Books I Read in March

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, “old same,” in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s painted a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on fans, compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together, they endure the agony of foot-binding, and reflect upon their arranged marriages, shared loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood. The two find solace, developing a bond that keeps their spirits alive. But when a misunderstanding arises, their deep friendship suddenly threatens to tear apart.

My Thoughts:
This book has become one of my all time favorites.  Lily and Snow Flower despite different upbringings, family troubles, and misunderstandings had a bond so few of us are lucky to experience.  I cringed while reading through the horrid foot binding process that so many young girls in China endured. 

From the time I started reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan I was unable to put it down.  The historical aspects take you back to a time I am thankful I did not have to live through.  The story is touching giving you a small glimpse into what these girls felt.

This is a fantastic piece of historical fiction and am so happy it was the chosen book for our book club. 


The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht

In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.

My Thoughts:
The Tiger's Wife read more like a collection of short stories than a complete novel.  Though written well, it jumped all over, and I felt slightly confused.  The book description found on the back of the book makes it sound interesting, which it was, it just did not feel complete.  Somthing was missing from it.


The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The secret passage to the house next door leads to a fascinating adventure

NARNIA...where the woods are thick and cold, where Talking Beasts are called to life...a new world where the adventure begins.

Digory and Polly meet and become friends one cold, wet summer in London. Their lives burst into adventure when Digory's Uncle Andrew, who thinks he is a magician, sends them hurtling to...somewhere else. They find their way to Narnia, newborn from the Lion's song, and encounter the evil sorceress Jadis before they finally return home.

My Thoughts:
For some reason or another I never got around to reading any of The Chronicles of Narnia collection.  Well now I have started and plan to read the rest this year.

The Magician's Nephew begins the very first adventure into Narnia and now I know how the Wardrobe came into being. 

After reading other reviews I was surprised to see such low reviews.  Some seem to be nit picky and reminds me of my English teachers from high school.  I guess I read it like I was a child and enjoyed the story, rather than focusing on the technical aspect of the writing.  When I read I want to be swept up into the book and The Magician's Nephew did that for me. 


Heat Wave by Richard Castle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Naked Heat by Richard Castle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

 Heat Rises by Richard Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 Frozen Heat by Richard Castle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars









My Thoughts:
Since I enjoy watching the show Castle, I figured I would read the books that one of the main characters rights about the NYPD detective he shadows in the show.  (The books are written by a ghost writer for the show and Richard Castle is used for the pen name).  I have read all four of the series and will also read the upcoming books as well.

Heat Wave starts of the series and was not too bad.  It was a bit diffcult reading just because of watching the show.  I find myself thinking about the episodes I watched and comparing it to the plots of the books.  

All in all each book gets better but I really like watching Castle better.  Two of the characters in the show that play a big part are not really found in the books.  Ok one is once in a blue moon, I just wish those two where also in the books.


  Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell

Now in paperback-the format in which it's destined to become a reading group favorite-the most heralded and hilarious memoir of recent years:

Nearing 30 and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, Julie Powell reclaims her life by cooking every single recipe in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking in the span of one year. It's a hysterical, inconceivable redemptive journey - life rediscovered through aspics, calves' brains and crème brûlée.

The bestselling memoir that's "irresistible....A kind of Bridget Jones meets The French Chef" (Philadelphia Inquirer) is now a major motion picture directed by Nora Ephron, starring Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia, the film Julie & Julia will be released by Sony Pictures on August 7, 2009.

My Thoughts:
I found this book to be rather boring and could not even get halfway through it. The concept was great and the movie was excellent. The book was horrid and if her blog read as badly as this book I can see why Julia Child didn't like it.

Usually after seeing a movie based off of a book that I have not read it makes me want to read the book. This was the case with the movie Julie and Julia. The movie was 1000 times better and I am happy the movie captured the concept of the memoir. Now I have to watch it again to get the nasty taste out of my mouth from the book and STAT!

Bluebird & Panther Book Page Necklace

Went out to Hobby Lobby today and decided to make myself a necklace. I tend to randomly find craft projects to do and today I chose jewelry.

I purchase two square bronze charms, a 16" bronze chain, a pack of clear glass squares, Modge Podge, and 6000 adhesive.

Book Page Art

I really love the book pages that have pictures, symbols, and quotes printed on them. So I decided to make my own and in the process learned that I would like a better printer. Other than needing a new printer, two of three tries turned out pretty good.

I printed a bluebird on a page that was 8x11 but the frame I found was smaller so I traced around the image. I ended up with more picture than book page, I still love it.

My other successful try is my bookworm buddy. My scrap pages from my book safe were perfect! I took a blank 4x6 photo paper and trimmed the scrap book page to size. I then placed my picture into a word document and centered it.

Before printing I went to my printer settings and ensured that it was set to print a 4x6 photo, landscape, and went back to my word document to make sure it looked right.

Now I just need to dig out an old frame for it.

The book pages fed through my printer with no problems.  And by using a 8x11 paper and the 4x6 photo paper to measure against my book pages made centering easier.  I will retry my bluebird again and have it set for the correct size I need.  After I get that done I will show the side by side comparison.  That will be when I finally decide to get more ink for my printer.

Missing Roller Derby

Don't you hate it when you find something that you enjoy and have to give it up? Whether it is for a short break or worse forever, it just sucks. That is how it is currently with me, needed to take a break from roller derby and missing the hell out of it!

To add insult to injury, I find myself suddenly seeing roller derby every where.  It's on tv shows (though not portrayed well at all), friends status updates, and the list goes on and on.  I see my skate bag just sitting on the closet shelf, spare wheels and bearing and my team colors on t-shirts, hoodies, and jersey.  Depressing!

Squirrel!!!!!!!

Ok, so I have to admit I love the movie UP.  Between the Momma bird,talking dogs, and the "cone of shame" it had me and the kids rolling.  Of course the whole "SQUIRREL"!!! thing amused me the most so naturally when I see one I say it.

Whether in the house or outside I can always get my chocolate lab Mocha on alert just by saying "squirrel" in an excited way.  Mocha loves to chase squirrels and they always elude him, chattering at him from the tree branches.  Yes squirrels love to laugh at and mock dogs! 

Anyhow, Mocha finally got the last laugh a few weeks ago.  While chilling out on the back patio I whistled for Mocha to come home (he loves the neighbors house and now I know why).  I see him trotting towards our house and from the flood lights that were on I saw that he had something in his mouth.  Needless to say he was very proud of what he had to show his momma.

Mocha finally got a squirrel!

 

Books I Read in February

The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945 by Wladyslaw Szpilman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Named one of the Best Books of 1999 by the Los Angeles Times, The Pianist is now a major motion picture directed by Roman Polanski and starring Adrien Brody (Son of Sam). The Pianist won the Cannes Film Festival’s most prestigious prize—the Palme d’Or.

On September 23, 1939, Wladyslaw Szpilman played Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor live on the radio as shells exploded outside—so loudly that he couldn’t hear his piano. It was the last live music broadcast from Warsaw: That day, a German bomb hit the station, and Polish Radio went off the air.

Though he lost his entire family, Szpilman survived in hiding. In the end, his life was saved by a German officer who heard him play the same Chopin Nocturne on a piano found among the rubble. Written immediately after the war and suppressed for decades, The Pianist is a stunning testament to human endurance and the redemptive power of fellow feeling.

My Thoughts:
I finally took the time to read this book a few years after watching the movie.  This is one time I feel that the movie did justice to the story by giving more visual to the atrocities that happened during WWII. 
                            
This book is his memoir that was written shortly after the war ended and was banned.  In a way it doesn't surprise me, as so many things about the horrors of WWII have been dismissed as never happening and/or taken out of history books.  

People need to know about these horrible things that have happened, not deny them.  History repeats itself and I for one would not want to have to go through that ordeal. 



Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

 

More than a million readers have thrilled to Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln, the page-turning work of nonfiction about the shocking assassination that changed the course of American history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts in gripping detail the brutal murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy—and how a sequence of gunshots on a Dallas afternoon not only killed a beloved president but also sent the nation into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath.

In January 1961, as the Cold War escalates, John F. Kennedy struggles to contain the growth of Communism while he learns the hardships, solitude, and temptations of what it means to be president of the United States. Along the way he acquires a number of formidable enemies, among them Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and Alan Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In addition, powerful elements of organized crime have begun to talk about targeting the president and his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

In the midst of a 1963 campaign trip to Texas, Kennedy is gunned down by an erratic young drifter named Lee Harvey Oswald. The former Marine Corps sharpshooter escapes the scene, only to be caught and shot dead while in police custody.

The events leading up to the most notorious crime of the twentieth century are almost as shocking as the assassination itself. Killing Kennedy chronicles both the heroism and deceit of Camelot, bringing history to life in ways that will profoundly move the reader. This may well be the most talked about book of the year.


My Thoughts:
Killing Kennedy was a book that was selected for our book club.  I had a hard time finishing this book.  The book seemed to drag about petty things about Kennedy and his family. 

This to me is a book you have to read for yourself to truly determine if it is good or not.  As much as I love American History this was more tabloid trash than history.  The historical aspects seemed over powered by the petty tabloid worthy information.  Which if I remember correctly a good chunk of that information was supposed to be sealed up until 2027, according to the book. (Or maybe I read that wrong).










2013 Reading Challenge

Jessica has read 6 books toward a goal of 50 books.

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6 of 50 (12%)

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Book Safe

I always wanted a book safe to hide things in since I was a kid.   You can find pre-made book safes online as well as instructions on how to make your own.  Of the many tutorials on making your own book safe I found that The Art of MANLINESS to have the best one.  I tweaked it a little based on the materials I already had to use.

Materials 

• Book (an old or unpopular book works good)
• Small box cutter or exacto knife 
• Extra blades (they will get dull)
• Plastic bags or Wax paper (I used wax paper)
• Vice, C-clamps or Heavy books (I used a stack of heavy books)
• Spray Adhesive or Mod Podge (I chose to use Spray Adhesive)
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Fabric or Felt (you do not need if you want to leave the storage area the way it is)

Step 1

• Take plastic bags or wax paper and use it to cover the front book cover, back book cover and pages that you do not want to be glued together.

I used wax paper because it fit between the pages I wanted seperated better.  It does not bunch up like I found the plastic bags did.

Step 2

• Ensure that the area that you are using (table, counter top, etc.) is covered up to prevent overspray from getting on it.
• Take the spray adhesive and spray all three sides that have the pages showing.  
• You can use other types of glue and brush it on to seal the pages together.

Step 3

• Place in vice , c-clamps, or place a stack of heavy books on top of it until the glue drys.
• You may need to run the razor blade slowly between the wax paper and the page because of the over spray.  It did not effect the pages at all.

After waiting 24 hours for the spray adhesive to dry, it was still tacky to the touch.

So I went over the pages with a homemade glue, it dried in an hour and was no longer tacky.  Now I will just do this step a few minutes after applying the spray adhesive. 

Step 4

• Using a ruler and pencil trace out the shape and size of area you want.
• Start cutting out the pages until the opening is to the depth that you want.

I covered the last 4 pages and the back cover with wax paper so I could show how it looks.

After taking this pic I used my homemade glue and brushed it on the rest of the pages and back cover and stacked the books on it while it dried.

Step 5

• You are done! Start tossing your treasures in.
• You can glue felt or fabric in the area that is cut out to make it look nicer.

The pictures below are of my final result for my book safe.  I had issues getting the fabric to sit right but it works for me.

Goofy Doberman

The pictures say it all. And honestly who couldn't love that big nose?

How to Make Glue | Homemade Glue Recipe

Have not tried this yet but thought I would share.  Think I may try it out tonight or tomorrow, will let you know how it turns out.
How to Make Glue | Homemade Glue Recipe

Book Club

Reading books is one of my favorite things to do.  Unfortunately my book collection has dwindled to almost nothing after several times moving.

Anyhow, while taking a break from roller derby I have found myself cooped up in the house and bored out of my mind.  I really am a social butterfly and find it hard being in solitude, by my own choosing or not, now finding a way to get my sense of self back I joined a book club.  The book club was started by one of my friends I met through roller derby, and haven't seen for months after deciding a break was needed.  Good thing for Facebook huh?

So now I have something else to pass the time by which is awesome.  Plus with being in a book club I  will be exposed to books that I might not have thought to pick up and read.

My goal is to read 50 books this year, a little behind since I just got back into my reading groove the middle of February while I was sick.



Do you have a number of books that your want to read this year?
Any suggestions of books for me to check out?

My First Craft Project Started

First craft project is under way! I am making a book safe.

It is a time consuming project and more so when taking time to photograph step-by-step details. Great for a boring weekend or when cooped up because of bad weather.

I am waiting for glue to dry so that I can continue. The tutorial draft is under way and should be posted later this week.

What kind of craft projects have you done using old books?

Coming Soon

I will be adding craft projects that I am working on.  Taking step by step pictures and explaining what I did.  I hope that my grandmother and mothers crafting skills are in my genes.