lives in Missoula, Montana. (www.ereader.com)
From the Publisher
When her older sister runs away to marry a rodeo cowboy, Alice Winston is left to bear the brunt of her family's troubles -- a depressed, bedridden mother; a reticent, overworked father; and a run-down horse ranch. As the hottest summer in fifteen years unfolds and bills pile up, Alice is torn between dreams of escaping the loneliness of her duty-filled life and a longing to help her father mend their family and the ranch.
taken from: http://www.barnesandnoble.com
an excerpt from: http://www.ereader.com/
"My father was being kind when he said I didn't have the temperament for showing, because what he meant was that I didn't have the talent. I couldn't remember to smile and keep my heels down and my toes in and my elbows tight and my back straight all at the same time. When I focused on smiling, I dropped my reins, and when I thought about sitting up straight, my feet slipped out of the stirrups. My father said that he needed me more outside the ring anyway, but I saw how it was. We had a reputation to maintain and a livelihood to earn. In the end, I wasn't good for business."
Bargain Books
What a deal! I went to the library two days ago to pick up our newest book club selection CAL and found some really cheap books for sale. I paid a total of $2.50 for all of these books. You cannot beat used books at the library!
Sharon and My Mother-in-Law: Ramallah Diaries by Suad Amiry
The Fall by Albert Camus
Complete Poems, Nineteen Eighty-One Anne Sexton
Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield
The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
I know, this is an Oprah Book Club Book and I am always complaining about the selections to friends and family, but I thought that since McCarthy is such a highly regarded author I have yet to read, I would post some information on the selection and the author himself. Enjoy!WHO IS CORMAC MCCARTHY?
About The Road
A LIFE IN BOOKS
Talk About The Road
Read an Excerpt
Reading Questions
Print Your Bookmark
AN EXCERPT FROM THE ROAD
"With the first gray light he rose and left the boy sleeping and walked out to the road and squatted and studied the country to the south. Barren, silent, godless. He thought the month was October but he wasn't sure. He hadn't kept a calendar for years. They were moving south. There'd be no surviving another winter here."
*above links and excerpt taken from: http://www2.oprah.com/obc_classic/featbook/road/obc_featbook_road_main.jhtml
The Blind Assassin
Why I bagged this novel?
My book club was suppose to read this and roughly four out of seven of us actually made an attempt to read it and one completely finished it. I am sorry to say, but I bailed at the first chapter. I had every intention of reading this novel, since I know that Atwood is a fabulous author, but failed to complete the task. So, instead of a review and a full commentary on what the club thought, I leave you with a site to check out.The official site of Margaret Atwood's latest book:
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Newest Book Club Selection
Cal by Bernard MaclavertyYesterday, my book club selected our next book to read and here it is. If you have read this and have a comment I would love to hear from you.
Check out the review below from Amazon.com:
First published in 1983, this lyrical novel, superficially straightforward but full of stories within stories, first brought Bernard MacLaverty's work to public attention. In the novel, a young Irish Republican Army operative who wants to break the cycle of violence seeks out a woman whose Ulster policeman husband he helped to murder. As their relationship grows, so do Cal's guilt and sorrow, until, in the end, he is forced to make a sacrifice of himself in order to gain redemption. Rich in ideas and history, this book helps us understand the situation in Northern Ireland--which "is not just there," MacLaverty has remarked, "as a colorful background."
Monday, March 26, 2007
Week Twelve, Book Thirteen
Adverbs: A Novel by Daniel HandlerReview: This was by far one of the biggest let downs of the past few months for me. I thought that I had stumbled upon a novel that would be 1. a fast read and 2. a side splitting funny story about love. Instead, I was stuck with a 272 page tome about "nothing", "nothing" you say, yes, "nothing". I could not connect to any of the characters, let alone did I even care about any of them. The only reason I picked up this book in the first place, the fact that the author is actually Lemony Snicket, writer of a sequence of children's novels collectively entitled A Series of Unfortunate Events. I do not know, maybe I missed the boat on this one, but I did not enjoy this novel at all and I only finished it because I thought that it was going to get better as I read and low and behold, I was wrong. Okay, so here is "the light at the end of the tunnel"... he mentions in a chapter entitled "barely" a great album, Sandinista! by The Clash. If you do not know this double CD, then you have to check it out. This has got to be one of the most underrated records of all time. As for me ever picking up another Daniel Handler book, I doubt it! I have to stick to his Lemony Snicket books, they are definitely worth the read. The movie Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events by Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, and Kara Hoffman is actually even a better choice.
Here are two fun soundtracks that came out of that movie:
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Thomas Newman
The Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events by Gothic Archies, Stephin Merritt, and Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Thomas Newman
The Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events by Gothic Archies, Stephin Merritt, and Lemony Snicket
A Conversation With Daniel Handler
(taken from: http://www.powells.com/)
Can you describe the pleasures you find in writing novels for children and adults, and how, composition-wise, these endeavors differ for you?
"I don't find any difference — whatever I'm writing, I engage in the usual sporadic research, the wiggy, baggy first draft and then heaps of rewriting. But it seems worth noting that Adverbs focuses on love — the emotional terrain that's more or less absent from the Snicket books."
books to check out:
Series of Unfortunate Events #12: The Penultimate Peril
by Lemony Snicket
by Lemony Snicket
Sunday, March 25, 2007
The Moth StorySlam
visit this site: http://www.themoth.org/The Moth, a not-for-profit storytelling organization, was founded in New York in 1997 by poet and novelist George Dawes Green.
The Moth StorySLAM provides a stage and a microphone, a theme to inspire and shape the evening, a lively and supportive audience, and a host to guide the festivities. Stories are limited to five minutes, and ten stories are heard.
New York slams are held twice a month.
On the second of Tuesday of each month you’ll find us at:
The Nuyorican Poets Cafe
236 East 3rd Street between. Avenues B & C
7:00 Sign up, mingle, volunteer to judge
7:30 Stories begin
On the last Monday of each month you’ll find us at:
The Bitter End
147 Bleecker Street between Thompson & LaGuardia
7:00 Sign up, mingle, volunteer to judge
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Reading Catalan Poetry
Reading Catalan PoetryMarch 24 at 8:30PM
Downtown luminaries Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, and Patti Smith bring to the American spotlight some of Catalonia's greatest poetry of the 20th century.
All performances begin at 8:30pm.
Admission is free.Reservations are required. Seating is limited.
Phone Ticket Central Box Office at 212-279-4200.
On-line: http://www.ticketcentral.com/
The Baryshnikov Dance Foundation presents Made in CataluNYa, Catalan Culture in New York, a festival organized by the Barcelona-based Institut Ramon Llull and featuring some of today's most innovative and celebrated Catalan artists in dance, theater, music and poetry.
*all above information taken from:
http://www.baryshnikovdancefoundation.org/
Friday, March 23, 2007
Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon Date & Time: Tue, May 1, 2007, 8:00pm
Location: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
Venue: Kaufmann Center Hall
Price: $18.00 / $10.00 Age 35 and Under
Location: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
Venue: Kaufmann Center Hall
Price: $18.00 / $10.00 Age 35 and Under
Michael Chabon's new novel is The Yiddish Policemen's Union. Called a "prose magician" and "gentle-spirited writer of boundless ambition" by the Village Voice, he is also the author of the short-story collections A Model World and Werewolves in Their Youth; the novels Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Wonder Boys and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which won the Pulitzer Prize; and most recently, The Final Solution: A Story of Detection.
taken from: http://www.92y.org
other books by/with Chabon:
The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths
other books by/with Chabon:
The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths
by Ingri D'Aulaire, Edgar Parin D'Aulaire, and Michael Chabon
The Best American Short Stories 2005 (The Best American Series)
The Best American Short Stories 2005 (The Best American Series)
by Michael Chabon and Katrina Kenison
Mysteries of Pittsburgh: A Novel (P.S.)
Werewolves in Their Youth: Stories
The Final Solution: A Story of Detection (P.S.)
Wonder Boys
Summerland
A Model World and Other Stories
McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales
Michael Chabon Presents. . .The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, Volume 1
McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories
Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer: Stories
My California: Journeys By Great Writers
The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh
Casting the Runes: And Other Ghost Stories (Oxford World's Classics)
Mysteries of Pittsburgh: A Novel (P.S.)
Werewolves in Their Youth: Stories
The Final Solution: A Story of Detection (P.S.)
Wonder Boys
Summerland
A Model World and Other Stories
McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales
Michael Chabon Presents. . .The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist, Volume 1
McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories
Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer: Stories
My California: Journeys By Great Writers
The Mysteries Of Pittsburgh
Casting the Runes: And Other Ghost Stories (Oxford World's Classics)
by M. R. James and Michael Chabon
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Daniel Alarcon
Suggestion:
I am adding Alacon to the list of people I need to check out. Look below at the About the Author and the readings website, he may be doing a reading near you.
About the Author:
taken from: http://www.danielalarcon.com/index.html
Daniel Alarcón’s fiction and nonfiction have been published in The New Yorker, Harper's, Virginia Quarterly Review, Salon, Eyeshot and elsewhere. He is Associate Editor of Etiqueta Negra, an award-winning monthly magazine based in his native Lima, Peru. His story collection, War by Candlelight, was a finalist for the 2006 PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award, and the British journal Granta recently named him one of the Best Young American Novelists. A former Fulbright Scholar to Peru and the recipient of a Whiting Award for 2004, he lives in Oakland, California, where he is the Distinguished Visiting Writer at Mills College. His first novel Lost City Radio was published in February 2007.
readings: http://www.danielalarcon.com/english/readings/
Granta: http://www.bestyoungnovelists.com/Daniel-Alarcon
Dancing to "Almendra"
Mayra Montero
Excerpt: Chapter One THE MESSAGE
On the same day Umberto Anastasia was killed in New York, a hippopotamus escaped from the zoo in Havana. I can explain the connection. No one else, only me, and the individual who looked after the lions. His name was Juan Bulgado, but he preferred to be called Johnny: Johnny Angel or Johnny Lamb, depending on his mood. In addition to feeding the animals, he was in charge of the slaughter pen, that foul-smelling corner where they killed the beasts that were fed to the carnivores. A long chain of blood. That’s what the zoo is. And, very often, life.
On the same day Umberto Anastasia was killed in New York, a hippopotamus escaped from the zoo in Havana. I can explain the connection. No one else, only me, and the individual who looked after the lions. His name was Juan Bulgado, but he preferred to be called Johnny: Johnny Angel or Johnny Lamb, depending on his mood. In addition to feeding the animals, he was in charge of the slaughter pen, that foul-smelling corner where they killed the beasts that were fed to the carnivores. A long chain of blood. That’s what the zoo is. And, very often, life.
taken from: http://www.powells.com/
Suggestion: I do not know what is with me lately, but I have been recently intrigued by authors who are also newspaper columnists. I have read a few bios about the Cuban-born Montero and feel the need to check her out pronto! So if you have read anything by her, please shoot me a comment with feedback. Thanks.
About the Author
Mayra Montero is the author of a collection of short stories and of eight novels, including, most recently, Captain of the Sleepers (FSG, 2005). She was born in Cuba and lives in Puerto Rico, where she writes a weekly column in El Nuevo Dia newspaper. taken from: http://www.amazon.com/
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Kenneth Koch
John Ashbery & Ron Padgett, reading Kenneth Koch
March 27 @ 6:30
The Drawing Center Main Gallery
March 27 @ 6:30
The Drawing Center Main Gallery
35 Wooster Street
New York, NY
$5 general public, free for Academy and Drawing Center members. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
books:
Wishes, Lies, and Dreams: Teaching Children to Write Poetry by Kenneth Koch and Ron Padgett
Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? by Kenneth Koch
MAKING YOUR OWN DAYS: THE PLEASURES OF READING AND WRITING POETRY by Kenneth Koch
Sleeping on the wing: An anthology of modern poetry, with essays on reading and writing by Kenneth Koch
How I wrote certain of my books by Raymond Roussel, Trevor Winkfield, John Ashbery, and Kenneth Koch
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
August Wilson's Radio Golf
by August Wilson
Set in 1997 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, Harmond Wilks (Lennix), a charming and powerful African-American politician, is running for the highest office of his career, with the loving support of his savvy wife, Mame (Pinkins). As Harmond steps into political prominence, the past is just a few steps behind him … and gaining fast.
taken from: http://www.radiogolfonbroadway.com
The final piece of August Wilson's ten-play cycle, set in the last decade of the twentieth century, makes its Broadway debut. A few years ago I went to see two August Wilson plays and was not disappointed. If you have a chance you should check out http://www.broadwayoffers.com/ for discounted tickets.
The show runs April 20- May 6th:
Cort Theatre
138 West 48th Street
New York, NY 10036
an interesting site: http://www.augustwilson.net/
Coram Boy
Based on Jamila Gavin's much-loved book (winner the prestigious Whitbread Award for British children's literature), CORAM BOY is set in 18th-century England, where two orphans get a second chance in life at a home for deserted children. One has been rescued from an African slave ship. The other is the abandoned son of the heir to a great estate.taken from: http://www.coramboyonbroadway.com/
when: Beginning April 16th
where: Imperial Theatre
where: Imperial Theatre
249 West 45th Street
(Between Broadway and 8th Avenue)
New York NY 10036
Click here for tickets or call Telecharge.com 212.239.6200
other books by Jamila Gavin:
Monday, March 19, 2007
Drink And Draw Volume 1
by Dave Johnson, Jeff Johnson, Josh Middleton, and Dan Panosian
Book Description from:
http://www.amazon.comDrink and Draw Social Club Volume 1 contains the scribblings and scratchings of a large group of artists done strictly at pubs and taverns across the country. The pints and pencil shavings make for some "good times" as they do their best to "keep it real!" Dave Johnson, Dan Panosian and Jeff Johnson have spread to over 1,600 members with splinter groups popping up everywhere. Just recently they were filmed as part of the upcoming MySpace film documentary.
You have to check out these sites:
http://www.myspace.com/meltdowncomics
http://www.meltcomics.com/
http://drsketchydetroit.blogspot.com/
http://comicpants.com/?p=1228
Longfellow Debuts at Mega-Event
A 39 cent commemorative stamp will honor http://www.asdaonline.com/index.php?id=1
The American Stamp Dealers Association is a professional organization serving philately since 1914. We are dedicated to promoting integrity, honesty and reliability, and we are the hobby builders of philately. American Stamp Dealers Association members represent all segments of the philatelic marketplace both retail and wholesale. Our membership is international in scope with members coming from Europe, Asia, South America, the Pacific Rim Nations and the Middle East as well. Our stamp dealer members include the most respected firms and individuals in the industry.The American Stamp Dealers Association promotes stamp collecting, keeps stamp dealers informed about in and out-of-industry regulations and happenings, opposes laws which would adversely affect the industry and its Members' livelihood, and acts as a liaison between stamp dealer member Associations affiliated with other recognized philatelic bodies. ASDA studies local and national legislation that relates to the field and publishes them with commentary. In many instances, the American Stamp Dealers Association has been successful in securing the reversal of rulings which were detrimental to the stamp business.In short, the aims of American Stamp Dealers Association are your aims: to publicize the professionalism and dependability of ASDA members; to promote the stamp industry and your share in it.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Poems and Other Writings (Library of America) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and J. D. McClatchy
Longfellow: A Rediscovered Life by Charles C. Calhoun
The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Poetry for Young People: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Poetry For Young People) by Frances Schoonmaker and Chad Wallace
The Song Of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Week Eleven, Book Twelve
Culture WarriorI read this book in three sittings and really felt inspired to hit the Internet and read as many political blogs that my tired eyes could take. I was very surprised at the amount that exist and just how passionate some people really are when it comes to chatting about politics. I guess I just really relied on TV and print media for my political education, but now have a new source that I will be tapping. For obvious reasons I think that this book is well written like all of O'Reilly's books and a quick read nonetheless. I especially loved the chapter on "The Battle for Christmas". Since I used to teach in a Catholic School and now teach in a Public School, it really hit a nerve. No matter what your political beliefs are, you are still able to take something away from this book. Since, we are in the midst of "war" and an upcoming "election" I plan on reading more political books and reviewing them in this forum. So, if you have any recommendations, shoot me a comment.
"Culture Warrior" - Free
"For a variety of reasons that I will explain, I have chosen to jump into the fray and become a warrior in the vicious culture war that is currently under way in the United States of America. And war is exactly the right term. On one side of the battlefield are the armies of the traditionalists like me, people who believe the United States was well founded and has done enormous good for the world. On the other side are the committed forces of the secular-progressive movement that want to change America dramatically: mold it in the image of Western Europe. Notice I did not say anything about “conservatives against liberals.” This is not the real culture fight, as I’ll make clear. The talk-radio mantra of the left versus the right doesn’t even come close to defining the culture war in America–it is much more complicated than that." * excerpt from the book
funny video: http://www.jimmyr.com/blog/Colbert_on_Oreilly_Factor_18_2007.php
Sites to check out:
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Heroes and Villains
Okay, last night we were in the middle of what some might say was "the craziest snowstorm of the year" and I relentlessly trekked into NYC to see Pete Yorn at the Roseland Ballroom on West 52nd St. This was my fourth time seeing Pete and I knew that he was worth the trip. He had two openers:Minibar and MOSES MAYFIELD, both very different in sound and style, but rocked nonetheless. So, here I am enjoying the show and Pete (as always chats between songs) begins to give props to one of my favorite bands of all-time The Beach Boys. He insists that the audience pick up a copy of Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys and then breaks into Surfer Girl. This is the second time in a month that I have been not so privately told by an artist to read this book. So, here I am today at the library finding myself drawn to the recommendation and I check out an old copy of the book with a 1986 copyright date. I promise to post a review in the future, so stay tuned! In the meantime, here are the lyrics to Surfer Girl, Pete Yorn's setlist from the show and a synopsis from Powell's (my favorite bookstore in the whole wide world).Surfer Girl (Brian Wilson)
Little surfer little one
Made my heart come all undone
Do you love me, do you surfer girl
Surfer girl my little surfer girl
I have watched you on the shore
Standing by the ocean's roar
Do you love me do you surfer girl
Surfer girl surfer girl
We could ride the surf together
While our love would grow
In my Woody I would take you everywhere I go
So I say from me to you
I will make your dreams come true
Do you love me do you surfer girl
Surfer girl my little surfer girl
Well
Girl surfer girl my little surfer girl
Well
Girl surfer girl my little surfer girl
Well
Girl surfer girl my little surfer girl
setlist:
black
for us
long way down
just another
undercover
closet
maybe i'm right
life on a chain
the man
surfer girl (the beach boys)
murray
pass me by
dead flowers (the rolling stones)
splendid isolation (warren zevon)
for nancy
encore:
strange condition
policies
ice age
ever fallen in love (the buzzcocks)
crystal village
Synopsis: http://www.powells.com/
Through candid interviews with close friends, family, and the Beach Boys themselves, this biography portrays and evaluates all those who propelled the California myth, and the group who sang about it, into world-wide prominence. With dozens of photos, this book recounts the bitter saga of the American dream realized and distorted, and the music that survived. 66 photos.
Through candid interviews with close friends, family, and the Beach Boys themselves, this biography portrays and evaluates all those who propelled the California myth, and the group who sang about it, into world-wide prominence. With dozens of photos, this book recounts the bitter saga of the American dream realized and distorted, and the music that survived. 66 photos.
Ellie Picks Nominated
What exactly are the "Ellies"? The National Magazine Awards. On Wed. March 14th the American Society of Magazine Editors announced the nominations for the prestigious awards and The New Yorker led all contenders with nine nominations. A total of 1,773 entries were submitted from 334 print and online publications. On May 1, 25 winners will be picked at a gala at the Jazz at Lincoln Center site in the Time Warner tower.I recommend you check out the fiction and poetry section online.You will not be disappointed. http://www.newyorker.com/
Upstairs at the Square
Barnes & Noble's new event series, Upstairs at the Square, mixes writers and musicians for an evening of reading, music, and conversation hosted by journalist Katherine Lanpher.Union Square
33 East 17th Street
New York, NY 10003
212-253-0810
THURSDAY, APRIL 12th, 7PM
Scottish scribe Ian Rankin will join us Upstairs at the Square on April 12th to read from and discuss the latest novel in his popular series starring Edinburgh detective John Rebus, The Naming of the Dead. Joining Rankin will be Aidan Moffat & The Best-Ofs, who will perform numbers from the acclaimed new CD, Ballads of the Book -- an ambitious compilation featuring some of Scotland’s finest writers and musicians (including Rankin and Moffat). Meet Ian Rankin See CDs by Aidan Moffat
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Chef Book Signing
CURTIS STONE a master chef, author and host of TLC’s new series Take Home Chef is doing a book signing!Williams-Sonoma
Mall at Short Hills
1200 Morris Turnpike
Short Hills, NJ 07078
973-467-3641
Sunday, March 25, 2007 1:00 - 3:00pm
Here is a great recipe from the TLC website: (http://tlc.discovery.com/)
Marinated Artichokes with Homemade Arugula Pesto Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 lightly packed cup/30 g fresh baby arugula leaves, stems removed
½ cup/65 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup/50 g pine nuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves
½ cup/100 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained
Additional fresh baby arugula leaves, for garnish Cherry tomatoes, halved, for garnish
Method:
To make the pesto:Place 1 lightly packed cup/30 g of arugula, and the Parmesan, pine nuts and garlic in a blender. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until smooth. Season the pesto to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve:
Arrange the artichokes on a platter and drizzle some of the pesto over the artichokes. Garnish with the additional arugula leaves and tomatoes. Serve and smile. Cover and reserve any remaining pesto in the refrigerator for another use.
Mall at Short Hills
1200 Morris Turnpike
Short Hills, NJ 07078
973-467-3641
Sunday, March 25, 2007 1:00 - 3:00pm
Here is a great recipe from the TLC website: (http://tlc.discovery.com/)
Marinated Artichokes with Homemade Arugula Pesto Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 lightly packed cup/30 g fresh baby arugula leaves, stems removed
½ cup/65 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup/50 g pine nuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves
½ cup/100 ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 quartered marinated artichoke hearts, drained
Additional fresh baby arugula leaves, for garnish Cherry tomatoes, halved, for garnish
Method:
To make the pesto:Place 1 lightly packed cup/30 g of arugula, and the Parmesan, pine nuts and garlic in a blender. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until smooth. Season the pesto to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve:
Arrange the artichokes on a platter and drizzle some of the pesto over the artichokes. Garnish with the additional arugula leaves and tomatoes. Serve and smile. Cover and reserve any remaining pesto in the refrigerator for another use.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Starbucks Support Program
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah "The first time that I was touched by war I was twelve. It was in January of 1993. I left home with Junior, my older brother, and our friend Talloi, both a year older than I, to go to the town of Mattru Jong, to participate in our friends’ talent show. Mohamed, my best friend, couldn’t come because he and his father were renovating their thatched-roof kitchen that day. The four of us had started a rap and dance group when I was eight. We were first introduced to rap music during one of our visits to Mobimbi, a quarter where the foreigners who worked for the same American company as my father lived. We often went to Mobimbi to swim in a pool and watch the huge color television and the white people who crowded the visitors’ recreational area. One evening a music video that consisted of a bunch of young black fellows talking really fast came on the television. The four of us sat there mesmerized by the song, trying to understand what the black fellows were saying."
Starbucks
Meet the author Ishmael Beah in person at a book signing near you.When: View schedule
Where: Starbucks in 11 major cities
*Starbucks will donate $2 from its sale of this book to support UNICEF programs for children affected by armed conflict. (Minimum contribution $100,000).Find out more about the book, watch a video interview with the author and buy the book online today.
sites worth checking out:
A Long Way Gone: memoirs of a boy soldier by Ishmael BeahNPR : Ishmael Beah's 'Memoirs of a Boy Soldier'
NYC24 The New New Yorkers
Once a drugged child soldier, Beah reclaims his soul
Comedy Central - Media Player
War-torn childhood 'A Long Way Gone,' but not forgotten - USATODAY.com
A Political Choice
Surveillance: A Novel by Jonathan RabanFrom Booklist
In this well-imagined tale of terrorist-obsessed America in the very near future, the government keeps citizens in a perpetual state of frenzied fear by staging ever-more elaborate drills featuring professional actors portraying victims of some imagined attack. Cultures clash, and private citizens are as prone to snooping as their government. Lucy Bengstrom, journalist, occasional stutterer, and single mom, succeeds in landing an interview with a famously reclusive author. Despite his hospitality and offer to teach Bengstrom's daughter to kayak, Bengstrom finds the subject of her magazine profile a flawed, unappealing character with repressive political views. Through the Internet, she links to a rural Englishwoman, who offers evidence that this author's best-selling memoir of the war and the Holocaust may be fake. Bengstrom also must fend off advances from her ambitious, immigrant landlord, whose own secrets may be uncovered by a disgruntled tenant. Raban's characters, not the futurist setting, are the real focus of this engrossing novel. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association.
All rights reserved
other books by this author:
Arabia, 1979
Old Glory: A Voyage Down the Mississippi, 1981
Coasting: A Private Voyage, 1987
Foreign Land, 1988
God, Man and Mrs. Thatcher, 1989
For Love and Money: A Writing Life, 1969-1989, 1990
Soft City, 1991
Hunting Mister Heartbreak: A Discovery of America, 1991
The Oxford Book of the Sea, 1992
Bad Land: An American Romance, 1996
Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings, 1999
Waxwings, 2003
odd site:
Connecting the Dots - Tracking Two Identified Terrorists, by Valdis Krebs www.orgnet.com/prevent.html
Monday, March 12, 2007
Top 10 Books
Here is a list of the Top 10 Books I plan on checking out: (no particular order) If you have read any of them or have any other suggestions feel free to shoot me a comment.
- Here They Come by Yannick Murphy
- Something in the Air: Radio, Rock, and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation by Marc Fisher
- Apex Hides the Hurt: A Novel by Colson Whitehead
- Everyday Matters by Danny Gregory
- Three Empires on the Nile: The Victorian Jihad, 1869-1899 by Dominic Green
- House of Meetings by Martin Amis
- The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky: A True Story by Ken Dornstein
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
- Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet
- Lover of Unreason: Assia Wevill, Sylvia Plath's Rival and Ted Hughes' Doomed Love by Yehuda Koren and Eilat Negev
Independent Magazine
Ode is an independent magazine about the people and ideas that are changing the world. Sometimes it’s difficult to see beyond the war, poverty, exploitation and pollution that the mainstream media use to fill our view of the world. But there is more to life. There are other stories to report.description taken from: http://www.odemagazine.com
I am not really sure if I love or loathe this magazine. I definitely enjoy the online version much better then the paper copy. I think it is worth the look at, I mean the byline reads "For Intelligent Optimists".
Author Alert
Frank McCourt's three memoirs are Angela's Ashes, ’Tis and Teacher Man. Calvin Trillin, a contributor to The New Yorker and The Nation, is the author of Travels with Alice, Obliviously On He Sails: The Bush Administration in Rhyme and other books.Date & Time: Thu, Mar 29, 2007, 1:00pm
Location: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
Location: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street
Venue: Kaufmann Concert Hall
Price: $17.00 / $10.00 Student
Price: $17.00 / $10.00 Student
Sunday, March 11, 2007
New Fiction, Balkan History & Russian Emigres
Here are three books that The Economist recently reviewed and I thought they were worth passing along.
Afterwards by Rachel Seiffert
Alice is the protagonist of Afterwards, but this book is about the guilt harboured by people around her. There are two men in her life: her maternal grandfather, David, recently widowed, and her boyfriend, Joseph, each of whom keeps his past from his loved ones. David served in Kenya during the Mau Mau rebellion; Joseph, during a stint in the British army, served in Northern Ireland. Both, we learn, live with the memory of having killed in the line of duty.
Realm of the Black Mountain: A History of Montenegro by Elizabeth Roberts
Comparatively little is well known about Europe's newest and one of its smallest independent states: the small mountain fastness Montenegro. In a book written for specialists and general readers alike, Elizabeth Roberts traces its history from pre-Slavic times, including its part in the 1389 battle of Kosovo and its prominent role in resisting the Ottomans. She recounts Montenegro's development under its Prince-Bishops toward the independence achieved at the Congress of Berlin and lost after the Versailles Conference when the Podgorica Assembly voted to join the new Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
Red Princess by Sofka Zinovieff Biography
Sofka Zinovieff's grandmother was a White Russian aristocrat in flight from the political upheavals of the 20th century. Like many exiles for whom tomorrow is a hostile land, the eponymous Red Princess - also known as Sofka - lived life with the gusto of the desperado. Her biography, as a result, is a union of comedy and tragedy infused with the heady romance of a vanished Russia.
Sofka Zinovieff's grandmother was a White Russian aristocrat in flight from the political upheavals of the 20th century. Like many exiles for whom tomorrow is a hostile land, the eponymous Red Princess - also known as Sofka - lived life with the gusto of the desperado. Her biography, as a result, is a union of comedy and tragedy infused with the heady romance of a vanished Russia.
Historical Novel
A historical novel by the co founder of Spy magazine. I have read three reviews this past weekend and felt the need to post.
In the middle of the nineteenth century, modern life is being born: the mind-boggling marvels of photography, the telegraph, and railroads; a flood of show business spectacles and newspapers; rampant sex and drugs and drink (and moral crusades against all three); Wall Street awash with money; and giddy utopian visions everywhere. Then, during a single amazing month at the beginning of 1848, history lurches: America wins its war of manifest destiny against Mexico, gold is discovered in northern California, and revolutions sweep across Europe–sending one eager English gentleman off on an epic transatlantic adventure. . . .
synopsis taken from: http://www.powells.com/
books by/with Anderson:
Spy: The Funny Years
Turn of the Century
Pleasure: The Architecture and Design of Rockwell Group
by David Rockwell, Kurt Andersen, Paola Antonelli, and Arnold Aronson
Tools of Power
The Real Thing
Debut Novel
Finn: A Novel by Jon Clinch
Who was Huckleberry Finn's father? Finn, the namesake of the title, is not Twain's illustrious Huck, but Huck's father, "Pap." This dark story is mostly narrated from the point of view of an alcoholic and racist father who turned up in Mark Twain's 1884 novel. He was a corpse floating down the Mississippi- nude, with a bullet in his back- inside a shack containing a wooden leg, black cloth masks, a baby's bottle, women's underwear and other unpredictable items. I grew up on Twain and cannot believe that this book dare tackle the infamous Pap. I cannot wait to pick this one up and I promise to write up a proper review when I do. Stay tuned!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Cool Site, Cool Magazine!
Q: The Essential Music Guide MagazineI know I am a little OCD with the music and reading connection, but I can't help myself. I some day will break down and have a music blog, but for now I can just chat up some in print music literature. You have to check out this website, a lot to offer for the "new" music lover! http://home.q4music.com/
Food Magazine
Gourmet is in my opinion one of the best food magazines offered to us by Conde Nast Publications. Their online resources aren't as good as the in print version, but you can spend hours getting lost in the tons of recipes that are posted on the web. A must read for the cook in all of us!Check out their site for more magazines and web links. http://www.condenast.com/
recipes:http://www.epicurious.com/
The Guide To Living With Style!
Lucky is all about "Shopping" and Domino is all about "Living". These magazines are set up the same way, with little tips and sticker tabs for bookmarking and offer a chock full of deals. If you own a home or want to furnish your apartment, then you need to check out the latest issue of Domino, you will not be disappointed.
Premiere Issue
Cross-over has become the new playground for franchise players. More often than not where there's a quality IP you will also find a video game, movie, TV series, publication, DVD, or merchandise close by. Now there's a magazine that puts it all together. ROCKETBR> Along with the ever expanding home entertainment scene, anime has weaved its way into the fabric of American TV, DVD, and digital delivery while animated series' on TV are enjoying a renaissance that shatters the age barrier and redefines avant-garde. From network to cable and the web, digital animation and CG are fast becoming the new breeding ground for groundbreaking new entertainment.Consumers will be able to find in-depth features, previews and reviews in this ever growing and fascinating facet of entertainment for the first time in ROCKET.Anime, animation, movies, comics, manga, brand endemic games and merchandise all under one roof: IT DOESN'T GET ANY MORE ENTERTAINING THAT THAT!
taken from: http://www.rocket-magazine.com/
taken from: http://www.rocket-magazine.com/
Graphic Novel Turns Movie
Director Zach Snyder's 300 is released today in theaters everywhere. Check out the sites listed below and the original graphic novel for an intimate look at Frank Miller's masterpiece. Based on the epic graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 is a ferocious retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite.
taken from: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/300/
sites
Warner Bros: http://300themovie.warnerbros.com/
Yahoo movies: http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/300.html
graphic novel: http://www.amazon.com/300-Frank-Miller/dp/1569714029
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Biography
Review: Who is Henry Darger? As I was walking through the local Blockbuster video store, I came across a very strange documentary film. Being the reader that I am, renting the film would have been the easy way out. I could have spent an hour or two viewing and learning about Mr. Darger, but chose to dive into his writings first. I went to my local library and was stunned to find that they did not know who he was nor have any of his writings available. So, lucky for me the librarian was just as intrigued as I and put in a search for Mr. Darger's artwork and writings. We came up with a few selections, but not from any library locally. A few days passed and I received a phone call from the library that they had tracked down some of Darger's work. I was very excited and could not wait to see some of his collages and fantasy writing in print. Wow! The first book was over 700 pages long and the heaviest text I have ever held. This was John M. MacGregor's Darger book and it was beautiful! He analyzes the art, text and man like no one ever before. I especially loved the psychoanalysis in the later part of the book and was motivated to read more of Darger's biography. The second book I previewed was by Darger and Michael Bonesteel. This book was a thinner text filled with a lot of commentary. A week passes and another Darger book comes in for me. This was the strangest of them all. Disasters of War. I like that it was an over sized book because I could really "see" Darger's work clearly for the first time. So who is Henry Darger? You have to check these books and websites to find out. I myself am planning a trip to the Folk Art Museum in NYC to see an actual Darger in person.books:
by John M. MacGregor
by Henry Darger and Michael Bonesteel
by Henry Darger, Kiyoko Lerner, and Klaus Biesenbach
folk art museum:http://www.folkartmuseum.org/default.asp
by Larry Pine, Dakota Fanning, Frier McCollister, and Wally Wingert
A documentary on Henry Darger, visionary artist, janitor, and novelist.
websites:
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