2015 Book Goals Update #1

Goal 1: Read 150 books I have not read before.
So far no re-reading, but I've "fallen behind" the schedule, according to Goodreads. I've also decided to qualify the rereading part of this goal. I'm planning on reading the more recent volumes of Bill Willingham's Fables, but it' been a while since I've read any of the issues, so I am going to spend quite a bit of time rereading to refresh my memory. Thus, rereading for a purpose will count toward the 150.

Goal 2: Complete Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge.
I've completed 3 out of the 24 tasks and here's my take on the books I've completed.

• Task 8: Read a book by an African author. I chose Helen Oyeyemi's Mr. Fox. My take: "I enjoyed the interspersing of St. John's stories with the main characters' lives, but I wish there was a little more resolution."
• Task 20: Read a graphic novel or comic book. I chose Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona. My take: "I enjoyed the it. The addition of the culture clash between Kamala and her immigrant parents to the superhero origin story gave a new twist to the secret identity trope of superheroes. I do think the rejection of the blonde alter ego was handled a little abruptly and that villain still needs to be flushed out a whole lot."
• Task 16: Listen to an audio book. I chose Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Jill Leovy. My take: "An intimate look into the "Monster" of homicide rates among young black men in South Central Los Angeles. Leovy centers her book around the death of a L.A. homicide detective's son and the 77th Division's homicide detectives. The book shows the failings of the policing system, not focusing blame on the victims or the detectives working the cases, instead showcasing the entrenched indifference and ignorance of the system and society as a whole. On another note, I typically listen to comedic celebrity memoirs as audio books, so this was a bit of a change. I had the listen harder to follow the story and I found I really couldn't do anything else that engaged my thinking brain while doing it (the TVs at the gym were very distracting)."

Goals 3 and 4: Read books from my To Read list and books that I own.

Of the 9 books that I've read, 5 have been specifically on my To Read list and 3 I own. I am also currently reading two books that fit both goals.

2015 Book Goals (Belated)

After finishing the mammoth The Bully Pulpit, I am finally able to focus on creating goals for this year's reading.Thus my four part challenge for 2015.

1. Read 150 books that I have not read before. Last year I read 147 books, but several were revisiting favorites. I'm not saying that I won't reread this year, just that they won't count toward my goal.
2. Complete the Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge. It's a great list and will help me continue to widen my reading after the diet of brain candy I'd been reading during college. I don't think it will be too difficult, with a few exceptions: the poetry (I much prefer to read a straight narrative), the indigenous culture (not an area that I've really been interested in), and the self-improvement book (though the "non-traditional" caveat will help somewhat). A self imposed limit is to not double-up on any book for the challenge, so 24 different books.
3. Cut down on my Goodreads "To Read" list. At this posting it's an impressive (and intimidating) 563 books long. This is even after a generous purge. I've forgotten about so many books on this list that it's time I really focus on it.
4. Read books that I already own. I went through a really expansive book buying phase in high school, instead of make-up, I bought books. So I have bookshelves full of canonical "classics" that I have never read and only bought because they were "classics." (If you can't tell I was fairly pretentious). I recently did some pruning, but there are still many that I have always intended to read and haven't gotten around to it.

My collection still packed from the move.

And those are the goals. Stay tuned to see how I do.

Crushing the Bug-crusher

To start off, the term "bug-crusher" in the S/F world (S/F meaning "speculative fiction," "science fiction," or "sci-fi/fantasy" depending on who you ask) refers to HUGE books, at least 700+ pages or 3 in. thick, that can easily be used to crush small-ish insects. In their purest form bug-crushers tend to be hardback rather then paperback for that extra heft needed to kill.

However, bug crushers need not be limited to the SF genres, recently I've been reading histories and my current project is Doris Kearns Goodwin's The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. It's a monster of a book coming it at 910 pages, 750 of which are actual content and not notes or the index. I started the book before Christmas 2014, but have been struggling to finish it, even with my two weeks of vacation. When I'm in the story it's very interesting, but after putting it down picking it up again seems such a chore, and not just because it's soooooo heavy.

To finish the book I began employing a tool I used to get through horrible reading assignments.

Step 1: Figure out the number of pages you have left to read.
Step 2: Divide that number by the number of days you have left to read the book (in my case it was either the due date of the assignment or the library due date).
Step 3: Read the resulting amount of pages each day.

Sounds simple right? It should be but isn't always because... life. One tip is to keep the number of pages manageable, 100 pages is just a little too much, 50 or 60 isn't too bad, but 20 or 30 is very doable. The other tip is to use two bookmarks to keep track of how far you have to read, please see Exhibit A.

Exhibit A

I'm almost done! (It's an excellent read, btw).

Crochet Diary: Peacock Feather Patchwork Afghan

For my sister's upcoming graduation I decided to make her an afghan as a present, since I made one for my brother's birthday last year. Her colors tend toward purples and blues, peacock colors; that theme was confirmed by some trolling on her Pinterest wedding board. So when I found Banana Moon Studio's "Peacock Feather Square" it was too good to be true.

I made a test square and it came out pretty small, about 4 in. by 4 in., and after I checked out some of the finished projects on Ravelry, I didn't like the look of an entire blanket of just those squares; they were way too busy. As I like the look of patchwork afghans, I decided to mix the "Peacock Feather Square" with a few different squares including "Double Crochet Granny Square" from Robyn Chachula's Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia, Chris Simon's "Pavo Square" (I didn't notice for awhile, but apparently the square is named after a southern constellation called the Peacock), and "Openwork Square" and "Lacy Cross" from Jan Eaton's 200 Crochet Blocks.

Here is the pattern as originally planned, but I think I'm rotating the "Peacock" and "Double Crochet" squares so that the solid purple is parallel to the other solid colored squares.

If you can't read my writing, the bottom bit of the pattern lists 7 "Pavo" in green, 7 "Openwork" in blue, 7 "Cross" in gray, 42 "Double Crochet" in purple, and 42 "Peacock." I wanted a mix of open/lacy squares with more solid ones. The larger squares are about 8 in. by 8 in., to match the 4 in. by 4 in. of the "Peacock" and "Double Crochet" squares.

For the yarn, I went with Red Heart Super Saver, my go-to because it's easy to care for, has many shades, and is inexpensive. The green is Tea Leaf, the blue is Blue, the purple is Medium Purple, and the white is Soft White. The gray is Caron One Pound's Soft Grey Mix, because I couldn't find a Red Heart gray in stock that I liked.

As of today's date, I have all of the squares made and am about to start the seemingly, unending process of sewing them together with an invisible stitch.

Crochet Diary: 8-Bit Pokeball Afghan

After seeing the wedding present I made for some friends, my brother made the observation that I could make any 8-bit image out of granny squares, not that he knows what a granny square is called. So I took the idea and ran with it to create this:

It was pretty simple. I searched "8 bit pokeball grid" and came up with some images to base the pattern on.

It ended up being huge, but since the little brother is 6 ft. 4 in., it fit him well. The granny pattern is Kristie-Beth's "Simple Solid Granny Square," the same one I used for the Tetris blanket.

Crochet Diary Entry 5: PND Sampler Part 3

With all the changes I made to the interior squares of this pattern, I thought that the border would take some serious working and reworking to make it look right. However, I was pleasantly surprised that beyond some extra stitches and a little fudging in the # row, it was really simple.

Round 1: 3 sc in each corner, 143 sc across top and bottom, 183 sc across left and right sides.

Round 2: No real change, just more rep.

Round 3: No change.

Round 4: Depending on where you joined on the last Round, you may have to sl st. into two sc to get to the corner instead of one.

Also, with the added length and width, the skip 4 sc between the shells and the sc does not work out right. I skipped only 3 sc, which worked except for a little fudging when I skipped 4 sc two times (on either side of a shell towards the middle of the side).

Round 5: No change.

Round 6: No change.

Crochet Diary Entry 4: PND Sampler Part 2

After I had completed 11 of the original 12 squares (see my previous post) on the Crochet Sampler Afghan, I needed a replacement for Square 5. I turned to Jan Eaton's 200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws, and Afghans to find it as well as 8 complimentary additional squares to make the afghan larger and because there was quite a lot of yarn leftover.

To replace Square 5 I wanted to find a solid square with a raised pattern to very keep the same feeling of the original square. After leafing few the book for awhile, I found Block #17: Alternate Bobbles. I thought the bobbles would be an interesting addition and compliment to the original Square 7: Waves and Bobbles. I started by making the square as written, but it wasn't quite long enough. I frogged it and added 10 ch making the foundation chain 38 so that there were 37 sc in each row. I made a total of 44 rows.

After choosing the replacement square, I kept flipping through the book and found the following 8 squares to add to the afghan making the grid 4x5 instead of 3x4. I chose a mixture of blocks that are worked in stripes (3) and in-the-round (5).

Block 30: Shell Lace
Color A. Foundation chain of 38 to add to the length, meaning there are 6 shells in Row 1 instead of 5.

Block 47: Queen Anne's Lace
Color D. I repeated Round 7.

Block 48: Danish Square
With colors D, A, E, and C as Eaton's A-D. I repeated rounds 9 and 10 after the first round 10.

Block 51: Bright Flower
With colors A, C, and B as Eaton's A-C. I repeated round 5 before Round 6.

Block 54: Framed Flower
With colors A, B, and D as Eaton's A-C. I repeated round 7 before Round 8.

Block 70: ZigZag
With colors A, E, and C as Eaton's A-C. Foundation ch of 37. I added 3 sc to both the A and C sides of the grid and 2 sc to the B stripe. Total of 36 rows.

Block 76: Granny Stripes
I made it with 9 granny stripes, but no extra width. The stripes color pattern is as follows: A, B, C, E, D, E, C, B, A.

Block 145: Chocolate Box
With colors B, D, E, C, and A as Eaton's A-E. I repeated round 7 after round 8, followed by a modified round 9: sc in each dc and ch-1 sp with 5 sc in corner sp.









Here are all the squares laid out before joining, for which I used an invisible seam, but the pattern suggests a whipstitch.

My next (and final) post on this project will be about the border because I had to do some modifications due to the added length and width.

Crochet Diary Entry 3: PND Sampler Part 1

For the past two years, I have donated a number of afghans to my high school's annual auction to raise money for the school.

I try to make at least one  per year that reflects the school colors (navy, white, and Kelly green), and this year I chose to make Marianne Forrestal's Crochet Sampler Afghan. I really like the patchwork look of the afghan, plus using one stitch for an entire throw can be a bit monotonous.

There were some issues with the individuals squares of this project. Not all of them matched the sizes of Square 1, some were lopsided, and one was unattractive. I ended up making 11 of the listed 12 (with some modifications) and adding another 7 from Jan Eaton's 200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws, and Afghans. 

Here's a breakdown of how I made the squares from the original pattern. My next post will detail my additions.

Square 1: Checkerboard
I added two rows to the square to make it more square and less rectangular, so Row 15 becomes Row 17.










Square 2: Shell
I added 6 ch. to the foundation, so that I ended up with 6 shells in a row instead of 5. This matched the length of Square 1 much better. I did not add any rows.

Square 3: Network
I made no modification to this square. I used it as the size template for all the other squares to be consistent.

Square 4: Wavy Rib
I only made 20 rows in this square to match size. I really like the pattern, but you can't really see it because of the dark navy color, even in person.

Square 5: Double O Double V
This is the square I did not make because as I was in the process of hooking it, I found I did not like how the pattern was turning out. I substituted it with a new square from Jan Eaton's book.

Square 6: Crochet Cable
I actually made no changes to this square, but it turned out a bit lopsided. Joining it to the others helped straighten it out. I will caution you to be VERY loose with the Cable St. If you make it too tight the pattern looks a bit like sheaves of wheat, which could be interesting if you were going for a harvest look.

Square 7: Waves and Bobbles
I only followed the pattern to Row 18.










Square 8: Wagon Wheel

The 1st attempt of Square 8.

This one gave me quite a few problems. The first time I made it I followed the pattern with the exception of adding a couple of rounds before the written Round 9. It came out very strangely, it was almost as if the center rounds were looser/bigger than the outer ones. It almost made a pyramid shape if I picked up the center.

In any case, it would not lay flat, especially after I joined it to the surrounding squares. I frogged it and started over, but the problem kept coming up after getting past Round 6. So I stopped following the pattern after Round 5 and started with the following pattern.

• Rnd 6: Sl st in next ch-3, (PS, ch 3, PS) in same sp (first corner), *ch 1, (dc in next sp and next dc) to next corner, **, (ch 1, PS, ch 3, PS) in corner ch-3 sp; rep from * twice more, then rep from * to ** once more; ch 1; join with sl st in first puff st.
• Rnd 7: Ch 3 (counts as dc), *5 dc in next ch-3 sp, dc in next PS, dc next sp, dc in each dc, dc in next sp, dc in PS; rep from * 3 more times, sl st in 3rd ch on ch-3.
• Rnd 8: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 2 dc, *3 dc in next dc (corner made), dc in each dc to corner; rep from * 3 more times, sl st in 3rd ch on ch-3.
• Rnd 9: Ch 1, sc in same space, 3 sc, *3 sc in next sc (corner made), sc in each dc to corner; rep from * 3 more times, sl in 1st sc. Fasten off.

The square lays much flatter than it did, but not still not entirely flat.

Square 9: Radiant
I added one more round before Round 8 in color C.

Square 10: Twinkle, Twinkle
I made the square as written.

Square 11: Slipstream
I first made the pattern as written, but as I went along, I noticed that the width started to shrink/tighten up do that it didn't match size. I frogged it and started over.

• Ch 45.
• Round 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook, sc (sk 3 ch, 7dc in next ch [shell], sk 3ch, sc in next 3 ch) 4x, sc in last 2 ch. (4 shells total) Fasten off.
• Round 2: Join w/ch 3, Dc3tog, ch 3, 3 sc in next 3 dc, (ch 3, Dc7tog, ch 3, 3 sc in next 3 dc) rep 2x; ch 3, Dc4tog in last sc.
• Round 3: Ch 3, 3 dc in first st, (sk ch-3, 3 sc, sk ch-3, 7 dc in next st) rep 2x, sk ch-3, 3 sc, sk ch-3, 4 dc in last st. Fasten off.
• Round 4: Join w/sc, sc, ch 3, (dc7tog, ch 3, 3 sc, ch 3) rep 3x, 2 sc.
• Round 5: Ch 1, 2 sc, (sk ch-3, 7 dc in next st, sk ch-3, 3 sc) rep 3x, with only 2 sc in last rep.
• Rounds 6-9: Rep. rounds 2-5.
• Rounds 10-13: Rep. rounds 2-5.
• Rounds 14-17: Rep. rounds 2-5.
• Rounds 18-20: Rep. rounds 2-4. Fasten off. 

Square 12: Lace Ripples
Made as written.

Here is how the completed squares look in the suggested arrangement, with the exception of Square 5 and the first attempt of Square 8.

The Crochet Diaries Entry 2: Kuhl Tetris

In mid-October two of my friends got married and as their wedding gift I decided to make an afghan for them. Since they're both gamers I decided to design a Tetris pattern for them. It's an idea I'd been kicking around for awhile, since the Tetris pieces are in blocks of four.

I started by finding a plain granny square that was completely solid. So many of the granny patterns I've seen have spaces, or tiny corner gaps that would not mimic the look of the Tetris blocks to the extent I wanted. I lucked out when I found the "Simple Solid Granny Square" by Krisite-Beth on my Pinterest board "Grannies & Blocks" (I swear I should never have to buy another crochet book or pattern based on the shear number of things I've pinned).

I then needed to decide on the colors for the different Tetirs blocks. I modeled my design off of those found on Free Tetris, although an image search will show quite a few variations on what color is assigned to what shape. I tried to match the colors as closely as I could, so I chose Red Heart Super Saver's Aruba Sea (light blue), Bright Yellow, Blue, Hot Red, Tea Leaf (green), Pumpkin, and Medium Purple for the shapes and Grey Heather as the background.

Planning out the actual design came next. Using graph paper I laid out my design to find a good arrangement and figure out approximately how many skeins I would need. I drew it a few times, but ended up going with the following layout (slightly wrinkled).

I tried to balance the colors, but keep a fairly random feel to the pattern, again to mimic the game as much as possible. I also wanted to make it look like the game was still going on, so I had one piece appear to be dropping down from the top.

Each square is approximately 6 in. across and made up of 6 rounds. They are laid in a 10 x 12 grid making the total number of squares 120 with the following breakdown.

Red = 12
Yellow = 12
Blue = 12
Purple = 12
Orange = 11
Green = 8
Light Blue = 8
Gray = 45

After making most of the squares I laid them out to check how large the blanket would be and decided to nix the topmost row because it was getting too long, making a 10 x 11 grid. I under estimated the squares size, but I figure it's better to have too much yarn than too little.

For joining purposes I used an invisible seam to again mimic the game as much as possible. The border was very minimal, just a round of single crochets, a round of double crochets, and a final round of single crochets.

Here's the final product. For more information check out my Ravelry project page at http://www.ravelry.com/projects/LizSvoboda/simple-solid-granny-square.

And a close-up.

I have to say it turned out very nice, though I haven't heard anything from the happy couple quite yet. Also, after showing my little brother the afghan, he has requested an 8-bit Mario design for Christmas or his birthday.

The Crochet Diaries Entry 1

I started crocheting almost three years ago.  My preoccupation with the craft, along with a succession of senior year, grad school, and job hunting, has taken me away from blogging, but now that I have some more free time I'm ready to start back up again.  To help me keep on track, I am beginning a crochet diary with this post.

I mainly make afghans because there are so many different types and they take longer to make, meaning I'm busier longer.  Also, they're easy to donate, which is what I usually do, mostly for Project Linus and the PND Auction. Sometimes I make gifts for others, which is what my current project is.

A friend of mine from high school had a baby girl last December and I am finally getting around to making her a blanket. I found this one and in addition to being easy and quick it is also incredibly cute!  I liked the neutral mix Monica used, but at JoAnn Fabrics I found this adorable variegated pink and couldn't resist.

Jiffy Variegated, Weight: 5, Color: Rose Spray

I then mixed it with this minty green and an off-white, butter cream color.

Patons Beehive Baby Chunky, Weight: 5, Color: Quicker Clover; Caron Simply Soft, Weight: 4, Color: Off White

Here's what I've got after 31 rows.

I was a little worried that the mix looked like pickle and pimento loaf or something, but I think I was just staring at it up close for too long.

I bought 3 skeins of the pink and green, but only one of the butter cream because the pattern only called for 3 skeins of each color 200+ yards each, but it isn't enough.  I'm going to have to go back and get another set of skeins because I'm about half way through and have run out of almost all of them.

Review: Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere

Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere by Lauren Leto

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This book made me feel like a bad English major. I only recognized about half of the authors and titles that Leto mentions (one bit of advice is to keep paper and pen with you to take notes on all the books she references). It might be the fact that the vast majority of the books are "contemporary literature" and I haven't really read "literature" published in the last 50 years or so. My literary education focused on eras before modernism, probably because I like a linear plot and I am not apologizing for that.

It's just that after reading Judging a Book by Its Lover, I feel that there is so much I missed and now have seriously make up for lost time. However, I've gotten used to reading fun books, or commercial genre fiction (lots of paranormal fiction at the moment), so I'm out of practice with that kind of reading. I've been meaning to stop reading such fluffy books (usually with quite a bit of sex), and start on books that really make me think, but again I place some blame on my English and liberal arts classes for the sheer amount of reading they forced me to do. After all that scholarly reading I just wanted to turn my mind off, and thus fluff books and tv took over.

So I will make a resolution to start reading books that make me think. I'll start slowly and intersperse them with other types of reading as I have wanted to get back into more epic fantasy and there are quite a few nonfiction books that I think look interesting. Let's see how this goes.

On other notes Leto is pithy and acerbic at times while warm and touching at others. I'm sure that her insights into the authors and books would be more meaningful if I had read more of them, but at the same time she is often a little too critical for my taste.



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DIY: Pinterest Halloween Costume

I'm assuming that most of you know what Pinterest is (Hello, to all my fellow Pinners!), if you don't it's a treasure trove of ideas about crafts, recipes, awesome photos, tributes to the bastions of geekdom, and anything else you could possibly think of; basically, it's one of the biggest time sucks on the Internet. Anyhoo, remember a couple of years ago when a lot of people dressed up as Facebook walls? Well, this year I decided to create the next generation of the costume and be Pinterest for Halloween.

The Finished Product

Here's how I did it.

Supplies you will need: white T-shirt, iron-on transfer paper ($20 at Joann's), and fabric paint. 

Step 1: Choose the pins you want from Pinterest. I used the "Snipping Tool" feature on Windows 7 to get the Pins I wanted. 

Step 2: Copy the snipped pins on a Microsoft Publisher document (I used Publisher because it doesn't have the set formatting that Word does) and printed them out, using my regular old inkjet printer, on the transfer paper following the included directions (make sure you flip the images so that they print out as mirror images [it's "flip horizontal on Publisher], otherwise your Pins will be backwards on the shirt). I used the whole package of paper 10 sheets total with 4 pictures on each sheet. 

Step 3: Cut out the Pins, so that extra paper doesn't get transferred as well and look like an odd border. 

Step 4: Dry arrange the Pins on the t-shirt so that you know the layout before you move onto the ironing step. I also used a Disappearing Ink marker so that I knew exactly where I placed them.

Step 5: Following the given instructions, iron the pins onto the t-shirt as you prearranged. After ironing for the prescribed amount of time (15-20 seconds), peel off the back of the transfer paper and discard.

I did use a stencil. I'm not that great at drawing.

Step 6: Using fabric paint, paint the Pinterst logo onto the t-shirt. I could have used another iron-transfer, but I wanted the logo to be very vibrant and the transfers aren't.

Then, voila! Just add red pants (mine are Old Navy Rockstar Cords), red accessories (headband, earrings, and nail polish for me), and you're done. Ready to impress your friends at the Halloween party.

Here it is again.

Happy Pinning!

DoJ: Imperfect Bliss: A Novel

Imperfect Bliss: A Novel by Susan Fales-Hill

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Imperfect Bliss is an interesting edition to the Austen-inspired collection. Set in suburban Washington D.C., this contemporary, chick-lit follows Bliss Harcourt, a divorced mother and graduate student, on her path of rediscovery. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are very recognizable in Harold and Forsynthia Harcourt, a British professor of the history of science and a Jamaican-born Anglophile. Jane Bennet has transformed into Victoria Harcourt a thirty-five year-old librarian, who can't seem to love any man. The two younger Harcourts, Diana and Charlotte, are a mish-mash of the three youngest Benets, clamoring for attention in all the wrong ways, including being the star of a reality-TV show reminiscent of The Bachelorette and a sex-tape scandal.

What really intrigued me about this book was the fact that the Harcourt family dynamic was the center of the plot, not the romance between Bliss (Elizabeth) and Dario (the Latino TV director, Darcy). In fact Dario was such a flat and uninteresting character, I really didn't want Bliss to end up with him at all. I would have been much happier with Bliss realizing that she could be happy without a man after all three of the happily-ever-after potentials (ex-husband, dashing older professor, and Wickham character) turned out to be duds. The romantic aspect of the novel just seemed so forced and slapped on to the end that I was left feeling completely unsatisfied, especially after all of Bliss's feminist, politically correct, and self-actualized leanings in the book, especially when dealing with her mother and younger sisters as well as the lessons she tries to instill in her four year-old daughter, who reminds me of the little girl from Hope Floats.

So while the handling of the Bennet/Harocurt family dynamic was intriguing, the half-hearted attempt at romance left me feeling cold.

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Review: Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon

Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon by Melissa Anelli

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A wonderful, insightful look at the fandom of Harry Potter from an insider's perspective. Anelli gives parallel histories of the Potter phenomenon: her own personal journey from novice Potter reader to super-fan, webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron as well as the stories of J.K. Rowling, the series' inception, and various big players in the Potter fandom. Covering topics like fan fiction, wizard rock, spoilers, and book challenges, Harry, A History gives an enthralling look into the deep and diverse Muggle world of Harry Potter. This well written guide will give any Potter fan back stage glimpses to the real world of Harry Potter, and the forward from J.K. Rowling doesn't hurt.

On a personal note, this book opened my eyes to the breadth of the Potter phenomenon. I'm what I like to call a periphery fan, not a FAN in the purest sense of the word. I obsess privately, don't own much merchandise, and only geek out once in awhile. This book makes me wish I had taken greater part in the greater phenomenon while it was still fresh and ongoing.

Favorite quote (context - Anelli's private interview with Rowling several months after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

"I have one last question: What does she [J.K. Rowling] hope people will take with them about this time?

She pauses, but then the answer is right on her tongue.

'When all the fuss and hoopla dies away, and when all the press commentary dies away, I think it will be seen that the phenomenon was generated, in the first instance, bu kids loving a book. A book went on shelves, and a few people loved it. When all of the smoke and lights die away, that's what you'll be left with.

'And that's the most wonderful thought for an author.'"



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Review: Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work

Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work by Tim Gunn

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I loved it! Tim Gunn's unique voice really comes through in this advice/tell-all book. He expounds on his philosophies of good behavior, ambition, teaching, and even parenting. The book is deeply personal as Gunn's family dynamics (including his father's relationship with J. Edgar Hoover) and professional life play a major role throughout.

A must read for any Tim Gunn fan going through withdrawal when Project Runway is not airing.

Favorite quotes from the book:

"But let us not be swept up in this tide of rudeness. This book (in addition to being a fun excuse to tell some of my fashion-world stories) is a call to arms, a manifesto for kindness, generosity, and integrity. I hope will join me in trying to make society a friendlier, more polite, and less aggressive place."

"Also: If you're going to yell demands for food into a room full of strangers, you'd better be as fabulous as Diane von Furstenburg if you expect to get away with it."

"There are times for protest, for civil disobedience, but on a day-to-day basis, it's best to avoid bringing out the big guns."

"Never try to resolve an emotional conflict over food. I recommend ordering drinks instead - with neither ice nor olives."

"Why bitch-slap someone unless you're leaving the planet for good? Don't burn bridges; you might need them later."

"If I were a waiter and someone talked rudely to me, I know I would be seriously tempted." I would never intentionally put someone's life at risk, bu half-a-dozen laxative tablets disolved in a cup of coffee would be sweet payback, indeed."

"I can't imagine a more aesthetically offensive item of footwear than Crocs. That little strap! I shudder."

"I also have no problem if you want to find a cave and have someone roll a boulder in front of it. To each his own."

"Call me a schoolmarm, but few things make me angrier than people not taking care of library materials." ~A man after my own heart!

"But let's talk some more about the bad ones, because they're the most fun to gossip about, and they deserve a little public shaming."



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DoJ: The Darcy Obsession

So I have definitely been out of the blogosphere for awhile, but it is not entirely my fault (AT&T screwed me out of a month's worth of Internet; it's a long story). Anyway, I'm back and hopefully will be more involved with my poor, neglected blog.

So a few weeks ago, I was browsing the new book shelves at the Champaign Public Library and I stumbled across Pemberly Ranch by Jack Caldwell. Think Pride and Prejudice meets Gone With the Wind (the tag line on the back cover is "Frankly Mr. Darcy, I  don't give a damn..."). It's set in post-Civil War Texas with the Bennets as transplanted Yankees and Darcy as a rich rancher (Darcy in a cowboy hat ... yum).  I really enjoyed this retelling because though it kept the same spirit of the story it transformed the Georgian comedy of manners into a Western romp complete with a cattle drives, barbecue, a whorehouse, and a railroad scheme. It was an entertaining read and I highly recommend it to Austen lovers, who are tired of the sequels and variations that try and fail to imitate Austen's style or are just a little to trite.

While I was perusing the shelves, I found another five P & P variations or continuations and all their titles have something to do with Darcy: What Would Mr. Darcy Do?, Mr. Darcy's Obsession, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World, Mr. Darcy's Little Sister, and The Darcys & the Bigley's.

I was intrigued. How many times could P&P be retold? I checked them all out and found out.

The last three in the photo are all variations by Abigail Reynolds. Each of them diverge from the original story by changing one single event. Basically her premise is what if this happened, instead of this.

• What Would Mr. Darcy Do? is based on the premise that Mr. Darcy sticks around for a little bit at Lambton's inn where he and Elizabeth are almost caught in a compromising position.
• Mr. Darcy's Obsession takes the track of Mr. Bennet dying and Elizabeth having to leave Hunsford before Darcy can propose. The Bennet sisters must find their way with reduced circumstances, Jane married to a shop keeper, Elizabeth living with the Gardiners in London, and the others living with their mother and Mrs. Philips in Meryton.
• Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World answers the question what if Mr. Darcy had compromised Elizabeth's reputation during his proposal and before she refused him. This one is the raciest of the three.

I read all of them, and they weren't bad. They have nothing on the original, but each explores a different facet of  Darcy's character. What Would focuses on his generosity. Obsession focuses on his loyalty and overcoming his prejudice. Last Man focuses on his pride. The one thing they all have in common: Elizabeth and Darcy end up happily-ever-after. Which begs the question, who will destroy the fantasy and write a story where E and D don't end up together?

The other two books are continuations, picking up where P&P leaves up.

I read Mr. Darcy's Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson, which of course features Georgiana, but there was a whole lot of E and D as well. This book was a little hard to get through, just because the style felt a little forced, but the look into the Ton lifestyle was interesting, as Austen never touched on it though Darcy is related to the nobility.

After reading all the above P&P inspired novels in succession, I just couldn't bring myself to read another, even though the basis of The Darcys & the Bingleys by Marsha Altman is that Darcy gives Bingley the Kama Sutra as sex advice. But from the skimming I did, there weren't many steamy scenes and Jane and Elizabeth spend a great deal of time pregnant.

There obviously so many ways to riff on Austen's works, but the allure of P&P and Darcy is overwhelming. The fact that all six of the books I found in CPL's new fiction section somehow mention Darcy in the title suggests that the Darcy complex is still a strong force, even if he is an intolerable a**hole in the original. But what is even more astounding is that all six books were published by Sourcebooks Landmark, a publisher who seems to make all its money on P&P inspired books with 64 books published with "Darcy" in the title, plus an entire section of Austen sequels. Sourcebooks is not the only publisher cashing in on the Austen craze; just check out these Listopia lists from GoodReads:

• Best Pride and Prejudice Sequels/Adaptations/Spin-offs
• The Monster Mash (not exclusively Austen, but she is definitely a heavy-hitter)
• Jane Austen Books, Sequels, Bios and More
• Inspired by Pride and Prejudice (This one is mine. I added the 100 book limit and was still finding more, so please continue the add and vote! An interesting note, I searched for "Darcy" and got a ton of results, but "Elizabeth Bennet" only gave me six. As a feminist, I am a little offended that one of the feistiest heroines in literature isn't better represented as an inspiration for spin-offs.)

How long will the Austen craze last? Will the Darcy Obsession continue? I don't know, but for right now they are going strong if these articles provide any evidence:

• PD James to write Pride and Prejudice murder mystery (telegraph.co.uk)
• Review: Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star by Heather Lynn Rigaud (thewriterscloset.com)
• The Trouble With Mr. Darcy by Sharon Lathan...review (mybookaddictionreviews.wordpress.com)
• The latest Austen mashup: Pride and Prejudice and murder (guardian.co.uk)