Midweek Pick-Me-Up

Just a few things giving me a bit of reprieve from the daily grind.

This song's been rocking my socks off lately, but you should put headphones before you listen. Everyone will be looking at you all side-eyed, being like, "why's that girl silently wiggling in her chair?" and the answer is, "because it's one of THOSE beats," but it's pretty NSFW so you know, judge your sitch.

You guys are watching the new season of Game of Thrones, right? If not, just tune out for this paragraph (but do yourself a solid and start watching soon!) This season was off to a bang with last week's opener, and seeing as I'm in the thick of the third book in the series, I know we're going to have a good time. The creators have done a great job of adapting the book to a TV show format, keeping the episodes packed with action and giving smaller characters screen time to explore their motivations. I'm also happy to return to my habit of reading The AV Club's excellent reviews after each episode, although now I've graduated to the expert versions, for those who've read the books. (There are newbie versions for those who haven't read along as well.)

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The new spring lookbook from Summerland is so, so, so good. I've made my love of this shop and photographer Anja no secret, but this collection just seems too perfect as spring inspiration. Cute bobs, collared shirts and pretty prints? Sign me up for an afternoon of lounging that looks this good, please.

You can check out more pictures on Clever Nettle and Summerland.

New Fairytales

The Drawf's Dream by Jessie M. King for The Birthday of the Infanta by Oscar Wilde
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Last week it was reported that a collection of 500 fairytales had been discovered. Compiled by a 19th century historian and archived in Germany for 150 years, these stories contain myths and legends that Franz Xaver von Schonworth collected from country folk, labourers, and servants. These are stories that were previously only being spread by word of mouth until von Schonworth wrote them down. While this isn't unheard of for fairytales, von Schonworth, being a historian and not a writer, did nothing to add to the stories he collected—and leaving the stories untouched in something notable. Reading these stories will be like reading the oral histories from hundreds of years ago. A collection of these stories have been published (umm, English please?), but you can read one of them online here.

Fairytales are not just stories for children, and many of them contain real life lessons that are beneficial to any age. From the article: "Eichenseer says that fairytales are not for children alone. 'Their main purpose was to help young adults on their path to adulthood, showing them that dangers and challenges can be overcome through virtue, prudence, and courage.'" And, sorry, but you'd all be lying if you claimed not to need a little bit of that.

Hans Christian Anderson was a Danish writer revered for his fairytales—many still-famous tales were written by him, like Thumbelina and The Ugly Duckling. I also really liked The Storks. The Brothers Grimm have some great tales as well—these came from oral tales just like von Schonworth's, but the Grimms added their own literary devices to these old found tales, so in essence the stories became a collaboration. Some fault them for this, but the stories are still haunting and fantastic. You should read The Goose-Girl, The Juniper Tree, and The Queen Bee, and ignore that movie by Terry Gilliam. Oscar Wilde has also got some great fairytales, like The Young Prince and The Birthday of the Infanta. Lots of important lessons to learn there, guys.

Also very fairytale-like are The Middle Stories by Sheila Heti. I honestly wouldn't be able to choose a favourite, so read all the available-online stories here, and buy the book. These modern fairytales are quirky and charming—written in a traditional-esque fairytale style, they force us to look for lessons where there may or may not be. It's a modern take on an old style of tale telling, and it's wonderful.

Things I Feel Very Conflicted About

Diet Coke
It's amazing, right? I grew up drinking Diet Coke, so it tastes so familiar, so comforting compared to regular Coke, in the same way that milk just tastes better than cream. But it's really bad for you. I mean like obesity-inducing, diabetes-causing, heart-attacking bad for you. But it's also amazing, especially the trashy version with lime. CONFLICTED.

Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now"
I know he's like, the embodiment of evil. I even hate that by listening to this song, it's being tracked on Last.FM  and Youtube and somewhere, my listens are being counted as a win for this colossal asshole. His parts aren't even very good. And probably if it hadn't had such great guest verses, I could move on. But shiiit, BUSTA. How does your mouth even MOVE that fast? I'm chalking this up to a case of assholes being good artists sometimes and not letting white feminist guilt get the best of me.

Ghosts
I actually don't feel that conflicted. What I feel is irrational certainty. I hate ghosts. I hate those fuckers so damn much, and I can't protect myself from them, and I hate it. I hate that I don't believe in an afterlife and yet I believe in ghosts. I hate that oxymoron within myself, but I must accept it because it's true and I encounter that part within me at least a couple times every day.

Money
I'm so good at spending it. Too good. I am highly skilled at spending. I wish spending money on great shit could be my job, because I'd be SO GOOD, and I'd get so much great stuff for such low prices that it would be unbelievable. But the problem is I can't do that with other people's money, only my own, so I'll be broke forever. I'll just dry my tears with all my great buys, I guess.

My Evening Routine
I've started trying to do my general appearance and health a solid and a) remove my makeup nightly, b) wash and moisturize my face, and c) floss. It's a long term goal that I have to keep making short term decisions about until it becomes habit, which it feels like will never happen. It feels like I'm going to have to be like, "Ugh, again?" every time I look in the mirror after brushing my teeth and so I feel like giving up then and there. It supposedly takes up to two months of daily repetition to form habits, and I'm already like, 10 days in. Go team happy skin and gums!

Game of Thrones
There's only one thing I feel conflicted about: why is everyone so goddamn young? I saw the HBO series like everyone else, and thankfully, they aged up most of the actors. Because, really? Daenerys Taragaryen is thirteen? I'm really enjoying the first book, but those details really weird me out and make me feel like a creep, especially during my morning commute.

One thing I don't feel conflicted about?

Weekends. Enjoy yours, everyone.

January's blog roll out

It's a silly thing to say—because it's completely reductive is it not?—but I love the internet. No matter what I say about it sometimes (didn't I just blame it for what I see as my own lack of creativity?) it daily introduces me to new ideas, funny cat videos, recipes, and goings on in Toronto and around the world.

Here are some of my favourite blogs this month.

To satiate my need for meaningful quotes: Slaughterhouse 90210.

I've got about four books on the go right now—one of them is How To Write a Sentence and How To Read One by Stanley Fish, which is basically a glorified grammar book without all the confusing lingo. He puts a lot of importance on sentences that stick with you and really make you think. Another book I can't put down is Diane Keaton's memoir/biography of her mother, called Then Again. Turns out Dorothy Hall (recognize the namesake?) kept journals for her whole adult life and wrote down inspiring words, sentences, phrases, whatever, on pieces of paper or post-its all around the house. A big one, Diane said, was just the word "THINK." 

It's because I'm reading all this stuff that I flipped when I saw the tumblr Slaughterhouse 90210. Maris Kreizman, "Kurt Vonnegut, meet Brenda Walsh," pairs up screengrabs of TV shows like Downton Abbey, Portlandia, Breaking Bad, and Freaks and Geeks, with quotes that she finds, I dunno, somewhere. I find them to be really poignent.

When I'm in a musical rut: So Many Records, So Little Time

When I want to see beautiful pictures restaurants, flowers, and pretty things bought in Toronto: Thank You, Okay

When I want to read about fashion, food, entertaining, and everything else I love: Sous Style

When I want to learn something new about contemporary culture: NOWNESS

And of course, when I want job advice, life advice, the hard truth, or just an opinion that's very different than my own: Penelope Trunk

Kit Lit

You know, Abe Books is right. These books really should have had more cats involved.

Some Last-Minute Gift Ideas

It's the Monday before Christmas, and if you're anything like me, you've still got a few people on your to-buy-for list. And often those people left last are the ones whom you have no idea what to gift. It's past the point of online ordering. It's okay, guys. We can do this. Just take it easy, collect yourselves, and go in with a game plan.


– Have a list. Even if you're not sure what exactly to get someone, scribble down a few ideas of things you'd like to be on the lookout for. Try to think of the ways they enjoy spending their free time, and get something in line with that.

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– The best advice I have to offer is to skip the mall. If you thought Sunnydale was the hellmouth, you've obviously never been inside the Eaton Centre the week before Christmas. Just looking at that picture is giving me chest pains. If you can find a way to avoid your local shopping emporium, by all means, do it. It's just going to send your stress levels through the roof, and any time you think you'll save by going to stores in one location is going to be decimated by fighting the crowds.


– Go to "gift stores", even if your closest option is Indigo. That's what they're THERE for. You'll find bookends and blankets and tote bags and really, those are three really great ideas right there, and they'll probably be some of the first things you see. Don't give gifts that require work on the behalf of the recipient, like photo frames, unless you a) are willing to do the work of putting a photo in beforehand or b) know they're really into picture frames. Toronto has a few really great shops, but I consistently have great luck at Outer Layer and the Drake General Store.


– You'll find my absolute favourite last-minute gift at gift shops: candles. It's the kind of thing people never invest in for themselves (says the girl with a stockpile of those $4 vanilla tealights from IKEA) but everyone will need at some point, even if they just leave it in their bathroom. My top picks?

via Eco-Culture

This one from Eco-Culture smells like real maple syrup, and has been my favourite candle for about two years running. They're hand-poured soy wax, made in Canada, and feature the cutest syrup tin you can reuse to hold pencils or flowers afterward. You can find them in a plain cotton wick version, but you're really going to want to upgrade to the wooden wick, because then it CRACKLES like a FIRE. I've seen the wooden wick one selling for about $18, while the cotton is a few bucks less.

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This year, I discovered KOBO pure soy candles and I want to give them to eve.ry.body. My absolute favourite is the Opoponax Amber, which is this rich citrusy oriental with sandalwood, violet and patchouli. It basically smells like a grand old dame who is infinitely glamourous has just walked into your room. I like the travel size become it's reasonably priced and comes with a little set of all-black matches, which is every bit as glamourous as the grand old dame in my head (who is definitely Lauren Bacall). This size will run you about $15, but there are bigger versions which are around $40. (I'm just noticing they have a scent called Leather Mahogany, with notes of leather, armoise and cardamom. You maybe just want to sniff around their site and see what else interests you because they all sound so appealing.)


– It's no secret that I love DAVIDsTEA, but part of the reason why I do is how well-thought out everything is—their teas are tasty, their packaging is pretty, their accessories well-designed.

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And really, the pinnacle of this achievement is their Perfect Tea mug, which really is perfect. It's the perfect size, comes with the perfect tea infuser (which you can also use in a regular teapot), and even has a perfect little lid that becomes the perfect place to rest said infuser. It comes in a bunch of colours, costs around $20, and should be easy to find in Canada—those DAVIDs locations are popping up like wildflowers. Pair with a bag of tea (my crowd-pleaser pick is Forever Nuts, which tastes like apple pie and turns bright pink) for an easy, perfect gift.


– If you live in Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal, you can order from Amazon.ca until Wednesday and it'll make it by Friday. That is serious shipping voodoo. How do you do it, Amazon? Nevermind, just focus your energies on sending us poor hapless gifters our goods. My recommends, which are still in stock:

Books
For a gal you love/respect/admire: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
For your friend planning world domination: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
For the romantic in your life: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
For your friend who is always complaining: The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky

Movies/TV
For lovers of vintage/Breakfast at Tiffany's/fun times(/or let's be real, EVERYONE): Charade, starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant (DVD/BluRay)
For film buffs/horror fans: Night of the Hunter, starring Robert Mitchum and Shelly Winters (DVD/BluRay)
For your comedy-lovin' pal: Complete season one of Louie, directed/written by/edited by/starring Louis CK (DVD/BluRay) (alternately, support his way-cool Internet experiment for $5, Louis CK: Live at the Beacon Theatre)
For the holiday purist: It's a Wonderful Life, starring Jimmy Stewart (DVD/BluRay)


– Anyone who is left on your list? You're already heading to the LCBO. You know what to do. Go with something that can be easily blended with/hidden in holiday favourites like eggnog or coffee, and choose your level of engagement: namely, this, this or this.


Happy holidays, and godspeed, fellow shoppers.

Dispatches

There's too much cool stuff in the world today for me to keep it to myself.

via the Examiner and NASA

There's been a rad new planet discovered! Called Kepler-22b (for now), its 1.6 times the size of Earth, features temperatures similar to southern California's and has a calendar year of 290 days (about 2 months shorter than Earth's). So, essentially, there's a retirement planet nearby where you get old faster but live like a king. It probably never rains either. Before you pack your bags, know that they're still trying to figure out if it's made of rock, gas or liquid. Fingers crossed it doesn't go all Melancholia on us.

The New Yorker posted this cool little story about fear and writing—how writing can calm fears, or exacerbate them. I fall on both sides of the divide, in equal measure. Writing! What a curse, what a joy! (Oh, also, if you're excited about The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, as I am, David Denby's review has caused quite the uproar by going against the studio's embargo on reviews of the film published before December 13. The producer Scott Rudin and director David Fincher have both decried his actions and banned him from future screenings, even though the review was very positive. Oh Hollywood, you DO go on.)

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These Maryland convicts have been transformed by a program called Knitting Behind Bars, which does exactly what you'd think it does – teaches hardened criminals how to knit. I've long extolled the benefits that I think knitting has on me personally (besides the warmth of knitted goods, that is), and I totally believe that it would have a really positive effect on someone in prison. The inmates all seem to have a really great attitude about knitting, and it even helps them reach parole more easily, due to the calming effect on their demeanor and that they're giving back to the community. Knit on with yo' bad selves, guys. (It also really reminded me of a great TAL episode, Act V, where prisoners perform the last act of Shakespeare's Hamlet.)

I thought this was a really cool local news story: a teacher in the middle of a first-aid lesson on CPR and defibrillators actually had to USE it when a student's heart stopped in a nearby class. Now he and the other teacher who helped restart the kid's heart are up for Emergency Medical Services Citizens' Awards. Talk about good timing (and heartwarming? Ohhhh...)

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I saw The Skin I Live In this week, and let me tell you, it was every bit as amazing as I thought it would be. Beautiful, lush photography, gorgeous people and performances, and a melodramatic, twist-filled plot that kept me absolutely hooked. And looking back, the trailer makes perfect sense. I'm still trying to parse out what all the complicated layers of meaning suggest, but all I can say is, the less you know about this one going in, the better.

And also this week, I read the first book of The Hunger Games in less than 26 hours, with about 6 hours of actual reading time. Talk about a fiction hurricane. I'm getting the next two books this evening, and I expect the rest of my week to be detonated, with me curled up in bed, furiously flipping pages. A serious ton of fun (and I was impressed by the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation—they only cover the introductory third of the book.)

Self Help Shelf – three books to consider when you're down

November's been a bit of a rough month. A bit down in the dumps, a bit overwhelmed easily, a bit antisocial. Maybe I'm still coming down from Disney. Maybe I'm just not dealing well with these early dark evenings. But it happens, and it's fine. It's just part of the highs and lows of life.

But it's probably why I've been reading so many "self help" books lately. I say "self help" instead of just self help because I'm not entirely comfortable with this category of reading. It feels too Oprah or New Age-y or something. But I'm a big believer that the unexamined life is not worth living, so I think gaining some perspective, seeing a new take on the things you're feeling is never a bad thing. So I've been reading a lot of non-fiction.

Maybe if you're feeling similarly blue, you can queue up these books in your library holds list too.

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My boyfriend was pretty horrified to come home from a NYC jaunt to find me reading Spousonomics: Using Economics to Master Love, Marriage and Dirty Dishes by Paula Szuchman and Jenny Anderson. But he shouldn't have been—this book is helpful for any relationship, not just for unhappy couples.

Every relationship, whether it be with your partner, family members, friends or coworkers, needs give and take, and this book helps navigate the strategies to smooth that tension. It shows you why splitting things (like chores) down the middle can cause more friction than less, using the economic principle of comparative advantage. It shows why bartering can be an effective motivator for easing destructive patterns. And it does this with a thorough and good-humoured explanation of the economics at work, and three examples from real couples to illustrate good solutions.

I originally picked up this book because while my relationship is ticking along pretty nicely, we have hiccups like everyone. My goal was to recognize the warning signs and to have some resolution tactics in place for when problems inevitably crop up. What I found instead was a new perspective on how to evaluate the difficulties faced in every relationship, and how looking at the situation with some objectivity can help create a happier, better solution for all parties involved. It's one of those books I might end up buying even though I borrowed it to read, because I think it'll be helpful for reference when I'm facing an issue.

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I've been curious to read some Eckhart Tolle for a while, so I put A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose in my queue a couple weeks ago and forgot about it until my library hold notice came through.

You get a strange sense reading this book—the voice is drowsy, somewhat clinical, a little too distant. There's a lot of circular speaking and then bam, a big idea distilled neatly into a paragraph. It feels what I'd imagine drinking the Kool-Aid of a calm, charismatic cult leader would feel like—I found myself being drawn to read it even though I knew it was boring. And say! That's kinda what this is.

Much of A New Earth is about the ego and how it causes suffering, which yeah, he sold me on. I believe we base our identity on thoughts. I believe that consumerism and unhealthy habits ramp up when we are feeling most vulnerable. I believe that our easily offended ego is responsible for a lot of social anxiety and self-loathing. I believe it. What makes me uncomfortable is the idea of striving for ego death, which much of this book seems to be lauding. I think desire can be a really good thing, especially as a creative person. I think taking pride in yourself and pushing yourself to try harder when you're disappointed can be good in small doses. I think the absence of the ego sounds really deadened and numb.

So I took this one with a heap of salt. Keep your ego in check, but don't kill it entirely. Be aware of its power and how much unhappiness it can cause, but only so you can get to a happy point again. Sure, you may be more at peace with a dead ego, but whatever—I'd rather have peace when I'm dead.*

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I'm actually still in the middle of this last read, but it's probably the most effective so far. Called The How of Happiness, author Sonja Lyubomirsky uses scientific studies and insights to explain how to cultivate more happiness in your life. The core of her theory is the 40 percent of happiness that is affected by behaviour.

So, used to blaming your unhappiness on your job? Your singledom? Your lack of finances? Your situation only accounts for 10 percent of your total happiness. Your upbringing, inherited traits and any chemical imbalances account for 50 percent (your set happiness point). The only thing you can truly effect is that remaining 40, behavioural percent, and Lyubomirsky suggests 12 activities that are proven to be a) the habits of naturally happier people and b) effective when adopted by the less smile endowed. She even has all kinds of quizzes to figure out how you're truly feeling, what methods are best for you, and how to track your progress.

The changes aren't huge—things like have gratitude in your everyday, dedicate time to "flow" activities (the ones you lose yourself in)—but her dedication to finding the strategies that best suit you is admirable. Keeping a gratitude journal isn't something I'd likely maintain (or even start—that just reeks of sentimentality to me), and she admits as such. She admits that all tactics won't work for everyone (and even quotes that exact reaction as her own!), and I like that. The activities I'll be trying are making time for "flow" activities, avoiding overthinking, and developing strategies for coping.


So there you have it. Three books, three different approaches to problem-solving when life gets you down. Have you guys read any of these? Have any book recommendation you think I might enjoy?


*Note: this review was obviously written by Amanda's ego.

On Turning Pages

This has been a good summer for reading lists (it sounds like Laura's in a similar boat). For a while there (an embarrassing length of time, really), I was feeling completely uninspired by what I had been reading—books languished half-finished on my nightstand, classics sat dusty on my shelves. I could only manage magazines, albeit the well-written and thoughtful ones (Lula, Oh Comely, The Gentlewoman), but I felt completely blah about the whole ordeal.

It's tough to find a book you connect with deeply, and that usually doesn't happen browsing the bookshelves of Indigo. Most often, they're found in recommendations from good friends, shared in book lists, passed down from family libraries. And lately, I've been finding my reading mojo is back, and I've found it in books that aren't my cultural vegetables—books that are off the beaten track, or purely fun reads, or non-fiction. Here, a selection of the books that have been flying off my nightstand the past month.


Caste Marks: Style and Status in the USA – Paul Fussell
Easily one of the most entertaining and enlightening books I've ever read. Fussell critically eyes the the American class system, dissolving any notions of money as the sole difference between social strata. With chapters focused on how class is represented in dress, housing, cars and culture, certain themes emerge about each level of class—how the lowest of low and the out-of-sight uppers are more alike than any other, or how the middle class is defined by anxiety. And I found the tone of the work deliciously merciless, as Fussell has an incisive, gleeful, decidedly British way with words that dances circles around social cues usually left unsaid. After reading this, I am doubly excited to visit Disneyworld in the fall with my ride-or-die ho (and lender of this book), Gillian.

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Bossypants – Tina Fey
This was a fun read, and I blasted through this series of short stories in two days. Fey's background in comedy is evident, her prose filled with quick asides and puns, not all of which succeed on their own but work towards crafting her charming persona. And I found this book REALLY charming—rather than write her idealized story, Fey presents herself flaws and all. I liked that she felt like a real person, a person who does selfish things sometimes, and whose teenage years were too dorky to have sex or take drugs, and who still gets scared in the same fundamental way everyone gets scared: am I good enough? She glazes over all the boring stuff, like having a baby and falling in love, and instead goes for the guts of what has made her so likable over the years—she's a self-depricating geek who loves what she does, and her success story feels like a win for the little guy.

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Raise High The Roof Beam, Carpenters – J.D. Salinger
So I guess I lied about avoiding classics. This slim orange paperback was given to me by my friend Laura Jane, an extra copy of one of her favourite books that she'd been waiting to give to the right person. And I am too grateful that I was deemed worthy—this little novella really shows a true master at work. Finely realized in tightly tuned prose, Salinger wraps you up in Buddy's world, all summer heat and constricted ribs and strange passengers together enroute somewhere. It feels effortless and focused at the same time, and has the heft of a thorough backstory without overexposure. All of the characters feel so real, established in little asides and a very visual sense of telling. And boy, can Salinger turn a phrase, writing lines that tumble enticingly over and over in your brain. I have yet to read the second novella, Seymour: An Introduction, but I found Raise High to be so perfect on its own that I wanted to give it some space to breathe.

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On Writing – Stephen King
Wow, I like this guy. I mean, I've never been a huge fan of King's work, but the few novels I've read have always been the best types of thrilling, can't-put-it-down summer reads. But man, On Writing has changed that for me. His memoir on the craft serves as an autobiography and master class on writing well, complete with grammar lesson and his tricks of the trade. His voice is not that of an expert, but of a fan of the written word who is just sharing what's worked for him. He is encouraging, helpful and concise, cutting to the heart of what's bad and what works, and offering seeds of advice for finding your story, characters and audience.

Before all of that though, King writes about his life—his love of B movies, his humble beginnings with his brother's newspaper, his terrible jobs as a broke newlywed, his devotion to his wife. And about his demons, addictions that threatened to tear his family and his writing apart (when he mentioned how he didn't realize he had written The Shining about himself, or that Annie Wilkes was alcohol and drugs, keeping him as her "pet writer", I couldn't help but shiver). King approaches this with no kid gloves and thankfully, only the detail needed to make you feel how tenuous it is—the balance between life and work, and how fear can take root and poison what's good in your life. It's a highly inspiring read from a man at the top of his game, and I strongly urge all you writers (and other creatives) to give it a read.*


What next on my reading list? Well, I've got a copy of The Handmade Marketplace that I think will help with a little project I'm working on, and I've still got Seymour to read. The next two on my library list are Valley of the Dolls and I Don't Mean to be Rude, but..., Simon Cowell's autobiography. And I'd like to start working my way through King's novels, especially The Shining. But really, the best part has been having the pressure off, reading things that inspire me and delight me, and feeling the escapist power of the page again. It's a good feeling, and it's just in time for a long, hot summer.

*May I also recommend you read the edition of On Writing I've posted here, the tenth anniversary edition. It's such a treat to find a book that has been laid out with a comfortable reading experience in mind, and I've found this one to be really great—wide margins, generous line spacing and the perfect size for a purse.

On Reading

It was only when Dan and I moved that I realized how many books I have and hold dear. Because I was an English student at U of T for about six years, I collected many, many novels and anthologies, the majority of which I sold back or donated after the class was done. But each year there was at least one class that I loved, one class where I totally treasured each piece of literature that we studied, and those books just never seem to leave my shelves. Even before I started university I was building a library; my parents' living room walls are lined with shelves of novels that they've collected over the years, and I can't think of much better than a house full of books (especially if they're colour coded, or alphabetized! Swoon!).

The bad news is that I haven't been able to read for pleasure for about six years now. When you're expected to read for school, and there is always some kind of work to be done, reading what you want to read takes a major back burner—for me it was completely off the stove.

sanctuary

I've been reading like a fiend ever since I finished my last class, and I am desperately trying to remember the mental book list that I've been compiling since 2006. Anytime I need book inspiration I head over to the new, smaller Balfour Books, which has an incredible Can Lit paperback section, with most of the classics going for under $5. That is how I found the Morley Callaghan book That Summer in Paris that I loved so much. And the Margaret Atwood collection of short stories Wilderness Tips, which is so wonderful and haunting that I will read it over and over again.

I have recently started reading Mian Mian's Candy, a book published in 2003 that was banned in China, Mian is being hailed as the country's most promising young writer. It's always interesting, reading novels that have been translated from their original language. It always makes me think about how much work went into keeping the tone and the integrity of what the author was trying to say, and this translation's language fits in perfectly with the overall feeling of the book.

"Saining and I were like a pair of curious cats, but curiosity can kill a cat. Sometimes, in his embrace, I would joke around and pretend to be the kind of girl who would marry him on the spot. Or I might pretend that I was the kind of girl who might run off with someone else at the drop of a hat. We liked words like elope, which to us suggested the road to freedom. But bombs fall on the most beautiful places, and happiness will steal away."

What I like most about this book is has to do with why it has been banned in China: its honesty about the dependence and easy access to heroin in Shanghai, and the hole-punched records and broken casette tapes that would be the only access to Western music. I'm only about half-way through, but it's a great read, a quick one too.

I am somewhat at a loss for where to go from here. There are too many good books out there, too many amazing authors whose work I want to read in full.

So give me your suggestions: books, authors, time periods, fiction, non-fiction, comics, anything!

Drowning

For my last class at university ever ever ever (!!!!!!!) my only option was to take a class on the history of critical and literary theory. I thought I'd be okay, but this is not cool. 

This is a far cry from the novels that I am used to reading and analyzing. This is an anthology that weighs as much as my laptop. I've never read Plato, Kant, or Du Bois, and I always kinda liked that about myself. This is all changing now. For my last class, I will truly be learning. Wish me luck.

Too busy

I am too busy for words these days! In the next two weeks I am finishing my last classes at school and many of my freelance projects are launching something new. I'll apologize now for my lack of interesting posts. Here is a spoiler of something I will write about when I have more time.

Just borrowed this book from my friend Jill and I can't wait to read it. I've already been looking at the pictures inside, and dreaming about Diana.

Wonder Lust

I am struck with the deepest pangs of book envy.

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Sweetie Pie Press posted some images of the new Marian Bantjes book, and I think I have to have it. It might be one of those purchases that doesn't make the most sense to the bottom line of my bank account, but it'll provide some sweet soul food for my imagination.

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Her illustrations are so intricate, so colourful, so clever, like the most detailed wrapping paper you've ever seen. The fact that these illustrate musings on wonder, memory, honour and their connection to the visual world makes it that much more appealing. The subject and style are intertwined quite literally.

 

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And I may be a magpie, but it's a fact I'm comfortable with.

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