My fickle friend, the summer wind

I don't like summer.

There. I said it.

Sure, I like the sun. Of course I love all the great produce. I'm all about the beach reads. But is summer my preferred season? Absolutely not.

This wasn't always the case: when we lived in Oregon and Washington I lived for summer. Then we moved to Arizona. Seems like a weird place for a gal who dislikes summer, right? Not really. It's only 3 months of the whole year that you're totally miserable and the rest of the year is incredible. Not to mention that summer brings entire weekends spent in the pool and monsoons that shake your house and thrill you to your fingertips. No, I really liked summers in Arizona.

The Northeast did me in. That's because I can honestly say I never experienced autumn until I moved here. It seems to me the world is really alive - with color, with flavor, with texture. My reading tastes change and I open up my cozier books - a good example of this was when I read Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse. It came out in August 2007, and I was reading it on the train in summer, reading all about the rain in Oregon. It was moody and atmospheric...just not the kind of book for a summer day. I got about 20 pages in and realized I needed to wait until November, at which point I read it and swooned. Among other books, right now I'm re-reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. It's a horrible summer read (for me, anyway), but I am reading it in anticipation for the cooler weather to come soon.

Most importantly, though, I loathe summer here in New York because I don't cook. My kitchen isn't air-conditioned and it gets no airflow through its window. I made paninis for lunch yesterday and I was a sweating lunatic by the time it got to the table, the heat in my kitchen driving me to the brink. I'm all about the no-cook, no-heat, no-effort meals in the summer. Last night I made Berry, Goat Cheese, and Pistachio Salad (Bon Appètit, 2007) for dinner. It had phenomenal flavor...but I also felt dissatisfied by it because I didn't do anything other than assemble parts. That's what it comes down to: I'm tired of assembling parts. I want to cook, to create!

Tonight, the same lack-of-drama ensued. I made Patricia Wells' Cucumber, Spring Onion, and Goat Cheese Salad Le Cinq-Mars. It was fresh, crisp, and lovely. But for heaven's sake, I wanted to COOK. I loved it, I did. But is summer over yet? What's a gal got to do to roast some root vegetables???

Cucumber, Spring Onion, and Goat Cheese Salad Le Cinq-Mars

Adapted from Vegetable Harvest by Patricia Wells (William Morrow, 2007)

1 cucumber, scrubbed and trimmed

3 scallions, trimmed and peeled

Several tablespoons Creamy Lemon-Chive Dressing

2 thick slices of bucheron (you can also use 1 goat cheese crottin and split lengthwise in two)

1. Score the skin of the cucumber all along the vegetable, using a fork or (in my case) this zester. This just makes it pretty. Cut the cucumber lengthwise in half. With a grapefruit spoon or (again, in my case) this deseeder. Discard the seeds. Cut each half into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place in medium bowl.

2. Cut the onions crosswise into very thin slices. Separate into rings and drop into the bowl. Add just enough dressing to lightly coat the cucumbers and onions.

3. Arrange the salad on individual salad plates. Place a slice of goat cheese on top of each salad.

Some notes: I served this salad with slices of ciabatta bread and dipping oil. Additionally, I made the full amount of dressing, which is way too much for this salad. But I thought I'd use it for another salad this week. So feel free to halve the dressing recipe.

Eat, drink, and dream about my wool sweaters, waiting to keep me cozy and warm!

I confess...

...I'm waaaay excited.



"I can't help myself. You're just so...mouth-watering."

YES!

Playlists

Two weekends ago, I went to a Twilight viewing party and had an absolute blast. Heckling and unintended laughter were encouraged, and we made wildly inappropriate remarks about Robert Pattinson's ridiculously good looks, despite the odd makeup. Our hostess served, among other things, Hot Tamales, Twizzlers, Swedish fish, strawberries, raspberries, red wine...get the theme? And we all sported Team Edward/Jacob shirts...any guesses which one I wore? It was a case of "30 going on 13"...

In the midst of the event, we admitted to listening to the songs on Stephenie Meyer's playlist*, and I praised Meyer for introducing me to Blue October. And then I further admitted that I made a "Bella & Edward" playlist, comprised entirely of Meyer's music, and listened to it continuously while reading Breaking Dawn. Believe me, people, this isn't an easy thing to admit. See how I'm willing to make a fool of myself in front of all of you? Now, that is love.

But that got me thinking of playlists. They're so personal: how many times have you looked at a friend's playlists and thought, "Huh? I don't get the organization or the vibe or what they were going for." Which is why I am fascinated by how others do it.

Music plays an integral, inextricable role in my cooking and eating every night. Seriously, not a single night goes by that I am not playing music. One of my favorites to cook to on weeknights is the "Martini - cheers!" mix. I usually play this while I'm cooking, waiting for Adam and Bug to get home. Sipping wine and munching on a couple slices of Idiazábal is usually involved. Here is a sampling of my "Martini - cheers!" mix**:

• "Pick Up the Pieces" - Average White Band
• "Got to Be Real" - Cheryl Lynn
• "Hiphip Chinchin" - Club des Belugas
• "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" - Dean Martin
• "The Best is Yet to Come" - Frank Sinatra
• "We Are in Love" - Harry Connick Jr. (Don't laugh!)
• "30 Something" - Jay-Z (thanks, Amy!)
• "Golden" - Jill Scott
• "Mucci's Jag MK. II" - Joey Altruda
• "Une journée fade" - Kohndo
• "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" - Lenny Kravitz
• "Chilly Winds Don't Blow" - Nina Simone
• "Sea Lion Woman" - Nina Simone (Feist ain't got nuthin' on Nina!)
• "Anna (El Negro Zumbon)" - Pink Martini
• "Let's Never Stop Falling in Love" - Pink Martini
• "Austin Powers (Soul Bossa Nova)" - Starlight Orchestra
• "Caramel" - Suzanne Vega
• "The World Keeps on Spinning" - The Brand New Heavies
• "Beyond the Sea" - Robbie Williams (is it wrong to prefer this version over Bobby Darin?)
• "Jump in the Line" - Harry Belafonte

Eat, drink, and don't forget the music!

* I linked to the "soundtrack" for Twilight but, if you click on each of the books on the left side of screen, you'll see that Meyer made a soundtrack for each book.

** All of these songs should be available through iTunes - I checked before posting them.

REVIEW: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

So after a marathon reading weekend, I have finished reading Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn. And now I’m going to talk about it so LOOK AWAY if you don’t want to read the spoilers!!!

So in some ways, the book was everything I wanted it to be…yet, in so many other ways, I felt bitterly disappointed. I vividly remember reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and thinking, if only for a moment, “Oh my god, Rowling’s going to do it! She’s really going to kill off Harry!” I really believed she might…after all, there was an 800-page build-up to The Moment. But as you all know, Rowling copped out. Not only that, but she even gave us a damned epilogue that is now the bane of the entire Harry Potter series.

Yeah, so Meyer did the same thing. Long story short, I feverishly read 700-pages, building up to the final showdown with the Volturi. And I actually found myself thinking, “Yes! Meyer’s gonna kill of Bella and Edward!” I actually found myself hoping she would, hoping that she’d be the rare brave author who wasn’t so infatuated with her own creation that she couldn’t take that big leap. It would have been so rad to have Bella and Edward die on the battlefield together, while Jacob lives happily ever with “Nessie” (!). But we all know that Meyer didn’t go there. Hell, she didn’t even give me a single battle scene, let alone any deaths (whatever, who cared about Irina anyway?).

The bane of the Twilight Saga will be Bella getting married and having a baby at 18 years old. Really. I can’t believe, with all the possible endings to a series, this is seemed to be the right conclusion to Meyer. A half-vampire, half-human baby that grows at an insane rate?! Wha…?!

What did please me, though, was that Meyer still managed to surprise me. For one, I really didn’t think she’d turn Bella into a vampire. So that was cool. For another thing, the whole middle section being narrated by Jacob was friggin awesome – it’s about time we got inside his head. Also, I wasn’t even convinced Meyer would have them get married. I certainly wasn’t prepared for Bella to get knocked up (yes, kids, you can get pregnant on your first time)! And have her body ripped apart by the monster fetus! And then have Jacob imprint on the baby! And, um, the sex was pretty incredible – down pillows torn to shreds! Bedposts totally destroyed! Vampires never get tired and can do it all night! Wow, we could all use a little vampire sex!

So I didn’t hate it…but I didn’t love it. I’ll always remember the first book…there’s no way Breaking Dawn will be memorable for me.

In conclusion, a couple more things:

- Okay, I’m admitting this publicly: I still don’t get the chess pieces on the cover. Can someone make me feel like an arse and explain it to me? I have no doubt I’m missing something obvious, particularly since nothing about this series is particularly subtle.

- Anyone else actually see Stephenie Meyer’s playlists for the series on her website? In the past year I’ve downloaded most of the songs and have them in their own playlist on my iPod (which I consequently listened to most of the time I was reading Breaking Dawn). That’s because I’m the biggest nerd ever. But I can thank Meyer for introducing me to Blue October and Muse.

- Check out Bookshelves of Doom’s spoiler-laden review. Yeah, what she said.

- I also agreed with Entertainment Weekly's review. And Teen Book Review put it well when she made a distinction between loving a book and enjoying your time reading it: I also did not love this book but I did enjoy reading it this weekend. Dear Author also had a good review with some interesting discussion going on in the comments section: with Bella getting married and pregnant at 18 years old, can we ignore the "inadvertent subtext informed by the religious culture of the author"? Another commenter also wrote this: "A masochistic girl who is in love with a gay vampire while a pedophilic werewolf loves her." This made me snort-laugh and reminded how silly all of this is, really.

Off on another mini-holiday

I'm flying out tomorrow morning for the beautiful green yonder...otherwise known as Oregon. So I'll be back blogging in about a week.

In the meantime, read "Touched By a Vampire," Laura Miller's article over at Salon.com. Laura obviously doesn't think much of the series, but her article is thoughtful and articulate. Which I much prefer to the flaming and trolling, thank you.

Eat, drink...instead of hanging out at a Breaking Dawn party tonight!

Book Things

-- I had a fantastic time at Fuse #8’s KidLit Drink Night last night; in fact, I might chalk it up as the best one yet (for me, anyway). I spent a good chunk of time with Betsy and her husband Matt (who is just wicked smart), but I also was able to yell across the table to Heather Scott (who so understands my food obsession and recommended What to Drink with What You Eat to me). We also had the pleasure of chatting with authors Marie Rutkoski (The Cabinet of Wonders) and Donna Freitas (The Possibilities of Sainthood): their books are releasing on Tuesday, August 5th. One of the coolest parts of the evening for me? Seeing the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle up close and personal, which I had not yet had the opportunity to do. I had shunned both devices, preferring to read a “real” book on the subway. Nevertheless, I’m swooning over the idea of traveling with one of these devices. No more books left in the seat pocket in front of me! No more bringing 5 books in my carry-on…only to discover I’m not in the mood for any of them! No more sore shoulders! No more sore back!

-- Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom, I got to see this poster of Nick and Norah:

I’m breathing a huge sigh of relief. Clearly, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is not going to go all Entertainment-Weekly-hideous-Twilight on me:

-- I’m reading The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli right now. It’s taken me an age to get through it because I’m just savoring it; it’s one of those books. But this morning I read this lush passage and had to share it since this is also a food blog:

I rush downstairs and heat up the sauce I made this morning. It’s oxtail ground up with so much rosemary you can’t tell meat from herb. Vinegar and honey tease the tongue together…The smell is exquisite. I boil long, thick strands of pasta to serve it over. There will only be two dishes. The other is biancomangiare: pancreas and thymus in a chicken broth enriched with egg yolk, Vinsanto wine, almond paste, milk, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, and clove.

I’m guessing that Napoli did her research about the authenticity of this dish, and it just sounds sumptuous.

-- We did some talking about Twilight at KidLit Drink Night and Heather and I were in completely agreement on this point: no teen marriages!!!! Stephenie Meyer, as most people know now, has “given away” that there is a wedding between Edward and Bella at the beginning of Breaking Dawn. I do have a real problem with this notion of teen marriage, especially since I’m not convinced that it’s not agenda-pushing by Meyer.

Ultimately, though, it doesn’t matter: I just want to read a good story.

What can only be described as A Tirade By Me That I Will Probably Regret Posting

Okay, that’s it. That’s all I can stand, and I can’t stand no more. I have had up to HERE with all the Stephenie-Meyer Bella-haters.

I was already mulling over the content of this post in my head a few days ago. Then this morning, as I was reading Louise Rennison’s Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas on the train, it occurred to me: Bella – thus, Stephenie Meyer – has become nothing but a scapegoat. Why now? Why this one series? I mean, if we’re going to go there, let’s go there:

Louise Rennison’s Georgia Nicholson (nothing but makeup and boys, people)
Gossip Girls (have you seeeen those billboards for the show in Times Square?!)
Sweet Valley High
The Luxe/Rumors
Many of Sarah Dessen’s characters
Mia Thermopolis of The Princess Diaries
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
Nick and Norah/Naomi and Ely

Hardly any of the characters listed are poster children for the feminist movement, either they’re single-mindedly boy-crazy…or they’re catty and bitchy…or they’re giggly and vapid. For every Kiki Strike or Anne Shirley, there are at least 3 books that one can claim feature not-as-strong female heroines. But I haven’t seen the books above blasted all over the blogosphere: heck, Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging got a Printz Honor! The AskCosmo books are on the Quick Picks list!

But the posts in the kidlitosphere on the Twilight series (or, fittingly, called "saga") are just getting mean. And personal. If anyone is treating the series as if the characters were real, breathing people…it’s the haters. You do realize that Bella is a caricature, right? That she doesn’t represent the state of women and feminism today? That just because so many tweens, teens, and adults (yep, me) love the stories doesn’t mean that they themselves are vapid and devoid of taste, right? Because that’s the vibe out there and it’s often getting vicious. I hate the moment when I’m at a publisher’s event or a conference and Twilight comes up because, inevitably, I’ll be told that the fans of the series have no taste in young adult literature and Bella is the most vapid, most helpless, stupidest female character to be written into YA. Wow. Really?

The character of Bella aside and addressing the series, I believe Stephenie Meyer is an amazing writer. Anyone that can create that much sexual tension, make me blush from head to toe on the subway, but never write in anything more than a kiss? Well, she has my vote for being a damn good storyteller.

Lastly, (and I realize that I’m probably reading a lot more into this but…) I do feel that all this Bella-hate is a tad misogynistic. I’ve never encountered a book with a male protagonist where everyone has picked apart and argued about his behavior and personality to this degree. Let’s talk about Edward’s stupid tendency to totally shut down and give Bella the silent treatment like the sullen child he is. Let’s talk about Jacob’s out-of-control temper and, again, how he tends to pout and give Bella the silent treatment. Nope, I haven’t heard much ranting about that.

Better yet, let’s talk about that other #1 bestseller, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Greg revels in his boyness: he and his friends are disgusting and immature and everything we love to hate about boys. Are we totally out to destroy him? Are we analyzing him to death? No? Well, of course not. Because, you know, he’s just being a boy. We’re doing Greg and Bella both a huge disservice. By ignoring Greg entirely (minus the starred reviews), we’re once again discounting boys as "just being boys". By being out to destroy Bella, we’re not recognizing that, in most females, there is a certain amount of Bella’s character. We do want to swoon, we do want to fall in love, we do want to surrender…we do want two passionate and beautiful men fighting over us. By conveying to tween/teen girls that this isn’t okay – and judging them for having those feelings – we’re holding them to a standard that is impossible to uphold every minute of every day.

And by “tween/teen girls” am I also referring to the grown women, like myself, who are totally in love with the series as well? Of course I am.

Eat, drink, and stop judging other peoples’ reading choices.

Gearing up for ALA...Anaheim-style

You may not see much of me in the next 2-3 weeks: in addition to having friends staying with us this weekend, I’m gearing up for ALA*’s Annual Conference in Anaheim next weekend. After that, it’s a week with my family in Northern Cal. Then two days in the Berkeley/Oakland area with more friends. By my account, I should be back blogging regularly about mid-July. In the meantime, here is a schizo post on a sunny Friday afternoon:

- I’ve never been to New Orleans and, until today, I’ve never really had a desire. I’ve only considered myself a true foodie in the past year and, up until 3 years ago, the ongoing joke among family and friends was that I ate only white food. So New Orleans didn’t sound like my kind of place with all that flashing-strangers-at-Mardi-Gras and okra and spicy stuff. Well, in the past three years, a new world has opened up to me….and today, Omnivore Herbivore Carnivore has expanded that world even further. Check out Kyla's culinary adventures in the city and you too will want to head on down there ASAP…or at least wait until autumn…

- I am the happiest clam! Look at the two ARCs I received this week!

- Most of my meals at ALA Annual are being very generously provided by publishers (thanks, guys!)…however, I do want to try and strike out on my own and see what Anaheim has to offer. I have very little free time so I’m going to have to schedule any foodie adventures down to the minute. Nevertheless, I have to at least try. In the latest SLJ there are some intriguing restaurant suggestions. I get into Anaheim around lunchtime on Thursday so I’m thinking of hiking to Café Contigo for Cuban sandwiches that “will change the way you look at sandwiches…promise”. I’ve got the most time on Saturday so I’m hoping to get to Sarkis Pastry for breakfast**, which is rather ambitious since it’s, you know, the morning. I also have lunch free on Saturday (how decadent!) so I’m planning on Café Casse Croute (French-Canadian cuisine, Vietnamese-owned). Anyone reading this who wants to check out any of these restaurants with me, let me know – I’m always open to hanging out with a fellow food explorer! Likewise, if you know of any great food places close to the convention center, let me know…I don’t suppose I’m going to find a farmers’ market that close, am I?

- A night of Stephenie Meyer and Blue October? Oh, how I desperately want to go! Desperately. But quite frankly, I really don’t want to compete with thronging groups of tween girls to get a ticket and to go to the event. Especially since I don’t know another librarian in her (or his) right mind who would go with me. So I’ll stay home, turn on Blue October, and imagine Justin Furstenfeld singing only to me. Just like a tween girl would do. Oh, the irony.

- Courtesy of my daily Shelf Awareness email, I leave you with this fantabulous quote from Huck Finn (as quoted by Jennie Shortridge): “I was a-trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself, ‘All right, then, I'll GO to hell.’” That totally made my Friday.

Eat, drink, and ride the wave

* When, oh when, will I realize my dream of being on the Newbery committee?!

** Because baklava is one of my all-time favorite desserts...in those rare moments when I eat sweets.

Breaking Dawn cover art

Friggin awesome.

Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom for this delicious piece of news!

Twilight: The Movie...Inevitably

Here's the press release, courtesy of Publishers Weekly:

Though many of Stephenie Meyer's fans may have dreamed of being Bella Swan, star of the author's Twilight saga, actress Kristen Stewart (seen most recently in Into the Wild) will play Bella in the movie adaptation of Twilight, and Robert Pattinson (who appeared as Cedric Diggory in the last two Harry Potter movies) will star as Edward. Production of the Summit Entertainment film begins production next February and will be directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Lords of Dogtown). Melissa Rosenberg (Step Up) adapted Meyer's novel for the screen.

Cedric Diggory as Edward???? Swoooon! And yes, of course, I dream of being Bella. But, you know, less whiny and way more capable of self-defense. But the big question still remains: who did they cast as Jacob????

Discuss! Discuss!

Lunch with Melissa Marr 9.17.07

So last week, Monday, I went a lovely lunch hosted by HarperCollins. It was an opportunity to meet Melissa Marr, author of the young adult novel Wicked Lovely. I was eager to go because I had heard that Melissa was super nice and I also wanted to hang out with the HarperCollins folks, who I previously have not had a chance to get to know.

It was a very small group – Melissa, Dina Sherman (HC publicity), Melissa’s editor (whose name, unfortunately, has escaped me), LuAnn Toth (of School Library Journal), and me. So five of us. I was initially intimidated – small groups means that I have to keep up my end of the conversation a little better – but I had no need to worry.

We talked about Wicked Lovely and Melissa’s next book in the series, Ink Exchange. The good news is that Ink Exchange is not really a sequel but, rather, it’s a companion novel about two of the less major characters in WL. She's also working on a manga book as well. We also talked about Melissa’s kids and the types of books they’re reading. And we talked a lot about MySpace and the up-and-coming generations that would rather chat with friends over the computer…and will not have the ability to hold a conversation with an actual person. Oh, and of course, we talked about tattoos. Melissa is fond of piercings and tattoos – I think she has an ink guy in every major U.S. city and maybe even some in Europe – so it was fun to talk about those. Often publishers will have these lunches because they know their author represents themselves so well and makes a wonderful impression. That was the case with Melissa. She's wicked smart - pardon the play on "wicked" - and really fascinating to talk to.

The food was very good, of course. LuAnn somehow scored a different menu than the rest of us and was able to order a gnocchi that really wasn’t supposed to be served. Lucky gal!

Overall, it was a wonderful jaunt into the city, and I enjoyed the conversation. I can recommend Wicked Lovely, particularly to all you Stephenie Meyer fans. WL is like Twilight, but with really evil fairies instead of vampires. Enjoy!

Manic Monday

What a fun morning in the blogosphere! Let’s get started!

• There’s an article in the L.A. Times discussing why Stephenie Meyer’s books are so popular. It really hits the nail on the head (even discusses the series’ appeal for adult readers, like me…something about bodice-ripping?)…and it gave me the huge news that the next book will be the last in the series, which I hadn’t read anywhere else. I’m actually excited about that, as you may have guessed from my previous comments about Eclipse. I hardly think she’ll end it with Edward vampirizing Bella, do you? And is there anyone else – like me – that is beginning to sorta-kinda wish Bella would choose Jacob? Thanks to Big A little a for the link.
  
• Penguin UK just won the Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards and, to commemorate the occasion, they’re reissuing 36 current bestsellers in the retro Penguin paperback look. So. Cool. This makes me want to buy a copy, beat it all up (as all books with this kind of cover should be so that we know they’re well-loved), and get it all coffee-stained at some non-chain coffeehouse. Like The Governor’s Cup in Salem, Oregon. Oh, I miss the Governor’s Cup. These books feel like the types that should be read there.
  
• Here’s another take on the whole people-not-reading thing. Which sums up my feelings on the matter as well. Sure, let’s be concerned about the literacy rate. But is all the alarm and Armageddon necessary? Or is that my vacuum-packed worldview getting in the way again? The iPod comment in this article made me snicker.
  
• Everyone is buzzing about KT Horning starting her own blog so I’ll jump on board! In particular, she has a fantastic post about Louise Fitzhugh’s forever lost lesbian novel. Which we’re all dying to read because it’s…well…forever lost. But the best part? Roger Sutton made the hilarious comment that Fitzhugh looks like “James Dean’s love child” in the photo on Horning’s blog post. Why is that so hilarious? Because it’s dead-on right.
  
• Speaking of Roger Sutton, he linked to a site with really inappropriate ads. Try – just try – not to laugh. You'll love it. But you'll feel guilty about it.

This post is kinda like a bouillabaisse!

All kinds of fun, newsy tidbits are floating around. I'm home from work taking care of a sick kiddo today so I've been able to browse the web while she lies comatose on the couch. And I'm feeling chatty.

• Finished Eclipse yesterday, just in time because today is sunny and 85 degrees. I'm so very happy I waited until I was in the right mood because I just enjoyed every minute of the book. Stephenie Meyer could really be underestimated, as a lot of people could dismiss her books as frothy teen romance. But I would beg to differ. The reason why Stephenie Meyer rocks at what she does is because she captures the teenage voice as only a select few authors can. Think back to your first love in high school with all its angst, desperation, drama, and passion. Remember how deeply you felt every moment? How every single word was ripe with meaning and portent? Well, Meyer will take you right back there. It actually creeps me out a bit when I read her stuff because I'm reliving my own first love all over again. No wonder teenage girls love her books so much - she has put into a story exactly how they feel, given their loves and passions a voice. No small feat, my friends. Don't ever write off Stephenie Meyer's near-genius talent. If only half the YA authors out there could be so lucky as to have her skill.
  
  Note on the epilogue in Eclipse: Ms. Rowling, that is how an epilogue is done. My only wish is that Ms. Meyer would end the entire series right there. It would be such an intriguing, courageous way to end it. Never mind that teenage girls everywhere would FREAK OUT and RIOT if that were the case. In my world, though, that ending would be perfection.
  
  And those magnificent covers that Little, Brown designed? Genius. Nothing short of genius. Twilight was picked up by teens based on the cover alone...luckily, the story inside ended up being pretty darn good.
  
  
  
  

• 27% of Americans didn’t read a single book in the past year. So says CNN.
  
  I wasn’t surprised to read this. What surprised me was that I wasn’t that bothered by it. Isn’t that weird? Shouldn’t I be more bothered? So here’s my theory: I am just so far removed from that section of the population – it’s a whole other world. The world I exist in doesn’t reflect that statistic at all. Everyone I know reads – Isabell’s own library, Adam’s audiobooks, Andrea’s medical journals, the librarians I work with, all the people I see reading on the subway. I’m surrounded by readers. It’s difficult to muster up indignation and shock when, all around me, I see enormous evidence to the contrary. Which is perhaps the point. I’m guessing the 27% of the country not reading are concentrated in specific areas. Because chances are good that where one non-reader exists, lots of them exist. I exist in a vaccuum, apparently.
  
  
• The Guardian reports that being a writer is the one job Brits want more than any other job. Again, I’m not surprised by this. First, there’s the need to be creative – or to wish you were more creative. Second, there’s the romanticized view of what a writer is and what a writer does. Sure, I’ve absolutely envisioned myself as a writer. Do you remember those Corona beer commercials? With the person lying on the tropical beach doing idle things? That’s my life as a writer! I’m sitting on that white sand beach on a lounge chair, wine in hand, and a laptop open with my latest and greatest novel on it. And I’m sure all you aspiring writers out there can confirm that this dream of mine is completely bogus. Third – and I think J.K. Rowling has something to do with this – there’s a little bit of a Lottery Ticket Syndrome that’s involved with writing. Out of all the people in all the world writing, your book is going to be the multi-million copy book. Reference ShelfTalker’s post on this topic. As The Guardian points out, “don’t give up your day job.”
  
  
• And I was inspired by Fuse 8’s comment about being an American-based publisher of international children’s books. Yeah, that job would be pretty damn great. My recent favorites are listed below – wouldn’t it be marvelous to find treasures like these as your job? And at the very least, I’ve heard the Bologna book fair is a complete hoot. I would love to go to that as my job, too.
  
  Cute
  Short and Happy Life of Riley
  Cherry Tree
  Mini Mia and her Darling Uncle
  Bridget and the Gray Wolves
  The Zoo
  J.A. Teddy
  My Cat Copies Me
  
  
• I read a really wonderful article on bouillabaisse in Saveur. I swooned. It was one of those articles that shook up my worldview - it made me realize that all the bouillabaisse I've had in this country is just a pale imitation of the real thing, completely lacking in authenticity. But I say that with affection - as a statement of fact rather than a criticism - because America's food culture is so diverse and young. We're never going to get all those Mediterranean fish because...well...we don't live there. Even if I could get all those ingredients, I wouldn't - I'd still be cooking it in my crappy apartment kitchen with fish completely lacking in freshness. I'd still be creating an imitation. So in the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy what I can get here, live vicariously through Saveur magazine, and hope that one day I can get to the Mediterranean and taste the real thing for myself.
  
  
• I tried to find heirloom tomatoes to make that tartlet thing in my previous post but all they had at the little market by my house were red tomatoes on the vine, cherry tomatoes, and some spiffy plum tomatoes (Naturally, I bought the plum tomatoes to have with some buffalo mozzarella and basil tonight. It won't be much longer that I can enjoy the fruits of summer!). Hopefully I'll make the tartlets soon - stay tuned!

Happy weekend to all!

Pre-Autumnal Ramblings in the Rain

So read the brutal review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows here. While I tend to shy away from terms like “moral vision,” particularly when it is applied to children’s literature, I still found myself actually agreeing with many of the author’s points. Warning: there are lots of spoilers here and the author uses the word Nazi without much rhyme or reason. Also, be prepared for wanting to argue with someone, anyone, after you read it. Thanks to fuse8 for the link...even if she did say that the review made her eyes bleed a little.

Remember I said I couldn’t read Eclipse? Well, it’s back on. Yesterday and today have been the loveliest and most welcome pre-autumnal days ever – drizzly with temps in the mid-60’s. I’ve been wearing sweaters! Well, it turns out that this is just the weather to turn me on to Eclipse again. The only caveat is that I have to hurry – it’s supposed to be 90 degrees and raining by this Saturday. Read, woman, read! (Embarrassing admission: I got so wrapped up in all this weather that I even downloaded most of the songs on Stephenie Meyer’s stellar Eclipse playlist).

And thanks to Chicken Spaghetti for her fantastic hold list. I now have The Year of the Goat and A Year Without Made in China on my own list!

I know I’m probably the last children’s librarian to know about this, but I just discovered Scott Westerfeld’s blog: westerblog. In particular, he shares the cover of his book So Yesterday, which has been translated into Slovenian. Apparently, the Slovenian translation of “innovator” is inovatorka. That’s awesome. I’m going to incorporate that word into a conversation today. The good thing is that I’m having dinner with my children’s librarian friends tonight and, given the enormous range of topics we discuss, it shouldn’t be too difficult to fit inovatorka in at some point. I’m on a mission.

Turn, Turn, Turn

Anyone out there who blogs can confirm if this is true of all bloggers…or if it’s just me…but this is the first time I’m writing because I feel I should, even though I don’t really want to at all. What is that?!

I suppose it’s my case of the blahs. I’m tired of summer. I want autumn here NOW. I want changing leaves, thick sweaters, fennel, potatoes, butternut squash ravioli, apples, hot chocolate, songwriter-based music, cozy books, cozy blankets, thick socks. I’m just over summer, you know?

I read about 100 pages into Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer yesterday, but I pulled out the bookmark and I’m putting the book on the shelf for a little bit. I love the Bella/Edward books, I do. But I’m just not in the right place for Eclipse right now. Bella called Edward her “personal miracle” at one point and I audibly snorted with cynical, bitter laughter. Clearly, I’m just not feeling it right now. And the worst thing to do is force-feed tragic teen romance down my own throat. So it’s on hold.

So instead I’m reading The House of Mondavi: the Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty by Julia Flynn Siler. That seems much more in line with my mood.

I just read about a new Cinderella book: Walt Disney’s Cinderella. It’s written by Cynthia Rylant and features the original concept art of Disney artist Mary Blair. I haven’t gotten a hold of the book yet, but Hyperion tells me one is on the way soon. I’m very excited.

Lastly, remember I had high hopes for Good Reads? Well, I don’t anymore. Twice now, I’ve put lots of books in my “to-read-children’s-ya” list. And twice now, the books have mysteriously been deleted from that list so that when I log back in, it shows I have 0 books to read there. What is going on?! It’s proving to be just as clunky and un-user-friendly as LibraryThing. Argh.

Batter up!: What I'm Reading

Here’s the list of books I have lined up to read in the next…um…oh, I have no idea how long it’ll take for me to get to all these:

CURRENTLY READING: The Quantum July (Ron King) – I’m reading it for School Library Journal…otherwise, I don’t think this is a book I would have been motivated to read.

1. Omnivore’s Dilemma (Michael Pollan) – I was halfway through, but I had to stop so that I could read Harry Potter and The Quantum July.
2. Elijah of Buxton (Christopher Paul Curtis) – it’s getting Newbery buzz so I’ll jump on the bandwagon and read it.
3. The Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stewart) – this one has been on my list for ages and I’m beginning to fear that I’ll never read it.
4. Michael Tolliver Lives (Armistead Maupin) – I love the Tales of the City gang and looking forward to reading this new one.
5. Slam (Nick Hornby) – I started this one at ALA and loved what I read. Can’t wait to finish it.

And then I pre-ordered Stephenie Meyer’s new one, Eclipse, which is coming out August 7th so obviously I’ll drop whatever I’m in the middle of and read that one immediately. Meyer has compared the storyline of Eclipse to Wuthering Heights…Needless to say, the 7th can’t come soon enough.