Julie & Julia trailer!

The trailer for Julie and Julia is out and, I must say, it looks way better than the book, though it should be noted that I liked the book more than most...it's just that Julie Powell's neuroses can be pretty grating by the end. I had my doubts about the movie, but I shouldn't have...especially considering La Streep.



Is it just me or is Amy Adams channeling early Cynthia Nixon in Sex and the City?

Thanks to Alice Q. Foodie for the info - this totally made my workday!

These links are waiting for you...and they're still hot.

It's a glittering extravaganza out there. Here's what's happening:

• PBS Parents has started a children's literature blog: Booklights. All there really is to say about that is it's about time. On a side note, a fellow member of the ALSC committee I'm on is one of the bloggers: Susan Kusel also blogs at Wizards Wireless. Thanks to Chicken Spaghetti for the info.
• Can't get a rezzie at Babbo? Cooked Books has the info on how you can recreate their dishes at home. I'm thinking of trying the Two-Minute Calamari Sicilian Lifeguard Style.
• 7th Annual Grilled Cheese Invitational. Need I say more?
• New York Public Library is having another literary cafe this weekend: Fantasy in New York. It's on May 2nd at 2:00 p.m. at the new 42nd St. library. Once again, I will have to miss it - I haven't been to one yet! But check it out - there's a great line-up of authors: Katherine Marsh, Kirsten Miller, and Delia Sherman.
• Books of Wonder has a ton of events going on - in particular, I would love to see Kristin Cashore and Melissa Marr on Saturday, May 30th from 1-3 p.m. I might stop by and say hi (hi Kristin!). Also, this weekend - Sunday, May 3rd from 1-3 p.m. - there is a veritable who's who of picture book/graphic novel authors/illustrators: Peter Brown, Jason Chin, Shaun Tan, and Harry Bliss. WOW. In particular, I'd love to meet Jason Chin - I just received a review copy of Redwoods yesterday, and I now see what all the buzz-buzz is about.
• For all you baking type people, I'm hooking you up - again - with a recipe: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Chip Cookies. You're welcome.

In other news, I realized that yesterday's post was my 400th. Yowza! Just thinking about it makes me exhausted. And in six weeks from yesterday, I'll be starting culinary school. And in four weeks from tomorrow, I'll be on the SLJ Day of Dialog panel. All I need now is to get appointed to an awards committee and my life would officially be my bizarro life.

Eat, drink, and just go with the flow.

Talkin' 'bout a revolution!

Civil Eats has inspired me again with a rousing post. I was particularly interested in remembering the "true costs" of the food we eat. Even if you don't consider yourself a "foodie" - and shouldn't we all be? - please check out their post.

If nothing, the "peanut scare" and the swine flu outbreak should prove that it's not about being a "foodie" and its elitist trappings. We are all affected by our food system.

My Weekend in Pictures

All you New Yorkers will understand...I was in heaven this past weekend.  It was our first truly sunny weekend...sunny enough for a California girl like me to get her fix.  It was all about the food, the sun, and Central Park for me.  Here's a glimpse:

The first Lillet with lemon of the season!

Grilled shrimp, grilled asparagus, grilled bread...it's a theme!

Me with my new short haircut...I got about 4 inches chopped off earlier that day.

After 2 years of talking big, I finally planted herbs on our balcony!

Our picnic lunch: crostini with roasted garlic, New York blue cheese, and salami; dried apricots and grapes (all Central Park photos taken with my phone - forgive me!)

Bug eating a popsicle at the children's playground in Central Park

Tulips at the carousel in Central Park

Balloons at the Central Park carousel

Sunday night's dinner: Roma tomatoes, rosemary ciabatta, roasted garlic, buffalo mozzarella, basil, salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic vinegar.  Toss.  Eat.

It was a phenomenal weekend.

Eat, drink, and cheers to a new season.

SLJ Day of Dialog; or The Day I am Over-Chicked

The news is officially out: I am going to be on a panel at School Library Journal's Day of Dialog, which will take place before BEA begins. Here is all the info:

Panel I: THE BLOGGER, THE BOOK, AND THE BUZZ

Are bloggers having an impact on what we read, what we add to collections, what we recommend? Here what avid bloggers Liz Burns (A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy), Laura Lutz(Pinot and Prose), Cheryl Klein (Brooklyn Arden), and author Libba Bray have to say about it.

Moderated by Betsy Bird, SLJ blogger and librarian, New York Public Library

We'll be on from 9:15 - 10:15 a.m...which is wicked early for me to get from Queens to Brooklyn. Dang. The magic day is Thursday, May 28th.

So a few years ago, I did something awesome for the Husband...I don't remember what it was now. But Adam shook his head and said, "Dang, I am so over-chicked." I was, like, "What is that????" He explained that it was a phrase he picked up at work, and it is meant to describe a man who is with a woman who is just waaaaay too awesome for him. Or, for instance, when you see that couple out on a date and she's dressed up smash-bang beautiful-awesome...and he's the schmuck in jeans? Yep, he's over-chicked.

So I'm feeling insanely over-chicked on this panel. I mean, have you seen this group?! I'm over-chicked big time. It will take everything in me not to start laughing in the middle of it all and exclaim, "What am I doing here?!?!"

Nevertheless, I'll keep it under control, make sure to look really cute, and have a great time. With this group, I expect lots of sarcasm and laughter...not to mention that I'll learn a crapload of new stuff, I'm sure.

Be there or be square, dudes.


* Anyone else see the spelling error in the panel description? It's torturing me slowly and painfully...please change it ASAP, SLJ...before I lose it...

Twenty by Jenny

In case you weren't already convinced that Jenny Brown is a rock star (for all you kidlitters), now you know for sure:

My Shelf Awareness email announced this morning that Jenny is kicking off her website Twenty by Jenny. She recommends books for specific age ranges and sends out a free monthly newsletter. The website is attractive, easy to navigate, and the art is fantastic.

Go check it out!

Community Gardens

When we moved to NYC two years ago, we got rid of our car. And I've never looked back.

However, sometimes you find lovely little niches and nooks when you're driving around, and this weekend was no exception.

We rented a ZipCar so that we could go to Home Depot and stock up on pots, soil, and herbs for our balcony (more on that later). On our way, I discovered that we have a community garden down the street from us: Project Eden!

The bad thing about the car? There was no way to pull over and explore. If we had been on foot, I could have checked it out. But I'll be going back in the future so look for a report in the coming months...

Eat, drink, and explore your local communities - you never know what you'll find!


Note: Further research shows that my community garden was actually started around 1992!

REVIEW: Young Samurai: Way of the Warrior

When it comes to books, I love being proved wrong.  That shows you how much I love books.  I have always said I don't "do fantasy"...but Graceling totally proved me wrong (my review).  I also said that I don't "do zombies"...but Forest of Hands and Teeth proved me wrong (my review).  That was a page-turner if I ever saw one.  Dang.

So when I got invited to dinner with Chris Bradford, I knew I was going to have to read his book.  Little did I know it was about samurai.  Again, I don't "do samurai" and ninjas and the like...though I guess I kinda do since I'm in love with Wink!: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed by JC Phillips (Viking).  Nevertheless, Bradford's book Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior (Hyperion) is a 359-page tome.  So I was sort of grumbly about delving into it.

I can't tell you how happy I am to report that I was wrong about this one as well.  Apparently, I do samurai now.  The story is action-packed and compulsively readable.  And kids will unwittingly learn a thing or two about historical Japanese culture.  12-year-old Jack Fletcher is on a ship heading for "the Japans" when it is attacked by nefarious ninjas.  Everyone save Jack is killed, including his father, by Dragon-Eye and his band of killers.  Jack is rescued by a samurai, Masamoto, and brought back to health by Masamoto's family.  They adopt him and Jack learns the way of the warrior because 1) he has no choice, and 2) he wants to avenge his father and take on Dragon-Eye.  Of course, Jack learns along the way and many themes are explored: honor, trust, friendship, truth, family.

It would be really easy to say this is a "boy book" but that's undeservedly pigeonholing the story.  Being brought up in England more than a hundred years ago, Jack is shocked to learn that Japanese girls train as samurai as well, and there is plenty of girls-kick-ass action.  Each character is very strong and not one of them seems one-note or flat.  In particular, I really enjoyed Jack, and Bradford excels at making him a real 12-year-old boy.  He's stubborn and headstrong, but he's also confused and scared.  He cries, and he's homesick...but he also wants to make his father proud and show respect to his adopted family.  It all has an up-and-down nature to it, which is spot-on for the age.  And the reader never doubts whether Jack will succeed in the end.  Of course he will.

Frankly, there is little to criticize here.  This is Bradford's first book and, as expected, there is sometimes a self-consciousness in the writing.  Sometimes he's telling too much and not showing.  Additionally, it's very clear that Bradford is passionate about the Japanese culture and the martial arts - he is a black belt himself.  While this makes for a truly authentic storytelling experience, all the details sometimes slow some of the action.  But I assure you that these are quibbles - overall, it's a stellar reading experience.  And lucky for all of us, the book has an open ending so let's hope there's more to come.

As for the dinner with the author I mentioned earlier, it was fittingly an action-packed night.  We dined at Japonais and the food was excellent.  I actually ordered chicken for a main dish - I don't know what possessed me, but I believe it was the chestnut sauce that came with it.  Lucky for me, it was rather good, if a bit on the dry side.  Chris Bradford is one of the nicest authors I've met to date; he's super-friendly and talkative, and he just seemed flattered that we were all there and very interested in what he had to say.  His story about proposing to his wife in Cuba was priceless.  The best part was that he brought his samurai sword!  We weren't too sure that the restaurant would be keen on him pulling out a sword so the ten or so of us gathered all around Chris, forming a bit of a wall.  Then he pulled the sword about halfway out of its sheath and showed us all its parts.  It was incredibly beautiful.  I think it can also be said that, if Betsy were still doing her Hot Men of Children's Literature, Chris would make the list.  Who doesn't go soft when hearing a British accent?

Don't think you "do samurai"?  Well, start with Young Samurai: Way of the Warrior.  It could change your mind.

Notes on the cover:

The book came out in the UK more than a year ago, and here's their cover:

I'm more drawn to our cover.  However, I can't show it to you, but on the back of the American cover is this great illustration of Jack.  He's depicted full-body with his samurai sword and he's looking down.  I think this would have been a better front cover because it would have pulled in all those kids that don't think they like samurai stories.  The front cover is very imposing and I think the art on the back cover is more intriguing.  But that's me...