The Bibliophile's Dilemma

Books I've Read 2010

2011-01-01T09:50:00.000-05:00

Books in bold are ones I've especially liked:The Penelopiad, Margaret AtwoodFuturama: The Time Bender Trilogy, Matt GroeningInterview With a Vampire, Anne RiceHer Fearful Symmetry, Audrey NiffenneggerThe Lovely Bones, Alice SeboldSerenity, Vol. 2: Better Days, Joss WhedonThe Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael ChabonShades of Grey, Jasper FfordeHeat Wave, Richard CastleThe Help,

News from the Joss-verse

2010-03-08T17:29:00.005-05:00

In the mood for some fantastic, hot-off-the-presses news? The Syfy channel has cast Felicia Day to star in a re-telling/re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood called Red. The bad news? We have to wait until 2011 to watch it.

To Be Read

2010-02-21T14:53:00.009-05:00

I usually post about the books I've already read, but I have such a back log of unread books on my shelf, I'm going to post about the books I want to read during the remainder of the year. There is no rhyme, reason or theme to these books other than they have been sitting on my shelf unread for months or even years. Books 1-6 were borrowed from friends, and as such will be the first I tackle.

Judging a book by its cover II

2010-01-24T12:29:00.006-05:00

I'm not generally a fan of merchandise tie-ins to movies or television series, but I am going to make an exception for a book published by Hyperion in 2009, Heat Wave by Richard Castle. Richard Castle is a fictional bestselling mystery writer in the eponymous ABC show Castle. The show is fantastic. Richard Castle is played by Joss Whedon alumnus Nathan Fillion of Firefly and Dr. Horrible's

In which I display my geekiness

2010-01-16T13:08:00.003-05:00

I present Figure 1, an homage to my geeky tendencies, where I plot data on the books I've read since I started keeping track four years ago. This is actually two plots, the first of which is a bar graph showing the total number of books read by year, and the second a line graph showing the percentage of those books that were written for adults.Figure 1. The books I've read.The first thing you

Books I've read: 2009

2009-12-31T21:15:00.000-05:00

Books in bold are ones I've especially liked:Anansi Boys, Neil GaimanOwl in Love, Patrice KindlLock and Key, Sarah DessenThe Two Princesses of Bamarre, Gail Carson LevineVegan Virgin Valentine, Carolyn MacklerThe Singing, Alison CroggonInferno, Robin StevensonSpecial Topics in Calamity Physics, Marisha PesslCity of Glass, Cassandra ClareThe Last Days, Scott WesterfeldGuyaholic, Carolyn

"Support your local libraries and the crazy people who work there"

2009-07-13T17:49:00.002-04:00

From the ALA conference in Chicago, we have dancing librarians!

The Omnivore's 100

2009-05-19T16:36:00.000-04:00

From the Boston Globe via Very Good Taste, a food meme.I know everyone did this forever ago, but I dropped off the face of the blog-earth, and still think this is interesting enough to post. Here are the instructions: 1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.4) Optional

Books I've read: 2008

2009-01-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

Books in bold are ones I've especially liked:The Book of Lost Things, John ConnollySomething Rotten, Jasper FfordeBastard of Istanbul, Elif ShafakAudrey, Wait!, Robin Benway (ARC)Then We Came to the End, Joshua FerrisAn Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England, Brock ClarkeHow to Be Bad, e. lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle (ARC)Bewitching Season, Marissa Doyle (ARC)The Last

From the internets!

2008-11-14T12:42:00.003-05:00

Here are two things from the internets that you must see.First, a comprehensive list of problems solved by MacGyver. And second, well, let's just let this one speak for itself:

He returns!

2008-07-12T16:25:00.001-04:00

July 15th.

Raytheon Red is soooo last year

2008-04-12T19:42:00.006-04:00

So I was manning my employer's table at a career fair during a regional meeting of the Society for Women Engineers this afternoon. As a participant in the meeting I was entitled to one of the gift tote bags that were handed out. Along with the standard crappy pen, notepad and lens cleaner, I was dismayed? amused? bemused? to find this:For those of you who are slightly confused, it's a pretty

Holy crap

2008-03-30T21:30:00.003-04:00

If this isn't enough to fill you with joy and wonder, I don't know what is:

On pictures

2008-02-29T21:54:00.000-05:00

It's been my experience that all online dating profile pictures can be lumped into just a few categories.Category: Guy with a small child.What he's trying to say: See? I like kids! I've gotten my niece/nephew/friend's cousins's child to pose with me in this picture and I must be a nice guy since he/she/it doesn't seem *that* uncomfortable standing next to me. I can be trusted with all of your

Not enough alcohol, part II

2008-02-09T19:20:00.005-05:00

Continued from here:Guy whose name I can't even rememberGuy who kept touching my handGuy with two kidsGuy who thinks science is sexyGuy who wrote me from KosovoGuy who wanted to compete to see who knew Vermont betterOld guy who swears he's only single because he was busy getting his PhDGuy who offered to help me get my butt in gearGuy who hates all Arabs (and made sure I knew within our first ten

Not enough alcohol in the world

2008-02-08T16:54:00.000-05:00

As you all may or may not know, I'm single. Shocking, I know. You'd think someone would have snatched up this bookish, geeky Chemist by now, but alas, no one has. Everyone I've talked to (and who have talked with my parents) claims that, nowadays, the best way to meet people is on one of these online dating sites. I beg to differ. Here is a partial list of guys who have been in contact with me.

Cooking a really freakin' big chicken, Day 1

2008-01-23T22:02:00.000-05:00

Step 1. Get your hands on a really freakin' big chicken. This is where I got mine, at my friendly neighborhood farm. Check this baby out. It's over 7.5 pounds!That's...that's huge, people. Don't believe me? Well, let's move on to step two.Step 2. Find a pot big enough to hold said chicken. The one I have is a 20 quart I had to borrow from my brother since my largest pot was no where near large

Dolphins are really [insert adjective here]

2008-01-23T20:30:00.000-05:00

Mine happened to be: clever, playful, talented...Oh, and do mute your speakers if you don't want to hear the violin music (it doesn't really contribute much

BAD PIE

2008-01-19T09:41:00.000-05:00

A while ago I spoke to you all about Good Pie, instructed you in how to recognize it and divulged to you the secrets to eating it properly. I hope you have taken this advice to heart.I write you today with a heavy heart for I have to discuss Bad Pie. Now you and I both know that in an ideal world there would be no Bad Pie (world peace, an end to poverty, fine, but seriously -- can you imagine a

Random internet stuff

2008-01-18T18:03:00.000-05:00

Random stuff from the internets:"Scientists for better PCR" music videoThe next board game I'm going to buyPBS is showing all of the movie versions of Jane Austen's books, and we get to vote on which leading man is our favorite! Ah, PBS, educational as always. Now who will I choose...Hot Guy from MI-5? Or Ye Olde Classic, Mr. Darcy? Decisions, decisions.Shannon Hale interviews Libba BrayIf you

Boltzmann's brain

2008-01-16T20:28:00.000-05:00

This is why I love physics so much.

Conversation with a three year old

2008-01-14T20:03:00.000-05:00

I loved this little exchange.

Resolution #1

2008-01-04T21:35:00.000-05:00

There are these two guys at work who go to the gym together every day and both had asked me multiple times this past fall to start going with them. Of course I wanted to -- it's been a good nine years since I've been in really excellent shape, but I remember what it feels like, to know that I could ask my body to exert itself for hours at a time, to jump, to spike, to dive for a ball, and it

A new genre?

2008-01-01T21:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, friends. How many books can you think of that take place in WWII-era Britain where the protag is whisked off to some sort of fantastical alternate reality while there is chaos, death and destruction back home (or at least the threat of it)? The two I have in mind right now are:But I know in my bones that there must be more examples. Please, help!

The coming year, 2008 edition

2008-01-01T09:34:00.000-05:00

Goodbye 2007, hello 2008.This is me being ready to start a new year. Don't get me wrong, 2007 wasn't all bad; there was the great, two week vacation to Bar Harbor and the Maritimes; the promotion; many reminders of how wonderful my friends are. And on the flips side, the ending of an almost five year relationship.What does 2008 have in store for me? Who knows! My life is definitely a clean slate

Books I've Read: 2007

2007-12-31T18:37:00.000-05:00

Books in bold are ones I've especially enjoyed.The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million, Daniel MendelsohnThe Talented Mr. Ripley, Patricia HighsmithDigging to America, Anne TylerFighting Ruben Wolfe, Markus ZusakLooking For Alaska, John GreenThe Rules of Survival, Nancy WerlinThe Case of the Missing Books: A Mobile Library Mystery, Ian SansomSuite Française, Irene NemirovskySorcery and Cecelia

Thanksgivnukkah Extravaganz[nukk]a[h] 2007

2007-12-16T09:18:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here in my warm apartment listening to the wintry mix pelting my windows, and I'm thinking that sometime in the next couple of hours I'm going to have to go outside and shovel just to get the snow up before the freezing rain really starts up in earnest. This is the only thing keeping me from curling up on my couch under a blanket with a nice, big mug of tea steaming next to me; I

Did somebody say snow?

2007-12-13T17:58:00.000-05:00

Yeah yeah, "I can do everything you can do better" and all that jazz. It's days like today I really miss having a man around. Why? Because snow's been falling at about the rate of THREE INCHES PER HOUR since about 1 PM this afternoon, and my arms are so, so tired.I've put in about three hours of solid shoveling so far this afternoon and evening, and I'm predicting another 2 or so necessary

God has a gold tooth

2007-12-08T11:58:00.000-05:00

And apparently this is just the first episode...I can't wait to see what they do with the other holidays!

Part trois

2007-12-03T21:56:00.001-05:00

My next two gift ideas for your beloved bibliophile are ones that I can neither condemn nor condone. They need to be labeled:WARNING: Some books were harmed during the making of this giftIf that's something you can stomach, look no farther than here and here. If you cannot, please, for the love of god, avert your eyes.

The holiday season is upon us, part deux

2007-11-29T23:21:00.000-05:00

Second in my series of holiday gifts for that special bibliophile in your life.

The holiday season is upon us

2007-11-26T11:44:00.000-05:00

Here's "the perfect gift" for the bibliophile who has everything:And since the label is pretty much illegible in this picture, it's a perfume called "In the Library" and is described on its website as "English novel taken from a Signed First Edition of one of my very favorite novels, Russion & Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth and a hint of wood polish."

The aftermath

2007-11-24T17:45:00.000-05:00

In the end, the journey to Buffalo was easier than I had thought. Too easy. There was no rush hour traffic going to the airport, we had no trouble finding parking, and we sailed through security. It was eerie, to say the least. See? This is what happens when you obsess about how painful something will be: it isn't painful. Gotta love it.My trip to Buffalo also served as a last-ditch effort to get

By the numbers

2007-11-20T19:11:00.000-05:00

Number of projects I'm on at work: 5Number of scheduled hours of work this week: 24Number of hours I need at work this week: 80Cost of machine parts I ruined over the past two days: $500 (and counting)Number of times I fantasized about tearing said machine apart over the course of the day: TMTC (too many to count)Projected number of travelers at my airport tomorrow: ~100,000Projected number of

Judging a book by its cover

2007-11-15T18:47:00.000-05:00

Have you guys seen the new Penguin Classics covers? They're absolutely *gorgeous*, and I want to snatch up every last one of them (you can read more about the new "graphic classics" covers here). Here are just a couple of examples:I'm thrilled that Penguin is putting so much energy into designing these new book covers. In fact, I was just as thrilled when Knopf put put a new edition of Philip

People think I'm crazy

2007-11-09T20:46:00.002-05:00

People who know me well know that I have certain completely irrational and random fears: swimming in deep water when I don't know what's under me; throwing up; grating my skin with a cheese grater; being in a plane crash; insects; insects feasting on my flesh; me being inside my house when it explodes from a massive gas leak; somehow cutting my eyeballs...I'll stop here to keep from further

New camera edition

2007-11-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

How I love you, November, with your cool, crisp days and your extra hour of sleep! To celebrate, I headed out this morning to get myself a special breakfast treat at my favorite local bakery, Bread and Chocolate:Now doesn't that look delicious? Especially since it was taken on my new camera, to be referred to hereafter as The Best Birthday Present Ever. I've been having a great time getting

But can I wait a year?!

2007-11-01T11:50:00.000-04:00

This is possibly the best TV news I've heard in ages! I may implode from all of the excitement! Must! Use! More! Exclamation! Points!

I'm back, baby!

2007-10-31T17:30:00.000-04:00

I think it's safe to say that the Great Reading Funk of 2007 is officially over. I'm back, baby! It's about time, too, because this great big stack of books in front of me isn't going to read itself. If truth be told, my average has slipped from 0.47 to 0.43 books/day (due entirely to The Funk). What is the world coming to?Am I particularly excited by any of the eight books I've read since The

Fresh from the "Hallelujah" department

2007-10-05T17:21:00.000-04:00

Shannon Hale has been posting a three-part interview she did with Megan Whalen Turner over at her blog. Part three was posted today, including two extremely exciting pieces of news: MWT is working on a fourth book in her Thief/Queen/King series! Yipee!!SH is also writing a fourth Bayern book! Yipee again!Granted, as neither of these books is apparently even close to being done, it'll be a while

Dancing bird

2007-10-05T17:08:00.000-04:00

No, really, this bird dances! I'm not saying he has the best taste in music, but he's certainly a better dancer than I am.

Not-so-terrible twos

2007-10-04T20:05:00.001-04:00

I went on the most fabulous dinner date tonight with The Tot (and his Mom, T, and about a gazillion of his wee classmates and their parents. It was total chaos!). I'm in love. For the first time in our two-and-a-half years together he kept reaching up for me to hold him (happy to oblige!). But don't worry, he's too rambunctious to stay in those arms for long! We also had a great time running and

2007-10-03T21:07:00.000-04:00

Oh, my Pushing Daisies. It's so wonderful, so fantastical, so sweet. It's even better than I had been led to believe! I love the bright color palette, I love the dialog and I love the rhythm (and people, the main character owns and bakes for "The Pie Hole." Pie! PIE!). Lee Pace and Anna Friel are breath-taking, and I can't wait until next week!

2007-10-02T19:51:00.000-04:00

For those of you who care about these sorts of thing (I know only one of you who would from my regular readership, but please, let me know if I'm wrong!), go here to nominate your favorite 2007 Children's and YA books for a Cybils Award.

2007-10-01T18:53:00.000-04:00

I'm still in my reading funk. I'm averaging one book a week. Maybe. I think it's that, while I've liked most of what I've read recently, none of it has really sparked a Reading Frenzy. Even Shannon Hale's Book of a Thousand Days, which I loved (and just knew I would love), didn't do this because I had cheated and picked it up before I had finished Three Bags Full, and I knew what I would be going

2007-09-22T15:07:00.000-04:00

Something very strange happened on Friday morning as I was getting ready for work. I heard my upstairs neighbor creeping down her stairs to the front door carrying a recycling bin. She then proceeded to replace the recycling bin on the curb (that had recently been emptied by the trash people) with the one in her hand, and creep back up to the second floor. Seriously. I watched the entire thing

Check under the cushions

2007-09-19T17:39:00.000-04:00

You may not have noticed, but I have gone missing. Well, I was missing. I'm back now. Maybe. You see, I've been doing my best couch potato impersonation. Rather, I've been thoroughly documenting the most comfortable spots and positions on my new sofa. OK, I've gotten sucked into TV land. It's just that I needed to get caught up on Heroes before season 2 starts. And while I was waiting for Heroes

The Bibliophile needs...

2007-09-06T17:50:00.001-04:00

Taking a page from my friend J's livejournal, I googled "[The Bibliophile] needs" and came up with these helpful suggestions:[The Bibliophile] needs to have blush that is very bright and colorful[The Bibliophile] needs Some Good Thoughts[The Bibliophile] needs to refer to Web sites, manuals, and a variety of documentation[The Bibliophile] needs more caffeine[The Bibliophile] needs help when she

Books and ephemera

2007-09-05T16:12:00.000-04:00

Everyone should have a favorite used book store. Mine is Nancy L. Dole's Books and Ephemera in Shelburne Falls, MA. I've found the following gems there thus far:The Lady's Book of Flowers and Poetry (1842)The Earth: Its Physical Condition and Most Remarkable Phenomena (1854)A Popular Zoology (1887)Alden's Handy Atlas of the World (1888)They all contain stunning illustrations, some carefully

My latest literary kick

2007-09-03T14:03:00.000-04:00

I've been on a sort of mythology/folklore kick lately. I'm currently inhaling English Fairy Tales, The Norse Myths and Russian Fairy Tales. I think what got me on this was reading The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan (or this or this), but really, I've always loved reading fairy tales, folklore, mythology and re-tellings of all of these. When I was a much smaller Bibliophile, I would consume

Oh, joy!

2007-08-31T13:43:00.000-04:00

I wasn't planning on watching the new show Big Shots this fall, but then I saw that Michael Vartan has a lead role! Who could pass up a chance to watch him every week? Not me. Oh, sweet Alias, why did you have to go away?

Pity Party: Check

2007-08-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

It's very nearly too hot to blog again. I'm practicing the ancient Yoga tradition of stilling one's entire body save the typing fingers.Pity parties = wild amounts of fun. I'm thinking of making this an annual or semiannual event. So cleansing! Getting all that anger and frustration off of one's chest, defacing inflatable men, burning things, torturing the Homer Simpson voodoo doll...Give the

Internet roundup

2007-08-23T21:41:00.000-04:00

Just a few neat-o articles/websites to tickle your fancy on this Thursday night:Great/poignant comic/social commentaryExtra emptiness in spaceDiamonds nearly as old as the earthMore new creatures discovered in the oceanAnd I have a new blogging idea. It has recently come to my attention that I take the stories a friend of mine tells me of her life and consistently embellish them wildly in my mind

Pity Party check list

2007-08-22T19:55:00.001-04:00

Black balloons? CHECK!Black streamers? CHECK!Dried out gummy heart? CHECK!Little Homer Simpson voodoo doll? CHECK!Pins for said voodoo doll? CHECK!Play Doh? CHECK!Massive amounts of chocolate desserts? CHECK!Booze? CHECK!Nifty door prize? CHECK!We are all systems go, people! Two days until the Wall of Woe is covered in angry graffiti and we can lose ourselves in mood enhancing chocolate and

First (and last?) peach pie of the season

2007-08-19T14:34:00.000-04:00

This is the glory that awaits me after dinner tonight. Behold, the before:Notice how lovingly the lattice crust has been woven together, full of tasty potential! And the after picture:I can't wait! And now you know how it will be eaten.

Burned

2007-08-17T20:28:00.001-04:00

Reasons to love the new USA show Burn Notice:It's MacGyver sans the ookie mullet.The main character's an ex-spy. I love TV shows about spies. And movies about spies. And books about spies.You get to see Miami without having to experience the pesky weather (*shudder*).Jeffrey Donovan's cute little grins really grow on you.Reminders of Gabrielle Anwar's prior career ("Sonora, you have to face

I need a hobby

2007-08-15T19:10:00.000-04:00

It make shock you to learn that I have a great deal of time on my hands. This will shock you because, as J so kindly pointed out to me today, I've been pretty bad about posting lately. I blame the llamas.For those of you "out of the know," llamas are those pesky little dramas that creep up on you from time to time. Or more frequently, depending on how "lucky" you are. I am currently very "lucky."

Cookbooks

2007-08-12T11:36:00.001-04:00

Just a quick post on two cookbooks that focus on making sound, ethical choices when you're standing in line to buy meat and fish wherever it is you buy them:One Fish, Two Fish, Crawfish, Bluefish: The Smithsonian Sustainable Seafood CookbookThe River Cottage Meat BookHappy eating!

The Sweet Far Thing outtakes!

2007-08-11T21:22:00.000-04:00

Check out Libba Bray's most recent livejournal entry with outtakes from her upcoming book! It should be in stores this December. I! Can't! Wait!

TTTB (too tired to blog)

2007-08-09T18:38:00.000-04:00

Had another insanely early morning at work today, so I think I'll just leave you guys with some interesting news items:I blogged a little while ago about a new "species" of chimp that was found deep in the forests of the Congo. Well, it seems the scientists have had a chance to do a little more exploring (I'm only guessing it's in the same area), and look at all the exciting things they've found!

Food for thought

2007-08-06T18:34:00.000-04:00

The New York Times has an eye-opening Op-Ed today about "food miles," or the distance a piece of food travels to reach your plate, be it beef, avocados or zucchini. With eating locally becoming all the rage for environmentally conscious folk, it's important to keep in mind that the energy cost of a given food is more than the sum of it's plane rides; one must consider the energy that goes into

100 books!

2007-08-04T08:41:00.000-04:00

I knew the milestone was creeping up on me, I just didn't realize that, as I stayed up to finish the mediocre Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure by P. B. Kerr, it was the hundredth book I've read since January 1 of this year. Holy guacamole! If I had realized maybe I would have read Soon I Will Be Invincible, American Born Chinese, Mr. Muo's Travelling Couch, or The Lightening Thief

From the mouths of fortune cookies

2007-08-02T22:16:00.001-04:00

"When the moment comes, take the first one from the right."

"I am the poodle," she said.

2007-08-01T21:09:00.000-04:00

Some writers are gifted in their ability to create the most delightful fluff. It's light, it's easy, it slips down past your brain without requiring any thought. It's funny. Tonight, Maureen Johnson has proven to me that she does brain candy like no one else. If a meteor crashed through my roof and destroyed all my worldly possessions, I might find myself walking to the library to re-read her

In a name

2007-07-30T19:10:00.000-04:00

Many of you already know where I got the name for my blog, but for the rest of you...This past winter I finally took E's suggestion and read Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. This book is one of a small number of (non-fiction) books to change the way I think about the world. Pollan traces the food we eat back to the industrial farms it comes from and opens our eyes to what it is we're

Um??

2007-07-30T18:05:00.000-04:00

I don't think the quiz worked so well this time...Your Superpower Should Be Manipulating ElectricityYou're highly reactive, energetic, and super charged.If the occasion calls for it, you can go from 0 to 60 in a split second.But you don't harness your energy unless you truly need to.And because of this, people are often surprised by what you are capable of.Why you would be a good superhero: You

Post Harry Potter

2007-07-29T12:31:00.000-04:00

For those of you who, unlike me, wanted to know more about what happens in Harry Potter land post Book 7 and its epilogue, look no further than this interview on MSNBC.

How to eat pie

2007-07-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

You all may *think* you know how to eat pie. "Bibliophile," you'll say, "there's really nothing to it. You just take one bite, and then another, and then another, until there's nothing left on your plate!" "Ha!" I'll say. "This show's you really know nothing about how to eat pie."No worries, I'm here to educate you.Step 1: Get your hands on some really good pie. This is not as easy as you may

Mug shot

2007-07-29T08:51:00.000-04:00

I had been searching for this mug EVERYWHERE after C showed me her's almost a year ago. Behold, my latest prize:I swear, coffee tastes better when it's drunk out of this mug.

Things to be happy about

2007-07-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

1. The radio station in my home town with its "All A Cappella" programming on Saturday afternoons: "Rockapella, Five O' Clock Shadow, m-pact, Ball in the House, and college groups from all over the country."2. Violent summer rainstorms. Specifically, being outside in them.3. Buying chickens direct from the farmer who raises them (more on that tomorrow).4. Cherry pie.5. The thought that I'll be

Book pet peeves

2007-07-25T12:09:00.000-04:00

As of late, I've had "opportunities" to think about some of my pet peeves as they relate to the books that I'm reading. Specifically, what makes me want to chuck a book across the room. So far I have two items on this list:1. Books that seem to have more advertising in them than a big glossy magazine2. Extraneous information, extraneous epilogues and leaving nothing to the imagination.What really

Deathly Hallows

2007-07-22T09:32:00.000-04:00

Time line of my yesterday afternoon1:30 PM: Deathly Hallows arrives on my doorstep2:15 PM: I begin Deathly Hallows11:24 PM: I finish Deathly HallowsWhile I'm not actually going to be discussing the plot of the book at all, as I'm sure there are at least a few of you that haven't begun or finished the book yet, I am listing things I really enjoyed about the book, so if you are worried that this

Bookus inhalerensii

2007-07-18T19:15:00.000-04:00

I've been accumulating interesting things to tell you guys about, but haven't had the time, so you're all just going to get them in one unorganized heap.1) Apparently my hero, David Attenborough, has an animal named after him (Zaglossus attenboroughi)! How neat is that? This creature is one of the four species of echidna that are still extant (though the one pictured at right is NOT the species

Vacation detritus

2007-07-16T18:02:00.000-04:00

I just picked up my mail from the post office and there were LITERALLY 20 lbs of it. Good thing I'm a super-fast Mail Sorter Througher (see how many exciting new things you all are learning about me?), and I dispatched with it all in about 2 minutes.On a related note, I get a shocking amount of junk mail.This is exciting, though: for the first time ever I've received a Chefwear catalog. Who the

Quick author news

2007-07-15T11:32:00.001-04:00

Scott Westerfeld has posted the first chapter of his upcoming book, Extras, here. For those of you who liked his Uglies trilogy, this book is getting my attention. I think it'll be a nice glimpse of the Uglies world post-Specials.Also, Libba Bray wrote a hilarious piece on her live journal recently about *her* upcoming book, The Sweet Far Thing. Sounds to me like she's still having trouble

Days till next vacation: too many to count

2007-07-15T02:40:00.000-04:00

Days on vacation: 15Pictures taken: 1,444Miles driven: 1,840Books read: 5Approximate number of different types of animals seen (that can be readily identified -- I'm not so good with birds): 35*FAQ1. So, are you tired of eating seafood yet? No, no I'm not. In fact, I feel like I'm going through seafood withdrawal. Must! Eat! More! Seafood! Now!2. Can you look back ont your pre-trip anxieties

Baby Animals from Around the World

2007-07-09T19:09:00.000-04:00

I just came across this gallery of baby animals from around the world, and I know that if The Bibliophile were here she'd be crooning over it. Another thing I know is that she would be swooning over the weirdos, like this squirrel/rat/bunny looking thing, desperately trying to convince me that they are cute. The reality is that I am set on tiger cubs as the cutest baby animals alive. Even though

Turkish street food

2007-07-07T08:29:00.000-04:00

One of Mr. Food's favorite newly found authors, Orhan Pamuk, wrote a piece in the New Yorker this week (July 9 & 16) on page 48. "Forbidden Fare: When Street Food Came to Istanbul" is a nice personal history piece on the author's illicit street food forays as a boy in Istanbul. Check it out before it leaves the shelves! Or, go to your local library... (not that The Bibliophile would condone

As if we needed more ideas

2007-07-06T12:55:00.000-04:00

The Bibliophile has this adorable little reader's journal where she keeps a list of everything she wants to read. It's amazing how long her list is, and she is constantly crossing things off.As if everyone's "to read" list wasn't long enough, people have sent me these two links in the past week, so I thought I'd post them here:The Amelia Bloomer Project: children's and YA lit with strong female

Foodie lit

2007-07-03T17:27:00.000-04:00

First off, I have to stop reading this book. Kafka's Soup is a riot -- recipes written in the style of, say, Jane Austen (Tarragon Eggs) or Marcel Proust (Tiramisu) -- but I got two books out of the library on my way home today and they're both due back in a week! Unlike the Bibliophile-an-obsessive-book-reader-with-lots-of-time-on-her-hands I don't have time to while away reading books all the

While the cat's away....

2007-07-01T10:54:00.000-04:00

the mice will.....post a lot on her blog? Apparently E and I are really into this! Since I'm a librarian, people are constantly assuming I read a lot. I do. At and for work.But when it comes to reading actual books, I fail people's expectations. I have a disorder I like to call Book Narcolepsy. The second I break out a book, I get cozy and want to sleep. I rarely read more than 3 pages

Do we keep cats....

2007-06-30T10:04:00.000-04:00

... or do cats keep us? A recent article, linked here, suggests that it was not us who domesticated the cat so many years ago, but the cat who domesticated itself! I can't say I'm surprised-- I mean, ours did teach themselves the litter box, the scratching post (our couch), the water dish, the grooming, and the all-important know-when-to-wake-us-up-for-breakfast tasks. All we really do for them

Now that the Bibliophile is gone...

2007-06-29T18:31:00.001-04:00

... I finally get my say! She didn't leave me with many instructions except this: "blog about whatever you want (just keep it clean for the kiddies ;) )" So, here I am! Unfortunately I may have not been trained well enough as I can't seem to add a link RIGHT HERE. Sorry, I'm used to using Wordpress... I'll have to do some research on this Blogger thing.Anyway, in keeping with the book theme,

T minus 15 hours

2007-06-29T17:00:00.000-04:00

Ahhh.That's the sound of me slowly starting to unwind. Up until about an hour ago I was not so relaxed. But I got home from work, looked over my set of lists (yes, that's right, I have about five), and realized that Book and I are actually closer to being ready to go than I realized. I guess he was right! B has taken to sending me adorable pictures of baby animals every time I send her an email

Four qui -- zzzzzzz

2007-06-27T22:30:00.000-04:00

Shockingly enough, it was actually still a bit dark this morning when I woke up. At 445 AM. And it was already close to 80 degrees with 75% humidity by 630 AM. As you can imagine, testing was not a hoot.However, there is some good:1. If for some strange reason we had to leave for Maine tomorrow morning, I would be ready. Yes, I am massively over packed at the moment, but I'm packed nonetheless.2.

I have to be up in 10 hours

2007-06-26T18:46:00.000-04:00

This is the type of week that my brain can really only handle YA books. Case in point: I need to be at work tomorrow at 5:30 AM. I am not a morning person; most days I struggle to wake up before 8 AM. Suffice it to say, we are not pleased.But I am reading a wonderful book right now, Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, by Jordan Sonnenblick. Hopefully I'll have time to write more about it before I

It's a "good" kind of stress

2007-06-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

I've been stressing about our vacation. You see, next Saturday we're going away for two weeks! We're entirely unorganized about it at this point, though, and have to do some major shopping. Food shopping, supplies shopping...I haven't come even remotely close to completing the list of things we need, let along the list of things we need to bring! And did I mention that we were leaving on Saturday

Weekend book reviews

2007-06-23T12:15:00.000-04:00

I've finished three books since Friday night: The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde, Austenland by Shannon Hale and Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You by Dorian Cirrone.TWoLP was by far the most disappointing of the Thursday Next series thus far, and certainly realized my prediction that my patience for Fforde's books was nearing its end. The premise: Thursday next goes to the Well of Lost

A Note on My Aversion...from B

2007-06-21T11:12:00.001-04:00

This is B (aka Squirrel Hater). Rachel thought that since people seemed interested in this discussion, I should be a guest blogger. It is odd that people are intrigued by my aversion. It is odder to me that people don't immediately understand. How am I the only person here that detests these little spawns with their beady eyes and twitchy tail?Truth be told, I am not an animal lover. That

More on squirrels

2007-06-20T20:26:00.001-04:00

As there appears to be a fair amount of interest on the topic (at least by the standards of my blog -- comment more, people!), I'll discuss B's Squirrel Aversion in a little more depth. The aversion is, I believe, to rodents of all sorts, especially wet and bedraggled ones. So yes, the capybara is abhorred by B because of its unusual size (stay out of the fire swamp!) and also because it's

Fun with food

2007-06-19T21:14:00.000-04:00

As expensive as Williams-Sonoma is, I have to say they sell the absolute coolest stuff. Where else could you buy a cake pan that does this:This is way cooler than their train or snowman cake pans. Fun!!Another cute item that they (apparently) sell is this cheese pantry.What do we think, people, useful or useless? I'm leaning towards the latter due to its status in the 50% off bin alone, but it

Good news?

2007-06-19T21:08:00.000-04:00

Apparently I don't have Asperger's, at least not according to this online quiz. In fact, I'm decidedly un-autistic, which is probably not shocking to anyone who knows me. I'm wondering what the point of this quiz really is. I think the most interesting thing about it is that the psychologist who developed this "Autism-Spectrum Quotient" is the cousin of this guy. Behold, my results below:

B says: "Preserving the Devil? Is this necessary?"

2007-06-18T22:38:00.000-04:00

My friend B has a thing about squirrels. She HATES them. No, hate is not a strong enough word. She calls them Devil's Spawn. If I were a better friend I would have accepted this knowledge and let it go. But...I'm not that kind. I think it's hilarious, and so I do things like give her a squirrel card every year on her birthday. I'll randomly send her pictures of squirrels gleaned from The

My prize

2007-06-18T21:16:00.000-04:00

I made my first-ever ebay purchase two weeks ago. Check it out:Thrilling, is it not? An early history of Smith College written by the school's first president! It has old pictures of the campus, original floor plans of the oldest buildings, and I think possibly an essay by some of the first students about campus life. I can't wait to read through this!Now I've become inspired to own other

Trip to the middle of the country

2007-06-17T10:07:00.000-04:00

We got back Wednesday night from our trip to the Chain Restaurant and Shopping Capital of the World, aka Book's home town. We usually spend the time with his family eating, playing games and watching movies, but this time was different. His Mom had a Plan of Action, and we were out doing things every day. Despite the incapacitating heat (nb: I happen to know a lot of people who love 90+ degree

Tater Tot

2007-06-16T21:26:00.000-04:00

I just spent the absolute most enjoyable evening with my favorite two year old, shown here on the left (well, two and a half, but who's counting?). He has such a great, fun-loving personality! And never has anyone thought I was such a riot. We spent a good two hours jumping off couches, being thrown onto couches, being tossed onto a pile of pillows, and all sorts of other activities most kids

I'm baaack

2007-06-14T22:21:00.000-04:00

This is going to be a very short post as it is already late and close to my bed time. But I wanted to say that the trip was Great Fun and Action Packed, and that I have LOTS of pictures to post for you guys. In the mean time, check out this article that was in the paper today.

The animals await no picture-taking freak

2007-06-09T10:19:00.000-04:00

I won't be posting until the end of next week, as tomorrow morning, bright and early (or as the case may be, not-so-bright because it'll be just *that* early), we're going out to the Midwest to visit Book's family. But never fear, I should be returning with loads of (read: several hundred) pictures like these to share with you all:Well, hopefully some of the ones I bring back this time will be a

Waiting

2007-06-07T19:42:00.000-04:00

Once I get into an author, it's all I can do to wait for another one of their books to come out. Once upon a time C recommended that I read Shannon Hale's, The Goose Girl, and I became hooked. I read all of Shannon's books and was ready for more! She has a new one out now, though, called Austenland, and I just can't get excited about it despite my love for all things Jane Austen. Sure, I put

Kittens!!

2007-06-07T18:24:00.000-04:00

My friend's cousin posted this video of her husband and their very hungry kitties:I implode from the cute! For more adorable kitten pictures, including a very floofy kitty munching on a ruler, go here (scroll down for the ruler ones).