Link Love: 06.10.13

[image via here]
FYI - Guinness recently became acquainted with the joy that is the laser pointer, so maybe I shouldn't find this  picture as funny as I do... Oh well :)

So much going on. Don't really have time for posting stuff right now, but I can't accomplish much else in the time I have until I need to go retrieve the Mister from work... Plus if I don't share all these awesome links the file is just going to become completely unmanageable. Look at me, hoarding good links to share with my lovelies! Without further ado, go check out these gems:

• I want to throw a summer party now just as an excuse to make these cute DIY paper fruit balls.
• Rather envious of Jessica Walsh's apartment.
• Want to feel better about yourself? Spend your money on other people.
• Love this little overview on Clinton Kelly and body image. Plus, now I have a definition for blouse that I will never forget!
• For insurance purposes, most Russian vehicles are equipped with dash cams (not a bad idea if you ask me...) and sometimes they capture moments that warm the heart and remind you that people really are decent and honest and good.
• I think we've established that I'm a cocktail junkie, and I can't wait to try this recipe for Ward 8s.
• If you haven't already, go read Angelina Jolie's op/ed piece on why she opted to have a proactive double mastectomy. She was already one of my personal heroes and this just added to the respect I have for her.
• Things that will make you blubber like a baby: Patrick Stewart's amazing response to a fan's heartfelt question at a recent convention.
• Really in love with these high speed images of object-filled light bulbs exploding.
• Everyone should read, commit to memory, and then apply to real life this amazingly simple advice for how to not say the wrong thing to someone in a crisis or difficult time. This article could also be titled "How Not to Stick Your Foot in Your Mouth" or "How to Avoid Being an Insensitive Ass".
• Vivienne Westwood will be designing Virgin Atlantic's new uniforms. More reason to love all things British!
• The Mister is always going on and on about having his own "man cave" someday. Cool. That means I get my own space and it WILL have a DIY glitter floor.
• Still need to ask my sis-in-law* if all of these are true, but if you're travelling this summer you may want to peruse these expert tips on hotels.
• I'm excited about the Met's Punk exhibit this year, but they did miss some crucial bits of punk history.
• Meet the women who made diamonds the "it" stone for your ring finger.
• Best idea for a retirement cake ever! And it's so well executed, too.

*I should mention that my sister-in-law works in hospitality, I don't just randomly verify factoids with her.

Book Review: The Beautiful Indifference

I went through a reading slump this past month. I think my anxiety was just too high for me to really be able to concentrate on anything for long, so I started thumbing through some different short story collections. The Beautiful Indifference by Sarah Hall is one of my favorites.

All the stories are centered around the concept of modern femininity and womanhood. They address love, life, and loss so beautifully. The stories range from the strange friendship between a bookish teenage girl and the local bully and her powerful family to an unsatisfied and stifled housewife's tentative entrance to an exclusive sex club. I was really enchanted with Sarah Hall's ability to make me feel the hollow, aching emotions her character's were experiencing with so few words.

If you're looking for some short stories to tide you over between work and travel this summer, may I strongly suggest these. You won't regret it.

Book Review: Bad Unicorn

Bad Unicorn by Platte F. Clark might have replaced The Snow Child as my favorite read of 2013. Not that it's really fair to compare the two, as they have nothing in common, but Bad Unicorn is the new book that I will not shut up about. When I say "won't shut up" I really mean that when ever I see someone even glance at its cover a maniacal gleam enters my eye and I babble on about it's wondrousness until they purchase it. 

I'll be honest, it's really not all that easy to describe this book and Mr. Clark has been not-so-helpful in this area either. But I'm a brave girl and I'm going to try. I think gifs will help, too. So here we go:

First off, imagine a mashup of all your favorite fantasy fandoms:

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Max Spencer is your average, geeky, tabletop game loving, outcast Middle Schooler. He and his best friend get involved in an altercation between the school bully and the resident, brainy smart girl (who just happens to be a martial arts expert) that results in them all being sent home for the afternoon. Max, his buddy, and their new brainy gal-pal decide to head to the boys' favorite place: the local game store. An ensuing interaction with the curmudgeonly shop owner reveals that Max's prized book is the most powerful object in the all the worlds: The Codex of Infinite Knowability. The fact that only Max can read it is a pretty big deal since that is a sure sign that he is a direct descendant of the World Sunderer himself, the greatest wizard that ever lived. As the information comes to light, Max panics, the magic unconsciously travels through him and he, his friends, and the shop owner (who, fyi, is actually a dwarf from the middle realm) are transported to the distant future where the machines have taken over and the only remaining living creatures are a band of spineless frobbits.

By the way, this is how I imagine frobbits to be:

Now, you're probably wondering why the title speaks of a unicorn when I have clearly not. Well let me tell you about Princess. This is what you are imagining Princess to be like:

You should really wipe that image from your head. This is Princess the Destroyer we're talking about here. She's powerful. She's spoiled. She's bored. She's mean and rather nasty. And did I mention she's developed a craving for human flesh? Yeah, "bad" might be a bit of an understatement. She's also been recruited by a powerful wizard in the middle realm to travel to our human realm to track down the last remaining descendant of the World Sunderer and the Codex. And she doesn't let a little thing like a few millennia of waiting distract her from that task either.

So yeah, really hard book to describe. Really easy book to love. If you have any affection for fantasy whatsoever you absolutely must read this book. And Platte, if you're reading this, I cannot wait for the followup.

Cocktail Party

Manhattan Cocktail // I can't wait to find the perfect bar cart for our apartment // The PDT Cocktail Book 

Keep Calm + Pour Drinks // The Volstead is as delicious as it is pretty + witty // Punch

I love this Demeter fragrance // Pink Lady makes for a pretty glass // The Great Gatsby

I've been on a cocktail kick recently. It started with the acquisition of two gorgeous new books: Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl & The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender's Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy. Actually, I may have been subconsciously absorbing all of the Luhrmann-infused Jazz Age-y goodness of The Great Gatsby for a while now, too. Nothing will make you crave some cocktails and glamorous parties like the birthplace of it all; long live the Roaring '20s!

The truth is, I'm a booze girl. Some people like wine or beer. I like booze. I can handle beer if the setting is right and I do appreciate some good wine. But I really prefer a nice, crisp, not-too-saccharine cocktail. Vodka and tonics are my standby, but I'm always game for something new. I really, really wish I could afford to drink my way through the PDT book week by week and make a new series just for that. (The Mister informs me that this cannot happen on our current budget, however. Sad face.)

I think cocktails also hold a special place in my heart because of the way they make me feel. A little gritty, a little glamorous, and very adult. I get to be a Bond girl with my tumbler in hand, listening to the fizz of tonic water and the clinking of ice. Given, I do prefer to drink my martinis in jeans instead of a little black dress and I may sport tattoos instead of diamonds or pearls... but there is a glamour to kicking back in the evening with drink in hand as I snuggle down next to husband on the sofa. And it doesn't take top-shelf brands and oodles of cash to achieve this feeling; I'm a pro at sourcing great tasting, bottom-shelf liquor to achieve my needs.

What about you? What's your cocktail of choice? Do you have a go to recipe book for your gatherings? Has Gatsby inspired any of these same feelings in you?

The Best Moments In Reading

[image via Pinterest]

Link Love: 05.03.13

[image via imgfave]

• Shockingly, I don't think I've ever raved about my favorite design blog on here. So this is me raving about all the glorious design porn Blood & Champagne offers up. (Plus, how rad is that blog name?) If you ever wanted to get a good feel for my design style, this would be a pretty good way to achieve that dream.
• Hanna's recent post about letting go and fully expressing herself and her love for life and others really moved me. It's short and sweet and take your breath away lovely.
• Not really anything groundbreaking, but this list of 9 essential Spring cleaning tips will help motivate you to really declutter your life. (The great purge is still ongoing at casa Bailey, by the way).
• See this: 
  
   How cute is she?
• John Cleese is one of my idols. I may also have a very inappropriate and odd crush on him...but we'll ignore that for now. His advice on creativity is amazing, and I would expect nothing less from a Python alum.
• I want to do this at work so badly. Or maybe for a Christmas exchange one year! 
• This woman left her own wedding to cover a breaking news story. I'm not sure if I admire her dedication to her work or her husband's complete respect and understanding for her dedication to her work more. 
• Gala put together an interesting bit on body language. Something I'm always struggling to work on; I'm such a fidgeter!
• Lava fascinates me. 
• When The Guardian, which is in the business of news, backs me up on my whole premise of how watching and reading the news is harmful, I think I may have won my argument.
• Vintage tattoos photos always make me smile. 
• This Paris apartment was abandoned just prior to the Nazi invasion and not reopened for another 70 years. Check out some of the priceless finds that were discovered inside.
• I thought there were some truly excellent quotes and takeaways in this piece on finding fulfillment at through work.
• Oh, don't mind me, just pimping out the Mister's new blog. He's really quite witty. You may meet a whole new side of me through his eyes.
• Black Girl Nerds latest podcast on interracial dating was a nice listen. I highly recommend it for anyone who may be in shoes similar to mine or anyone who wants to hear some more discussion on the topic.
• Still can't get over the magic that seems to happen in this video... I mean how does this man make such great art with what seems like so little effort and some spray paint????
• One of the saddest things about living in Richmond is the complete lack of access to an Orange Julius. I do believe I need to try out this recipe so I can quench my Julius-hankering thirst.
• I want a Spineless Classics print so badly. (Anyone who wants to take that hint, I won't stop you.)

Book Review: The Taken & The Lost

We're going to discuss the first two books in Vicki Pettersson's newest undertaking, the Celestial Blues series, together since I read them back to back and I canNOT wait for the third to come out.

Griffin Shaw is the male protagonist of this series. He and his beloved wife Evie were murdered in Las Vegas in 1960. Apparently Grif didn't take being ripped from this mortal coil all too well because he was not successfully incubated in the Everlast (what we like to call the afterlife) and is still too emotionally damaged? burdened? to enter Heaven. As a result he's been assigned to the role of a centurion, or an angel responsible for escorting newly departed souls safely to the other side. On his most recent mission he broke one of the cardinal rules of being a good angel and interfered. As punishment he's tossed back to Earth and locked into his flesh. Griffin Shaw is alive again: half angel, half man, half a century displaced. Then he goes and interferes again and saves Kit Craig from fated death.

Kit is a modern day girl in love with the past. She's a bonafide rockabilly chick. And believe me, Vicki's description of the rockabilly lifestyle and clothing will have you wishing to join up. Kit is also a reporter who, perhaps naively, believes that truth will always win. Despite Grif's protests that she is putting herself in danger by pursuing the criminal kingpins (and queens) of modern day Vegas, Kit manages to drag him right along in all of her journalistic pursuits. She also teaches him the importance of a good manicure and getting your hair done along the way.

The two make an engaging team and a unique romantic pairing. The thrilling plots of the individual books will leave you a bit shocked at the depths of depravity that human beings are capable of reaching. These are definite page turners. They also have a nice dose of fantasy with the whole angel dynamic. Vicki has concocted a very unique view of the afterlife and I'm enjoying the novelty of it all. I'm also in love with the vivid fashion descriptions that having a 'billy heroine allows. And like I said, I cannot wait for the third installment in this trilogy so I can finally watch Kit and Grif figure out the answer to "Who killed Griffin Shaw?"

Book Review: YA Extravaganza

Let's review some of the best YA I've read recently: Adamant by Kieran Wisser, Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza, and Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger.

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This book is the first in a series that has a definite Percy Jackson quality mixed with some serious fangirl tendencies. I love anything that even fleetingly mentions Greek mythology so I was in love with the premise of this book when I first heard about it on Kieran's Tumblr. I will go ahead and warn you that this book definitely reflects the Tumblr fangirl mind (which I can definitely relate to, even at the ripe old age of 28!) and therefor may not appeal to everyone, but I would encourage everybody to give it a try. Kieran is such a great storyteller and despite some editing issues (it is her first book after all, and it is self published) I was captivated and I can honestly say that I cannot wait to read the next one. So go show some love to a writer just starting out. 

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This is also the first book in a series. Mila is your average high school student, albeit one suffering from the traumatic loss of her father and the resulting amnesia blocking her past. At least that's what she thinks. If you can survive the beginning quarter of the book that is filled with a bit too much teen angst and references to the hot new boys amazing hair and skater shoes, then you will be rewarded with the teenage girl version of Jason Bourne. Yes, the angst is still there, although it morphs from why did my dad have to die and why are other girls so mean, to why am I an android and not a real girl angst. I did find Mila to be a bit whiny and and a little under-enthused about her super cool android powers. I also would have liked a bit less time spent on the discovery phase at the beginning and a lot more time focused on her action scenes. I'm interested to see how the next book pans out. I will say I am recommending this book like crazy at work because it's a very clean YA option. No cursing (there's one "day-yum") and no sex or sexual overtones (the poor little thing malfunctions every time anyone even gets close to kissing her). So if you are a voracious reader like me or are looking for something parent-friendly to give to a teen girl, then go ahead and pick this up. It's not the greatest, but it kept me entertained. 

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Yet again, this is the first in the series. Unless you've devoured the entire Parasol Protectorate series like I have, then this is the first prequel (sort of). The book is set in the same steampunk universe as Parasol Protectorate, but 30 years in the past in the 1850s. The book ties in several well-known favorites, albeit in their much younger versions, very nicely and as a fan I squeeed with delight every time that happened. This particular series is YA, where Parasol was more adult fantasy in nature, and follows 14 year old Sophronia as she is shipped off to finishing school after her mother simply cannot deal with her  inappropriate antics any longer. I mean, what kind of lady reads books, takes apart the mechanicals, and climbs up the dumbwaiter? The finishing school turns out to be more than it seems, however. Sophronia will be expected to rapidly improve her curtsy while learning how to kill Vampires and werewolves and avoiding death threats from the Picklemen as well. I am honestly so excited about this series it combines so many great elements: Steampunk? Check. Fantasy? Check. No-nonsense heroines who are too smart for their own good? Check. Humor? Check. Definitely pick this one up. And if you've never picked up any of Gail's other books you should do that as well. Well worth the read.

Book Review: The Fate Of Mercy Alban

I haven't picked up a thriller/horror novel this good in ages. The Fate of Mercy Alban by Wendy Webb was a quick and enjoyable read that I would equate to a really good Gothic horror movie, e.g. The Woman in Black. It even has the same, creepy, the-horror-isn't-really-dead ending...

This isn't groundbreaking work or a literary masterpiece, this is good scary entertainment. This is the kind of book that gets your pulse racing as you frantically flip to the next chapter to find our what happens. This is definitely the kind of book I don't recommend reading when you're all alone in an empty house late at night.

The action is set in a town on Lake Superior at the ancestral home of Grace Alban. Grace and her teenage daughter, Amity, have returned for her mother's funeral. This marks the first time Grace has been back home in twenty years (she's been spending the interim on Whidbey Island!!!*) and the book begins by covering her struggles at dealing with her families tragic history and her mother's sudden death. As she grieves, she begins to uncover inconsistencies in her family history and is on the path to uncovering them as she bonds with the new reverend in town. But when an unexpected guest shows up at the funeral reception, the story heads straight into creepy territory. 

I would have liked a bit more time spent addressing the back story  I mean, another hundred pages wouldn't have hurt anyone right? But if you are looking for something to get your adrenaline pumping or even something with a touch of mystery and dark magic, I think this book is definitely for you.

*If you find this as amazingly awesome as I do, then we may be soul mates.

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy

I loved this book because it is still J.K. Rowling in all of her easy-to-read, witty glory but it is so different from Harry Potter. A lot of people will probably hate this book for that very same reason. But I am absolutely thrilled that the author of one of the best fantasy series ever (my humble opinion and all that...) has proved her worth as an author yet again by putting together such a large book, in scope and in size, that captivates without a single touch of fantasy and some very heavy doses of bitter reality.

Yeah, I know, Harry Potter did touch on some very real subjects like death, abuse, and racism but the fantasy setting leavened the moral lessons for the young adult set. The Casual Vacancy pulls no such punches. The reality of life and all the disenchantment that can entail slaps you right across the face from the opening chapter. Like The Snow Child, I'm going to warn you that this book is not a happy-go-lucky, feel good book. It's bittersweet; although it didn't reduce me to uncontrollable sobs, it did make me rather pensive and misty-eyed. POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: It ends just like it begins, with a funeral.

It would be nearly impossible for me to accurately summarize the plot, there are so many story lines interwoven with each other and so many great (and sometimes gut-wrenchingly broken) characters involved. The plot revolves around the untimely death of a local councilman and the subsequent election for his empty council seat, but there is so much more involved. This is really a novel about relationships: parents and children, kids and their friends, in-laws, husbands and wives, and sometimes people with their memories.

Yep, life can suck and be hard and be so accurately transcribed to paper.

I was most definitely pleased with Ms. Rowling's foray into adult fiction. I say "bravo"!

Book Review: If On A Winter's Night A Traveler & One Hundred Names For Love

Going to review my book club books together since I wasn't an overwhelming fan of either of them. (Also, I thought it would be polite to save my dissection of these books until after discussing them semi-drunkenly with some fabulous ladies! Hello ladies!)

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If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino

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This book is not an easy read and I dare anyone to defy me on that. It's hard to maintain your focus and the pronouns will make your head spin. Not to mention that there are at least eleven different plots contained within the covers of this tale. 

Seriously, Arthur Dent had a better grasp on the Universe than  I did on this plot.

It's originally written in Italian, so I'm willing to bet that some of the difficulty I had was in an overly snobbish translation, but this book is about a Reader (is it you?) and an Other Reader (she gets a name, Ludmilla) who cross paths after discovering that the latest work by Italo Calvino they began reading is incomplete. The subsequent attempts to attain a copy to finish the story are all met without success and only succeed in giving the Reader an additional nine stories which are also incomplete to add to his frustration. Every chapter is followed by the story in question and for a long time I didn't realize that the chapters were actually forming a cohesive plot. 

Oh, so this is going somewhere...

It is funny at times and the ending did have a moment of sharp wit that really thrilled me. Several of the incomplete stories are also very fascinating and hold a lot of promise that never gets fulfilled (obviously). I will never be recommending this book to anyone, unless someone comes to me desperately requesting something more brain-bending than Inception. Although, I do think someone should turn this into a very funny and slightly weird film. With Martin Freeman as the Reader, he just does adorably befuddled so well.

UPDATE: This book has progressively grown on me in the months since reading. Having read some more Italian authors since then, I've discovered that they are all just wonderfully weird. I now recommend this book quite often.

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One Hundred Names for Love: A Stroke, a Marriage, and the Language of Healing by Diane Ackerman

Not anything I would ever have picked up one my own and it never exactly won me over. I'm sure this is meant to be a lovely analysis of what a stroke can do to a family, but Diane Ackerman's account of the events surrounding and following her husband's, fellow author Paul West, stroke read more like a series of musings on language. I should also mention that I had absolutely emotional reaction to her words, me who cries at everything, nothing was stirred within me.

The author is a deft hand at the art of writing, but I think this would have made a much more impressive essay than a 300 page book. Just saying.

Book Review: The Snow Child

Despite its standing on the bestseller lists, I doubt I would have ever picked this book up if my sister hadn't gifted it to me with rave reviews that sounded something like "best book I've read in years!!!!". It's not that it looks like a bad book, but I spent 2012 thoroughly engrossed in fantasy and most of it rereads of my favorite series so I haven't been in the right mindset for a more literary book. I am so so so glad that this ended up on my to-be-read shelf. And my sister was right, this is one of the best books I've read in years. Probably the best bit of literary fiction I have read since The Poisonwood Bible over a decade ago, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is going into my permanent collection for sure.

(Image via Goodreads)

This book is chocked full of raw emotion. From the very first page of the very first chapter right up to the very last page of the epilogue this book made me feel things. Powerful things. Overall it's a bittersweet book; I've heard it called sad, but I don't think that's quite right, there is happiness and new beginnings to celebrate after all. But if you are at all emotional, so human, if you're human, be prepared for some tears. I was absolutely sobbing, but I do cry at almost every emotion.

The story is set in 1920s Alaska and follows Mabel and her husband Jack as they attempt to save their homestead and their marriage from collapse. In a moment of pure, completely out of character whimsy (there's a lot of whimsical-ness in this story) Mabel starts a snowball fight with Jack that culminates with the creation of a snowman they have shaped to look like a little girl. The next morning, the snow child is destroyed and Jack glimpses her bright red hat and mittens on a flesh-and-blood child running wild in the nearby forest. The journey that follows touches many lives and teaches Mabel and Jack a lot about themselves and each other.

The snow child folktale from Russia and eastern Europe is woven beautifully throughout. The Alaskan wilderness is as much a character as it is a setting. And the plot is completely unpredictable; I'm rarely surprised at the culmination of a tale and I was in the dark on this one until the very end. All I can say is Eowyn Ivey, congratulations, this is magic.

Read this one for sure.