In shock

I went to sit down on the couch for my nightly visit with the NBC Nightly News when Brian Williams leads off the newscast with the following breaking news:

MICHAEL JACKSON DEAD AT 50

What...the...hell? My jaw literally fell to the floor. I stayed glued to my spot on the couch for the entire broadcast--even the commercials. I can't believe he's gone.

And this, coupled with the fact that Farrah Fawcett died earlier today, makes this one of the most tragic, sad days Hollywood has experienced in a very long time.

I remember when I was in the eighth grade, and I came home to the news that Sammy Davis, Jr. had died. I was saddened; I was raised on re-runs of 70s variety shows and really enjoyed his performances.

Then I was upstairs about an hour before dinner, doing my homework, when my sister wailed from the living room. That's how I found out that Jim Henson had died.

That news sent me over the edge. Sammy Davis, Jr.'s death was horrible, but for Jim Henson to die in the same day--and die so young--was too much to deal with.

Jim Henson was an institution in our house. Sister Kitten and I have been huge Muppet freaks since we were born. For us, losing Jim Henson was like losing a member of the family.

And now, something similar has happened today, with the premature deaths of two pop culture icons. I don't know what else to say other than, while I wasn't a huge fan of either Michael Jackson or Farrah Fawcett, I'm still very saddened by the news of their passings. I feel terribly for their families and their loved ones right now.

The Bookkitten's iPod Playlist: June 23, 2009

It's a lazy summer evening here at Bookkitten HQ. So lazy that I've taken to abbreviating...and y'all know I don't do too much of that.

Anyhoo, I put the iTunes on shuffle tonight and came up with this playlist...eclectic, but it works.

1. "Dancing in the Moonlight," Toploader
2. "Everything's Just Wonderful," Lily Allen
3. "Girlfriend," Avril Lavigne
4. "I've Got a Thing About a 5-String," Bill Anderson
5. "New York Minute," Don Henley
6. "1979," Smashing Pumpkins
7. "Circle in the Sand," Belinda Carlisle
8. "Vision of Love," Mariah Carey (haven't heard this one in a LONG time...I know Bikini Girl sang it on the last American Idol, but I don't watch AI)
9. "I Can Do That," A Chorus Line, Original Broadway Cast
10. "Starry Eyed Surprise," Paul Oakenfold
11. "Heaven is a Disco," Patti LuPone
12. "Hips Don't Lie," Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean
13. "Cool Night," Paul Davis
14. "Pieces of Me," Ashlee Simpson

Alphabet meme

Stolen from Eadyn over at Faded Pictures and Misprinted Lies.

A - Age: 33

B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: It's a toss-up between folding laundry and cleaning the litter boxes.

D - Donuts or Kolaches: What are kolaches?

E - Essential start your day item: COFFEE!!! Although lately, since it's been so humid and muggy here, an extra-large unsweetened iced tea from Dunkin' Donuts.

F - Favorite color: Purple. The deeper and plummier the shade, the better.

G - Gold or Silver: Gold

H - Height: 5'.25"

I - Instruments you play: the flute (in my younger days), my voice, and the occasional kazoo.

J - Jokes or Rhymes: Jokes

K - Kids: 0

L - Living arrangements: own a condo, live with two cats

M - Movie: Anything (almost) with Jared Leto

N - Nicknames: Shorty, Squirt, among others

O - Overnight hospital stays: 2005, stayed in the hospital for four days and three nights. I had a horrible asthma attack, which was exacerbated by the fact that I had the flu--and didn't know it.

P - Pet Peeve: People who have no respect for proper grammar.

Q - Quote you like: "A lot of comedy is tragedy plus time." --Carol Burnett

R - Right or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: Sister Kitten, who is three years younger than moi

T - Time you wake up: During the week, between 5:30 and 5:45. On the weekends, I sleep in till about 8:30.

U - Underwear: Most of the time.

V - Vegetable you dislike: Peas.

W - Ways you run late: Reluctance to get out of bed. Staying up late the night before, then paying for it dearly when I get ready for work the next morning.

X - X-rays you've had: Chest X-rays for pneumonia, as well as dental ones.

Y - Yummy food you make: Caprese pasta salad, bittersweet mocha coffee cake

Z - Zodiac sign: Pieces

More songs in my head

OK, just when I thought that more songs couldn't pop into my head, like the two that I posted yesterday, this pops up:



And that was in the afternoon hours! Here's what I was humming during the morning:



Who knows what songs will be going through my head tomorrow?

The songs in my head

Welcome, kittens, to another edition of "The Songs in My Head," where I have some random songs that I get stuck in my head so badly that I need to pass them on...to your little noggins. So that they can get stuck in your heads.

However, I hope you thank me for my choices today, since these two songs are positive, upbeat, and perfect for a first day of summer dance.

Okay...I'll be honest...it's been raining here in Connecticut...and raining...and raining...and raining some more...I almost forgot about that yellow orb that provides us light and life. I think it's called...the sun?!?

Anyhoo, here's the first tune, which comes to you courtesy of Relient K. It's called "Must Have Done Something Right".



And here's the second tune, a remake of the old King Harvest tune, "Dancing in the Moonlight." I'm not usually one for remakes but these guys do a stellar job with this:



Kittens, what songs are in your heads right now?

We'll return with your regularly scheduled programming, after this pause to ask you for your pledges of support...

It's THAT time of year, kittens. That time of year when NPR stands for National Poorhouse Radio. It's also that time of year when PBS stands for People Begging for Some cash. All of the programming on these shows gets interrupted because they need your hard-earned dollars to continue operating.

On that note, kittens, I'm not asking you for money right now. I'm not putting up widgets from PayPal asking you to donate your hard-earned cash to support my blog (that's what Google ads are for, but I think they'd crowd my already over-crowded side columns). I'm gonna keep this blog a non-profit, thank you very much.

But on a serious note, thanks for bearing with me over the past few days. Those of you who are friends with me off-blog know what I do for a living, and at this time of year, it gets difficult sometimes. Fortunately I've got some well-earned vacation days coming up, and tres soon. :)

So this means that you won't see our regular features today--Friday Favorites, Focus, Fragments, Felines, and Fill-Ins--now with fotos since I am now a Friday Shoot-Out gangster. Over the next week I've got some important stuff to deal with off-blog. I'll be checking in with you all when I can, plus I'll be sending out some tweets.

And there are some book reviews coming tres soon. Right now I'm currently 125 pages into Watership Down. I'm sorry, I know it's a classic, but for some reason I can't get past the bunnies. I hope it picks up soon.

So anyway, that's it for ahora. Stay tuned to your Google readers for the latest listings, and we'll be back to uninterrupted programming soon. Thanks for tuning in. :)

Clip of the Week: Canoeing the LA River

I honestly didn't know there was a river flowing through Los Angeles.

But count on Conan and Andy to navigate these waters.

I'm so glad Conan's on earlier. I can always count on him to make me smile. :)

(P.S. Yeah, I know this is the third Conan post I've done in the past week. But lately he's been the one thing cheering me up at the end of the day.)

If one more person asks me to do one more thing...

...I'm gonna hit my head against the wall and just. Keep. Pounding.

For those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, you'll recognize this as my status from last night...and up to now, since I haven't changed my status yet.

Lately, my life both in and out of work has consisted of questions like these:

"Kitten, can you do this for me?"

"Kitten, I need you to be at this meeting at 3:45."

"We need you to complete this by noon."

"So and so has been looking for you for the past 2o minutes."

"We need you here...we know it's short notice, but we really need you here."

Now, imagine that all those five above sentences are crammed into one, and say them as fast as you can, and you get the picture as to why I'm spinning like a top.

Don't get me wrong, I function better when I'm busy, but lately it's all been TOO MUCH!!

I also have another problem.

This:



I've always had trouble saying no to people. Well, depending on the situation...I'm not like Ado Annie that I accept a date with anyone who asks. But I've always been willing to help and volunteer for things. However, there's a part of me that is a huge people-pleaser. I don't like to disappoint people, and have always been fearful of what will happen if I say no.

I've gotten better over the years at saying "no" to certain things, but I still go overboard with the yesses sometimes.

This is not one of those times, though. When your boss tells you to do something, you do it. Fortunately I have a really great boss who knows when things get too much for me. He's trying to teach me how to delegate. It's a lesson I'm learning, albeit slowly.

Anyhoo, I need some rest, and soon. This morning I locked my keys in my car after I arrived at work, and I've been a whirling dervish ever since. Fortunately AAA unlocked it for me in record time.

But I can't rest right now. I've got choir practice soon. And I have to bake pumpkin bread for someone who was a huge help when I locked myself out of my car.

Eight hours of uninterrupted sleeps sounds so luxurious right now, so glorious, so decadent...

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

A slloooooooooowwwwwwwww daaaaaaaaayyyyyyy...

This has been the slowest day I've had in a loooooooooonggggggggggg time.

Everything was slow today. I'd be at work, plugging away, and I'd look at the clock and realize that only five minutes had passed. And that was the whole day.

It didn't start off well. I almost slept through the alarm and forgot to make my coffee (!). Then I got to work and realized that I forgot to bring the food that I had to bring for a meeting after work today. Fortunately I have book club in...FIVE MINUTES?!!?!

Everything has been slow today--my computer, my cats, my brain...

I have book club in five minutes.

!!!!!

Excuse me, kittens, I need to get going...I've been slow...

An apology...

I recently received a comment from a reader that hurt me. She said that she was going to stop following me because of something I had said in a post I had written earlier this morning. I was afraid that I potentially offended other readers by what I had said, so I deleted the post in question.

Am I being too sensitive for doing this? Maybe. There's another part of me that wants to say, "If you don't like what I write, don't read it."

But this really bothered me. I did not publish the comment, because that was my choice. I need to set the record straight here: I am a decent person. I am not hateful; I respect all races, creeds, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations. I do not mean to offend anyone who reads this blog, and if I do, I apologize. But if I hurt one person, I wonder how many others I could potentially--but unintentionally--hurt as well.

I also need to let you all know that this is not strictly a book blog. It started out that way, but it has grown to something much more. I don't have time in my life to keep a separate book blog and a personal blog, so I just use this as an outlet for many topics. Sometimes I do get political, and I have strong political opinions. I don't mean to slander anyone who does not believe in my political opinions, but again, if I do, I'm sorry to offend.

So, the bottom line is, if you don't like what I have to write, don't read it. And if you think I'm being a wuss for writing this post, just mention it in the comments and delete my blog from your reader.

Quote of the day

"[In the year 3000] YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook will merge to become one super time-wasting website called 'YouTwitFace.' "

--Conan O'Brien, "In the Year 3000 Sketch", The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, June 3, 2009

(Yeaaaaahhhhhh, I diiiiiiiiigggg Conan.) :)

Friday Shoot-Out: Random

Kittens, I haven't had time to go out and shoot some proper photos for this week's Friday Shoot-Out. I had a clever idea for the "random" theme, but life has kept me tres occupee this week. (Yeah, I know that "tres occupee" needs to have some accents in there, but how does one make accents in Blogger? Help!)

Anyhoo, for this week's "random" theme, we could choose anything we wanted. And since they haven't made any appearances on the blog for a very, very long time, I thought it was time for me, the Bookkitten, to highlight...my own kittens.

So here are some of the best of my Gorgeous Grey Girl, Maggie, and her sister, my Most Colorful Girl, Gabby.

The first three shots were taken on the same day, within the same hour, in one of their favorite spots: my glider rocker. Note how they switched positions during their nap:

Notice especially how their sleep positions are nearly identical: same angles, same facial expressions, same tail position.

Here's a random cat fact for you: cats love boxes.

Cats also love bathtubs, especially on warm afternoons.

Mags never lies on the vanity. Notice how nervous she looks as I snap her photo:

Both my girls love to stare out the window from their perch. I'd love to photoshop the trees as a winter scene and use this as a Christmas card. I'd call it "Waiting for Santa":

Maggie loves boxes, too:

Gabs loves to take naps in the most random places. One day I was getting ready to go grocery shopping, and set one of the empty bags on the couch. Let's just say my trip to the store was postponed for about an hour:

We end with a shot of both gals on top of nice, clean, fresh from the dryer laundry. Notice how Mags has her leg wrapped around Gabby's body. They rarely cuddle like this, so whenever the opportunity presents itself, I get the camera out right away.

We wish you all a very happy weekend!

Quote of the day

"I've timed this perfectly. I'm on a last-place network, I moved to a state that's bankrupt, and tonight's show is sponsored by General Motors."

--Conan O'Brien, during his monologue on his first episode of The Tonight Show, June 1, 2009

Morning people suck!!!

I am not a morning person.

I used to be one, however. When I was in school and living at home, I loved getting up early, reading the paper with my dad, drinking my tea and eating my breakfast, then getting on the bus. I was just one of those people who bounced out of bed and was ready to face the day.

Things changed, though, when I became an adult with my own place, my own bills, and my own set of responsibilities.

The older I get, the harder it is for me to get out of my nice, cozy bed in the morning--especially when it's dark out. I'm talking, the-sun-doesn't-rise-till-7:15 type of difficult. My alarm rings at 5:45--the latest possible time for me to arise, shower, dress, breakfast, and be out the door and on time for work. I have a 20-to-25 minute commute, and I like to get to work early so I can clear my head and focus on the day's agenda.

During the depths of my depression, it was almost impossible for me to get out of bed, so I set two alarms. I set my alarm clock on my nightstand, plus I set the TV in the living room to turn on fifteen minutes before my alarm went off. I have a loft bedroom, so the light from the TV helped me awaken.

But I also had other reasons for setting the TV to go on.

We have a morning weatherman who, while having the potential to be an annoying morning person, is one who helps me start my day on a decent note. Every morning, at 5:55:55, he rings a cowbell to signal the time. During these days, I relied on that cowbell as the final signal for me to drag my ass out of bed. I'd stay in bed till the cowbell, then slowly, but surely, arise.

After a while, he stopped ringing the cowbell. I sent him an E-mail, which he read on the air. He's been ringing that cowbell ever since.

These days I'm not setting the TV, but I still have a hard time getting up at the appropriate hour. I have learned to take shortcuts during my bedtime routine to maximize my morning sleep minutes. I shower, prepare my lunch, select my outfit, set the Keurig, and set out my work supplies before I go to bed. This streamlines my routine, so I am not frazzled in the AM.

Oh, and a word about coffee. I didn't start drinking the stuff on a routine basis till three years ago. That was when my depression got worse. Since then, I've relied on the java to jolt me awake, and not just for the caffeinated effects. I really enjoy my morning coffee; it's a comforting part of my routine.

Now, I've told you all about my difficulty waking up. I haven't told you my rules to deal with me before 9 AM, when I am usually fully awake, and up and at 'em:

1. Don't talk to me. If you must, keep the conversation light, with simple, preferably monosyllabic, vocabulary.
2. Don't talk to me especially if you're one of those extra-perky, life is perfect, rose-colored-glasses morning people. I resent your morning attitude. If I have offended any of you, kittens, I apologize, but please, don't piss off my kind before 9 AM.
3. Don't DARE say "Good morning" to me. Just say "Hello," or a simple, "Morning." Some mornings are better than others; there are mornings that just aren't that good, either.

Now Saturdays and Sundays I'm much happier in the AM because I get to sleep in and get up on my own time. I get to pace my AM routine the way I want it to: slowly. I take the time to ease into the morning. I drink my coffee for pure enjoyment, not the caffeine rush.

Of course, it would help if I weren't such a Night Owl. I love the nighttime. That's when I'm at my best, my most creative, my most productive, my happiest. All the good stuff happens at night. I love to stay up late and watch all the late-night talk shows (especially Conan and Colbert), and I love to fall asleep to those late-night infomercials. During the week I can stay up till 11:30 or midnight.

Of course, as the week progresses, I fall asleep between 9:30 and 10 PM. That's all right with me.

But no matter how much sleep I get, I dread that 5:45 alarm.

Speaking of which, it's 10 PM. I've had a long weekend, filled with dogs waking me up at the ass-crack of dawn, and it's time for me to get some shuteye.

Good night, dear kittens, and please, if you're a morning person, show some respect for the non-morning people. :)

Housesitting and bored...

This morning, as I was doing the blog update, Celia wrote a post about how her critter wakes her up at 6:45 on a Saturday morning.

Boy can I relate today.

I'm housesitting two dogs that are true creatures of habit. Their owners get up at 5 AM during the workweek, and the way that they woke me up this morning, on the weekends.

The guest room has no alarm clock, or rather, and alarm clock with the incorrect time. So I kept tossing and turning and waking up in anticipation for the golden retriever to trot into the guest room. Goldens are the canine version of morning people. At least they're more likable than morning people.

So the dog trots in at what I assume is 5 AM...and it turns out to be 4:43. I figured it was just as well that I got up, so I let them out to do their business, fed them, and let them out again.

I went back to bed at 5:30, only to be awakened again by Mr. Happy at 7:06. (This time I brought my cell phone up to bed with me, so I could at least know the time). I went back downstairs, let 'em out again, and decide to fall back asleep on the couch--which I did, till 10:00.

So right now I'm blogging while watching Travel Channel. I brought my current books, but I just don't feel like reading. There's not much for me to do right now, and I'm bored.

It's a lovely day, and there's porch furniture, but it's got plastic covering and I don't quite feel like pulling it off and putting it back on again.

Maybe I'll go shower now.

At least I'll feel somewhat productive.

VGNO: I'm Migraine Barbie!!!!

Good evening, kittens, and welcome to another Virtual Girls' Night Out, hosted by Ann at Ann Again...and Again. This is my first VGNO in a few weeks, and I'm happy to be back! I've missed talking with you all!

Anyhoo, if you want to sign up for the blog-hopping fun, leave a comment over at Ann's. She's having Mr. Linky issues right now, so dig through the comments to see who else is participating. I've never understood how to put a Mr. Linky up on my blog; the directions were very confusing!

Anyhoo, tonight's party game is over at Ann's, if you want to participate. The first letter of your first name determines which Barbie you are. I'm Migraine Barbie. Weird, since I only get headaches three or four times a year, if that. Out of that, one is usually a migraine. Fortunately my migraines aren't so bad that I need to take medication, but I just sleep it off. Which isn't such a bad cure for a migraine.

Tonight I am housesitting. Now don't worry, kittens, I am not baking this weekend, so there will be no repeat of the butter incident. It's a different house, and dogs, than the butter-eating one. It's their next door neighbor. They have satellite TV, a hot tub, and lots of blissful quiet. I'm really enjoying myself. Don't get me wrong, I love my house and my kitties, but it's always nice to get away for a brief spell. I've already used the bathtub, am in my PJs, and am tres content.

Tomorrow is our church goods and services auction. I'll be assisting the auctioneer in recording all of the goods and services that are sold in the ledger, so I can announce, at the end of the evening, how much money we made. Then, on Sunday, I'm giving a 2-3 minute speech at church and hosting coffee hour. Oh, and did I mention that I was nominated as the clerk to the Board of Trustees?

Yes, I am one busy Bookkitten. I am also a glutton for punishment.

Tonight, as you see, I've updated my buttons and my blogroll. Now I need to go update my reading challenges, since I added two more this week, and am about to add a third. Again, I need to remind you that I am a glutton for punishment. Fortunately most of these challenges allow crossovers, which is how I'm able to balance things out.

So those are the goings-on in the Life o' Kitten. Drop me a line and let me know how you are!

Friday Shoot-Out: Water, water everywhere!

It's my first Friday Shoot-Out, kittens! I first found out about this through Reggie Girl. I left her a comment last week, saying that I'd like to participate in this week's version, and she wrote back and said she'd hold me to it! Well, I can't let Reggie down! She's a great girl and has such an awesome blog!

And a few days ago, Reggie's friend Patty, who is co-moderator of the Friday Shoot-Out, E-mailed me a welcome. She's got a cool blog, too, filled with awesome shots of small-town America.

Well, I don't live in small-town America, but rather, mid-sized city America. Our theme this week was water, and my town is full of it!

We start off at Wadsworth Falls, one of the most spectacular waterfalls in our fair state. (Please be aware, kittens, that I wrote that last sentence before I linked to the website for the falls. The link has an identical sentence.)

Here are the falls as you approach the banks of the Coginchaug River:


I love this shot:

There's a little platform at the top of the falls where you can stand and watch them go over the rocks. Here's a view looking straight down. I estimate that it's a 20-foot drop (but I am horrible at estimation):

Before you come to the main falls, there's a very small waterfall that goes underneath short bridge:

I've always loved looking at rushing water in a river:

This afternoon I took a walk in Harbor Park for our next set of shots, and found this neat old water pump:

Here's a shot of the bend in the Connecticut River, which forms the southern border of my town:

If you look very closely, at the top of the hill you'll find one of the main buildings of Connecticut Valley Hospital:

Here's a boat docked next to Harbor Park Restaurant. There's a barge right behind it. Harbor Park's the home of the Head of the Connecticut Regatta, which is held every October:

And here's the Arrigoni Bridge, one of the symbols of our town. It connects Middletown with Portland.

Cross the Arrigoni over to Portland and you'll find the historic Portland Brownstone Quarries.

You know those brownstone houses that you see in New York City? They're made of good ol' Portland brownstone!

The quarries flooded after a flood in 1936 and a hurricane in 1938. There have been many attempts to drain them, all unsuccessful. Recently they were converted into an outdoor recreation area. In this photo, if you look closely, you'll see a zipline. You can zip from one side of the quarry to the other, and if you want to, dive right in!

A smaller version of the brownstone quarries opened about fifteen years ago to supply materials for renovation and small construction projects.

Did I also mention that the quarries are on the list of National Historic Landmarks?

Wow...my town sure has a lot of the wet stuff! I hope I followed all of the Shoot-Out directions all right! If I didn't...well, this was my first time, please forgive me! I still think these were great photos!

I can't wait to see next week's theme!

Summer Vacation Reading Challenge

I found this reading challenge via Jenners, who found it via Molly at My Cozy Book Nook. I thought it was a cute idea for a challenge. The goal is to "travel to a different locale that perhaps you would like to visit."

Dates: This challenge started last Friday, May 22, and will end on Labor Day, September 7, 2009.

Requirements: There are two levels of participation in this challenge:

Beach Bum: you will read 3 books during this time frame (a leisurely book-a-month); cross-over book selections from other challenges may count; and you do not have to list books in advance -- after all, summer vacation is a time for spontaneity.

Globe Trotter: you will commit to reading 6 pre-selected books during this time frame, but you may substitute up to 3 books due to changes in travel plans. Cross-overs for 5 out of the 6 books are allowed, but ideally one book will be read for this challenge alone.

I'm going to stick with the Globe Trotter level, and here's where I plan to visit:

• The Big House, by George Howe Colt. I'm a New Englander who's never been to Cape Cod. Go figure. This is about a summer home on the Cape that's been in a family for centuries. This will be my one book read solely for this challenge.
• The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay. This is billed as "The Classic Novel of South Africa." Sister Kitten's been there, but not me.
• In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson. I've always dreamed of visiting Australia, and Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors.
• A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle. This has been on my bookshelf for years, and I've dreamed of visiting Provence and its lavender fields some day...
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See. I can't wait to visit China!
• Bella Tuscany, by Frances Mayes. I read Under the Tuscan Sun a few years ago, and Tuscany's been lingering in my head ever since...

So that's probably going to be the last of my challenges this year! Wish me luck!

The Take a Chance Challenge

My pal Jenners is an absolute whiz at creating games and challenges. This is her first reading challenge and it is rawther creative! Since Jenners invited me personally, how could I not pass this up?

Here are the rules, taken directly from Jenners's blog (with comments and additions of italics and other font changes by yours truly):

There are 10 tasks in all -- 7 involve finding a book to read in very random ways. The last three tasks are about taking chances as a writer as you are challenged to take on the role of short story writer, poet and movie/book reviewer. The challenge is meant to be fun and no pressure. Complete as many or a few of the 10 challenges as you want.

Here are the details:
1. The challenge will run from June 1, 2009 through November 30, 2009 (6 months)
One winner will be drawn on December 1, 2009 and will receive a grand prize of $25 worth of books from Amazon (any books you choose!)
2. Each completed task earns you one entry into the drawing for the grand prize.
3. To earn an extra entry, blog or Tweet about this challenge and let me know in the comment section.
To earn 5 extra entries, complete all 10 challenges.
The total number of entries that can be earned is 16 (10 for each challenge, 5 for completing all tasks and 1 for blogging/tweeting about the challenge).
4. You can join the challenge anytime before the November 30 deadline but only tasks completed by November 30, 2009 will be counted as entries.
5. To have your entries count, you must publish them on your blog and leave a comment with a link to your entries in the comment section for this post.

So now, without further ado, here are the 10 challenges for you to work on.

1. Random Book Selection. Go to the library. Position yourself in a section such as Fiction, Non-Fiction, Mystery, Children (whatever section you want). Then write down random directions for yourself (for example, third row, second shelf, fifth book from right). Follow your directions and see what book you find. Check that book out of the library, read it and then write about it. (If you prefer, you can do the same at a bookstore and buy the book!)

2. Random Word. Go to this random word generator and generate a random word. Find a book with this word in the title. Read the book and write about it.

3. Birth Year Book. Find a book that was published or copyrighted in the year of your birth. Read the book and write about it.

4. Judge A Book By Its Cover. Pick out a book based SOLELY on the cover. First, write about what you expect the book to be about based on the cover art. Then read the book and write about how the book was different from and/or similar to what the cover art led you to expect.

5. Phoning An Author. Pick a random last name out of the phone book. Find an author with the same last name and read a book by them. Write about it. (I'm flexible ... if the first random name you pick is Xprxyrsss, you can pick again!)

6. Public Spying. Find someone who is reading a book in public. Find out what book they are reading and then read the same book. Write about it.

7. Random Bestseller. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1950 for the min. and 2008 for the max. and then hit generate. Then go to this site and find the year that Random.org generated for you and click on it. Then find the bestseller list for the week that would contain your birthday for that year. Choose one of the bestsellers from the list that comes up, read it and write about it.

8. Lit Riff (inspired by the book Lit Riffs by Matthew Miele.) Choose a song and then write a brief story that is inspired by or further explains the lyrics of the song.

9. Poetic Review. Write a book review in three different forms of verse: haiku, limerick and free verse. (You can pick any book you want to write about.)

10. Movie/Book Comparison. Find a book that you haven't read that has a movie based on it that you haven't seen. Read the book and watch the movie within a few days of each other. Write about your reactions to both the book and the movie and compare the two.

It's very likely that #10 is going to be the most difficult one for me. As some of you know I'm not a huge movie person. However...I'm planning to read The Time Traveler's Wife this summer, and the movie is coming out soon...

#10...done!

Anyhoo, check out Jenners' blog for some other fun stuff. I wish I had a fourth of her creativity!

French Milk, by Lucy Knisley

This, kittens, brought back soooooooooo many memories for me.

Lucy Knisley is an aspiring cartoonist. This book was the journal that she kept as she and her mother took a six-week trip to Paris between Christmas of 2006 and New Year's of 2007. Both mother and daughter were celebrating milestone birthdays; mom was turning 50, Lucy 22.

Lucy's journal is handwritten and full of whimsical drawings, cartoons, and photos of her stay in Paris. She and her mom rented a small one bedroom apartment in the fifth arrondissement. The apartment makes occasional appearances in the book, under the title "Strange Things About the Apartment." For example:

"There's this standing screen in the corner of the living room featuring fabric printed with hunting/gam paraphernalia...part of why I can't sleep well here is that the sounds at night are unfamiliar--I lie awake thinking: "What the hell was that?! Heat painting scares off any burglars!" (p. 87)

Lucy has a real cartoonist's eye. At the time she wrote the journal, she was a senior at the Art Institute of Chicago, trying to figure out her life post-graduation. Many entries in this journal address her fears of what could happen once college was over: Would she be able to find a job? Get into grad school? Maintain an apartment? Lucy articulates her fears well, not just with her simple writing, but with her wonderful cartoons, which show a lot of emotion and detail.

This is an incredibly sensual book, and not just visually. Lucy includes many, many entries on the delight that is French food. She loves to draw what she has for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and you'll be salivating over her descriptions over this terrific cuisine. You not only can visualize it, but you can almost smell and taste it at certain points.

This book, as I mentioned earlier in this review, brought back a lot of memories for me. I spent the first semester of my junior year of college in Paris. I was 20 at the time, and I remember a lot of the apprehension, angst, and fear I experienced as a twenty-something trying to make my way through the world. Lucy re-captured a lot of those feelings for me. She also made me realize just how much I miss Paris, and how I intend to go back...one day...

French Milk is a very quick read; I finished it in a little over an hour. But the memories of it will linger for a very long time.

You can find Lucy Knisley's website here.

This is the latest entry in my 2009 100+ Reading Challenge, my 2009 Read Your Own Books Challenge, and my 2009 A to Z Challenge. Click on the buttons in the sidebar for all of the archived lists!