The Snotty Girls Book Club

Making a Change

2007-09-19T19:29:00.001-05:00

Hey! What are you doing here? I moved!

Follow, stalk, and just plain find me here: dichotomousgirl.blogspot.com

The Bitch is Back

2007-06-01T16:57:00.000-05:00

Hahaha. That title really never gets old does it? It is very apropos to yours truly as well as a little shout-out to the late, great Veronica Mars.

You may be wondering where I have been for oh, say, the last year and half. In fact, I am actually picturing you saying it, but in my mind their is tsking and it goes something like, "Where have you been, young lady?!?" Frankly, I can't believe you are even asking that. If you have read any of my old posts, you know I am a HUGE slacker and am constantly trying to "make up" for my lack of posts. WELL, NO MORE! I am going to come back and start posting again, but I am not going to make any commitment to you or myself about when or how often. I have enough crap in my life that I HAVE to do. I want this to stay something I WANT to do. Besides, with so many people using RSS Readers and Bloglines and the like now, you don't have to keep checking back to find new posts. Just throw me into your reader (but be careful, I bruise easily,) and then you will see all the snarky goodness as soon as it goes live!

I should mention that I was inspired to come back when I wanted to post a comment to an entry on Pop Culture Librarian's Blog. I decided to post the comment using my Blooger account instead of going anonymous and I found I couldn't remember it! Circuitously, I found my way back to the SGBC and here I am pouring my heart out.

Admit it, you're secretly glad.

I stink.

2005-11-20T19:57:00.000-06:00

Metaphorically, of course. In actuality I am rocking the Lemon Sugar perfume by Fresh. Anyhoo. My point is that I have not psoted in a while. I have no excuse and still have a problem being judgemental with people who post even more often than I do and yet still don't pot as much as I would like. My name is Ashley and I am a hypocrite.

Just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't been reading. In fact, it has been quite the fecund fall in the old biblio department. I started reading Confederacy of Dunces, but I have once again put it down because I could not get into it. Plus, I was most distracted by the many charms of trashy reading. Bleach-Haired Honky Bitch turned out to be only so-so. I like many parts of the book, but her need to add a moral to the end of every essay was a downer.

I also read the lovely Pamie Ribon's Why Girls Are Weird. It was pretty hysterical and I loved how she incorporated real stories and some autobiographical stuff into the fictional story. Then I moved onto Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. I thought it was fascinating and that is all I am going to say about that. Yesterday I started and finished Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini. It is a young adult novel, but I found it pretty heavy for a lot of teenagers. Entertaining, though and a quick read. Once that was finished, I started Sarah Vowell's The Partly Cloudy Patriot. So far, it is very entertaining, but I will post more when I finish it...

As promised.

2005-10-24T16:37:00.000-05:00

A new update. I have been reading even if I haven't been posting. Busy, busy, busy. Life beats out blogging every time.

What to report? I started the month with Wolves in Chic Clothing. I am not even going to link to it. It is that dumb. I got it from a friend who gave me a bunch of books before her move to Canada. (Hi Christie! We miss you!) I really read it because Sarah saw that I was planning on reading We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch and she said she owned the book and wanted to read it too. Unfortunately, she had another book to finish before she could start on that one so I decided to wait on her. Trashy books are a good stop-gap measure.

After the trashy book that shall no longer be named, I did read We Wish to Inform You and I really thought it was amazing. The best part of the book is the fact that it goes into the history of the strife between the Hutus and the Tutsis long before the massacre ever occurred. The other thing I found fascinating about the book was the fact that most of the Hutus did what they did not because they had personal animosity towards the Tutsis but rather because they were trying to be "good citizens". When their government told them to kill to protect the state, that's what they did. Many of them now speak of their regrets and say they love their Tutsi neighbors, but that is the word the current government is preaching. The point is that at their core, many of the people of Rwanda are very susceptible to the whims of their leaders and the biggest problem with that is that the whole genocide could happen again should the tide of power turn in Rwanda.

One note about this book that I think is important. I found it to be extremely easy to read. It reads like a long article and is not particularly gruesome. The author writes as a journalist, but still manages to include enough personal stories and anecdotes to push you forward through the denser parts. Do not be dissuaded by the intense subject matter. I consider this a must-read.

I just finished Bee Season by Myla Goldberg. I have heard a lot of things about this book and wanted to read it myself. No one has really recommended it outright, but I was interested in the subject matter. Too bad I didn't like it. Obviously, I can handle a certain level of melancholy based on my previous reading material, but this book was too bleak. Everything falls apart and none of the characters is particularly relatable or likeable. I am not sorry I read it because it is well-written, but I won't be recommending it.

Finally, I am in the midst of listening to Simon Winchester's Krakatoa on tape. It is also fascinating. I am listening to the unabridged version which clocks in at 12 hours. I was about 4 hours into it before we hit any actual eruptions, but the history of the area and the fact that earlier eruptions of the volcano may have been a factor in such diverse historical events as the fall of the Mayan Empire, the fall of Rome, and the Plague make the time well-spent. However, I would not have been averse to an abridged version. I have a couple of hours to go, but Simon Winchester always makes an interesting read even if his books always seem to go about 75 pages longer than they should.

Next up: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (timely, no?), and Bleachy-Haired Honky Bitch by Hollis Gillespie not necessarily in that order.

More to come.

Briefly.

2005-10-18T10:27:00.000-05:00

A couple things before I do a longer post later about the books I have been reading. First, Time magazine has posted their list of the top 100 novels from 1923 to present. I am debating annotating the list with the ones I have read. There is debate because I fear I may embarass myself with the paucity of "fine novels" in my reading repertoire. I did notice that Infinite Jest made the list as did the Moviegoer. Mitch will be happy (even though those are two I have not read.)

Also, happy, happy anniversary to Tim and Sarah! They make the cutest boyfriend and girlfriend ever.

UPDATE: I finally did a count of the top 100 novels above and realized I have read 22 of them. That is at least as many as most of the heavy-duty readers I know have read so now I don't feel so guilty. Yay English Literature degree! There are still plenty of others on the list that I am going to try and explore.

Time Delay

2005-09-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a while since I last posted. As I mentioned oh so many weeks ago, I have been on the road a lot. I did finish I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and I loved it. You can read the synopsis yourself on Amazon, but I would like to add that I found it to be very Jane Austen-esque so if you have enjoyed her books in the past you will like this too.

I have also moved on to (and am almost done with,) Breakfast with Tiffany: An Uncle's Memoir by Edwin John Wintle. It is a memoir about a gay man living in New York who brings his troubled niece to live with him. It is mostly just light and fluffy, but there was a lot I could relate to because of my own family experiences. A vote it an easy plane read.

Hmm. Maybe I should start a ratings system based on airplane reading appropriateness. I like all kinds of books, but the best airplane reads are usually not too heavy and can easily be read in short snippets as you are often interrupted. Bring on the plane-ys (or something.)

I am a little concerned that my ratings seem a little skewed. I tend to like most of the things that I read. I suppose that is because I rate things on a sliding scale. I hope that I provide enough information about why I liked something to make it clear why I liked it so my millions and millions of rabid fans can make informed decisions. (Haha.) Post in the comments if you have read any of the books I have and what you thought of my reviews (or don't. See if I care.)

The next book on my list is We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch. The title intrigues me and I have Hotel Rwanda next in my Netflix queue so I think they will make nice companions.

Finally, I would like to heartily recommend Oprah's new book club selection. I know how many of you may feel about following Oprah's advice, but I read this book when it was first released and really enjoyed it. It stays with me still.

Good Read

2005-09-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

I finally finished Freddy and Fredericka. It was phenomenal and will definitely make it on my best of 2005 list. I gather from some reviews that I have read online that the book is a bit of a departure from Mark Helprin's other books in it's humor and thus was a disappointment for some. I have never read anything else by Helprin so I have nothing to compare this to, but I really enjoyed it. I found it very funny in both absurd and literate ways. I have about 20 people I want to recommend it to.

I am usually very careful about what I recommend. When I turn a friend or a family member on to a book it is not just one I have liked, but one I think they will enjoy as well. My friend Mitch can attest to that. I read (and like) all kinds of things he wouldn't wipe his feet on, but to my knowledge, he has liked everything I have recommended to him. He can feel free to pipe up if I am wrong...

Now, on to I Capture the Castle. I will be traveling like crazy for the next couple of weeks so I plan to work in a few more as well. Haven't decided what they will be yet, but I will post soon.

Finally, a big welcome back to Sarah and Tim. They just returned from their big trip to Ireland and have posted all their pictures online. I haven't talked to them yet and probably won't look at the pictures until I am on a faster connection (boo dial-up! boo!), but I am glad to have them back.

P.S. Remember those we lost and those we can still help.

Alone Again, Naturally

2005-08-29T21:01:00.000-05:00

On the road for yet another business trip. This gives me a lot of time to read, especially if I get stuck out an extra night because of the hateful hurricane. I shouldn't whine, at least I know my home is in good shape. I also have melancholia because Sarah has gone out of town on her big Irish vacation and I didn't get a chance to send her birthday present before then or even call her. Now I won't be able to talk to her for two whole weeks and it always seems that as soon as you know you can't talk to someone, that is the person you keep thinking you want to talk to. I have another like that too. It is very frustrating and makes me feel sorry for myself. It also makes my still slightly fat lower lip that much more apropos.

On the plus side, I have a pretty fair idea of how collagen injections would look on me. JUST PLAIN HOT!

Finishing A Girl Named Zippy (hysterical!) and moving on to Freddy and Fredericka and I Capture the Castle.

Just reading trash.

2005-08-24T09:44:00.000-05:00

I just finished Ya-Yas In Bloom by Rebecca Wells. It was pretty fluffy and didn't really have a narrative thread beyond what we had learned in the previous books. Most of the chapters were self-contained stories about funny stories in the Ya-Yas' history. It was pretty good plane reading.

I am continuing to travel quite a lot so I have decided to keep in the same vein with the easy plane reading. Right now I am alternating between A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel and American Girls About Town which is a collection of short stories by popular female authors. Both of them also have self-contained chapters that lend themselves to reading in snippets.

I have also been devoting myself to the new giant fall issues of Vogue and InStyle. These along with my sick, sick, sick commitment to both Entertainment Weekly and Us Weekly give me plenty of to spend time with during my numerous plane rides and hours spent in airports.

98 for readability. It has a nice beat and I can dance to it.

2005-08-19T21:11:00.000-05:00

I read two books this week. The first was Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner. Yes, it is a chick-lit book, but I justify it by telling myself it is better than many of the rest. I have liked all of her books and was actually eagerly anticipating reading this one. It was a fast, easy, and satisfying read. I won't talk to much about it except to say that it is about a group of women who meet in a maternity yoga class and what happens to them over the course of a year.

If you haven't read Jennifer Weiner, I recommend you start with In Her Shoes. It is about the troubled relationship between two very different sisters. It has been made into a movie that is being released in the fall. It is being directed by Curtis Hanson and I think the casting is spot on. I am excited!

I also read Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. I know what you are thinking...yes, it is random. It actually was purchased for me in response to some changes that are being made at work. One of the managers felt it would be helpful to a lot of us. I have to say that I felt it was a little cliched, but I appreciated the gesture so I made the effort to read it. The book itself is deceptively simple. It is really a children's fable and the lessons within are thing that I think most of us know intellectually. However, the simplicity of the story really helped it to stick with me. I have been thinking a lot about it since I read it and have been amazed at the number of times the acknowledgement of moldy cheese can come up in a regular week.

Hmm...that last line is a little bizarre, but I guess you will have to read the book if you want to know more. You can borrow my copy.

One Book Down...

2005-08-14T18:30:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the book I have been reading, Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship by Jon Meacham. It took me quite a while to get through, but that should not be taken as an indictment. It was just a little denser than the books I have been reading lately and it took me a little while to get into the groove of it. The book basically focuses on the relationship between the two men during World War II. It does give some good background on both men, but the main story is the two of them together. It is quite a fascinating look at two of our most famous historical characters at one of the most tumultuaous times in history. I will say that World War II history has always been of interest to me, but I have not done much reading on the subject. This book really personalizes the central figures.

Coincidentally, I also recorded a documentary about another central figure of World War II and watched it about halfway through the reading of this book. The documentary, Blind Spot-Hitler's Secretary is simply a series of interviews with Traudl Junge. She went to work for Hitler in her late teens after she was forced to leave home due to family problems. She very frankly described her time with him as well as her struggle to come to terms with her part in the Holocaust. The gist of her story is that she lived and worked in barracks and Hitler's bunker. He was very kind and professional with her at a time when she felt she needed protecting. They did not have a personal relationship in any way, but you sense that she respected him a great deal at the time.

She describes how they did not leave Hitler's compound and that she and the other secretaries' only duty was to take dictation. Even then, they did not ever handle any military-related documents. They only handled personal correspondence and speeches. In this way, they had very little understanding of what was really happening in the world. They were forced to rely only on Hitler's views of the world and his predictions for the future.

She was there when Hitler ended his life and the war ended. And it was then that many truths she had been ignorant of came to light. She spent the rest of her life (she died right before the release of the documentary at age 81,) trying to assuage her guilt about being part of the regime and it is clear that she has spent a lot of time going over her memories to try to make sense of what happened to all of those involved.

Random shocking entry designed to evoke sympathy...

2005-08-09T14:54:00.000-05:00

Thought you all would appreciate my tale of woe. I am on a business trip in NYC. Last night, when I came back to my hotel I took a nasty spill on some wet marble. Blah, blah, blah. Bruised, but not beaten. Then I went to bed and started to get more and more sore. When I got up and went to the bathroom I fainted and broke my fall with my face. Luckily, it seemed worse at first than it actually ended up being. A couple of split lips and some ugly bruises but no breaks and no stitches.

Let me tell you, the NYC emergency room experience is one not to be missed! They don’t tell you about that in the guidebooks, but I saw (and heard) things that will give me a lifetime of memories!

I am recuperating in my hotel room today and fly home tomorrow. Thus concludes this chapter in the annals of my continued klutziness (and a mere four weeks after breaking my hand by running into a wall.)

Visions of Classics Dance in My Head...

2005-08-03T16:43:00.000-05:00

The perfect gift for the Snotty Girl who has everything...

I know the big words...

2005-07-30T18:43:00.000-05:00

And I have made it official:

How do you like them apples?!?

Eating Crow

2005-07-29T22:41:00.000-05:00

I am full of mixed feelings. One of the best/worst things I ever did was to put a shortcut to the SGBC on both my IE and Firefox toolbars and there it has sat for months, MOCKING me. Not enough that I actually logged on and posted, mind you, but enough that I felt a vague sense of something (guilt? longing? sleepiness?) everytime I used my computer (everyday.) No more! I resolve to get back with the program and blog on. But first, let me explain myself.

There are two reasons why the Snotty Girls Book Club has appeared to have been spread to the four winds. First, and most shockingly, I have a deep, dark secret. That's right. I occasionally, okay, regularly, indulge in awesomely bad chick lit. I am not proud of myself. You have to understand that for someone that has carried a secret such as this around with her for a lifetime, keeping a running commentary on her reading list online for all the world to see IS A LOT OF PRESSURE! It is bad enough to open yourself up for people to judge you on the quality of your reviews, but then you add the fact tat the books you are reading are pretty much crap to begin with and you really are setting yourself up for failure.

In order to, shall we say, shake off these bad feelings, I have decided on a new tactic. When I read one of these little gems, I will own up to it here, but I will not force myself to write a review of it because we all know how it is going to end...SHE GETS THE GUY AND THE PLOT WAS CRAP! Acknowledge, Move On is our new motto. Keep an eye out for postings with that as the title and you know you will be in for another trip through Ashley's incredibly shrinking brain.

Excuses, excuses part two. I mentioned before that here were two reasons the SGBC fell by the wayside. The second reason is a little more complex. Not dramatic, mind you. Just complex. You see somewhere along the path to choosing our March title the Snotty's hit a roadblock. We simply could not agree on the next book. We kept going round and round and we never made a decision and then, we never made a decision. Sarah read her books, I read mine, we discussed the books we read, but we never read the same book at the same time as was our original intention. Sarah and I recently had a little follow-up disagreement on how this all happened and suffice it to say, our version of events is quite different. But it really doesn't matter. From here on out, the SGBC will be a more informal kind of book club. We'll still talk about our books, whatever they may be, but we will only read the same book at the same time IF WE DAMN WELL FEEL LIKE IT. In the meantime, I will maintain this blog, Sarah will maintain her blog and sometimes, if we're lucky, Sarah may post to the comments here.

Mitch, I want you to know I have not forgotten Infinite Jest. It is still on my shelf and I promise I will tackle it soon.

More posts to come, but in the meantime this is what I'm reading now and if you don't have a good book to tide you over, why don't you take a look at Our Patron Saint for a little inspiration.

The heat is on.

2005-02-19T11:09:00.000-06:00

Just when I think no one but Sarah is reading this at all, I start getting some heat for the lack of posting lately. A couple of comments made and a couple of emails directly to me calling me out as a slacker. Interestingly, most of these are from people who do not have their own blogs so I am taking it all with a grain of salt.

However, it has managed to shame me into a post. It is actually a chance to admit my further shame. I am falling behind in my book club reading. I am still reading our January selection Love in the Time of Cholera and have just ordered The Virgin Suicides because they do not have it at my library. I know, I suck. My name is Ashley and I cannot follow through with my commitments. Are you people happy now!?!

Don't take my slow reading of Cholera as evidence of its badness. I actually am enjoying it, but it is just taking me a long time to get through. I don't think I can explain why. I am working on it, though and I will post more when I get through it.

There was also a question about one of my favorite books, Kissing in Manhattan by David Schickler and why it didn't make the list. The reason for that is that I read it a few years ago, but that does not reflect my lack of whole-hearted love for it. It is indeed one of my favorites and I recommend it highly. On that note, I should also recommend a couple other favorites of mine, Cheese Monkeys by Chip Kidd and The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Kissing in Manhattan is magical realism-based short stories that all relate to each other, Cheese Monkeys is a bizarre cross between The Catcher in the Rye and David Sedaris and hysterical, and The Secret History is dramatic and twisty. Now get thee to the library!

One more thing, there has also been a question of why I haven't been talking Oscars at all and particularly Oscar fashions and the best explanation is that I couldn't possible do it as well as these two are: Fametracker and Go Fug Yourself. Read and love.

Seriously, one last thing...I met a guy on the plane from Detroit to Green Bay (a fabulously glamourous trip, by the way,) and we talked books most of the way and I gave him the URL of this site so if you are here, Plane Guy, a big shout-out to you!

Playing Hooky

2005-01-24T21:25:00.000-06:00

Okay, technically I am not playing hooky because this counts as a comp day Old School. It was good. It took me a while to get through because of the crazy traveling, but once I buckled down, I tore through it. Well written and even though it was supposed to be Wolff's first novel, I can't help thinking there is quite a bit of himself in it as well.

Also, I got a call from my long-lost friend Aimee from high school. I haven't spoken in to her in nine years and have periodically tried to find her/get in touch with her and it turns out she was doing the same thing! It is nice to know someone from way back then wonders about me...

Where does the time go?

2005-01-19T17:29:00.000-06:00

Ok, ok. I know I haven't posted in a while. I feel guilty ok? Are you happy now!?! I just returned from ALA in Boston and I am still recovering. All that professionalism is really tiring! I did get a chance to see Sarah's father, Bill and we had a lovely lunch together. Not much else to report as I was in the booth for the majority of the time, but I ate a lot, drank a lot, and shopped a lot.

I used the flight time to start and finish Amsterdam by Ian McEwan. I don't know what to say about this one. It was a little slow and I was hoping for more humor, but the ending was strikingly bizarre and twisty. My first foray into McEwan, I don't know if I will be venturing further...

I still haven't finished Old School, but I have high hopes for it and I plan to try to get into Love in the Time of Cholera before the weekend is out.

Embroidery-a-go-go

2005-01-09T20:38:00.000-06:00

At long last I am posting evidence of my craftiness. I am moving on to other things so I will post those soon as well.

Throw pillow for my bed.

2005-01-09T20:37:00.000-06:00

Eiffel hand towel for my mother.

2005-01-09T20:36:00.000-06:00

Bluebird hand towel for my mother.

A Spangly Christmas

2005-01-06T17:49:00.000-06:00

I have been promising Sarah for a while that I would post pictures of my sparkly Christmas tree so now, only two weeks after Christmas, I have finally gotten around to it. I wish this photo did it more justice because the tree is actually a lime green tinsel tree and with the colored lights and glittery ornaments it was very shiny. It is not quite Martha Stewart, but I decided to go a different direction this year.

The sparkly tree (my boss would call it, as he calls me, "Spangly!")

Post-Christmas/Pre-New Year's and A Big Announcement

2004-12-31T09:27:00.000-06:00

Christmas in Chicago was fun. It took a few fits and starts to get there and get home, but all's well that ends well. Spent time with friends and family and went downtown to the Art Institute and Millenium Park.

I also took the opportunity to finish The Meaning of Everything. It was as good as I knew it would be. Simon Winchester does not disappoint. It is amazing when reading that book the time and work that went into the making of the OED. Not to mention that the majority of it was due to the perserverence of only a handful of people over 87 years. It is a wonder.

After finishing that a little faster than I anticipated, I found myself facing a plane ride home with no book to read so I swiped my mother's copy of Persuasion by Jane Austen. I am about halfway through and, as usual, can find no fault with good old Jane. I will post more when I finish it and move on to Old School which I am feeling the pressure to read quickly as it has to be returned to the library eventually. They are very picky about that.

Finally, it is time to make our official announcement about the upcoming Snotty Girl reading selections. Sarah and I made our final decisions last night and without further ado...

January Selection:

Love in the Time of Cholera

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

February Selection:

The Virgin Suicides

by Jeffrey Eugenides

Yes, we have returned to our friend and Snotty favorite Jeffrey Eugenides. You have seen the movie now read the book (which, incidentally, is supposed to be even better!)

Best and Worst of 2004.

2004-12-22T10:47:00.000-06:00

Sarah and I have decided that the end of the year means we need to choose our best and worst books of 2004. Hers are already posted over at Sarah's Tim. So now, without further ado (okay, I always like a little ado. So now, with a little ado,) is my list of the best and worst books of 2004. Please note that this list is limited to books I have read and kept track of so that Paris Hilton memoir, though trash, is not in the running (and no, Mitch, despite what you may have believed about my love of fame-whores, even I will not stoop to the level of Paris Hilton.)

Best (tie):

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

and

Middlesex By Jeffrey Eugenides

Worst (tie):

Twelve by Nick McDonell

and

Locust by Jeffrey A. Lockwood (sorry Sarah!)

Honorable Mentions:

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Sweet and Vicious by David Schickler

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Now that you know what we think, tell us what are your best and worst of the year...

Out of Site, But Not Out of Mind.

2004-12-21T10:00:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know it has been a few weeks since I posted anything, but things have been a bit busy around here. So sue me. To start, things have been pretty quiet on the reading front. I finished Sweet and Vicious and I really enjoyed it. David Schickler's descriptive powers are amazing. He can really conjure up an image in your mind, but he does so without going overboard as so many authors do. I give it a thumbs up.

I also was looking for a quick read and jumped into Ella Enchanted which is a children's book and the one the movie from a couple of years ago is based on. It is a twist on the old cinderella story with Ella being under the curse of a fairy who put a spell on her when she was born that she would always be obedient. When her wicked stepmother tells her she has to be a maid, she obeys because of the curse. It was pretty cute.

Finally, I started Library: An Unquiet History and I don't know if I was just overly tired or what, but I found it to be very dry and had to put it down. I am now into The Meaning of Everything by Simon Winchester and it is pretty good so far. Next is Old School by Tobias Wolff. I'll keep you posted...

In personal news, I auditioned for the Vagina Monologues last Monday and I await news of how I did. I will also be running the silent auction that will happen in conjunction with the first performance so I am starting to think of who to contact.

I have also been feeling very crafty. I have a small four foot lime green tinsel tree that I decorated for Christmas with small glass ornaments in pink, red, orange, turquoise, etc. It is topped with Kermit the Frog in the grand Vollmer tradition and it is cute. I also decorated using snowflakes cut out of colored paper.

Finally, I have been learning how to embroider and have decorated a few things. I am no Wee Wonderfuls lady, but not everyone can be that committed. I will post pictures of all crafty things soon...

One Down, Two To Go

2004-11-29T11:29:00.000-06:00

I finished The Lucky Ones last night and while it didn't blow me away, it was pretty well written and made me think. Like the fabulous Kissing in Manhattan, each chapter is a vignette about a different person, but the people from all of the different chapters overlap. For instance, one chapter is about a young mother struggling to cope with her family life and cold husband while another is about that woman's neighbor who disapproves of her grown daughter's lifestyle and is dissatisfied with her own life, but can't quite figure out why. Unfortunately, the whole book seemed to be building to a climax that never happened so it was a bit of a letdown, but it did make me ponder the fact that everyone you come in contact with has a whole life and inner turmoil that you never see and often never consider. I have found myself paying closer attention to clues that people around me give out about their secrets.

I also am about halfway through Stranger Than Fiction which I am loving. Each of the chapters is basically an article about different people leading unusual lifestyles or sometimes bizarre activities the author has engaged in. Sex shows in Montana, competitive wrestling, castle building, and dressing up as plush animals to test the limits of society's norms are a few examples. The articles are typically short so it is a quick read and it is always interesting to see what people can develop a passion for. I recommend it.

Once I finish Stranger Than Fiction it will be on to Sweet and Vicious. I will post more as I finish one and start another.

I can also heartily recommend Elf and Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason - both hysterical.

Let Me Tell You About My Mommy...

2004-11-24T08:34:00.000-06:00

My Mommy is so nice and pretty. She is a fabulous cook, has a beautiful house, and is always well-dressed. She is fun and we get along great. And she is standing over my shoulder.

Thanksgiving Family Fun!

2004-11-22T18:54:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving preparations are underway! I am visiting my parents and we are in full-on party preparations because we will have a full house for the holiday. Cooking, polishing silver, cleaning, even hanging pictures - I am a real renaissance gal. For those of you who doubted my homemaking skills you are really missing out!

Sweet Relief!

2004-11-20T18:30:00.000-06:00

I finally finished Locust. It was somewhat interesting, but I have to say that though I was intrigued by the stories in the beginning of the actual locust influx and individual farmers, the science part was pretty dry. The author tended to veer off into some side point that tended to confuse me for three or four pages until I could figure out the point he was trying to make. I also felt the last chapter was both a.) a simple way for the author to verbally pat himself on the back for about ten pages and b.) kind of bizarrely theological or something. I can't really explain it, but the last chapter really turned me off.

It was not the worst book I ever read, but it was also not the best (or even the best of this genre.) I do not care for the history of bugs in particular, but this will not turn me off to reading more historical studies. I really want to take a look at some books about influenza or the plague.

As a side note, the evil incarnate also known as Delta Airlines managed to lose my bag twice in one trip. I haven't gotten my bag back yet and I am rapidly losing patience...

Locusts are boring, yo.

2004-11-15T17:55:00.000-06:00

Okay, so apparently I was being optimistic when I said I would have Locust finished by the beginning of this week. I am only about halfway through. I will finish it before the end of this week, though because I am not taking it on Thanksgiving holiday with me! Don't get me wrong, it is not too bad for a book about locusts. It is pretty well written (although the editing is a little slipshod,) but it is still a book about locusts. The next plague book I will be reading will be about the actual plague. Got that Sarah? No more bugs!

Obsessively Reading.

2004-11-10T17:21:00.000-06:00

It has been a couple of days since I posted and I have lots to say! I finally finished A Widow for One Year by John Irving. It was good, but not as good as A Prayer for Owen Meany. It is another story that spans several decades and follows the characters as they evolve. I am not going to go into a big description of what the books is about (go to Amazon for that,) but I will say what my impressions were after reading it. There were a couple elements of the book that really turned me off. First, the character of Hannah seemed pointless. It seemed like her whole purpose in the book was to lead up to her betrayal of Ruth and propel the story forward, but I didn't find said betrayal believable and I had a hard time believing that Ruth would ever be friends with this person to begin with let alone maintaining a friendship with her after her actions. Also, I really thought the whole section about what happened in Amsterdam was bizarre and out of place in the book. In general, it felt to me that the beginning and the end of the book were a totally separate story from the middle and it was caused the book to be a little disjointed. Even though the subject matter was not necessarily to my liking, like other John Irving writing, it did have merit just for the way he can turn a phrase.

I also jumped ahead in the Snotty Girls schedule and read Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I really liked this book although I do understand some people's criticisms that the good press this has been given has been overdone because it is really an overblown romance. I can see where someone might have that opinion, but I thought it was more a really interesting story about how people in the worst of circumstances can overcome their prejudices and see beyond the stereotypes. I really think that description is trite, but it is the best I can come up with right now. It is a really good love story, but that is not all that it is. It is a really fast read (I read it from Pittsburgh and back on the plane.) I recommend it highly and am anxious to hear the other Snotty's opinions of it.

I have started Locust by Jeffrey A. Lockwood. I am a couple of chapters into it and it is very interesting. I hope to be finished with it by early next week and I will post more about it then. I also want to give Danielle a big Snotty shout-out. She emailed me to tell me she had started reading Locust and will post when she is done! Yay! I always knew she was a Snotty Girl!

Finally, I returned all of my books to the library and checked out some more. I am a demon! I will be reading these in the next couple of weeks and let you know how if I can recommend them. They are:

The Lucky Ones by Rachel Cusk - random choice from the stacks...we'll see.
Stranger than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk - never read anything by him, but he comes highly recommended. I have high hopes.
Sweet and Vicious by David Schickler - I am prepared to be disappointed by this because it cannot possibly live up to the phenomenal Kissing in Manhattan, but it has gotten good reviews. I'll let you know.

One More Thing...

2004-11-05T17:55:00.000-06:00

I forgot:
A Global Apology

All Glamour, All the Time.

2004-11-05T17:47:00.000-06:00

I am sitting in the Pittsburgh airport waiting to fly back to beautiful Huntsville, AL. For me, this is another in a long string of exciting friday nights. My saving graces here, in no particular order: free wireless internet, Au Bon Pain, fresh magazines. How did I get so lucky?

P.S. Got a cool link? Post it in the comments and if you are as lucky as I clearly am, I will post it in the fabulous new sidebar. In the immortal words of Paris Hilton, "That's hot."

Link me baby.

2004-11-04T20:53:00.000-06:00

I added a new sidebar item for your viewing pleasure. Check out some links. I will be adding more so be on the lookout.

Post Election Blues

2004-11-03T09:29:00.000-06:00

My mother, who thinks she is funny but is decidedly not funny, sent me this email:

Dear Ashley,

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

Love,

Your Mommy

Guess who she voted for.

Voting is fun (and time-consuming)!

2004-11-02T17:04:00.000-06:00

I went and rocked the vote today. Really it was less like rocking and more like milling around all confused. I thought I was going at a non-peak time and I ended up standing in line for 2.5 hours and I sort of (unintentionally) jumped the line so there were people who were there for a couple hours more than that! It was insane, but I was surprised at how many people were pretty calm about it. There was a general lack of huffiness to the whole proceeding which was quite refreshing. This is especially true because I am usually the huffy one and even I was calm. Some might say resigned, but whatever.

I wonder what these long lines mean for the race. Does it mean more people are mobilized to vote against Bush or for him. Are the people who are showing up now the fabled "young people" who are likely Kerry voters. Will my children be old enough to vote before this is all decided. Hard to say. I do know I will be online most of the night to track the progress and I will probably have more to say on these topics as the hours go by...

Yet Another Reason to be Concerned...

2004-11-01T15:00:00.000-06:00

After the spate of Martha-esque activity this weekend, I have discovered another disturbing trend that has emerged. Namely, the fact that I seem to be reverting to grade school. First, I bought some new checks online which sport the ever fashionable Hello Kitty patterns (notice, too, the omni-presence of Barbie pink.) Then, I go to Office Depot to get a new erasable wall calendar for work and this is what I come up with. It's official! I am one Klassy Kid!

Movie Marathon!

2004-10-31T20:26:00.000-06:00

Bizarrely, I was feeling very industrious this weekend. I decided to put some energy to good use by rearranging my living room and generally organizing "stuff". I like the way it looks, but like any big project it inevitably leads to more big projects. I moved onto washing everything in my linen closet because it was smelling kind of stale. I think I might have a chemical imbalance. That, or I am trying to fill the hole left by Martha Stewart's unfortunate incarceration. I do have a label maker. I might have found my niche.

The marathon of paper reorganization also allowed me to indulge in a marathon of a different sort. Thanks to my boyfriend TiVo, I had about 20 movies recorded from the last couple of weeks. While I was folding laundry, dusting, and arranging books by height, I was able to watch American Splendor (so good,) Adaptation (not so good,) Thirteen (so alarming,) and The House of Sand and Fog (so depressing.) Wow, now that I look at the list I realize what a loser I am. Boo.

Before I sign off, two public service announcements of equal import.

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday! It is your civic duty!
The OC begins its second season on Thursday! Woo!

I Know Halloween is Coming. I Don't Care.

2004-10-29T13:00:00.000-05:00

On the non-book related front. There seems to be a trend emerging among my friends to send me links to things that are designed to freak me out. Typically, they are sites where you are looking at some sort of picture and then a zombie or something suddenly pops up and screams at you. To those of you who have perpetrated this hateful and antagonistic crime against me (you know who you are,) knock it off. I don't like it. It is unprofessional to start crying at work (I am a big baby about being scared) and the potential of my swallowing my tongue inadvertantly is high.

I know Halloween is supposed to be all freaky-freaky scary-scary. I don't care.

(Confidential to Tim and Mitch: I am currently reconsidering our friendships.)

No Life, No Life At All...

2004-10-27T08:27:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention that due to an extreme case of deadbeat-itis over the weekend, I managed to read an entire book on Sunday. In my own defense, it was a rather short book, but it is not often that you get 3.5 uninterrupted hours to read a book cover to cover. Anyway, the book was called Twelve by Nick McDonell. I was basically browsing the stacks at the library and it looked interesting based on the book jacket synopsis. It was not until I was about halfway through and happened to glance at the author bio that I discovered that the guy that wrote it was 17. That jogged my memory a little and I remembered hearing about this book. Their was a lot of talk in the literary world about this book. Of course, it was lauded all over the place for being a masterwork by such a young author, but then there was the inevitable backlash. Most people said that they just didn't believe the book was as good as it was made out to be and that the only reason it got so much attention was because the author was so young. It also helps that the author is part of the upper-crust social scene of New York, but I am sure that had nothing to do with his getting published. (Yes, Virginia, that is sarcasm.)

Enough backstory though. The book itself is about the days after Christmas and leading up to New Year's for a bunch of (surprise, surprise,) young, rich, upper-crust New Yorkers! Sex, drugs, murder and all manner of debauchery follow and there you go. I really didn't care for it. It reminded me of the movie Metropolitan where everyone sits around and bitches about how difficult it is to be so smart and so wealthy, but I liked Metropolitan better. I did like the main character, White Mike, though. I found him extremely intriguing - a drug dealer with a deeper thought process. I would have liked him in another book and handled by another author even more.

Moving on, while at the library I also picked up some Dorothy Parker and Bel Canto which I had to snag because the library is using it for their book club in November and I knew if I waited all the copies would be checked out. Then I went on Amazon.com and ordered Locust and Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. Finally, I have added Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace to my list of things to read because Mitch says it is the best book he has ever read and the Mitch stamp of approval is good enough for me.

See, I have no life...

Middlesex-y Part Deux: Middling, Sexing, and Back for More!

2004-10-26T11:21:00.000-05:00

Alright, in light of the fact that the last Middlesex post was horrifically wiped from the face of the earth, I have decided to repost my Middlesex-alicious comments. (If I can remember what they were.)

I finished reading the book two weeks ago and it continues to stick with me. Sarah and I have pondered why we dragged our feet continuously in regard to this book as we both enjoyed it verily (Jane Austen flashback!) We also had a heated discussion in regard to the end of the book. Sarah liked it, I thought it was rushed. Basically, I felt that Eugenides spent about 500 pages working up to the point at which Cal/Callie discovers the truth about him/herself and then we spend about 50 pages post revelation before the book ends. I believe we could have spent some more time with the struggle that Cal/Callie must have felt upon learning this crucial bit of information. Sarah, on the other hand, liked how the book ended and didn't feel it was rushed. I will say that she did convince me of her argument regarding the part that Milton played in the end of the book (obliqueness to avoid spoiling it,) but I still wish there was just more. Now how many 544 page books can you say that about, hmm?

Finally, I have started reading A Widow for One Year by John Irving which was loaned to me by my friend Pam. I am about 100 pages into it and as with A Prayer for Owen Meany, I am completely absorbed.

Oh the humanity!

2004-10-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

Tragically, it has come to my attention that there have been some "issues" with the SGBC site. Some of you have not been able to see it reliably, some have not been able to post comments, some have lost a rather lengthy post they wrote on a certain October book selection. Whatever, let's just collectively shake it off and get on with our lives. I have no idea what is going on and I don't particularly care. It stands to reason that the Snotty Girls Book Club website is tending towards the temperamental as the Snotty Girls themselves are quite temperamental.

Annoying!

2004-10-22T14:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, here is something annoying, when I published the last post, I lost the previous post. Where did it go? I have no idea and now I have to rewrite it. Arghh.

Come on! Be a joiner!

2004-10-22T12:54:00.000-05:00

I know, I mean KNOW that I have literally thousands upon thousands of loyal readers out in the world. Sarah, for one. Sadly, you remain silent. Trapped in the virtual Marcel Marceau box, if you will. Won't you please join in? Post comments? Tell me (and the masses) what you are reading? You know you want to...

Books-A-Million

2004-10-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

So my real goal for this Blog is to keep up with what I am reading on my own and what Sarah and I (and our legions of followers) are reading for the SGBC. Prior to the start of this site, I have recently read several things that I can recommend with confidence.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel - The story of a boy who gets lost at sea with a tiger. The way he uses is knowledge of animals to survivie is fascinating. I really liked the book and chose to discount the more controversial bits as anomolies that didn't detract from the story as a whole. I read it a couple of months ago and it is still on my mind so I guess that says something.
Goat by Brad Land - Memoir about hazing that occurs in many fraternities. The hazing described in the book is less physical and more psychological than you might expect from a tell-all like this, but the telling of it proves that the psychological can be infinitely more damaging.
Good Grief by Lolly Winston - A light story about a young widow's first year without her husband. She moves for a change of scenery and comes in contact with a lot of characters that make it easier for her to see that her life will go on.
Dry: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs - Like Goat, this is another example of a story that you might think you have heard already. It is about the author's recovery from alcoholism, but I think his take on the experience is unique. So many times you find that it is portrayed in books and movies as a big pyscho-drama when what really happens is that life goes on and you can either go on with it or you can get totally mired down by it. Burroughs tries it both ways.
Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris - Another book of essays by David Sedaris. Like Naked, this one focuses on his family, but there are essays that include his friends and partner as well. Not as good as some of his books, but enjoyable nonetheless.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - This was an SGBC selection from Sarah. It is one of her favorite books. It focuses on the problems with Colonialism in the Congo and follows a family of missionaries as they struggle to survive during the Congolese civil war. Not a light-hearted read by any standards, but very interesting and enlightening.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson - This is a bout the 1892 World's Fair in Chicago and a serial killer that used the fair as a way to lure victims. It is a true story and it is amazing that I could have lived in the Chicago area for so many years and been ignorant to this story!
The 9/11 Commission Report - In fairness, I have not finished this but I plan to in the next couple of weeks. So far it is really good and because it is written in a narrative format, it is much easier to read than you might expect.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving - This was another of Sarah's selections for me. John Irving is one of her favorite authors and I have to say that after reading this book he is one of mine too. Too detailed to explain fully - you will have to just take my word for it.

I know there are others and I will post them when I think of them, but in the meantime, are you reading the SGBC October selection yet? If not, why not?

SGBC Official Announcement

2004-10-10T15:08:00.000-05:00

From the Desk of Sarah:

For immediate release:
The Snotty Girls Book Club has announced their remaining 3 novels for the fall 2004 season. After much debate (and a little whining), the SG Book Club will read Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides for October. The November book will be non-fiction selection, Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect That Shaped the American Frontier by Jeffrey A. Lockwood. Wrapping up the year, the SG Book Club members will be reading Bel Canto: A Novel by Ann Patchett.
Put your copy on hold at your library today to avoid the rush! Join the Snotty Girls as they delve into these remarkable books and read America. Read for a Better Tomorrow!

iPod Madness!

2004-10-08T16:14:00.000-05:00

I have been tasked with traveling (yet again) to Louisville save the day and load Jack's cd's onto his new iPod. After just getting my own iPod last week, I don't know that I have much more information about it than he does (did I mention he is nine?) But I am sure there will be many discoveries and tricks learned this weekend.

Snotty Girl 1.0

2004-10-07T16:36:00.000-05:00

I made an executive decision. If I am going to go to the trouble of reading all these "good" books and abandoning trashy chick lit, I might as well have a record of it. The Snotty Girls Book Club is in full swing and I am trying to recruit more Snotty Girls, Not-So-Snotty Girls and even some Exceedingly Snotty Boys to join. Having one place for them all to see what the club is reading and share what they are reading will make that easier.

Not to mention that I have noticed that a lot of weird stuff happens to me on a day to day basis and this would probably be a good way to pass along the stories. My goal is to post a couple of times a week as a way to keep in touch with my far-flung-friends (both in body and mind.)

In the meantime, be sure to visit the other original Snotty, Sarah...

http://www.sarahstim.com