Yesterday, I hosted a Houdini House Party courtesy of houseparty.com. And we got to watch an advance copy of the first half of The History Channel's Houdini special that is coming on this labor day. It stars Adrien Brody and we enjoyed it quite a bit. I wasn't sure how my friends would react because I'm a huge Houdini fan, but that doesn't mean everyone around me shares my interest. It helped that most of the ladies in the group find Adrien Brody easy on the eyes.
One of the highlights for me was Houdini trivia. The winner got a Houdini martini shaker from House Party and The History Channel. I laid out my Houdini books on the refreshment table and we looked at pictures of him and his wife and his many amazing tricks. My guests had tons of questions about "The Needle Trick" which is pictured in my oldest Houdini book, Houdini: His Life-Story by Harold Kellock, originally published in 1928 just a couple of years after the magician's death.
In preparation for the party, I've been reading my various Houdini books and have reacquainted myself with some of the stranger facts about his life. I'd forgotten than when he was a teenager, he paid to have his picture taken with a chest full of medals he'd won in athletic competitions. Except he'd only won some of them. The rest were borrowed or were fake medals he'd made himself. Even at a young age, the man who would become Houdini was a master of advertising. I'd also forgotten that he was the first person to fly a plane in Australia. How weird is that?
If you're looking for a short read that will make you an expert on Houdini's early life and career, look no further than Houdini: Escape into Legend by Manny Weltman. It's only 51 pages and includes a lot of photos of Houdini and his family, as well as some of his birth certificates and passport documentation which show his attempt to shed his original name (Ehrich Weiss) and change his birthplace from Hungary to the US. The book wasn't listed on Goodreads yet, so I had to enter all the info on their website and create an entry for it. I've done that before for several other obscure books, but there's always some pressure involved since you are responsible for describing the book to the entire Goodreads community. Not something you want to screw up.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Too many books!
I'm sure I've said this before, but there are too many books and not enough time to read them! I sincerely hope that Heaven has a giant library because there's no way I can read everything I want to before I die. My list of books to read on Goodreads is well over 100 and that's with me really restraining myself.
And it's not just books I personally want myself to read. There are the books I need to read for my book club, most of which I'm actually looking forward to. There are the books friends tell me I need to read (I never read The Giver as a kid and so I've been instructed to do so by my friend Angie). And then there are the books I started reading and refuse to give up on now even though they're terrible. So what if I only read a couple of pages a week? I'll have it done in a year or two, tops.
It's a delightful problem to have, but a little frustrating because I know I can't possibly get to all the books I want to. Even if I quit my job and read in a cardboard box, there aren't enough hours in the day.
One of my goals is to at least read every book I own. Ok...maybe not every book I own because I still have tons of books in my bedroom at my parents' house and a collection of nautical books in our second home. I'll read every book at my house for starters. Ok...maybe not every book at my house because some of them aren't even mine; they belong to my husband. So I just need to read the 100 or so books that I own and that are currently in my house. In addition to the book club books and the ones I can't resist downloading onto my Kindle because they're free. In other words, I might read all of them by the end of the decade if I'm lucky.
And it's not just books I personally want myself to read. There are the books I need to read for my book club, most of which I'm actually looking forward to. There are the books friends tell me I need to read (I never read The Giver as a kid and so I've been instructed to do so by my friend Angie). And then there are the books I started reading and refuse to give up on now even though they're terrible. So what if I only read a couple of pages a week? I'll have it done in a year or two, tops.
It's a delightful problem to have, but a little frustrating because I know I can't possibly get to all the books I want to. Even if I quit my job and read in a cardboard box, there aren't enough hours in the day.
One of my goals is to at least read every book I own. Ok...maybe not every book I own because I still have tons of books in my bedroom at my parents' house and a collection of nautical books in our second home. I'll read every book at my house for starters. Ok...maybe not every book at my house because some of them aren't even mine; they belong to my husband. So I just need to read the 100 or so books that I own and that are currently in my house. In addition to the book club books and the ones I can't resist downloading onto my Kindle because they're free. In other words, I might read all of them by the end of the decade if I'm lucky.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
The Paris Wife and That Cad, Hemingway
This is a book that left me feeling raw. Hadley Hemingway was Ernest Hemingway's first wife, the wife he took to Paris to pursue his career as an author. In the book she is a likeable and vibrant character who puts up with far too much from her husband. This account is fictional but draws all its characters and major events from the couple's real life.
There are no spoilers in this post; even if you know nothing about Hemingway's personal life, the title alone should tell you that this marriage didn't last til death did them part. Ernest Hemingway was an amazing writer and there has never been anyone else quite like him when it came to literature or living such a ridiculously aggressive life.
***Just kidding, there are some possible spoilers***
Some of what follows could ruin things for you if you only know the basics of the story and want to leave yourself some surprises. If you want to read the book and find out for yourself, keep scrolling until after the Eiffel Tower.
***
***
The trick that Paula McLain pulls in this book is pretty impressive. I was only briefly frustrated with Hadley during a period where she, Ernest, their toddler, and Ernest's mistress are basically living together. The rest of the time I could see things from Hadley's perspective and understood why she was putting up with Ernest's nonsense. Hadley makes it clear how miserable she was during that time, but finds it impossible to leave Ernest yet because she still loves him very much. She knows he has been influenced by their friendship with many bohemians who live in similar situations and almost allows herself to be talked into settling down this way permanently. This is a woman I should have wanted to shake some sense into, but instead found myself sympathizing with.
I found the disintegration of their relationship very upsetting for many reasons. Neither of them were made happier by it, according to the book. Hadley would have loved to stay married to him (minus the tramp) for the rest of her life. And Ernest certainly wasn't happier with any of the string of women he married and ran around with after he and Hadley were through. Ernest ends up with a gun in his mouth, which is an inevitable end for someone as wrecked as he was. Hadley does at least have a happy second marriage which survives the test of time.
Their breakup also made me kind of hate Ernest. I don't want to hate Papa Hemingway, the golden god of fly fishing and bullfights, but my goodness that man must have been a selfish jerk. For all his machismo, Ernest couldn't be a man when it really counted. He could watched the most violent encounters at Pamplona and lord it over the "lesser" men who are sickened when a man or an animal spills its blood into the dust. But he couldn't bring himself to be honest with his wife. He could drink and brag and act like a tough guy, but he became a quivering idiot at the thought of losing one of his two women. In the end, the man couldn't even face his own life, so how could he be expected to treat anyone else decently?
Anyyyywayyyy
It's a good book, it truly is. And I'm glad I read it. But prepare yourself for some rough emotional waters. It's a testament to McLain's writing that I was so upset. I generally don't get upset when bad things happen to people in books (Game of Thrones is totally different, so just shut up), however Hadley got my sympathy. She was a real woman to whom these real things happened and McLain gets inside her head and inhabits her perspective, thoughts, and emotions. At the end of the book the first Mrs. Hemingway feels like a dear friend you want to protect and who makes you want to be a better person, which is exactly what Ernest says about her late in the book as things get very rough. Let's hope she does a better job of improving us than she did with him.
There are no spoilers in this post; even if you know nothing about Hemingway's personal life, the title alone should tell you that this marriage didn't last til death did them part. Ernest Hemingway was an amazing writer and there has never been anyone else quite like him when it came to literature or living such a ridiculously aggressive life.
***Just kidding, there are some possible spoilers***
Some of what follows could ruin things for you if you only know the basics of the story and want to leave yourself some surprises. If you want to read the book and find out for yourself, keep scrolling until after the Eiffel Tower.
***
***
The trick that Paula McLain pulls in this book is pretty impressive. I was only briefly frustrated with Hadley during a period where she, Ernest, their toddler, and Ernest's mistress are basically living together. The rest of the time I could see things from Hadley's perspective and understood why she was putting up with Ernest's nonsense. Hadley makes it clear how miserable she was during that time, but finds it impossible to leave Ernest yet because she still loves him very much. She knows he has been influenced by their friendship with many bohemians who live in similar situations and almost allows herself to be talked into settling down this way permanently. This is a woman I should have wanted to shake some sense into, but instead found myself sympathizing with.
I found the disintegration of their relationship very upsetting for many reasons. Neither of them were made happier by it, according to the book. Hadley would have loved to stay married to him (minus the tramp) for the rest of her life. And Ernest certainly wasn't happier with any of the string of women he married and ran around with after he and Hadley were through. Ernest ends up with a gun in his mouth, which is an inevitable end for someone as wrecked as he was. Hadley does at least have a happy second marriage which survives the test of time.
Their breakup also made me kind of hate Ernest. I don't want to hate Papa Hemingway, the golden god of fly fishing and bullfights, but my goodness that man must have been a selfish jerk. For all his machismo, Ernest couldn't be a man when it really counted. He could watched the most violent encounters at Pamplona and lord it over the "lesser" men who are sickened when a man or an animal spills its blood into the dust. But he couldn't bring himself to be honest with his wife. He could drink and brag and act like a tough guy, but he became a quivering idiot at the thought of losing one of his two women. In the end, the man couldn't even face his own life, so how could he be expected to treat anyone else decently?
Anyyyywayyyy
It's a good book, it truly is. And I'm glad I read it. But prepare yourself for some rough emotional waters. It's a testament to McLain's writing that I was so upset. I generally don't get upset when bad things happen to people in books (Game of Thrones is totally different, so just shut up), however Hadley got my sympathy. She was a real woman to whom these real things happened and McLain gets inside her head and inhabits her perspective, thoughts, and emotions. At the end of the book the first Mrs. Hemingway feels like a dear friend you want to protect and who makes you want to be a better person, which is exactly what Ernest says about her late in the book as things get very rough. Let's hope she does a better job of improving us than she did with him.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Reading Rainbow Returns!
I keep hearing that LeVar Burton is bringing back Reading Rainbow with the help of a Kickstarter campaign. This is very exciting to those of us who grew up watching the show. Unsurprisingly, the initial goal of $1,000,000 has already been exceeded and the goal has now been raised to $5,000,000. The campaign has been going on less than a week!
What did surprise me was that the show apparently ran until 2006. Really?! I know I was a bit past the stage of needing help selecting chapter books by 2006, but I would have been prepared to state in court that the show had stopped airing sometime in the mid-90s. In my extensive research (I did two internet searches), I found that the show in fact ran all the way from 1983 through 2006. I could probably poke around a bit more and confirm this, but I'm too lazy to do so. I'll just remain stunned that the show I grew up on was still enchanting children a mere eight years ago.
If you also have fond memories of LeVar and his earring, please visit the Kickstarter page and consider donating. After all, a pledge of $10,000 gets you a dinner with the man himself AND you get to wear Geordi's visor from Star Trek! There is clearly something wrong with people because all of the $10,000+ donors so far have instead chosen to sponsor a school or some such rot.
What did surprise me was that the show apparently ran until 2006. Really?! I know I was a bit past the stage of needing help selecting chapter books by 2006, but I would have been prepared to state in court that the show had stopped airing sometime in the mid-90s. In my extensive research (I did two internet searches), I found that the show in fact ran all the way from 1983 through 2006. I could probably poke around a bit more and confirm this, but I'm too lazy to do so. I'll just remain stunned that the show I grew up on was still enchanting children a mere eight years ago.
If you also have fond memories of LeVar and his earring, please visit the Kickstarter page and consider donating. After all, a pledge of $10,000 gets you a dinner with the man himself AND you get to wear Geordi's visor from Star Trek! There is clearly something wrong with people because all of the $10,000+ donors so far have instead chosen to sponsor a school or some such rot.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Free books: BookShout!
If there is one thing I love, it's a free book. Today I discovered BookShout.com which offers both free and paid ebook downloads.
I clicked on a free copy of The Scarlet Letter and it appeared in an attractive, multi-page format in my web browser. I've only just started toying with it, but it looks like a pretty good site. They offer classics as well as newer fiction and non-fiction. The majority of the free books are in the public domain, but some are newer works the site is promoting. You can link to Twitter and Facebook and share your list of books with friends.
BookShout also offers you $1 of store credit for each friend you refer. So if you're not content with the free books, you have a chance to get some of the paid books free or at a reduced rate.
I clicked on a free copy of The Scarlet Letter and it appeared in an attractive, multi-page format in my web browser. I've only just started toying with it, but it looks like a pretty good site. They offer classics as well as newer fiction and non-fiction. The majority of the free books are in the public domain, but some are newer works the site is promoting. You can link to Twitter and Facebook and share your list of books with friends.
BookShout also offers you $1 of store credit for each friend you refer. So if you're not content with the free books, you have a chance to get some of the paid books free or at a reduced rate.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
The Secret Lives of Dresses
The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean is not a bad book. It is also not a great book. It's a lot better than many things that have been published and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, but if you are looking for something that will challenge you or even make you think just a little, look elsewhere.
Secret Lives is charming and comforting and the twists and turns of the plot should take absolutely no one by surprise. Dora returns home from college when her grandmother, Mimi, suffers a stroke. She begins running Mimi's vintage clothing shop and reliving memories of growing up amid Mimi's classic dresses and hands-off parenting. The big revelations that come in the last few pages of the book are as easy to spot as a pair of Mary Janes in a sea of Ugg boots.
Gee, I wonder what Dora's father (who was killed with Dora's mother in a car accident years ago) wanted to do instead of run the family department store? Whatever could it have been? And could it possibly have anything to do with Mimi trying her hand at writing fiction??? And why is family friend, Gabby, so giggly and scatterbrained lately? Oh well, I guess it's just a huge mystery that has nothing to do with her first husband moving back to town.
But these are minor annoyances. They are the kind of things we treasure in books designed to be light and fluffy. The only real bone I have to pick with McKean is her characterization of Camille and Tyffanee, two of Dora's relatives. The author doesn't miss a single opportunity to bash us over the head with how obnoxious and shallow these two are. I mean, they wear rhinestones, for goodness' sake. Obviously, this means they are mean and small-minded and possibly the Anti-Christ. We get it after about the second page, but McKean's hateful descriptions of people who would rather wear layered pink tank tops and miniskirts ends up making you want to defend these women even though Camille is a horror and her daughter is a Grade A certified sorority b****.
The only character McKean paints as even remotely complex enough for us to have trouble figuring out is Gary, Dora's flirty boss at the college coffee shop. Is he as into her as he appears at times or is Dora naively reading too much into a man who seems content to date a different girl every week and foist management of the coffee shop onto Dora? You'll have to wade through a sea of crinoline, tulle, and gingham to find out. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the swim.
I have complained about this book a lot, but it has some very good points. My favorite character is Maux, the Rockabilly salesgirl at Mimi's shop who deserves a book of her own. I want to read more about her Lucille Ball hair and future in air conditioner repair.
PS: If you are craving some truly excellent "secret lives", check out The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
Secret Lives is charming and comforting and the twists and turns of the plot should take absolutely no one by surprise. Dora returns home from college when her grandmother, Mimi, suffers a stroke. She begins running Mimi's vintage clothing shop and reliving memories of growing up amid Mimi's classic dresses and hands-off parenting. The big revelations that come in the last few pages of the book are as easy to spot as a pair of Mary Janes in a sea of Ugg boots.
Gee, I wonder what Dora's father (who was killed with Dora's mother in a car accident years ago) wanted to do instead of run the family department store? Whatever could it have been? And could it possibly have anything to do with Mimi trying her hand at writing fiction??? And why is family friend, Gabby, so giggly and scatterbrained lately? Oh well, I guess it's just a huge mystery that has nothing to do with her first husband moving back to town.
But these are minor annoyances. They are the kind of things we treasure in books designed to be light and fluffy. The only real bone I have to pick with McKean is her characterization of Camille and Tyffanee, two of Dora's relatives. The author doesn't miss a single opportunity to bash us over the head with how obnoxious and shallow these two are. I mean, they wear rhinestones, for goodness' sake. Obviously, this means they are mean and small-minded and possibly the Anti-Christ. We get it after about the second page, but McKean's hateful descriptions of people who would rather wear layered pink tank tops and miniskirts ends up making you want to defend these women even though Camille is a horror and her daughter is a Grade A certified sorority b****.
The only character McKean paints as even remotely complex enough for us to have trouble figuring out is Gary, Dora's flirty boss at the college coffee shop. Is he as into her as he appears at times or is Dora naively reading too much into a man who seems content to date a different girl every week and foist management of the coffee shop onto Dora? You'll have to wade through a sea of crinoline, tulle, and gingham to find out. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy the swim.
I have complained about this book a lot, but it has some very good points. My favorite character is Maux, the Rockabilly salesgirl at Mimi's shop who deserves a book of her own. I want to read more about her Lucille Ball hair and future in air conditioner repair.
PS: If you are craving some truly excellent "secret lives", check out The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Funeral Textbooks: Dying for Something Better
I'm in a Funeral Service Education program in preparation for becoming an embalmer and funeral director. I'm in the middle of my third semester and I've noticed an alarming trend in my textbooks. The books that are specifically about funeral service are often poorly written.
My business and sociology textbooks have been fine, but I'd say over half of my funeral textbooks have contained typos and bad grammar. One of the most distressing problems is the use of the wrong homophones (there instead of their, etc.). I think this problem stems from the fact that these books are usually written by funeral professionals rather than professors or professional writers.
It's really discouraging that these wonderful resources are marred with amateurish mistakes. But it comes down to poor editing. If someone other than the author took the time to read through the text, a lot of these problems could be caught before publication. The worst is when the book has already been through several editions. Some of these mistakes have probably been there since the book was first published.
My business and sociology textbooks have been fine, but I'd say over half of my funeral textbooks have contained typos and bad grammar. One of the most distressing problems is the use of the wrong homophones (there instead of their, etc.). I think this problem stems from the fact that these books are usually written by funeral professionals rather than professors or professional writers.
It's really discouraging that these wonderful resources are marred with amateurish mistakes. But it comes down to poor editing. If someone other than the author took the time to read through the text, a lot of these problems could be caught before publication. The worst is when the book has already been through several editions. Some of these mistakes have probably been there since the book was first published.
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