Blame me for reading

Posted on 19. Mar, 2010 by kchristieh in books

How would you feel if you woke up in jail, unable to remember the past few days, only to discover that you’re accused of homicide? That’s the premise of by Michelle Huneven. I heard her speak at the Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse last night. She read from her book, and took questions about the book and the process of writing it. I can’t wait to read it. She says that it’s about a woman who’s made a conscious decision to live a good life, even after something so horrible that she can’t even remember. By the way, she’s a local author, and part of the book takes place in La Canada. I told her she needs to meet local mystery/crime author Dianne Emley.

After Michelle spoke, Joe Murphy, a representative from W.W. Norton Publishing, went through a stack of his books that he says would be great for book clubs to read. He made them all sound wonderful, and I wish I had more time in the day! (Hahaha – as I write this, it’s 3:33 am…not a good solution to gaining more hours in the day!)

Here are the books he recommends, with a short explanation of why I remember he liked them so much:

• by Diane Ackerman: The true story of how the zookeepers of the Warsaw Zoo managed to hide Jews from the Nazis, even as they cared for the last remaining animals. It’s a fascinating story, and amazing that this hasn’t been written about earlier.
• by Sarah Thornton: Essays about experiences ranging from a critical review class at Cal Arts to auction day at Christie’s.
• by David Small: A biographical graphic novel about an incredibly dysfunctional family.
• by Michael Lewis: The account of some of the few people who managed to foresee our current economic crisis. When I returned from the book event, the first thing my husband said to me was that he wanted to read this book, and he didn’t even know it was discussed. But, he has a Kindle, so I won’t be getting it for him from the bookstore. You can read an excerpt in this month’s Vanity Fair.
• by Dara Horn: About two undercover spies in the Civil War who fall in love…but are on opposite sides of the conflict. Joe said he thought this was perhaps the best-written of the books he recommended, and found it fascinating to learn about Jewish culture in the mid-1800’s.
• by Michael Cox: A Victorian thriller about a lawyer who discovers that he’s the rightful heir to an estate, but has to fight to gain possession. It’s very Dickensian, and even has a sequel, .
• by Brady Udall: This was the grand raffle prize of the evening, and I won it! Amazon says this book won’t be published until May 3rd, so I’m lucky to be able to read it so early. Joe was really excited about this one, and the writeup he gave us said it’s the most anticipated novel of 2010. It’s the “tragicomedy of a deeply faithful man who, crippled by grief and the demands of work and family, becomes entangled in an affair that threatens to destroy his family’s future.” He said that it’s very well-written, and has some very funny spots. He also said that despite the large number of characters (the protagonist has 29 children), the author does such a good job of going into depth only on certain ones that it never gets confusing. (Too bad Juan Rulfo didn’t write like this!)

After the event, we were given “goody bags” with book samples. I chose one with a book called by Joanna Trollope in it. It’ll be published on April 13th, and its only reviewer on Amazon.com so far gives it 5 stars and says that she stayed up past 3 am to finish it. That sounds like my kind of book! (But how can I stay up past 3 am and yet wake up at 3 am? Don’t blame me for trying!)

Many thanks to the wonderful folks at the Flintridge Bookstore and Coffeehouse for putting on such a marvelous event. Catherine Linka was an incredible hostess, leading us in an engaging game of “Name that Literary Hunk” and giving eloquent introductions to the speaker. She and the bookstore are a treasure to our community.

Katrina Kenison to speak this Thursday at LCPC

Posted on 13. Feb, 2010 by kchristieh in books, parenting

When my kids were little, they didn’t understand why someone would cry if they weren’t hurt. They thought I was crazy for getting teary-eyed when we’d pass a wedding party outside of a church. I think they’re starting to understand, however, as we all broke down recently while watching Marley & Me. Some things just hit you harder, and as you grow older, there are more life experiences you can relate to.

That’s what Katrina Kenison does for me. When someone emailed me a link to a video of her reading from her most recent book, , I almost didn’t watch it. I didn’t want to sacrifice 7 minutes to watch a YouTube video. But I trusted the judgment of the person who sent it to me, so I finally clicked on the link. I’m so glad I did. It made me reflect upon the joys and challenges that have come with parenting, and how much my children and I have grown. It also reminded me of how much I’ve been blessed by being a mother for the past 18 years. Grab the tissues and check this out:

You can hear Katrina in person this Thursday, February 18th at La Canada Presbyterian Church. She’ll be speaking during my Parent Ed class, but it’s open to the public. The program starts at 12:30 pm, and she’ll sign books after the presentation. Please rsvp to . Babysitting is available for $10 per child. If you would like to have babysitting for your child, you MUST confirm a spot with Sandy at before Feb. 18th.

Here’s the official event flyer. I hope you can come!

I’ve shipped or received over 100 books via Bookins

Posted on 09. Feb, 2010 by kchristieh in books

Since I joined Bookins just over two years ago, I’ve shipped 56 books and two DVDs, and have received 46 books. No wonder my bookshelf is so full of great books!

Bookins fits my hectic lifestyle perfectly. When there’s a book I want, I look it up by title, author or ISBN, and add it to my Want List. When the book becomes available, I get an email saying it’s on the way, and I automatically pay a nominal shipping fee. When I have a book to trade, I enter the ISBN number on my Trade List. If someone wants it, I get an email with a link to print a USPS label for it. I put the book in an envelope, tape the label to the outside, and put it in a mailbox. I don’t need to pay shipping for books I trade, and I don’t stand in line at the Post Office.

It’s good for the environment, good for the pocketbook, and good for the mind. And it’s why I’m not rushing out to get a Kindle or an iPad.

Bookins has a new feature that shows you where you’ve shipped books to or received them from. Here’s what my map looks like:

I’ll assume that the R in the lower right part of the map is in South Florida, not Cuba…

10 Reasons I Love Yet Ignore the Library

Posted on 05. Dec, 2009 by kchristieh in books

I’ve always loved libraries. The first library I got to know was the Tenafly Library. I would join the reading club each summer and read as many books as I could. When I moved to the shore, I learned to love the small but robust Fair Haven and Rumson libraries. When I had a big report to write, my mother would drop me off at the Monmouth County Library. I remember spending many a winter and spring break there, while I imagined that my classmates were hitting the slopes of Aspen or sunning themselves on Hilton Head.

When I got to college, I learned to be picky about choosing the right library for the occasion. Meyer Library was the more social library, and I remember someone throwing a dummy off the top floor into the atrium during finals one year in a mock suicide attempt. They put windows up to block the atrium soon after that. When I couldn’t stand the chaos of my dorm desk, I’d head over to the South Stack Mezzanine of Green Library and study like a monk. I think I needed to hide out there since I’d be distracted seeing people anywhere else.

As an adult, I’ve appreciated the classic architecture of the Pasadena Library, and the impressive collection of the downtown Los Angeles Library. My local library, the La Canada Flintridge Library, is functional, especially if I order books online and pick them up there. Our local high school also has a big library with public access hours.

So why can’t I remember the last time I visited a library other than to say “hi” to the high school librarian? Here are a few reasons:

1. I already have a pile of books and magazines waiting to be read.
2. When I decide I want to read a certain book, I put in a request on Bookins, and more often than not I get what I want and just pay the shipping.
3. The wonderful Flintridge Bookstore is up the street, and it stocks the required reading books for our school district. I like to support them since they’re big supporters of our local schools, and since their business suffered when the truck crashed into them last year.
4. Amazon.com. Sorry, but I get free shipping.
5. When I read a book, I don’t always finish in time to return it to the library.
6. My local library is loud, bright and sometimes seems like an afterschool daycare facility. (The picture to the right is not of our local library: it’s a picture of the Camarillo Library, whose interior was designed by The Design Studio.)
7. The library usually doesn’t have what I’m looking for in stock at our local branch. They’re good about ordering online, but that doesn’t help if I’m in a hurry.
8. If I want to listen to an audiobook, I purchase it on iTunes and put it on my iPod.
9. I don’t need to use the computers at the library, since I have one at home. And through it I can access more updated research information than the printed encyclopedia at the library has. (Are there printed copies of encyclopedias anymore?)
10. My dog chewed up my library card, and then I lost it. Seriously. I was hoping to scan it for this post, but I can’t find it.

Someday I’ll probably get an electronic book reading device, which will further decrease the likelihood that I’ll set foot in a library.

This post makes me sad. I feel like I’ve abandoned a loyal old friend. I still support libraries, especially in communities whose residents don’t have the alternate reading resources I do. I fear for the future of libraries…

Links:

• Los Angeles County online book ordering. Have your library number ready!
• More beautiful library interiors designed by my website client, The Design Studio. Why doesn’t our library look this good?
• “Downturn Puts New Stresses on Libraries,” a NY Times article about how the economic situation has made some libraries havens for the downtrodden and thieves, and made librarians more stressed-out.

How to kill a teen’s love of reading

Posted on 11. Aug, 2009 by kchristieh in books, education

Shouldn’t one of the goals of high school English be to emphasize the joy of reading? If so, then the following isn’t likely to achieve that goal:

• Step 1: Tell students which book they have to read. Don’t give them a choice.
• Step 2: Make them read it over the summer.
• Step 3: Require them to annotate at least three comments in the margins of every page.
• Repeat with several more books.

I know someone who’s annotating George Orwell’s this week. Instead of appreciating the greater themes at the pace that the author intended, this teen is slogging through this book so slowly that all the life is being sucked out of it. It’s bittersweet when a kid says, “It actually seems like a really good book, but I’m not able to enjoy it when I do this assignment.” Big Brother, can you hear this?

I told the child that hopefully they’d remember that reading can be fun, and that when they graduate they’ll rediscover that.

Links:

• A explaining why annotating is considered so valuable. I think it’s a recipe for sucking the fun out of reading.
• My list of Non-”Teen” Books for Teens, Plus Books for Boys. Please let me know if you have any books to add.

If Julia Child could do it, so can I

Posted on 09. Aug, 2009 by kchristieh in books, food, inspirational people, international, movies

The new movie Julie & Julia inspired me so much that I’m half-tempted to make boeuf bourguignon for dinner tonight. Instead, I opened up my cookbook cabinet and told my kids that they could each choose a recipe that contains no ingredients that I’m allergic to and I’d make it for them this week.

I knew I’d love this movie. I loved reading both Julia Child’s and Julie Powell’s even before I knew a movie was being made about them. Although I perfectly fit the demographic for someone who’d love these books – a French-speaking, American woman blogger – I think the books and the movie have a more universal appeal. They portray passionate people looking for a purpose in life who are willing to work hard at what they do. I also appreciated both the literary and on-screen representations of their marriages. Both women were in loving marriages full of mutual support and respect. Nora Ephron did a wonderful job of knitting both books together, and Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and the rest of the cast are absolutely marvelous.

I can’t wait to see what my kids choose for me to cook.

20 Books I Love

Posted on 02. Jul, 2009 by kchristieh in books

Not sure what to read this summer? Here’s a list of 20 of my favorite books. Click for my Amazon.com “Listmania” list which includes explanations of why I love each one, along with a few more I recommend.

1. What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng by Dave Eggers
2. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
3. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
4. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan
5. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich… Read More
6. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
7. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
8. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
9. My Life in France by Julia Child
10. Ambulance Girl: How I Saved Myself by Becoming an EMT by Jane Stern
11. Standing Tall: A Memoir of Tragedy and Triumph by C. Vivian Stringer
12. Personal History by Katharine Graham
13. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
14. True Notebooks by Mark Salzman
15. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
16. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
17. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
18. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
19. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
20. Cane River by Lalita Tademy

The book of wrecked books that got wrecked

Posted on 16. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in art, books, local news

I visited the Flintridge Bookstore this evening to purchase Dianne Emley’s most recent book, “.” Thankfully, the car carrier that plowed through the store didn’t wreck these books. I managed to get a signed copy, and I can’t wait to get started on it because I couldn’t put the first two down!

While I was paying for the book, my mom started chatting with the store owner about the accident. After I joined them, he showed us a book called “” that was wrecked by the truck. Ironically, it contains pictures of books that have been wrecked.

In 125 startlingly complex works of many strata, extraordinary textures, luminous colors, and unforeseen juxtapositions, Purcell considers the vulnerability of books to the transforming powers of water, fire, gravity, organisms, and time.

Here’s what the store owner’s book looks like:

I think Rosamond Purcell should include his book in her next edition.

R.I.P. ReinChuck

Posted on 22. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in animals, books, health, my life

My dog is still working on destroying the toys I bought from the post-Christmas clearance bin at Petco. This evening he finally made great progess on the ReinChuck. (or is it a WoodDeer?)

Isn’t it cute?

Uh-oh. Starting to see some innards on the outards…

Here’s what happens if you hold your finger over the flash. I like the night vision effect, as if I’ve found him doing this in the wild.

“Why are you holding my ReinChuck over your head?”

R.I.P. ReinChuck.  :(

“I’ll eat the brains tomorrow.”

Let’s hope he doesn’t eat the brains. I just read the chapter of that describes how eating squirrel brains can cause a form of mad cow disease.

I’m sure that if I grew up eating squirrel brains, I wouldn’t be bothered by this concept. But I didn’t, so I am. I can’t even imagine eating squirrels.

Clearly my dog can, however. I guess that’s why I haven’t seen a squirrel in our yard for a few months. They’re not stupid.

This could be heaven or this could be hell

Posted on 05. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in books, inspirational people, religion

Are you motivated out of hope or fear? How you answer that question might determine if you’d prefer the book on the left or the one on the right. I spotted “90 Minutes in Heaven” and “” side-by-side at a nearby Ralphs supermarket. I was surprised there was a full rack of Christian books near the checkout lines.

I haven’t read either, but both sound interesting. I’ve always been fascinated by near-death experiences, since it seems that the people who have them are often deeply impacted by them.

I wonder if the one on the right is shorter since it’s only about 23 minutes instead of 90? But I bet it’s way scarier. Hopefully the guy on the right had enough of a wakeup call that he’ll wind up in heaven next time.

Vivian Stringer is my new heroine

Posted on 15. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in books, feminism, inspirational people, sports

When Vivian Stringer recruits players for the Rutgers women’s basketball team, she doesn’t just promise them that they’ll play on a wonderful team. She looks the parents in the eye and promises them that if their daughter plays for her, she’ll treat her like a daughter, and do everything she can to make sure she graduates and is prepared for life. She means it, too: she’s still in touch with most of the young women she coached.

She’s the real deal. She comes from modest roots, as the daughter of an African-American coal miner, but was raised with self-confidence and an incredible work ethic. She also has a huge heart, and genuinely cares for everyone she knows. She’s overcome incredible adversity: the death of both her father and her husband at young ages, caring for a daughter who suffered severe brain damage from spinal meningitis, surviving breast cancer, and more, but she soldiers on and makes the most out of life.
I haven’t played on a basketball team since 8th grade, and I didn’t play any school sports in high school. Even so, I was completely entranced by her autobiography, . By the time I got to the end of the book, where she recounts how she chose to respond to Don Imus’s “nappy-headed hos” comment, I wasn’t at all surprised that she handled it with the utmost of grace and courage.

She inspires me, and I think she’d do the same for you. If my recommendation isn’t enough, 24 out of 25 reviewers on gave this book 5 stars, and the other gave it 4 stars. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such positive feedback for a book on Amazon! This would make a perfect gift for a coach, teacher, or athlete.

Yes Means Yes

Posted on 02. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in books

Congratulations to my stepsister, Jaclyn Friedman, on the publication of her book, .

I received it yesterday, so I haven’t had the time to read the whole book yet. But Jaclyn’s essay is wonderful. It’s a reminder that although females can take precautions that lessen the chance of sexual assault, it’s not their fault if they’re assaulted. Also, we need to teach our sons to not only respect females, but to avoid situations where their judgment may become impaired.

I look forward to reading more of the book, but from what I can tell, I’m coming at the topic of sex from a different perspective. I believe that optimally, sex should enhance an already existing relationship based on love and respect. I think that casual sex merely intended for physical pleasure is only momentarily satisfying, and can distract people from developing more meaningful attachments.

Either way, I’m very proud of Jaclyn, and hope that this book helps lead us to a time when women no longer need to fear sexual assault.

I won a copy of Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, “Outliers”!

Posted on 01. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in books

Here’s a shout out to Mitali Perkins, an amazing friend from college who not only writes excellent young adult books but also has a great blog. She recently ran a contest on her blog to give away several copies of Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, Outliers, and I’m one of the winners. Yay!!

I can’t wait to read it, as I really enjoyed his previous books, and . Thanks, Mitali!!

Semi-homemade cooking fits our family

Posted on 30. Oct, 2008 by kchristieh in books, feminism, food, local news, things that bug me

On Monday I took a break from work to listen to cookbook author / tv personality Sandra Lee speak at the bookstore around the corner. I’ve never seen her on tv, but in person she was bright, warm and fun. I really liked her, and enjoyed hearing about why she decided to start writing cookbooks.

I purchased her “” cookbook. I need to get some new, easy meals into our repertoire. So far I’ve made two recipes from the book, and both have been a hit with everyone in our family. I won’t copy the recipes here, since I don’t want to infringe upon her copyright. However, I’ll recount them to the best of my memory, and recommend that if you want the exact proportions and ingredients you purchase her cookbook.

Island Chicken:

• Slather thin-sliced chicken breasts with olive oil and jerk chicken seasoning. Grill.
• Sprinkle jerk chicken seasoning on canned pineapple slices. Grill.
• Mix pineapple juice with a little bit of brown sugar. Boil until reduced. Serve atop the aforementioned chicken and pineapple.

Turkey Meatballs:

• Mix 1.5 lb. ground turkey meat with egg, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, parsley, ground pepper. Form into 1″ meatballs.
• Mix a jar of spaghetti sauce with two medium cans of diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano with basil.
• Put the sauce and the meatballs in the crockpot on low for about 8 hours.

Speaking of cooking, I was disturbed by the cover of the November, 2008 Arroyo Monthly. Why are all of Metro Pasadena’s Top Chefs pictured men? At least when you read the article you discover that one that isn’t pictured is a woman. Is there a problem with the system or the selection process?

Link:

• Sandra Lee’s official website. She didn’t look anything like this in person. She looked far hipper.

It’s much easier to read Pedro Paramo with this character chart as a study guide

Posted on 28. Oct, 2008 by kchristieh in books, international

When Salon.com called the classic Mexican novel “The Perfect Novel You’ve Never Heard Of,” I knew I had to read it. Here’s a quote from one of the great reviews on :

Juan Preciado comes to Comala looking for his estranged father, Pedro Paramo. In this town, the dead and the alive mingle together and talk, the epochs overlap. Bit by bit we are told a violent and dark story, with somber and convoluted characters. In the end it is a tale of war, perversion, solitude and other themes common to Latin American literature, but seen from a very unusual perspective. And Rulfo reveals as an extremely self-demanding author: every sentence is worked and reworked to utter perfection. Read it, it’s magical.

Since the book is about a man seeking his father in Mexico, I gave it to my husband for Father’s Day. He enjoyed it, but said that it was confusing, especially if you read it a few pages at a time. Even the Salon.com article agrees:

Peculiar things start to happen on the page, things I’ve never seen in a book. The tenses switch back and forth, past to present and back again, sometime in the space of a single paragraph, until time itself becomes senseless. The stories begin to refract, shatter, and rebuild; pronouns multiply—I, he, she, you, stumbling over each other. Dialogue and thoughts are left unattributed. The perspectives shift from internal to external and back again, from Preciado to Paramo to Paramo’s childhood love, Susana San Juan. “This town is full of echoes,” one character says.

On Sunday afternoon I read the whole book, and every time a new character appeared, I added it to my chart. It got pretty complicated, but my husband was right: charting it made the story and its meaning much, much clearer, and helped me to enjoy the story much more. Click here or on the picture below to see the pdf version of the chart, which was created in Microsoft Publisher.

How tolerant should we be of intolerance?

Posted on 22. Jul, 2008 by kchristieh in books, education, international, religion

I value love, and an outshoot of that is that I value respect and tolerance for people with other viewpoints and beliefs than my own.

But what should I do when the other person is not only intolerant, but actually advocates hating people such as myself? According to the Slate.com article, A Textbook Case of Intolerance, government-sanctioned textbooks teach Saudi schoolchildren to hate non-Muslims:

In fact, any child who sticks around in Saudi schools until ninth grade will eventually be taught that “Jews and Christians are enemies of believers.” They will also be taught that Jews conspire to “gain sole control of the world,” that the Christian crusades never ended, and that on Judgment Day “the rocks or the trees” will call out to Muslims to kill Jews.

These passages, it should be noted, are from new, “revised” Saudi textbooks. Following a similar analysis of earlier versions of these same textbooks in 2006, American diplomats immediately approached their Saudi counterparts about the more disturbing passages, and the Saudis agreed to conduct a “comprehensive revision … to weed out disparaging remarks towards religious groups.”

It’s hard for me to be tolerant of that. Sounds to me like American diplomats need to protest again. If only this were just a Saudi problem. Slate says that these textbooks are also “distributed, free of cost, to Saudi-sponsored schools as far afield as Lagos, Nigeria, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.”

This is so sad. All it does is encourage hatred and division. All the more reason for our government and private individuals to help fund organizations such as Greg Mortenson’s Central Asia Institute.

Why Barack Obama should read “Three Cups of Tea”

Posted on 15. Jul, 2008 by kchristieh in books, inspirational people, international, politics, religion

For all the money we’ve spent fighting terrorism in Pakistan, it seems to me the situation is far worse off now than it was several years ago. Too bad our government doesn’t adopt Greg Mortenson’s tactics. Nicholas Kristof agrees:

Mr. Bush has focused on military force and provided more than $10 billion — an extraordinary sum in the foreign-aid world — to the highly unpopular government of President Pervez Musharraf. This approach has failed: the backlash has radicalized Pakistan’s tribal areas so that they now nurture terrorists in ways that they never did before 9/11.

Mr. Mortenson, a frumpy, genial man from Montana, takes a diametrically opposite approach, and he has spent less than one-ten-thousandth as much as the Bush administration. He builds schools in isolated parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan, working closely with Muslim clerics and even praying with them at times.

You can read all about Greg Mortenson in the book, Three Cups of Tea. (Wow. It’s as of this time.) I finished reading it recently, and was totally inspired by this humble American mountain climber who sacrifices his time with his family and a potentially higher standard of living to help people halfway around the world. His willingness to adapt to local customs and the love he has for the people he is trying to help have earned him immense respect among people who are usually suspicious of Westerners.

Today I had lunch with a friend who’s involved in a ministry in Ethiopia that builds schools and especially tries to educate girls. Hopefully I’ll be able to help them by creating a website in the next few months so that they can convince more people to support them. Here’s an impressive ministry our church supports that I think someone should write a book about: The Free Burma Rangers. They brave incredible dangers to bring emergency assistance to the indigenous Karen people of Burma, as well as document human rights abuses.

We’re so blessed in this country, and it’s incumbent that we share our blessings. Hopefully our next President will understand this and we’ll make REAL progress towards peace and understanding.

All American Girls should see Kit Kittredge

Posted on 06. Jul, 2008 by kchristieh in books, feminism, movies

Even though my daughter’s 16, she agreed to go see the movie “Kit Kittredge,” which is based on the American Girl books. Although the books and the movie are aimed at younger audiences, we both thoroughly enjoyed it, and are glad we went.

The movie centers on Kit Kittredge, a 10-year-old girl who lives in Cincinnati during the Depression. She watches sympathetically as financial woes strike those around her, but eventually her own family has to make some major adjustments. She dreams of being a newspaper reporter, and the Depression provides ample material for her stories. She’s inquisitive and confident, and after she learns that hobos aren’t all bad, she tries to convince the people around her to have more sympathy for them. I won’t reveal what happens in the end, but there’s one scene where a boy tells a hobo to do something that made every woman in the theater cry.

The acting was great. Abigail Breslin, from Little Miss Sunshine, is completely convincing as Kit. Although Jane Krakowski’s Miss Dooley is basically the same as the Jenna character she plays on “30 Rock,” that’s ok, since she’s pretty funny. We also particularly liked Joan Cusack, who plays a mobile librarian. Oddly enough, I was also struck by how the realistic browns and greens in the movie reminded me so much of my childhood. Although the 60’s was a time of bright colors and wild patterns, my homes and those of my grandparents were much older, and more reminiscent of the 30’s.

I wish there were more great G movies, and that people would go to them. I truly enjoyed this movie, and feel lucky that I have a daughter to go with. I’d hate to have missed it.

“Persepolis”: the perfect 4th of July movie

Posted on 03. Jul, 2008 by kchristieh in books, international, movies

Here’s why you should rent Persepolis this weekend:

• This movie about a girl growing up in Iran reminds us to cherish our freedom, and to be willing to make a stand to preserve it.
• It’s appropriate for most of the family (it deserves its PG-13 rating).
• The animation is so amazing that it was nominated for an Academy Award earlier this year and won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2007.

I enjoyed reading Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novels, and several years ago. This movie combines both books. She’s a very brave, intelligent woman, but is also very humble and willing to share very personal details about her life. Our whole family enjoyed this movie.

The book you MUST read this summer: “What is the What”

Posted on 20. Jun, 2008 by kchristieh in books, inspirational people, international

If you read only one book this summer, read Dave Eggers’ . It chronicles the life of Valentino Achak Deng, who escaped from his village in Southern Sudan to become a “Lost Boy” who saw unspeakable horrors as he walked across the desert to safety. After years as a refugee, he was fortunate enough to come to the U.S. and start a new life. His courage and determination are inspirational.

This incredibly well-written tome weaves current events with Valentino’s recollections of his youth. The book is labeled a novel only because he can’t guarantee that conversations and events are exactly as he remembers them, but the book has so much detail that I bet he’s not far off. I couldn’t put this book down.

Besides learning a lot about this time and place, I gained even more of an appreciation for the current situation in Sudan. It was also a good reminder not to whine about the little setbacks I may suffer in life. In truth, I’m a very, very fortunate gal, and need to be thankful for that and do what I can for those who aren’t as fortunate.

Hopefully I’ll be able to convince my kids to read it.

I wish I’d heard JK Rowling speak at Harvard

Posted on 07. Jun, 2008 by kchristieh in books, education, inspirational people, life lessons, quotes

Although I’m glad we arrived late Thursday for my husband’s 25th Harvard reunion, I would have enjoyed hearing Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling’s commencement speech earlier in the day. Her speech, which can be found on npr.org, focused on two themes: failure and imagination. She said that she always feared failure, but once she failed and realized she survived, she appreciated the lessons she learned from it.

I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.

Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above rubies.

I totally agree. I haven’t experienced total failure in my life, but I’ve definitely had setbacks. They’re never as bad as I’d feared, and I usually learn something from them. Failure also sometimes gets me off a treadmill and encourages me to try another path that is often better suited for me.

I also liked this quote from her speech:

There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.

That reminds me of someone I know who still blames her parents for all her ills…even though it’s been over 50 years since she was a child. There’s a point where you need to take responsibility for your own life. I’m not sure that the age is 16 (when kids get their driver’s licenses in California), but perhaps it is. Hmmm.
As for imagination,

If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped transform for the better. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.

Amen. Hopefully the grads will heed that advice!

Reason #1 I’ve been too busy to blog: Book Expo & Anniversary

Posted on 01. Jun, 2008 by kchristieh in books, my life

It’s probably a good sign that I got nothing done in the past few days, and haven’t even blogged. It means I’ve been having fun. Here’s a quick recap of what kept me occupied on Friday:

I treated some of our school district’s librarians to Book Expo America at the LA Convention Center. Our first stop was the Children’s Author Breakfast, which featured Judy Blume, Neil Gaiman, and Sherman Alexie, as introduced by Jon Scieszka and Eoin Colfer. They were all brilliant and witty and amazing beyond all of our expectations, and we were completely inspired. Neil Gaiman showed a short clip about the upcoming stop-motion animation movie Coraline, based upon his . It looks incredible, and I can’t wait to see the finished product. In the meantime, I can’t wait to read the advance copy of his newest novel, The Graveyard Book. He says it’s about a toddler who somehow escapes after the rest of his family is murdered, and is raised by the ghosts in the nearby graveyard. The back cover says it’s for age 10 and up, but I can’t wait to read it! You can read more about the breakfast on the Publisher’s Weekly website.

After the breakfast, we went straight to the nearest exhibit hall, where rows of publishers were displaying and distributing this year’s hottest upcoming books. Thank goodness they gave away free bags for us to hold them all in! I think I brought home about 5 bags of books. I seriously need more hours in the day to read them! Of all the books I got, I’m most looking forward to reading Darin Strauss’ newest novel, . I loved his book about the Siamese twins, , but when he signed this book for me, he looked straight into my eyes and swore this one’s even better. I can’t wait to decide for myself!

Lest you think librarians are a boring bunch, my gals didn’t hesitate for a moment when I asked them to pose for a picture with the Prince of Black Angels. Too funny! By the time we left, it was nearly 5 pm, and we were all exhausted.

Thankfully I was able to summon enough energy to have a lovely 21st anniversary dinner with my wonderful husband at Cafe Beaujolais in Eagle Rock. Then I came home and collapsed. But it was all good.

Librarians Gone Wild, plus the Prince and I:

Bookins beats PaperBackSwap and Swaptree for trading books online

Posted on 15. May, 2008 by kchristieh in books, shopping

After months of testing several book trading sites, the results are in: Bookins wins by a long shot. It beats PaperBackSwap and Swaptree on every measure.

Here’s why I prefer Bookins:

• I don’t have to pay to ship books to other people. I only pay to have books shipped to me. That seems obvious, but that’s not how PaperBackSwap or Swaptree work. I’ve shipped out nine books via PaperBackSwap, and had to pay the shipping for each one.
• Bookins acknowledges that books can have different values. That old paperback copy is worth less credits than a new hardcover bestseller.
• I get more books via Bookins. I’ve shipped out 16 books and received 12. I have yet to receive a single book from PaperBackSwap, and I don’t want to read the books that Swaptree says I’m eligible for if I trade my books.
• Shipping is EASY with Bookins. I hate waiting in the long line at our local post office. Bookins allows me to print a label, tape it to a shipping envelope with a book inside, and drop it in a mailbox. It doesn’t get much easier.
• Bookins automatically sends me books that are on my wishlist as they become available. I still don’t completely understand the Swaptree logic, and as I said, PaperBackSwap seems to have forgotten all about me.

Here are the books I’ve received so far. As you can see, they’re all fairly current:

• The Boleyn Inheritance
• My Life in France
• The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime
• Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All Its Moods
• Atonement: A Novel (I’ve already traded it away again)
• The View from the Seventh Layer
• Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
• The Secret River
• Cloud Atlas: A Novel
• What Is the What
• The Abstinence Teacher (I’ve already traded it away again)
• Pontoon: A Lake Wobegon Novel

Now to find time to read them all!

Please join Bookins! The more people that join, the better all of our selections will be!! Click here to join.

Circus elephants stuffed into truck

Posted on 27. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, art, books, my life, things that bug me

Who cares how many clowns you can stuff in a car when you can stuff elephants in a truck?

This picture was taken by esteemed photographer Jill Freedman, and a slide show of her amazing work can be found on the NY Times website.

Note the name of the circus on the truck: Clyde Beatty. This picture was taken in 1971. In June, 1973, that same circus set up camp on the Roosevelt Common field next to the high school in Tenafly, NJ. I was 10 at the time, and attended it with my family.

What I remember most is that an elephant stepped on a trainer and killed him. Thankfully, I didn’t see it happen. But now I understand better why one of those elephants might be angry enough to do that.

What a tragedy. People shouldn’t treat animals this way.

I actually found an article about the incident in the NY Times archives. Here’s an excerpt,

Circus Helper Crushed to Death By Elephant He Was Handling

TENAFLY, June 4 – A 45-year-old circus laborer was picked up and thrown to the ground twice yesterday before being crushed to death by an elephant he was handling after a performance on Roosevelt Common.

The laborer, Alvin Kelly of Dallas, was helping to water a group of 13 elephants following the afternoon performance of the Clyde Beatty Circus.

…

“We have reports that Kelly had been drinking heavily earlier in the day and that might have had something to do with the elephant’s actions,” the spokesman said. “He also was carrying a big stick, which he may have poked the elephant with at the wrong time.”

The elephant, the police spokesman said, is now with the circus in New City, N.Y., where it had a performance today. “The elephant is a problem for the circus to take care of, not the police,” the spokesman continued.

About 10 years ago, I took my kids to see the Clyde Beatty – Cole Brothers circus perform in the parking lot of the Freehold, NJ mall. One of the guys in the motorcycle/hamster wheel act lost his timing, and almost fell. The act stopped abruptly. I wonder if small circuses take more risks than bigger ones, to get more attention. I felt that as a paying customer, I was complicit in encouraging them to take potentially life-threatening risks.

———————————

PS – If you haven’t already read , I highly recommend it. It’s about life in an old-time circus.

Daryn Kagan’s new book shows us “What’s Possible!”

Posted on 25. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in books, inspirational people, international

Do you ever get tired of reading about all that’s wrong in the world? I do. The world is full of wonderful people who do amazing things, but their stories are often ignored by the media.

Former CNN anchor (and fellow college classmate) Daryn Kagan is determined to find these people and tell their stories. Her website, www.DarynKagan.com, uses videos to tell the stories of people who have accomplished extraordinary feats for themselves and others.

Daryn’s summarized many of these stories in her new book, “” I couldn’t put this book down. I thought that fifty stories might be a bit overwhelming, but each one of them was so special and inspirational that I wanted to read more. Each one of the stories is sticking with me, and I’ve mentioned some to my family and friends. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Sebri Omer, an Ethiopian immigrant who gave up half of his successful gas station business to fund a hospital in his native land;
• Henri Landwirth, a Holocaust survivor who founded “Give Kids the World,” a group which treats children with life-threatening illness to a memorable visit to the attractions of Central Florida;
• Zainab Selbi, who survived Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship and went on to found Women for Women International, which helps other women war refugees;
• Bob Nameng, who went from being a Soweto street child to founding Soweto Kliptown Youth (SKY) to help give the children and young adults of Kliptown hope for the future;
• Paula Lucas, who founded the American Domestic Violence Crisis Line to help women like herself who were being abused on foreign soil;
• Ken Wyniemko, who got heavily involved in The Innocence Project after he was released after being wrongfully imprisoned. (The Innocence Project estimates a 5% failure rate in the judicial system, which translates to 100,000 people wrongly imprisoned!)
• Jacquelyn Mitchard, who emerged from a tough time in her life to write , which wound up being selected for Oprah’s Book Club.

These are only a few of the amazing stories Daryn tells. By the end of the book, I think anyone would be compelled to stop any future whining and find a way to make their own mark on the world. Read this NOW!

Julia Child would never cook frozen fish sticks

Posted on 07. Apr, 2008 by kchristieh in books, food, inspirational people, my life, parenting

After my parents divorced, my sister and I each cooked one meal a week. As I recall, our meals mostly consisted of fish sticks or spaghetti. After I graduated from college, I bought some cookbooks and taught myself to make finer dishes such as jerk chicken and key lime pie. After reading Julia Child’s “,” I realize that even my most ambitious  culinary efforts pale in comparison to her vast accomplishments.

Julia Child was an unlikely candidate to become an authority on French cooking. She grew up in a wealthy family with a cook who made standard beef and potato meals every night. When she arrived in France as a newlywed, she could neither cook nor speak French. She enrolled in a six-week course at the world-renowned Cordon Bleu cooking school, but soon realized she’d signed up for the yearlong course by mistake.

It turned out that she loved French cuisine, and wanted to learn far more than she would have in six weeks. Her infectious enthusiasm attracted friends and patrons who were chefs and gourmets. She toiled incredibly hard at translating what she learned into American ingredients, measurements, and sensibilities. One time she used over 250 lbs. of flour perfecting a baguette recipe for American flour, baking sheets and ovens.

That’s what I love most about Julia Child. She found her passion, and worked hard at perfecting it. It’s a dictum I try to follow in my own life, and that I try to teach my kids. Julia’s towering figure and unique diction were easy to mock, but the woman was a genius.

“From them I learned why good French food is an art, and why it makes such sublime eating: nothing is too much trouble if it turns out the way it should. Good results require that one take time and care. If one doesn’t use the freshest ingredients or read the whole recipe before starting, and if one rushes through the cooking, the result will be an inferior taste and texture – a gummy beef Wellington, say. But a careful approach will result in a magnificent burst of flavor, a thoroughly satisfying meal, perhaps even a life-changing experience.”

I just purchased on Amazon. I can’t wait to make one of her recipes!

Additional Links:

• YouTube video of Julia Child on her tv show, ““
• . A book about a woman who decides to make every one of Julia Child’s recipes every night for a year.

The oldest thing I own: photo book published in 1892

Posted on 20. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in art, books, history, international

Many years ago, my grandfather asked me whether there was anything of his that I’d like when he dies. I told him I’d love to have some photographs, and would be happy to scan them for everyone else. He laughed and said I’m just like my mother.

Perhaps that’s why, despite moving nearly twenty times in my life, I’ve somehow managed to hang on to “Glimpses of the World: My Portfolio of Photographs, Prepared Under the Supervision of John L. Stoddard.” It was published in 1892, and my copy says “Lizzie J. Brown, 1894″ on the cover page. To the best of my knowledge, it’s the oldest thing that I own. What a testimony to the fleeting nature of possessions.

This 549-page book is entrancing. It has photos from all over the world, and under each one there’s a paragraph describing the picture. The explanations are just as fascinating as the photos, as they reflect the author’s perspective and biases.

This book is pretty big – 11.5″ x 14″ – so it was hard to scan without breaking the binding. Here are a few of the most fascinating pictures and descriptions from the book. If you click on them, you’ll see larger versions and be able to read the text.

Here’s the “Royal Palace, Honolulu, Sandwich Islands.” The caption talks about how much progress has been made in the islands since Honolulu harbor was “discovered less than a hundred years ago.” The picture includes King Kalakua, his wife, his daughter, and Col. Judd, his Secretary of State. At the time, Honolulu had a population of 14,000.

Here’s a picture taken in San Francisco’s Chinatown. According to Stoddard, “a trip to Chinatown” was “an essential feature of a visit to the Pacific coast.” Click on the picture to see the caption. It’s completely politically incorrect for our times.

Here are some straw cottages in Salamanca, Mexico. The author was more sympathetic towards these Mexican villagers, though his analysis again errs on the side of political incorrectness. “These Indians are said to be generally happy and contented, but it is hard to believe it in view of their condition. Many of them certainly have a hopeless and even timid look, like that of a well-meaning dog that had been beaten and abused.”

No photo book would be complete without some Yosemite pictures, and Stoddard obliges. It’s mind-boggling to think that these pictures were taken before Ansel Adams was even born! Here’s a horse drawn carriage driving through a tree in Mariposa Grove. I think I’ve seen postcards with cars doing the same thing.

I think this book was pretty popular in its time. My freshman roommate had one at her house, and there are some available for sale on the internet. It’s no wonder people have kept them: it’s a window into another time and many other places.

I took a day off and finished a good book: “Dogface”

Posted on 12. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in books

Hopefully no one who reads this blog needed me to do anything for them today. Instead of working, I took a Saturday off and finished reading my advance copy of Jeff Garigliano’s “.”

I had a hard time putting the book down. The characters were endearing, and there were no slow parts. Here’s the Publisher’s Weekly review:

A 14-year-old boy with an affinity for all things military makes for an extremely likable protagonist in former naval officer Garigliano’s dark, wonderfully twisted debut. Habitually uprooted by his beautiful mother, Cecile, Loren despises her ever-revolving carousel of dolt boyfriends, so he revolts by torching the golf course where Cecile’s latest dish, golf pro Tom, tees off. Loren gets caught, and Cecile reluctantly ships him off to Camp Ascend!—a six-week rehabilitation program for young miscreants headed by Ray Kellogg, aka the Colonel, an ex-con scam artist who charges a $7,000 fee for treatment at the ramshackle campground staffed by the Colonel’s suntanned, heavily coiffed wife, Kitty, and Kitty’s sadistic, malevolent brother Donovan, who likes to play drill sergeant and torture kids. Loren, clever and smitten with pretty fellow inmate Liz, uses the skills of the seasoned operative to navigate and, eventually, defuse the escalating dangers at Camp Ascend! in a thrilling denouement. What initially seems like a wacky teenage romp morphs into a harrowing story about resilience, redemption and the will to survive. Garigliano excels with this sinister, superlative debut.

At first, I was afraid that the book would be a rip-off of Louis Sachar’s , which also follows an enterprising boy at a questionable juvenile rehabilitation camp. That’s where the similarity ended, however, and I enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed Holes. I can’t believe this is Garigliano’s first book, and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future. Also, like Holes, I hope this becomes a movie. I think it has the makings of a very good one.

From what I can tell, this book is being marketed to adults, not teens. I think that’s a good thing, as there’s one scene (p. 159) involving a prostitute that isn’t appropriate for teens. (or me) Even so, it’s not incredibly graphic, and in the end, the bad guy looks that much more stupid for being there. I think if you explain that to a kid before you hand him the book, this book would be fine for a mature teen boy.

The publisher sent it to me because I maintain a list of books that you wouldn’t normally think of for teens but that they’d like. There’s a special section of the list with books that boys would probably like. It’s easy to find teen chick-lit books for girls, but there aren’t as many options for boys, so I try to highlight what’s available. Please let me know if you have any books to add to the list.
Relaxation’s over! Back to work!!

Sponsor a Bible verse translation for under $30

Posted on 10. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in books, cool websites, religion

This morning I was looking at Design Meltdown’s list of notable religious websites when I happened upon OneVerse. I love innovative internet applications, and since it relates to last night’s “Bibles are born in China but can’t return home” post, I thought I’d share this with you.

OneVerse offers people the opportunity to sponsor Bible translations by the verse. According to its About page,

Through OneVerse, you can join with a team of prayer and financial partners to support local Bible translators. OneVerse empowers you to help translate one verse into one language for under $30. Because each language project of The Seed Company has different funding needs, the price breakdown will vary from project to project. Your donation will support local men and women who are sacrificing to see the Word of God in their heart language.

You can choose which People Group you want to sponsor the translation for, and then choose the exact verse(s) you want to sponsor. I chose to sponsor one of my faves, John 1:5, for the Irigwe in Nigeria. (“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”) Then I felt bad, like I’d taken the most perfect piece of cake at a birthday party, so I also sponsored the most boring verse I could find. (Matthew 1:10: “Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh. Manasseh was the father of Amon. Amon was the father of Josiah.”) I hope no one’s offended by the sponsorship comment I left for the second one. (“boring but important”)

This would be a great confirmation, Christmas or graduation gift. Or just do it because you think it’s cool.

Bibles are born in China, but can’t return home

Posted on 09. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in books, international, religion, sports

From Salon.com’s How the World Works column:

Nanjing will soon be home to the world’s biggest Bible factory, reports The China Post.

“The aircraft hangar-sized plant on an industrial park outside the eastern city of Nanjing will be capable of producing more than one Bible every second and is expected to supply one quarter of all the world’s Bibles by 2009.”

Let’s hope our Olympic athletes aren’t looking for spiritual comfort. Here’s what the Chinese government has posted on the Official Beijing Olympics website:

Bringing in the following articles is prohibited:

…

4. Manuscripts, printed matter, films, photographs, gramophone records, cinematographic films, loaded recording tapes and videotapes, etc. which are detrimental to China’s politics, economy, culture, and ethics.

Apparently I’m not the only one who sees the hypocrisy here. According to The China Post,

There is a massive irony in China becoming the leading exporter of Bibles at a time when religious freedoms in the nation of 1.3 billion remain tightly restricted and smuggling of unauthorized Bibles can still lead to a jail sentence.

Earlier this year, one of the leaders of China’s underground Protestant church was released after serving three years hard labor for possessing thousands of unauthorized Bibles. He reportedly spent his sentence making soccer balls for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Wow. Between bad air and regressive human rights, what was the Olympic committee thinking?

(And, does writing posts like this and others severely restrict my chances of getting travel visas in the future??? That trip to the Pacific Northwest is looking better and better…)